For those who take their time to read the author's notes, I'd just like to say: the one at the end is special to me this time around, so if you read any of them, read that one. See you at the bottom.


Fear was something that those who train to defend humanity learn to harness. To deny fear is foolish; reckless even. The ideology that being courageous meant eliminating all fear from your person was no better than trying to achieve perfection. Fear kept people alive, and a hunter who lived to see another day, lived to save another life.

To succumb to fear was far worse, however. To forget all sense of self preservation and lose even the will to fight was akin to simply giving up. To allow the bastion of humanity to grow a little weaker, giving the ever rising waters of evil more power with which to shatter the dam and flood the streets with terror.

Nobody would argue that their group was lacking in willpower and courage. They'd done things that seemed downright stupid in their time and they walked away from all of it with nary a scratch. At least, that's how Yang had felt before now. She had felt nearly invincible— as if nothing could ever bring her to her knees!

And then she was standing— no, cowering— before the Twin Gods.

Gone was that confidence that they could handle anything thrown their way. Gone was the idea that as long as they remained united they could do anything.

The sheer power that flowed so freely— effortlessly— from the Gods was... It was nothing short of terrifying.

And so Yang found herself hiding behind her sister, like she would when they were kids and the thunder would scare her awake. Ruby held her arm back protectively, as if she could possibly shield her little sister from anything the Gods could possibly do. After all, they'd said it themselves.

They'd come to judge the world.

Salem radiated hate. Even when she was screaming at Ozma hours prior she hadn't exuded this feeling. Hurt, bitterness, maybe even disappointment, but not hate. Now though, the magic rolled off her shoulders and hung in the air. It choked the air around her to a halt as she glared at the two beings.

Ozma wasn't much better, that manic glint slightly returning to his eyes. If Salem was currently the epitome of hate, Ozma was murder incarnate right now.

The God of Light, in all their broad, lion-like glory, looked around, though it felt as though their non-existent gaze was observing things far beyond the forest they stood in.

"Such intricate structures of both mortal and material. A tower that tall being commonplace speaks to the progress made by the people of this era. To say nothing of its strange, prism-like shape."

Skyscrapers. The God of Light was talking about skyscrapers. Given their current location, seeing one would be impossible for anyone. Which meant that even an act as simple as looking around was something the Gods were able to do in a capacity that made them all seem like ants.

The God of Darkness, even without a face, seemed to sneer. Their robed arm swept slowly to gesture to the two immortal beings before them.

"And yet," the God spoke with clear disdain, "They were unable to accomplish a mere two tasks we set forth. Pitiful until the very end."

The two tasks being to have a world that worshiped the Gods again, and a world where Salem was dead. Both were unlikely to ever happen without divine intervention.

Speaking of Salem, the woman was still just glaring, waiting like a coiled snake for the Gods to do more than simply comment. The God of Darkness peered through her, head turned up as they tilted their head to a sickening degree. That same head craned to look at Ozma, who couldn't contain the snarl on his lips.

"We had a deal, Ozma." The God of Darkness groused petulantly. "I gave you all the tools necessary to herald our arrival. Why is it that you turned your back on such a noble task?"

Ozma growled. "To whom is such a task considered noble? Certainly not the walking, unfathomable horror I see before me?"

The God of Darkness hissed. "To gaze upon myself is to gaze upon beauty itself. Do not disgrace me so."

The God of Light turned their attention to the group behind the two immortals. Their head tilted a much gentler amount than their siblings. Inquisitive; curious.

"The mortals of today have grown in many ways." They crouched down like one would to examine a bug on the ground. "Humans come in so many different forms now. To think they could change this much and still not believe that it was we who gifted them such adaptability. When did they begin fusing with animals?"

It should've been obvious to everyone who had known him that he would say something. He was perhaps the least tactful person they'd ever met. The most surefire way to get him to react was to make a comparison of his people to animals. And yet, they expected— since they were dealing with a literal pair of Gods— that he'd manage to hold his tongue for once, given the beings before them could destroy everything with ease.

Clearly, Adam Taurus was not on the same wavelength. He stomped past a shocked Ozma and Salem and flipped off the two Gods.

