HoloRWBY-Alternate

AN: Let's gooooo! Chapter 2! Sorry it's kind of an expo chapter, but I hope you guys like the tease of the powers Sora will have in my story! Please read and enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Idol, the Hope, and the Rose

Slumbering Dragon Hill, Japan

Despite her situation, Ruby couldn't help but feel things were turning out better for her. The girl, Tokino Sora ("Please, just Sora, will be fine, Ruby-chan!" she had bid Ruby to call her), was super nice and upbeat. The young Huntress couldn't help but smile and laugh as the girl explained Earth to her. It was…nice. A certainly welcomed change of pace from the past few days. It was…nice, to forget her failings, if only for a moment.

The events of Atlas were still fresh on her mind. She kept replying everything she did wrong over and over in her head whenever her mind was allow to wander. Salem, Cinder's return and her ruining their ('Your,' her mind would interject viciously) plan, Ironwood's radial decision, the…human Grimm, and the awful implications that arose from its very existence, it all currently bounced around in her mind with little respite. The Huntress was finding it difficult to deal with it all and was grateful for Sora's distraction.

Ruby also mentioned to Sora about her concern for her friends who fell before her. The Earth native had responded that she'd help her find them as well. Ruby was still reeling at how easily offering her help came to Sora. Yet, Ruby once more couldn't help but feel some relief because of it.

She knew Yang and Blake could take care of themselves, but Ruby was still their leader. If something bad happened to them…Ruby shook her head. 'No. Think positive, Ruby,' she thought. 'Yang's strong, and Blake's good at stealth. They'll be fine.'

"So, what is that Alter-Effect thingy you mentioned before?" Ruby asked. Sora shrugged.

"I do not know exactly; no one does," Sora explained. "All we do know is that it has irreversibly changed Earth to what it is today. There are theories, of course, but nothing definitive."

"Changed how?"

"Well, you saw the dragons, right?" Sora asked, and Ruby nodded. "Several years ago, those were thought to be myths. Now, it's a normal part of life. However, its more than just ancient myths and unbelievable beings showing up that have come about because of the Alter-Effect. The people, the animals, and the planet itself have been affected. And since the Alter-Effect arrived, Earth's never been the same."

Ruby stared at the girl bemused. This sounded so alien to her. The dragons alone were a crazy development, and she wondered just how different Earth was to Remnant. Before she could think on that further, she heard what she recognized as a Borbatusk. She quickly fell into a ready stance despite having no weapon and tensed, readying for a fight. However, once she looked forwards, she faltered slightly.

It looked like a Borbatusk, but it lacked bone armor and black fur. Truthfully, it looked like someone took a boar and fed it until it grew to the size of a small pony. Luckily, it wasn't looking their way, content to munch on the grass of the plain before them as more of them grazed around the plain. She stared at the boar in confusion as Sora sighed.

"Sore wa ī," the girl groaned in her native language. "I forgot about the Beasts getting restless during the dragon migration."

"Beasts?" Ruby asked.

"Remember when I said the Alter-Effect affected people, animals, and the planet?" Sora asked, and Ruby nodded yes. "Well, this is how the animals have been affected. Some animals grow larger, more powerful due to the Alter-Effect. We call them Beasts." Sora turned back to Ruby and continued, "Luckily, it's only a few giant Boars. We can clear the way easily enough and make our way to Seiso City." She motioned a little further out, and Ruby noticed a large city with a massive wall around it. She nodded once.

"Wish I could help, but…I don't have my weapon," Ruby replied moodily. It stung that she was still pretty much useless without Crescent Rose, something else to add to her long list of failures.

Sora stared at her curiously. "You lost your weapon?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah, kind of," she admitted. "I was in a fight, and my opponent, she…she disarmed me before I fell to Earth." Her eyes widened. Neo! 'Dammit, Ruby! How could you forget about her?! Idiot!' she mentally chastised herself.

Despite taking note of Ruby's mental distress, Sora didn't mention it to her. She just smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Ruby-chan! Once we get everything settled, I'll help you find it!" she proclaimed, startling Ruby again at her readiness to help her.

"R-Really?" she asked. Sora nodded, still smiling widely at Ruby. The silver-eyed girl couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, Ruby-chan!" Sora said cheerfully. "Just wait a moment, and I'll clear the way for us!" Ruby's eyes bugged out as stars; literal, stereotypically shaped stars; flowed from Sora's right hand, coalescing to form a leaf-shaped short sword with no guard. Sora grasped the hilt and swung down to disperse the leftover stars.

Sora smiled again at Ruby and took off towards the Boars. Ruby watched wide eyed as Sora rushed the closest Boar, sword ready at her side. The Boar heard her approach and let out a snorting roar as it began charging at her.

