RWBY's Theatre

by MrFoxHoundSir

RWBY reacts to stuff, No FanFic reactions, no additional plots

3. Emerald's Musical

UGH, THIS TOOK SO LONG!

Alright, in order to clear things up and not mess with the lyrics at all the audience is seeing this as an actual show. The appearances are more in line with RWBY characters, but their names are still the Undertale characters'. In other words, none of the lyrics or dialogue will change.

I'll admit that I initially had no idea how I wanted to write in the scenes. I couldn't decide between just using the Undertale names since our audience will be getting the benefits of an opening credits scene to learn who is playing what role or using the RWBY names as a means of reminding all of the readers who is who. After a while, I decided that dialogue will keep Undertale names while scenes and flavor text will be RWBY names.

Seating arrangement:

Kali, Ghira, James, Glynda, Ozpin,

Roman, Neo, Penny, Winter, Qrow,

Emerald, Cinder, Salem, Velvet, Sun,

Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Weiss,

Adam, Coco, Yang, Ruby, Blake

Inspiration: Undertale the Musical

---

As everyone settled in for the long haul Emerald nervously watched her Cinder's expression to see if she had done something to upset her. "You're not mad I chose to watch the entire thing are you Cinder?" she asked softly

Cinder sighed "Don't worry about it. It can't possibly be worse than the last one." she muttered in a tired response.

"I don't like how dependent Emerald is on Cinder," Pyrrha whispered to Jaune as she watched the two interact. "That's not healthy for her."

Jaune nodded as Ren and Nora glanced over as well. "I understand what you're saying Pyrrha, but what can we do?" he rubbed his arms as if feeling a chill in the air. "There's got to be a reason she relies on her right?"

"Other than you know... evil boss and all," Nora added in cheerfully.

"We can only wait and see," Ren mused aloud as the lights dimmed.

A red stage curtain appeared as the words "Man on the Internet presents" appeared on the screen. As the curtains opened a picture of two different bipedal beings was displayed. One looked like a Human Guard from times before firearms while the other looked more like a Faunus wearing religious garments. Once the curtains fully opened and disappeared from the screen the title of the show popped up "Undertale the Musical" followed quickly by the opening credits "Written and directed by Roman Torchwick,"

"I'm the director?" Roman mused as Neo clapped her hands "That's actually pretty neat."

As the credits continued a yellow flower with a face appeared with a familiar grin to Salem's circle "Starring Tyrian Callows as Flowey," next, a softer-looking Salem appeared still bearing her Grimm corruption but with a pleasant and motherly smile on her face "Starring Salem as Toriel,"

"You have fur my queen" Cinder whispered in confusion. Salem hummed "Probably either a costume or makeup" the queen theorized.

The next character that appeared was a skeleton with a confident smile wearing an odd assortment of clothing "Starring Taiyang Xiao Long as Papyrus," "Wait till Tai hears about this" Qrow chuckled. Shortly a second skeleton was shown much shorter than the first with a lazy smirk on his face "Starring Qrow Branwen as Sans,"

"He's not the only one of our friends in this," Ozpin noted with a chuckle as Qrow grumbled about not being that short. As the credits delved into the chorus members and art teams everyone took the quick chance to grab some snacks and ponder about what was going to happen based on the actors already shown.

The screen quickly switched to a rectangular robot with a big red M on its screen and a bowler hat on one corner "Featuring Roman Torchwick as Mettaton,"

"I'm a Robot?" Roman asked pointing at himself in confusion while Neo held her stomach as she mimed laughing.

The next character was a rabbit in a lab coat and a pair of glasses on her face. "Featuring Velvet Scarlatina as Alphys,"

"Hey look Vel, you're in this too," Coco smiled as she patted her friend on the back. "Pretty important part too by the looks of it."

"Thanks, Coco, I hope this other version of me does well." Velvet smiled shyly as she pulled her ears over her face in embarrassment.

Another character appeared beside the still image of Alphys wearing casual wear and a large sharklike grin "Featuring Pyrrha Nikos as Undyne,"

"I wonder if that is CGI or makeup." Jaune mused seeing Pyrrha as a one-eyed fish woman.

"Whichever it is, this one looks like a fighter." Yang grinned as she smirked at Pyrrha "You think she's strong?"

"I wouldn't know Yang," Pyrrha smiled at the blond brawler "Perhaps we'll see."

As the image of Undyne faded away a large goat-like being appeared dressed in full royal regalia a somber look on his face "With Ozpin as Asgore,"

"Hm..." Ozpin titled his head slightly seeing such a burly version of himself. "I don't think I've ever been that large in any of my lives." he pondered trying to recall.

"Clearly this man is a leader with heavy burdens on his shoulders," James noted seeing Asgore's posture.

The next to appear was a small goat boy dressed in a green striped sweater holding some flowers. "With Oscar Pine as Asriel,"

"Does anyone recognize him?" Ruby asked curiously looking around.

"Doesn't look familiar to me squirt," Qrow mumbled taking a swig of his whiskey, the others quickly made their own notes of unfamiliarity with the name.

Next, a young girl with dark skin and crimson eyes appeared with an innocent smile holding a bright red heart in front of her. "And Emerald Sustrai as the Human"

"You look adorable!" Kali squealed in joy as Emerald's face turned bright cherry red "We are adopting her!" she shouted shaking her husband's arm.

"Honey, it's not that simple." he tried to explain as Emerald and Blake both placed their faces in their hands.

Salem smiled at the scene as she allowed herself to relax in the surprisingly comfortable seats. "I needed something like this," she whispered softly to herself.

As the screen quickly went through a recap of the central characters' appearances it shifted back to the initial image of a human soldier and a robed featureless member of Toriel and Asgore's race. With a voice suited for teaching others, Salem began the story "Sit down child, do not quail, with peace and love we will prevail, if you climb along this trail, you will hear the Undertale"

"She has a beautiful voice," Glynda noted as she relaxed into her seat. "Though I wonder how many takes they needed to match the timing of her words with the cymbals"

"Probably not long" Roman pointed out "If they have a good audio team they probably just had her read off each word and cut and paste them to match the musical pacing."

"Still takes quite a bit of skill to keep the rhythm like that." Velvet pointed out with a smile. "You have a beautiful voice, Miss Salem!" Salem blinked a bit in surprise as Ozpin visibly restrained himself from speaking up at his student addressing his long-time enemy with such cheer.

"Why thank you, child, at least some people in this day and age can still recognize talent" she shot a smug look at her ex-husband. Surprisingly it was James who calmed Ozpin down as he lay a hand on his old friend's shoulder.

"Getting mad here doesn't help anyone at all Oz," he warned cautiously as he kept one eye on Salem at all times. "We're lucky she's been adhering to our host's wishes for a ceasefire in here." Taking deep breaths Ozpin managed to reign himself in as he nodded at James' logic.

"Hush now, little ones" Salem instructed as she looked around a room filled with young children both human and a diverse array of odd creatures. "I have a story for you, a story of men... and monsters"

"That's a little rude calling them monsters," Yang frowned as Blake's expression darkened.

"That is actually their racial identification," Fox explained seeing a potential conflict arising. "The blanket term is monsters while there are several sub-categories for individual species.

"Like a genus name?" Penny inquired tilting her head as her friends looked at her in surprise. "Did... you forget I was here?" she asked looking a little hurt.

"You've been so quiet..." Ruby whispered ashamed.

"I was told that talking during a movie is considered rude."

"She's not wrong." Glynda mused as the other adults on both sides of the secret conflict showed their own forms of amusement.

Gathering themselves from the unexpected comedy skit Fox nodded their head "Correct Penny, though I do not believe they use scientific names as we do for flora and fauna"

"I see, carry on then this is quite interesting."

As Salem pulled out a picture book for the children, she along with the chorus began to sing. "Long ago, men and beasts ruled the Earth and lived in peace"

"Wording!" Blake shouted unable to contain herself as Adam and the other Faunus in the room nodded in synchronized agreement

"Then one day, came a war, blood was spilled as ne'er before" as she sang Salem turned the page showing an image of two forces standing on either side of a field. On the right page stood the human army wielding spears and torches while their leader had a sword. On the left, the monsters stood behind a large monster that looked like Ozpin who was wielding a trident.

"I wonder what caused it this time?" Ozpin muttered tiredly

"Fear and hatred," Salem mused aloud having heard him. "What else is new between two sentient species"

"No monster will know love, no monster belongs in the world above, seal them underground, let this barrier surround them" as the page turned again it showed the humans standing above the monsters as the leader and what looked like a mage stood at the forefront.

Roman whistled as he leaned back in his seat. "That sounds a lot like what old Atlas wanted to do with the Faunus, doesn't it?" he asked snidely

"I imagine if they had won, a fate worse than that would have befallen my people," Ghira commented bitterly. "We WON our war and it still feels like we were sealed away from the rest of the world." The Atlesians in the room looked away in uncomfortable silence.

Their bit over Salem looked around at the children once more as she continued the story. "The humans, filled with DETERMINATION, won the war, and sealed the monsters deep beneath Mt. Ebott creating a barrier only a human soul could pass"

"Why was that word all capital letters?" Jaune asked curiously.

"It's probably important" Ren noted simply.

As the children paid rapt attention to their teacher the chorus joined in once more. "Many years, many tears, we live on despite our fears, there's no chance we could have won, now we'll never see the sun"

"Is it me, or do the monsters just accept their fates a little too easily?" Weiss asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"They seem to be the type of people to just accept things as they are" a sign from Neo read.

"I forgot she had that thing," Yang whispered to her sister who nodded in agreement.

"Stones instead of stars above, we've lost hopes and dreams and love, angels cry from on high, will they free us or will we die?"

"Morbid lot aren't they?" Qrow asked shaking his head in amazement.

"No new friends come around, that's our life here underground, while on high sits our king. Listen, you might hear him sing" slowly the page was turned to a view of Mt. Ebott as the chorus slowly dwindled as Ozpin's voice rang out.

"So much blood, so much pain, just to see the sun again, one day soon freedom shall ring, so proclaims the mountain king"

"Wow, his voice goes so deep!" Sun nearly shouted "I have goosebumps on my arms!" he shouted rubbing his forearms.

"To be honest, I don't think I've ever had a bass voice type" Ozping mused as he leaned back to look at the ceiling. "I've always either been a tenor or a baritone."

Kali excitedly shook Ghira's arm into the air. "Ghira's a bass! it's so sexy when he goes as low as his voice will let him!"

"Kali please stop!" Ghira whined as he tried to control his excitable wife.

"How are you an only child?" Weiss asked Blake who hid her face.

As the page was turned again it showed a young Emerald running up the mountain slopes as the chorus took over once more. "Now the years have flown by, a child climbs up high, will they return from the mountain or will they surely die? The tale of the underground tonight we sing a tale of fallen children and mountain kings" slowly during the song the pages turned showing Emerald arriving at a large hole within a cave and then tripping over a raised root on the ground. "Sit down children [Fallen child] do not quail hopes and dreams will sure prevail [and mountain king] if you climb along this trail you will hear the Undertale" the pages showed Emerald falling into the hole and landing on a flowerbed at the bottom.

"Ouch" Emerald winced a little seeing her other self faceplant after a major fall. "How is she alive?"

"Plot armor," Cinder mused wryly.

"Sit down children do not quail hopes and dreams will sure prevail, if you climb along this trail you will hear the Undertale. Slowly the coloration of the screen moved away from the parchment-like tint it was using during Salem's story as things became more clear showing Emerald in her blue and pink-striped shirt as she looked around after getting up. Slowly she took a few steps before turning around making sure she could still move correctly before noting a pathway out of the cavern she had landed in. As she walked towards what seemed like an exit the music slowly changed to an odd arrangement.

"And we get to see our first monster meeting," Yang muttered starting to get into the showing. Her teammates smiled in amusement as they settled in as well.

Walking through the archway transitioned the scene to another dirt patch where a flower with a face was waiting "Oh that's creepy" "Shush!" Emerald looked more than confused as she stopped and stared at the flower as the music increased in volume. She got really confused as the flower began to sing in a childish manner "Hi, my name's Flowey! I'm your new best friend! Welcome underground!"

Cinder shivered "If Tyrian EVER sings like this for real can we kill him?" she begged her queen who chuckled at how unnerved her subordinate was at the off-putting performance.

"Yeah, major NOPE energy coming out of this one." Nora agreed as she made a cross with her fingers as if that would ward off the flower.

"I'm not surprised considering Tyrian Callows is a sociopathic serial killer," Winter noted

"You mean 'was' right?" Coco asked looking at the specialist. "I saw he died in the news."

"They never found a body" Winter pointed out. "the creatures of Grimm aren't that clean with a kill."

"Great, just what I wanted to hear," Coco muttered sarcastically.

As he sang Tyrian continued to wobble back and forth as he purposefully kept his face towards Emerald at all times "Looks like your new, well, lucky for you, kid, I can show you around! Lots to do, so much to see spread the LOVE be friends with me!"

"So the word Love is important too?" Qrow wondered as he scratched his chin. "I wonder how"

Suddenly Emerald felt a pull on her soul as a red heart appeared on screen as the rest faded to black. Slowly Tyrian appeared as he produced a few white pellets around him. "Friends are made with love, LOVE's spread through pellets! Here, I've got a few! Catch them why dont'cha?"

"NOPE!" Nora shouted startling those around her "Evil flower is not being 100% honest with us!"

"She's probably not wrong," Adam mused aloud as he folded his arms.

As the pellets slowly flew at Emerald she quickly noted that she could see what looked like video game stats off her peripherals [Frisk: LV 1 HP 20/20] "Catch all that you can! Run into them, you fool" One hit her soul and Emerald nearly fell over at the sharp pain she felt. Glancing over she saw that her HP had dropped by one point. Doing her best to ignore the pain she got up and made sure that not a single one touched her soul again.

"So their attacks are directed at the soul itself?" Emerald wondered with a shiver. "I only have 20 HP?" she shouted realizing what that meant for her other self.

"That... could be really bad for her right?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.

"Somehow I think she'll be fine." Ren pointed out

"Feeling woozy? Good! You're dumb! You fell down, now I'll have fun!" Emerald frowned as the pain faded from her mind as quickly as it appeared. Jerking her head to the side she avoided another barrage as Tyrian continued to sing. "Down here there's one rule, kill or you'll be killed, a lesson you'll soon learn," his voice seemed to glitch on the word killed before continuing as if nothing happened "Levels of Violence, that's my kind of LOVE! Spread when I slash and burn!" Suddenly a full circle of pellets surrounded Emerald leaving no opening for her to escape. "Take heart, kid, you met your end, falling to your true best friend, I will not bow down, I will not suffer, I will not ever cry!"

"Why does it seem like he's lying to himself?" Penny questioned aloud "I cannot explain it, but I feel that this Flowey character is not so simple."

"This is the end of your very short path! Toodle-oo, kiddo! DIE!" slowly the encirclement constricted as Emerald's soul buzzed around like a panicked bird trying to find a path to escape while Tyrian laughed maniacally the entire time. Just as the pellets were about to hit they were suddenly dispelled causing Tyrian to frown in confusion before a ball of flame formed beside him, he only had time to widen his eyes before it slammed into him letting out an "OOF!" before being blown off-screen.

"Well, that was something" Cinder hummed, delighted that any version of Tyrian was being harmed. Emerald let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding

From Emerald's right, Salem emerged with an angry look on her face "What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent, youth." she grumbled before turning to Emerald with a much softer expression. "Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel guardian of the RUINS" Seeing Emerald looking at her with a wary expression, Salem's visage softened as a motherly smile made its way to her face. kneeling she slowly raised her paw and reached for Emerald's head.

"I'm surprised the kid isn't running" Qrow noted as he leaned back in his chair.

Emerald frowned "She may not see the point."

"She wouldn't have dodged Flowey's attacks if that was the case," Cinder pointed out wondering if perhaps this child version of Emerald could simply tell when others meant her harm.

When Emerald didn't shy away Salem seemed to brighten as she patted the young child on the head subtly healing her and began to sing. "Oh dear child you've fallen down it's dark, and there's no one around to guide you through the dark, but please don't you worry your little head I'll be here to guide you along. Right here, by your side, through the maze, and teach you the way"

Ozpin closed his eyes as memories long thought buried resurfaced.

Salem closed her eyes recalling four little girls she had loved more than life itself.

Emerald watched silently as this little kid version of herself found herself a powerful guardian so early. "Lucky..." she whispered softly wondering about what-ifs and what could have been.

"She has such a pretty voice," Ruby beamed as she leaned over to grab her sister's arm. Weiss crossed her arms "I suppose she does." she muttered unhappily about complimenting what could be called Remnant's greatest evil.

Rising to her feet Salem offered her hand to Emerald "Just take my hand, don't be afraid, it has been so long since a human has come by here. You remind me of love I'd once known"

"So she has lost children too" Salem noted with a strained expression. "I suppose that shouldn't have surprised me."

"Are you okay my queen?" Cinder asked in a low whisper.

"I will be fine, just...a bad memory." Cinder looked concerned, but once Salem waved her off she let it go.

Slowly Emerald reached out and grasped Salem's hand as the motherly monster continued to sing "Listen well my dear child, you're going to grow up and learn all that life will teach you your mother is always so proud and you will never leave me! Here you will stay, never will you be afraid here with me. You've fallen down, now get up"

"Okay..." Kali stated as the audience shifted around before looking oddly at Salem who coughed into her hands uncomfortably. "Perhaps there's more to that statement?"

"I sure hope so!" Emerald shouted as she gasped before covering her face in mortification. "I... uh...that sounds really stifling," she muttered an excuse as she looked away from Salem who was staring at her with an unreadable expression.

As Salem began leading Emerald deeper into the ruins she smiled happily as the child's eyes widened in wonder as she looked around. "The underground isn't such an awful place to live peacefully together, and who would need to see light of day?"

"She's given up" Ozpin muttered in amazement. "She's given up on returning to the surface and would rather just spend idle days with loved ones instead."

James wasn't entirely convinced. "I'm sure there are deeper reasons than that."

Glynda shrugged her shoulders as she continued to watch. "I suspect too many tragedies have broken her desire to return to the surface."

"Oh my child, bathed in light, I know that you're scared, that you've fallen down but Toriel will spare your life." Emerald briefly looked up at Salem in confusion at the wording "Come, my child let's move on and live in my world, and just maybe you could teach me how you stay determined and strong" as she neared the end of her song Salem let go of Emerald's hand to push open a set of double doors leading to a hallway where the caverns shifted into a more artificial tunnel. Turning to Emerald, Salem smiled and offered her hand once more "Take my hand, dear child. And stay close, the ruins are full of traps and puzzles and you're not ready to face them yet. But, don't worry! I'll be here if anything happens."

"Traps?" Jaune questioned looking confused.

"Puzzles?" Nora continued the line of thought

"WHY?" Coco screamed unable to comprehend why anyone would put either of those two things in what was essentially their own front yard let alone both.

"Perhaps it's cultural?" Penny suggested.

"That...makes some sense I guess." Blake conceded with a shrug of her shoulders.

As Salem led young Emerald through the first few trap/puzzle rooms she smiled happily as she pointed out various points of interest and other monsters who were looking at the new addition curiously. As they walked the chorus began another number. "This is how the story begins! Will this fallen child make us friends? Or will they give in, kill us all?"

"That's morbid..." Velvet whispered softly as she rubbed her ears nervously.

"Are they okay?" Coco asked lowering her shades a little to look over at their host who was simply humming along with the melody.

"A large number of monsters were losing hope and giving up their wills to live on," Fox explained as he noted what scene they were coming closer to. "Hm, I think I'll whip up Ms. Toriel's famous cinnamon-butterscotch pie for everyone."

Neo's eyes lit up at the mention of dessert. "Can I have ice cream with mine?" her sign read as she gave him the cutest puppy dog look she could manage. With a chuckle, Fox simply shrugged their shoulders as they clapped their hands and disappeared.

"I wanted to ask more..." Blake grumbled not quite satisfied with the information given so far.

"Who knows when an angel will fall? We want to fly~" As the chorus continued to sing Salem led Emerald through an iron spike maze in a room completely surrounded by water.

"Ms. Toriel?" Emerald began

"Yes my child?" Salem hummed happily as she looked at the child.

"What's stopping someone from just swimming around this one?"

"Integrity!" Salem declared firmly the audience chuckled a little at the fire in her eyes "...And the piranhas in the water." Emerald's eyes widened as a fish with razer-sharp-looking teeth jumped out of the water for a brief moment.

"I take it no cheating allowed?" Weiss asked in amusement as Ruby hugged her sister in fright.

"~Out from the ruins where we lie, but someday soon, we'll see the sky!" After passing the iron spike maze Salem released Emerald's hand and took a single step behind her. "Would you like to try and solve the next few rooms on your own child?" she questioned with a curious smile. "I'll be right behind you, should you need my help."

Emerald smiled and nodded her head as she looked around the room earnestly. "This is how the story begins [I stay underground]~"

"Is that Jaune singing?" Ruby asked curiously as a new voice joined the chorus.

"That probably means we get to meet vomit-boy soon right?" Yang questioned with a smirk as she looked at Jaune. "What do you think you'll look like Vomit-boy?" she called out getting a groan from the blonde in question.

"Could be anything really," Jaune muttered as he palmed his face tiredly.

"I bet fearless leader is a ghost!" Nora chirped getting a few raised brows from her friends. "Oh come on! that'd be so cool!" Jaune and Ren shared a look before shrugging their shoulders seeing as they didn't have a better theory.

"~Will this fallen child make us friends? [Garbage all around] or will they give in, kill us all? [Cry and mope, oh wow] Who knows when an angel will fall? [This is my life now]" Slowly making her way through a room Emerald gasped as the floor disappeared from underneath her causing her to fall into a room below and land on a soft bed of leaves. "We want to fly! [I spent all these years] Out from the ruins where we lie [Just me and my tears]"

"Oh, I get it!" Phyrra shouted surprising many of the others in the room. "She has to follow the path shown in the bottom room in the upper room!"

"Huh, what do you know" Qrow muttered impressed. "I didn't even think about that."

"To be fair, that solution is only possible because Toriel seems to be the kind of person to make sure you would be fine after falling through when of her pit traps." James pointed out "If she actually didn't want anyone getting through she wouldn't have made those leaf piles below the collapsable ground to frame the correct pathway or to cushion those who failed the puzzle at first."

Ozpin hummed "I wonder if that's actually how monsters train their children's memorization ability."

"Huh..." a few hummed as they considered that possibility.

"But someday soon [My cousin is gone] we'll see the sky! [I'll lay on the lawn] This is how the story begins [Never seen the dawn] Will this fallen child make us friends? [Pretty sure it's gone] Or will they give in, kill us all? [Cry and mope, oh wow]" The screen seemed to show a montage of puzzles that Emerald managed to solve with only minimal help from Salem who would occasionally send her attention to a sign in the room that would give the young girl a hint. "Who knows when an angel will fall? [This is my life now] We want to fly [Screw up everything] Out from the ruins where we lie [Barely can even sing] But someday soon, we'll see the sky, the morning sun will shine down from on high and the stars above will shine down and show their love..." The chorus held the note as Salem and Emerald approached a sleeping ghostly figure lying on the ground blocking their way.

The ghost...looked like those simple bedsheet ghosts poor kids would use in the October holiday.

"That..." Jaune trailed off as Nora cheered about getting it right. "I don't know how to feel about this," he admitted while scratching the back of his head idly.

"Hey..." Yang whispered to her sister. "Isn't Jaune awake and just pretending to be asleep?" she asked pointing at the screen

"Oh! he is!" Ruby giggled as she pointed it out to her other friends who all had a giggle at Jaune's expense.

Suddenly there was a unique ringtone Salem and Emerald shared a look before backtracking a bit to leave Jaune some privacy for his phone call. Seeming to nod in thanks Jaune got off the ground and produced a phone from...somewhere...before answering it. "Hey, sorry, this is a bad time... yeah I can still make the mixtape... I just didn't want you to think I hate you...Do you hate me? Sorry, I should hang up... bye..."

As the camera panned back to Salem and Emerald the older monster smiled as she addressed the young girl. "You're doing quite well, my child!" perking her ears up to see if Jaune had finished his conversation she began making her way back to the room he had been in intent on returning to her home in the ruins. "I'd say that was a real walk in the park!" "EYY!" "Shut up Yang!" With a little giggle Salem noted that Jaune had laid back down in his spot "Now if you're going to stay down here with me, there are a few things you will have to learn."

"It's a little creepy how she words that," Emerald muttered with a shiver

"Luckily, I shall be more than happy to guide you!" Salem tried to tell Jaune to leave with her eyes alone but failed as the ghost pretended to be asleep once more. "Teaching is a sort of hobby of mine, you see. Now perhaps I can give you a... TU-TORIEL!" with her piece said Salem burst into a laughing fit as she rubbed her eyes a bit while Emerald just looked at her passively.

"Nice one!" Yang called out as her teammates groaned in unison.

"That...was actually quite clever." Ozpin mused as Cinder stared at Salem with a very confused expression.

"You see, because it is my name, and..." perhaps realizing that she wasn't going to get the belly-aching laugh she had hoped for Salem coughed into her hands as she gathered herself for her lecture. "My child, many monsters you meet in the underground may wish to harm you or block your way. But, if you merely talk to them, you will find there is no conflict you cannot escape!" her eyes zeroed in on Jaune who quickly started muttering "ZZZ" in an effort to convince them to leave him alone. "Go ahead! try it out on this ghost!"

Teams RWBY and NPR started laughing as the ghostly Jaune on-screen couldn't escape being used as a lesson plan.

Emerald walked up to Jaune and stared at him quizzically before noticing a stick nearby. Salem raised an eyebrow as she regarded the child who hadn't said much since they'd met. "You're... not much of a talker, are you?" she questioned as Jaune continued to mutter "ZZZ" "That's alright, I'm sure you...My child?" she asked seeing Emerald pick up the stick. "What are you..." Suddenly Emerald took a few swings at Jaune though it didn't do anything to him as he got up realizing that waiting wouldn't make them leave. "No! Put down the stick!" Salem shouted as she moved to take it from Emerald's grasp "Ghosts are not for hitting!"

There was a snicker somewhere amongst the audience. then another, and another. Pretty soon most of the audience was laughing while Jaune and Emerald sank into their seats, mortified.

Jaune blinked a little bit as he watched Salem step up to Emerald's side "Oh..." he muttered as Salem wagged her finger at Emerald who looked away. "My child!" she shouted as Emerald didn't make any move to apologize. "Oh geez..." he muttered again "Am I in your way?" Jaune questioned looking a little sad "Hey, hey I'm sorry... oh goodness." he moaned as a familiar red shine came out of Emerald's chest signaling the start of a FIGHT.

"Here comes Napstablook." Emerald looked around for the voice but didn't see anything, even weirder Salem didn't look like she heard it as she continued to try and stop the fight.

"Was that me?" Cinder whispered as she shifted in her seat.

"Yeah! Guess I look funny, I'm not really sunny, though no no no, nngh..." Jaune sang as the fight began. Emerald blinked as she was given four options: Check, Flirt, Threat, and Cheer "Just pluggin' along listenin' to the radio"

Selecting Cheer the mysterious voice spoke once more as she tried to cheer the depressed ghost up"You gave Napstablook a patient smile."

"I'm fine, excuse me, I'm sorry. Do what you gotta do, don't mind me" As he sang Emerald noticed that his attention would shift between herself and something off to her left, but when she looked in that direction nothing was there. Unfortunately, she wasn't given a chance to ponder about his actions as she was forced to dodge many tear-like bullets coming from Jaune's eyes as he still gave off a melancholic feel. Emerald frowned as she tried to use the stick to interrupt Jaune's actions to no avail.

"I'm not a barrel of sunshine, even my tears are crying. Guess I'm in for a beating" Emerald hissed as a stray tear hit her SOUL. Taking a quick look at her health she noted that it had dropped from full to 17. "Don't mind my frown, I'd just weigh you down, I'd just waste your time. Incorporeal, sorry, Toriel I can barely rhyme!" Emerald winced as she accidentally cornered herself and took another three-point hit. "Don't waste your life, your pain and strife on a guy like me" Emerald looked around trying to see another way to safely end the fight. If she were honest his depression was a little too close to how she felt on occasion up on the surface.

"Geez, that's even worse than you before the Forever Fall trip," Ruby muttered as she looked up at Jaune who blushed and looked away.

"He needs therapy," Glynda noted simply as the other adults nodded in agreement. "This is perhaps the most obvious case of clinical depression I've ever seen."

"Please stop it slick put down that stick, don't lower my HP!" Jaune paused the song as if perhaps just remembering one key point about their little 'fight' "You know, I'm only sitting here watching you try to hit me to be polite..." he paused as Salem seemed to realize that Emerald wasn't actually trying to harm him anymore. "You can't kill a ghost." he pointed out as Emerald threw the stick away as her suspicions were proven true. "We're kind of incorporeal"

"Why don't they just end the fight then?" Ruby asked curiously.

"They need to finish the song," Weiss pointed out simply.

"Oh yeah..."

"Yeah!" Jaune exclaimed as a DJ table appeared seemingly from nowhere and a pair of headphones covered where his ears would've been had he been a human. "I'm real sorry, I don't feel starry though no no no, nngh... makin' mixtapes. Are they okay? I don't know"

"Are they any good?" Yang asked looking around for their host.

Fox poked their head out of a doorway to their left "It's out of this world."

"Huh..."

"Long ago I forgot how to laugh. I know how to say 'heh' that's just the half of it!" Jaune sang as a small little smile started to form as Emerald decided to try cheering him on some more hoping he'd stop the tears. "Not even sure if I'm real, I'm just not really feeling up to it..." Emerald shot a pair of finger guns his way somehow managing to convey the message that he was just fine the way he is.

"Hey!" Jaune called out as his tears started to form the shape of a hat on his head. "I made a hat! How about that?" he asked looking unsure of himself. "I made it out of tears that I shed during this spat" When Emerald shot him a thumbs up Jaune smiled a little more "Just another day in my little life. Full of melancholy, gloom, and strife. I'm sick in the head don't wanna leave my bed I didn't want this afterlife."

Qrow hummed a little as he considered the words behind the lyrics. "I wonder if all of these monsters are suffering from varying levels of depression." he wondered aloud.

"It would seem so." Ozpin agreed with a small sigh.

"Sometimes it's cool I feel like such a fool feelin' like I've been schooled. A lonely piece of trash. Man, I want to crash, be a weeping ghoul."

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out worriedly as she placed a hand on her leader's shoulder. "You don't feel that way about yourself do you?" she asked desperately. Jaune made to say something but Pyrrha didn't wait for his response before pulling him against her chest. "Don't worry we are here for you," she whispered softly as Ren and Nora smiled at the scene.

"Yeah, my life is pain. Yeah, I'm quite insane even with this hat. Yeah, am I saying 'yeah' too much? Sorry about that!" Emerald huffed at that as she placed her hands on her hips as if to ask 'why would you do that then?'

Regardless of her exasperation at the seemingly endless depression, Emerald cheered Jaune on once more as he looked around for that mysterious second voice. "Napstablook looks just a little bit better." the voice pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone as Jaune seemed to shrug before speaking his own mind. "I just now realized, I probably could have left at any point." he paused as Emerald cheered him on once more. "But then, you'd be unhappy too..."

Emerald scratched her head as she thought about what else she could do to help the ghost. The metaphorical lightbulb pinged loudly as she told a little joke. "You tell Napstablook a little joke." the voice narrated causing Emerald to raise an eyebrow. Jaune let out a little 'heh' but otherwise did not respond.

"So...sorry..." Jaune apologized as Emerald resisted the urge to scream in frustration. 'Just be happy you stupidly cute ghost thing!' she raged within her mind somehow managing to keep a completely expressionless face on. Then it clicked for her, and with a big childish smile, Emerald wrapped her arms around Jaune who froze in surprise. "What?" he muttered in disbelief "Are you hugging me?" he asked unsure how else to respond. "That's nice, but... I can't really hug back, it would be weird. First of all, I don't have any arms..."

"That would make hugs more difficult." Penny mused aloud as her friends giggled at the expression she made during her thinking process.

"If only things were that easy," Emerald muttered a little upset at how well things were going for this version of herself when everything she did so far had been a gamble.

"Wow! Are we friends now?" Jaune questioned looking at Emerald hopefully [Cheering seems to have improved Napstablook's mood again] "Don't even know how this happened, guess I'll live with it, guess this is my life now. I can't believe we stopped this fight, is this your way of trying to make it right? This is the longest anyone's listened to me and the record won't break after tonight!"

"That's kind of sad actually." Blake muttered as she looked thoughtful "Can you imagine the longest time anyone's listened to you was the length of a song?"

"Big oof." Coco agreed

Jaune seemed far livelier as he smiled at Emerald "I'm full of cheer and can't you hear it in the way I sing? Well, you should go before I go and ruin everything. Pretend you beat me down, that would stop my frown, give me a little glee. Meanwhile, I am, just going to jam to this melody. I'm fine, excuse me, I'm sorry. Do what you gotta do, don't mind me. I'm not a barrel of sunshine even my tears are crying. Thanks for stopping the beating." Jaune began to rise into the air as he sang allowing both Emerald and Salem to walk through the corridor he had been blocking, though they stayed to hear the rest of his song. "Just another day in my little life, full of melancholy gloom and strife. I'm sick in the head, don't wanna leave my bed, I didn't want this afterlife!" Just as suddenly as they appeared the music equipment disappeared as Jaune floated down to eye level with Emerald "Well...this has been an experience" he admitted with a bashful wiggle "I've wasted enough of your time. Bye, I guess..." as he faded away he gave off the cliched ghost wail grumbling a little at how it sounded to him as he fully vanished from the room.

"Well..." Salem began as she folded her arms. "That was something," she stated simply "The tune was catchy, I admit, but there was far too much self-deprecation if I wanted to watch someone wallow in self-hatred I'd just look at my ex-husband."

someone coughed something that sounded suspiciously like the word "burned"

"Ha, ha...very funny." Ozpin deadpanned

Salem couldn't keep the incredulous expression off her face as she spoke up for the first time after the singing had started "I...suppose...that worked?" she mused before shaking it off and grasping Emerald's hand once more. "Still there was an important reason for this exercise. To test your independence." Emerald raised an eyebrow but did not respond verbally. "If ever I need to attend to business, and you must be left alone I would hate for you to not know how to carry yourself." she paused a bit, as the two of them stopped in front of a pillar "I have an idea. I will give you this cellphone. if you have a need for anything, and just in case we get separated just call!"

"You were the doting overprotective type weren't you?" Kali asked Salem who merely coughed into her hands to hide the growing blush along her pale skin.

"Not...not that you're going to leave..." Salem muttered a little desperately "It's just...just in case..." she muttered trying to convince herself more than Emerald who looked slightly concerned about the motherly monster.

As they continued to walk Salem placed her palm on her cheek in worry. "Oh dear, this trip is taking longer than I thought it would. seeing her house approaching Salem's eye brightened a bit as she increased her pace just a little "Come, my child! Welcome home!" she announced as they entered a room with a dark tree bare of leaves and a cozy little house behind it.

As Emerald walked up to inspect the tree she heard that mysterious voice once more. "Every time this old tree grows any leaves, they fall right off." Emerald spun around trying to spot the speaker but didn't see anyone. Giving up for now Emerald turned back to the house and noted a shining star just sitting right next to the door. "What?" she whispered softly before reaching out to touch it. There was a loud ping noise in her ear before she felt like she would never forget this moment. Shaking it off she entered the house and looked around curiously as Salem waited patiently for her.

"So, she has a little narrator following her around everywhere and those stars are important," James noted

"So it would seem." Glynda agreed before noticing a lovely smell coming from the door Fox had poked their head through earlier. "That smells delicious."

"Oh man, you're right Miss Goodwitch!" Velvet nodded in agreement as she sniffed the air.

"It'll be done around the end of the next song!" Fox called out from inside the doorway. "I hope you all enjoy it!"

"The food or the song?" Cinder asked in amusement.

"BOTH!"

Salem smiled softly as Emerald joined her in the foyer "Come, my child stay with me, I'll protect you and your dreams. Rest, my child 'neath the tree. Like its branches reach for me"

"This is both heartwarming and terrifying," Emerald muttered as she gripped her head in confusion. "I have no idea what to feel!" There was a noticeable pause as everyone in the theatre just stared at her in surprise. Coughing into her hands Emerald blushed and closed her eyes "Please continue..."

"So let me keep you safe and warm here in my arms." Salem smiled once more as she led Emerald to her own bedroom "Think of the life that we could live" Emerald looked on in wonder having never had a bedroom all to herself before. "The joy that it could give" Salem sang as she affectionately ruffled Emerald's hair. "Even if we're worlds apart stay in my heart!" allowing Emerald to inspect her new room Salem continued her song as Emerald walked up to a picture on a nightstand.

"An empty photo frame. it's really dusty." the voice commented as Emerald envisioned a young girl crossing her arms.

glancing to her left Emerald made her way to a picture on the wall "Someday when you've a choice to make [A box of kids' shoes in a disparity of sizes] I hope you'll think of me" Satisfied with the room Emerald hopped into the large bed to settle in for the night. Slowly the screen faded to black as the music slowed and Salem's voice became softer and softer as she walked away from the room."Think of me, think of me"

Ruby winced a little "I...can't stop thinking about mom..." she whispered to Yang as she leaned into her sister for comfort.

"Yeah..." Yang mumbled feeling the same way. "I hope she's still watching over us."

When Emerald awoke she noticed a slice of pie in the center of her room the scent captivating her as she approached it. "You found a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie" the mysterious voice noted with a longing tint in her voice.

"Perhaps our narrator is a former child of Salem?" Ozpin suggested.

"Our child," Salem reminded him, "Even in this world we were married once,"

"Yes I suppose you're right," he admitted freely. "I wonder what happened..."

Salem frowned "I thought it was obvious," she began glaring at him "Our child died and I hated whatever it drove you to do."

"Let's not poke that Ursa anymore Oz," Qrow whispered as he grabbed his boss' shoulder.

As Emerald stepped out into the hallway the camera zoomed in on a ghostly child sitting by a wall watching her sadly. Oscar curled up into a ball as he watched Emerald turn the corner into the living room"Maybe we'll meet again and you'll have made many friends. But if you find you've strayed I'll forgive you anyway"

Slowly the camera panned out to show the living room where Salem was sitting in an armchair reading a book by the fireplace. "So stay determined as you grow, love as you go" she sang having not noticed Emerald entering the room. "Think of the kindness that I've shared and cherish those who care. Even when we're worlds apart stay in my heart~!" Emerald smiled softly as she sat on the ground and just listened to Salem sing. "Someday you'll have a choice to make, I hope that you'll be good. please be good. please be good." Emerald frowned hearing how sad Salem sounded. Getting to her feet she tugged on Salem's dress and held her arms wide for a hug.

Salem blinked in surprise before smiling and pulling the young child onto her lap for a hug. "Up already, I see?" she questioned once she pulled away allowing Emerald to climb off and stand in front of her. Salem rubbed the back of her head as she considered her words "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here."

"She seems so lonely," Ruby muttered softly as she watched the woman on screen put on a strong face for the young child.

"Please don't forget that our version isn't so nice and huggable." Weiss pointed out with little fanfare.

"You don't know that!" Ruby hissed looking around to make sure no one else had heard her.

"Ruby...she's literally the Queen of Grimm," Weiss pointed out with a deadpan expression.

"There are so many things I want to share with you," Salem continued as she smiled thoughtfully. "I've even prepared a curriculum for your education." she held up a notebook labeled "lesson plan" for emphasis. Emerald raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she stared at Salem. "This might come as a surprise, but I have always wanted to be a teacher," Salem explained bashfully. Emerald didn't say anything but only continued to stare at her with a raised brow. "Actually...perhaps that isn't very surprising." Salem conceded with a shrug. "STILL" she declared with narrowed eyes before they softened back into their normal warmth "I am glad to have you living here."

Emerald frowned in concern. "This... is weird right? I'm not going crazy by saying that she's way too into having young me stay with her forever right?" she begged while looking around the room.

"No, you're correct" Ozpin allowed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Her wording is concerning here. However, as we do not know the full story I believe it would be remiss of us to jump to any conclusions for now. After all, she's been nothing but helpful to young Emerald here."

Salem noted Emerald's expression "Oh, did you want something?" she asked curiously as the child fidgeted in their spot a bit

"How can I go home?" Emerald asked innocently.

"G-go home?" Salem asked fearfully "What? This... this IS your home now. Um, would you like to hear about this book I'm reading?" she asked hoping that Emerald's attention would shift elsewhere. "It is called '72 Uses for Snails'" Emerald's expression didn't waver. "Um, how about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails make terrible shoelaces?"

Suddenly two choices appeared in Emerald's mind [Interesting] and [how to exit the RUINS] without hesitation she selected the second option. "How do I exit the RUINS?"

"Why would you give up safety and comfort?" Emerald whispered in confusion

Surprisingly it was Cinder who provided the answer. "Greed" seeing her subordinate looking at her for an answer she elaborated. "She wants more than just a mother. This child wants friends, freedom, love. She's determined to attain all three, she's not willing to settle for just one."

Salem abruptly stood up with a serious expression on her face. "I have something to do. Stay here," she ordered before heading towards the basement. Concerned Emerald quickly followed after her. When she entered the basement she found herself in a long corridor that stretched as far as her eyes could see. Seeing Salem's back she hurried to catch up "You wish to know how to return 'home' do you not?" she questioned unhappy that Emerald had followed after her. "Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS. a one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it."

"Whoa! that's a little extreme isn't it?" Yang cried out as the others looked at Salem in horror.

"If it keeps my child safe..." Salem muttered softly considering it. "Wouldn't you do anything to protect your child?" she asked pointedly looking at Ozpin.

"You're talking about imprisoning a child in RUINS for the rest of their lives!" Qrow barked back. "Kids need freedom and the ability to learn and make choices!"

"Even if you know they're going to make a bad one?" Salem asked looking at Blake as she did so.

"That felt like a personal attack," Blake muttered as her eyebrow started twitching.

"No one will ever be able to leave again," Salem stated sternly as Emerald gaped at her. "Now, be a good child and head upstairs." her piece said Salem continued down the corridor. Without a moment's hesitation, Emerald chased after her. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate," Salem stated seeing Emerald catch up to her. "I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." Emerald couldn't think of the words to respond to that.

"I was right..." Salem whispered softly "She lost her children too."

"You naive child... If you leave the RUINS... They... ASGORE will kill you."

"Me...?" Ozpin wondered pointing at himself.

"Doesn't that... sound familiar." Salem hissed as her magic flared due to her loss of control.

"My Queen!" Cinder whispered into her ear as Fox stared them down.

Salem looked off to the side sadly "I am only protecting you, do you understand?" she paused as Emerald looked up at her. "Go to your room."

"She's literally going to destroy the only way out and she's grounding me for trying to talk her out of it," Emerald muttered in disbelief.

"Did you want her to get the paddle out?" James questioned raising a brow.

"Paddle?" Glynda asked looking at the general oddly.

"Didn't your parents use a paddle to discipline you?" he asked in return. Glynda shook her head. Looking around James found that literally, everyone was shaking their heads. "Am I the only one who got paddled for misbehaving as a kid?" he asked incredulously.

"My stepmother electrocuted me, does that count?" Cinder asked unable to help herself.

There was a minute of absolute silence. "MOVING ON!" Ruby cried out desperate to get out of that awkward mess.

As Emerald continued to follow Salem they came within eyesight of a large door. "Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning." Salem stated before walking up to the door at a brisk pace. "You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others" she muttered as the music swelled "There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself...prove to me you are strong enough to survive!" with her declaration the now-familiar pull on Emerlad's soul signaled the beginning of the FIGHT.

The voice following her around spoke up sadly. "Toriel blocks the way!"

Salem frowned as she held up her arm as numerous fireballs formed in the air behind her. "Oh, my child didn't you listen to me?" she sang as Emerald took a single step backward, shocked by Salem's magic. "Well...you could still turn back...and we could go and finish that pie..." Emerald quickly used the check option [Toriel: ATK 80 DEF 80, "Knows best for you"] "Why can't you just be happy?" Salem sang as multiple fireballs flew at Emerald forcing her to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately, she mistimed some of the attacks and took five points of damage. She quickly glanced off to the side where her own stats would be [Frisk: HP 15/20] "I don't want you to leave this happy home." ["Toriel looks through you"] Emerald dove forward covering her head to mitigate any damage she could. [Frisk: HP 10/20]"It's not safe for a child out there alone!" Salem cried as tears fell down her cheeks. [Frisk: Hp 3/20]

"She's throwing fire at me while singing about how it's not safe for me..." Emerald just buried her face in her hands. "My head hurts from trying to understand this."