"We are not animals, you unworshippable excuse for a lightbulb!"

The God of Light seemed to actually recoil from that statement, rising back to their full, giant height, and looking down at the faunus. Beside them, their dark sibling's neck stretched like a lamprey and held itself right before Adam.

"You dare speak to a God that way, mortal peasant!?"

Once again, where everyone behind him was nearly about to beg him not to, Adam once again shattered expectations.

By spitting in the God of Darkness's face.

The void-like being's head flew back like a rubber band to snap back into its proper position. Adam crossed his arms defiantly, staring down his nose at the two Gods.

"Gods, you called yourself?" He barked a laugh and spit on the ground too. "Don't make me retch! You're both pathetic!"

The God of Darkness dropped down to all fours like a demon and skittered across the forest floor to loom over Adam. "Insolent creature! Your very existence is owed to us! You live for we yet allowed it! You dare—"

Adam spit in the God's face again and it screeched, clawing at its face and falling backwards.

"Shut up! If you're both so powerful, why'd you have to make relics that summon you back here!? And why are we all still standing here, huh!?"

That sent the clearing the Gods had made upon their entry into a truly heart stopping silence. Behind him, Salem and Ozma's eyes seemed to dim before they reignited with fury and realization. Yang stepped out from behind her sister and squinted at the two Gods. Were they... nervous?

"Wait a minute..." Yang stared between them, "Adam is right! If you guys are supposed to be all powerful, how come you needed a mortal like Ozpin to do your dirty work? Couldn't you just make the problem go away?"

The God of Light was stiff, standing ramrod straight as it searched for something to say. "... Do not... assume you understand the intentions of Gods!"

Whitley held up a hand. "I second all that's been said. As a matter of fact, why would you stand there and take all the insults being hurled your way? Would you not just be able to halt our existence?"

The God of Darkness screeched and threw their arm out, decimating a tree. They pointed to said tree proudly.

"Witness our power, mortals! Do you not see what we are capable of!?"

Ren looked unimpressed. "We can all do that! Break something bigger!"

The two Gods looked at one other silently. The God of Darkness elbowed the God of Light, who in turn threw up their arms in a 'what do you want me to do' gesture. Salem couldn't believe it. After all these years...

"Are you telling me..." Ozma seemed to come to the same conclusion she had, "That after all these years, you two... You don't even actually have the power to end the world!?"

The two Gods stiffened and stared at the wizard. The God of Light held up a finger slowly.

"That... Is not the truth."

Jaune walked over to an upheaved boulder and lifted it casually. Turning to the Gods, he tossed it at them.

"Catch!"

The Gods both stepped to the side and let the boulder pass between them.

"You didn't catch it!"

"We will not dirty our hands with such things!"

"Because you can't catch it!"

"We can, you imbecile! We simply will not stoop to your level!"

"You mean climb to my level. You're weaker than me. Because you can't catch the boulder."

The God of Darkness was searching for an answer to that. Their sibling God tried to cover for them.

"What my sibling means is..." The God of Light rolled a hand around as they thought. "... The boulder wasn't... Big enough?"

Jaune shrugged and called Nora and Yang over to another boulder, four times the size of the last one. The three of them lifted it with a little bit of effort and started the wind up to throw it.

"Okay, on three! One... Two... Three!"

They threw the much larger boulder and it once again went sailing past the Gods as they avoided it.

"Was that too big?"

The God of Light was starting to fidget now. "It... Wasn't the right color?"

Pyrrha pointed at the God with a pout. "You two are just making up excuses!"

Salem stomped and the entire area around her sank, magic flowed through the air like a torrent as she stood, shoulders raised to her jaw in rage as her eyes came alight with pure fury.

"All this time..." She almost whispered. "All this time spent fearing your return... And you're telling me... YOU CAN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!?"

Her magic lashed out at the two Gods, impacting their beings and sending them cascading to the ground on their knees. They held their arms up as they tried to block the onslaught, but when Ozma joined in too, it was too much and they were both taken off their feet entirely, slamming into the ground with enough force to shake the area around them.