For a brief second, Ruby thought her companion wasn't going to defend herself as the Boar came closer, but at the last second, Sora swung and hit the Boar straight on in the face. It roared and jumped away from her in a surprising show of dexterity. Sora wasn't deterred as she held up her left hand as a stylized star appeared above it. She threw it at the Boar, and it exploded into a shower of light on contact with the Beast. The Boar stagged back with a snort of pain, which was all Sora needed to rush forward and stab the Beast in the neck.

The Beast let out one last roar as it fell to the ground and died. Sora retrieved her sword and swung off the blood of the beast. Turning, she smiled and waved at Ruby, who wordlessly waved back.

The young Huntress hadn't expected to Sora to be so adept in combat. Yet, as she thought more about it, she found she shouldn't have been surprised. Distantly, she recalled Sora's movements as they walked before. She didn't move like a Huntress, true, but she was trained. Ruby again cursed herself for letting herself miss that. However, she supposed she could be forgiven just a tad considering Sora just used freaking magic! In all her musings about Earth, she wondered briefly if magic was what caused Sora's planet to be changed. She didn't think much on it, however, as she still didn't have enough information to confirm that.

'Well, that's evidence for it now,' Ruby thought as Sora jogged back up to her.

"Yatta! Looks like I won't have to bother with maybe one or two more, and we'll be home free!" Sora proclaimed. She noticed Ruby's face and grew concerned again. "Are you ok, Ruby-chan?" she asked, startling Ruby out of her thoughts.

"H-Huh? Oh! Y-Yeah, sorry about that," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I…I wasn't aware you had magic, that's all." Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Did your world not have magic?" she asked curiously.

"No. We do. Or did? Still do? It's complicated," Ruby explained. Sora looked concerned, but she didn't pry. She simply nodded and motioned towards the walled city.

"We can talk more once we're inside the walls," she said.

"Yeah." Ruby moved to walk forward, only to stop and frown when she noticed something in the sky. "Huh?"

"Hm? What's up, Ruby-chan?" Sora asked. Ruby squinted to try and get a better look at what caught her eye.

"Do you see that? Over there," Ruby replied and pointed out eastward. Sora turned and stared intently at where her companion was pointing. She hummed.

"Kind of looks like a person," Sora mused.

"Eh? People can fly here?!" Ruby asked, once again shocked. Sora giggled.

"They can do a lot more than that!" she confirmed. Turning back to the mysterious person, Sora concentrated to try and make out who the person was. As she did, she started smiling. "And I think I know who our mystery person is!"

Soon, the person took a sharp nose dive and gained a frightening level of speed. They turned in the air quickly and rocketed towards them. Ruby tensed subconsciously as the figure came to a stop right in front of them, displacing the air a bit from their sudden stop.

Sora, however, was relaxed and smiling widely. "IRyS-chan!" she exclaimed. Ruby, meanwhile, was struck by the person before them.

The person was a girl about the same age as Ruby and Sora herself. She was tall, with long hair that alternated between shades of red and purple. She wore a black and white dress that highlighted her perfect figure and was paired with the dark red skirt she wore. She wore long detached sleeves the same color palette as her dress, revealing her pale, slender shoulders. Her leggings were same as the rest of her outfit, and her feet were clad in heels.

However, her most defining traits in Ruby's eyes were her pointed ears, her fangs, crystal-like wings, black horns jutting from the sides of her head, her halo of black and white stars, and of course, her one blue and one red eye.

Ruby tensed as her mind immediately went to Neo, which went unnoticed as IRyS smiled widely and exclaimed, "Sora-senpai! Koko ni iru?! Kono sū-funkan de nanika ijōna koto ni kidzukimashita ka?" Ruby felt herself ease up a bit, feeling a bit silly at suspecting this person being Neo simply because she had heterochromia.

"Hai! Doragon no idō ga hajimaru no o matte itara, rubī-chan ga watashi no zujō kara boido kara ochite kita," Sora explained. "Ō! Gozonji no yō ni, kanojo wa eigo o hanashimasu."

"Oooh!" IRyS called out in understanding. "I see," she said in a language Ruby could understand. Turning to Ruby she smiled and waved. "HIrS! It's IRyS!" she introduced herself jovially.

"Hi. I'm Ruby," she replied, attempting to return the smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" IRyS said. "So, Sora-senpai said you fell through the Void, huh? Are you doing ok? That kind of fall is no joke."

Ruby found herself touched by the concern in the new girl's voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm more worried about my friends."

"More of you fell?" IRyS asked, frowning. "That's concerning. I don't sense anyone around here that matches your distinct aura signature."

"You can sense my Aura?!" Ruby asked in surprise, startling Sora and IRyS. "That's a super hard and rare skill to master!"

"Oh? You use a soul-based power traits on your world, I take it?" IRyS asked.