Salem blushed softly and covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Certainly not the best course of action I could've taken." she mused

Emerald barely ducked out of the way of another barrage as Salem continued to sing. "Didn't you listen to me?" Despite the danger, Emerald chose to spare Salem when given the option. Salem's expression took on a more worried look when another fireball connected with Emerald's side [Frisk: HP 2/20]

"Toriel takes a deep breath."

Despite everything, Emerald chose the spare option once more. "If you go, I just want you to know..." Salem sang as she could no longer look at Emerald as her attacks actively avoided the child now. "You can't come back ["Toriel prepares a magical attack"] I know what's best, you'll be hurt don't be a fool and please understand I'm doing this for you. Think what you're doing I love you too."

"And to think this level of danger from someone who doesn't even want to hurt you," Blake muttered as the others shivered.

"Imagine if she actually wanted to fry you," Sun muttered

"If you will not fight back the world will attack you will not survive! You can't come back home can't come back alive. If this is what you decide then know I did what I could. Wondering if I did what I should. Oh, my child, please be good." she trailed off as the song came to an end.

Emerald breathed heavily as she tried to catch her breath and slammed her palm onto the mercy option one last time. Salem looked worried as she addressed her "I know you want to go home, but... but, please go upstairs now. I promise I will take care of you here. I know we do not have much, but we can have a good life here. Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs. No, I understand..." she whispered as the fight finally ended. Emerald breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her soul recede back into her body.

"That was tense..." Ghira rumbled

"If you truly wish to leave... I will not stop you." Salem whispered "However, when you leave... please do not come back. Ha, ha... pathetic, is it not? I could not save a single child..." kneeling down Salem pulled Emerald into a warm embrace "Couldn't save a child who's fallen down, but the RUINS get very small around, you'd be unhappy here expectations, loneliness and fear I'll put them aside. For you, I cannot still be by your side I wish I could. My child, please be good." Salem offered one final farewell as she headed back towards the house leaving Emerald alone at the door. "Please... be good. I love you... and I'll miss you, my child." she whispered softly.

"I'll miss you too mom" Emerald called back causing the older monster to freeze before she quickly retreated. Steeling herself Emerald pushed through the door and made her way down the corridor until a familiar tune began playing.

"So sweet and wholesome to sour and demonic huh?" Weiss asked whilst raising an eyebrow.

"You know it." Coco agreed

Stepping through another doorway led Emerald to a patch of dirt where Tyrian was waiting for her. "Howdy!" he greeted pleasantly, though Emerald didn't trust him for a second. "You didn't forget about your best friend Flowey, didja?"

Emerald didn't say anything which suited the flower just fine as he continued on "I bet you feel great. You're not a killer. You think that you're so smart? It's kill or be killed you'll play by my rules this is barely the start. I wonder what will you do meeting one as bold as you? Will you tire of trying? Kill in frustration? Live in the world I run? I am the prince don't worry, little monarch this is going to be fun." Emerald shivered at his tone as he began sinking into the ground "Not killing anybody? That's a wonderful idea! Good luck with that."

"Weirdo" Emerald muttered as she continued on her way.

"Flowey seems to know a lot about what's going on..." Jaune noted.

"Almost like he's done it all before..." Ren agreed

Emerald shivered as she stepped into a snow-covered forest. "Maybe I can call Mom, ask for a sweater or something..." she muttered having not expected it to be this bad.

"Dialing..." Emerald narrowed her eyes as she looked around for whoever said that. "I know that wasn't this phone..." she muttered softly. "Nobody picked up..." Emerald sighed and pocketed her phone. "Guess I just have to book it and hope I find somewhere safe to rest before I die."

"Why is there snow underground?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"Maybe they just wanted to chill out?" Yang asked with a grin on her face as everyone in the room groaned.

"Yang that was terrible." Ruby groaned as she palmed her face.

Yang smirked "Really? I thought it was very ICE" cue another round of groans. "What you guys don't think my puns are COOL?" too busy laughing she didn't notice Fox handing Blake a Paper fan.

"Shut up Yang!" Blake shouted slapping her over the head with the fan.

As Emerald walked briskly along the forest path the chorus sprang to life "Stepping out into the darkness in a world far below. Hold fast your determination through the ice and the snow. Someone creeping up behind you, wonder where did he go." There was a brief glimpse of Qrow behind her, but when Emerald turned around to look he was nowhere to be seen.

"Either I'm very fast, or I have teleportation." Qrow noted simply as he smiled "Wonder how I treat the kid."

"Probably not very responsibly," Winter grumbled a little upset at not having a part in anything yet. Qrow considered sniping back at her, but then thought a little more on it and eventually just shrugged his shoulders.

Chalking it up to her imagination she turned and continued along her path. "Hold fast your determination. Is he friend, is he foe? Hold fast your determination [Hold fast your determination] Hold fast your determination [Hold fast your determination] Hold fast your determination. Through the ice and the snow. Hold fast your determination [Hold fast your determination]" As the chorus kept repeating itself Emerald stopped at a bridge as a shadow grew ever closer to her. She tried to turn but found she couldn't. Slowly the nerves built up as she started to sweat and the feeling of being watched intensified as her follower got closer. "Is he friend, is he foe?" The camera shifted so that it could see Emerald's face as well as Qrow's who was giving off a skeletal grin. A pinpoint light shone from his eyesocket quickly looking over Emerald as if searching for something. Qrow was wearing a blue fur-lined hoodie with black shorts and fuzzy slippers, one hand was in his pockets while the other slowly came up from his side.

"Wow, you look like a total creep Uncle Qrow," Yang chuckled causing Qrow to sigh in annoyance.

"She's right, it's not a good look for you right now," Glynda agreed, causing Qrow to sink into his chair.

"Now, now" James interrupted "It may be intentional, as a way to gauge Ms. Sustrai's response."

Content with his findings Qrow finally spoke "Human, don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand." His tone was vaguely threatening as Emerald shivered but did as instructed. When she gripped his hand there was a loud farting noise causing her to freeze in place as Qrow's smile slowly shifted into one of barely constrained laughter. Vaguely Emerald got the impression that the voice that had been following her was laughing as well.

Seriously the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick?" Coco asked while raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that older than you?" she asked looking at Qrow

"Don't look at me, that's more up Tai's alley."

Qrow let out a little chuckle as he showed her what happened "The old whoopie cushion in the hand trick, it's always funny" Seeing the nonplussed look on her face he shrugged and began to sing. "Hey, anyway, never thought that today a little human in a striped shirt would come my way. What a gaffe, that's a laugh, when you shook my hand 'spose I should go ahead, say hi. Hi, my name is Sans. I'm supposed to be looking out for humans, but I just don't feel like capturing you, man there's lots to do, there's so much to see here in the underground just stick with me. But, watch out for my brother, if you do not mind he's dedicated to capturing one of your kind"

"So...he's lazy?" Emerald asked curiously as she watched the shorter skeleton quickly befriend her other self.

"Perhaps," Cinder conceded "But there is so much more to this one," she surmised with an intrigued look.

Qrow began guiding Emerald through the gates and towards his sentry station "I think that's him over there, so hide behind the light" he gestured to a lamp that was conveniently shaped exactly like Emerald.

"What...?" Velvet muttered at a loss.

"Don't question it," Adam muttered already annoyed with this whole situation.

"Come on and trust me, kid, you're gonna be alright, uh-huh" he stopped singing to wink at her "and don't worry about the gate. It's not going to stop anyone." Just as Emerald managed to get herself behind the lamp completely another, taller, skeleton stomped his way on screen

"NOT GOING TO STOP WHO, SANS?" he cried out looking cross.

"Hey look it's Dad!" Ruby cheered

"So I guess he's the younger brother in this relationship?" Winter noted watching as Qrow's expression seemed to brighten once Taiyang had entered the scene.

"Looks like it." Qrow nodded his head as he relaxed in his chair.

Qrow closed one eye as his smile seemed a little more genuine than it had a moment ago. "Don't feel so bad, bro. It might stop any 'two'" there was a pause as Qrow waited to see if Taiyang would say anything "Sup?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP' BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS, AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED THE TRAPS! YOU JUST STAY OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?"

"He's very..." Blake looked for the words

"Loud" Ren noted with an apathetic look on his face. "Far too much energy, not enough proper outlets, and an overwhelming need to fit in and be liked" Everyone stared at him oddly "What?"

"That...seemed like you were projecting a little," Jaune pointed out. Ren calmly gestured to Nora "I can relate to Sans and his relationship with his brother."

Nora seemed to ignore everything Ren had said and instead busied herself watching the two brothers on screen with rapt attention.

Qrow shifted his attention to the lamp Emerald was hiding behind. "Staring at this lamp. It's really cool. Do you wanna look?" he asked glancing at his brother. Emerald held her breath, fearful that he was ratting her out.

Taiyang began stomping on the ground obviously thinking that his brother was messing with him again. "I DON'T HAVE TIME, SANS! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH? I MUST BE READY, GET THEM BEFORE THEY'RE GONE! THAT WAY PEOPLE LOVE AND RESPECT ME MORE THAN THEY DO ALREADY I WILL BE THE ONE! [Uh, that doesn't rhyme...] THEY WON'T BELIEVE I'VE CAPTURED A HUMAN AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL GET ALL THAT HE DESERVES! LIKE A HEDGE CARVED IN THE SHAPE OF MY HEAD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY FRIEND AND I WILL ACCEPT WITH VERVE!"

"Kinda..." Pyrrha trailed off unwilling to say anything that might be considered an insult.

"Pretty egotistical." Qrow agreed as he nodded his head. "Tai saw this, he'd be digging a hole to hide in that was so cringy."

"I thought it was cute." Velvet objected "I'm pretty sure Papyrus doesn't have many friends outside of his brother so he's trying to gather military accolades so that others will seek his companionship more often.

"Ignoring the dangers one would most likely put themselves in to attain said accolades" James cut in as the resident Military leader "Just attaining military membership or medals won't increase the number of people seeking to be your friend. That still requires a certain level of interpersonal communication."

"Agreed," Winter nodded her head "While his willingness to aid his people is admirable, I believe there are more suitable roles he could play if his goal was simply to make friends."

"CAN'T YOU SEE IT, BROTHER?" Taiyang asked as he took a rather heroic-looking pose "I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING"

"Why don't I believe he understands what that means." Glynda sighed

"Because it's Tai, and if he understood innuendos Yang would be like kid number twelve in our family." Qrow sighed tiredly as he recalled Beacon days with his team.

"Wait what?" Yang asked looking at her uncle oddly.

"I'll uh... tell you in private if you really want to know," Qrow muttered regretting opening his mouth

Qrow chuckled at his brother's antics "Well, maybe the lamp could help those kisses light up your life." he suggested while eyeing the lamp once more. Emerald swore the voice was laughing again.

"Oh god... I'm the punny one..." Qrow muttered in dismay.

"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES!" Taiyang shouted as he stomped his feet in annoyance

"Hey, take it easy. I've gotten a ton of work done today. A skele-TON" there was a punchline drum roll as Qrow turned towards the camera and winked

"SANS!"

"Come on, you're smiling" Qrow grinned pointing at his brother's face.

"I AM AND I HATE IT! YOUR RIMSHOT INTERRUPTED MY MUSIC! WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO WORK SO HARD TO GET SOME RECOGNITION"

"Now why does this sound familiar?" Ozpin mused as he shot a sidelong glance at Qrow.

"You must be thinking about Summer," Qrow pointed out simply as he took a large swig of his whiskey.

"Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself down to the bone." Qrow once more turned to the camera and shrugged as Emerald fought to keep herself from laughing or showing herself to the younger skeleton.

Tai fumed silently before managing "I MUST GET BACK TO WORK! AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE, BACKBONE INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEH" He quickly ran off before poking his head back onto the screen "HEH!"

"Is your Dad really that weird?" Blake asked Yang who had palmed her face at some point.

"I'm not even sure if that fully covers just how weird Dad is..." Yang muttered tiredly.

"Blake, this is the same man who mailed Zwei to us in a tube with several cans of dog food and a can opener," Weiss pointed out. "I'm more surprised that he seems to dislike puns"

"But he said one," Velvet pointed out simply.

"He might have standards."

"Oof..." Qrow muttered feeling the barbs in that statement.

Once Qrow was sure Taiyang had actually left the area he called out to Emerald "Hey. Come on out, it'll be okay." he sang as Emerald stepped out from behind the conveniently shaped lamp. "Better go, he might come this way. Or if you want, you could stay," he turned towards the camera one more as he added, in his normal voice, "and listen to some jokes"

While Emerald didn't hate the jokes she decided to head out and be on her way. As she made to follow the road Qrow called out to her one more time. "Hey. One quick favor, if I may. My brother's been kind of down and it would just make his day if a human came to town." As Emerald stopped to consider his words the Chorus joined Qrow in his lyrical request. "Hey [Hey]. You're not in danger, don't fuss [You're not in danger, don't fuss]. He won't hurt you, Papyrus [He won't hurt you, Papyrus] if you keep going this way [if you keep going this way]."

Perhaps sensing that Emerald had made her decision Qrow closed his eyes and started heading out as he walked towards the road leading back to the door. "See you around, kid," he called out as Emerald continued on her way.

"You really look out for him don't you?" Winter asked seeing Qrow pulling strings for Tai's benefit.

"Well..." Qrow hummed a little "Not that much really." he admitted. "This seems a tad excessive."

"Perhaps, but it's proof that you care in your own way." she pointed out causing the older man to flush.

"Geez, it's not even really me and I'm getting embarrassed," he muttered looking away from the specialist.

As Emerald walked the Chorus took over the musical arrangement "Oh, moving through the ice and snow. On this lovely winter day as along the trail you go." Emerald tilted her head curiously as she saw many different-looking monsters peering at her from behind trees and bushes as she walked. "Hold fast your determination. Hold as 'long the trail you go. Hold fast your determination. Going through the ice and snow"

"This transition is a little too long..." Weiss muttered in critique.

"Yeah, not very interesting right now is it?" Blake agreed

"At least the scenery is pretty." Ruby countered.

"Please be good, as on you go..." the chorus trailed off as Emerald approached a fork in the road. A quick peak along the northern road suggested nothing of interest so she doubled back and headed along the eastern path instead. She quickly noted the two skeleton brothers conversing on the path as she approached.

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE" she heard Papyrus state before he noticed her. With a startled noise he quickly turned to face her fully as his eye sockets seemed to widen in surprise. Quickly he turned to his brother who, true to form, played a little joke on him as they both turned to each other and Emerald alternatingly at an increasing speed. Emerald just sighed as the voice in her head howled with laughter.

Yang chuckled as she watched her uncle mess with her dad. "You would do something like that," she accused him causing the man to smile smugly as he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"SANS!" Tai screamed once the two had finally ended up facing the same direction. "OH MY GOD! IS THAT...A HUMAN?" he screamed causing his brother's smile to widen just a bit.

"Uh..." Sans trailed off as he pretended to look a little harder. "Actually, I think that's a rock." he pointed out looking at the rock instead of Emerald who had palmed her face at the lame joke.

"OH..." Papyrus deflated causing Qrow to quickly give up on the jest.

"Really?" Coco asked looking at Yang and Ruby who quickly shrugged their shoulders.

"Hey, what's that in front of the rock?" Qrow asked as Papyrus took a second look.

"OH MY GOD!" Taiyang screamed once more. Leaning closer to his brother he whispered "IS... IS THAT A HUMAN?"

"I see he still really only has one volume level," Glynda muttered recalling when Tai was a student.

Qrow chuckled "He's gotten better I swear."

"Yes," Qrow responded with a proper whisper as Tai let out another shout of joy.

"OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!" Emerald raised a brow as she glanced at Qrow who winked at her. "UNDYNE WILL... I'M GONNA... I'LL BE SO... POPULAR POPULAR POPULAR!" Tai quickly cleared his throat as he finally addressed Emerald "HUMAN YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!

"Yeah..." Emerald trailed off "Somehow I doubt that."

"His demeanor certainly fits that of a Jester..." Salem mused as she tilted her head in thought.

"Dad..." Ruby whined seeing him act so weirdly.

"I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN..." He trailed off suddenly unsure. "THEN! I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT," he admitted whilst looking away. Quickly recovering he regained his resolve and pointed at Emerald "IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE... ONLY IF YOU DARE!" He quickly sped off down the road letting out his signature laugh all the while.

Emerald blinked a few times in bewilderment before turning towards Qrow who remained where he was. "Well, that went well." the shorter skeleton stated as he turned towards the child "Don't sweat it, kid. I'll keep an eye socket out for ya," he assured her as he walked past her and down the road. Emerald turned to ask him something, but when she did he was already gone. Rubbing her eyes in disbelief she eventually just shrugged and continued along the path.

As she neared a clearing she saw both skeleton brothers waiting for her with a piece of paper in between them and her. "HOW?" she screamed pointing at Qrow causing Tai to nod his head in understanding.

"Don't sweat it, kid. I know a shortcut." Qrow explained conveniently leaving out the 'how' of the explanation.

Emerald fared a little better than her counterpart as she held out both hands in an 'are you serious?' gesture. Cinder raised an eyebrow at how invested her subordinate was becoming as she became more and more animated as the show continued. "I wonder how his 'shortcuts' work." she mused aloud.

"Considering that it's magic I assume he just visualizes where he wants to go and then calculates the distance between his current location and the location he wishes to be in." Salem surmised. Seeing the confused looks of the other audience members she folded her arms. "Did you really think translocation magic would be simple?" she questioned as Ozpin nodded in agreement. "If it were, I would've just dropped all of my Goliaths on Ozma's head every time I learned who his current iteration is."

"Who?" Velvet began to ask only for Ozpin to cough into his hands.

"Perhaps that explanation is better suited for another time miss Scarlatina," he suggested getting a hesitant nod from the bunny faunus.

Taiyang couldn't contain his excitement as he exclaimed "WOWIE! YOU ACTUALLY DID CONTINUE! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE TOO AFRAID, BUT APPARENTLY, I WAS WRONG!" Emerald frowned and crossed her arms in slight offense. "YOU OVERCAME MY POWERS OF INTIMIDATION SO EASILY..." he trailed off as Emerald got the impression that his eyes would be narrowing if he had any. "TOO EASILY!" he hummed a little before shaking it off "HOWEVER! THE NEXT DEVIOUS PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER! SO YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM!"

"I'm sorry Qrow, but it's very hard to take Taiyang seriously when he's like this," James apologized as he folded his arms and sighed.

"No hard feelings," Qrow shrugged "Tai would be rolling on the ground screaming for this to stop if he saw it too."

"Hey, thanks... both of you." Qrow accepted the praise easily enough "You seem like you're having fun." he noted looking at Emerald's face for any signs of deceit. "Hey kid, by the way, see this outfit he has on?" Qrow thumbed at Tai who was wearing an odd assortment of clothing. "We made it for a costume party. He hasn't taken it off since."

"I'm going to hurl" Jaune muttered as his face turned green. He quickly sprinted out of the theatre and back into his team's dorm room and into their bathroom.

"Jaune's overreaction aside, that is disgusting." Weiss scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"I'll go make sure he's okay," Pyrrha announced as she slowly made her way out to check on Jaune.

Qrow noticed the looks the other adults were sending him and he quickly shook his head "Hey don't look at me! I take proper care of my personal hygiene."

"Could've fooled me," Winter muttered as she looked away from him.

"Sorry about that." Jaune apologized as he and Pyrrha reentered the room. "I guess that brought up some bad memories or something..."

"Isn't my brother the coolest?" Qrow asked causing Emerald to look at him oddly.

Tai elbowed him softly "SANS, THAT'S YOUR CUE TO BRING OUT THE PUZZLE..." he muttered at a more reasonable volume.

Qrow seemed to blink before nodding his head "Oh, yeah, uh, sure." he muttered blankly as if not really all there at the moment.

"HUMAN I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR... SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE?" Taiyang screamed as Qrow walked over and picked up the piece of paper and handed it to Emerald who looked at it thoughtfully.

"It's right here," Qrow stated pointing at the paper. "Trust me, there's no way they can solve it."

Taiyang rubbed the top of his skull in annoyance as Emerald decided to humor the two and simply asked Qrow for a pencil before trying to solve the Junior Jumble puzzle on the paper. "SANS, THAT'S A JUNIOR JUMBLE! IT'S NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING!" as if to validate Tai's complaints Emerald finished and handed them the completed puzzle.

Sans took it and quickly looked it over before shrugging when he noted that everything was correct. "Whoops. I knew I should have used today's crossword instead."

Glynda sighed tiredly. "You are so lazy..." she mumbled under her breath as Qrow simply shrugged his shoulders.

"WHAT? CROSSWORD?" Taiyang exclaimed in disbelief. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION, JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST!"

The sisters both sighed and buried their faces in their hands as their friends looked at them for answers.

Qrow looked at his brother in surprise. "What? really, dude? That easy-peasy word scramble? That's for baby bones."

Taiyang took a breath "UN. BELIEVABLE" he declared as if personally insulted "YOU ARE BEING SO UNPROFESSIONAL! RIGHT, THAT'S IT! I'M GETTING THE REST OF THE SNOWDIN ROYAL GUARD!" with a loud whistle he ran off down the road as Emerald walked up to Qrow looking confused. Qrow just winked at her before ambling off himself.

"Wow... I feel so protected and safe," Emerald muttered mockingly as Qrow merely stuck his tongue out at her childishly.

"Qrow!" Glynda chided him with a stern glare.

"She's being petty! It's only fair I respond the same way!" he defended himself

"You're an adult!"

"Adults are allowed to be petty sometimes!"

"He's an idiot," Weiss muttered as she sighed heavily

"Yup!" Ruby nodded in agreement although her happy face didn't diminish at all.

As Tai approached the next sentry station he waved at a group of dogs playing poker. "HEY GUYS, GUYS, GUYS! YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT I FOUND!" he called out getting the dogs to look at him oddly. Flynt and Neon were sitting next to each other wearing matching black robes, Kobalt was wearing a pink wife-beater tank top and military-style cargo pants, he was also smoking a dog treat, Ivory was wearing a teal tunic with a dopey smile, and Yatsuhashi was wearing a full set of plate mail.

"Hey's it's Yatsu!" Velvet smiled seeing one of her friends on screen.

"They all look cute as dogs" Coco chuckled, wondering how she could hold this over the big guy's head.

"I THOUGHT IT WAS A ROCK, BUT IT WAS A HUMAN!" Tai called out as he approached them

Qrow caught up with his brother and patted him on the back "I don't think they heard you,"

Kobalt briefly glanced up at them and squinted before giving up "Heard what?" he asked trying to focus on his cards even though he couldn't really see them.

"WOULD YOU DOGS STOP PLAYING POKER FOR ONE SECOND AND LISTEN?" Taiyang cried out as he stomped his foot "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DETECTED THAT A HUMAN HAS ENTERED SNOWDIN!"

"Gotta say, Emerald sure is lucky that all the monsters so far are so friendly... and incompetent," Sun stated in a state of disbelief.

"Tell me about it..." Emerald muttered

"Oh, just that?" Flynt asked curiously

"Well that's no big deal, is it, sweetie?" Neon asked kissing her husband on the cheek.

"Aw~!" the girls' eyes brightened seeing the affection between the two. "So they are in an intimate relationship!" Penny declared as if she had solved a great mystery. "They keep saying that they're just friends when I bring it up."

James chuckled "I think that they have been friends for so long that they are misinterpreting their feelings for one another."

"Like Ren and Nora?" Yang asked causing the two to blush.

"Exactly like Ren and Nora" Jaune and Pyrrha agreed

"Not at all, sugar lumps!" Flynt assured her.

Taiyan palmed his face "THEN WHY DOES UNDYNE WANT US TO CAPTURE THE HUMAN?" he questioned knowing that the mention of their boss would get the dogs into high gear.

"Undyne?" the dogs all shouted as one as they immediately jumped to their feet and grabbed their gear.

Hefting a rather large battle-ax onto his shoulder Flynt shouted "Come on, then! Let's find that human!"

"I guess that makes me their boss?" Pyrrha questioned with a tilt of her head. "Why do I make them nervous?"

"I think you're a little more intense than normal" Jaune suggested

As the dogs ran around Emerald could faintly hear them singing "Finding that human won't be hard, no no not for the great royal guard, oh oh find that human, get the goal, oh oh get that human's human soul, oh oh oh~" Emerald didn't say anything as she watched the dogs running around her apparently oblivious to her presence. "A human? in Snowdin?" the dogs cried out once they noticed her.

"SEE? I TOLD YOU!" Taiyang shouted as he held a microphone in his hands while Qrow held a boombox over his head. Emerald briefly wondered where they even got the thing. "I FOUND A HUMAN, AND NOW I SHALL CAPTURE IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, I FOUND A HUMAN WHEN I CAPTURE IT WITH PUZZLES IN THE ROYAL GUARD I'LL BE. I'LL GO CALL UNDYNE, HER JAW WILL HIT THE FLOOR, SHE'LL CRY TEARS OF JOY SHE'LL BE SO HAPPY WITH ME! THEY WON'T RESIST MY STYLE AND CHARM THEY WILL BE TAKEN AT ONCE THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT! STOP RIGHT THERE HUMAN LISTEN TO ME"

"Go Dogpile that human!" the dogs cried out interrupting Tai's musical number as they all jumped at Emerald who simply took three steps backward and avoided everyone.

"Yeah..." Yang looked away unsure what she could say at this point.

"I can see why the Monsters lost the war if this is the best they had." Cinder sighed "Any warriors of note probably fell to the human's leaders while the rest were unable to put up a fight at all."

"WHAT THE - HEY, GUYS! WAIT!"

"What?" the dogs asked looking at Taiyang who looked a little confused

"SHOULDN'T I BE THE ONE...?"

"Pff, no." Kobalt shook his head dismissively

Ivory nodded in agreement "This is royal guard business!"

"I'M WITH THE ROYAL GUARD!" Taiyang protested

"In training," James noted before any of the kids could agree with the younger skeleton. "Regardless of their skill or competency the guards need to make sure civilians don't put themselves in unnecessary danger. Even if Taiyang is more powerful than they are, fundamentally they should try to keep him out of the conflict simply because he may not be ready mentally for what their work might entail. In this case, ending the life of a young child."

"You're in training!" Yatsuhashi reminded him

Neon frowned and patted the youngster on the shoulder "Sorry, Papyrus, but you did your part wonderfully!"

"Dearest, where'd the human go?" Flynt asked having lost track of Emerald, who hadn't moved.

"I thought Doggo was watching them!"

Kobalt narrowed his eyes and looked around "I didn't see anything."

The military personnel groaned into their hands

"Find the human!" they all cried out as they went into another frenzy Emerald glanced at Qrow who likewise hadn't moved since arriving on the scene with Tai. "Finding that human won't be hard, no no not for the great royal guard, oh oh"

Taking pity on them Qrow pointed at Emerald show as happily waving her hand "It's right there"

"Oh..." the dogs had the decency to look abashed at their slip up.

"THEY'RE EVEN WAVING! HOW DO YOU MISS THAT?" Taiyang screamed in frustration

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to..." Kobalt bit out

James just sighed heavily into his hands. "Is it over yet?" he asked beyond embarrassed for the gross levels of incompetency shown on screen.

"Nope!" Qrow taunted with a cheery smile.

"Dogpile attempt number two! Go!" the dogs shouted as Doggo managed to drag Emerald into a FIGHT

"Doggo blocks the way!" the increasingly familiar voice of her own little narrator announced. Seeing him swing a blue sword at her Emerald prepared to dodge only to notice Qrow holding up his hand in the universal sign for 'stop' deciding to trust him she stood perfectly still and the attack passed through her harmlessly.

"No more games, human" the dogs sang as Emerald took a risk and pet Kobalt who freaked out and jumped away only to be replaced by Ivory "Don't run away [Lesser Dog appears.]"

"Wait his name is actually Lesser Dog?" Salem asked completely baffled.

"I wouldn't look into it too deeply," Fox advised

Emerald did the same with Ivory and patted him on the head only for his neck to extend startling her as she stepped backward in alarm only for the dog couple to confront her. "We'll get you human [Dogi assault you!]" Emerald rolled out of the way of their combined attack which seemed to throw the two off as she ended up in front of Yatsuhashi "Then we get paid! [It's the Greater Dog.]"

Coco snickered "Greater Dog?" she asked managing to control her laughter "Seriously?"

Dodging his charge once she jumped over his second attempt as the dogs all gathered together in front of her. "We're the greatest guardsmen ever. Nothing gets past us! Except for you that one time but let's not raise a fuss!" they sang as Emerald was forced to duck, dodge, and weave around their multiple attempts to catch her. "With our obedience training, we'll grab you, we bet!"

"Kinky" Roman noted with a laugh.

"What does kinky mean?" Penny asked innocently as several members of the audience went red-faced.

"That is none of your concern Penny!" Winter screamed "And don't look it up!" she added seeing Penny putting on a thoughtful-looking face. Penny merely pouted but did as instructed.

"Hey, is that a stick I see?" they called out as Emerald tossed a stick over Ivory's head catching all of their attention. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Give me a pet!"

"These have to be the least well-put-together team of soldiers I've ever seen" Yang muttered in partial amazement. "That's including all of the movies I've seen and the games I've played."

Blake couldn't help but agree "Even the White Fang is better organized than this."

"I can't even disagree with that..." Roman muttered under his breath.

"GUYS! REALLY?" Taiyang asked in disbelief. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THAT!"

"Nothing is better than a belly rub!" Ivory stated zealously as Emerald patted some of the dogs on the head sending them into barking piles of happiness.

"I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO CAPTURE ..."

"Yeah, but first, belly rubs!" Flynt declared blissfully.

Qrow seemed to grin even more widely "How are you gonna get pet by a kid that's not there?" he asked despite Emerald still being right next to him.

"Not there? Find the human!" the dogs shouted as they began running around again. "Finding that human won't be hard, no no not for the great royal guard, oh oh"

"THEY BARELY MOVED!" Taiyang screamed angrily

"Oh my god," Weiss sighed tiredly as she rubbed her forehead.

"They are not very bright, are they?" Ozpin asked rhetorically

"Oh..." the dogs muttered as they all looked away, embarrassed. "I didn't see that coming," Kobalt muttered looking around.

Qrow rolled his eyesockets "So... get the human?" he asked prodding them to get a move on.

"Get the human!" the dogs cried out

"Okay, cool, have at it" Qrow muttered as he started walking away, completely done with the shenanigans.

"I feel ya buddy" Qrow muttered as he took a long sip of his alcohol.

"We're the greatest guardsmen ever nothing gets past us. Except for you once again but let's not raise a fuss!" Emerald rolled her eyes as she literally stood still as several attacks passed through her without issue. "With our skill and fitness, we will win the day! Tackle them into the snow then we roll around and play! Sit, stay, fetch, shake hands, roll over! We know all the tricks! Let's keep playing - wait, we're fighting? Dangit we got mixed up again!"

"This is getting kind of hard to watch..." Ruby muttered a little embarrassed by the odd showing from the dogs.

"Yes it is," Glynda agreed

"We're the greatest guardsmen ever nothing gets past us. Except for you once again but let's not raise a fuss! With our skill and fitness [COME ON THEN, HUMAN, MUCH MORE TO DO I'VE PREPARED ALL SORTS OF JUMBLES]we will win the day! [PUZZLES, TRAPS, AND YOU'LL SEE]Tackle them into the snow then we roll around and play! [HERE ON THIS TABLE READY TO BE MICROWAVED A FROZEN PLATE OF MY OWN HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI!] Sit, stay, fetch, shake hands, roll over! We know all the tricks! [IF YOU FEEL HUNGRY, GO AHEAD AND TAKE A BITE, IT WILL DISTRACT YOU, AND THERE YOU'LL WANT TO STAY!] Let's keep playing - wait, we're fighting? Dangit we got mixed up again! [OKAY, MAYBE IT'S STUCK TO THE TABLE HEY, HUMAN, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? PLEASE DO NOT RUN AWAY!]

"Ugh..." Nora held her head as it spun trying to keep up with the two different lyrics going off at the same time. "Make it stop" she whined clutching onto Ren as a lifeline.

"There, there..." he muttered patting her on the head softly.

"Where's the human-run off to?" the dogs sang as they lost track of Emerald once again "Weren't you keeping watch?" they asked each other before receiving shrugs in response as Qrow poked his head back onto the screen. "No, this snow is freaking awesome!" Emerald, happy after a good long play with the nice dogs wandered off in the direction of the town.

"What happened to third time's the charm?" he asked as Papyrus stomped his foot

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ROYAL GUARD HELPING ME OUT? GUYS!"

"What?" the dogs yelled back

"THE HUMAN'S GONE!" as the dogs ran off in another searching song Taiyang sighed before throwing his hands into the air. "THIS IS WHY I DON'T WORK WITH AMATEURS!"

Qrow grinned "Would you say you had a... 'bone' to pick with them?"

"SANS!"

"Hey, it's all in a dog-day's work," Qrow stated as the two brothers left the dogs to their activities.

Yang sniffed a little in happiness. "Puns!" she whispered longingly. "How I missed you so!"

"God... please no..." Weiss muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "One of them is bad enough."

Once alone the two brothers stood in front of an odd machine with a grayscaled floor in front of them. "OH MY GOD! SANS!" Tai moaned as he looked at Qrow "DO YOU REALLY THINK AN AUDIENCE WOULD COME FROM FAR AND WIDE, JUST TO WATCH AN OVERWEIGHT SKELETON TELL BAD JOKES?"

"What?"

"Obviously, we missed a conversation between these two as they moved from one section of the forest to another," Ren noted simply.

"Did he seriously just call me fat?" Qrow asked looking at his stomach. "I'm not fat, am I?" he whispered softly.

"You're fine," Winter stated blandly

"Hey, I'm not fat." Qrow stated seriously "I'm big-boned."

Taiyang looked unamused "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" he groaned "WHILE YOU'RE STANDING HERE, MAKING DOG AND BONE PUNS, THE HUMAN'S BEEN LONG GONE! WHY, I BET THEY'RE ALMOST AT... AT... AT SNOWDIN TOWN!" he cried out in a panic "OH DEAR! I HAVE TO GO I HAVE TO DEFEND THE TOWN! I SHALL BE BACK!"

Watching his brother speed off Qrow simply turned towards the camera "Hey, uh, guys, can we get a little transition here?" As requested, the screen suddenly shifted as Qrow walked to the right before Emerald was shown on screen walking across a bridge.

"I'm not even surprised that he asked a production team to put in a transition," Ozpin noted dully. "You really can get used to anything..."

"Well at least we're past the singing dogs," Glynda noted as she adjusted her glasses. "That was getting annoying." There was a general hum of agreement from the others as they focused on the screen.

"I'M BACK!" Taiyang declared as he and Qrow stood at the end of the bridge Emerald had been crossing. Curious, Emerald stopped and tilted her head to the side as she patiently waited for Taiyang to provide another puzzle for her to solve. "HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!" Emerald didn't look entirely convinced as she raised an eyebrow. "BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" At his command, a number of deadly instruments, plus a dog, appeared aiming at the spaces between her and the skeleton brothers.

"That doesn't look so bad," Ruby noted idly.

"We're trained Ruby," Blake reminded her. "This is a ten-year-old kid with no aura or training at all."

"Oh yeah..." Ruby hummed a little "Wait a minute that's extremely dangerous!"

Weiss looked at Yang as if to ask a question as she pointed at Ruby. "Hey, don't look at me."

"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE!" Emerald simply nodded her head entirely unafraid of the contraption "EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOU READY?" Emerald nodded her head and prepared to dash through the challenge

"Kid's determined, I'll give her that" Qrow muttered seeing the look of determination on Emerald's face.

"BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!" Taiyang screamed despite not once moving to turn the challenge on.

Qrow seeing nothing moving glanced at his brother knowingly "Well? what's the holdup?" he questioned

"HOLDUP? WHAT HOLDUP?" Taiyang asked looking nervous "I'M... I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!" nothing happened

Qrow shrugged his shoulders as he closed an eye "That, uh, doesn't look very activated." he pointed out simply

"He can't do it can he?" Pyrrha asked with a small understanding smile on her face. "At the end of the day, he doesn't want to hurt Emerald."

"Of course, he doesn't!" Ruby cheered "Dad's way too nice to hurt a little kid!"

"Yeah, lucky me..." Emerald muttered looking a little dissatisfied.

"WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS... MAYBE... TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH." Taiyang looked off to the side clearly making up an excuse to not turn it on. "YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED!"

Yang chuckled "Sure they are Dad..." she mumbled whilst rolling her eyes.

"BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!" with a wave of his hands the traps all receded allowing Emerald to relax a little as she stared at the skeletons with a curious tilt of her head. "PHEW!" Tai muttered as he turned away from her. Sensing her staring at his back he quickly turned around "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!" He declared before letting out his signature laugh before running off clearly deep in thought.

"I hope Dad is okay," Ruby muttered seeing Tai look so distraught.

"I'm sure he's fine squirt" Qrow waved her concerns off as he took another drink from his flask. "Probably just needs to sort some things out in his skull."

Qrow watched his brother runoff before turning back towards Emerald who began to make her way over to him "Gee, nice to see you came out of the cold honestly the dogs' singing was getting old and Papyrus didn't get you though he thinks he can he's gonna try even harder take it from ol' Sans." he winked as Emerald stepped off the bridge and approached him. "But for now, let's relax enjoy the many foods, drinks, and laughs of Snowdin town, and any-" his tone shifted to a much lighter pitch as Emerald began walking away from him. "-way like I said, kid, you're okay" Stuffing his hands into his pockets Sans slowly followed after her as she passed the welcome sign at the edge of town. "Wipe off that look of dismay. It's a lovely winter day" Emerald noted a yellow star next to the inn and quickly touched it as something pinged in her mind.

"What a nice little town" Salem noted simply as she watched the two walking through town indifferently.

"So if you'd just come this way" Qrow suggested as he walked with Emerald through the town waving to many of the locals who joyously waved back. Soon the chorus joined Qrow's song "Feel all the crunchy winter snow on the ground, that's the kind of life you live in Snowdin Town. We've got trees and lights and wreaths and everything. So let's just step outside and go caroling~" The chorus went on to sing 'La' in tune with the music as Emerald and Qrow walked around town enjoying the sights and meeting the people.

"This is definitely a Nondescript Winter Holiday song." Velvet noted happily as she twitched her ears in sync with the music.

Coco laughed a little seeing her friend's ears "Vel, you're ears are syncing with the music!" she snorted once more as Velvet turned bright cherry red.

"I think it's cute!" Kali called out causing the poor girl further embarrassment.

When Emerald entered the town square a new voice took over the song "Now, living here in Snowdin Town it's the only life we've known since we're trapped underground."

"Who's that supposed to be?" Yang asked looking to Fox for answers.

"That would be Adrian Arc" they supplied helpfully "Aged up, of course, the Adrian Jaune would be familiar with is still but a baby right now."

"That's Adrian?" Jaune screamed in surprise. "Oh, man Saphron would have loved to see this!"

"Who?" Pyrrha asked curiously

"My oldest sister, this kid is my nephew" Jaune explained happily

"True, we're denied the Sun and Moon, but we do not have to fear we have each other now" Adrian and the chorus sang as Emerald was shown conversing with the many monsters in the town square. "I see the snow down here and wonder, why does weather happen here? If so, can I see? But when the snow falls I know we can smile and open presents under the Christmas tree" as the chorus continued with their humming Emerald quickly befriended Adrian who was sitting next to the tree. Once they finished talking Adrian began to sing once more "Oh, we will never be alone as long as this carol rings and tells us that we're home"

"Well at least the kid is happy" James nodded his head "Sometimes we just need to see an example of our struggles meaning something more to get us through tough times."

"I do feel bad that this child has never seen the sky before." Glynda pointed out with a troubled expression.

"Only the older generation would know about that though." Ozpin reminded her. "How can he miss anything if he's never seen it before."

"Something like that should always be an option, this monster child was denied that option because of fear and hatred from who knows how many years in the past."

"Love when we see the sky above, it's the thing we're dreaming of when from this world we've flown. The Royal Guards are such a funny bunch it's fun to watch 'em go, but why are they here? I guess it's politics, I'm happy, though and I'll stay happy just as long as you're near" Emerald began humming the carol as she walked around the town.

As they neared the edge of town Qrow got her attention as she inquired about his job. "Yeah, I have a guard post here, too," he admitted with a shrug "And over in Waterfall. And in Hotland" Emerald stared at him oddly

"He has three different sentry posts?" Penny asked innocently "How does he man them all if they're in different locations?"

"I'm more surprised that this drunk is working three different jobs at once" Winter made her own disbelief known.

"What? Ain't you heard of a guy with more than one job before?" he asked as they passed his house. Emerald noted that Qrow had briefly looked at the mail piling up in his inbox before he looked ahead as they kept walking. "Fortunately, three jobs means three times as many legally required breaks." Suddenly Qrow began walking faster causing Emerald to blink in surprise as she sped up to keep up. "I guess I could pry myself away from work and have some Grillby's" he mused aloud as Emerald suddenly realized she was back in the town square despite having followed Qrow away from the town center. "Wanna come?" he asked holding the door open for her.

"That's so cool" Emerald muttered "I could mess with Mercury so much like that" Cinder smiled wryly and shook her head in exasperation.

"Hm..." Qrow mused wondering if he could pull something similar with his ability to turn into a bird. "It wouldn't exactly be the same..." he mused trying to think of ways he could mess with Tai later.

As they entered Emerald quickly noted the royal guard dogs sitting at a table while other customers took up the booths. Yatsuhashi noticed her and waved happily prompting the other dogs to do so as well as Qrow patted the barstool next to him. "Hey, everyone." he greeted getting various greetings from everyone. one of the other customers at the counter spoke up seeing Sans sit down "Hey Sans, weren't you in here for breakfast a few minutes ago?"

Qrow waved it off with a grin "Nah, I haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour. You must be thinking of brunch" he winked as the other customers laughed.

"A comedian I see..." Ozpin mused with a small smile.

"Oz, he's just shirking his duties...again" Glynda pointed out.

"So long as he gets the job done, no?" her boss questioned with a wink of his own.

Turning to Emerald Qrow nodded at the barstool "Here, get comfy" when she sat down a loud farting noise could be heard as Emerald turned red. "Whoops, watch where you sit down. Sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats." Emerald glared at Qrow knowing that he was the one to do so even though she didn't see anything. "Anyway, let's eat. Grillby, we'll have a double order of Burg." The fire elemental behind the counter nodded his head once before disappearing into the kitchen to make their food.

"I could go for burgers right about now honestly," Jaune muttered feeling a little peckish himself. Without prompting a simple cheeseburger appeared on a tray on his lap. "Whoa... I forgot about that," he muttered before taking a bite. "Needs ketchup" he noted as a bottle of the condiment appeared on his tray "Thanks"

While the others in the audience quickly made their own requests for food Fox allowed the viewing to continue.

"So, my brother is cool, right?" Qrow asked glancing at Emerald from the corner of his eyes "Of course he's cool. You'd be cool too if you wore that outfit every day. He'd only take that thing off if he absolutely had to." he shrugged his shoulders "Oh well. At least he washes it. And by that I mean he wears it in the shower." Emerald made a face as Grillby returned with their food.

"Seriously Tai?" Qrow muttered while shaking his head

"I swear he's more normal at home" Yang muttered feeling embarrassed as the man's daughter.

"Here comes the grub, Bone appetite" Emerald heard someone snort over her shoulder but ignored it. Tilting the bottle to pour some ketchup onto her food she sighs when the cap falls off entirely and the entire bottle empties onto her plate.

"The cap falls off and all the ketchup in the bottle pours onto your food" the voice narrated causing Emerald to sigh again.

"whoops" Qrow muttered "Eh, forgeddaboudit. You can have mine." he slid his plate over to her pushing hers off towards Grillby "I'm not hungry anyway," he assured her when she offered to split it in half. "Anyway, cool or not, you have to agree Papyrus tries real hard. Like how he keeps trying to be part of the Royal Guard."