Both ancients were screaming as they continued to unleash spell after spell, a magical oblivion being let loose upon the two gods. The ground around the beings was becoming distorted, like nothing any of them had ever seen before. The magical vapors rising from the two immortals and where their attacks were being heaped on both made a thick screen that shined and glittered like a cave full of gemstones.

"Heavens above..." Weiss stared in absolute disbelief. "And I thought the magic from the maidens was powerful..."

Cinder shook her head. "Our powers are but a sliver of theirs. It's like comparing a glass of water to a reservoir."

And what a comparison to make. The power to throw around elements and fly seemed like it had been far too much already. This? There weren't even words to fully describe some of the things that the two ancient mages were throwing out. Between the natural disasters they conjured and the colorful lightshow, it was like watching someone's abstract rendition of power.

This assault went on for nearly an hour. At some point everyone had sat down to catch their breaths and reassess the situation. And by reassess the situation, they meant watching dumbstruck at the sheer display of power. When it finally sounded like the most recent meteor-hurricane combo Salem and Ozma had conjured died down, the two ancients collapsed to the ground, leaning against one another as they heaved deeply, hair disheveled and sweating.

Where the Gods had once stood was now a patch of... land wasn't even an appropriate term anymore. Slag? That still felt too generous. Ren had to come up with a new word just to describe it.

"It looks real Zoompy!"

Zoompy indeed. And within the crater of Zoompyness the two Gods lay twitching like a pair of dead bugs. Yang grabbed an entire branch of one of the destroyed trees and leaned down, prodding them with the end of it.

"I don't think they're dead yet... Alright! Start it back up! Another hour should do the trick!"

Salem and Ozma groaned but actually looked ready to do it if not for the two Gods in the newly formed Zoompy pit immediately scrambling to stand, albeit shakily and using one another as a crutch.

"No more!" The God of Darkness pleaded— honest to goodness begged— from the bottom of the crater. "We admit it! We don't have any power left! We used it all up!"

Raven just stared at them incredulously. "Used it up!? I thought you were gods!"

The God of Light tapped their fingers together like a child who'd been told off for misbehaving.

"We used a lot of power to erase all life on the planet before..."

The God of Darkness continued, digging their toe into the ground.

"And then we used even more of it to make our grand exit where we destroyed the moon..."

"And when we made those relics..."

"And when we had to come back because you didn't want to use the relics..."

The God of Light idly rubbed one of their antlers. "And we needed the worship of the people in order to regain our power..."

So basically they'd spent all their power being petty and making things complicated. Raven nearly wanted to kick Ozma and Salem back up to start the assault again. She felt something impact her arm and reacted just in time to catch Summer, who had fainted. She didn't even blame her. Raven could honestly have a conniption fit right about now.

As it was, they all just stared down the crater with differing levels of disdain at the two Gods, ranging from Pyrrha's mildly irritated— a truly momentous feat in actuality, considering the girl's mild-mannered nature— to Ironwood and Adam's absolute apathy. This, like everything that had happened to all of them in the time they'd become a part of this magical war, was turning out to be nothing less than a complete pain in the ass, yet nothing more than a deeply poignant migraine.

Salem managed to stand again and offered a hand to Ozma, who allowed himself to be slowly dragged to his feet. The two just stared blankly at the Gods.

"Get off our planet."

The God of Darkness winced. "We... Can't."

Their sibling of light followed up with: "The aforementioned 'no power left' means we're... stranded here."

The two ancient beings continued to stare. Salem opened her mouth to speak, closed it, opened it again, then once again let it shut. She truly had no idea what to do here. Clearly, despite being powerless, the two Gods were still unkillable. What could they possibly do with them?

Ozma tugged her hand, a gesture he used to do when he had a particularly mischievous idea that he wanted to tell her about while they were supposed to be acting like royalty. She turned an eye to him the same way she used to and he pursed his lips.

"There is one way to solve this issue. Provided he's not too tired at the moment."

Salem stared at him in confusion for a moment before his words registered and she gasped, her eyes lighting up with both understanding and glee.

"I'll ready him at once!"