"I guess?" Ruby said unsurely. "Our Aura is a manifestation of our souls, so I guess it qualifies." IRyS nodded at the explanation.

"Yeah. Soul-based, then," she confirmed. "That's cool. Not many races have soul-based power traits. Anyways, yeah. I can sense your Aura. Due to my Nephilim heritage, I can sense soul energy."

"Nephilim? Like, half angel, half demon, Nephilim?! THAT Nephilim?!" Ruby asked in shock.

"Yep!" IRyS giggled. Ruby was floored. A myriad of thoughts echoed in her mind at the revelation that she literally in front of a girl from a literal fantasy species!

"O-Oh, um…uh," Ruby found herself completely tongue-tied. "T-That's actually kind of awesome! Never met a Nephilim before…" IRyS grinned teasingly.

"Well, I'm glad to be your first one, then!" she said suggestively, causing Ruby to splutter violently and turn a bright shade of red.

"IRyS-chan, be nice to Ruby-chan!" Sora admonished. "She's new here!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" the Nephilim apologized. "It was too easy! I'm sorry!"

Ruby forced her blush down. "Anyways," she drawled out, "it's nice to meet you IRyS."

"You too, Ruby!"

"IRyS-chan, you said you didn't sense anyone else around besides Ruby-chan, right?" Sora asked. The Nephilim nodded.

"Yeah. Ruby's Aura is very distinct, so I'm sure I'd recognize a similar one if it was close enough," she explained. Sora frowned.

"That's no good. If that's the case, her friends could be anywhere in Japan. Maybe even anywhere across the globe, considering how random the Alter-Effect makes entries from the Void," Sora said, making Ruby's heart plummet into her stomach.

IRyS noticed this and quickly gave Ruby a bright smile. "But that's not a reason to worry, Ruby! If they're Auras are anywhere near as strong as yours, then I'm sure they'll be fine! And once we get back to the city, we can get help finding them! We've got a ton of friends to help look for them!"

Ruby turned to IRyS in surprise, feeling a small spark of hope and relief burn in her chest. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I believe they're fine! Don't you think so?" IRyS asked, putting Ruby on the spot again. However, she recovered quickly and nodded.

"Yeah. They're strong," Ruby admitted. "I just…I just can't help but worry, you know? Yang's my sister, and I think the same way about Blake, too."

"No worries! I get ya," IRyS commented. "Anyways, I take it you're taking Ruby here to office, Sora-senpai?"

"Hai. A-chan will know how to help Ruby-chan," Sora confirmed with a nod. "And once there, we can make some calls and start finding her friends."

"True," IRyS conceded. "So, I guess we should start making our way there, huh?"

"Hai." Sora looked over their route and hummed happily. "Seems like during our talk, the Boars have moved on, so we now have a straight shot to Seiso!"

This made the other two girls smile. "Perfect! Let's get going then!" IRyS exclaimed, raising her arms up in the air.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed a bit more softly. IRyS motioned for Sora and Ruby, and the three took off towards the city. IRyS pulled Sora a bit ahead of Ruby. Sora was confused until the Nephilim motioned her closer. When she did, IRyS spoke to her in Japanese.

"Sora-senpai, another reason I came here is because I also sensed THAT presence," she whispered quietly. Sora's expression turned serious at this.

"Do you think THEY caused Ruby-chan to arrive here?" she asked.

"I don't know. And that's why I'm concerned," IRyS explained. "Whatever Ruby went through before she arrived on Earth, it's causing her to lose hope. If we don't help bring her back from the edge, then…"

"THEY may take hold of her," Sora replied grimly.

IRyS nodded. "We have to help her, Sora-senpai!"

"And we will." Sora's eyes started to shine with determination before she turned back to the hill. "Although," she whispered softly, "if THEY are stirring again, then how? And why?"

AN: And the plot thickens! Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will focus on Jaune and Tempus hunting a certain cryptid…Stay tuned for that! 'Till next time!

English translation from Japanese:: "Sore wa ī." : roughly translates to "Oh, great."

"Yatta!" :comes roughly from the phrase 'Yarimashita,' which translates "I/We did it!" Typically used to express great happiness or a proclamation of success.

"Koko ni iru? Kono sū-funkan de nanika ijōna koto ni kidzukimashita ka?" : roughly translates to "You're here? Have you noticed anything unusual in the past few minutes?"

"Hai! Doragon no idō ga hajimaru no o matte itara, rubī-chan ga watashi no zujō kara boido kara ochite kita." :roughly translate into "Yes! I was waiting for the dragon migration to start when Ruby-chan fell from the Void from above me."

"Ō! Gozonji no yō ni, kanojo wa eigo o hanashimasu." : roughly translate into "Oh! And just so you know, she speaks English."