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Nora asked, feigning distress

Ren rolled his eyes "You do it all the time with your syrup" he pointed out blasely

"That's intentional though," Nora reminded him with a bright smile Ren sighed but smiled anyway as he patted her on the head affectionately "He, he"

"Effectiveness aside, I must admit young Papyrus certainly does try his best" James admitted after allowing the smile to slip from his face. "That's admirable though I do worry that he isn't suited to be a soldier."

"I think he'd be better as something of a police officer" Winter agreed "Someone to assure public safety and resolve things peacefully"

Qrow chuckled as he recalled something "One day, he went to the house of the head of the Royal Guard and begged her to let him be in it" Qrow smiled fondly as he continued while Emerald munched on her food. "Of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight, but the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there. Seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training." Emerald tugged on his sleeve and raised an eyebrow "It's, uh, still a work in progress"

"I like how they all seem to understand what Emerald wants to say before she says it" Pyrrha giggled

"I'm pretty sure it's just Uncle Qrow though" Ruby muttered trying to recall if any of the other monsters had answered one of Emerald's unasked questions.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something" Qrow muttered as a spotlight centered on them and all other noise ended "Have you ever heard of a talking flower?" Emerald saw two options appear [Yes / No]

Without hesitation, she nodded yes. Qrow seemed to think on that a little before speaking once more "You know, the Echo Flower" he diverted the topic to something else causing Emerald to blink in confusion. "They're all over the marsh. Say something to them and they'll repeat it over and over..." Qrow must have noticed Emerald's expression as he added "What about it? Well, Papyrus told me something interesting the other day. Sometimes when no one else is around a flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery... advice... encouragement... predictions" He paused to gauge her reaction "Weird, huh?" Seeing her shaky nod he let the matter drop "Someone must be using an Echo Flower to play a trick on him. Keep an eye out, okay? Thanks" slowly the spotlight disappeared as the surrounding noise began once more.

"So Flowey has been whispering things to Papyrus?" Ozpin frowned "That seems to be a cause for concern."

"I wonder what Qrow was looking for in Emerald's reactions" Glynda pondered, "And he's definitely more than just a lazy punster"

"Your uncle sure knows how to be scary" Jaune whispered to Ruby who laughed knowingly.

As the two finished their food and left the bar Emerald stretched "I'm right there with you, kid. That was a long break," Qrow stated as he followed her to the town's edge "I can't believe you pulled me away from work for so long." Emerald rolled her eyes "Just watch out. Papyrus is lookin' for you" he warned as a blizzard kicked in obscuring anything more than their silhouette.

"PAPYRUS IS RIGHT HERE!" Taiyang called out as he stood in front of the only path leading out of Snowdin Town.

"See? What did I tell ya?" Qrow asked with another chuckle. Tai narrowed his eyes at Qrow but ultimately ignored it in favor of addressing Emerald.

"HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE... THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL."

"Definitely projecting" Blake muttered with a small smile.

"I don't actually think he's self-aware enough to realize that." Sun sighed but smiled anyway.

"Honestly food is food for me" Emerald muttered "I don't think I've found anything edible I'm unwilling to eat." The other orphans in the audience all nodded in agreement.

"Don't lie, Nora," Ren chided her. "I know you will never eat waffles. I've seen you skip meals when Waffles were the only option."

Blushing Nora pouted at Ren "That's only after we were accepted to Beacon" she tried to argue Ren raised an eyebrow "Usually... when I know we can get food elsewhere soon" their friends chuckled a little at their interaction.

"THESE FEELINGS... THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!" Taiyang declared as he pointed at Emerald who simply blinked in confusion. "I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE." Emerald remained unconvinced but allowed Taiyang to continue his monologue. "I PITY YOU... LONELY HUMAN... WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR... NO... NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND!"

"Aw don't say that Dad!" Ruby called out despite the man himself not being in the room with them. Qrow simply chuckled at his niece.

"I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!" he declared with zeal as he pointed dramatically at Emerald who sighed realizing what was going to happen as she felt a pull on her soul once more. "IT'S TIME FOR MY BIG NUMBER, SANS! HIT IT!"

"Okay" Qrow shrugged and walked off-screen before hitting a cymbal once.

Yang snickered as the others in the room tried to keep from laughing. "Nice one Uncle Qrow"

Smiling himself Qrow just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, he said hit it. Never said to play the music." Glynda rolled her eyes before allowing a small smile to form on her lips.

"SANS, I MEANT PLAY THE MUSIC," Taiyang muttered as he stared at his brother in disbelief while Emerald coughed into her hands to hide her laughter.

"Okay" Qrow poked his head back on screen with a trombone in his hands. Smirking he played a quick three notes causing Emerald to giggle.

"SANS!"

"Okay" Qrow disappeared off-screen once more "Now let's see here..." he mumbled to himself "Ah, here's the play button," he mused as the music started up.

"Why can I picture you doing this to him?" Glynda groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Qrow shrugged as his nieces laughed

"READY FOR THIS BROTHER?" Taiyang called out as Emerald's soul, fully manifested in front of her.

"I don't think anyone could be prepared for this," Qrow pointed out as the voice that Emerald had been hearing throughout her journey chimed in as well

"Papyrus blocks the way!"

"SHUT UP, SANS!"

"Wow, rude!" Qrow stuck his tongue out playfully causing the elder Schnee sister to roll her eyes at him as the other adults chuckled.

"YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND PERFECTION!" Tai boasted as he turned his attention onto Emerald with a smirk. "ENGARDE NOW, HUMAN NOW YOU FACE PAPYRUS THOUGH THE GUARDS FAILED TO STOP YOU I CAN DO IT ALONE!"

"Right, cause he's been so successful before..." Cinder shook her head in disappointment.

"It's more adorable than threatening," Blake agreed reluctantly

"And here I thought Rubes got all that from Mom" Yang teased poking her sister's cheeks.

"HEY!"

"SO BE PREPARED FOR THE ULTIMATE TUSSLE AS YOU TRY TO SHOW YOUR MUSCLE IN THIS BATTLE OF BONES I SEE YOUR FACE YOU RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE!" Tai sang as Emerald stood still seeing a veritable maze of blue bones speeding towards her.

When the attack ended Emerald checked her options and tilted her head to the side before shrugging her shoulders and selecting [Flirt]. She felt her body take a stance she remembered seeing on TV as her hands made finger guns pointed at Taiyang while her facial expression looked a little more teasing.

"WAIT A SEC, I KNOW THAT LOOK ARE YOU FLIRTING WITH ME?" Taiyang looked a little flustered but kept up the attack though it was an exact copy of his first attack allowing Emerald to stand perfectly still as she watched a wild array of emotions fly through Tai's face.

"Was..." Yang paused looking for the words "Was he really this bad with women? How the heck did he marry both of our Moms then?" she asked gesturing to herself and Ruby.

Ozpin chuckled as he recalled the story "From what I heard," he began getting everyone's attention. "Raven had asked Summer what to do when outright confessing to her crush wasn't working," he chuckled again "Summer, poor innocent, Summer suggested that she do what she usually does when she wants something."

"Oh..." the children sat there processing his words for a moment while Adam tried to stifle his laughter "OHHHHHH!" they all shouted once realization sank in.

"You mean..." Ruby trailed off as her face reddened.

Qrow, still laughing, nodded his head "Yup, strapped him down to the bed and declared that he was her husband now"

"And Mrs. Rose?" Pyrrha asked, curiosity causing her to dig deeper.

Qrow paused as he hummed. "Let's just say she read some pretty kinky books when she was trying to cheer Tai up after Raven left."

Ruby's face turned atomic as Blake's ears perked up "Do tell" she urged looking far too interested in the answer for Yang's taste.

"Down girl" she muttered with a disappointed look on her face.

"My teammates" Weiss muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Let's just get back to the showing..." Emerald suggested a little red in the face herself.

"PLEASE UNDERSTAND, I AM IN SUCH HIGH DEMAND I'M A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS, MOSTLY FOR SPAGHETTI! PLEASE DON'T FEEL BLUE," suddenly Emerald's soul turned blue causing her to crash onto the ground as a small bone rammed into her from behind causing three points of damage. Emerald quickly checked her health [HP: 27/20] "The food healed me..." she muttered in realization.

"EVEN THOUGH I'LL CAPTURE YOU!" Taiyang sang proudly as he smirked at her.

"cause you can do anything" Qrow chimed in

"ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TRY" Tai bellowed taking the song back from Qrow who merely blinked in minute surprise. Emerald had little time to think on much as she focused on jumping over bones of various sizes, her blue soul feeling incredibly heavy making it harder to jump. "UNDYNE WILL SEE I CAN BE A GUARD INDEED."

"Yeah, there's just the kid you need" Qrow pointed out

"I JUST HATE TO SAY GOODBYE!"

"This is pretty catchy." Velvet smiled a little as she hummed along with the tune.

"It's nice" Salem agreed "Lyrics aside, I can picture this tune as something of a fanfare for a celebration."

"Like a festival!" Velvet nodded happily.

"Should we be concerned about how well miss Scarlatina is getting along with Salem?" Glynda asked Ozpin quietly.

"Honestly I have no idea" the man admitted with a shrug. "I'll admit I've never tried pacifying her before."

"And why not?" James asked. "Given how long you've been at this, I figured you had tried everything"

"Well..." Ozpin trailed off, recalling that if left alone He and Salem would always end up arguing about who was at fault for what happened to their daughters. "Neither of us are good at letting go" he stated.

"Ah..." James muttered in understanding. "Perhaps you two are simply too used to the way things are." he mused aloud. "Rather any solution other than total victory would have to come from an outside source."

"MAYBE ONE DAY WE ALL CAN BE FRIENDS, AND WHEN THAT DAY ARRIVES I KNOW WE'LL HAVE LOTS OF FUN! BUT UNTIL THEN, I'VE GOT TO CAPTURE YOU, SINCE YOU'RE A HUMAN."

"But you're trying to make friends with one" Qrow finished causing Papyrus to stop his attacks allowing Emerald to catch her breath

"SANS!" Tai scowled as he glared at his brother.

"What?"

"STOP PLAGUING MY NUMBER WITH INCIDENTAL LYRICS!"

"It's quite interesting that all of Mr. Branwen's words during this song have fit very well with the beat." Weiss nodded.

"Like he's heard it all before?" Ren questioned wondering if Weiss was starting to suspect some things he was considering.

"More than that, Like he's memorized the entire song," Weiss corrected

"I thought they sounded pretty good," Qrow defended himself while crossing his arms.

"WELL, I THOUGHT THEY SOUNDED LIKE NOT PAPYRUS! the younger skeleton declared while tapping his foot impatiently. "WHICH IS THE WORST KIND OF SOUND TO BE!"

"Oh, sorry then" Qrow apologized softly

"Did they forget I was there?" Emerald asked looking utterly confused.

"I doubt the comedian has," Cinder shook her head.

"IT'S OKAY SANS, I ALREADY FORGAVE YOU! COME ON! LET'S GO ENJOY SOME GRILLBY'S" Emerald looked at him weirdly.

"Uh, Papyrus?" Qrow stopped his brother from running off

"YES?"

"The kid's still here. And the music is still playing," he pointed out "I'm pretty sure that means the song's not over.

"I can't believe he forgot about me" Emerald muttered as she felt her eyebrow twitching.

"WOOPSIE DOOPSIE! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!" Tai laughed as he struck a weird pose.

"Papyrus dabs MTT-brand attraction slime behind his ear." the narrator stated.

"Say what now?" Emerald blinked unsure what exactly all that meant.

"HUMAN! PREPARE FOR MY SECOND VERSE ATTACK!" Taiyang declared as a spotlight began shining on him. Suddenly rows of bones sped towards Emerald who was quick to dodge them though she noted they were now significantly faster. "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IF YOU WANT IT HARD ENOUGH UNDYNE SAYS THAT, AND SHE'S TOUGH SO I EMULATE HER STYLE! AND THAT'S WHY I'M THE GREATEST ROYAL GUARDSMAN OR AT LEAST ONE THAT'S IN TRAINING THOUGHT IT'S TAKING QUITE A WHILE" Emerald subtly tried to gain distance from Taiyang so she could have more time to react.

"Now I really want to see what Pyrrha is like in this!" Nora giggled "Everyone looks up to her it seems!"

"She must be a local hero to the monsters as a captain of the Royal Guard," Ren agreed

Pyrrha started fiddling with a lock of her own hair. "Oh, stop it you two, it's probably not that big of a deal." she waved off their praise with embarrassed laughter.

"BUT WHEN THAT'S OVER, WE CAN BE FRIENDS AND YOU WILL SEE HOW A GUARD HAS IMMENSE AMOUNTS OF FUN! WHERE ARE YOU GOING, HUMAN? WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FIGHTING! WHY DO YOU THINK THIS SONG IS DONE?"

As the music stopped and the camera pulled away from the fight Qrow was shown standing behind his brother staring at Emerald who quickly stepped back into her original position. "I KNEW IT, SANS... NOT EVEN THE HUMAN RESPECTS ME!" Tai cried out sulkily

Qrow shot her a look before turning his full attention onto his brother "Hey, bro, bro, that's not true. A lot of people like you."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Tai asked disbelievingly.

"And I thought Yang was overprotective" Blake mused aloud as she smirked at the blonde brawler who frowned

"I am not overprotective"

"You threatened some poor kid with a sex change if he so much as looked in Ruby's direction ever again," Weiss reminded her.

"He was trying to peek at her!"

"In the Men's shower?"

"They're unisex!"

The adults felt a headache coming along as they quietly urged Fox to continue the showing.

Qrow smirked at Taiyang and gave him a wink "The Undernet has, like, a million renditions of this song. Here's one now. Hit it boys!" he called off-camera. On cue, the music started again though the instruments used were different.

"SANS, THIS IS..."

"Yep. Knock 'em dead, bro." Qrow smiled as Taiyang looked thrilled "Prove you're bad to the bone."

"COME ON THEN, HUMAN LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS IN THIS MOMENT OF TRUTH" as he sang the attacks began again but this time the columns of bones were moving up and down as they approached Emerald forcing her to time her jumps better less she jump right into a bone. "IT WON'T BE EASY YOU'LL HAVE TO DO ACTUAL WORK UNLIKE MY LAZYBONES BROTHER IN HIS BOOTH!"

"Hey!"

Qrow smiled indulgently as the others chuckled at the snipe. "Okay, that was a good one."

"YOU'RE DOING GREAT SO FAR, LITTLE HUMAN BUT SINCE I'M A SKELETON I'M NOT GETTING TIRED AT ALL! OKAY, MAYBE I'M LOSING SOME BREATH BUT NOT QUITE AS MUCH AS YOU - WAIT! BE CAREFUL! DO NOT FALL!" Taiyang visibly breathed a sigh of relief when Emerald managed to recover after a shaky landing and a near miss. "THIS IS THE LONGEST ANY HUMAN'S LASTED TO ME"

"That's because you haven't met one yet" Qrow sang along with an amused smile

"SO MAYBE WE CAN TAKE A LITTLE BREAK AND LIE DOWN FOR A BIT"

"That doesn't sound like Tai..." Qrow hummed

"NO! PAPYRUS NEVER RESTS!"

"That sounds more like him..." Qrow muttered

Emerald winced a little when she mistimed a jump and landed on a smaller bone [HP: 24/20] "I FOOLED YOU, HUMAN!" Taiyang announced pointing at her dramatically "PAPYRUS DOES NOT DO THINGS WITH HIS EYES CLOSED AND SNORING"

"Bro that's called sleep..." Qrow muttered tiredly.

"BRING OUT THE BACKUP DANCERS!" suddenly four skeletons in suits appeared around Taiyang as he smirked at Emerald who blinked in surprise.

"Where did they come from?" Sun wondered as he frowned thoughtfully.

"I have no idea" Penny replied cheerfully.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, HUMAN LISTEN TO ME! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE! I'LL KEEP YOU HERE ENRAPTURED BY PUZZLES UNLESS YOU WANT TO LEAVE AND ASK ME REALLY NICELY." Emerald huffed as she continued to dodge all of Taiyang's attacks "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IF YOU WANT IT HARD ENOUGH! AND WE KNOW WE'VE GOT THE STUFF WE'VE GOT HEART WE'VE GOT PRIDE!" Emerald frowned as she was unable to clear one of the bones and took another hit [HP: 21/20]

"UNDYNE MIGHT BE MAD, BUT I DON'T CARE BECAUSE I MADE A NEW FRIEND, OR AT LEAST I REALLY TRIED" Emerald gawked as she jumped over a dog with a bone in its mouth followed by bones forming the words "cool dude" "SO IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A NEW PAL, THEN BE PREPARED TO HAVE A BLAST 'CAUSE I KNOW WE'LL HAVE SOME FUN!" Taiyang declared as Emerald jumped over a bone on a skateboard.

"That's pretty cool" Jaune smiled

"Yeah I guess you could say that he's a cool dude" Yang grinned

"Really?"

"What?"

Emerald gulped as a massive field of bones appeared with an absolutely massive bone in the middle. Taking a deep breath she took a deep breath and jumped. "JUST LIKE IT SEEMS YOU WERE PREPARED FOR THIS BATTLE 'CAUSE I'M NEARLY OUT OF LYRICS AND I'M ALMOST DONE" Strangely she felt herself continue to rise even when she knew for a fact that all of her upwards momentum should have stopped. Unfortunately, her lapse in concentration caused her to hit the top of the big bone dealing six damage [HP: 15/20] "WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS? Taiyang asked hopefully as a very tiny bone slowly moved towards Emerald who jokingly pretended to be terrified of it as she backed up to the edge of the battle zone.

"Pal-lease, I knew it'd happen"

"SANS JUST STOP IT WITH THE PUNS! THIS DAY IS GREAT, I'VE GOT A NEW FRIEND AND IT'S A HUMAN!" Emerald gingerly hopped over the bone as the song neared its end.

"I knew that you'd make friends with one." Qrow declared happily as Emerald hit the mercy button once she was allowed to.

"Well... that was something" Yang grinned despite herself as she chuckled

"Your dad seemed very..." Blake hummed a little trying to find the words "enthusiastic" she settled on after a moment's pause.

"Definitely more useful as standard law enforcement" Winter noted as a small smile formed on her face. "The kids would love him" James chuckled but agreed with his subordinate's assessment of the wacky skeleton.

"And that's all I could afford the orchestra for, thanks, fellas. Put it on my tab" Qrow winked towards someone off-camera.

Tai took a calming breath still a little hyped up after his big song. "WELL THEN... I GUESS... I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! NEW FRIEND!" He declared after some thought. Emerald smiled softly and shot him a thumbs-up as a way of reply.

"WOWIE! WE HAVEN'T EVEN HAD OUR FIRST DATE..."

"Say what now?" Emerald blinked as Cinder hid her mouth with her hands as she snickered at Emerald's stupefied expression.

"AND I'VE ALREADY MANAGED TO HIT THE FRIEND ZONE!" Qrow quickly turned away to hide his expression as Emerald tilted her head not quite sure what the shorter skeleton found so funny.

"I'm not even surprised anymore" Glynda noted dully

"I'm sure he means well" Ozpin offered with a shrug.

"WHO KNEW THAT ALL I HAD TO DO TO MAKE FRIENDS WAS GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM? YOU TAUGHT ME AN AWFUL LOT, HUMAN" Emerald wasn't sure how to explain that his way of thinking wasn't exactly correct. "I HEREBY GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE!" Emerald glanced at Qrow silently asking if it would even be correct. Qrow glanced at her before shrugging his shoulders with a wink.

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence," Roman pointed out as he crossed his arms waiting for his drink.

"It will also probably only be an outline rather than step-by-step instructions," Salem mused enjoying herself quite a bit.

"CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN... WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER." Taiyang explained vaguely causing Emerald to tilt her head in confusion.

Qrow seeing her expression threw her a bone and explained "That's the magical seal trapping us all underground."

"ANYTHING CAN PASS THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT, EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL."

"Like you" Qrow pointed out with an odd expression on his face.

"Creepy vibes there Uncle Qrow" Ruby pointed out with a shiver.

"Yeah, no kidding" Qrow muttered not liking the expression on his own skeletal face.

"THAT'S WHY THE KING WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN." Taiyang offered as a way of explanation. "HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER."

"Then us monsters can return to the surface," Qrow added helpfully

"OH, I ALMOST FORGOT... TO REACH THE SURFACE YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE." Emerald's stomach dropped at the thought given what Salem had described him as.

Qrow hummed a little "The king of all monsters... he is... well..." Qrow trailed off as Taiyang interrupted jubilantly.

"HE'S A BIG FLUFFY PUSHOVER! EVERYONE LOVES THAT GUY!"

"Well that's different" Ozpin mused rubbing his chin in thought.

"Did he seriously call Professor Ozpin fluffy?" Velvet wondered aloud causing Salem to snicker into her hands.

"Well if he's like that version of Salem, he might be" Coco pointed out reminding everyone that Salem on-screen was also very fluffy.

"I wonder what it would be like to be covered in fur like that..." Salem mused to herself before looking at Cinder in thought. "I might be able to devise a spell..."

"Mistress... I beg you please don't," Cinder noticed her look and quickly went about trying to convince the immortal to cease her current train of thought.

"I'M SURE IF YOU JUST WALKED RIGHT UP AND SAID... 'EXCUSE ME MISTER DREEMUR... CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?' HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! ANYWAY! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING! I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HAVE A DATE!" with his signature laugh, Taiyang quickly sped off towards his home.

Qrow shrugged his shoulders "Well, you heard the man. No time like the present," he declared before walking off towards the caverns.

"No doubt using a shortcut" Emerald muttered with a sigh before turning around and heading towards the skeleton brothers' house.

"Emerald just looks so done with Snowdin town" Sun noted with a laugh

"She's probably freezing" Weiss noted with a bit of sympathy. "She never did get around to asking for warmer clothing."

"At least she made a new friend," Pyrrha noted ever the optimist.

"She got herself a hot date too" Yang teased with waggling eyebrows. Emerald simply buried her face into her hands at the reminder.

"With your dad" Blake pointed out ruining Yang's teasing mood.

"That makes it worse!" Emerald moaned as she sank into her chair.

When Emerald arrived, Taiyang was waiting in front of his house and his expression visibly brightened when he saw her. "WOW! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU AGREED TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME!" Emerald very clearly did not understand what that meant but nodded her head anyways since he looked so happy. "THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING DATE I'VE HAD SINCE..." he paused as he recalled how many dates he's been on "WELL, THIS IS THE ONLY DATE I'VE HAD!" he admitted bashfully as Qrow kept an eye on them from the doorway.

"Seriously, uncle Qrow, was dad this awkward?" Yang asked looking at her uncle who smirked "No way, really?"

"Yeah, it was pretty funny" Qrow chuckled as he recalled the times before Raven had decided to pursue Tai.

"Well don't stop there we need details!" Ruby cheered using her speed to zip up to her Uncle and hugged his shoulders tightly

Qrow calmly pried her off and held her up by her cape "Nah, I promised Tai I wouldn't tell"

"Aw man~!"

"First time for everything" Qrow noted simply

"YOU MUST BE REALLY SERIOUS..." Emerald tired her head to one side. "I'LL HAVE TO TAKE YOU SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL! A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!" Taiyang took her on a jog around the town before stopping in front of their house once more "MY HOUSE!"

Glynda sighed fondly as she shook her head. "May he never change," she muttered

Qrow just shook his head "I'll be upstairs you two" he announced before wandering off.

As Emerald entered the house Taiyang startled her with a little jingle "HI, LITTLE HUMAN WELCOME TO MY ABODE" he sang as Emerald allowed her eyes to survey the area. "MAKE YOURSELF COMFY COME ON IN FROM THE COLD." he gave her a quick little tour as Emerald noticed the large TV in front of the sofa. "THANK YOU FOR DATING ME COME IN TO MY HOME.

Emerald took a chance to look at the book on the desk "It's a joke book" the voice narrating her adventure stated. Curious she opened it up

"OH, YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE GREAT? A PRESENT BONE!" Emerald briefly looked up at him in confusion before she looked back at the book.

"inside the joke book was a quantum physics book"

"I'VE MADE SEVERAL OF THESE FOR ALL MY FRIENDS!

"Inside of the quantum physics book is another joke book. You decide to stop before you get stuck in an infinite loop."

"THOUGH I DON'T GIVE OUT THAT MANY"

"Guess that just depends" Emerald glanced upstairs in surprise as Qrow poked his head out and winked at them.

"How did he create such a magically intricate jest?" Salem questioned curiously. "Truly, I am glad to have come here, I haven't been this interested in the limits of magic in quite a while."

"ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU FEEL LIKE I DO, WHY IS THERE A DOG IN MY HOUSE?" he sang in confusion seeing a dog grab the bone he had meant to give to Emerald before running off. "THERE IT GOES WITH THE BONE..." Taiyang sighed tiredly as Qrow poked his head out of his room with a trombone, playing a familiar three notes. "SANS!"

"what?" Qrow asked lazily

"STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!"

"You gonna tell that to the orchestra? Are you calling them incidental?" Qrow asked defensively as Taiyang tried to explain himself

"I KNOW THERE'S AN ORCHESTRA! IT'S NOT INCIDENTAL... WILL YOU JUST GET OUT OF HERE?" Emerald smiled softly watching the two bicker.

"That sounds familiar" Ozpin smiled fondly recalling numerous instances of Taiyang and Qrow getting into rather weird arguments.

"I still remember the skirt thing," Glynda mused with a smirk.

"Really...?" Qrow shot her an unamused look when his nieces' eyes started gleaming.

Qrow shrugged "Alright fine, geez, bye." and promptly shut the door to his room.

Taiyang coughed into his hand "AHEM! WHERE WAS I?" he questioned trying to recall. "OH YES! SECOND VERSE, IF YOU PLEASE!" he called out as he headed to his room before beckoning Emerald to follow him. "WELL! THAT WENT BADLY! SO SORRY ABOUT THAT! NOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO DATE LET'S GET IT DOWN PAT! I'VE ACTUALLY NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE! BUT I HAVE A MANUAL SO LET'S READ IT SOME MORE!" Taiyang pulled out a book with a pink cover on it and began to read it aloud

"There's a manual?" Ruby asked in surprise "You mean I could've just followed the instructions?" she shouted looking at her sister "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Cause, it's not real?" Yang pointed out. "Dates are rather..." she paused to look for the words "Case by case things" she decided "Just because something works for one couple doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for another" she explained causing Ruby to pout as she sat back down.

"STEP ONE: BE SURE YOU WANT TO GO ON A DATE! WELL I'M PRETTY SURE YOU DO SO THAT WORKS OUT GREAT. STEP TWO: ASK THE OTHER PERSON ON A DATE. PAPYRUS WILL GO ON THIS DATE THAT WENT WELL I CAN TELL. STEP THREE: MAKE UP YOUR CLOTHES AND HAIR WITH THAT, YOU'LL SHOW THEM THAT YOU CARE. WAIT, ARE YOU WEARING CLOTHES RIGHT NOW?" Emerald looked around oddly when her surroundings started to look like how they did during fights. However, instead of the usual stats, she saw a bunch of random things that didn't really make sense to her.

"Did he just ask if she's wearing clothes?" Blake asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I think he did" Sun muttered just as surprised.

"Let's just move on..." Winter sighed tiredly.

"NOT ONLY THAT BUT EARLIER... WOW! YOU'VE WANTED THIS DATE FOR A WHILE! YOU CHOSE TO WEAR CLOTHING... TODAY OF ALL DAYS..." Emerald didn't have the heart to tell Papyrus that humans always wore clothing outside. At least...they were supposed to. "WAS YOUR INTEREST IN ME PREDESTINED? NO, THIS CANNOT BE! I CAN'T HANDLE YOUR DATING POWER! HUMAN, CAN'T YOU SEE? YOU'RE BLOSSOMING ON ME JUST LIKE A FLOWER BUT YOU WON'T BEST ME! NYEH HEH HEH HEH NO, NOT PAPYRUS! VERY SOON YOU'LL SEE MY LOVE SPREAD ON YOU LIKE A VIRUS!"

"..." No one really knew how to respond as those who knew Taiyang best just sighed before hiding their faces in their hands.

Emerald just stared at the screen in silence as Cinder hesitantly patted her on the back with whispered words of comfort.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS NEVER BEEN BEATEN AT DATING AND NEVER WILL BE! YOU SEE I, TOO, CAN WEAR CLOTHING! IN FACT, I ALWAYS WEAR MY SPECIAL CLOTHES UNDER MY REGULAR CLOTHES JUST IN CASE I GET ASKED ON A DATE!" Emerald placed a hand on her cheek wondering if she should mention that, that sounded a little weird.

"Please tell him..." Emerald whispered a little uncomfortable with all this... weirdness

"BEHOLD! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?" Taiyang cried out as he revealed his special clothing. Emerald raised an eyebrow but otherwise maintained a perfectly neutral expression. He was wearing a backward baseball cap, a shirt that said 'cool dude' on it, a rather cartoonish set of shorts, and what looked like a pair of women's tennis shoes.

Everyone with even a speck of fashion sense cringed at the outfit.

"AH, THE SILENCE... THE HUMILITY... I CAN'T TAKE IT!" he dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehead and turned away before regaining his confidence and pointing at Emerald "BUT YOU DO NOT COMPREHEND THE TRUE POWER OF THESE CLOTHES! THEREFORE! YOUR SILENCE IS INVALID!" Emerald giggled a little at his odd behavior.

"Don't encourage him!" Emerald shouted angrily as she stood up in protest.

"Uh..." Cinder coughed into her hands before gently pulling Emerald back down into her chair. "I think you might need a drink" she suggested ordering a stronger whisky she'd discovered a while back. "I think the stress is getting to you" Emerald turned cherry red from embarrassment as she took small sips of the alcohol Cinder offered her. "I'm sure we'll move on to the more serious bits soon."

"I guess that's the risk of a longer one huh?" Coco asked seeing Emerald try to disappear into her cup.

"THIS DATE WILL NEVER GO ANY FURTHER YOU SEE! UNLESS YOU COME ON OVER AND INSPECT ME! FOR WITHIN THESE COOL CLOTHES LIES A GREAT SURPRISE! YOU MIGHT FIND IT BUT YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!" Emerald took a look at his outfit before immediately pointing at his hat. "WOW, YOU IMMEDIATELY WENT FOR MY HAT AND THERE'S A PRESENT FOR YOU!" removing his hat revealed a boxed present which he promptly offered to Emerald who stared at it in surprise. "WELL, HOW ABOUT THAT?" As she opened it she blinked in surprise to see a plate of spaghetti "BEHOLD, A PLATE OF ARTISAN SPAGHETTI! MEANT TO BE SHARED BETWEEN FRIENDS LIKE YOU AND ME! LET THIS TEST THE BONDS OF OUR FRIENDSHIP! LET US SEE HOW STRONG OUR FRIENDSHIP BE! YOU AND ME!"

Emerald stared at the plate before shrugging and taking a bite. Her face instinctively scrunched up as she managed to gently put the plate down on the nightstand. The taste was... indescribable.

"That... I promise Dad is a better cook than that," Yang muttered when Emerald sent her a death glare

"I mean, he had to learn at some point right?" Qrow pointed out. "Granted he was already pretty good in Beacon, so I guess he learned early."

"WHAT A PASSIONATE EXPRESSION! YOU MUST REALLY LOVE MY COOKING! AND BY EXTENSION ME!" Emerald coughed a little bit as Taiyang's cheekbones took on a rosy tint in his embarrassment. "MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN I DO!" his body shook as a blue bar next to him labeled 'Dating Power' rapidly filled up with each shake "YOUR DATING POWER IS THROUGH THE ROOF!"

"I don't even know what's going on anymore," Weiss muttered with a suffering sigh.

"Me either" Blake shrugged her shoulders as the sisters tried hard not to laugh at their Dad.

"HUMAN. IT'S CLEAR NOW. YOU'RE MADLY IN LOVE WITH ME."

"Keep dreaming weirdo!" Emerald shouted angrily

"EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING YOU SAY. IT'S ALL BEEN FOR MY SAKE. HUMAN, I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY TOO." Emerald tilted her head to the side wondering what was going on in Taiyang's skull "IT'S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS. IT'S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU. I, PAPYRUS... " he trailed off trying to come up with the words. "HUMAN...I'M SORRY... I DON'T LIKE YOU THE WAY YOU LIKE ME." Emerald didn't quite get it but nodded her head as if she did anyways.

As Taiyang went on to explain his reasonings and thoughts Emerald just allowed his words to wash over her as she looked around a little more. 'Huh... race-car bed... cool' she mused 'Everything was so sudden I only noticed it now...'

"Well, at least she's not bothered by it" Velvet tried to say encouragingly.

"Bun, I don't think the little mint head even knew what was going on during this whole segment." Coco pointed out. "Which is fair... what is she? Ten?"

"In hindsight, I believe young Emerald was simply going with the flow enjoying some time with her new friend," Glynda agreed

As Taiyang winded down Emerald decided to pay attention at last "YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH WATERFALL FIRST!" Emerald simply nodded her head in understanding as she got up and thanked him for helping her out. "AND WHO BETTER TO SERVE AS YOUR GUIDE AND GUARDIAN THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" Emerald blinked but smiled regardless as he quickly changed back to his normal outfit. "IT WILL BE A MAGNIFICENT JOURNEY! LET'S GO!"

Emerald hummed softly to herself as she followed Taiyang to the caverns of Waterfall looking around curiously once the ice and snow gave way to rocks and water.

"Pretty neat place" Pyrrha noted happily as she watched the two friends. "I wonder who we're going to see next"

"I bet it's going to be you" Nora pointed out simply. "Seems like a good place for a fish person."

"True, though that only leads me to wonder how I act" Pyrhha nodded her head in acceptance

"ISN'T THIS GREAT, HUMAN?" Taiyang asked as they traversed the cavern "WE'RE OFF ON A GRAND ADVENTURE! TOGETHER!" he seemed so cheerful that Emerald couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, I MADE A FRIEND WHO LIKES ME FOR ME! EVEN THOUGH OUR DATE WASN'T THAT GREAT. MY STYLE AND CHARM HAVE WON OVER A HUMAN WHO ENJOYS GOOD SPAGHETTI I THINK THIS MUST BE FATE! WHEN I TELL UNDYNE... WAIT I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T DO THAT... SHE'LL BE MAD, SHE MIGHT HAVE, AND THEN THROW, A COW..." his singing was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Sounds pretty hot-blooded to me" Qrow snorted at the imagery the tune had given him.

"Where would I even get a cow to throw?" Pyrrha asked clearly confused.

"So you're totally ignoring the fact that you are apparently strong enough to throw an entire cow at someone?" Yang asked with an amused expression.

Taiyang looked at his phone before coughing uncomfortably. "I'M SORRY, HUMAN, THAT WAS MY PHONE RINGING... UH OH, THAT WOULD BE HER... CALLING RIGHT NOW... I'VE GOT TO TAKE THIS!" he declared before running off. Emerald watched him go before shrugging her shoulders and continuing on her way.

As she entered a new area the yellow striped, armless Adrian greeted her. "Hiya, buddy!" he chirped happily "You ditch your parents too?" he questioned looking far too excited considering what he was saying. Emerald waved her hands in a 'Kind of, sort of' manner "Ah, man, I don't blame ya!" he cheered happily as he quickly stepped into place beside her. Despite herself, Emerald couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face at the friendly monster kid "They say Undyne is in the area, and it would be so cool to meet up with her!" Emerald winced at the idea, thankfully unnoticed by her new companion.

"So your nephew is a fan huh?" Ren questioned with a small smile

"I wouldn't know" Jaune laughed sheepishly "Honestly, Adrian is still only a baby, I don't think he can even speak yet" he paused when he considered something. "Hey, Pyrrha, you're from Argus right?" he asked recalling a few of their talks when they were all still getting to know one another.

"Yes, I am" she smiled proudly.

"Well in that case, if Pyrrha is still big when Adrian starts learning about things like that he might be. Saphron and her wife live in Argus too" Jaune smiled thoughtfully "Small world isn't it?"

"Oh my..." Pyrrha covered her mouth "That is quite the coincidence."

"I mean, she's just, like, the most AWESOME royal guard person EVER!" Adrian cheered

The adults just laughed in good humor at the hero-worship in the kid's tone while Pyrrha blushed a little at the adoration she was receiving.

"And I wanna be like her one day, and... and my parents are such JERKS for saying I can't leave the house!" there was an undertone of bitterness in his words. Emerald quickly caught him as he tripped and would've fallen on his face. She was pretty sure she knew why his parents were so against him leaving the house if this happened with any sort of frequency.

"Oh! Sorry!" Adrian simply laughed it off before nuzzling against her cheek in thanks "I didn't introduce myself! I'm Monster Kid! I'm a monster and a kid!" Emerald stared at him waiting for the joke but when he simply asked for her name she started to believe that he wasn't joking about the name.

"Seriously?" Weiss sighed "Who would name their child like that?" she roared angrily "What happens if a different child gets lost and the report to the Royal guard just says Monster kid?"

Ozpin hummed "While I do believe his parents should've taken more time in selecting his name. I don't think missing child reports would be that much of an issue if the communities are as close-knit as I suspect they are." Seeing the students' confusion he decided to elaborate "Miss Rose, Miss Xiao-long how well do you know the other residents of Patch?"

"Well, I know all of the store owners and the Signal kids and their parents" Yang stated pausing only for a moment as she recalled faces and names.

"If any of those children went missing would you be able to accurately describe them to authorities?" Ozpin asked patiently.

"Yeah, of course, I could"

"I suspect it's similar to that for all of the monsters in the underground. Also, considering how unique their appearances are here I suspect just describing how they look or even just using their parents as a template would help the royal guard locate any missing children."

"Oh I get it" Yang nodded in understanding while Weiss sighed

"Doesn't excuse that poor naming sense though..." Roman muttered off-handly

"No, it does not..."

Before Emerald could answer the excitable child he shushed her "Oh! Oh! Shh! That's her! That's her right over there!" he whispered rather loudly as they made their way through several obstacles before making their way into some tall grass where they could vaguely see Pyrrha pacing around across the river.

"He usually picks up on the first or second ring..." Undyne muttered to herself "What's going on with him?" she worried before Taiyang ran up to meet her. Chancing a look Emerald saw a figure clad in full plate armor waiting for Taiyang to report in. 'That must be her...' she thought silently to herself.

"H-HI, UNDYNE! SORRY I'M LATE, I HAD... ERRANDS TO RUN! YES..." It was very clear to Emerald that he sucked at lying. "ANY WAY, REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER..." Pyrrha turned towards him and folded her arms.

"Did you fight them?" she asked hoping that this whole thing was over with so that the King could free all of Monster kind.

Taiyang turned away from her clearly uncomfortable "WELL... Y-YES! OF COURSE, I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!"

"Did you capture them?" Pyrrha asked turning away from Papyrus.

"Very intense vibes Pyrrha!" Nora cheered causing the invincible girl to blush.

Taiyang stuttered as he tried to come up with an answer without lying. "WELL... NO" he admitted, unable to lie.

Pyrrha snapped towards him in shock "What?" she screamed suddenly far more alert

"I TRIED! I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!" Taiyang cried out as Pyrrha stared him down menacingly. "IT'S JUST, Y'KNOW... THINGS COME UP... THINGS CHANGE..." he tried to explain calmly hoping that she wouldn't freak out and accidentally throw him off the cliff or something. "YOU KNOW HOW IT IS, DON'T YOU?"

"I wouldn't throw someone off a cliff!" Pyrrha objected politely.

"Not even accidentally after being given shocking news while standing right at the cliff's edge?" Ren questioned with a slightly impressed look. "You're self-control is greater than I thought."

"Ren you're supposed to agree with me" Pyrrha whined as Nora and Jaune laughed cheerfully.

Pyrrha sighed in exasperation "If you want something done right, you do it on your own~" she sang with a strong voice as Taiyang quickly hid the rising panic in his expression.

"OR, YOU KNOW, WITH THE HELP OF THE ROYAL GUARD..." he muttered trying to dissuade her. "IN TRAINING..." he added in, aware that he was not technically a full member of the guard yet.

Heedless of his words Pyrrha turned away and brought her fist up to her breastplate. "I'll rip out their soul myself and break their little bones!" Emerald shivered in fear hearing Pyrrha's promise.

"Okay..." Yang took a deep breath as she and her friends turned towards the champion "Something you want to share with us P-Money?" she asked as the champion bowed her head blushing madly.

"I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THAT THAT WAS A PERSONAL ATTACK..." Taiyang pointed out warily "AND YOU DON'T NEED TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE... I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT, AND... WELL..." he paused before mustering up the courage to admit his own views on the matter. "I... HAVE... SOMETHING... TO SAY..." he spoke haltingly as Pyrrha focused on him.

Pyrrha saw him hesitate and continued to through her song. "With their soul, we can go home. This battle we'll have won~"

Taiyang swallowed nervously "I... I UNDERSTAND, IT'S JUST..."

"We shall breach the surface world, destroy the human scum!" she paused in order to narrow her eyes on Taiyang's shaking form "And if you have a problem with that maybe the Royal Guard isn't for you!" She waited patiently for Taiyang to find the words to respond with.

"I... I..." he looked around trying to think of some way to convince her. with a sigh he looked her in the eye "I'LL HELP UNDYNE! ANY WAY I CAN!"

"Very much a soldier..." Qrow mused rather unkindly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Winter hissed looking at the drunk in anger.

"It means she's not thinking about anything but her orders!" Qrow growled back "She's supposed to be the captain of the Royal Guard she should be the most level-headed one!"

"Not incorrect" Ozpin agreed "However, she is also young, prone to mistakes."

"I think we should continue... before things escalate any further about the matter" Glynda intervened when James looked to enter the argument as well.

"Good! knew I could count on you!" Pyrrha waved him off happily as he rushed off "Hop to it!" she called out before focusing on the grass Emerald was hiding in. "Can you hear me human?" she called out somehow sure that Emerald could hear her. "It's hunting season! And I do not lose my catch!" she hissed as she formed a blue spear in her hand. Steadily her eyes roamed over the tall grass looking for movement, seeing something rustling she moved to throw before Adrian hopped out and wiggled his body in a form of greeting.

"Hi, Undyne! I love you!" he cheered as she quickly dismissed the spear and backed up away from the edge to look less threatening. With a grumble, she moved on to continue her patrol route. Once Emerald was sure she was gone she quietly stepped out of the grass and touched the gold star next to it. Hearing the familiar ping she nodded her head and continued on her way Adrian only a step behind her.

Emerald held a hand over her chest, feeling the rapid beating of her heart slowly start to calm "Who knew cereal girl could be that intense?" she muttered to herself

Cinder hummed in agreement "Unlike the one in the room with us, this one seems like the type to prefer overwhelming force" she noted simply

As they walked Adrian couldn't help himself as he looked back towards where Undyne had been "Yo... did you see the way she was staring at you?" he asked eyes sparkling "that was AWESOME!" he cheered causing Emerald to smile despite herself "I'm soooo jealous! What'd you do to get her attention?" he asked bouncing excitedly as they continued along the path. "C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" Emerald didn't have the heart to mention that Undyne wanted to beat HER up.

"I certainly hope fans of mine won't put themselves in dangerous situations to watch me..." Pyrrha pointed out in concern.

"Thankfully, most of our work is done in locations Civilians won't step foot in" Glynda mused gathering a sigh of relief from the invincible girl. "Still, you should be cautious in escort situations. those you are escorting or evacuating might lose sight of what's important and you'll have to be the one to remind them."

"Right..." Pyrrha sighed realizing that she'd probably have to learn how to deal with disagreeable people in a timely manner.

Unable to contain himself Adrian ran ahead as Emerald's phone began to ring. "HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!"

"How'd you get my number?" Emerald questioned curiously

"HOW'D I GET THIS NUMBER?" he asked coyly "IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!" he let out his signature laugh as Emerald stared at her phone oddly.

"That's..." Yang struggled to find the words.