The rest of them could only watch on, unaware of whatever the two immortals were referring to.


"I should've known it'd be this." Whitley groused. "When is it not this!? It's basically her solution to every problem!"

And what was the solution to getting the Gods off Remnant once and for all? Given that space travel hadn't been perfected yet, it left only one option. The only thing they had in their arsenal that could leave the planet.

"Now remember! Make sure to throw them as hard as you can! And don't worry if they hit a few asteroids! As long as you throw them fast enough that they go through them then it's okay!" She hummed as she thought for a moment. "Actually, try to aim for a star or two."

Sir Fluffykins bealed in understanding, the two Gods currently tied to his tail fin, rather crudely, with cables provided by General Ironwood. One wouldn't expect the general to be on board with anything that either of the ancients could come up with, but in his words:

"The sooner I never think about this again, the sooner I can live a happy life."

They were all inclined to agree.

"Can't we just stay here for a few hundred years?" The God of Darkness whined like a child. "We won't cause any trouble!"

"We'll leave the moment we get enough power! And definitely won't destroy the moon again!" The God of Light added.

Neither ancient offered them a reply, instead offering Sir Fluffykins more instruction to aim for a star if he could.

Just before the whale took off into space, Salem stared the two Gods down. She had been waiting for a long time to say these words to the two demons that had turned her life into such a trifle. She turned her nose up imperiously, looking upon them not as the slightly insane woman she had become, but as Queen Salem of Remnant.

"Just know that this planet will never worship you again."

Ozma leaned in beside her, not as a parasitic wizard acting as the head of Beacon Academy, but as the King who would defy even the gods for his queen. "And the two of us will be around for quite a while to make sure of that."

Salem clicked her tongue and Sir Fluffykins started to float upwards slowly, like a cloud. Ren watched the whale ascend with a skeptical hum.

"Are we sure he can go fast enough to fling them through spac—"

Apparently Sir Fluffykins was just being polite, so as not to cause such an insane amount of force that it would rend the flesh from their bodies, as once he reached a certain height his body curled slightly before he heaved and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Then the wind pressure hit and they all went flying. Most of them went through a few trees first. Jaune even managed to make it through a boulder!

After gathering themselves again, they were all at a loss of what to do.

"If I'm being honest," Ozma spoke up, looking to where the whale had flown off, "I think I'll start making amends by tidying up the Grimm population."

Ironwood sent him a sidelong gaze. "This, too, is something you could've done the whole time, I take it?"

Ozma, despite the truly horrendous nature of what he'd admitted to, looked back at James with a little twinkle in his eyes.

"Oops."

Ironwood turned around and stalked off without another word. Watts laughed and followed behind. "Don't forget your creator, James! I still wasn't done with repairs!"

As the general and doctor left, Yang called to Ironwood's back.

"Thanks General! Oh! Also! Are we still enemies of humanity!?"

He waved a hand back as he boarded his aircraft. He sent a look to Weiss, who shook her head. He nodded curtly and turned back around, the door slamming shut behind him. They all watched him take off in silence, Watts waving with a triumphant smirk from the window. They weren't too sad to see him go.

"What about Beacon?" Whitley asked the wizard. Ozma hummed.

"While I enjoyed helping teach the youth of today, I do despise the paperwork," he mused. "Leaving Glynda in charge seems like a poor choice as well..."

Yang tapped her chin. "Oh yeah! What about her crazy ass?"

"I imagine she'll find her way to me eventually, regardless of how far I go."

Ren raised his hand. "I'll be the new headmaster!"

Ozma dutifully ignored him. "I think I have a good candidate in mind. I just have to make sure they say yes."

Summer shook her head. "I feel bad for the poor sucker who ends up taking over that bureaucratic disaster!"

He laughed, eyes twinkling. "Hmhm... Quite. I assure you they'll be in no position to decline."

"Well you all," Salem regarded the rest of them, "I thank you very much for your diligence and support in this matter. Should you ever have need of anything— anything at all— simply call for me and I shall come to your aid in a heartbeat."

Ruby tilted her head at the woman. "What are you gonna do now, Salem?"

The woman grinned slightly. "Well, I must make space in... one of the rooms back at the castle. I imagine I'll have company now, seeing as someone will be in the Grimmlands, closing up all the pools."

Ozma hummed. "I wonder who that could be?"

Yang stuck out her tongue. "Ew! Old people flirting!"

Raven shook her head, pushing her daughter's head down as the blonde brawler squawked.

"When that's all been cleaned up perhaps I'll relocate somewhere more vibrant. It'll be a miracle if we're able to bring life to those desolate lands. I always wanted to start gardening again..."

Raven held a hand out. "Allow me to open a portal back to your tower for you. I'll grab my idiot brother while I'm there."

Salem thanked her with a perfect curtsy.

Cinder rubbed her temples. "Do you still need us?"

Salem shook her head. "You all are quite relieved of your duty. Although I wouldn't say no to a visit every now and then..."

Despite the insanity of the woman before her, Cinder found herself suppressing a smile, instead hiding it by crossing her arms and turning her head away.

"I suppose I can manage that."

"I'll be coming with," Tyrian spoke as strictly as ever, the apparent termination of his position hardly phasing him. "While it's a pleasant thought to return to the normal world, I am still a wanted criminal in most places, through no fault of my own."

Salem nodded graciously, offering no further debate. Tyrian had been an invaluable ally to her for as long as she'd had him, and if he still needed time to get his affairs in order, she was more than willing to keep him around.

Raven sliced open a portal and she and three ancients stepped through. It remained open for a few minutes afterwards. A moment later Qrow was unceremoniously tossed through, a bottle in one hand, Raven following back shortly after.

"Gretchen said goodbye, by the way. Well, in between roars while she tried to maim Oz." Raven grunted as she rolled Qrow out of the way with her foot. "And he managed to get out and find his way into the ancient cellar full of booze from times long past."

Summer grunted, eyeing the man on the ground as he murmured drunkenly in his sleep.

"How hard would it be to get him back to Mistral?"

Raven shrugged. "We could just leave him here in the middle of the woods and he can figure it out."

Summer tilted her head, eyes closed in thought.

"Works for me. Girls, keep the windows closed for a week once we get home. I don't want him trying to crash on the couch."

Ruby grumbled. "Might put out a bear trap too..."

Yang eyed the rest of her companions, a hint of sadness to her eyes despite the cheery smile she tried to keep. "What are the rest of you guys gonna do?"

Adam sighed. "I think I'll return to Menagerie for a while. I promised I'd make it back alive and I don't intend on making anyone assume the worst."

He also had to think about the fallout of the Fang still. There was also the memorial to Fennec and Corsac that he'd vowed to speak at when the statue was finished. Perhaps, in the afterlife, they'd hear him finally give them the praise they wanted.

"I think I'll head home too," Jaune stretched. "Might even become a farmer or something. I don't think this whole hero thing has a lot of life left if all the Grimm go away."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up. "You'd really quit fighting?"

He shrugged. "I think I've done more fighting in the last two months than most people our age. Besides, I wouldn't just let myself go or anything! I'd just be putting my strength towards something that'll help people in the here and now, ya know?"

Once again, the noble nature of their resident knight shined brightly. Adam nodded in respect, the decision to fight a different kind of battle was just as admirable.

Pyrrha rubbed her hands together, a slight flush on her face and nervousness to her eyes that she couldn't hide.

"Um, would you want any... company? As a farmer?"

Jaune grinned broadly. "I think maybe a few family visits are in order before I literally settle down on a farm with the girl I met in school, don't you think?"

Pyrrha blushed to the roots of her hair and waved her hands frantically. "I-I wasn't— I didn't m-mean marriage or anything! I mean, not that I wouldn't! I just—!"

Ren laughed loudly and hopped on Pyrrha's back. "Relax Pyrrha! You'll blow a fuse at this rate!"

The rest of her team chuckled good-naturedly at their leader as she deflated, apologizing like always. The knight clapped her on the shoulder and gave her a warm smile.

"I wouldn't say no, just FYI."

The blushing and laughter resumed, much to Pyrrha's dismay.