"Insane?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Honestly, yeah..." Yang agreed as she rubbed her head

"SO... YOU'RE WEARING THAT STRIPED SHIRT, RIGHT?" he asked causing Emerald to glance at her attire. "I'M... ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A SHIRT. ARE YOU? ARE YOU WEARING IT?" Emerald replied that she was "SO YOU ARE CURRENTLY WEARING A STRIPED SHIRT... AND TOTALLY NOT GOING TO CHANGE IT! GOT IT! WINK WINK!" Emerald stared at her phone for a solid minute before shrugging and putting it away.

Adrian poked his head out from a tunnel "Are you coming or what?" he asked causing Emerald to shoot him thumbs up as she jogged up to catch up to him

"Phone call" she offered as an explanation.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me? I would've waited" Adrian looked a little upset with himself for basically abandoning his new buddy in his excitement to see Undyne in action.

"You looked too excited, I didn't want to hold you up" Emerald shrugged her shoulders with a small smile.

"Dude~" Adrian giggled as he nudged her arm with his head "You're totally cool!" he asserted as they continued on their way.

"That's adorable" Kali stated with a little giggle of her own.

"I've never had a friend like you before! Come on!" he cheered as he led Emerald through the caverns. Emerald smiled before noticing an umbrella stand with a few umbrellas still in it.

The sign read "For those who need to stay dry, please leave at the stand on the other side of the caverns." Nodding her head she grabbed one before opening it up as Adrian quickly scuttled closer to her as they walked together, the water droplets from the stalactites occasionally hitting their umbrella.

"Through the water~ two best friends go in through the thick and thin~ we'll go arm in not-arm!"

"He's adorable" Jaune cooed always happy to see his nephew.

"His singing voice is nice too" Ren added "Very calming"

"You can hold things" Adrian started before pausing as he tried to think of what he could offer this little partnership "And I can... I can give a boost!" he declared happily as Emerald giggled a little. "It'll be great! We'll get to Undyne in no time! Just the two of us!" Emerald kept it to herself that she was hoping that she wouldn't run into Pyrrha.

As Emerald solved some puzzles hindering their path Adrian began to sing once more "Every monster, wishes they could be as great as Undyne with her power and charm" Emerald shot him a look causing the young lizard-like boy to blush "Or maybe it's just me. Mom says I have an unhealthy obsession and project a lot."

"Certainly sounds like it" Qrow muttered

"I hope he grows out of it" Pyrrha muttered softly

"Come on Girl!" Nora cheered throwing her arm over Pyrrha's shoulders "It's not that bad!"

"I suppose you're right" she allowed giving the shorter girl a small smile

"What do you think?" he asked as they traversed over a bridge "Do you think she's cool? Or should I just..." he was cut off as a cyan spear impacted the spot directly in front of Emerald who shrieked as she instinctively took a step backward.

"Stop right there, human!" Pyrrha ordered from her spot above them.

"Human? Where?" Adrian called out looking around nervously, having not figured out Emerald was the human in question.

"Well, I guess it makes sense." Glynda mused as she cupped her chin in thought. "He's never seen a Human before has he?"

"Not a one" Fox affirmed simply

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes as the two children could vaguely make out her armored form. "Seven. Seven human souls" she began menacingly as she formed three spears above her head "And with yours, we can..." Emerald wasted no time and immediately started running once the spear blocking her way disappeared. "Hey, Get back here!" Pyrrha shouted angrily.

Sprinting to match pace with Emerald Pyrrha rained spears down on her mindful to keep Adrian out of harm's way. "Quit running and face your death like a man!" Pyrrha shouted before squinting "Woman...child?" she sounded unsure before her eye refocused on the task at hand.

"Having trouble telling the difference Pyrrha?" Yang teased causing the spartan to turn red in embarrassment.

"Well she does sound fairly young" James pointed out "Perhaps she was born after they were sealed?"

"I don't believe she cares enough to learn the difference" Salem pointed out

Adrian frowned "Hey, quit messing with my friend!" he called back despite it being his personal hero.

"They're a human!" Pyrrha shouted in disbelief "You can't be friends!"

Adrian blinked in surprise before looking at Emerald "Wait, really?" Emerald shrugged as they continued to run. "I didn't know that"

Pyrrha groaned "Yeah, well, watch and see what happens to humans who-" Emerald ducked underneath the latest batch of spears and dove into a field of tall grass, Adrian not far behind her.

"It doesn't look like they're running very far..." Adrian pointed out as he kept pace with Emerald

"Just..." Pyrrha took a calming breath as she glared at the grass the two kids had entered. Focusing on the grass once more she shouted "Get out of there, you little brat!"

"Oh sure, I'll definitely listen to that..." Emerald rolled her eyes

"Come on and face me like a man-woman-child!" she shouted angrily

The students all laughed a little

Pyrrha groaned in irritation "Ugh! If it weren't for that grass, I'd kick your ..." she forcefully stopped herself from swearing as she glanced at Adrian who was still looking back at her with sparkling, innocent, eyes. "I mean..." she struggled to think of an alternative "If it weren't for that grooty, I'd kick your booty!" She screamed as Emerald quietly snuck away from the area "Don't ask me what a grooty is!" she heard the woman shout as she stayed low to the ground as she continued onwards.

Once they were far enough away Adrian spoke up "Gee, Undyne sure was mad, huh?" he asked nervously. Emerald nodded her head in agreement. "Listen uh..." Adrian paused as he searched for the words "She says... she says we can't be friends..." Emerald frowned hoping he wouldn't abandon her as the humans had. "So... I think I have to say something mean..."

"Somehow I can't imagine him saying anything actually insulting..." Jaune muttered as Emerald stared at the interaction with surprising intensity.

"It's a little kid, how bad could he possibly be?" Ruby asked innocently.

"Ruby there's a reason people say children are the cruelest" Blake explained softly.

"You're... you're ugly!" Adrian winced a little and quickly looked at Emerald's expression to see if he had gone too far. "And you stink! Ha! there!" Emerald rolled her eyes "It's official! We're not friends!" as they continued to walk Adrian couldn't keep the silence "So, um... as not friends..." he began looking at her again "You wanna hang out some more?" Emerald couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her before she nodded her head. Adrian's eyes sparkled as he cheered.

"Well that wasn't too bad" Yang mused aloud as she ruffled Ruby's hair.

"He's too innocent to have a single mean bone in his body!" Nora cheered

Ren smiled "So it seems," he agreed

As the two entered a new section of the caverns Adrian's eyes lit up "See these?" he asked pointing to some of the blue flowers. "They're echo flowers! I hear if you're real quiet around them you can hear them repeat a song for you." he looked excited "So be quiet! BE QUIET!" he urged as he and Emerald listened closely.

As they continued walking the chorus kicked in and began to sing "Deep down, whispers we can hear them all. Your inner voice, what will it tell us? The deepest abyss of your soul. It can't hide. Conflict, turmoil, unfaltering kindness, apprehension, DETERMINATION. All those feelings mixed up an array of thoughts" As the two children walked they noticed a castle in the background. Emerald suspected that was her destination. "Will you fight or show true mercy? You have to make the choice. Will you save our friends, escape then show them the world above? Will you set him free? Mercilessly write your wish in the dust? Two sides are playing a tough game an endless tug of war, which will win? Savior or murderer?"

Jaune shivered "As usual, the songs with the chorus cause me to shiver..." he noted

"Very dark" Blake agreed

"Seriously they all need therapy" Weiss muttered in disbelief.

"Huh. Wonder what that means!" Adrian titled his head to the side adorably. "Oh ooh!" he cried out remembering something else "If you poke 'em, they repeat phrases instead! See watch?" he used his tail to poke a flower.

"Behind you" Adrian tilted his head again "I wonder what that means"

"Surprise!" Pyrrha shouted revealing that they had wandered into a dead end, and she was blocking the only exit.

"I'm surprised she even found them considering how maze-like that place seems to be," Glynda hummed thoughtfully

"She probably grew up in the area." Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "I bet she knows the entire area like the back of her hand."

"Oh, that's what that means!" Adrian muttered happily. Emerald backed up until her back hit the wall, Pyrrha on the other hand, slowly crept forward spear in hand. "Hi, Undyne!"

At the same time, she spoke, "Nowhere to run this ti..." she hastily moved her spear up as Adrian stepped in front of her, allowing Emerald to bolt past her. "Oh, come on!" she screamed in frustration

As Pyrrha turned to chase Adrian called out "I guess you gotta go now! Bye! I'm waving at you!"

Emerald gulped as she barely dodged out of the way as Undyne took to the lower walkways using her magic to create makeshift spike traps in her way. "I have had just enough of this running and hiding BULL HUEY!" she screamed as Emerald quickly jumped back as three spears slammed down in front of her. "I didn't realize I was hunting for garbage!" with a final roar of rage she shattered the bridge sending Emerald tumbling down into the darkness.

"Wow, Undyne, you just sent 'em flyin' off!" Adrian whistled, impressed. "And the bridge they were on... and part of the cliff on that..."

"I know, kid!" Pyrrha grit out

"Wow!" Adrian gushed as he peered over the edge trying to see if he could still spot Emerald. "Hey! Are you okay down there? Seeing you run from Undyne was pretty cool!" Pyrrha made grabbing motions with her hands visibly restraining herself from being too hard on the kid.

"You and I are gonna have a serious talk, Kid!" she stated picking Adrian up by the back of his shirt.

Adrian chuckled nervously "Bye! Don't die while I'm away!"

"Oh boy!" Sun muttered as he stretched his arms. "That was a doozy" he grinned when Velvet laughed and lightly slapped his arms.

"Don't be silly" she giggled despite her admonishment.

"Come on Bun, you have to admit Cereal girl here was super intense."

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize! It was a good look on you!" Coco declared

Emerald groaned as the ringing of her phone woke her up "Where am I?" she mumbled looking around trying to make the world stop spinning.

"You going to get that?" her narrator asked

"I just fell off a cliff into a pile of garbage...I am not going to be sassed by something I can't even see." she ground out as her phone pinged signaling that it was both going to voice mail and set to speaker.

Salem smirked "I don't recall you being this sassy Cinder" she taunted her subordinate who turned red as she sank into her seat.

"Mistress!" Cinder whined causing Emerald to look at her oddly.

"HELLO! IT'S PAPYRUS!" the energetic skeleton's voice rang out in the darkness causing Emerald to wince as she tried to cover her ears. "REMEMBER WHEN I WAS ASKING YOU ABOUT CLOTHES?" Emerald sighed as she forced herself to sit up "WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW" he paused searching for the words he wanted to use. "HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY ... MURDERY"

"You don't say..." Emerald muttered reasoning that he must be talking about Pyrrha.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine!" Emerald called back with a roll of her eyes "Way too nice" she grumbled under her breath.

"WELL, WORRY NOT, DEAR HUMAN! PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU! I AM NOT A CRUEL PERSON" Emerald rolled her eyes before standing up and looking around. "I STRIVE TO BE COMFORTING AND PLEASANT!" Emerald giggled a little before choosing a direction to begin her explorations. "SO, BECAUSE OF MY INHERENT GOODNESS, I TOLD HER YOU WERE WEARING A STRIPED SHIRT, KNOWING SURELY YOU WOULD CHANGE, THANKS TO MY SUBTLE HINTS!" Emerald actually tripped over nothing at the admission.

"Wow, and I thought that only happened in those cheesy anime shows" Emerald felt her eyes begin to twitch in annoyance.

"THAT WAY, I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIE TO UNDYNE! AND I WASN'T GIVING YOU UP!" he sighed "DANG! I JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE... WAIT, ARE YOU LISTENING? IS THIS A VOICE MAIL? I'LL CALL BACK LATER!" Emerald shook her head fondly "What a dork" she whispered to herself.

"You're smiling!"

"Am not!" she shouted pettily.

"Yes, that sounds like something young Tai would do" Qrow states before anyone could bug him.

"Taiyang was always good at making friends," Ozpin recalled fondly.

"Though he was pretty dense when it came to women" James muttered recalling numerous instances where Tai completely misinterpreted what some of his female classmates had been looking for.

"You're one to talk..." Glynda muttered in mild irritation.

"It sounds like it came from over there." the quote appeared on screen as Emerald wandered around. briefly, an image of a young girl hovering over her shoulder could be seen deep in thought.

"I guess we're getting a look into our little narrator's past" Winter surmised glancing at Cinder thoughtfully.

"Probably nothing like our version right?" Roman asked his partner while enjoying a glass of whiskey.

Nodding her head Neo happily gobbled down spoonfuls of ice cream.

"Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you?" the voice sounded concerned "Are you okay?"

"That's Oscar right?" Yang asked trying to recall his name. "Why is he featured in this anyways?"

"He's important in the future" Fox revealed simply. "In what manner and to who I cannot say."

Ozpin hummed "I see..." he mused, correctly guessing that Oscar was probably his next incarnation.

"Are you okay? Here, get up... Chara, huh?" Oscar questioned finally granting the audience the name of Emerald's little narrator "That's a nice name." With the reveal of her name, the narrator's form solidified for a moment showing Cinder still wearing her green striped sweater from her last moments alive.

'I wonder why I'm remembering all this now...' she mused to herself watching as Emerald checked around the dump for clues.

"Hey come on, Chara, I'm not going to hurt you," she recalled Oscar saying as she allowed herself to reminisce.

"Oooh! Flashback song!" Nora called out getting weird looks from everyone in the room. "It's a musical! of course, it's going to be a song if there's a flashback!" she rolled her eyes at them.

"I mean..." Jaune shrugged his shoulders leaving the rest unsaid.

"She does have a point..." Glynda muttered recalling her own fairly limited knowledge of musical performances.

The screen lit up once more showing an old picture of a widely smiling Oscar holding a bouquet while a shy Cinder hid her face within her bouquet as both Salem and Ozpin stood behind them smiling fondly. "It's not fair to be alone. After what you've been through. So let me be your best friend please let me stay with you. I'll keep trying to reach out I'm never leaving you. Determination fuels me I want to be with you. I will show my love always" as the picture faded away Cinder's transparent form shook her head as she noted Emerald lying down on a patch of flowers. In the background unseen by either of the girls was an equally transparent Oscar looking over Emerald from afar a surprised look on his face.

"What a nice little song" Salem mused as she hummed along with the tune.

Cinder frowned and looked away "I was never this weak" she muttered under her breath.

"Keep telling yourself that" Adam mocked having heard her with his superior senses.

"Because it's clear to me, Together we'll do anything our life isn't easy" again the image changed showing Oscar behind Ozpin as the two looked in opposite directions as they both began to sing. "I will stay here by your side [So much blood] I know it's frightening [so much pain] to think that you might now leave [just to see my son again] and that my friend is why I'll be in your life always [one day soon] and hold you tight and close [freedom shall ring] we will be together here [so proclaims] until its safe to go [the mountain king] I will show my love always because it's clear to me together we'll do anything our life isn't easy"

"Not going to lie" Qrow muttered "Not easy listening to two different sets of lyrics."

"Uncultured barbarian" Winter shook her head helplessly.

"Hey!"

Emerald yawned before slowly opening her eyes and promptly screaming as she sprang to her feet "Blooky!" she screeched as she held a hand to her chest "You scared me!" The depressed ghost had been hovering directly above her silently watching apparently unsure how to wake her up.

Jaune looked away sorrowfully "Sorry... I interrupted you, didn't I?" he questioned. Calming down Emerald simply shook her head as she began following the ghost as he drifted away. "Oh no... I just wanted to say hi..." Emerald palmed her face as Jaune continued on his self-hatred spiral.

"You..." Weiss sighed as her partner used her semblance to appear at Jaune's side. "Nevermind, Ruby will handle it," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Jaune you're not still down on yourself are you?" Ruby asked missing or ignoring her partner completely.

"I'm fine Ruby" he assured her with a rather small smile as Pyrrha lay a hand on his shoulder in support.

"And lie down on the floor and feel like garbage..." Jaune added causing Emerald to sigh "Well... I'm going to head home now..." he announced suddenly as he turned to face her. "Oh... um... feel free to 'come with' if you want..." Emerald nodded her head, curious despite herself. "Just thought I'd offer" he added, clearly not expecting her to actually stop by.

Hitting a star on her way to his house Emerald put on her best smile and entered the rather plain and beat-up-looking house. "Oh, you actually came!" Jaune muttered, unable to hide how happy that actually made him. "Sorry... I wasn't expecting that..." he muttered back to his usual depressed self. shaking his body back and forth he drifted over to the fridge "It's not much, but make yourself at home." he was doing his best to sound cheerful and honestly Emerald thought that was a good step forward "Do you want something to eat?"

"Actually I'm hungry...despite being dead..." Cinder noted causing Jaune's eyes to zip over to her "Wait... can you see me?"

"Doesn't look like you're strong enough to make yourself heard yet..." Jaune muttered to himself recognizing her body language if not her words. "Here, I've got a ghost sandwich you can have" realization dawned on him as he glanced over at Emerald "Sorry, I don't have anything for people with physical bodies"

"So wait..." Yang frowned as she poked her temples with her index fingers. "There's ghost food?"

"I'm honestly surprised that, that's what bugs you" Blake muttered looking at her partner in amusement.

Slowly he sank to the ground and lay there despondently "Looks like I went and screwed up ... everything ... once again ... sorry, friend ... why am I here? I can just barely sing ... even so ... I should go ... thanks for coming to my pathetic house" Emerald eventually just shrugged and lay down beside him marveling at how relaxing feeling like garbage actually felt "It's okay ... any way... you should get going soon ... don't waste your time ... on a pathetic ghost whose tears are crying" Emerald's eyes widened as it felt like all her troubles melted away as the cosmos opened up and greeted her.

"What the heck?" Ruby screeched as she and the others witnessed the two friends drift off into an endless void.

"Really is out of this world" Cinder mused recalling what Fox had told them when the ghostly Jaune had first appeared.

After a while Emerald sat up "I better get going" she muttered before waving towards Jaune who was still laying there "Bye Blooky!"

Jaune allowed a small smile as Emerald ran off "I haven't been called that since he left"

As Emerald continued to wander through the marshes, she would on occasion brush against an echo flower activating them. "Why did the humans attack?" one repeated catching her attention. "They had nothing to fear."

"We know that, but did they?" Ozpin wondered aloud "Communication is also a key to avoiding conflict."

"Like how you tried to sneak out and whisk my daughters to who knows where?" Salem sniped

"You were becoming more and more prone to lashing out with your magic!" Ozpin shot back "How long until you accidentally used it on them?"

"And you didn't think to say that to me then?" she raged as she stood, her powers fluctuating

"I did!"

"You kept referencing the kingdom not our family you oaf!" Salem ranted "Why would I care about the citizens who will wither and die within the blink of an eye! Our daughters were different! They sounded happy and carefree I had no idea that you thought I would actually put them in harm's way!"

Fox hummed realizing that this would probably last longer than a few barbed words. Clapping their hands the host created another doorway and promptly shoved the two immortals into it. "Feel free to rejoin us after you've cooled your heads" they suggested as they closed the door.

"If that solves our problems I'm going to be mad" Qrow pointed out as he leaned closer to James and Glynda so that the kids didn't overhear him. wordlessly the two agreed with him.

"It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of one human soul" another flower added in when she brushed against it. "But, they have one weakness" another flower continued the topic "The strength of the human soul lets it persist outside of the body even after death" Emerald shivered but continued on "If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul. A monster with a human soul would have unfathomable power."

"Well now we know what sparked the war" Winter muttered unhappily

"And like mistress suspected it was fear and hatred" Cinder finished not at all surprised.

"The power to take their souls... this is the power the humans feared" Emerald heard a flower explain "When a monster dies, its soul disappears. An incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster."

Emerald frowned as she considered what she had learned "But a special monster..." the next flower began "a BOSS monster... their soul can persist for a few moments after death. A human could absorb this soul."

"But this has never happened" another flower stated with certainty "And now, it never will. Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave."

"This is pretty..." Pyrrha rubbed her arms, feeling a chill.

"Yeah, it's intense" Nora agreed

"There is only one way to reverse this spell." Emerald faltered wondering if this was why Pyrrha had been so insistently chasing her. "If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attacks the barrier it will be destroyed.

"But this place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever. However, there is a prophecy. The Angel... the one who has seen the surface... they will return and the underground will go empty."

"Are all prophecies so cryptic?" Jaune asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Seems like it" Ren nodded his head

Emerald cautiously made her way over a wooden bridge when a familiar voice called out to her. "YO!" Adrian called out before running up to her. "Listen, um..." he began fidgeting slightly "Undyne and I have been talking..." he took a deep breath to calm his nerves as Emerald waited for him to say what he needed to. "Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... Undyne told me to 'stay away from that human' so, like, um... I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that, haha."

Emerald nodded her head and patted him on the head getting him to giggle. "I'm..." he hesitated "I'm gonna head home now" turning he began to run off only to trip and fall only barely catching onto the bridge with his teeth

"MK!" Emerald called out as she ran forward to help him despite seeing Pyrrha approaching from the other end of the bridge. To her credit, Pyrrha noted that the young girl wouldn't be able to pull him up herself and quickly moved to help despite her own feelings towards humans in general.

"Whew..." Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief once Adrian was safe "I'm happy that this other me was willing to put aside her differences to save Adrian"

"I'm glad too" Jaune let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. He pulled her into an embrace setting her face aflame "Thanks Pyr" the other students laughed in their own ways as the champion failed to respond.

Adrian took deep gulping breaths as he tried to stand tall after his near-death experience. "Yo..." he managed through stuttering breaths "If you want to hurt MY friend, you're going to have to go through me first!" he declared causing Pyrrha to reluctantly back down unwilling to put the kid in danger. "She... she's gone" Adrian sighed in relief. "You really saved my skin" he muttered turning towards Emerald "Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, we'll just have to be friends instead!" he laughed causing her to giggle. "Well, my parents must be worried, so I'll be heading home now!" with a final farewell he ran off, thankfully not falling over this time.

Emerald smiled to herself before continuing on her path. "Every human who falls down here must die" another flower explained causing Emerald to frown.

"With enough souls, we shatter the barrier forever." another flower, another voice

"It's not long now" another one.

"King Asgore will let us go." and again another one.

"King Asgore will give us hope."

"King Asgore will save us all."

"You should be smiling too."

"Aren't you excited?"

Emerald shivered "Everyone is waiting for the King to save them..." she muttered in realization. "He can't stop even if he wants to"

"Ah, the weight of leadership. I do not miss it" Ozpin announced as he and Salem returned

"You still lead us sir" Glynda pointed out.

"You are my comrades and friends... and far easier to manage than a kingdom."

James nodded his head "Fair enough"

"Aren't you happy?" another flower asked as Emerald approached a cavern entrance underneath a large mountain.

"You're going to be free" another voice stated as something caught her attention, drawing Emerald's eyes towards the peak.

"And the humans won't stand in our way any longer" Pyrrha finished for the flower in her hand. Her back was turned, but Emerald had no doubt the woman would know if she tried to make a break for it. "I knew you'd come here, human. They all did. And they all fell."

"Implying that Ms. Nikos was the one to capture the other six children" James surmised drawing a shaken gasp from Pyrrha who was quickly comforted by Jaune.

"Must you be so blunt?" Glynda asked smacking the General over the head.

"I meant no offense" the General offered weakly as Glynda stared him down. "My apologies" Winter couldn't help but wonder about their relationship watching their interactions.

As Pyrrha began to turn towards Emerald she began to sing "With the seventh human soul, our world will be transformed. Now you stand, facing me in the eye of the storm"

"She has amazing vocals" Weiss complimented causing Pyrrha to blush as she hid her face within her hands.

"But first, human... let me tell you the tragic tale of our people." Emerald gulped wondering if she could sneak by if Pyrrha got too lost in her storytelling. "It all started, long ago..." she paused as if thinking about something "No, you know what?" she questioned her volume rising as she felt her blood begin to sing "SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE? NGAH!" with a war cry she threw her helmet aside revealing her fins and eyepatch before throwing herself at Emerald initiating the fight.

Someone snorted and Pyrrha turned towards the sound with an eery creaking noise coming from her neck "Do you have something to say?" she asked Sun who had quickly hidden behind Velvet.

"Nope, not me, not a peep!" he threw out hastily

"She forgot the story, didn't she?" Ruby asked Yang who snickered at the thought.

"Regardless this one is a badass!" she cheered

"There comes a time when a Hero must make a choice. Fighting with honor, make all rivals fear my voice. Tonight this battle will make all the monsters say Undyne has saved us all Undyne brought back the day!" she sang as Emerald hastily ducked underneath her wild and powerful swings. She saw a spear lying on the ground and quickly dodged towards it and picked it up to block a swing at her head. "Real heroes never fear! Real heroes laugh at death! Every soldier must fight until their final breath! I dedicate my life to upholding what is right! Serving my land and King bring victory tonight! [Come on do what's right!]" Pyrrha swung her sword and suddenly Emerald's soul was turned green.

"I can't move!" she realized feeling as though she were rooted in place, only allowed to pivot around her right foot.

"[Go, Undyne, fight!]" the chorus cheered as numerous spears started raining on Emerald's position forcing her to use the spear in her hands to block. "I forged my destiny from my blood and my sweat! If there's one who can beat me I haven't met 'em yet! You'll never win, little child, this is my destiny! They will sing of my name in the pages of history!"

"Honestly it's kind of weird that someone so physically strong can't just overpower a small child" Velvet pointed out.

"Is this what they meant by the strength of the soul?" Sun inquired

"There's also the fact that Pyrrha is going out of her way to make the fight fair" Weiss pointed out. "All the monsters seem to do it too. they always leave at least one way for Emerald to get out unharmed."

"That too"

"[Fight on Undyne!] Raise my spear to the sky! [Fight on Undyne!] Loyal soldier, keep marching on!" Emerald winced when she missed a spear that jabbed her side reducing her health to 17. "[Fight on, Undyne!] We shout with one voice! [Fight on, Undyne!] We will carry on! You stand in the way of all our hopes and dreams. If human history has taught me anything, it's that humans will fight, it's that humans are tough, but from what I have seen you're made of softer stuff!"

'What history is she studying?' Emerald couldn't help but wonder as the green magic wore off allowing her to move again only for a veritable rain of spears to force her to dance around the battlefield in a desperate dance with death.

"[Fight on, Undyne!] Stand until the end because someone has to die! [Fight on, Undyne!] Clash as you pretend the bloodstains will dry!" with another swing of her sword Emerald was once again rooted in place as she was forced to stand her ground and block the incoming attacks.

"Well considering she probably doesn't have any training Emerald is certainly nimble" Blake pointed out applauding Emerald for only getting hit once so far.

"Her movements are certainly praiseworthy" Glynda agreed with her student's assessment. "What I worry about is how she will get away, will she be able to stay a pacifist, or will she be forced to fight back?"

"The fact you exist is a crime, but you're not going to escape no, not this time!"

"Harsh" Emerald muttered blandly

"If your life stands between us and seeing the sky then tough luck for you, human tonight you're gonna die!" Pyrrha shouted as the tempo of her attacks increased "I feel everyone's hearts as they're pounding in sync pushing DETERMINATION to the very brink! With our hearts and our souls, we all know we can't fail so come on, little human, let's end this sorry tale!" Emerald nearly panicked when the spears started getting to the point where she couldn't actually see them coming forcing her to rely on instinct alone to guide her hands. "I feel everyone's hearts as they're pounding in sync pushing DETERMINATION to the very brink! With our hearts and our souls we know we can't fail so come on, little human, let's end this sorry tale! [Fight!] Is that all you got? [Fight!] I've nothing to fear! [Fight!] You are a disease! [Fight!] I'm Justice's spear!"

"Okay..." Jaune felt his heart through his chest "I think I prefer Pyrrha a little more mellow than this" he muttered getting nervous nods from Nora and Ren

"She's way too intense" Nora whispered as Pyrrha's ears turned red causing the champion to hide her face with her trademark "I'm sorry!"

"I think she's justifying her actions" Velvet pointed out, "I think she's wavering and trying to keep up her will to fight in the name of duty"

Ozpin smiled "I believe you're right miss Scarlatina" he agreed

"[Fight!] You cannot fool me! [Fight!] You're sick in the head! [Fight!] We'd all be happy [Fight!] if you were dead!" Emerald frowned through the effort to keep up the pace "[Fight!] 'Til your dying breath [Fight!] for the ones who've gone [Fight!] for our noble cause [Fight!] we will carry on [Fight!] we will find a home [Fight!] we'll escape the wild [Fight!] We will see the dawn [Fight!] farewell, human child" Emerald felt the effect on her soul disappear as she quickly dodged a rain of spears. Pyrrha narrowed her eye as she quickly formed and threw spears at her the entire time.

"Real heroes never fear! Real heroes laugh at death! Every soldier must fight until their final breath!" Two spears boxed Emerald in as lights appeared under her feet. Eyes widening Emerald twirled to one side as the first spear sprang up, not wasting a second she twirled the other way as the other two shot up as well. "I dedicate my life to upholding what's right! Serving my land and King bring victory tonight! [Bring victory tonight! come on and do what's right! Go, Undyne, fight!] I know in my heart there's no path but to fight!" Emerald felt the green effect on her soul once more before noticing a yellow spear in the mix now. when she moved to block it, it suddenly swerved around and approached from her blind spot. with a quick pivot, she blocked the attack before shooting a look at Pyrrha who gave off a shark-like grin. "I know in my heart I am doing what's right"

"You know, I think you might be on to something Bun" Coco hummed as she considered the lyrics.

"For the greater good, right?" Roman asked with a wry smile. the adults on Ozpin's side shuffled a little bit at that

It'll be different this time we will win this war the humans will know fury like never before! [Fight on, Undyne!] Raise my spear to the sky! [Fight on, Undyne!] Loyal soldier, keep marching on! [Fight on, Undyne!] we shout with one voice! [Fight on, Undyne!] we will carry on!" Emerald growled when she noticed the spears moving at different speeds now

'Seriously?' she grumbled within her own mind as she was forced to identify which ones would actually reach her first while she was rooted down.

"There were six came before you six humans who tried to get past the royal guard every one of them died! I will never accept your mercy never be spared! Killing you is my mercy so stop being scared! [Fight on, Undyne!] Stand until the end! [Fight on, Undyne!] because someone has to die! [Fight on, Undyne!] clash as you pretend [Fight on, Undyne!] the bloodstains will dry!" Emerald gasped when Undyne took too long to begin her next attack giving her a chance to flee. Sliding underneath Pyrrha's legs, Emerald took off running as the guard captain quickly gave chase.

"We believe, Undyne, that you're doing what's right. Come on then, Undyne, you must finish the fight. Your heart, Undyne, should be telling you what's right you can't let a human live! You must finish the fight!" Emerald only got a short distance before Pyrrha's longer steps allowed her to catch up. "Come on, Undyne, stop the bloodshed tonight, what good is a hero if they will not fight?" Emerald deftly under Pyrrha's swing allowing her to continue running as Pyrrha was forced to regain her balance before continuing to give chase. "Follow your heart and you will do what's right you can't run away this time let us finish the fight!" Emerald yelped as she ducked under another swing as they passed an electronic sign that read {Welcome to Hotland!}

Pyrrha hummed "If she can manage to get into this Hotland place I'm sure my other will give up" she guessed "Somehow I don't think a fish type monster in metal armor will like heat"

"Grilled fish..." Blake whispered longingly as her teammates palmed their faces in unison.

Jaune raised an eyebrow and went to question her when Ren placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just... don't" he suggested with a wary expression.

"Stop running, human now come back and fight! I will rip out your soul and I'll bring back the light! You can't give me mercy can't handle my might though you flee to the heat you will not leave my sight" with another roar she charged forward causing Emerald to scream as she picked up her pace and continued running away. "[Fight!] 'til your dying breath [Fight!] for the ones who've gone [Fight!] for our noble cause [Fight!] we will carry on [Fight!] we will find a home [Fight!] we'll escape the wild [Fight!] we will see the dawn [Fight!] farewell, human child!"

Approaching a bridge over a lake of lava Emerald saw Qrow at his sentry station taking a nap 'Really?' she couldn't help but wonder as she kept on running Thankfully for her, the sight of Qrow slacking off caught Pyrrha's attention as she paused her pursuit to yell at him more out of habit than any desire to put aside the chase. It didn't last long however as she caught herself mid-rant before renewing her pursuit. "Get back here, you punk! [Fight!] don't you disappear! [Fight!] this is the last time- [Fight!] hey, get back here!" Despite her best efforts the heat was quite clearly getting to Pyrrha who was slowing down as sweat poured down her face. "Ah man, all this heat... [Fight!] I'm just feeling beat... [Fight!] I need a drink... [Fight!] Can't stay on my feet... [Undyne, don't give up the fight!]" Just making it off the bridge she collapsed with a groan.

"I... I did it..." Emerald wheezed as she looked around now that she didn't have to worry about random spears coming at her. "Water..." she sighed in relief seeing a water dispenser of all things nearby. Grabbing a disposable cup she quickly downed a cup of water before glancing at Pyrrha. Before she could make a decision her phone rang

"Seriously, who's calling her now?" Yang asked incredulously

"Probably Tai" Qrow shrugged his shoulders "I'm more interested if she gets any water for the champ here"

"What do you think Cinder?" Emerald asked her boss not quite sure what she'd do in this situation. "Honestly, I don't really know what I'd do when I was ten"

"I think she will" Cinder mused aloud "While I think she will do so for sentimental reasons, there are many practical reasons to have such a powerful warrior owe you a favor"

"I don't like her wording, but she isn't wrong" James admitted with a shrug of his shoulders

"HEY WHAT'S UP?" Taiyang's enthusiastic voice called out causing Emerald to sigh in fond exasperation. "I WAS JUST THINKING... YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME!" Emerald hummed as she glanced at the guard captain who was still out of it. "I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS! LET'S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!" without waiting for a response he hung up as Qrow made his way over to the water dispenser.

"Hold on a Second Sans" Emerald requested as she filled up another cup of water. Under the skeleton's watchful eyes she poured the water onto Pyrrha's head causing the captain to shoot to her feet.

"Heya" Sans greeted her when she looked around before grumbling something under her breath and retreating into Waterfall. "Well, that's one way to do it" Qrow noted with a grin "Anyways, looks like you and I got some time to kill. I know you might be thirsty, but I'm bone-dry myself." he snickered to himself when Emerald rolled her eyes at him "How about we get some dinner?" he suggested, "Come on, I know a shortcut" he guided her back over the bridge and suddenly they were in the lobby of a ritzy looking establishment.

"That is still so cool" Ruby whispered excitedly as Yang laughed.

"You bet it is" she agreed

"I wonder what Taiyang's plan is" Qrow admitted scratching at his chin.

"Probably something stupid, knowing the man as I do" Glynda sighed already feeling the headache. Qrow could only laugh not at all able or willing to defend Tai when Glynda was already annoyed.

"You'll need to reserve your table." the monster at the front desk informed them "You'll also need to reserve your chairs, your food, your silverware, your tablecloth, your romantic candle, your..." Qrow grabbed Emerald by the back of her shirt and pulled her along with him

"it's alright they're with me" he called out

The monster snorted "If you insist, Sans."

"Are..." Nora snorted "Are high-class restaurants really like that?" she asked looking at Weiss.

Weiss rolled her eyes "All of those reservations are implied when you reserve a table" she explained. "It's weirder that the receptionist would actually point all that out."

"Oh, that makes sense" Nora muttered

Qrow snapped his fingers as a guitar was handed to him "Here we are" he began as he strummed a little tune causing Emerald to smile "We've come so far, all alone, you still want home. Well, I know that feel but let's be real. see what you have: good food, good drinks, good friends, bad laughs, so I know you're driven. But look what you've been given. Is what you have to do really worth all this to you?" Emerald felt her smile slip off her face as she actually considered the words he sang. "You're not alone, you've got this ol' bag of bones to help you through. Show you what to do. I'm rootin' for ya, kid~ Always will and always did~" Sighing he stopped playing catching Emerald's attention.

"Hey, kid let me tell you a story" he offered as a piano piece began playing in the background. "I sit at my post, down in the snow. It's raining somewhere, I dunno, I look for humans, it's such a bore, but then one day I see this door..." Emerald perked up at the mention of the door separating the Ruins from everywhere else. "So I go to this door practice knock-knock jokes. Just some fun, nothin' more, just jokes. Knock 'em dead, knock 'em out like my life's a joke, then I hear her voice" Qrow sounded wistful as he recalled meeting his joke buddy through the door.

"Wait..." Salem muttered staring at Qrow weirdly "Are you telling me that I'm friends with this drunkard?" she questioned seriously

"More like the two of you share a hobby" Fox explained without looking at her.

"Oh..." Salem wasn't entirely sure how to process that information.

"Who's there?" Qrow recalled Salem's response. "I reply 'Dishes' [dishes who?]" he smiled a little bit, obviously very fond of the memory "Dishes a very, very bad knock-knock joke. Then she howls, best she's heard in years. I keep goin', she keeps laughin' at my jokes. Then I hear her voice [Knock-knock] Who's there?[Old lady] Old lady who? [I didn't know you could yodel!] Tellin' jokes, there for hours in the snow, then I had to go."

"I came back, the next day, the day after that. It's a thing, like a story for my bro" Emerald smiled at the lengths Qrow would go to for Tai's sake. "Tell bad jokes, through a door, laugh your fears away 'cause it's raining somewhere. Then one day, I told jokes, couldn't hear her laugh. I asked her what was wrong that day. I heard tears, weeping, coming through the door then I heard her voice. [If a human ever comes through the door would you promise me just one thing?]" he recalled his promise with a sad melancholic smile. "[Watch over, protect the one who comes through the door, could you do this for me?]" he sighed glancing at Emerald with one eye socket "I hate making promises and I don't know her name, so I sat, and thought; it was raining somewhere." He looked down in thought before letting out a bitter "That's a laugh..."

"Is this why Uncle Qrow has been so friendly with Emerald?" Yang questioned curiously

"Certainly sounds like it" Blake nodded her head in agreement as she glanced at the man in question who noticed her look and simply shrugged his shoulders.

"He sounds really sad though" Velvet noted as her ears drooped.

"He sounds depressed" Coco added to her partner's observation.

"I wouldn't be surprised" Qrow muttered softly to himself.

"But someone who could laugh at the awful joke, you just can't say no, can't laugh it off. Thanks to her, to promises, and awful jokes here you stand today." Emerald stepped back suddenly wary to which Qrow simply chuckled and closed one eye "Lighten up, I'll be there, I will keep you safe. Look at you, standing strong, atta girl. Guess that's all, so take care of yourself, kiddo because someone cares. It's raining somewhere." his song done Qrow leaned back in his seat "Do you get what I'm saying?" he asked looking at her with a serious expression. "That promise I made to her... you know what would've happened if she hadn't said anything?" Emerald gulped and prepared to bolt away from him. Qrow's eyes darkened "buddy... you'd be dead where you stand."

The audience shivered "His voice..." Sun whispered with a shudder "That didn't sound right!"

"It's like he was a different person" Winter noted once she was able to calm herself. "Why can't you be that serious about your work?" she asked turning to Qrow.

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked in response. "I'd rather enjoy good company and good drinks"

Qrow grinned "Hey! lighten up bucko!" he cheered causing Emerald to stare at him oddly. "I'm just joking with you." he winked at her for good measure. "I joke, that's what I do." Emerald took a deep breath and sat back down in her chair. "Besides, haven't I done a good job protecting you?" he asked.

Emerald tilted her head back and forth trying to recall him doing so. 'Did he?' she wondered

"I mean look at you! you haven't died a single time." Qrow noted the look on her face "Hey, what's that look supposed to mean?" he asked curiously "Am I wrong?"

"He's not... but the word choice is weird" Ozpin hummed

"It's like he assumes she can come back from death" Ren pointed out.

"He definitely knows more about everything than he says" Weiss grumbled

"Kinda like how our Uncle was apparently part of a super-secret shadow war and didn't even slip a hint at all..." Ruby started staring at her favorite uncle accusingly.

"In all fairness, I didn't want you involved in any of this" Qrow pointed out after taking a large drought of his flask. "I didn't even want you to be a huntress, I only trained you because you'd just go get training from some two-bit huntsman who couldn't kill an Ursa."

"Ouch" Yang winced

"At least he took the path of making sure she'd be the best rather than making sure no one helped her achieve her dream..." Jaune muttered bitterly.

"Heh, come on, kid. Let's get you back to my brother" Qrow muttered sardonically as he led her out of the building. stepping outside she found herself outside of a building with a strong fish aesthetic where Taiyang was waiting for her.

"WOW! YOU ACTUALLY AGREED TO COME HANG OUT!" he cheered making Emerald wonder how Undyne hadn't heard them yet. "THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT! OKAY! OKAY! STAND BEHIND ME!" turning around he knocked on the door. Emerald could hear footsteps as the door opened, showing Pyrrha in jeans and a black tank top, a much more relaxed expression on her face as she greeted her friend.

"Hey Papyrus! Ready for your extra private, one on one training?" she asked pumping a fist as she started to get excited as well.

"Pyrrha I thought that was our thing," Jaune said with mock hurt in his tone.

"I'm sorry!" the champ cried out moving to reassure him that it was a special session for them only.

"Flew right over her head, didn't it?" Blake mused aloud with a smirk.

"Yup," Velvet agreed, giggling into her hands.

"YOU BET I AM!" Taiyang called out enthusiastically "AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!" he quickly stepped aside as Pyrrha blinked in surprise

Shrugging her shoulders she glanced down "Hi, I don't think we..." she trailed off seeing who it was. Taiyang, sensing her anger took to copying the vowel she had trailed off on, snapping her out of her mental feedback loop. "Why don't. You two. come in?" she managed to speak haltingly despite her burning desire to turn the kid in front of her into a shishkabob. stepping back into her home she took deep calming breaths when the two followed her.

"HERE UNDYNE, MY FRIEND BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU, ON THEIR OWN!" Taiyang handed her a golden bone with a red ribbon tied to it causing Undyne to sigh tiredly.

"Uh..." she eventually gave up and accepted the bone. "Thanks, I'll uh... put it with the others." she put the present bone into a drawer filled with numerous other present bones causing Emerald to give Taiyang a perfectly deadpan expression. "So are we ready to start?" she questioned looking at both of them with barely restrained agitation.

"That's a surprising amount of self-restraint" James noted appreciatively "She very clearly wants to lash out but is keeping her temper in check. Likely because Taiyang is present and she seems to appreciate his company."

"He exasperates people, but I don't think anyone actually dislikes Tai here" Qrow noted happily.

"WHOOPSIE DOOPSIE! I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE RESTROOM! YOU TWO HAVE FUN!" he took a running start and dove through the window startling both girls who stared unable to form a response.

"What the fuck Tai..." Qrow sighed as he palmed his face.

Pyrrha eventually shook it off and turned back towards Emerald, her expression more agitated now that Taiyang wasn't in the room. "So why are YOU here?" she asked hostility clear in her voice. "To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?" two options appeared before Emerald [Yes/No] she quickly selected no. Pyrrha narrowed her eye "Wait... you think we're going to be friends?" Emerald nodded her head hopefully "How delightful!" Pyrrha mocked "Let's do it! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship! NOT!" she growled as she stared the child down.

"Well someone holds a grudge" Nora laughed as she slapped Pyrrha's back

"I'm not that bad" Pyrrha muttered with a pouty face as she poked two fingers together.

"Why would I EVER be friends with YOU?" she yelled glaring at Emerald who shrank under the pressure. "If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now!" she scowled "You are the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND!" she roared "Now get out of my house!" Emerald stared at her feet sadly as Taiyang peered in from the broken window.

"DANG! WHAT A SHAME..." he trailed off making a clicking noise with his teeth "I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS... I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE" with that he dashed away as Pyrrha ran up to the window.

"CHALLENGE? what?" she screamed looking around for the taller skeleton. "Papyrus! wait a second...! Dangit!" she muttered staring at Emerald thoughtfully. "He thinks I can't be friends with you?" she hissed causing no small amount of worry to fester in Emerald's heart.

"Oh, boy" Jaune muttered seeing a familiar face of determination cross Pyrrha's face.

"I... I'm not that easy to manipulate am I?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

"Uh..." Nora looked away recalling how many times she managed to guilt-trip Pyrrha into getting her extra syrup despite Ren's warnings.

Ren stayed silent as he recalled baiting Pyrrha into wrestling matches with Nora in order to burn the shorter girl's energy faster.