Whitley shook his head and eyed his sister. "I have no great desire to return home. Perhaps I'll travel for a while. It seems like the world will be changing and I for one refuse to be left behind when it does."

Weiss reached out tentatively. "Are you sure you don't want to come back to Atlas?"

He pursed his lips and hummed, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze but dropping it afterwards, much to his sister's sadness.

"I think I need some time away from the world of institutions."

Yang hopped up next to him. "You could stay with us for a while! That way you can plan out where to go!"

He smiled slightly at the offer. "Kind of you to offer your mother's home up like that."

"I'm okay with it!" Summer chirped. "You're a delight, Whitley!"

Raven shrugged. "After all this? It wouldn't be a hassle. There aren't any butlers around the cabin though."

Whitley finally relaxed his posture. "I'm sure I'll make do."

Weiss still seemed mildly heartbroken at the thought of her brother avoiding home, and by extension, her, but she recognized that he needed the space. If he'd be with friends like Yang and Ruby too? She could at least rest easy that he was in good hands. She locked eyes with Ruby, who crossed her heart and... well, she tried to wink, but since she only had the one eye it was more like an exaggerated blink. Weiss still got it and appreciated the sentiment.

Ren had slipped off Pyrrha and was prancing around Nora. "Where are we gonna go!? Can we be pirates!? No, wait! What if we go to Menagerie with Adam!?"

Adam winced. "Erm..." He didn't have the heart to say that now wasn't the best time for them to visit given the rapidly shifting dynamics on the island. Nora held up her hand and nodded, allowing him to relax.

"If I may," Cinder chimed in, "You two are welcome to travel with us. Now that I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time in fear of someone trying to kill me and take my powers, I was thinking of touring the kingdoms."

Mercury pumped a fist. "Hell yeah! Finally, a vacation!"

Emerald shook her head. "You already took the chance to do nothing whenever you could." She pointed out. He shrugged.

"Yeah but now I get to do it indefinitely. That's totally an upgrade."

Nora weighed the option in her head. Ren leaned in and spoke with a loud whisper that was not concealed to anyone.

"Are Nora and I allowed to visit everyone once in a while? I don't think they'll last very long without us!"

None of them mentioned that they might actually live a lot longer without any of Ren's antics or schemes. Cinder rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

"Of course. It's not like we'll be lacking the time."

Ren cheered. "Nora! Pirates might still be on the table!"

Emerald raised an eyebrow. "We aren't pir—"

He was already detailing their uniforms and what they would name their ship. Cinder shook her head. They'd settle that later.

"Then..." Yang poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. "Is this bye for now?"

Pyrrha rushed up to the blonde and hugged her, laughing lightly.

"Only for now. After all, who else can we talk about any of this stuff to?"

Yang chuckled and hugged the girl back. "Good point! Pretty sure we'd get locked in the looney bin if we tried!"

Ruby joined in on the hug, and Ren screamed and jumped on all of them, sending them toppling. Nora walked over and lifted them all up but after prodding from the ninja, also joined in the hug. Jaune shook his head with a laugh and turned to Adam, who watched on fondly with a rare smile.

"I'll swing by the island some time," he said, bumping shoulders with the bull. "You can show me the place you remember it being, instead of what it became."

Adam's eyes softened. "I'd like that... Thank you. For all you've done."

Jaune grinned and held his arms open. Adam shook his head, grunted, and rolled his eyes. The full Adam special! Even still, he accepted the embrace and Jaune laughed triumphantly.

"I knew I'd get a hug outta you one day!"

Adam pushed off and scoffed. "Quiet, you."

Jaune laughed and went to scoop his teammates out of the hug pile, easily holding all of them in his arms. Pyrrha sat on his right bicep whilst Ren hung from his left like it was a pull-up bar. Nora had somehow ended up on his shoulders. Ren swung idly as he spoke.

"Are we still gonna be team PAVL?"

Pyrrha smiled. "For as long as you want."

Ren gasped. "But what if we changed the name!? We could make it anything!"

Nora leaned down, lazily resting her arms on Jaunes head and her chin atop her hands. "And what would we call it?"