Pyrrha laughed a little worsening Emerald's worries "I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!" Emerald pouted at the description. "I'll show him! Listen up, human! we're not just going to be friends. We're going to be besties!" she declared confidently "I'll make you like me so much... you won't be able to think of anyone else! It's perfect revenge!" She seemed to realize how she looked as she suddenly calmed down and politely offered "Why don't you take a seat?"

Emerald snickered "This is hilarious" she muttered

"Well, you're about to get a crash course in Undyne brand friendship" Yang pointed out with a grin.

"Sit at the table I'll get something to drink." Pyrrha sang as she made her way to the fridge. Sensing Emerald standing up from her seat at the table she spun around and hurled a spear at the table shattering it and causing Emerald to sit back down in fear "I said sit down! this is MY HOUSE, you little fink!" Calming down she grinned "Just point to what you want I recommend tea" Emerald jokingly pointed the spear at Pyrrha "Um... I meant at a drink...are you flirting with me?"

Emerald's face turned bright red as Yang grinned at her. "So you want Pyrrha huh?" she asked "Thirsty?" Emerald sank into her chair.

"Here's your tea little kid. Careful, it's hot! Though you should still drink it! Do you like it or not?" Emerald took a sip and winced as her eyes watered

"It's burning" she whispered in pain as she stuck her tongue out letting it cool off.

"It's the best frigging tea you've ever tasted, such flavor you cannot comprehend! For my most precious friend!" Pyrrha sighed as she noted the brand of tea Emerald had selected for herself. "You know... it's kind of strange that you chose golden flower tea... That's Asgore's favorite kind. You remind me a little of him. You're both TOTAL weenies!" she laughed causing Emerald to tilt her head in confusion since that didn't match up to what else she's heard of the King.

"Weenies?" Salem questioned

"Timid and soft-hearted" Cinder explained

Pyrrha slowly calmed down as she looked off to the side "You might not believe this, but... I was a pretty hot-headed kid."

"No, we never would've guessed" Weiss muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Nope"

"Would never be able to tell by looking at her now"

"Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore. Emphasis on TRIED" she smiled fondly at the memory of her time training under the King of the monsters. "I couldn't land a hit on him! and he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated... Then, he apologized and said... 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?'" Emerald sat there silently enjoying the tea as she listened to Pyrrha's story. "I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. Until I finally managed to knock him down! I felt... bad. But he was beaming... I had never seen someone so proud to get their butt kicked."

"It kind of sounds like a father-daughter dynamic" Ozpin mused

"He might have taken her as a student to fill in the loneliness after his son died and his wife left"

"Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... and now I'm head of the Royal Guard! Now I'm the one training dorks to fight! like, uh, Papyrus!" she looked away apparently in shame. "But, I don't know if I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal guard. Don't tell him I said that!" she sighed once Emerald nodded her head in agreement "He's just... he's just too innocent and nice! I mean, look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you and ended up being FRIENDS with you! I couldn't send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds." she smiled weakly "That's part of the reason I started teaching him how to cook, you know?"

"So it's her fault you almost joined me on the other side?" Cinder asked though Emerald still couldn't see her.

"So he can do something else with his life. Oh, sorry, I was talking so long... you're out of tea, aren't you? I'll get you some more" standing up she made her way towards a cabinet before something clicked in her mind. "Wait a second. Papyrus... his cooking lesson... HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW! And if HE'S not going to have it... YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!" Emerald looked around in shock as a familiar tune began playing as Pyrrha leaped onto her counter.

The students all began cracking up as the champion hid her face behind her hands groaning audibly.

"This is going to end poorly" Kali whispered to her husband who only nodded his head in agreement.

"NOTHING brings friends closer than cooking!" Pyrrha declared as she danced across her countertop knocking over everything on it. "Which means that if I give you his lessons..." she began to laugh in a disturbing manner "Afraid? we're gonna be BESTIES. she declared before hopping over and picking Emerald under her arm and hopping back over to the counter. "Heroes start with the sauce picture your enemy, pound veggies into paste" she instructed as she stomped on the ground and a set of vegetables fell onto the counter from the ceiling. "Don't pet the enemy!" she shouted when Emerald was being a little too careful for her taste. "Heroes do it like THIS!" she shouted as she slammed her fist onto a tomato getting juice everywhere "Don't worry about the mess I'll put it in a bowl. Now put the noodles in, homemade is better than canned, but since I'm really cheap I just buy the store brand. Put them into the pot, drop them like they're all crooks. You're going way too slow! Hey, don't give me that look! [Hey, don't give me that look! Live by the hero book! Go, Undyne, cook! Cook on, Undyne!] Stir as hard as you can! [Cook on, Undyne!] We will make this pasta spin! [Cook on, Undyne!] YOU CAN GO HARDER! [Cook on, Undyne!] It's a war we're going to win! [Cook on, Undyne!] Just let me stir then! [Cook on, Undyne!] With the power of my spear!" Emerald already knew this was going to be a mistake, but she was lying if she said it wasn't fun.

Jaune quietly made his way out of the room, as the door closed behind him the others could hear him break down laughing as he began pounding on the floor. Pyrrha frowned as she stood up and began making her way to the door as well. "Wait Pyrrha don't do it!" Ren shouted as he and Nora moved to restrain her.

"Should we be worried?" Winter asked after blinking her eyes.

"No... I don't believe so" Weiss assured her sister before a loud smack could be heard through the door. "I've been wrong before though" she admitted when Jaune staggered back into the theatre with a black eye an apologetic Pyrrha right behind him.

"I'm sorry I don't know what came over me" she apologized as Ren and Nora returned shortly after with an ice pack for Jaune.

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have laughed" Jaune waved her concerns off with a good-natured chuckle of his own.

"[Cook on, Undyne!] Though the pot gets smashed [Cook on, Undyne!] This is how it learns fear! That's all prepared we will turn up the heat turn the stove to the max and let your passion shine! The dial only turns right we can't turn all this off this is what it is like when you cook with Undyne! Come on, bestie that's just not hot enough. Let your hopes and your dreams turn into burning fire! Follow your heart don't hold anything back! The pasta is your enemy light the funeral pyre!" Emerald was starting to get nervous as Pyrrha urged her to continue raising the heat "What the heck, human? Do you call that a fire? You don't hope and dream hard enough! Show me your ire! Let me show you the power the monsters admire! Look out stove, here comes Undyne the world I'll inspire! YEAH!"

Emerald, face covered in soot, looked around as the house burned "See, human? That's how you- oh" she muttered just now realizing her situation "The house is on fire! No wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking! So what's next?" she asked apparently unfazed by all the fire around her even as Emerald started getting nervous. "Friendship bracelets? scrapbooking? Ah, who am I kidding? I really screwed this up..." she muttered letting her cheerful expression fade away "I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. and if we can't be friends... that's okay. Because... if we're not friends..." Emerald took a step back "IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!"

The fight started as Pyrrha pulled out a single spear and took a stance. "I've been defeated... my house is in shambles... I even failed to befriend you. That's it I don't care if you're my guest anymore. One final rematch! All out on both sides! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!"

"Undyne is letting you make the first attack." Cinder pointed out causing Emerald to gulp

"NOW COME ON AND HIT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! NGAH!" Pyrrha screamed as Emerald wound up her arm and struck Undyne dealing one damage. "what?" Pyrrha muttered as she tried to process everything "That's the best you can manage?" she asked causing Emerald to shrug her shoulders nervously. "Even attacking at full force... You just can't muster the intent to harm me huh?" she chuckled and let go of her spear which clattered on the ground before disappearing. "You know what? I don't actually want to hurt you either," she admitted while standing straight.

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief "Oh good, they're not actually going to kill each other..."

"Looks like it" Jaune agreed

Pyrrha closed her eye thoughtfully as she elaborated "At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but the way you hit me right now, it... reminded me of someone I used to train with. Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser. You're a wimpy loser with a big heart!" she grinned happily as Emerald scratched at her cheek bashfully "Just like him. Listen, human. It seems you and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him..." she trailed off as she rubbed her arm "He probably doesn't want to. Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here... and I'll take THEIR soul instead" she looked Emerald in the eye "that makes sense, right?" Emerald nodded her head with a bright smile "Oh, and if you do hurt Asgore... I'll take the human souls... cross the barrier... and beat the hell out of you! That's what friends are for right?" She gave a wide grin as she felt the sweat starting to form on her skin "Now, let's get the hell out of this flaming house!" She quickly grabbed Emerald into her arms and quickly made her way out of the door slamming the door behind her.

Setting Emerald down Pyrrha grinned "Well, that was fun, right? We'll have to hang out again sometime! But, uh, somewhere else I guess"

"YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH ME!" Taiyang called out as he ran up to them.

"I think I like our Pyrrha more" Ruby muttered nervously "This one is way too intense for me."

"Yeah no kidding" Weiss muttered

"Ours overwhelms you with skill and technique. Undyne just overpowers you" Blake noted.

"Hey, if it gets the job done" Yang pointed out ending the conversation there.

Papyrus! This is your fault!" Pyrrha declared pointing an accusing finger at the skeleton

"I KNOW! ISN'T IT BRILLIANT OF ME?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to respond but paused as she considered the outcome. "You know... it actually kind of is! Good on you, man!"

Taiyang smiled widely "ANYWAY YOU CAN HANG OUT AT MY PLACE... AND PRACTICE YOUR AMAZING MONOLOGUES IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR!"

Pyrrha glanced at Emerald who raised an eyebrow "What? uh... NO! That's not a thing I do!" she laughed nervously "It's not like I practice so I don't forget... and just start improvising things!"

"Uh-huh..." Jaune hummed while looking at his partner with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't!" Pyrrha whined

"OH, OKAY! IF YOU SAY SO!" Taiyang shrugged it off.

"I just hope you don't want me to sleep there. The couch is, like, lumpy and jangly..." she paused as a thought came to her mind "OOH! But maybe we could do some snow wrestling!"

Taiyang must have seen Emerald's confusion because he took it upon himself to explain "THAT'S WHEN SHE SNEAKS UP ON YOU FROM BEHIND, THEN TACKLES YOU AND YELLS 'SNOW WRESTLING!' IT'S... NOT THE BEST GAME."

Pyrrha's grin looked a little strained "Well, you know what I think?" she asked while stretching her arms a little

"WHAT?"

"SNOW WRESTLING!" Pyrrha screamed as she quickly pinned the taller skeleton to the ground with a grin. As Taiyang squawked in dismay Pyrrha laughed as Emerald watched from the side "You oughta try this sometime, human!" she urged with a wide shark-like grin.

Pyrrha grinned, the rest of JNPR was suddenly very worried about their own well-being while Glynda and the other adults sighed. "SNOW WRESTLING!" she yelled quickly pinning all three of her teammates and getting a whistle of appreciation from Qrow.

"Not bad, but can you keep any of them from escaping the pin?" he asked seeing Ren about to slip out. Pyrrha shifted and used her right leg to hook onto Ren's torso preventing him from getting up. Digging her head into Nora's stomach to keep her from being able to draw proper breath to move about she made sure to move with the hammer wielder's movements as she used her right hand to press Jaune's arm to his head with no room to wiggle. "Not bad" Qrow mused once he noted that none of them were able to squirm away from their teammate.

"Holy shit, she actually pinned all three of them on her own" Sun whispered in shock.

"She's not the four-time champ for nothing" Coco muttered impressed despite herself.

Once everyone was back in their seats the viewing continued.

"I'M OUT OF HERE!" Taiyang declared grumpily "I FEAR FOR MY PERSONAL SAFETY!" with another huff he ran off.

Pyrrha chuckled before turning to address Emerald. "Uh, listen, human..." she trailed off clearly embarrassed by what she was about to ask "My, uh... friend Alphys works at the lab over in Hotland "If you see her, could you, uh, tell her hi?" she gulped and forced the words out "Then, uh, deliver a letter for me?" Emerald raised an eyebrow "Or wait, just ask if she still has that nice dress with the... uh, never mind! Just do the 'tell her hi' thing!"

"YOU COULD STILL DO ALL THE REST OF THAT!" Taiyang called out from off-camera. "IT WOULD BE FLATTERING!"

"I'll show you flattery!" Pyrrha growled

"NO! NOT THE FLATTERY SUPLEX!"

"Got something to admit to?" Yang asked Pyrrha waggling her eyebrows all the while

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked folding her arms. "You, of all people are going to poke fun for that?"

"What's that mean?" Yang asked frowning.

"I've seen the way you stare at Blake's ass"

"I'm sorry what?" Blake muttered suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

"It is a nice ass" Sun whispered causing Velvet to choke on her drink

"MOVING ON!" Jaune shouted covering Pyrrha's mouth with his hand.

It took a little while but Emerald eventually made it to the Hotland Laboratory. Upon entering the building she noticed a giant screen showing her own face as she walked around the building. "Well, that's not creepy at all" she mused before shrugging it off.

stepping a little past the screen she paused hearing footsteps approaching "Entry number three-eighty-seven b... progress report... not a lot..." Velvet stepped out from a doorway scratching away at a clipboard presumably writing up a report. She was a shorter woman with two large bunny ears on her head and yellow fur and a pair of large circular glasses on her face. She was wearing a lab coat, but no shoes. Considering the fast-food Emerald had seen earlier she suspected that Velvet was a bit of a slob if left alone.

"I am not!" Velvet whined as she adorably stomped her foot.

"You're so cute Bun" Coco cooed as she pulled Velvet into an embrace.

"Coco!" the bunny whined weakly beating on her captain's chest.

"They are cute together" Winter hummed watching the two interact.

"The cameras picked up some interesting material, but it doesn't look like the human will" she froze mid-sentence as she and Emerald came face to face. Emerald waved "Oh my god, a human." she whispered as she began to panic "You've come here so soon, and... this place is such a mess!" she fretted spinning around in place "I barely got dressed, and oh my god, the cameras are watching!" Emerald blinked as Velvet went into full panic mode. "Oh my god, my hair... Alphys, stop that staring... you don't want to scare them! It's just, I can't even deal... come on, Alphys, don't be weird! So I'm Alphys, hi!"

Ruby stifled a giggle as Velvet used her ears to cover her face. "I think it's cute" she stated drawing a keening wail from the older girl.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Yang urged the other girl to relax "It's not anything to be embarrassed about"

"Besides, despite everything apparently the captain of the Royal Guard likes you" Qrow pointed out reminding everyone about Pyrrha's own little mental fumble. "If that doesn't boost your confidence nothing will." Velvet smiled and seemed to calm down a little.

"I'm not a bad guy..." she stated smiling nervously "I could be your guide! 'Cause I'm the royal scientist, I know this place! I've been watching you! Seeing a human who... went through with attitude just fills me with confidence, and not at all your expense, and-" she took a breath trying to calm herself down. "I'll take you to the castle, it would be no hassle, know what I mean?" she sang softly as Emerald nodded her head in understanding. "Well, there's a little issue, see, I made an artificial killing machine."

"I'm sorry, you what now?" Cinder asked, forgetting that Alphys couldn't actually see or hear her

Perhaps realizing she had worried the kid Velvet quickly moved to reassure her "There's no need to worry, though, you have me right here, so you'll survive his rage. Though I'll lead from the rear I'll still be here even when Mettaton steals the stage"

Roman raised an eyebrow as Neo excitedly began shaking his arm "Yes, I heard it too" he assured her. "Apparently Bun-bun over there built me too"

"I wonder what he looks like" James hummed

"Hopefully nothing good" Glynda frowned

"I'll lead the way, like in anime. You can trust me, Mew Mew Kissy Cutie's my favorite" she slapped herself for geeking out in front of a guest, completely ignoring the shaking that was causing her to bounce up and down "Dangit, Alphys! Quit it!" perhaps realizing something was going wrong she nervously smiled "Um, sorry, hang on..."

Before anything else could be said a rather large machine on a single wheel broke through the door with a microphone in hand. "HERE'S METTATON!" the decidedly male voice announced. Bursting through the wall a rectangular robot with a red M on his faceplate waved flamboyantly.

"He looks like a toaster" the sign in Neo's hands read as she doubled over in laughter. Roman frowned and pulled his bowler hat over his eyes in annoyance.

Velvet panicked and waved him down "Mettaton no!" she screamed

"Mettaton yes!" he denied her happily as a sign that read [Game Show] was lowered down fitting in right above the hole in the wall as streamers and confetti littered the ground. "So welcome back to this metal attack. With a human losing their soul tonight, that's a fact! They cannot scream, they cannot hope or dream tonight's proceedings do not work like that!"

"I'm so sorry!" Velvet cried out as she frantically tried to think of something she could do to help.

"Good doctor, do not be! It's the chance of a lifetime to get to see me!" Roman tutted as he wagged his finger at her. Turning to Emerald he seemed to glow as he began clapping enthusiastically "Now sit down, little one, this is going to be fun. You will be a star, then you'll burn like one!"

Neo was holding her stomach as she rolled around on the ground laughing herself silly despite no sounds escaping her mouth.

Roman sighed "I'm not like that" he protested. Neo whacked him over the head with a sign that read [Yes you are!] the Beacon students laughed as well happy to see the criminal being reduced to such a weird and flamboyant character.

"Now let's see my name in lights, my dear! You'll wish you'd be up there with me! Hope you put up a good fight, my dear! No one's stopped this celebrity!" he sang as Emerald felt a pull on her soul as Velvet pulled her aside.

"There's no cause for alarm! He's a really sweet guy, though he means you harm" Emerald shot the doctor a look conveying how exactly she felt about that.

"I've got style, I've got grace, now get out of my face! For it won't be long until you buy the farm! Don't even try 'I am such a swell guy!'" Roman sang in response to Velvet's words.

"There's something weird about this whole thing" Blake muttered as she tilted her head from side to side.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked curiously as she glanced at her quiet friend. Velvet's ears perked up as she listened in.

"I'm not really sure, it just feels weird that this version of Roman would actively try to harm someone his creator is interested in" she muttered causing the others in the room to blink in surprise as they paused to think about that.

"You're right, that is weird" Yang mumbled

"Huh, who knew the kitty would make a good point?" Roman mused as he rubbed his chin. "Now that I think about it... this velvet chick is basically my creator, right? the one person I wouldn't ever willingly betray?"

Neo gasped [Like us!] her sign read.

"More like myself and my father Doctor Pietro Poledina" Peny interjected with a smile. "However, I believe there's more to it than that."

"I just don't think it's right to make a little kid cry!" Velvet objected as she glanced at Emerald nervously.

"No one asked you, Alphys! We're rolling, quiet please!" Roman announced before wheeling over and forcefully pulling Velvet away from Emerald "It's the role of a lifetime, tonight they die! Now please don't be afraid my dear. You're swell, you're fab, and I'm beauty" as he sang his screen displayed various trivia questions as Velvet subtly held up signs with the answers on them. "They'll throw me a huge parade, my dear. Once machinery kicks your booty!"

"Now isn't that suspicious?" Ozpin questioned with a little hum.

"Not exactly subtle is it?" Qrow asked with a wry smile.

"Well, she is a scientist, not a field agent" Winter pointed out. "It's unfair of us to assume she'd be skilled at subterfuge."

"Okay, okay, just calm down!" Velvet urged smiling nervously "I made Mettaton... I know how to work around him! all you have to do is-"

Roman cut in shoving himself between them "Ah, ah, ah, doctor! No cheating! No, no, no, dear doctor, it's my show and we can't have you interfere! Stick around, come and watch tonight's show! Same time, same channel, I'll be here!" he waved sarcastically bored with the scene already "Come find me when you want ACTUAL dramatic tension! Have a nice pilot! Goodbye!"

"What's that mean?" Sun asked fairly unused to television jargon.

"They call test episodes pilots" Velvet explained kindly. "Think of it as a test run to see if a wide enough audience would be interested in a show concept to make a series out of it"

"Oh, that's pretty cool, thanks Velvet" Sun smiled causing the older girl to flush under the praise.

"Are you hitting on my Bun?" Coco asked dangerously as she narrowed her eyes at Sun who quickly shook his hands in front of his face.

"COCO!"

Once they were sure Roman had left Velvet took a breath to calm herself "Well, that was certainly something... S-so, um... do you like anime?" Velvet asked nervously. Emerald shrugged her shoulders having no real opinion on the matter "Uh... well, I do... sometimes when I watch anime, and I feel like I need to do something with my hands, I doodle pictures of Undyne in my notes, and... I mean, uh... I can program! Yeah, uh, I got a look at your phone, and it's SUPER ancient... It doesn't have texting!" she nearly screamed when Emerald fished said phone out of her pockets.

"Doodle pictures of Pyrrha huh?" Yang asked looking smugly at Velvet who shrank.

"You should see the ones she spent actual time on" Coco teased as well. "Some of them even got me hot under the collar"

"Do tell..." Yang grinned sharkishly as Blake's ears perked up at the mention of artwork.

"COCO!" Velvet cried out in betrayal "I showed you those in confidence!"

"Oh my gods, they exist! I thought we were teasing her!" Yang gasped with stars in her eyes.

Pyrrha turned red "People make artwork featuring me?" she asked nervously.

"You didn't know?" Ren asked in surprise. "I figured it was a given since you're so well known"

"It never crossed my mind and no one's ever said anything to me!" Pyrrha shouted waving her arms in the air.

Penny leaned closer to Winter "Am I right to assume I should not mention the rather impressive number of not safe for work material featuring miss Nikos?"

"Why do you know that?" Winter asked trying not to make a face at the notion.

"I am built to have a very fast connection to the internet."

Winter pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's just get the show rolling..."

"Here, give me a second and..." Velvet quickly began fiddling with the old phone. In less than five minutes she was done and handed a modern phone back to Emerald who rubbed her eyes in disbelief. "Here we go! This phone's got everything! Texting, a cool keychain, access to the underground's coolest social media network..." she tapped a few buttons on her own phone causing a notification to ping on Emerald's screen. Smiling she accepted the request "Now we're officially friends!" she laughed nervously "I, uh... if there's a glitch, it's because I might have... renamed a programming variable or two... After Undy-" she forcefully stopped herself as Emerald glanced at her oddly. "You wanna go see my fanfiction? It stars me in a nice domestic life with uh... I'm going to the bathroom!" she quickly dashed through the door leaving a confused Emerald behind.

"Really?" Coco asked her teammate who squeaked and hid her face.

"Shut up Coco!" Velvet managed to get out causing the beret-wearing girl to snicker.

Emerald smiled when her phone started ringing. Answering the call she placed her phone against her ear "Hey there human-" Pyrrha began before noting the improved quality of the call "Whoa! Did you get a new phone? The signal sounds like I'm right there with you!"

Roman snickered "I imagine she would be if this was an actual stage play" Neo laughed as well

Emerald could imagine Pyrrha shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she refocused the conversation. "Listen, uh, I had an idea!" she started "Why don't we all go over to Alphys' place and watch anime?"

Emerald rubbed her chin in thought. Honestly, that didn't sound so bad, but she did want to get a move on and figure out a way to get everyone back to the surface. Before she could respond the familiar voice of Taiyang cut in sounding confused. "ANIME? ISN'T THAT A KIND OF CARTOON FOR SMALL CHILDREN?"

Nora practically growled sending Jaune yelping into Pyrrha's arms. "He did NOT just say that!" she hissed as Ren rolled his eyes.

"Come on" he muttered standing up and grabbing his friend by her collar "I'll calm her down, feel free to keep watching" he informed the others as he dragged a still angry Nora out of the theatre.

"I... wasn't expecting that" Salem admitted more than a little intrigued by how visceral the girl's reaction had been.

Velvet hummed having calmed down a little from her earlier embarrassment. "Well, do you have a favorite style of artwork you enjoy Lady Salem?"

"Yes I do" the queen nodded her head indicating for the bunny girl to continue.

"Well imagine if someone ignorantly declared that it's only suitable for one specific demographic of people." Velvet prompted

"You mean like how young Papyrus said this 'Anime' is only for small children?" Salem asked for clarification.

"I can't believe Velvet is just chatting away with the apparent Grimm Queen" Yang whispered to Blake who could only nod in stunned silence. They weren't the only ones surprised as Emerald leaned towards Cinder "Should we be worried?" she asked somewhat urgently unsure what to make of this whole situation.

Apparently, Pyrrha also found that offensive "OH MY GOD! Anime isn't just for kids!" she declared passionately "It's deep! It's emotional!"

Perhaps not sensing the rising tension Taiyang simply asked "IS (INSERT BABY NOISE) AN EMOTION?" Emerald pulled her phone away to look at it oddly also missing Pyrrha's response. "WAIT ... UNDYNE, DO YOU LIKE ANIME?" Pyrrha sighed in annoyance "UH OH... I MEAN, I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN ANY! MAYBE I DO LIKE ANIME!"

Pyrrha could be heard slapping her face with a groan "You... don't have to say that, Papyrus."

"MAYBE I'M A BABY WHO LOVES CARTOONS FOR CHILDREN!" Taiyang shouted out causing Emerald to sigh in vexation as she held out her phone as far from her ears as she could.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY THAT, PAPYRUS!" Pyrrha raged over the phone as the connection ended.

"I swear... he's normal, it's only bad dad jokes I swear..." Ruby muttered into her hands as she buried her face.

"Uh-huh..." Weiss muttered clearly not buying that. "And my dad is an altruistic philanthropist." Adam couldn't help but snort at the notion.

Velvet sighed as she exited the restroom "Phew!" she chuckled nervously "Sorry, I had to freshen up a little bit." Emerald waved it off with a smile "Anyway!" she hesitated as she looked around the room. "I...really shouldn't... be going outside..." Emerald looked at her questioningly "I mean...I don't usually... like it..." she suddenly looked nervous as she rubbed her arms "But, uh... Someone's got to lead you through Hotland! From a... relatively comfortable distance..." she trailed off "I just remembered I forgot something!" she screamed rushing back through the door. Emerald blinked before shrugging her shoulders and focusing on her new phone while she waited.

"You're not this bad are you?" Yang asked Velvet who blushed

"I don't think so?"

"Child, you should be more confident in your answers" Salem advised

Emerald dialed a familiar number and put her phone against her ear. As it rang a young Spider monster ran by carrying several plates worth of baked goods "Donate to the Spider bake sale! All proceeds go to real spiders!" Emerald smiled apologetically and showed that her pockets were empty of coins.

"Is that Blake?" Kali asked looking confused as she glanced between the young monster and her daughter in the audience.

"Huh... I'm a spider?" Blake didn't look like she knew how to process that.

"I'm honestly surprised it's not Trifa" Adam muttered just loud enough for everyone else to hear him. Seeing Blake looking at him curiously he shrugged his shoulders "She's a spider Faunus."

Hearing the phone connect Emerald smiled "Anyway! You're still at Alphys' place?" Pyrrha asked far calmer than she was earlier. "Tell her I said hi! and tell me how she's doing! and if she needs anything!" Perhaps realizing how that sounded the captain quickly changed her mind "WAIT, NO! Don't ask any of that! But, she's fine right?" before Emerald could answer Velvet reappeared, this time with a hairbrush

"Alright, now I'm ready to..." she wiggled her toes "Oh... silly Alphys! I need boots! It's hot out there!" she turned on her heel and headed back inside.

"I must admit to a bit of concern now" Salem mused as she glanced at the child next to her.

"Lady Salem!" Velvet whined as she covered her face with her ears.

"So, uh... if Alphys is there..." Pyrrha trailed off. "Could you ask her how the weather is?" Emerald resisted the urge to place her face into her palms. "WHAT?" Pyrrha shouted embarrassed "It's normal to be passionate about Meteorology!"

"ZOINKS!" Taiyang cut in with his normal enthusiasm "I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST AN EXCUSE TO TALK TO HER. I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS WEATHER DOWN HERE!"

"Yeah, there is!" Pyrrha growled, "And I'm forecasting an incoming front of SHUT UP!"

"I see even in other worlds romance is not your forte" Blake mused as she glanced at Pyrrha

"I'll burn your books" Pyrrha grumbled in annoyance.

"No, you won't" Blake denied

"Yeah, Pyrrha's too nice to destroy other people's stuff!" Ruby added in happily. Cinder merely rolled her eyes at the antics.

"WOWIE! WILL I NEED AN UMBRELLA?" Taiyang asked completely missing the meaning.

Pyrrha sighed "Aw Papyrus... I can't stay mad at you!"

"IT'S OKAY! I FORGIVE YOU!" Taiyang seemed to have pulled the phone closer as he quickly whispered "WHEN WAS SHE MAD AT ME?" Emerald blinked a few times as she stared at the phone for a little bit as Velvet re-entered the room.

"There we go! That wasn't so hard, was it Alphys?" she mumbled donning a pair of purple boots "Uh..." she paused seeing Emerald staring at her. "I talk to myself sometimes?" she offered weakly "It's normal!"

"It is not child" Salem denied simply. Velvet made an odd keening sound as she hid her face with her ears.

"We should probably go" Velvet muttered as she nervously tried to guide Emerald out of the Lab. "We can go check out the CORE! It's really cool!" Emerald watched as the older girl failed to muster the physical strength to forcefully move her.

"You...should probably just move on your own" Cinder pointed out "She's obviously not going to be able to move you" Emerald nodded her head outside Velvet's vision and proceeded to start walking forward.

"That's kind of sad" Yang pointed out simply as Ren and Nora came back into the room. "What, finished injecting her with your calming essence already?" Both teens turned scarlet as Weiss and Blake both smacked Yang over the head.

"I don't get it" Ruby admitted looking curious

"It's better if you don't" Jaune assured her

As they walked Emerald looked around in wonder as Velvet pointed out all of the various machinery and their functions "Welcome, human, to the Hotland's CORE, the source of all our power. Named by our great hunky King Asgore. Fueling us every hour. We're all living here among the heat, amongst our blood and sweat, and waiting for the day we'll see the sky though it hasn't come yet." Emerald simply nodded along as Velvet sang. Happy to have made another friend though she noted Cinder didn't seem to like the beat of the song as much as she liked Pyrrha's

"Welcome, human, to the Hotland's CORE. The source of all our power. Named by our great mighty [hunky] King Asgore. Fueling us every hour." the Chorus sang, although Velvet changed the word mighty to hunky

"Why me!" Velvet wailed as she sank into her seat in shame.

"It's not that bad..." Coco tried to calm her to little effect

"We're all living here among the heat. Amongst our blood and sweat." as the chorus sang Emerald took a deep breath and stepped onto a vent with an arrow pointing to a platform across the chasm in front of her. With a loud expulsion of air, she was thrown across the gap and landed safely on the other side. "Waiting for the day we'll see the sky though it hasn't come yet."

Velvet bit her nails seeing Emerald charging forward so determinedly "Please don't turn back!" She sang possibly to encourage Emerald or even to convince herself "Dang it, Alphys! They barely started, you screwed it up. Again? Alphys! You're garbage" she shook her head to dispel the self-hatred and quickly followed after Emerald. "No, keep putting on this show"

"Okay, I'm pretty sure Velvet's up to something, maybe not nefarious, but definitely not honest." Weiss pointed out as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I got the same feeling," Emerald muttered, happy to know that she wasn't the only one with this odd feeling.

"Please watch your step! Don't go that way!" Velvet sang When Emerald took a vented hop in the wrong direction. "There's such danger. All hired by my robotic entertainer. Well, I'm sorry, can't you tell?" Emerald nervously looked around as many young monsters stared at her curiously.

The monsters all began singing "Through the fire and the flames. You will see something strange. The monsters gather 'round from all across the underground. They're ready to run wild. To capture you, human child. Yet you've never to fear. Your savior always stands near. Through the fire and the flames. You will see something strange. The monsters gather 'round from all across the underground. They're ready to run wild. To capture you, human child. Yet you've never to fear. Your savior always stands near." Emerald would catch sight of some approaching her only to back off when Velvet would step in between them.

"Very odd" Pyrrha hummed teasingly. Velvet blushed and looked down at the ground.

"Go on, human, through the Hotland's CORE. the source of all our power. Named by our great mighty [hunky] King Asgore. Fueling us every hour. We're all living here among the heat. Amongst our blood and sweat. Waiting for the day we'll see the sky. Though it hasn't come yet.

"Keep on going! Dodge all those traps! They won't get you- WATCH OUT FOR THAT!" Velvet screamed as Emerald barely dodged an orange laser. "That almost did... did it hit you?" Velvet groaned and palmed her face "Oh, I ruined this, I know." Emerald blinked as she approached a new puzzle "Please watch your step! Don't go that way! There's such danger. All hired by my robotic entertainer. Well, I'm sorry, can't you tell?"

"Crippling self-doubt aside, those puzzles look really cool!" Ruby pointed out "Do you think we could try them out?"

"Perhaps, but it would take a while to build" Fox admitted as they rubbed their chin.

"YAY!"

"Oh~" The chorus began again "On tonight's show. There will be... suffering. Well... I sure can tell. This human burns in hell." As Velvet joined the chorus Emerald approached something that looked like a building. "We're all living here among the heat. Amongst our blood and sweat. Waiting for the day we'll see the sky. Though it hasn't come yet."

Emerald looked around as she noticed an increasing amount of spiderwebs "Welcome to the parlor, dearie!" Blake greeted with a suspicious smile. "Interested in some spider pastries? All proceeds go to real spiders~"

Velvet quickly stepped in "No thank you!" once they were a bit away Velvet leaned into Emerald's ear to explain "You have to move past them. These donuts are overpriced... so you've got to ignore the spiders, even when they... stare at you in this creepy way and lick their lips..." Blake gave off a refined giggle before making a loud slurping noise. Emerald checked the price and nearly fell over in shock.

"9,999G for a single donut?" Cinder asked incredulously "Are we eating a gold bar?"

"Uh-uh... moving on!" Velvet declared as she ran out of the room.

"Alphys" Emerald muttered when the two finally stopped.

"Yes?"

"There's no bridge..."

"I... see that" Velvet gulped nervously "I'll go back and hack it open."

"Blake..." Weiss sighed "I can't believe you're an even shadier business tycoon than my father"

"HEY!"

"I don't think I've heard Blake giggle like that..." Adam muttered with a shiver. "There was something alluring about it..."

"I'm pretty sure anything she does is alluring to you" Roman pointed out flippantly.

Emerald hummed a little to herself as she waited for Velvet to return unaware of the webs being spun behind her. Hearing the bridge being lowered she shrugged and made her way across figuring she'd wait for Velvet on the other side. "Ahuhuhuhu..." Blake's echoing laugh made her nervous as she noticed that she'd have to push through a massive web to get through. "did you hear what they just said?" Blake asked obviously talking to someone else. "They said a human wearing a striped shirt will come through. I heard that they hate spiders. I heard that they love to stomp on them." Emerald was getting nervous as she realized that she could no longer move. "I heard that they like to tear their legs off. I heard..." Blake dropped down onto a web off the bridge with narrowed eyes as her spiders surrounded Emerald "... that they're awfully stingy with their money!" she laughed again causing goosebumps to form along Emerald's arms. "What's wrong, dearie? You look a bit tied up!" Blake and her spiders all began laughing as a familiar flower appeared next to her. "You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, dear?" she asked with narrowed eyes before laughing "I disagree with that notion. I think... your taste is exactly what this next batch needs!"

"Oh my god, she's going to eat me!" Emerald screamed

"And not in the way you want!" Qrow called out with a cackle as Emerald's face lit up.

"But seriously, does this Blake actually, you know, use people as ingredients?" Nora asked nervously.

"Uh..." No one had an answer for that.

"Howdy!" Tyrian grinned maliciously as he stuck his face right in front of Emerald "You didn't forget about your best friend, did ja?" he asked mockingly as she struggled to free herself of the webs. "Well, I certainly didn't forget about you!" he declared with a smug smirk. "And lucky you, I brought along some new friends!" Emerald glared as Blake poked her head into view and winked at her. "As you can probably tell, they're all spiders!" he cackled menacingly his voice taking a darker tint on that last bit. "Have at it, girls! It's dinner time!" he declared before disappearing with a cackle.

Emerald felt the familiar pull on her soul as everything other than her and her opponent faded out of view. "Purple?" she wondered seeing her soul tethered to a set of strings "Oh, I get it" she muttered as Blake began her attack.

"Welcome to your nightmare, sorry but there's no escape" Blake and her spiders sang as they scuttled at Emerald who quickly found that she could shift her soul between the three strings visible. "It's kill or be killed. Then you'll see another day." Blake tilted her head in tune with the music as she crafted a chair for herself as she watched Emerald struggle to survive "Well now, just relax, come closer to me" she beckoned "I'll just dry your veins and enjoy a cup of tea! [2, 3, 4]"

Blake stuck her tongue out "That sounds disgusting" she muttered

"Well... there are a lot of documented cases of Spiders being cannibals" Penny pointed out "Though in many of those cases it's simply because the male is much smaller than the female.

"That..." Blake took a deep breath as she reasoned that Penny was only offering a possible explanation for the actions of the spider version of her on-screen "That's not helping Penny"

"Oh..." Penny visibly wilted

"But thank you for trying" Penny's smile returned

"Get up and dance to my song. Hear me as I sing along" Blake stood up and gestured grandly around herself "Let me take a little bite. Until my poison meets your bones" she pulled on some threads behind her shifting Emerald around the room as she continued her attack. "Feel it? It's just a chill. It's just a way to say I'm done."

Emerald panted as she continued to dodge the spiders' attacks before glancing at Blake who was dancing to a tune only she and her spiders could hear. 'Just how long did they practice to get that synced up?' she wondered idly

"When you can't even stand up. That means you're already gone!" Blake declared as she unleashed her pet which looked like a giant spider-like muffin beast

"What the fuck is that?" Yang screeched as she jumped into Blake's lap.

"Huh... I thought Weiss would be the first to jump into someone's lap" Blake mused as she allowed Yang to cling to her.

"Yeah... big spiders are not things Yang's good with" Ruby explained "The little harmless ones are easy enough to ignore but the big and dangerous ones? Nope she's gone"

Salem hummed "Should I have made more like those then?" she wondered aloud

"Mistress please don't" Cinder begged "The ones you already have are terrifying enough even when I don't have to worry about them!"

"She has them already?" Jaune whispered in horror.

Qrow hissed "small things, usually make traps around tall trees or caves. Really annoying when fighting something bigger."

"Wonderful..." the sarcasm literally dripped from Ren's mouth as he folded his arms.

"The shivers come again. The spider dance will now begin. It's really nice to play this game. My victims never are the same!" Emerald was barely listening as she desperately climbed up the web ladder dodging the little spiders while keeping ahead of the beast. Suddenly it was gone as Blake apparently grew bored and chose a different method of attack. "Looking deep inside your eyes. I get to see your biggest fears. Now that I am satisfied, instead of tea, I'll drink your tears."

Getting tired she re-took her seat and unleashed her pet once more as Tyrian appeared beside her. "It's only me. Your friend Flowey. Won't you join the dance?" he sang while watching Emerald's efforts gleefully "Just give up man" He and Blake both sang eagerly "I know you can, won't you join the dance?" they sang as Emerald screamed her declination. "Nowhere to run, [Blake: will you, won't you] nowhere to hide, won't you join the dance? [B: won't you join the dance?] Give up and free [B: will you, won't you] the beast inside. Won't you join the dance? [B: won't you join the dance?]

"He's trying to convince her to become like him?" Cinder mused "Not exactly an elegant way of doing it is it?" she questioned with a put-upon sigh.

"It fits him" Salem pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders.

"The shivers come again [Flowey: will you, won't you] The spider dance will now begin [F: won't you join the dance?] It's really nice to play this game [F: will you, won't you] Our victims never are the same [F: won't you join the dance?] Looking deep inside your eyes [F: will you, won't you] I get to see your biggest fears [F: won't you join the dance?] Now that I am satisfied [F: will you, won't you] Instead of tea [F: will you, won't you] I'll drink your tears [F: won't you join the dance?] Blake gave off her unique laugh as Velvet ran onto the scene.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! are you okay?" she shouted pulling Emerald free "Go on get out of here!" she shooed the spiders off who laughed knowingly as they retreated. "I'm so sorry! I didn't plan for this to happen! I am garbage, I am literal garbage..." she moaned despairingly.

"Mayhaps it's the clothing?" Salem mused rubbing her chin in thought. "Is her crippling self-doubt because her clothing is meager and of poor quality?"

"You know I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of it" Coco nodded along always into getting her friends glammed out. "Obviously it's not the only thing, but definitely a part I think."

"Coco!" Velvet complained, "It's not even me!"

"You might not be this bad anymore, but it's not like you don't get toned down moments like this" Coco pointed out seriously. "You still have moments of self-loathing, don't think I don't notice them."

Velvet's ears wilted "It's not that bad"

"You hid in our dresser"

"She needs a change of scenery" Salem stated simply "New faces, new places, she needs to put distance between herself and whatever is causing her distress even if only temporarily."

"She's not going with you, regardless of your rather unusual closeness with her" Ozpin interjected. "I also highly doubt there's anything you could offer her in the Grimmlands that she actually needs right now"

"Fair point" Coco muttered having actually forgotten about that little tidbit. Salem looked a little annoyed but conceded that her domain didn't really have anything of interest other than her own castle and Grimm.

As Emerald inspected a poster the lights suddenly turned off "Uh... it's... pretty dark huh?" Velvet asked lamely "Don't worry I'll hack into the electrical systems and get the lights back on!" As her footsteps echoed off the scene slowly shifted to a view of Pyrrha and the Skeleton brothers on their couch.

"OH BOY! METTATON'S SHOW IS COMING UP!" Tai declared happily as Qrow napped beside him while Pyrrha looked slightly irritated.

"Really? That dude gives me bad vibes" she muttered in disinterest.

"Considering who we're talking about here, I'm not surprised" Winter muttered just loud enough for Roman to hear her.

"You're just jealous I showed up in one of these before you did" he sniped back sticking his tongue out in a juvenile manner when she glared at him.

"Winter, calm down" James urged her "He's provoking you since he knows how to play by the rules in place here"

"Understood" Winter huffed and crossed her arms.

"W-WHAT? BUT HE'S SO POPULAR!" Taiyang didn't seem to understand Pyrrha's viewpoint. "HE'S GOT SUCH A SEXY RECTANGULAR BODY!" Qrow's eye briefly flashed blue before it died down and his oddly timed snoring continued.

"I don't care about people just because they're popular" Pyrrha explained simply

"WELL, YOU CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE POPULAR!"

Pyrrha scoffed as she waved his statement off "What? Popular with who?" she asked as Qrow's eyesockets snapped open.

"POPULAR WITH ME!"

"Aww... Papyrus you're popular with me too!" Pyrrha grinned toothily at him as Qrow quickly put together what he'd missed.

"WOWIE!" Taiyang's enthusiasm died off as he considered her words earlier in the conversation. "WAIT...DOES THAT MEAN YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME?"

"This seems like a conversation Dad and Uncle Qrow would get into with Mom" Ruby giggled

"It's the middle of a show, Papyrus. Now's not the time to worry about it." Qrow pointed out as the lights turned off and a spotlight appeared on Emerald.

Emerald looked around trying to find the light source, but eventually gave up and decided to just keep moving as the chorus began to sing. "This is the place where fame is everything. Everyone wants to touch. Everyone wants to see. We live in a world where celebrities are kings. Where the more people want the more given out things!" Emerald tilted her head slightly, wondering what they meant but ultimately shrugged and kept moving. "Everyone quiet! It's a show from Mettaton! He's the Underground's number one and rising star! He is simply the most incredible machine. That brings amazing days from our own TV screens!"

"Huh..." Roman for once looked a little lost on how to react. "My fans have a jingle..."

"And it isn't shit" Neo's sign read.

"I have no idea how to feel about this" Ruby whispered to her sister who ruffled her hair with a grin. "Hey!" she whined as Yang just laughed.

"OHHHHHH YESSS!" Roman intoned huskily as he appeared in a newscaster's suit while Emerald was shown on a projected screen behind him. "Welcome! Beauties and Gentle-beauties! This is Mettaton, reporting live from MTT News! An interesting situation has arisen in eastern Hotland!" he announced grandly "We now go live to our correspondent in the field - Weird Child!"

Emerald frowned as she shot the thief a dirty look "I'm not a weird child!" she muttered under her breath. Cinder begged to differ but didn't say anything.

"Smile for the camera! You are on TV!" he sang "So you might as well look the part!" he declared normally causing Emerald, who could hear everything he was saying, to frown as she tried to understand what Roman was even saying. "Go out and find me something newsworthy!" the singing was back "In the meantime, I think I'll share an old family recipe!" he mused pompously causing Emerald to roll her eyes.

"Either speak or sing, don't do both" she muttered softly as she continued moving forward. She blinked and found herself in a kitchen with the killer bot "What?" she muttered looking around in surprise.

"Welcome, Beauties, to {Cooking with a Killer Robot!}" he announced as Emerald just gave him a blank stare "Don't touch that dial! Put on a smile! Tonight we make a special cake!" Emerald sighed as she realized she had to grab the ingredients "Sugar, milk, and precious eggs will make our cake so use them legs!"

"What is even going on now?" Yang wondered watching the whole thing with an amused smile

"I have no idea" Qrow shrugged his shoulders

"Looks like they're on the shelf, wonderful! Here's to your health! Oh! Wait a moment! How could I forget? There's one ingredient that we haven't gotten yet!" He pulled out a chainsaw as Emerald slowly backed away from him. "We merely need a human soul! Mix it in the bowl!" He advanced, rather slowly, on Emerald who looked around for a quick escape "Don't try this at home kiddos!" Roman announced as his screen flashed red with dangerous intent. "Luckily, we have a human on hand. Let's go back to that report in Hotland!" Emerald blinked and she was suddenly back on the fields standing next to an actual dog.

"Is this what drugs do to people?" she wondered aloud causing Cinder no end of mirth as she laughed for a good minute.

"Well... it certainly is a trip" Qrow muttered

"Truth really is stranger than fiction." Ozpin mused as he took a sniff of his drink just to make sure it wasn't spiked with something.

Mettaton, in his broadcasting station, placed his hands on either side of his screen "Oh my, human, please be calm! You found a bomb!" Emerald blinked and noted that the dog's tail was on fire

"That's a fuse!" Cinder pointed out worriedly as she noted many other bombs in the area

"Or rather you found a whole bunch of them!" Mettaton announced as the station backdrop fell away as his thrusters activated showing that he had been in the area the whole time. "You get a bomb, you get a bomb, everyone gets a bomb!" he announced as all of the fuses in the area lit up. "Oh look at all these bombs hanging everywhere! It's almost as if they were pre-planted," he whispered conspiratorially.

"I'm really getting odd vibes from all of this" Velvet pointed out with a small frown.

"Better get rid of them, cause you don't want to cause a scare!" he laughed pompously "Meanwhile, I should evacuate this theatre!" he mused aloud before realizing that he was still on camera "Don't worry, folks! this is all part of the show!" He tilted himself towards the camera "You might have gotten some 'subtle hints' beforehand." he explained with air quotes "If they go off, only the kid's going to blow!" Flying off he called back "Call me after my quick change! Beauties, and gentle beauties! Goodbye!"

Emerald hummed a little as she examined one of the bombs "Hey Alphys" she greeted once the scientist called her. "You wouldn't happen to know how to disarm a bomb would you?"

Velvet was about to ask why the girl needed to know only to see her situation "Oh my god! there are bombs everywhere!" she screeched before quickly explaining how to use her phone to disarm them. "Phew, that was close..." Velvet muttered when Emerald managed to make it to the next section.

"Can... we just skip to the part where the robot sings his actual number?" Yang asked getting kind of tired.

"No, Emerald select the whole musical, so you see the whole musical" Fox denied simply.

"Don't blame this on me!" Emerald cried out when the glares of some of the students landed on her.

"Just say parts next time!" Weiss growled as she sulked

Emerald just sighed when she noticed that it was an opera stage. "Where's the trapdoor I'm falling through?" she asked Mettaton who was peeking down at her from behind a set-piece.

"Really after all that you're going to break the flow here?" he asked in annoyance as a part of the floor lit up "Not even going to let me show off my opera voice?"

"Nope!" Emerald called out as she stomped on the trapdoor and fell through.

"That...that wasn't part of the show..." Fox muttered wondering what had happened.

"Did it listen to our request to hurry it up?" Weiss muttered in awe.

"And it worked it into the viewing itself," Blake muttered intrigued despite herself.

"It also sounded like something I'd do if I was fed up with something and just wanted to get through it," Emerald muttered.

"Well since you so boorishly skipped our little bit that was supposed to lead up to here..." Roman sounded annoyed that they had skipped one of his parts. "Here you go! The Sadistic Disco Light Floor Puzzle!" he paused remembering something "Oh, I'm going to sing here and you better solve the puzzle before I finish or you'll be incinerated!"

"What?" she didn't get to say anything else as the song began.

"Oh, my love! Has fallen down!" he began as Emerald quickly made her way to the puzzle only to realize two things. One she had seen this before, and two she didn't remember the rules.

"Oh..." the students winced seeing the complicated-looking puzzle.

"Now in tears, we all will drown." Roman continued to sing as he followed along purposefully annoying Emerald who frowned as she tried to remember what to do. "Colored tiles make them a fool. If only they still knew the rules. Well, that was a sorry try. Now let's watch them fry!" Roman laughed as the timer hit zero. "Watch out for the flames, darling! They're getting closer!" he announced ominously as the walls of flame closed in on Emerald.

"Watch out!" Velvet cried as she appeared furiously tapping on something. the walls sputtered before going inert.

"Oh, no! How could this happen?" Roman asked dramatically "Foiled again! By the brilliant Doctor Alphys!" apparently losing interest he flew off "Whatever, toodles!"

"I honestly can't wait to see how this ends." Ruby mused "Like they're going out of their way to say that something isn't right here."

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Jaune agreed, munching on some popcorn.

Velvet breathed a sigh of relief "Looks like you beat him." she muttered with a weak smile. At Emerald's prodding, she relented "If I'm being honest..." the muttered 'for once' went unheard "Before I met you, I didn't... really... like myself very much." she admitted, "For a long time I couldn't help but feel that I only ever made things worse." she rubbed her arms nervously "Being able to help you out has made me feel a lot better about myself, so thanks, even if you probably didn't actually need my help."

Emerald grinned and shot her a thumbs up

Velvet smiled nervously as she guided the human through the area. "Uh... anyway, we're almost at the CORE!" she announced trying to break the awkward silence. "Go through there and you'll be right at the palace!" she gestured to an elevator "Come on!" Emerald nodded her head and hit the call button.

"It's not working" Cinder pointed out simply.

"That...doesn't look like part of Velvet's plan" Coco pointed out seeing a familiar expression on the Rabbit's face. "That's her 'What's going on?' look"

"Coco! I do not have a look for being confused!" Velvet declared

Salem, curious, pulled the girl into an embrace and paid special attention to her expression. "My, you do make that face when you're not sure what's happening," she muttered in amusement.

"Mistress..." Cinder sighed "I can't believe this is the same person who has terrorized the world for countless centuries."

"She always did enjoy learning new things" Ozpin pointed out simply as he took a sip of his drink.

What followed was a comedy of errors as everything Velvet tried to do to help either didn't work or backfired spectacularly "I... I have to go!" Velvet cried despairingly as she fled from Emerald.

Emerald looked in the direction she ran sadly before stepping onto a platform that whirred to life. Planting her feet to stay stable Emerald looked around worriedly as she was whisked elsewhere. Once everything stopped she looked around and saw a single pathway leading to a stage where Roman was clearly waiting for her.

walking up he greeted her rather tamely. "Oh, yes. There you are, darling." Emerald raised a brow at his response. "It's time to have our little showdown. It's finally time to stop the 'malfunctioning' robot. NOT!" he declared heatedly as Emerald prepared herself. "Malfunction? Get real!" he waved her off as he vented. "This was all just a big show! An act! Alphys has been playing you for a fool this whole time." Emerald hummed having considered that a possibility.

"I wonder why she'd do that" Ruby frowned a little disappointed in the older girl's deception.

"Maybe she's just lonely." Blake pointed out.

"I guess..." Ruby accepted the answer but still didn't look too convinced.

"As she watched you on the screen, she grew attached to your adventures. She desperately wanted to be a part of it. so she decided to insert herself into the story. She reactivated puzzles. She enlisted me to torment you. All so she could save you from dangers that didn't exist."

"That sounds like some variation of a hero complex or savior complex" James mused.

"You're not wrong," Roman muttered, perhaps unable to understand why someone would act like that.

"All so you would think that she's the great person that she's not. And now, it's time for her finest hour. At this very moment, Alphys is waiting outside the room" a one-way mirror lit up showing Velvet waiting in a hidden room. "During our 'battle'" he used air quotes to get his sarcasm through to the child. "she will burst into the room and pretend to 'deactivate' me, 'saving' you one final time." Roman pretended to swoon "Finally. she'll be the heroine of your adventure. You'll regard her so highly she'll even be able to convince you not to leave." he paused before dropping the act "...or not. You see, I've had enough of this predictable charade."

Emerald rolled her shoulders as she prepared for the inevitable fight he was going to drag her into.

"I have no desire to harm humans. Far from it, actually. My only desire is to entertain. After all, the audience deserves a good show, don't they?" he asked as his theme music began playing.

"Alright, I guess it's time for my big number" Roman leaned back into his chair and hummed. Neo made some gagging motions causing the thief to roll his eyes "Laugh it up short stack, at least I'm the one in the musical" he stuck his tongue out at her.

"How petty" someone whispered softly.

"So now you know, it was all a big show! She played you for a fool and me as your foe! And all this danger, it has been arranged by the dear doctor herself!" Roman sang loudly as Velvet poked her head around the corner.

"No, no, no..." she began to shout

"But she forgot, there's a twist in the plot!" with a snap of his fingers the door slammed shut.

"Oh my god, I'm locked out!"

"That's actually a good line for a betrayal isn't it?" Yang asked grinning at Blake.

"Why are you asking me?" the Cat Faunas asked tersely.

"Well, you're the one into novels and stories right?" Yang grinned "Or are you admitting to reading those things for 'other' reasons?" Blake's cheeks reddened before turning away from Yang with a huff.

"Honestly it's a good line for whenever something unexpected occurs to ruin someone's plan" Glynad mused

"I guess" James allowed though he very clearly disliked the very notion of agreeing with anything even hinting at a positive opinion of a known criminal.

"The efforts for naught!" Roman posed as the lights came on while Emerald glanced around curiously. "We will drive you wild, with the death of this child. Here tonight, on ATTACK OF THE DEATH ROBOT!" with his grand announcement the platform they were on began ascending

"Human please!" Velvet cried out "I didn't mean it!"

"Please! You've run that excuse to the ground!" Roman retorted in rhythm "Stop that drivel, we've already seen it!"

"Trust me, just turn him around!"

"I wonder what that would accomplish" Ruby tilted her head to one side cutely as she tried to understand Velvet's advice.

"Maybe there's a switch there" Weiss shrugged

"Now I will achieve perfection. Save the monsters, the humans, and me." despite his grandiose gestures and singing Roman noted that Emerald was marveling at a large mirror behind him. "Take my life in a new direction! Hang on, is that a mirror I see?" turning around to see what she was looking at he gasped as Emerald quickly slapped the button on the back of his casing.

"I can't believe that worked" Winter palmed her face.

"I can't believe there's actually a button there!" Roman whined as he covered his face with his hat. Neo was decidedly unhelpful as she stuck her tongue out at him.

There was a mechanical whirring noise as Roman regained speech functionality after a brief short circuit. "Did you... just flip...my switch?" he asked in a weirdly monotone voice. There was a loud static sound as fog covered his form.

"That seems like a very unpleasant sensation" Penny noted simply with a smile on her face.

"Has... that happened to you before?" Winter asked curiously, making sure to whisper so that anyone who didn't know Penny's situation wouldn't hear her.

"Oh, yes!" Penny nodded her head "It happened once, but father has since made sure that power distribution and maintenance can handle full power for extended periods of time!"

"I see..."

"~Oh yes!~" Roman gasped out causing Emerald to scrunch up her nose feeling a little weirded out by the tone of voice.

"Seriously Roman?"

"That is not me" Roman reminded them. "It looks and sounds like me, but it is not me!"

"Fair point" Ghira shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh my..." Roman muttered "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body! How rude..." he spoke coyly as Emerald raised an eyebrow at him. "Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. "I'll make your last living moments... absolutely beautiful!" the fog surrounding him was suddenly dispersed revealing his new body for all to see. With a purple and black color scheme, Roman was wearing what looked like purple go-go boots and shiny black leather pants. his torso had a dial of some sort above his left pectoral and a speaker on his right. Over his stomach was a heart design glowing bright purple. his shoulders were pointed while his arms had obvious segments leading up to his hands. His face and hair were obviously derived from human boy bands with a robotic flare.

"Projecting your taste in men are we?" Coco teased Velvet.

"I thought she was gay?" Jaune asked seriously recalling the good doctor's infatuation with the guard captain.

"She was crushing on the King as well" Yang pointed out. "Or rather, I think she's a pan who found someone she wants to be her partner."

Fox hummed "Personally I think she's a lesbian who likes categorizing others by character tropes."

Coco seemed to think about it before simply shrugging her shoulders. "I mean... it could make sense."

Velvet groaned in embarrassment. "I think she just likes attractive things."

"Oh..."

"Mettaton EX makes his premiere!" Cinder announced with a cheer. Emerald wanted to retort but held it in as she focused on the robot in front of her.

"Lights, camera, action!" Roman called out striking various poses as he did so. Idly Emerald noted the rating graph on a screen behind the glambot. "Are you alive, Hotland?" Roman called out nodding approvingly when he received a roar in response. Emerald, distracted as she was didn't notice a leg jet out from a side panel and grunted as it knocked her over. By chance, she looked up at the board [Violence +50] the rating numbers went up.

"I'm going to have to raise that aren't I?" she muttered to herself. She sighed and rolled her neck to make sure she hadn't hurt herself seriously. "Here's hoping getting hit isn't the only thing that raises it.

"I don't think ratings work like that" Pyrrha pointed out simply.

"It's simplified" Fox shrugged

"I can't hear you!" Roman sounded out getting an even louder roar from the unseen audience. the bot chuckled menacingly "Let's dance" he intoned as a disco ball firing off blue magic appeared. Emerald cautiously kept an eye on it while glancing at the bot every so often who seemed content to dance and pose as he sang. "I am the idol everyone craves! Rise to the top, and the world I'll save! Smile for the camera, come, look sharp! Take your soul and break your heart!" Emerald grunted as an errant beam hit her leg [Violence +10]

"Drama, romance, bloodshed! These tools to the masses I bring! [We love you Mettaton! We love you Mettaton!]" the chorus joined in as a wave of bombs and mini-robots rained down from above. Emerald pulled out her phone and pulled up one of Velvet's apps which allowed her to shoot open a path with magic bullets. "I'll cross the barrier, soon my salvation I'll sing! [Come on now, Mettaton! Come on now, Mettaton!]"

"I can't even take you seriously like this" Glynda sighed as she palmed her face.

"He's an attention whore" Neo's sign read as she paired her message with a self-satisfied nod of her head.

"Hey!" Roman grumbled.

"Come on, keep up the pace child of the human race! [Mettaton! Mettaton!] You know you've come so far! now face my rising star! All 'cross the Underground the monsters gather 'round. They're watching us, you know! Let's put on a good show!" Emerald hummed as she considered her options, the cheering of the crowd lost on her ears.

"Pop quiz, hotshot!" Roman announced interrupting her thoughts. "How great am I?" Emerald blinked before glancing at his hair "Oh put down your pen, I know I'm amazing!"

"That seems on point with the Roman we know" Yang chuckled.

"Of course, a hooligan like him would be into self-aggrandizing." Weiss sniffed

"Seriously, were you forced to read a dictionary as a kid or something?" Coco asked tilting her shades down to look at Weiss properly.

Emerald pointed at him dramatically and the audience loved it as the ratings shot up by almost 200 "Seriously?" Cinder asked as Emerald got a distinct impression that the ghost girl was folding her arms.

"Hear the people sing to the glamour I bring!" the audience began chanting his name as Emerald weaved through another set of attacks posing dramatically once the last one missed her. "You must admit, although I put on a marvelous show! Now the games must end. Now goodbye my friend! [Notice me, call on me, Mettaton!] We've grown so distant, true. But the first thing I'll do when out from the ground I crawl is, finally claim it all!

"Nice moves" Coco mused assessing the mint-haired girl. "Real eye-catcher, age her up to the same age as our Emerald and put her in better clothing and she'd have a line of people trying to date her."

Salem hummed "She certainly looks like she could be graceful, but pausing to pose is bad form." she folded her arms "Such posturing is for the end of the dance the stamp on a beautiful performance."

"Coco! Lady Salem!" Velvet whined as the two debated over how to best show off Emerald's charm, to the girl's never-ending shame. "Look at her!" Velvet framed Emerald's face for them before gesturing to her athletic body "She'd look good no matter what you put her in! Besides, a girl looks her best when she's pursuing her passions!" Ozpin coughed into his hands recalling just how he'd become enamored with Salem initially.

Emerald's cheeks reddened as she turned away from the older girl "Oh no..." she muttered seeing Cinder appraising her as well

"Welp she's going to become a dress-up doll for them" Yang shrugged putting on faux tears for Emerald's fate.

"Better her than us" Weiss pointed out simply.

"you're here to stay! You're our hero Mettaton! You're the Underground's number one and only star! The show must go on so please fight on Mettaton!" the crowd sang as Emerald posed dramatically boosting the ratings once more. "Here in this crowded place, we know that you'll go far! The cheers of your fans give you power, Mettaton! As you pose and you boast, we know that you'll have it all!" the crowd sang as Roman started focusing more and more on catering to the crowd than actually fighting Emerald who simply shrugged and continued to dance around having fun with the goofy bot. "We've been with you from the start, sweet Mettaton! Please Mettaton... won't you please take my call?"

"With legs like these... style like this... there won't be an entertainer who can stand to me!" Roman boasted striking various poses as he spoke. "Are you alive Hotland?" he called out once more as the audience roared their approval "Show me!" he called out as another disco ball appeared. Curiously Emerald hit it with a shot of magic, changing the lights from blue magic to normal colorless magic. To her misfortune, it started to move and the beam hit her in the face causing her to stagger.

"Ow..."

Yang snorted as Emerald frowned and crossed her arms.

"I'm warming up, see me shine with such thunderous aplomb! [We love it Mettaton! We love it Mettaton!] Things blowing up all around because I've dropped a bomb! [Exploding Mettaton! Exploding Mettaton!] Emerald sighed as she shot the falling bombs before twirling to one side to avoid the resulting beams

"Can't we just go back to the dancing?" she wondered, already bored of the fighting. As if in response to her lack of enthusiasm the mini-bots ramped up their attacks, but Emerald gracefully danced around them all before shooting a bomb that triggered a chain reaction. Turning her back to the loud and flashy explosion Emerald shot Roman a smug look

Roman grinned as his ratings skyrocketed "There's no more time to waste, child of the human race. I'm going to go far as humanity's star! I'm going to stop this war like no robot before! Just one last bit of pain and then I'll entertain!" he declared even as his arms fell off, his body still not fully operational yet. "It's sad, you're weak. Impossibly meek. Like the six before, you can't stop Asgore! It's been swell, my friend! But these games must end! I did my duty, I'll kill with beauty!"

"I hate admitting that this guy can sing" Nora grumbled as she pouted.

"Talent is talent no matter who it belongs to" Ren agreed with a simple nod of his head.

"Why can't you be more like these brats and admit I'm good at what I do?" Roman asked looking at Cinder.

"Because you're not irreplaceable" Cinder stated factually as she noted an imperfection in her nails and pulled out a file to correct it.

"This is the place where fame is everything! Everyone wants to touch. Everyone wants to see. We live in a world where celebrities are kings. We all know what we want so please give it to me!" the crowd sang as the child and bot continued to dance around each other.

"I can't get enough [we can't get enough] of the simple little things [of the simple little things] and it's great to remember [and it's great to remember] since it's my last show! [since it's your last show!]" Roman's face blanked out as he short-circuited and his legs popped off. Unphased he continued to fire off little bolts at Emerald who swiftly dodged as many as she could, taking a few hits in the process "The love of the fans [The love of the fans] is almost giving me wings [is almost giving you wings] So I'll fly to the surface [So you'll fly to the surface] When it's time to go! [When it's time to go!]"

"I am... I always have been... an INCREDIBLE machine! Come on, human! They're watching us! Keep showing your best moves! I love you, Hotland!" Apparently satisfied with something Roman suddenly stopped attacking as he glanced at his rating chart.

"It was passable" Weiss turned her nose up as she pointedly looked in the opposite direction of Roman who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever princess" he groaned

"Heiress actually" Ruby chipped in with a smug expression causing Blake to laugh recalling a very similar conversation from orientation.

Yang raised an eyebrow "I'll tell you later" Blake promised, getting a shrug in response as Yang let the matter drop.

"Ooh~!" Roman crowed "Look at these ratings! This is the most viewers I've ever had!" he declared happily despite only being a torso and head. "We've reached the viewer call-in milestone! You lucky viewers will have the chance to talk with me before I leave the Underground forever! Let's see who calls in first!" a phone dialing could be heard as Roman excitedly waited for their first caller while Emerald allowed her body to rest. Hearing the phone pick up Roman smirked "Hi, you're on TV! What do you have to say on our last show?" he asked eagerly.

"Oh..." Jaune's voice sounded surprised as he hesitated for a moment. "Hi... Mettaton" he began as Roman's face fell "I really liked watching your show... my life is pretty boring... but... seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously" the audience let out an [Awww!] as Roman's expression remained neutral "I can't tell, but... I guess this is the last episode...?" Jaune sounded respondent as the audience let out similar noises of distress "I'll miss you..." Jaune admitted as Roman's face scrunched up in dismay. "Goodbye"

"Blooky wait!" Roman called out only for the connection to be cut off. Face filled with regret he quickly allowed the next caller only to get much of the same as everyone called in to either wish him luck or to recall how his show had helped them out in their lives. Once the last call was addressed Roman allowed a melancholic smile onto his face "Everyone, thank you so much..." he turned his attention to Emerald who had since recovered and was waiting nearby curious about what was going to happen next.

"You know, I wonder if Roman was the one who used to call Jaune Blooky" Nora hummed recalling ghost-Jaune's reaction to Emerald calling him Blooky.

"Seems so" Ren replied expressionlessly.

"Huh, wonder how we're related," Roman muttered looking at Jaune curiously.

"Mettaton and Napstablook are cousins" Fox explained seeing the thief's confusion. Mettaton had left to pursue his performing arts while Napstablook remained to take over the family business as a snail farmer."

"Oh... that makes sense" Jaune muttered softly.

Roman nodded to himself before addressing Emerald "Darling. Perhaps... it might be better if I stay here a while." he decided "Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters only have me. If I left... the underground would lose its spark." the ham actually teared up at the thought. "I'd leave an aching void that could never be filled. So... I think I'll have to delay my big debut." he rolled his eyes a little as he considered something. "Besides, you've proven to be very strong. Perhaps... even strong enough to get past Asgore. I'm sure you'll be able to protect humanity." he let out a humorless laugh as the lights on his body flickered "It's all for the best anyways. The truth is, this form's energy consumption is... inefficient. In a few moments, I'll run out of battery power, and..." he trailed off "Well, I'll be alright" he assured the child when she moved to comfort him. "Knock 'em dead darling! And everyone, thank you. You've been a great audience!" with his bit done Roman lost power and shut down as Velvet finally unlocked the door and made her way inside.

"SAPPY!" Neo's sign read as she whacked the thief over the head with it.

"Ow, hey!" Roman complained as he used his arms to protect his head from further attack.

As Emerald was wondering what to do next Velvet ran into the room looking sweaty and tired "I got past the door!" she declared happily "Oh my god he's on the floor! Mettaton are you-?" she breathed a sigh of relief as she took stock of the situation. "Oh... he's just pout of batteries. He should be fine." Velvet turned away from Mettaton deep in thought before she noticed Emerald out of the corner of her eye. Panicking she gave a long-winded explanation about her actions that Emerald just nodded along with before shooting the panicking scientist a thumbs up.

"I always mess things up! I'm garbage!" Velvet wailed catching Emerald off guard who was quick to hug the scientist assuring her that there were worse people out there.

Salem didn't say anything but she did pull Velvet into her side calmly stroking the girl's shaking ears. Slowly the second year settled down as the Grimm Queen continued to soothe her. "Thank you Lady Salem" she muttered softly "I guess your heart isn't as dead as everyone said it was."

the immortal didn't say anything but she hummed softly to herself as she considered the girl's words.

"S-so you're about to meet Asgore" Velvet stated once she had calmed down and continued to lead Emerald to the elevator. Promising that there weren't any tricks this time. "You must be..." she stumbled over her words looking more and more nervous when she couldn't get a feel for Emerald's thoughts on the matter. "Pretty excited about that huh? You'll finally get to go home..." seeing the elevator getting closer Velvet's stuttering gradually got worse before she suddenly yelled "wait!" as Emerald made to enter the elevator drawing the girl's attention to her. After a few shoddy attempts at putting the topic off, she weakly beat herself over the head as she spun in circles. "I can't take it anymore! I lied to you..." she confessed as Emerald turned her full attention onto the royal scientist. "I lied about a lot. A human SOUL isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone." she looked depressed even mentioning it. "It takes a human soul and a monster soul."

"What are you saying Alphys?" Emerald finally asked the only words she'd spoken in a long while.

"If you want to go home...you'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore..." she sniffled before turning away from the child in shame. "I'm sorry... I need to think..." she trailed off before running away. Emerald looked at her hands wondering if she could find a way to solve this next confrontation the same way she had been all along. Making her decision she nodded her head and entered the elevator.

"So her only way home is to kill me and take my soul..." Ozpin sighed as he considered that bit of information.

"Why would I want to go home?" Emerald wondered frustrated with the child version of her seemingly mindlessly walking towards a goal she couldn't understand. "If she's like me... she's an orphan, a street urchin. Doing whatever it takes to survive every day. Why would I give up powerful guardians and a loving environment just to go back to that?"

"I wish I could tell you" Ozpin mused aloud "Who knows what's going through that child's mind?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out" Yang suggested, fully invested in seeing how everything played out.

After a brief elevator ride, Emerald stepped out into what appeared to be a greyscale home. As she looked around the chorus began to sing. "Long ago, men and beasts ruled the earth and had their feasts." Emerald hummed to herself seeing a golden flower in a pot on the table. "We'll return to days of yore, so promises King Asgore"

Ozpin looked mournfully out over the city from his castle, ignorant of the human child approaching his throne room as he sang. "So much blood, so much pain. Now I've lost my son again. One day soon, freedom shall ring! So proclaims the mountain king!" Cinder gazed up at where she could hear her father's voice recalling memories of happier days.

"This was once my home..." Ozpin muttered sadly "Now, there's nothing here but tears... and memories..." Cinder winced recalling where everything had gone wrong.

"Perhaps now we'll find out more about little miss sunshine over here" Qrow gestured at Cinder who scowled at the man.

"Spitfire works better" Adam muttered under his breath.

"That actually sounds cool, so no" Qrow pointed out having heard the bull. Ruby snickered as the other adults all rolled their eyes.

"Long ago, there was peace they all lived happily. Cherishing every breath in many times well spent." As the chorus sang Emerald could be seen exploring the house as Cinder would explain the stories behind some of the knickknacks Asgore had kept throughout the years. "Suddenly things went wrong. They could not get along. Darker days loomed ahead. Their stomachs filled with dread, common sense forgotten. It was friend against friend. Civil war ends sadly Humans showed no mercy. Monsters are forced underground, so our tale begins now. Child of the world above fell below, was shown, love."

There was a still image of Cinder face down in a flower patch "Where am I? Did I die? Looking up I see the sky." she sang softly, still in pain.

The next image showed Oscar helping her to her feet. "Hey there, guy! Are you alright? Come with me, I will not bite!"

"They are adorable," Glynda said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Cinder sank into her seat and covered her face "I am not adorable" she whined softly.

"Let's be friends" they both sang softly "Until the end. The king and queen will be happy [Cinder: I'll always be determined!]" Another image was shown, this time of the entire Dreemur family in a family hug back when things were still okay. "Come on, smile!" Salem and Ozpin sang as they embraced both children "Second child! We'll be here for quite a while!"

Ozpin and Salem frowned at the reminder of what they had lost.

The next image was of Cinder on her death bed with Oscar right beside her. "I feel ill, Asriel. Promise me, just one thing. The golden flowers, in my town. Let me see them when I fall down."

Oscar wept as he sang his reply "I'm sorry. Please stay with me! The shield above won't let me leave! I'll always be determined! I know I failed you, but with both of our souls. I'll cross the barrier and to your town, we'll go. Now at your home again let you be blessed. Here in the golden flowers may you rest."

The next image was of an angry mob "That monster... killed that child! Our war is still unreconciled! Let them die!" As the screen panned out it revealed a guardsman running Oscar through with a spear as the boy refused to fight back against his beloved sister's townspeople. "Let them fry! they don't know of conscience and love."

"Dear gods..." Weiss gasped in horror

"Irrational racist..." Blake's tirade petered off as Yang pulled her into a hug while the other students covered their mouths in shock.

Cinder felt a flash of anger that was quickly suppressed as she frowned in thought. 'I suppose I connect with this version of myself more than I thought I would' she mused as the anger ebbed away.

Oscar weakly grabbed Cinder's body and turned to leave "My ears ring. My body stings. That's okay I will not stay..." a series of images showed him collapsing on the Monsters' side of the barrier as his parents became horrified seeing his state. "Oh, mom, dad... Howdy... I'm fine... I wouldn't come back just to die" closing his eyes his body turned to dust leaving only Cinder's body covered in Golden flower seeds and her brother's Dust.

Cinder reached up in surprise as she found a tear rolling down her cheek. "I'm crying?"

Salem quietly pulled her to her other side. "I thought all of my tears had dried up long ago" she admitted accepting a handkerchief from Velvet to dab at her eyes wet with tears. "This... brings up many bitter memories," she admitted allowing herself time to gather herself.

Ozpin felt tears well up in his eyes as anger took hold of him "Now it seems that once again everything's been taken by the humans up above who have killed my children! No more humans here will fall, for we will kill them all, and their souls we shall take, the barrier shall break!"

Salem stepped in front of her husband and threw her arms wide, tears still hot in her eyes. "Asgore, I will not be shy! Asgore, I demand why you can't see your big mistake even through your own heartache! I'll find humans who come through! I'll keep them safe from you! And I will remember well my sweet lost Asriel!"

"So that's how they broke apart in this world..." James mused glancing at his friend.

Jaune shuddered "What's wrong Jaune?" Pyrrha asked holding up a tissue for him.

waving off the gesture he smiled weakly "I'm... not sure which one I'd be more like if something like that happened to me..." he admitted softly. "And that scares me, what if I went off the deep end in my grief and lost sight of who I am?"

Ren lay a comforting hand on his leader's shoulder "There are no easy answers Jaune" he whispered "Just pray that you can find something to pour your pain into if that time ever comes."

"Many years" the chorus sang as attention returned to Emerald as she started to finish up her investigation of the house. "Many tears, we live on despite our fears. Do not cry, freedom's come. with your death, we'll see the sun. Thanks to our savior, Asgore we will be trapped no more Humans pay for their mistakes when the barrier breaks. All our tears and all our pain will now happen again. Now on high sits our king and we can hear him sing."

Emerald took a deep breath as she walked through a massive hallway with multiple stained glass windows. As she stepped past the mid-way point Qrow appeared before her his grin present as always. "So you finally made it..." he muttered opening his eyes to look at Emerald "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together... you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now? you will be judged." Emerald gulped nervously as Qrow's eye flashed brightly before dissipating into nothing. "You will be judged for your every action. Not for experience. For execution. Not for love. No. that's an acronym for 'Level of Violence"

"I knew there was something more to the comedian" Cinder muttered satisfied that she had been right all along.

"Your role makes a lot more sense now" Ozpin mused "This version of Qrow put himself in as many opportunities to observe the actions of others as he could without directly interfering.

"The more you hurt, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others." Qrow paused as he thought back on various things he'd seen over this life. "I've seen a lot, kid. I've seen a lot of people get a lot of violence." he paused as he took a closer look at Emerald. His smile eased as he let out a sigh of relief. "but you...you never gained any." he looked away "'Course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. Just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced... you strived to do the right thing. You refused to hurt anyone. Even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. You never gained LOVE, but you gained love. Does that makes sense?" he shrugged with a good-natured chuckle "maybe not... Now, you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey."

Emerald gulped nervously as she shuffled her feet.

"Your actions here will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight... Asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. but, if you kill Asgore and go home... monsters will remain trapped underground. What will you do?" Qrow took a breath as he considered his own question "Well if I were you, I would have thrown in the towel by now. But you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?" Emerald shook her head "That's right, you have something called 'determination'. So long as you hold on... so long as you do what's in your heart... I believe you can do the right thing. Emerald blinked, and he was gone.

"No pressure right?" Emerald muttered as she rubbed her arm.

"I wonder what the right answer truly is" Glynda hummed, curious.

Emerald continued through the hallway and took a deep breath before entering the throne room. The first thing she noticed was the vast amount of plant life surrounding the throne, the second was the massive figure happily tending the garden, dressed in full royal garb. Approaching quietly she noted that he was humming to himself. Seeing the figure's ears perk she knew he noticed her "Oh? is someone there?" the King asked not yet turning around. "Just a moment, I've almost finished watering these flowers." with a hum he set the empty watering can down and turned around "Howdy..." his enthusiasm died as he took a shaken step backward seeing Emerald face to face.

"He was hoping she would never show up" Winter surmised

"After so long, the anger has passed, but now duty has him killing kids, some even younger than his own children before their tragic ends." James nodded his head understanding in part what could be crossing Asgore's mind.

"He can't even stop if he wanted to" Ozpin mused "His people are counting on him to free them.

Ozpin sighed and turned away from her. "Oh..." he turned back towards her understanding that it'd be rude to speak sideways to her. "I so badly want to say, 'would you like a cup of tea?'" he gave off a sad little smile as he began pacing "But... you know how it is." he stopped pacing a moment to look out the window which could see outside the mountain and into the outside world "Nice day today, huh?" he asked as Emerald took the brief respite for what it was and enjoyed the view alongside the king. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... perfect weather for a game of catch." he stopped as he screwed his eyes shut, with a breath he turned and began walking away "You know what we must do"

Emerald sighed but followed after the King still trying to figure out how to both escape the underground and not kill the King.

"So tense..." Ozpin noted when he saw her catch up to him "Just think of it like... a visit to the dentist..." Emerald wasn't sure who he was trying to encourage. "Are you ready?" the king asked standing before a door "If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either." with another sigh he entered the door.

"I feel bad for him" Blake muttered softly "He clearly doesn't want to harm her"

"But he feels he must if she wishes to continue" Weiss agreed as she gripped her arm tightly.

"I hope she figures out a way for everyone to be happy" Ruby admitted as she pulled her hood tighter over her head. Yang smiled softly before pulling her sister into her arms.

Once he saw her join him Ozpin nodded his head in acceptance "This is the barrier" he explained as Emerald gazed at a weird semi-transparent film-like material distorting the view of the outside world "This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If... if by chance you have any unfinished business... please do what you must." Emerald gulped but indicated that she was ready. "I see... This is it, then" he muttered as he turned to face her as seven jars rose up from the ground, six of which were already filled with a human soul "Ready?" he asked kindly as Emerald felt her soul be pulled forth.

"So much blood, so much pain. I will lose a son again. Oh, dear child, I'm sorry, now you face the mountain king!" with a flourish Ozpin faced Emerald with a red trident in hand. "Human... it was nice to meet you. Goodbye." before Emerald could even blink Ozpin struck and destroyed the mercy button she usually had available in conflict.

"NO!" she shouted in horror.

"Mercy is not an option huh?" Roman mused getting whacked over the head by a sign for the poor joke.

"This will be the last soul we need! I will not accept your mercy!" Ozpin sang deeply as Emerald was forced to dodge a string of fireballs reminiscent of Salem's attacks back in the Ruins. "With your pain, the barrier breaks and we shall be free!" Emerald grit her teeth as she positioned poorly and received a nasty burn mark on her back for her troubles. "I'll remember your friendly face. I can't lie, I will miss this place."

"No more pain, our savior be, come on mountain king!" the chorus sang loudly as an orange twinkle appeared in Ozpin's eye. swinging his trident at her Emerald quickly dove through it seeing the trident flash orange as it neared her.

"He's not even looking at me..." Emerald muttered in awe despite the danger she was in.

"Quite skilled if he can fight so well with such a handicap" Ozpin hummed as he took a sip of his coffee. "I imagine the guilt is weighing on him, he probably can't bring himself to look at her right now.

"Bergentrückung, he sits on his throne. He waits for this day, he has waited alone!" the chorus continued as Emerald continued to evade his attacks.

"Can't hold back, my breath is all gone. My vision is blurred, I'm asking myself, what have I done? [The pain you have caused, the friends you have left. You broke all the laws, no escaping death] Did you change their lives? [Did you change their lives?] Did you make it worth it? [Did you make it worth it?] Did you enjoy your time? [Did you enjoy your time?]"

Emerald stood defiant "I have! I've made so many friends in my brief time here! We don't have to fight! we can find another way!"

"Child, we have to go! [We wish you could stay. At least one more day. Would that be okay?] We cannot delay! [We cannot delay!] It's hard to decide [It's hard to decide] For after this fight [For after this fight] Someone has to die [Someone has to die] And I hate to say goodbye!" Emerald frowned as she quickly bit into a snack she had bought in town.

"This... is a lot more intense than I thought it would be." Jaune chuckled nervously

"It goes hard" The sign Neo was holding read as she bobbed her head in tune with the beat.

"Should I embrace this last chance that I have?" Ozpin mused as rings of flames closed in on Emerald leaving only one small window to escape. "[Should you erase all the ghosts in your past? Maybe it was meant to happen and we should stay around.] Could have been a human and still lived underground. If we could be family, and walk through the town. See my dear Toriel and head home right now." Ozpin allowed a small smile at the thought before roughly shaking his head "WAIT! That's just pipe dreaming and we need to wake up. The people underground are screaming. There is no way up! [and when this fight is over we will see the sun! and the memories you have made here will all be worthwhile! They will make us smile!] Farewell, fallen child! For tonight, the monsters have won!" Emerald saw an opening and pulled out a dull knife she had found so long ago. With a scream, she stabbed the blade into Ozpin's shoulder bringing the mountain of a man to his knees.

Salem frowned as she felt the calming touch of the youngster at her side. "It's okay Lady Salem Professor Ozpin is right here in the theatre with us" Velvet assured her. Glancing down at her hands the immortal realized with a start that she had gripped the armrests to the point of cracking the wood. Taking a deep breath she slowly allowed her muscles to relax. "Thank you child" she ignored the giddy feeling sprouting in her stomach as the girl smiled up at her.

"So that is how it is." Ozpin mused unable to fight any longer "I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike... and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity... and let the monsters rule the surface, in peace."

Emerald, still out of breath, listened raptly as she finally got to hear his side of the story.

"Soon, the people's hope returned." he grimaced in pain "My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to return. I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope... I cannot take this any longer. I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. Please... young one... this war has gone on long enough. You have the power... take my soul and leave this cursed place."

Ozpin took a shuddering breath "How often have I said those words to myself?" he wondered softly.

"What was that Oz?" James asked curiously having not heard his friend clearly.

"Nothing...just some memories."

Two options appeared before Emerald's eyes. She could end the King's life and flee this place or she could be merciful and pursue that fragile road for everyone's happiness. Cinder remained silent allowing Emerald to decide on her own. Emerald nodded her head and selected Mercy as she dropped the weapon in her hand.

Ozpin's face clearly conveyed his surprise and disbelief "After everything I have done to hurt you... you would rather stay down here and suffer... than live happily on the surface?" he smiled as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I promise you... for as long as you remain here... my wife and I will take care of you as best we can" he declared "We can sit in the living room, telling stories... eating butterscotch pie... we could be as a family." Hearing an odd sound Ozpin looked up only to widen his eyes as several familiar pellets struck him turning him to dust.

"NO!" Salem roared as her magic sprang to life.

"Mistress!" Cinder called out trying to calm her.

Before anything could spiral out of control Ozpin was there as he gently pulled Salem into his chest "Dear me..." he breathed as the magic his former wife had let out began to calm. "You haven't reacted that badly in millennia." he mused running one hand through her snow-white locks and another along her spine in soothing motions. Once she had calmed down Ozpin couldn't help himself "I didn't know you still cared"

She promptly punched him in the nose sending him toppling over her chair. Qrow hopped down and picked him up before dumping him back into his own chair. "Even I know that was stupid"

"You idiot." Tyrian greeted as he appeared before Emerald "You haven't learned a thing." Emerald quickly grabbed her knife and held it in front of her as she regarded the killer weed carefully. "In this world..." the insane flower began as the six human souls began circling him "It's KILL or BE killed" his voice began distorting as his face took on an unsettling visage. Emerald shivered as he began cackling as the souls were drawn into him.

Suddenly the screen froze before a blue screen appeared with an error message reading "C(:D)-" followed by, in smaller font, "Undertale the Musical ran into a problem and needs to restart."

"What...?" Penny questioned in concern

"I... think your projector or whatever this thing is broke down Fox" Ruby pointed out causing their host to chuckle.

"I assure you, it's working just fine" The audience wasn't so sure as the opening dialogue kicked in as Salem explained what story they were listening to.

As the narration reached the point about Monsters and humans ruling the surface world together Tyrian cut in and added his own spin to things "One day, they all disappeared without a trace" he narrated maniacally. Emerald looked on in horror as the box denoting her save file was broken down and destroyed having read "File 1 erased"

"Oh that's not good" she muttered

"Howdy!" Tyrian greeted as an enlarged image of his face appeared before her "It's me, FLOWEY. FLOWEY the FLOWER!" he added in with a wink causing Emerald to shiver "I owe you a HUGE thanks. You really did a number on the old fool. Without you, I NEVER would have been able to get past him. But now, with your help... he's DEAD" Emerald felt tears well up as Tyrian mocked her by imitating Ozpin's face before allowing it to melt away into his own. "And I've got the human SOULS!" the demented flower giggled to himself "Boy! I've been empty for so long... It feels great to have a SOUL inside me again. MMM. I can feel them wriggling..." Emerald took a step backward in fear "Aww, you're feeling left out, aren't you?" Emerald rapidly shook her head no "Well, that's just perfect. After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more... before I become GOD. And then, with my newfound powers... Monsters. Humans. Everyone. I'll show them all the TRUE meaning of this world. Golly, if only you had DETERMINATION to fall back on! BUT YOU WERE TOO STUPID TO USE IT! But don't worry! Your old friend FLOWEY... has worked out a replacement for you!" Emerald didn't like how that sounded "I'll save and reload your own death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces over, and over, and over..." Emerald took a deep breath and pushed her fear down as she took a step forward. "What?" Tyrian asked curiously "Do you really think you can stop ME?" he let out a cackle as the light returned to the world to reveal that Emerald was surrounded by golden flowers all of which had Tyrian's face on them. "You really ARE an idiot."

"Okay... can... can I just have a moment... to process... all of that?" Emerald requested as she messaged her forehead.

"I'm pretty sure I see smoke coming out of Nora's head" Yang noted with some concern.

"So... never let Tyrian get the relics?" Cinder asked quietly.

"Never let Tyrian even look at the relics" Salem agreed

Emerald took a nervous step backward as her soul was pulled forth. The six human souls circled above her before they disappeared into the abomination Tyrian had become "Looks like a weird photoshop project" Cinder mused idly as if they weren't in extreme danger.

"Now is not the time for your color commentary!" Emerald retorted as Omega Tyrian began laughing

Tyrian only made it worse when he began singing horribly off-key "While you had a pow-wow I was feeling so proud!" Emerald frantically dodged the enlarged pellets Tyrian kept encircling her with "Finding the means to an end, while you were making your friends!" Whenever she moved too close to either of his sides flame throwers would come forth and blast her back. "Now their souls are mine, too and it's all thanks to you!" Suddenly Emerald was bombarded by a rapid assault of vine-like spears, barely escaping with her life she was continually assaulted by never-ending attacks. "'Cause, you took up his time, gave me room for my crime!" Emerald panted heavily as a singular fight button appeared in the middle of the arena, jumping forward she slammed her hand on it allowing her to strike at him with her knife dealing 1 damage. "Snuck right up to the king, then slaughtered him, cackling!" Emerald tripped landing in the dead center of the arena. "There's no more time to cry! Toodle-oo, kiddo! D I E!" spears slammed into Emerald's gut killing her.

"He's torturing her" Qrow pointed out in disgust.

"He killed her!" Winter shouted in anger "How can you be so blase!"

"Because he won't keep her dead" James muttered in growing horror "He can reset her to a previous state at will" Realization dawned on the specialist as well as the students who all started to look green.

Emerald shivered "Oh my god..." she whispered with a thousand-yard stare

"File 2 loaded" Emerald blinked as she was suddenly alive again forced to dodge more attacks "I'm alive...?" she whispered barely registering when some of the attacks hit her. "Why are you doing this?" she screamed at Tyrian who merely regarded her curiously.

"Huh? why am I still doing this?" Tyrian asked before the face on his screen shook its head "Don't you GET IT?" the Cyan soul became prominent on Tyrian's screen "This is all just a show" Suddenly there were numerous knives floating around Emerald "And we're playing parts!"

"Does... he know we are watching?" Ruby muttered suddenly worried

"Don't be silly" Weiss urged with a put-upon frown "Of course, he doesn't. He would have tried to escape from that world if he did" Ruby remained unconvinced

After a round of laughter on the demented flower's part, the song began again "I will destroy you! shatter your worldview!" as she slipped between the floating knives she saw the act button and quickly made her way to it.

"You called for help" Cinder stated in a fairly detached manner.

"Crush your pathetic dreams! 'Cause I'm smarter, you're just a martyr! Now let me hear you scream!" Emerald breathed a sigh of relief when the knives disappeared. The screen representing Tyrian's face flashed once more as the orange soul became the focus. Suddenly numerous gloves were moving about the area. "You'll die for NOTHING! Tearing you apart... what fun that'll be!"

"I guess each soul has a different focus" Coco muttered curiously despite the morbidness of everything.

"I assume the powers associated with each soul is a core component of the humans' personality before their ends." Salem pointed out. "So whoever the Cyan soul was liked knives or perhaps fought with them and I can only assume the Orange soul was a fist fighter of some sort."

"You know, that makes sense," Yang mumbled clearly weirded out that they were basically watching inter-dimensional television with the Queen of the Grimm.

"Cry all you want kid! I'll just enjoy it!" Tyrian sang mockingly as Emerald timed her movements to escape the attack without injury. "Making you twist and squirm! I took your SAVE file!" Emerald saw the act button again and quickly maneuvered to hit it.

"You called for help"

"I'll make you watch while everything you love burns!" Emerald panted as she glared up at Tyrian's face. The demented flower just giggled as his mad song continued "Why are you still fighting? Don't you know I've won? Come back every time, then! I've only just begun! I can't feel anything, no sense of empathy! So yell at me! waste your time! Fall before my entropy! You will never make me whole! You helped me achieve the goal. Now at last I have the souls!" Emerald did the best she could to avoid the attacks while attacking when she could, but it was ineffective and quickly mended at Tyrian's will. "Now at last I'm in control! Everyone said I'm insane. Everybody dies in pain! But now I've become a god, in this world, I finally reign!" Tyrian breathed heavily, giddy with his newfound power. "You have no idea what this is like! I can feel the human souls wriggling inside me! They're screaming in pain, just like you! Wanna hear? R?" Emerald shivered as the blue soul took over as she was forced to dance between Ballerina's shoes while a stream of stars prevented her from jumping at all. Eventually, an ACT button showed up again and she quickly slapped it as it passed by.

"I wonder why she keeps calling for help" Qrow hummed "It's not like anyone is around to hear her."

"Maybe she's reaching out to the souls?" Nora suggested

"Can they even hear anything?" Jaune questioned not outright ignoring Nora's suggestion.

"Who knows?" Ren shrugged preferring to take a wait-and-see approach.

"Listen, they're shrieking! What little weaklings! Dance to my puppet strings! I'll use their power this final hour! Service to their new king!" as the purple soul took precedence two columns of books surrounded Emerald as various words traveled between the two "Am I too viscous? Oh, how delicious! Let's try another game! The rules are simple. It's kill or be killed. Fight back or you'll be maimed!" Emerald grunted as she managed to hold out long enough to hit the ACT button when it appeared again.

Flowey apparently got bored of using the Souls' abilities as he faced her in his normal state "I tried to warn you, just a glance and I knew. You'd be my chance to change the game. You and me, we are the same!" Emerald made a face at that

"I am not!" Emerald shouted indignantly

"Your DETERMINATION meeting my DAMNATION! The power to reset all stolen by your stupid fall! That's okay, was kinda tired. All that death, so uninspired. At least you're amusing. Even though you're LOSING!" Tyrian laughed again as Emerald struggled to avoid his attacks "What's the matter? Did you fall doooooown? No, no, no... DON'T GET UP!" he ordered as the green soul came forth as numerous frying pans formed above emerald as fire erupted from them as if from a flambé. While Emerald dodged the literal rain of fire Tyrian just continued to sing "Clipping at the seams of your hopes and dreams. Unstitch the tapestry! There's no 'bigger story' only the glory of my calamity!" Emerald saw the ACT button coming down and quickly slapped it again as the next wave of attacks began.

As the yellow soul came forth a giant revolver formed above her and a targeting reticle appeared wherever it was aiming at. "I've got the power, the world I'll devour, then make it all anew! Endless destruction, that is my function, and it's all thanks to you!"

"I don't like him" Ruby muttered with a shiver

"same" all of the other students agreed simply, causing Cinder to smile despite herself.

Ominous music played as Tyrian appeared before her again deciding to attack her as himself once more. "This game is ending! Timelines I am rending!" Emerald did her best to dodge all of his attacks and hit the fight button whenever she could to little effect. "Everything that I've done culminates in this run! But when everything's through, I could not predict you! Time for celebration OF MY DETERMINATION! Ending this oration with your extermination!" Emerald struck him again only for a big red zero to appear above his head.

"No..." she whispered nervously

"I'll be filled with such joy when everything's destroyed!" with a cackle he unleashed a large beam attack immediately reducing Emerald's HP to zero. Suddenly she was back "Don't worry kiddo! This will only hurt the first million times!" suddenly he struck again instantly killing her before resetting her and doing it again.

"Oh, my gods..." Winter muttered in horror as Emerald was tortured over and over.

"This fucking sicko..." Yang muttered angrily

"Breath child" Salem ordered Emerald who was hyperventilating. Emerald flinched as Cinder lay a hand on her shoulder before slowly started trying to control her breathing.

Tyrian grinned as he moved to kill her one final time only for her HP to be restored instead of depleted. "What?" he muttered in surprise "What's going on?" he screamed sounding panicked. "S-stop!" he screamed again "Stop calling for help! N-nobody's going to come!" the lights of the human SOULS began to shine brightly "I'm the GOD of this world, you hear me? How-how are you... what's going on? Where are my powers?"

Emerald, still dazed from her ordeal, watched in wonder as the six souls circled around her offering her comfort. "The souls, what are they doing?" Tyrian screamed. Suddenly Tyrian began thrashing about as if in pain. "NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME! STOP! STOP IT! STOOOP!" he screamed as the souls escaped his grasp

"Hear our refrain as we sing again! We'll write a new symphony! Lost in the silence, used in his violence, we'll keep you company!" the souls sang as Emerald felt her energy returning to her.

"Hm..." Sun narrowed his eyes "Was it me or did I hear my voice when the souls began singing?" he asked, his ears not quite attuned to pick out his own voice.

"No idea, but I definitely heard Renny's!" Nora cheered happily.

Penny smiled "I heard my teammate Ciel Soleil's voice, May Zedong's voice, Sun Wukong's voice, Neptune Vasilias' voice, Lie Ren's voice, and my own voice when the souls began singing.

"You did?" Blake asked looking surprised

"I have pitch-perfect hearing" Penny smiled and gave a peace symbol.

"Huh..." Yang hummed in thought while the adults sighed in relief at the believable excuse.

Ruby grinned 'She didn't hiccup so she isn't lying either!'

"He lost his way long ago" the cyan, blue, and green souls sang as silhouettes of their forms appeared behind Emerald.

"Oh, there you are Penny!" Ruby cheered happily "You're the green soul!"

Penny laughed "There's also Ciel as the cyan soul and May as the blue soul" she pointed out.

"We'll punish him, even so," the orange, purple, and yellow souls continued as they healed Emerald.

"So I'm the orange soul?" Sun mused before grinning

"I suppose I'm the purple soul then" Ren nodded his head in understanding

"And I see Neptune is Yellow" Weiss added in with a huff.

Tyrian scowled as he realized the souls had escaped him "What is this? You broke from my hold?" he asked as Emerald realized that the damage was sticking now. "Impossible! I'll gain back control!" He growled every time Emerald's attacks landed on him "I'm your god, your king! You can't do anything anymore!"

Sun took a fighter's stance behind Emerald "Fight with DETERMINATION!"

"[Cyan, Purple: Flowey] [Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green: You had your fun,] [C, P: Stop this madness] [O, Y, B, G: But now we're the ones who hold the DETERMINATION] [C, P: If you don't, you'll end up] [O, Y, B, G: We've got the power now little flower] [C, P: Falling down] [O, Y, B, G: Thanks to this human]" the souls sang as Emerald continued to pressure the demented flower.

"No, this isn't right! I can't lose this fight!" Tyrian cried out angrily as he lashed out at Emerald who continued to dodge his attacks while being healed by the souls.

"They're beating him!" Jaune cheered happily as the others shouted their own jubilation.

"[Y, B: Flowey] [O, C, P, G: Freed from that dark cage, we'll stop your rampage] [Y, B: stop this rampage!] [O, C, P, G: Protect the underground] [Y, B: We will fight you, we swear] [O, C, P, G: This is our last chance] [Flowey: You will all submit!] [O, C, P, G: We'll do one last dance] [Y, B: Stop this now!] [F: I will never QUIT!] [O, C, P, G: now that we are unbound!]

"It's getting hard to hear what they're saying" Velvet whined as her eyes started spinning in her confusion.

[O, G: Flowey] [B, C, Y, P: Your hold has been snapped, now we've got YOU trapped] [O, G: You can't win this] [B, C, Y, P: Giving the human an opening] [O, G: Show your courage here] [B, C, Y, P: Blow after blow your HP will lower] [O, G: and we'll forgive] [B, C, Y, P: Now dance to OUR puppet strings] [F: You can't do this! I WON'T LET YOU!] Tyrian roared as he felt his strength wane

[Y: That was] [O, C, G, B, P: This game is over, we can get closure] [Y: Your last chance to] [O, C, G, B, P: For our empty deaths at his hands] [Y: turn your back on this path] [O, C, G, B, P: It will suffice to put you on ice] [Y: and repent] [O, C, G, B, P: Before we must all disband] [Y: Aiming] [O, C, G, B, P: It's up to you now determined human] [Y: at your weak spot] [O, C, G, B, P: You've got the final blow] [Y: They won't miss; three, two, one] [O, C, G, B, P: Unleash your power on that flower] [Y: time is up!] [O, C, G, B, P: Three, two, one let's go!] With a roar of effort Emerald dealt a final blow defeating Tyrian leaving a torn up and beaten flower alone with the child.

"She won!" Pyrrha cheered vaulting over her seat to pull Emerald into an embrace "Magnificent work!"

Face red in embarrassment Emerald looked away from the joyful champion "It wasn't actually me you know" she reminded them gently

"But it shows that you could've since I don't believe this version of you had any physical advantages over you" Cinder supplied, amused by her subordinate's situation. Emerald simply sighed before deciding to just let the champ get her hugging impulse out of her system. "Can you let me go now?" she asked once it was clear that Pyrrha wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"Oh! sorry!" Pyrrha chuckled bashfully before hopping back to her own seat.

Emerald sighed once everything was over. Looking at Tyrian's defeated form she debated over what to do. She could select to fight and finish the job or she could show him mercy. Making up her mind she selected Mercy causing Tyrian to glance up at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked weakly "Do you really think I've learned anything from this?" he questioned "No." he looked away waiting for the final blow to come. Emerald puffed her cheeks up and selected mercy once more. "Sparing me won't change anything. Killing me is the only way to end this." Emerald shook her head and threw away her weapon "If you let me live... I'll come back." Tyrian promised as he straitened his stem to look at her properly. Emerald made a sort of 'uh-huh sure you will' motion as she selected mercy again "I'll kill you. I'll kill everyone." Tyrian declared with a manic gleam in his eyes "I'll kill everyone you love" Emerald continued to select mercy as Tyrian just stared at her unable to comprehend her choice. "Why?" he eventually asked "Why are you being so nice to me?" his resolve wavered as he let go of his tough-guy act. "I can't understand. I can't understand! I just can't understand..." unable to cope with his feelings he ran away.

Cinder hummed as she watched everything carefully "Flowey ran away" she mused. Emerald nodded her head and stepped through the door behind where Flowey had been. Soon a brief condensed version of the credits flashed by before a phone began ringing.

"Oh I thought it was over" Glynda mused having begun to rise in order to stretch her legs.

"I can pause it if anyone needs a bathroom break or time to stretch and get snacks," Fox informed them

"No, no, you can let it play I won't be too long" Glynda assured them as a couple of others stood to handle their own business.

"That being said, I'm surprised she could forgive the flower so easily" Winter mused as she stretched her arms and back.

"She's a child that can control time. Maybe she just figured that she could learn more if he lived" Qrow offered a possible solution.

"I suppose" Winter hummed

Emerald now on the surface and alone stared at her cellphone in surprise as the call immediately went to voicemail. Deciding to listen to the message before looking into that problem she held the receiver to her ear as her caller began speaking. "Heya, is anyone there?" Qrow asked jovially "Well, I'll just leave a message" Qrow mused figuring that he had been sent to voice mail "So... it's been a while" he began as the chorus began singing

"Is this how our story will end? With the fallen child leaving friends. What will happen now to us all? Will another angel ever fall? We must prevail, even trapped beneath the veil. And someday soon escape this tomb~"

As the chorus repeated Qrow began speaking once more "The queen returned, and is now ruling over the underground" Qrow stated factually "She's instated a new policy. All the humans who fall here will be treated not as enemies but as friends. It's probably for the best, anyway. The human souls the king gathered seem to have disappeared. So, uh, that plan ain't happening anytime soon" Emerald had the distinct feeling Qrow wasn't actually all that beat up about it.

"Well at least it seems like they're moving on" Pyrrha mused

"Honestly it feels like I'm waiting for something to happen" Qrow pointed out as he took a long drink from his flask.

"if what the comedian said earlier was true, then he's probably waiting for her to reset" Cinder pointed out flippantly. "It's abundantly clear Emerald isn't happy with the way things ended as it is."

"Yeah, maybe you're right" Qrow shrugged his shoulders. He nodded in thanks when Glynda handed him a sandwich having returned from her walk.

"But even though people are heartbroken over the king and things are looking grim for our freedom. The queen is trying her best not to let us give up hope. So, uh, hey... if we're not giving up down here, don't give up wherever you are, ok?" Emerald could see him winking at her in her mind as she giggled. "Who knows how long it will take, but we will get out of here. That's a promise." Qrow declared softly.

"SANS! WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?" Taiyang questioned loudly as he entered the room Qrow had been using.

"oh, nobody"

"WHAT? NOBODY? CAN I TALK TO THEM TOO?" Emerald covered her mouth as she began laughing.

"Here, knock yourself out."

"You two never change do you?" Glynda questioned with a tired sigh

"Nah" Qrow chuckled as he shook his head.

"WAIT A SECOND..." Taiyang mumbled as he looked at the number Qrow had dialed "I RECOGNIZE THIS NUMBER!" he announced jubilantly. clearing his throat Taiyang increased his volume as he made his announcement. "ATTENTION, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS AM NOW CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! IT'S EVERYTHING I'VE EVER DREAMED OF! EXCEPT, INSTEAD OF FIGHTING, WE JUST WATER FLOWERS. SO THAT'S EVER SO SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. AND WE'RE HELPING DR. ALPHYS WITH HER RESEARCH! SHE'S GOING TO FIND A WAY TOM GET US OUT OF HERE! UNDYNE IS HELPING HER TOO!" Emerald snorted at the thought. "THOUGH, TO BE HONEST, HER METHOD OF HELPING SEEMS KIND OF EXPLOSION-INDUCING. BUT I THINK ALPHYS LIKES HAVING HER AROUND. UH-OH!"

Emerald could clearly hear the moment Pyrrha took the phone away from Taiyang "Hey! What are you up to, punk?" with her signature warcry she dug her knuckle into the phone to the tall skeleton's distress.

"PLEASE DON'T NOOGIE THE PHONE."

Pyrrha hid her face when Jaune shot her a questioning look "I don't know, don't look at me like that..." she whined softly.

"Hey! who's in charge here?" Pyrrha asked aggressively

"ME" Taiyang pointed out nervously

"Oh..." Pyrrha paused having clearly forgotten that "yeah, that's right! I quit my job as leader of the royal guard." She paused in thought "Actually since we won't be fighting anymore, the royal guard totally disbanded. There's, uh, only one member now" Emerald resisted the urge to place her face into her palms

"BUT HE'S EXTREMELY GOOD!" Taiyang declared proudly

"Yeah, he is! C'mere!" Pyrrha urged as Emerald got the sense that she was giving the younger skeleton a noogie.

"Well at least they're still well" Glynda mused in fondness

"I couldn't have said it any better" Ozpin agreed simply, inwardly curious as to how things were going to end.

"Anyways, now I'm working as Alphys' lab assistant!" Pyrrha seemed to get even more passionate in her manner of speech "We're gonna find a way out of this dump once and for all!" as if flipping a switch she suddenly calmed down as another thought crossed her mind "Oh, yeah, and I'm a gym teacher at the queen's new school. Did you know I can bench press seven children? Awesome, right?" Emerald couldn't help but wonder just how much weight that actually was considering monsters weren't technically physical beings.

Pyrrha paused as she decided to broach the difficult subject "Hey... I'm sorry about what happened with Asgore. You were just doing what you had to... it's not your fault he..." she sighed heavily "Darn it... I miss the big guy" with a yell she snapped the mood causing Emerald to laugh "I guess I can tell you about how Alphys is doing" Pyrrha continued obviously trying to get past the sore spot about Ozpin. "Well, she's the same as ever. Maybe a little more reclusive than normal. Seems like there's something really bothering her. But, she can get through it! I'm there supporting her! that's what friends are for right?" Pyrrha sighed once more "Look...wherever you are, you need to try to be happy... for our sakes alright?" Emerald felt a tear fall down her cheeks as she nodded her head.

"If only I could do it all again..." Emerald whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"I take it this is where the reset happens?" Weiss asked simply

"Makes sense." Blake nodded her head curious about how things would work.

in her mind, Tyrian appeared with a curious expression "Why?" he asked simply "Why did you let me go? Don't you realize that being nice just makes you get hurt?" he asked curiously "Look at yourself. You made all these great friends, but now... you'll probably never see them again. Not to mention how much they've been set back by you. Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked smugly. Emerald silently wondered if he had a point. "If you had just gone through without caring about anyone you wouldn't have to feel bad now." his expression went blank as he stared at Emerald looking for an answer "So, I don't get it. If you really did everything the right way... why did things still end up like this? Why...? Is life really that unfair?" Emerald never got a chance to answer as Tyrian quickly changed the subject "Say. What if I told you I knew some way to get a better ending?"

"And now we begin again" James mused wondering how differently things could go.

"See, humans have this thing called 'DETERMINATION'. It's a power that allows your soul to persist after death. And you've got the most DETERMINATION I've seen in a long time!" he giggled a little before correcting his expression "But see, if you have more DETERMINATION than anyone else... you can keep going after death... you can change fate... like saving and loading a file in a video game! Golly, how cliche!" he rolled his eyes a little before refocusing on Emerald who was now paying rapt attention to his words "But I guess you're fortunate that so far, you haven't needed to use this power. That you've avoided being killed for so long. What a waste! I bet you coulda had some fun, seeing different outcomes!" Emerald flinched at the thought "I wonder if you weren't already aware of this power... and you've been deliberately NOT using it... but hey! Here's your opportunity to see just how powerful your DETERMINATION is! To see if you can't change everyone's fate for the better!" Tyrian's blank expression bored into Emerald's as he laid out a plan "So here's the idea, buddy. You use that DETERMINATION, start over, and... well... in the meantime..." he trailed off before refocusing on her. "Well, Undyne had that letter for Dr. Alphys, right? Why not go see what that was all about? Who knows... maybe she's the key to your happiness...?" he smiled creepily offering a little "See you soon." before disappearing with a chuckle.

As soon as he was gone the opening disclaimers were back on screen.

"He's manipulating her for an outcome he wants" Salem declared simply.

"What does he even want?" Emerald muttered under her breath

"He's bored" Jaune stated catching everyone's attention. "Think about it, how does he know so much about determination if he's a monster?"

"Because he had the power before Emerald did" Ren muttered recalling a line from his song in the Omega Flowey fight. "'The power to reset all, stolen by your stupid fall'" he quoted. "He was the one in control of the timeline before Emerald fell into the underground."

"So, does he want it back or something?" Yang asked as the villains shivered at the thought of Tyrian of all people controlling time.

"That, I don't know" Jaune admitted "What I do know, is that he wants to be amused, to give color to an otherwise gray life"

It was like watching a movie on fast forward as Emerald quickly went through everything up until after her disastrous cooking lesson with Pyrrha "Um, so, I have a favor to ask you. Uh... I... I need you to deliver this letter. To Dr. Alphys" Pyrrha requested holding out a letter to Emerald who quietly nodded her head in agreement. Looking a little red in the gills Pyrrha looked away with a cough "Papyrus suggested that I ask you. but, he told me when I still hated you, so..." she trailed off not quite sure how to continue. "Uh! Why don't I deliver it myself?" Pyrrha made an odd expression as she turned away from Emerald "It's because Hotland sucks! I don't wanna go over there!" Emerald sighed and gave the older girl a deadpan expression. "Welp here you go! if you read it I'll kill you!" she smiled "Thanks so much! You're the best!" before running away. Emerald just sighed as everything fast-forwarded to Velvet's bout of self-deprecation after the Roman fight.

"Well, at least we're skipping a bunch of the boring stuff this time," Qrow muttered

"Qrow!"

"What it's true!"

Emerald interrupted Velvet's self-hatred by shoving the letter into her hands "O-oh! another letter? C-can't I just... hand it back or..." she sighed mumbling under her breath "No... I can't keep doing this... I'll read this one" as Emerald decided to keep moving she could hear Velvet fighting with the letter "I-it's shut k-kind of strongly, isn't it?" Emerald almost tripped over her own feet when the sounds of a chainsaw revving up reached her ears

"How did you seal that envelope?" Cinder questioned Pyrrha who shrugged her shoulders.

"Superglue?" the champ offered lamely.

"Wait a second..." Velvet muttered before catching up with Emerald "Hey if this is a joke, it's..." she actually stopped to read the letter this time "Oh my god... Did YOU write this letter? it wasn't signed so..." Emerald facepalmed and shook her head "I had no idea who could have..." Velvet continued having not noticed Emerald's reaction "Oh my god. Oh no. That's adorable" she smiled bashfully "and I h-had no idea you, um, wrote that way! It's surprising, too... after all the gross stuff I did... I don't really deserve to be forgiven. Much less... um... this? And so passionately, too."

"What on earth did Undyne put in that letter?" Cinder questioned looking at the scientist curiously. Emerald had no clue but didn't react at all to her ghostly companion's question.

"You know what, okay! I'll do it! It's the least I can do to make it up to you! Y-yeah! Let's go on a date!" Emerald blinked in surprise as her hand was grabbed by the surprisingly strong bunny as they made their way to the dating spot.

"How could you cheat on her?" Coco asked Velvet with a mock gasp.

"Yeah! with a kid too!" Nora added on as Velvet panicked and tried to correct them.

"How's it feel to add homewrecker to your list of titles?" Cinder asked Emerald with a smirk causing the mint-haired girl to groan as she palmed her face.

"Pyrrha tell them nothing is going on!" Velvet begged completely missing that they were all teasing her.

"How could you Velvet?" Pyrrha turned on the crocodile tears "Did what we have really mean so little to you?" she even added in some sniffles. Naturally, Velvet panicked even more as the other students all laughed

Roman snorted as he leaned toward his partner. "She should've been an actress instead of a huntress." Neo nodded her head as if to say 'yep, yep!'

Emerald sat outside Velvet's door as she waited for the royal scientist to get ready. "How do I look?" Velvet asked stepping out of her room. Her hair was done up in a neat bun while a semi-snug one-piece black and white polka-dotted dress adorned her figure showing off a little leg. Naturally, Emerald, being ten, just shot the woman a thumbs up and a smile.

What happened next was just a sad and cringe-worthy attempt at dating that left both feeling a little weird as they ended up just walking around dumping grounds where surface world junk would end up. "I... uh... guess it's obvious... that I like Undyne huh?" Emerald nodded her head. As Velvet tried to make up excuses about why she even suggested their outing Emerald took a seat realizing that they were probably going to be a while as Velvet got swept up in her thoughts.

"Wow she's... really lost to us huh?" Cinder mused as Velvet admitted to all the reasons she liked Pyrrha, all of the lies she had told Pyrrha to make herself look better, and her insecurities about the effectiveness of any of her work. "Does she really think it's better to be whatever makes other people like her?"

"I hope not" Emerald admitted.

The audience winced in sympathy as Velvet basically orated all of her little insecurities and thoughts out loud. "Make it stop!" she whined as she hid her face behind her ears. "This is so pitiful!"

"I feel kind of bad for hearing all that" Jaune muttered as he looked away from Velvet unsure what else he could do.

"Same" many of the others in the room agreed solemnly.

"But how can I tell Undyne the truth?" Velvet asked causing Emerald to blink in surprise before she shrugged her shoulders. "I d-don't have the confidence... I'm going to mess it up! How can I practice!?" Emerald saw the metaphorical lightbulb go off in Velvet's mind "Oh wait! I know! Roleplay! that'll be fun, right?" Emerald glanced at Cinder who shrugged her shoulders. clearing her throat Velvet put on her best impression of Pyrrha "Hey, Alphys! You look cute today! Which I say often! But platonically because I would NEVER like you!" Emerald wasn't quite sure Pyrrha would ever say that "H-hi Undyne! how are you today?" Velvet continued this time in her own voice. "You're cute!" "T-thanks! You say that to me a lot, and I never know what to say! But I know, you just, mean it platonically, because we're just friends! Ehehehehe! Uh... you're... one hot... hot baby?" "WHAT! A-Alphys, what's gotten into you? H-hot baby? How dare you call me that! First off, I'm a baby KNIGHT! Captain of the babies! Treat my position with respect, or I will strike you down! Uh, now, pretend I'm suplexing a boulder for no reason" "Uh, anyway! Good to see you looking fit as always! Uh, c-can we talk?" "Talk to you? Hmm... I guess so! I often seem excited to listen to you for some reason. I will make intent eye contact with you so you sweat while you talk. So, what is it?" "Um, you see, I... I... I... I h-haven't been exactly truthful w-w-with you..." "What? So you've been lying to me this whole time? Alphys! I can't believe you! You w-worthless slime! How could you betray our friendship? After how much I trusted you!"

"Huh..." Ruby titled her head to the side

"Wow she's blind" Weiss muttered in a sort of horrified awe.

"I thought that level of density was only in literature" Blake added causing Velvet to let out a muffled sob as she buried her head into her hands.

"I'm not this bad I swear..." she muttered as the Grimm Queen awkwardly patted her back in a consoling manner.

"Hold me Undyne! Hold me!" Velvet shouted getting a little far in her delusions

"Undyne do what?" Pyrrha asked walking over to them in casual wear as she clearly had no idea how to process the words Velvet had spouted.

"Undyne! Hi!" Velvet shrieked nervously as she backed up as far as she could while still remaining polite.

"We should leave" Cinder whispered. Emerald nodded her head and began tiptoeing away

"WHAT?" Pyrrha shouted in stunned surprise Emerald blinked, what on earth had Velvet said? the answer? Velvet apparently decided now was the perfect time to put her feelings into song.

"Well...this is awkward" Qrow mused as he stared into his drink

"Quite" Ozpin agreed as he looked away from the screen politely

"I have been lying about everything. Seaweed's not important, I just put it in ice cream. And the books I said were human history... They are just comic books for big nerds like me. The history movies you base your whole way of living and fighting on they're just anime" Emerald winced as Pyrrha froze "They're not real, and I want to say I just slack off and eat yogurt sitting in my PJs"

"Alphys" Undyne took a deep breath

"I... I just wanted to impress you!" Velvet admitted as she looked down at the ground "I just wanted you to think I was cool... that I wasn't some... nerdy loser."

Now concerned Pyrrha spoke again "Alphys" she muttered as she placed her hand on the rabbit's head

"I just... I think you're really great, okay?" Velvet muttered sinking to the ground in dismay.

Pyrrha made calming noises as she knelt next to her friend and crush "Alphys..."

"Normal literary practice would suggest that Undyne will admit her love right here" Penny offered her thoughts on the matter

"Stop saying all that junk I do think you're neat!" Pyrrha declared as she picked Velvet off the ground "Most of what you said doesn't matter to me!" lightly tossing the scientist into the air Pyrrha subtly pumped her fist in victory when Velvet landed right in a trash can. Emerald wasn't sure whether to be impressed by the shot or horrified that it happened in the first place.

"Well, I think standard literary practices have flown out the window at this point." Yang mused as Pyrrha apologized to Velvet.

"All of the things you watch are just nerdy crap! But you have passion and I care about that! It doesn't matter what it is, you care! With all your strength and power!"

"Oh my god, my hair..." Velvet whined from within the trash can.

"You do not have to lie to me anymore! I'll help you be happy with the person you are!" Pyrrha sang passionately as Velvet peeked out from within the trash can.

"Weirdly wholesome?" Sun mused as he tilted his head side to side.

"Yup!" Nora agreed with a laugh.

"Undyne, do you really mean it?" Velvet questioned.

"You bet I do! Now don't be scared! Be prepared!" the song finished as Taiyang peeked out from behind a garbage pile "For your training regiment!"

"GET THOSE BONES SHAKING!" he declared wearing a weird workout outfit. "LET'S JOG A HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE THEATRE, HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!" Emerald opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it as Pyrrha smirked.

"Ready? I'm about to start the timer!" she declared happily as Taiyang helped Velvet out of the trash can.

"Undyne... thank you!" the shy rabbit muttered before being coerced by Taiyang to get started on her run as Pyrrha cheered them on.

"I thought they were in a junkyard," Ruby muttered looking confused.

"Another joke that this is all a stage play" Weiss stated factually "I imagine if this happened on an actual stage Papyrus and Alphys would actually do laps around the theatre until Alphy's next line."

"Oh! that makes sense!" Ruby nodded her head looking happy "You're the best Weiss!" turning red at the praise Weiss quickly looked away and huffed.

Once they were out of hearing range Pyrrha let her composure slip as she stared at Emerald with dead eyes. "Oh my god!" Emerald looked at her curiously "She was kidding, right? Those cartoons... those comics... those are still REAL, right?" Emerald held up her hands placatingly as Pyrrha suffered an existential crisis. "Anime's real right? Anime's real right? ANIME'S REAL RIGHT!?"

"..." no one said anything as they glanced at Pyrrha wondering how she would take that, rather odd, outburst. The girl in question merely palmed her face and shook her head in disappointment.

Pyrrha quickly fixed her expression as Velvet circled back to them huffing and puffing and caked in sweat. "NINETY-NINE MORE TO GO!" Taiyang declared jovially as Cinder and Emerald stared at Velvet in pity.

"Can we... take a break... maybe?" Velvet wheezed

"SURE! AS LONG AS YOU'RE THE ONE TAKING BREAKS AND I'M NOT!" Taiyang stated before continuing on his laps.

"You take real good care of Alphys, human! She deserves it! Pyrrha grinned seeing some life back in Velvet's eyes.

"Phew... I haven't had... That much exercise... ever..." Velvet wheezed as she gulped in deep breaths of air.

"That's kind of sad" Qrow pointed out bluntly.

"Very" Winter agreed irked that she was agreeing with Qrow about anything.

"Human, there's something I need you to see," she informed them. Once she had caught her breath she smiled bashfully at Pyrrha before waving her off citing that this was something she had to do. "I know you heard Undyne say that I don't have to lie anymore so I won't today!" she sang as she guided Emerald back to the lab in Hotland "I've done more than enough lying, I'm tired of trying it anyway. Undyne showed lots of concern telling me I deserved a happy life. If she knew the things I did she wouldn't like me, kid. Not my fish wife" she pointed a finger at Emerald's face "Don't tell her I said that!"

Coco snorted causing Velvet to hit her arm with a fist as she pouted.

"So step this way, like in anime. 'Cause I trust you, do what you need to. Do with my secret. Dangit, Alphys, quit it! Stop that dismay. Come on, this way..." Velvet punched in a rather complicated-looking code into the door panel before it opened up revealing a secret elevator. stepping inside she gestured for Emerald to follow her.

As the elevator descended Velvet looked absolutely miserable as she caught Emerald's attention "Hey... thanks for your help back there." Emerald shot her a thumbs up. "You guys... your support means a lot to me. But... as difficult as it is to say this... You guys alone can't make my problems magically go away." Emerald closed her mouth unable to think of anything to say. "I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again... If you want to know 'the truth.' Then come on. You all deserve to know what I did" with that ominous phrase Velvet exited the elevator as a power surge plunged the room into darkness. Once the lights were back Emerald couldn't see Velvet anywhere as she cautiously exited the elevator and began looking around.

"Just what did Velvet do?" Jaune asked nervously

"We're about to find out Mr. Arc" Ozpin noted softly

As Emerald walked down a hallway a recording began to play "Psst! Gorey, wake up!" it was Salem's voice back when things were still good in the underground.

Ozpin, still drowsy, responded slowly "Mmm? What is it, dear? And why do you have that video camera?"

"I remember you always waking me up at night whenever a new thought crossed your mind" Ozpin mused aloud teasing his former wife.

"And you snored loud enough to wake the dead" Salem recalled smirking when Ozpin's cheeks turned pink. "I win this bout Ozma"

"Shush! I want to get your reaction!" Salem informed him giddily "Gorey, dearest. What is my favorite vegetable?"

To his credit, Ozpin took the time to think, not quite sure if it was a joke or her making sure he still remembered their anniversary. "Hmm... Carrots, right?" he answered softly "

Salem laughed "No, no, no! My FAVORITE vegetable is Eda-MOM-e." Salem burst into a giggling mess "Get it?"

"That was a good one" Yang chuckled as the others just rolled their eyes at the silly joke.

Ozpin, unamused, muttered "Go back to bed, dear"

"No, no! Not yet! Hee, hee!" Salem giggled again as she roused her sleeping husband "Now if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?"

"Hmm... I don't know, honey" Ozpin groaned "What kind of dog would you be?"

"I would be... a MOMERANIAN!" She quickly devolved into a giggling mess as Ozpin joined her, holding her tightly.

"I see now" Ozpin mused with a small smile "this must be when she was pregnant with her first child"

"You sure are excited to have this child" Ozpin noted humorously as he settled down "You know if you keep making jokes like this..." he paused as he closed one eye teasingly. "one day, you could be a famous MOMedian"

There was a pause as husband and wife stared into each other's eyes. "Well, I'm going to bed" Salem announced as she pulled the sheets over her shoulders.

"Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny!" Ozpin complained as he playfully shoved his wife's shoulder.

"They are so cute together" Nora gushed as she yanked on Ren's arm causing the teen to sigh tiredly.

"Yes Nora, I can see that" he muttered dully.

"It just makes their separation even worse" Jaune muttered recalling the events that had led to that in the first place.

"Yeah..." Pyrrha whispered sadly.

Salem laughed "I know, I'm just teasing you" she assured her husband "Goodnight, dear!"

Ozpin nuzzled her head "Goodnight, honey"

Emerald smiled softly before the next tape began to play. "Okay, Chara, are you ready?" Oscar's voice asked as Emerald inspected the various logs around the lab. "Do your creepy face!" Emerald shot Cinder a look with a raised brow.

"It wasn't that creepy!" the recording played her scream causing Oscar to jump. "That was intentional!" Emerald gave her a sort of 'Uh-huh, sure' look before continuing on.

"I wonder what any of this has to do with saving everyone though" Winter mused as she tried to figure out how all of the monsters could be saved.

"We'll just have to wait and see Specialist Schnee" James shrugged his shoulders curious despite himself.

"Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on!" Oscar groaned causing the recording of Cinder to laugh. "What? You're not going to do it again?" he whined as Emerald decided to continue her investigation. "Come on! Quit tricking me!" As Emerald touched a save star the next recording began "Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! Ha! This time I got YOU! I left the cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason!" Emerald shook her head

"He's not very good at the whole prank thing is he?"

"Nope, not at all" Cinder sighed in fond amusement.

"Well, that was weirdly wholesome considering who's in it" Roman muttered as he shot a look Cinder's way.

"Did you have a problem with me Roman?" Cinder asked eyes glinting cruelly.

"Not a gods be damned thing" he muttered pulling his hat over his eyes.

"Do you remember?" Cinder's voice asked as the next recording played. "When we tried to make a butterscotch pie for Dad? The recipe asked for cups of butter..." Cinder sounded so... depressed that Emerald chanced a glance at her. The ghost in question was looking away obviously bothered by the memory. "But we accidentally put in buttercups instead."

"Oh dear, those are poisonous" Glynda hummed as she held a hand over her mouth.

"It's not a fast poison either" Ozpin added in with narrowed eyes. "They didn't..." he muttered as a sinking feeling settled in his gut.

Oscar laughed nervously "Yeah! Those flowers got him real sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset..." he trailed off "I should have laughed it off, like you did..." Emerald looked at Cinder questioningly

"It's a coping thing" the living half of the pair nodded her head in understanding.

Oscar sounded nervous "Where are you going with this?"

Cinder merely replied, "Turn off the camera..."

"I have a bad feeling about all of this..." Ruby muttered burying her face into Yang's side.

"Me too Rubes... me too..." Yang whispered as she ran her hand through her sister's hair comfortingly.

Salem paled "No... they didn't..." Cinder looked at her curiously but Salem offered no details of her thoughts.

"I... I don't like this idea, Chara" Oscar admitted nervously

"You're scared. You're crying." Cinder pointed out simply, a hint of accusation in her tone.

"... Big kids don't cry..." Oscar mumbled a reflexive answer most likely.

"Are you calling me a liar? Are you doubting me?" Chara asked sounding more and more hurt.

"No! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone!" he paused clearly still unhappy with their plan "I'll go get the flowers."

"She sacrificed herself..." Pyrrha whispered in horror "She killed herself so that her brother could take her soul and cross the barrier in order to get six more souls to break it for good!"

"But he was too kind to fight back when they attacked him. They must have been thinking to retrieve a soul from the recently deceased or a cemetery where lingering souls might reside." Weiss added in, theorizing what might have happened.

"And things only got worse as a result" Qrow muttered unhappily as he downed the rest of his flask before requesting a refill.

"Chara... Can you hear me?" Salem begged desperately. Clearly, the recording was from after the plan was put in motion. "We want you to wake up!"

"Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up! You are the future of humans and monsters!" Ozpin pleaded with her urging her to get better.

"Psst! Chara..." Oscar whispered now alone with his sister "Please... wake up... I don't like this plan anymore." Oscar took deep calming breaths as he resolved himself. "No... I said... I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six... and we'll do it together, right?" he asked weakly

"No..." Salem whispered as she sank into her chair. "Are all versions of me doomed to lose their children?" Her musings brought forth a chill within the audience, others beginning to wonder if there were such things as multiversal constants.

"I do not believe so, Queen Salem" Fox admitted solemnly "However, the loss of your children IS a common turning point from loving wife and mother to bitter Dictator and harbinger of ruin."

"Meaning?" James questioned preferring to-the-point answers

"In most worlds where Salem could be considered the main antagonist, she became so due to the loss of her children."

"Most?" Salem asked

"Well, naturally there are some worlds, where you're just evil plain and simple" Fox shrugged their shoulders when the audience members just stared in shock.

Entering a large room Emerald noticed Velvet waiting for her looking nervous "Well, human... here we are." she slowly began walking down a hallway as Emerald caught up with her. "My lab- my... real lab. Where I experimented with the soul." Emerald gulped nervously as they continued walking into the darkness.

"Gods above..." Ozpin whispered in horror "Such research was banned for a reason! Even if you're careful you could irreversibly alter someone to the point they're no better than a Grimm!"

Salem frowned "Worse, you could cause the body to reject the soul as foreign. The individual in question would die in agonizing pain as their own body ripped itself to pieces trying to make it right. The body is malleable the soul is not"

"Souls can't be made artificially. So monster souls are what we need. But monster souls disappear fast. I found a way to make them last." Emerald blinked and suddenly Velvet wasn't with her even though she could still hear the woman's singing.

"What's going on? I know Velvet isn't that fast!" she whispered softly before shaking her head "No matter, just continue investigating everything. Hopefully whatever is in here will help me save everyone."

"I found DETERMINATION. The power to change fate, and Asgore went through town. Looking for monsters who've fallen down. Then a vessel found. A flower on the ground. That flower I did give no SOUL, but the will to live. Experiments failed, this is a sorry tale. Then to my surprise, they opened their eyes." her song over Velvet chuckled weakly as Emerald approached an odd machine. "Everyone who fell just woke up. Like nothing happened. At least there's a happy ending. I sent the souls and the vessel back to Asgore. I told the families everyone was alive, and I'd send them back..." Emerald cautiously turned the machine on.

As if called several amalgamations began approaching Emerald looking like melted mixtures of monsters she had seen during her travels. "You see now?" Velvet asked sounding incredibly distraught "This is what experimenting with souls gets you."

"Oh, my gods!" Weiss yelped as she jumped into Ruby's lap. "Not a word!" she hissed at her team leader. Ruby mimed zipping her lips but maintained an amused expression.

"Okay... so my Bun can totally pull off the mad scientist role" Coco mused as she peered over the rim of her sunglasses to get a proper look at the things on the screen.

"COCO!" Velvet whined hitting the other girl's shoulder with her fists.

As Emerald prepared to defend herself Velvet merely began to sing some more. "Breaking bodies, melting bodies, what have I done? The flower's gone! They keep calling 'where's my family?' 'Will they come home?' Don't look at the phone. If I die here, leave all my friends. I die content among my sins. Asgore calling. Everyone hates me. Found a teacup, it looks like me."

"She has no business sounding that good while I'm being attacked by weird melting goop monsters!" Emerald hissed as she avoided a barrage of, frankly, weird as hell attacks.

"Spend my time at the dump alone. It's my element. It's my home. If | I | die | here | leave | all | my | friends | I die content among my sins"

"Velvet help!" Emerald finally shouted as she was cornered by the amalgamates.

Velvet managed to shake her depression as she took stock of the situation "Hey! If it's food you want, I got you some! In the kitchen!" she shouted as she ran up to them causing the amalgamates to quickly run towards the dining area.

"Well!" Glynda huffed "I think that's reason enough to keep that ban on soul experimentation!" that got a few chuckles from the others in the room which served its purpose of cutting into the tense atmosphere.

Penny shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Specialist..." she whispered catching Winter's attention "Do I not count as an experiment on a soul?" The faunus in the room shifted their attention to her curiously.

Winter blinked in surprise before seriously considering the question. Nodding her head she patted Penny's shoulders "I have no idea" she admitted bluntly. "That is not my area of expertise"

Penny stared at the specialist for a good second before hugging the older woman joyously "Then it must not matter! I am simply me!" Winter smiled softly as she patted the robotic girl's head

"You jealous?" Yang asked Weiss smugly.

"Grow up Yang"

"Sorry about that" Velvet apologized softly "They get kind of sassy when they don't get fed on time" Emerald raised a brow at that "Anyway! The power went out, but I think it's fixed. So... this was probably a big inconvenience for you. B-but I appreciate you coming to back me up! As I said, I was afraid I might... not come back... but's that not because of these guys or anything! I was just worried I would be too afraid... to tell the truth... that I might run away, or do something... cowardly."

"She feared that she would kill herself" Ghira noted with a hum. "It is not easy to admit to such dark thoughts"

"Poor thing, I hope she gets help" Kali whispered as she laid her head on her husband's arm.

"I was afraid to keep working knowing everything I'd done so far had been such a horrific failure." she smiled softly as she held out her hand towards Emerald as they began making their way out of the true lab. "But now I've changed my mind about all of this. I'm going to tell everyone what I've done." As they entered the elevator and began heading up Velvet smiled softly "It's going to be hard... being honest... believing in myself... I'm sure there will be times when I'll struggle. I'm sure there will be times when I screw up again. But knowing, deep down, that I have friends to fall back on... I know it'll be a lot easier to stand on my own. Thank you." Velvet gave Emerald a big hug before showing the child the way forward.

Emerald felt something surge within her. placing a hand on her heart she realized with a start that it was pounding "What...?" hearing something in the background she cupped her ears. Ignoring the odd looks her actions were gathering she closed her eyes and focused 'the knowledge of how things could be, fills you with, DETERMINATION' Emerald blinked as she put her hand down "I thought nothing bleeds through"

Fox looked her way and calmly made their way over "What happened?"

Emerald tilted her head to the side not quite sure herself. "I heard a voice telling me that I'm filled with DETERMINATION"

Fox hummed before looking around her seat "Here it is" they muttered showing everyone a small tear in reality right next to Emerald's headrest. Fox then pulled out a can of mace and sprayed it into the hole which quickly closed up. "Unfortunately I'm not the only one who can delve into these sorts of things."

"Oh, wow what an asshole" Yang sighed in annoyance. She had been pumped at the idea of getting new abilities

Entering the elevator to the King's castle Emerald frowned when she heard Oscar's voice. "Chara... are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it...?" Emerald's frown deepened as she recalled what she learned in the True Lab 'It's not actually Asriel speaking. Flowey is just mimicking his old voice' "But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara... See you soon." When the elevator chimed and she stepped out the doors were quickly sealed shut by abnormally strong vines. 'No going back, huh?' she mused before shrugging her shoulders.

Making her way through the Judgement Hall she waved at Qrow who seemed a little surprised by her reaction. "Huh? You look like you've seen this all before."

"Just a little jaunt through time," Ruby said in a 'posh' voice causing her friends to giggle at her.

"I can't even imagine trying to explain all of this" Weiss muttered as she rubbed her eyes feeling a little strained.

Qrow shrugged "I get the feeling you aren't gonna learn anything from this." he mused aloud as he tapped his chin. "Well, guess I gotta judge you, then" with a flare of his magic his eye lit up as he inspected her "Your actions here will determine the fate of the world... if you refuse to fight... Asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. but if you kill Asgore and go home... monsters will remain trapped underground. What will you do?" he sighed tiredly as Emerald waited for him to finish. "Well, if I were you, I would've thrown in the towel by now. But, you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?"

Emerald ran up and hugged the skeleton who grunted in surprise before lightly patting her back. "Was I talking too much?" he joked causing her to giggle. "Alright, we are all counting on you kid. Good luck." Emerald nodded her head and pushed forward as Qrow watched her go. The meeting with the King went as she remembered it as he began leading her to the barrier. Honestly, Emerald was surprised he even got through the first line of his song, because as soon as he looked up to destroy the Mercy button a fireball formed beside him catching his attention before it slammed into his snout.

Ozpin rubbed his nose feeling a phantom pain from the King's suffering.

"Oh, if only things were that simple" Salem sighed wistfully.

"I faintly recall being hit with a fireball during your first pregnancy" Ozpin grumbled as he looked away from her.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent, youth..." Salem grumbled as she stepped into Emerald's field of view. "Do not be afraid. My child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian" Salem knelt next to Emerald and wiped her cheek with a handkerchief. Emerald smiled softly, letting the motherly monster dote on her. "Oh dear child, do not fear. You're never alone. I worried you'd fall or surely fail on your great adventure. You'd make a choice too terrible for any child to bear. But I'm by your side you won't take a life and I'm here to save you." Ozpin blinked numbly as he idly rubbed his nose which only had a minor scuff mark from her fire. "There will be no sacrifice. There's only life and the love that you can bring. Oh, my child, I know you'll save everything"

Ozpin smiled as he stood up, dusted himself off, and joined his wife in singing "Even monsters get mercy [Even monsters get mercy] Through all our faults and our sins [Through all our faults and our sins] we are but men [we are but men] thanks to him [thanks to him] we lived so long in despair [we lived so long in despair]"

Salem huffed as she folded her arms "Yet, even as terrible as Asgore is... even he deserves mercy." she stated causing Ozpin's eyes to light up.

"I'd check your enthusiasm Oz" James mused, confident that Asgore and Toriel wouldn't be reconciling anytime soon.

"Ah... you're probably correct James" Ozpin hummed

"Tori..." Ozpin began happily "You came back!"

"Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" Salem snapped back as she glared at him causing his mood to sink "You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind... You could've gone through the barrier after you got ONE SOUL..." Emerald palmed her face, she had forgotten about that. "Taken six SOULS from the humans, and then come back and free everyone peacefully."

"Tori..." Ozpin struggled to form words before sighing despondently "You're right... I am a miserable creature... but, do you think we can at least be friends again?" Emerald winced 'Yeah... that just sounds pathetic...sorry goat dad'

"Little desperate, don't you think Oz?" Qrow asked teasingly

"There's nothing I can say about that..." Ozpin sighed as a faint blush could be seen on his cheeks. "Even the child agrees with that sentiment."

Salem sighed "NO, Asgore..."

Before Ozpin could lose what little composure he had left Qrow entered the room "Hey, don't sweat it, big guy You're not a terrible person. You just made some ba-aaaa-d decisions"

Recognizing the voice Salem perked up as she turned towards the skeleton "Oh! are you the one who made all those jokes with me?" she inquired politely.

"Yep. Didn't want to sit this one out. and neither did they..." Qrow quickly stepped out of the way as he patted Emerald on the shoulder.

"I wonder if everyone will show up!" Jaune grinned seeing everyone stepping up to prevent Emerald and Ozpin from fighting.

"It would take nearly all monster souls to equal one human soul..." Pyrrha recited softly as the puzzle fell into place for her. "And an exceptionally strong power to take the souls of still living monsters." The more academically inclined all gasped in realization.

"It's a trap!" Nora yelled

"NGAH! ASGORE! Human! Nobody fight each other!" Pyrrha shouted as she charged into the room "Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...! I'll..." she trailed off when she noticed everyone staring at her. She quickly scrambled to the King's side "Asgore, is that your ex? Geez that's rough buddy" she muttered patting the big guy on the shoulders as his heart warmed at her concern for him.

"Hey! Nobody hurt each other!" Velvet shouted running into the room before freezing seeing both Salem and Ozpin near each other "Oh my..." she whispered not at all ready to see two boss monsters in the same room.

Salem blinked in surprise before she smiled kindly at the two younger monsters "Are you two the human's friends?" she questioned happily "Hello! I am Toriel!" Velvet hid her internal panicking as best as she could before hurrying over to Pyrrha's side taking comfort in some sort of familiarity.

Ozpin smiled softly "Well, admittedly it is refreshing to see something so... mundane work out as far as our conflict goes."

James hummed a little "Are you sure we can't replicate this outcome somehow?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Quite, I'm afraid" Ozpin shook his head "This option has been lost to us I'm afraid."

James' attention drifted to Velvet who was being teased by the Queen of Grimm "I'm not so sure about that Oz"

"Once her interest starts to wane she'll fall back into destructive habits. A side effect, in a manner of speaking, of her Grimm nature." Ozpin looked saddened but remained firm in his belief.

"HEY! IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE...! THEN I'LL... BE FORCED... TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!" Taiyang shouted as he ran into the room. Pyrrha palmed her face before an amused grin took it over.

Qrow rolled his eyes "oh no. please spare us" he said sarcastically

Salem smiled "Hello there!"

"OH! HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!" slightly confused he leaned towards Emerald "PSST! HUMAN! DID ASGORE SHAVE? AND CLONE HIMSELF?" Emerald and Salem giggled

"Don't be silly, young skeleton." she chided him gently

"Yeah, Papyrus, that's my job" Qrow chipped in shooting a teasing look at his brother

"We're showing this to dad" Yang decided, "We're going to get a copy of the video and we're going to show this to Dad"

"He'll probably try to bury himself alive so I better go with just to make sure that he actually doesn't succeed" Qrow muttered to himself with a snicker. "Maybe he'll have enough bad luck to be forced to watch the whole thing"

"You're terrible!" Kali playfully scolded him causing the drunk to laugh.

Emerald tilted her head to the side when she noticed Ozpin's expression as Salem stepped forward to chat with Qrow and Taiyang. "You know... your voice does sound familiar" Qrow mused as he tapped his chin. "The name's Sans, and, uh... nice to meet you."

The dots connected in Salem's mind rather quickly "OH! Then this must be your brother Papyrus!" she noted happily as she stepped to Qrow's side in order to address the younger skeleton. "Hey, Papyrus... what does a skeleton tile his roof with?" she asked

Taiyang not seeing the trap narrowed his eyes in thought "HM... SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?" he answered honestly.

Salem smiled and shook her head "No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with... SHIN-gles!" She quickly broke down giggling as Ozpin's face settled into a 'What can you do?' look. At the same time, Pyrrha and Velvet looked a little lost as they struggled to figure out how to respond to all of these developments.

Taiyang, looking quite cross, threw his hands into the air angrily "MY LIFE IS STILL AGONY!"

"That was a good one" Yang chuckled

"For a five-year-old" Weiss muttered in distaste.

"I don't see you providing any better comedy material" Yang challenged with a smirk.

Pyrrha shook her head as she slapped Ozpin's shoulder "Come on Asgore it'll be alright! There are plenty of fish in the sea..."

Velvet smiled shyly "Undyne's totally right about that fish thing! Sometimes you just got to uh... stop going after fuzzy boss monsters and uh..." Pyrrha's face twisted in confusion as she stared at Velvet silently. Ozpin sighed wondering when the poor girl would realize she was talking about herself. "J-just get to know a really cute fish?" she paused seeing everyone's looks "it's a metaphor."

Pyrrha looked lost in thought for a moment before she shrugged and gave one of her sharper smiles "Well, I think it's a good analogy."

"Just kiss already!" Roman called out causing both Velvet and Pyrrha to blush.

"OH MY GOD!" Roman called out from off-camera "WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY? THE AUDIENCE IS JUST DYING FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!" he declared as one of his robotic legs jabbed at the two angrily.

"Huh... I guess he is a little like me" Roman muttered in surprise as Neo laughed.

"Hey, shut up!" Pyrrha shouted back red in the face "Man, the nerve of that guy right?" she asked Velvet completely ignoring the knowing looks everyone else was sending them. "Uh... Alphys?" she asked wondering what was going through her friend's mind.

"N-no... he's right! Let's do it!" Velvet smiled shakily at her crush as the captain's mental ability crashed

"Well... uh... I guess? if you want to? Then?" she managed to get out as the two awkwardly began leaning closer to each other lips puckered

When Salem realized they were actually going to kiss she happened to glance Emerald's way and realized that the child was only ten "WAIT!" she screamed stepping in between the two. "Not in front of the human!"

"DENIED!" Everyone turned towards Ren who was holding his scroll open, the obvious source of the announcer-like voice. "It seemed appropriate" he defended himself. Nora just laughed while Pyrrha weakly slapped him over the head.

Silently the monsters all gathered around Emerald happily chatting away as Salem began to sing once more "Oh dear child when you fell down. Whoever would guess that you'd make your friends, out of those, who wanted to kill you" she giggled lightly before tapping each of the younger monsters on the shoulder "It's so nice to meet you all and now that we're gathered here. Then maybe we could be friends" the others smiled before joining in. "Living as one family. Sorry that you're forced to stay, here underground. But if we could help you out, as you helped us we would all be happy"

Emerald smiled brightly as she jumped into Salem's embrace "Now come, my child. Rest with me 'neath the branches of the tree. Though I am [We will make a new home] no monster's queen [We're no longer alone] I'll protect them and their dreams" Salem gracefully sat down and pulled Emerald into her lap as she gestured for the others to join them. as they all relaxed together everyone began to sing to Emerald once more "Fallen child. Our best friend. We'll be here until the end. Of this tale, we will sing. The fallen child and the monster king" Salem nuzzled Emerald's forehead softly as everyone just quietly watched the exterior of the barrier content in the silence and together.

"And... plot twist" Blake mused

"My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while," Salem noted as she looked Emerald in the eye as she allowed the human to pull away from her and climb to her feet. "But looking at all the great friends you have made... I think... I think you will be happy here."

Velvet blinked as something clicked in her mind "H-hey... that reminds me. Papyrus, YOU called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, her." she shook her head "Uh, anyway... If I got here before you... How did you know to call everybody?" Emerald froze.

"LET'S JUST SAY" Taiyang began "A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME!" he declared boisterously. Emerald and Velvet both froze as they realized what had happened

"And now the final battle!" Ruby shouted with glee.

"It better be good" Cinder noted as she checked her nails.

"I hope it is" Emerald muttered

"A tiny... flower?" Velvet whispered as suddenly all of them were entangled in a thick vine.

"You IDIOTS" Tyrian grinned as he appeared between the monsters and Emerald. "While you guys were having your little pow-wow... I took the human SOULS! And now, not only are THOSE under my power... but all of your FRIEND'S SOULS are gonna be mine, too!" he laughed dementedly as the others tried to wiggle free to little effect. "And you know what the best part is? it's all your fault" Emerald winced at the accusation "It's all because you MADE THEM love you. All the time spent listening to them... Encouraging them... caring about them... without that, they wouldn't have come here. And now, with their souls and the humans' together... I will achieve my REAL FORM" he began to laugh again

"Why?" Emerald asked in both fear and frustration.

"Because he can" Jaune mused. When the others looked at him for a more detailed answer he shrugged his shoulders. "This guy is basically a soulless sociopath, right? He doesn't feel anything at all so his only motivations are things that interest him. He doesn't care about who he hurts along the way so long as he WINS"

"WHY am I still doing this? Don't you get it? this is all just a GAME." Emerald frowned but recalled that he had Reset before she did. Use it enough and you might forget that actions have consequences. "If you leave the underground satisfied, you'll 'win' the game. if you 'win' you won't want to 'play' with me anymore. And what would I do then? But this game between us will NEVER end. I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach... and then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, and over..."

Emerald tried to think of something she could do to turn this all around. 'No good, I can't think of anything!'

"Listen..." Tyrian grinned as he stared at her smugly. "If you DO defeat me, I'll give you your 'happy ending'" he wiggled back and forth looking off to the side "I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied. But that WON'T happen! I'll keep you here no matter what!" he laughed as the battle box formed around Emerald SOUL giving it no space to move around at all. "Even if that means killing you a million times!" Emerald screamed as pellets struck her multiple times quickly reducing her HP to 01/20. as the kill shot moved in on her she was protected by a ring of fire that blasted the attack away. "What?" Tyrian asked, unable to comprehend what had happened.

"What's with him and killing me a million times?" Emerald asked with a shiver.

"Yeah... he tends to use that line quite a bit doesn't he?" Sun mused rubbing his chin.

"Do not be afraid my child" Salem urged "No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you!" Tyrian hissed before sending two more attacks at Emerald's soul. One was blocked by a spear the other by a bone.

"THAT'S RIGHT HUMAN!" Taiyang declared loudly "WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO! BELIEVE IN YOU!"

"Hey! Human! if you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING!" Pyrrha declared proudly "So don't worry! We're with you all the way!

"Huh? You haven't beaten this guy yet?" Qrow asked looking for all intents and purposes that he had just awoken after a nap. "Come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you."

Tyrian attacked again only this time he was blocked by another line of fire and some electricity bolts. "Technically it's impossible for you to beat him" Velvet pointed out "B-but, somehow... I know you can do it." she quickly corrected herself.

"Human, for the future of humans and monsters! you have to stay determined!" Ozpin urged

Suddenly a veritable wave of monsters came pouring in all shouting their encouragements for Emerald as Tyrian moved further back looking nervous.

"All according to plan..." Pyrrha noted with a whisper

"I think we should restrict her internet access" Jaune whispered to his other teammates who slowly nodded their heads.

"What's worse is that I'm not actually sure if she's using Memes or if she is actually like this" Nora added in.

"I think you're both overreacting, but more time outside the room is not necessarily bad either" Ren added his own input.

"No! Unbelievable! This can't be happening!" Tyrian shouted in fear "You... YOU..." his face shifted in an instant as he grinned victoriously "I can't believe you're all so STUPID. ALL YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!" he declared as he laughed maniacally. Emerald covered her face as the magic began to fluctuate wildly and the intensity of the light overwhelmed her senses.

When the lights stopped flashing and she could open her eyes Emerald gasped seeing a young goat-like monster opening and closing his hands as he looked around. "Finally" Oscar muttered, "I was so tired of being a flower." he looked around the area a bit more obviously looking for something "Chara? Are you there?" he asked before turning his head towards Emerald as his eyes lit up "It's me. Your best friend..." Suddenly gone was the innocent little goat-boy as a much more menacing monster took his place. Wearing the robes of his mother and bearing the appearance of a younger Ozpin Oscar grinned cockily down at Emerald as he floated above her. "ASRIEL DREEMURR"

"Okay..." Yang hummed as she titled her head "Puberty hit him hard huh?" Blake sighed and palmed her face "What?" Yang complained as the others just shook their heads at her.

"Please just stop Yang" Ruby whined as she covered her face out of embarrassment.

"You're all just haters"

Oscar rose higher into the air as his magic thrummed to life "Now hold on! To the dreams, you created for a happy life! It's alright! All the things we sought for so long will all be worth this fight!" Emerald gasped in surprise as the ground disappeared and she floated in front of Oscar who grinned down at her. "I will not destroy this world." Emerald yelped as she hastily dodged around a volley of falling stars he had thrown at her. "I control time! Chara, you'll be mine! Your progress, your memories will be reset" Emerald rolled through the air dodging lighting strikes only hinted at through rather small exclamation marks appearing around her. "We'll do it all over Chara, you won't forget!" Oscar took a few swings at her with two swords formed by his magic before they broke apart and the stars they formed flew at her from odd angles. "The best part? I know you'll do it. Then you'll lose to me again. Lose again over and over. That's what you'll do for your best friend." Emerald huffed as he continued to attack her "'Cause you want a happy ending. You love your friends. Who could blame you? You're filled with DETERMINATION. Chara!"

Emerald growled and yelled at him "That is not my name!"

"That's what finally gets her to speak up during one of these songs?" Cinder asked in amusement "Not the threats of violence or the theft of her soul, but getting her name wrong?" Emerald blushed a little as she looked away.

"The violence is normal for an urchin..." she voiced softly as she looked away from her mistress.

"Oh, you poor baby!" Kali wailed as she jumped down the rows and pulled the mint-haired girl into an embrace "Mama Kali will make sure to get you a proper home environment!" Emerald shot Blake a pleading look completely unsure about what was going on.

Ghira pinched the bridge of his nose before ambling down and picking his wife up by the collar. Unfortunately, she did not let go of Emerald and thus the poor girl was picked up right along with the older cat Faunus. "Kali, please let her go, she's a young adult already she can look after herself now"

"NO!" Kali shook her head "This poor thing needs love and emotional support!"

"I mean she's not wrong" Sun whispered having suspected that Emerald was dependent on Cinder.

"Uh... it looks like you got a new sister Blake... congrats?" Yang scratched her cheek not quite sure how else to react. Blake just gave a suffering sigh as she sank into her chair.

"We'll be here fighting together. Playing for eternity! The strength that let you get this far. It's nothing compared to me." his left arm turned into a weird cannon that shot rainbow beams at her "I feel your DETERMINATION. I feel their hopes and dreams. They give me the strength to be here fighting for eternity." Oscar's attacks picked up in tempo as he got more serious "I've messed around with you for far too long. Let's purge this time again! Come with me, Chara! Come with your best friend!"

"That is not my name!" Emerald shouted again getting annoyed with the goat-boy 'Stupid cute goat thing. Get my name right!' Cinder just snorted hearing some of her more strongly worded thoughts.

"Stop trying to live. Stop all the dodging. Stop standing in my way! Please let me win, for once in your life!"

Emerald shook her head and shouted once more "Chara is not my name!"

"You know, despite all the magic and soul stuff... isn't this a playground argument between two kids?" James asked causing many others in the room to pause and think.

"I can see why you'd say that" Glynda mused. "Their arguments are slightly childish, but even so we can't just ignore how powerful one of these children is."

"You think you are something special?" Oscar asked mockingly "You're just a kid playing pretend. Don't get cocky, little Chara. Soon enough you'll meet your end!"

Emerald just put her hands on her hips and made a face at him "You think you are something special? You're just a kid playing pretend. Don't get cocky now, Asriel. Soon enough you'll meet your end!"

"You think that you could ever defeat me?" Oscar questioned as his power fluctuated "No my friend, we'll be fighting for eternity. You have lost everything. your hopes and dreams are sure to fail you here at eternity."

Emerald and Oscar both narrowed their eyes as they began to sing in unison "We'll never let go of our hopes and dreams. We will never give up for all eternity!"

Oscar chuckled as he backed away from her a little bit "But I've been holding back on you 'til now. Let's see if you can survive this! Die for me!" he vanished from view as a weird goat skull appeared and began sucking everything into it as Emerald flew away at full power. "Don't you understand, Chara? I am the god of Hyperdeath! IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED! AND EVERYONE WILL DIE AT MY HAND! Why are you still standing? WHY ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO STOP ME, CHARA?"

Emerald smirked as the energy Oscar was outputting turned the whole world white for a moment "My name... is FRISK!" she declared as Oscar's new form was revealed. It was vaguely bat-like with aesthetic designs taken from all of the monsters Emerald had formed close bonds with during her journey. as he raised his arms to attack Emerald began singing "In my heart, there's something strong" one of his magic bolts struck her and split her soul in half. "That will keep me moving on" through her own force of will her soul reformed as she refused to die.

Cinder couldn't help but laugh disbelievingly. 'This crazy kid actually has enough DETERMINATION to refuse to die.'

"Wait seriously?" Qrow asked looking at his flask suspiciously

"She just... refused to die, so she didn't?" Weiss' head began to spin as she groaned

"Huh... cool" Emerald shrugged her shoulders already past the overt reactions for this musical.

"In my hopes, proof that my happy days will never be gone" Emerald reached a hand out to Oscar feeling her connections to her friends One by one she felt them stir as they responded to her call.

"Here we are. Here we stand. Fight together again! Our hopes and dreams will not fail we will find our happy end!" One by one the souls of her friends escaped from Oscar's form and joined Emerald in facing him down even though their minds were still clouded. "We've come far, here we are. To reach what we idealize. It has been tough, but we won't give up. For a new day is on the rise."

Cinder smiled softly as she floated over to Emerald's group and placed a hand on the girl's head "I think you'll need this to save him too" she whispered sharing her fondest memory of her step-brother.

Emerald turned that memory into power and channeled it into Cinder's link with Oscar "Asriel, please do not quail. You have walked a lonesome trail. Peace and love will sure prevail. Help me end this sorry tale."

As memories flooded Oscar's mind he slowly stopped attacking before singing as well "Deep inside, I feel a fire burns within me, ever higher. Knowing I will soon prevail, knowing I can end this tale" Once more Emerald joined him in song as she fearlessly approached him, arms held open for an embrace "In every dream, there is a chance. We grabbed at it at our first glance. Life plays the song, we make the dance it's been like this forever! Following our hopes and dreams when nothing is quite what it seems, but life keeps flowing like a stream. So let's stay together. Time to open up our eyes. Time to see who we really are. I won't give up the chance to save you and we know we can go far!" Slowly the clouds blurring her friends' faces disappeared as they surrounded the two children with love and affection in their eyes. "I heard the tales they told to me 'this happy ending cannot be let's go together, we shall see together for eternity!"

Salem smiled seeing her on-screen self hugging her son with tears in her eyes. "I wonder if there ever was a happy ending for me" she whispered softly

"Mistress?" Cinder questioned looking at the Queen.

"It's nothing Cinder, pay no mind to me"

In the darkness that followed Emerald followed the sounds of sobbing "Chara, I'm so alone" Oscar whispered "Chara, I'm so afraid" he cried softly as he continuously dabbed at his eyes trying to dry them. "I'm so sorry..." Sensing Emerald approaching him he did his best to stop the flow of tears as he addressed her, "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?"

Emerald sighed "I'm... I'm not Chara. Chara's been gone for a long time."

Oscar looked to the side a little bit as he accepted the answer "You're... Frisk, aren't you?" he paused trying to keep himself calm "That's... that's a nice name..." he paused again as he inspected his hands "Frisk... I... I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. I couldn't feel anything about anyone. It was horrible. I tried to kill myself. I succeeded." he looked down at the ground

"But you're still here, aren't you?" Emerald asked softly "If you don't have a soul, what happens when you die?"

"That... is a very good question" Pyrrha noted before looking at Ozpin "Professor do you know?"

"You simply cease to exist" Ozpin informed them "It'll be as if you never existed in the first place"

"Oh..."

Oscar shook his head "I don't know. I felt apprehensive. I woke up... Like it was all a bad dream, right back where we started." he sighed "I did this, again and again, doing everything I could... being good... being bad... But I still couldn't feel."

"But then I came along" Emerald noted

"Someone more determined than me" Oscar smiled sadly "I could predict everyone, but I could never predict someone like you. Now... with everyone's souls inside me... I not only have my own compassion back..." he trailed off

Emerald nodded her head "Every other monster's compassion is in there as well. They all care about each other so much."

"And... they care about you too, Frisk" Oscar reminded her with a little laugh. "I wish I could tell you about how everyone feels about you. Papyrus... Sans... Undyne... Alphys... Toriel." he bit back another stream of tears at his mother's name.

"Monsters are weird," Emerald said bluntly though there wasn't any negativity in her words "Even though they barely know me..."

"They all love you" Oscar supplied for her. he stopped as he thought about the next topic of conversation. "Frisk... I... I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strangely and horrible. I hurt you." Oscar muttered rubbing his arms nervously.

"Understatement of the century" Blake noted humorlessly

"Blake!" Kali hissed from the back row.

"Ugh..."

"I hurt you..." Oscar continued softly

"You hurt a lot of people" Emerald pointed out bluntly "Friends, family, bystanders..."

Oscar looked away in shame "There's no excuse for what I've done." he muttered before turning away as he started to sing. "There's a world out up above. It would not show me, love. I thought I could stop the end, be here with you, my friend. Somewhere deep down, I believed I'd bring you back to me. I thought we could have some fun. Can my damage be undone? I'd forgotten how to feel. Not sure if I was real. If I am no longer me, then what can I still be? By your side until the end. I thought I'd be your friend. I still hold on to that hope. No matter what I am then. So please just leave me behind. I couldn't win this time. I don't want to let you go. I'll be okay alone. You deserve far better friends. Now you're here at the end. I can let all of them go. I'll be okay alone" Oscar, unable to contain himself any longer broke down into painful gut-wrenching sobs as Emerald watched his back sadly.

"Why am I crying!" Ruby cried as she hugged Weiss tightly.

"Just shut up and hug me, you dolt!" Weiss retorted as she bit back tears as well.

"It is an emotional song" Winter noted dabbing her eyes a little bit.

"Yeah..." Qrow muttered looking unaffected.

Emerald took a step closer to him and Oscar gently pulled away from her "Leave me be" he sang softly "Say goodbye" he smiled weakly at her with tears in his eyes "You can't help, why must you try?" Emerald took another step towards him and this time he didn't pull away "Why must you stay with me? You're battle's won, go with your family"

Emerald smiled softly and pulled the slightly taller child into a hug "I don't deserve your mercy [Emerald: It's not fair to be alone] If you won't fight, please just leave [E: After what you've been through] No one came or heard my call [E: so let me just ease your pain] I'm so glad you took your fall [E: please let me stay with you] Leave me be [E: I'll continue to reach out] say goodbye [E: I won't abandon you] You can't help [E: DETERMINATION fuels me] why must you try? [E: to keep trying to save you] Why must you [E: I will give you my MERCY] stay with me [E: because it's clear to me] Your battle's won [E: FIGHTING won't solve anything] go with your family! [E: forgiveness isn't easy] I don't deserve your mercy [E: I will stay here by your side] If you won't fight, please just leave [E: I know it's frightening] No one came or heard my call [E: to think that you might now leave] I'm so glad you took your fall [E: but that my friend is why] Leave me be [E: I will SPARE your life always] say goodbye [E: and hold you tight and close] you can't help [E: we will be together here] why must you try? [E: until it's safe to go] why must you [E: I will stay here by your side] stay with me [E: I know it's frightening] your battle's won [E: to think that you might now leave] go with your family [E: but that my friend is why] forgive me [E: I will SPARE your life always] stay with me [E: and hold you tight and close] you're the last [E: we will be together here] light I'll see [E: until it's safe to go]"

"They're so adorable!" Kali cooed as she wiggled in her seat. Emerald just groaned, still stuck within Kali's grasp.

"Hm..." Salem mused watching the feline mother. "I do believe you lost a subordinate Cinder" Cinder honestly had no idea how to process that.

"Frisk, come on..." Oscar muttered as he wiped his eyes "You're... you're gonna make me cry again." he looked down sadly "Besides... even if you do forgive me... I can't keep these souls inside me." his eyes blazed with resolve as his posture straightened "The least I can do is return them."

"But... but there's something else you can do!" Emerald hurried to remind him before he could return everyone back to normal. "You feel it, don't you? Everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire." Emerald tried not to think too hard about the fact that she basically quoted Pyrrha.

Oscar blinked in surprise before nodding his head "With everyone's power..." Emerald nodded her head "With everyone's determination... it's time the monsters were set free."

"So even kids who've only met you for a brief period are quoting you now?" Jaune asked in bemusement

"Well... at least it wasn't something they shouldn't be saying!" Pyrrha declared as she hurried the viewing along.

"It's not that embarrassing is it?" Sun asked Velvet who could only shrug her shoulders.

Oscar nodded his head as he began to focus his powers. as he channeled his magic he slowly levitated off the ground as the six human souls and all of the monster souls emerged from within him. With the sound of breaking glass, the barrier was destroyed and the souls all disappeared. I have to go now Frisk" Oscar announced sadly as he turned to Emerald who frowned.

"You don't have to! stay with me!" she urged him but he calmly shook his head

"I can't go back with them..." he whispered softly "I just... can't" he sighed softly "I just don't want to break their hearts again..."

"They'll forgive you!" Emerald urged trying to get him to come with her.

"Come on... go with her" Salem whispered softly "At least let your mother know you're still alive"

"Oh... Lady Salem..." Velvet hugged the queen's arm and tapped her cheek with her ears

"Thank you Velvet dear" she whispered stroking the girl's ears affectionately. "I suppose this one affected me more than I thought."

Oscar shook his head slowly "Frisk, why did you come here?" he asked changing the subject. "You know the legend, right?" he asked rubbing his arms "'Travellers who claim Mt. Ebott are said to disappear.'"

Emerald shrugged her shoulders "I don't know. Foolishness? Fate?" she offered weakly "Or maybe it was because I... well." she paused before shaking her head "I'll find my answer" Emerald tilted her head as she considered a question she'd had since she learned of the first fallen human. "Why did Chara climb the mountain?"

Oscar looked down as he remembered his best friend. "It wasn't for a very happy reason." Emerald decided she didn't really like how that sounded. "I'll be honest with you. They hated humanity" Oscar shivered as he recalled the palpable hatred Cinder would give off whenever humanity was brought up. "Why they did, they never talked about it."

"Understandable" Cinder mused to herself.

"And why did you think I was like them?" Emerald asked curious about that as well.

Oscar looked a bit sheepish "They weren't really the greatest person..." he admitted recalling various faults Cinder had growing up "but... I guess... You're the type of friend I wished I always had" he laughed self-deprecatingly "Maybe I was projecting a little bit"

Emerald nodded her head, accepting the answer "Let's be honest." She started, clapping her hands together "You did some weird stuff as a flower."

"That's one way to put it" Yang muttered

"When the humans killed me, that's when I became that flower. That's when I became filled up with DETERMINATION. That's when I thought the world was, kill or be killed." Oscar explained softly.

Emerald frowned at his tone "But it's okay. You did the right thing. There's no more war. Everyone's free. It's just... It took longer than you might have wanted. But you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right?"

Oscar smiled sadly "Well, not that I have much of a life left. Without the power of everyone's souls... I can't maintain this form for long. In a while I'll turn back into a flower." he shivered at the thought "I'll stop being 'myself.' I'll stop being able to feel love again." he sighed as Emerald grit her teeth in frustration. "It's best if you just forget about me... okay?" he closed his eyes trying to hold back his tears as Emerald walked up to him one last time for a hug. "Just go with the people who love you." startled by the hug he hesitantly returned it.

Emerald pulled back just a little so that she could look Oscar in the eyes. "There's a lot of Floweys pout there. But, I'm glad, of the ones I met... it was you..." she tried to laugh it off before tears started tumbling out of her eyes as she hugged Oscar tighter. "I... I don't want to let go" she wailed unable to hold back her tears any longer as she realized she would not be able to save him.

"Too many feels!" Nora wailed as she hugged Ren as tightly as she could causing the poor boy to turn an interesting shade of blue.

"Seriously though why is all of the gut-wrenching stuff here at the end?" Coco asked as she pulled her glasses away from her face so she could wipe her eyes.

"Frisk..." Oscar pulled away and smiled at her. "You're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you" he turned away from her "Well... my time is running out. Goodbye" slowly he began walking away "Take care of Mom and Dad for me, okay?" Emerald nodded her head as everything went white.

"Frisk! this is all just a bad dream!" Salem shouted as Emerald stirred "Please wake up!" Sitting up she looked around to see the worried faces of her friends "Oh! you're awake! Thank goodness!" Salem breathed a sigh of relief.

Velvet quickly surged forward and quickly took stock of Emerald's condition. "W-we were so worried!" she managed to ramble off "it felt like you were out forever!"

Pyrrha grinned "Yeah!" she agreed with her new lover "Any longer and I would have freaked out." she admitted shamelessly. "Tell us next time you plan to take a nap okay?" she threatened with an angry face.

Emerald gulped "Uh... okay... Undyne"

Qrow grinned "Yeah... you made Papyrus cry like a baby."

Taityang crossed his arms and looked away from Qrow "WHAT? I DIDN'T CRY! I DON'T CRY! I JUST CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE!" he declared looking away from everyone else.

Qrow grinned knowingly "What did you catch?"

"TEARS!" the others laughed good-naturedly with the taller skeleton

Ozpin stepped forward "Now, now" he announced looking around the assembled monsters "The important thing is that Frisk is all right." noticing the child licking her lips Ozpin quickly poured her some tea. "Here, Frisk. Why don't you drink some tea?"

"Didn't he prepare that before they started fighting?" Jaune questioned

"It's cold"

"Yes... he did" Glynda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Still, I feel better" Emerald admitted with a thankful nod.

"Good! Excellent even!" Ozpin smiled in relief. "All is forgiven then?"

Emerald smiled "ALL is forgiven" she agreed.

Salem knelt next to the child and tapped her shoulder "Frisk... we do not remember exactly what happened. There was a flower... and then, everything went white. But, now the barrier is gone. Shall we?" she held out her hand as she got to her feet.

"Well, at least there's a happy ending after all" Pyrrha mused as the monsters plus Frisk all began exiting the caverns.

"Yeah," Jaune agreed with a smile of his own.

"Guys come on!" Ruby whined, "There's still the closing song!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized

Everyone smiled and sang as they marched out to the surface "As the sunlight is coming down. As monsters leave the underground. With the human hand in hand. We all go out across the land. There's a whole world up above. We once did fear now we love. Our life below is at an end. We all go out making friends."

Salem pull slightly ahead of Ozpin and pulled Emerald to her side "Come my child" she sang which was quickly echoed by Ozpin who increased his pace to keep up with them. "Be with me [Ozpin: Be with me] I'll protect you and your dreams. Rest, my child [O: Rest, my child] 'neath the tree [O: 'neath the tree] Like its branches wait for me."

Ozpin grinned playfully at Salem as he pulled Emerald up and onto his shoulders "So much blood [Salem: So much blood] So much pain [S: so much pain] Now we see the sun again. Go, then, child [S: go, then, child] freedom bring [S: freedom bring] from the mountain and its king."

"Were you like that the first time around?" Qrow whispered to Ozpin who shrugged his shoulders.

"We had four daughters, each of us had two in hand whenever we went out as a family." the headmaster admitted without missing a beat.

"You would've done so if you only had one" James noted with a knowing expression.

"I never said I wouldn't"

Everyone laughed at the royal family As Salem and Emerald began singing alone. "Now, let us go off safe and warm. Here, arm in arm. With this new life that we can live. The joy that we can give. Even if you choose a new start, stay in my heart"

Pulling Emerald off of Ozpin's shoulders Salem held the child in her arms with a loving smile "Through the choices that you make I hope you'll think of me."

Emerald smiled broadly "I'll stay determined as I grow, love as I go. Think of the kindness that I've shared, I'll cherish those that care. Even when we're worlds apart stay in my heart." she smiled up at Salem as the two walked forward towards a bright future, hand in hand. "And when you will have found your way I hope that you'll be good."

The screen transitioned to Salem in her classroom smiling as the children all danced around with each other. "Sit down children. Do not quail. Peace and love always prevail. Follow me, along this trail. Let me tell the Undertale." She opened the doors of the classroom as the other teachers in the school chimed in with her, "Sit down, children. Do not quail. Peace and love always prevail. Follow us, along this trail. Let us tell the Undertale." As the group walked through the town everyone began joining in with the song "It's a tale of many things. Fallen children and mountain kings. Let us not forget to say all the friends they made on their way. Up Mt. Ebott the child climbed. Humans and monsters, they did find. Life is lived through being kind. That's the way the tale's designed." as Salem and her class arrived at a clearing for a picnic she sat down and smiled at the children.

"And that is the story of how one fallen child saved another, and through their mercy, saved the underground, and gave the monsters the life they sought for generations. The Undertale ends there, children... but your own tale is yet to be determined." she smiled as the kids cheered and ran back into town. smiling at their enthusiasm she calmly trailed after them making sure they didn't hurt themselves.

As they re-entered the town the citizens all sang "On the journey that you take, through the choices that you make. We hope that you'll be good. Please be good." As the song ended the credits began rolling.

As the audience stood up and began to stretch pockets of conversation about the world cropped up in various conversations. Mettaton appeared in front of the camera and knocked on it drawing everyone's attention. "You darlings didn't think that was the actual final number did you?" he chided with a laugh. "Darlings we still need to see what everyone else is doing!" Amused they all sat back down.

"That's our show, goodbye then, humans! we sure had some fun! We have one more encore, humans, before the curtain drops and we're done. It's the Undertale's finale, and curtain call begins! Let's give everyone a hand. Come on guys bring it in!"

Taiyang waved at them as he sped by in a red sports car "THANK YOU FOR COMING, HOPE THAT YOU HAD A GREAT SHOW [Qrow: give a big hand for you pal sans. we had some laughs, but I think our time was grand]" Taiyang shook his fist at his brother who somehow managed to pass him on a tricycle "SANS, THIS IS MY PART!"

"and it's over, we gotta go" Qrow announced as the two sped off into town.

"Feast, for we're all going to live in peace. Sing a carol as we ride and wipe our cares away. Beam, we've achieved our hopes and dreams. Now together we are here and happy every day."

Adrian gasped in awe as he looked around "Look at the sky and watch the snow fall down, and then the sun then rain... guys! Weather is great!"

Pyrrha and Velvet were shown sitting on a beach wall looking out towards the sea. "Sitting here on the beach with my most precious peach" Pyrrha smiled widely as she snuck a little closer whenever Velvet looked away.

"Undyne, could you maybe-"

"ALPHYS, I AM SINGING!"

"This has been quite a ride, though I like to stay inside!"

"Alphys, live a little!"

"Guess I'm going out tonight!"

In sync, the two began singing "Having a wondrous time- here, with this love of mine watching our anime letting our passions shine. Bring it on, humans! Our love will never die!" Pyrrha, now right next to her lover smirked "Give me a kiss, big girl!" she shouted kissing Velvet on the cheek causing the bunny scientist to go bright cherry red as she fainted much to Pyrrha's amusement.

"This is how our story ends, the fallen child and their friends. They stayed determined and saved us all. An angel from heaven did call. Gave us wings so we could fly out from the ruins where we lie. Lying down in the morning sun we laugh as we see the sky!"

"Yeah..., it's pretty great... I guess..." Jaune admitted softly

"ONLY PRETTY GREAT?" Roman asked in shock "SOMEONE NEEDS A PICK ME UP!" he declared

"Mettaton, yes" Jaune cheered, sort of.

"METTATON DOUBLE YES!" Roman cheered as he was revealed to be on a stage with Jaune as his sound team. "Come on, keep up the pace those of the human race. I'm going to go far. Now watch my rising star! The audience gathers 'round. Come in from every town! Come on, Blooky, let's go! Let's put on a great show! Let's go start up a band and travel across the land. Our glamour we will share we'll spread it everywhere. Together it is plain we're made to entertain. Let's make the humans see your music my beauty"

"Never thought I would see the day, never ever, humans and monsters living in peace living together. OH~ This had been a great show! Long live the king! Long live the queen! Long live us! Seems that our fears have been proven superfluous. Well, we're happy, we can tell. Feast, we live in peace. Happiness will increase.

Ozpin sang softly as he worked on some garden hedges for Salem's schoolyard "I have seen my son again"

Salem smiled seeing Adrian running into the school building to beat out the bell "Oh dear child, fallen down. Come to me."

Emerald sat on a bench looking up at the mountain where everything had changed for her. "There's a world up above" She imagined Oscar sitting next to her and singing along. "Show them the child that learned to love"

as the camera panned away everyone joined in "So concludes the Under..."

Oscar, in full seven-souls form, appeared on screen with a laugh "did you really think it was over?" he questioned shaking his head mockingly. there was a bright light and Oscar appeared dressed as his childhood self "I mean, we haven't even done the special thanks yet..." he laughed apologetically "Ready? Let's end all of this for good!" taking a deep breath he began singing the true final song "So it's been fun, but now it's time to go. I hope that everyone could learn and grow. Thanks, everybody who could come on by. Time to say au revoir, our last goodbye. And I know in our hearts. Our memories will never die. Here we are, here we stand as the best of friends. You had my back through all of the attacks and now it's time for a happy end. So stay determined as you grow put on the show I'll be in your heart no matter how far you go. The tale of the Underground ends tonight. So I'll put my all into this last goodbye! When you go, we'll sing again we both will have made many friends and when our show will finally ends it still rings true. You hear the songs that we shall sing of children and the mountain king. Now we're here, despite everything it was nice meeting you. Even though we're out of time that's just the way our tale's designed. But feel the harmony, sing the rhyme. Believe - it's the least you can do. So I sing this last goodbye and it goes out to YOU!"

Salem quietly entered Emerald's bedroom gently and set a plate of cinnamon butterscotch pie for her to eat the next day. "Good night my child" she whispered.

"Bathroom!" Ruby screamed as she bolted for the doors. Although, no one else screamed or rushed as she did they all got up and headed for their doors as well

Fox bowed their head "I hope to see you all soon" they said as they bid them all farewell. "We will select the next person to focus on when enough people return to this room"

---

Papyrus: Taiyang Xiao Long

Sans: Qrow Branwen

Monster Kid: Adrian Arc

Undyne: Pyrrha Nikos

Alphys: Velvet Scarlatina

Napstablook: Jaune Arc

Mettaton: Roman Torchwick

Asgore: Ozpin

Toriel: Salem

Frisk: Emerald Sustrai

Asriel: Oscar Pine

Flowey: Tyrian Callows

Muffet: Blake Belladonna

Chara: Cinder Fall

Royal Guard Dogs: Flynt Coal as Dogamy, Kobalt as Doggo, Neon Katt as Dogeressa, Ivory as Lesser Dog, Yatsuhashi as Greater Dog

Human Souls: Penny Poledina as Green soul, Ciel Soleil as Cyan soul, May Zedong as Blue soul, Sun Wukong as Orange soul, Neptune Vasilias as Yellow soul, Lie Ren as Purple soul

Okay, I'm an idiot I know. but I just really like this work. Unfortunately, songs, in general, are hard to properly convey in a simple text format like this since I can't really express any changes in tone or rhythm

As for Salem and Velvet getting along? I honestly don't know it just kind of happened as I wrote things in.