Ren hummed and swung up, landing in a crouch on Jaune's arm. "What about... Super Robot Space Force!"

Jaune clicked his tongue. "Pretty good, pretty good. But, uh, none of us are robots. Or in space."

Ren waved his hand and blew a raspberry. "As we have so clearly seen, neither of those things is impossible!"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I think we should workshop it a little more."

The four of them continued this back and forth. Ren would suggest inane names and the rest of them would point out that it didn't fit them in basically any way. Whitley watched them, shaking his head as he realized he'd actually miss these antics, despite how much they made him wish to pull out his hair.

Adam evidently had the same line of thought. As Whitley met his eyes, his face shifted slightly.

He looked at Whitley and pointed. "You."

Whitley smirked and crossed his arms. "Oh? Is this where I get a heartfelt farewell?"

Adam stepped up to him and held his shoulder. "Is that how we operate now?"

Whitley snorted and looked up at him. "Hardly."

Adam's face lost its humor, adopting a more serious expression. "I'm happy to call you a friend, Whitley."

Whitley's eyes closed and he huffed. "And I you, Adam. One of my closest."

They held that position for only a moment before Adam piped up again with a grin. "... Even if you are a priss."

Whitley barked a laugh, smirking back at him. "Says the brute who'd take a sword on a date!"

The two laughed again, cut off only as Yang and Ruby ran over and tackled them both into another group hug. Yang squeezed them all together uncomfortably tight, her smile wide even as she eyed them with a clear sadness at their inevitable departure. Whitley wheezed as his ribs were crushed and Adam grunted at the way his face was uncomfortably squished against his own shoulder.

"You better come visit!" Yang demanded of the faunus. "Even if Whitley is only staying with us for a little, I expect to see your broody ass again!"

Adam grunted. "I thought you hated my brooding."

Yang laughed. "Of course I do! It's the worst! That's what makes it so awesome!"

Ruby shook her head. "She's right though. About seeing you again, not the brooding thing."

Adam gazed at his partner with warm eyes. "We will. Promise."

Yang made kissing sounds and Ruby shoved a hand in her face without looking, muffling the blonde as she squawked and flailed, releasing all of them. Whitley grabbed Yang and dragged her away from their two older teammates. Adam shook his head but his eyes didn't leave her.

"Stay in touch?"

Ruby placed her hand on his chest softly, gazing up at him with clear conflict in her eyes. He was going to ask what was wrong but before he could, she quickly leaned up, kissed the corner of his lips, and sped off to the other side of the clearing, hiding behind a tree. His ears were red as he cleared his throat.

"I'll take that as a yes."

And while they all wished they could stick around forever, there were too many changes on the horizon for that. Eventually, someone had to be the first to go. Cinder turned and offered them all a waved and a simple 'It was nice' as she began to trek away. Mercury smirked and saluted and Emerald gave them a lazy wave.

Ren and Nora both gave everyone a final hug before they trailed after, Ren talking just as loudly as ever, even as his voice faded in the distance.

Jaune and Pyrrha left next, the knight offering his hand to his partner and girlfriend as he offered to take her back to Argus before he left for home. He apparently had a sister there that he wanted to visit, so it worked as an excuse to spend just a little more time together. They waved farewell, Pyrrha tearing up as she did and promising to call them when she could. Weiss joined them, needing a way back home without the General.

Despite the betrayal still weighing on him, Whitley gave Weiss a hug, the girl whispering to him that she'd be by his side whenever he needed her. He nodded stiffly, reminded of when he initially left Atlas for Beacon. She gave him one last squeeze before turning and joining Jaune and Pyrrha.

Adam, at least, joined them on their journey to Vale's harbor. Since there was nobody in their home, Raven couldn't just open a portal for them. That at least gave team YSTR just a little more time together before they had to part ways. Even then, as they talked about all they had been through, the trip was over far too quickly, and before they knew it they had already gotten tickets to board their respective ships. They were left standing before Adam as he sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"I'll be making my way back to the island now... To think I was just in Menagerie too..."

Summer held a hand out. "Do you have to head back now? If you need to, you can stay with us too!"

Adam appreciated the offer, but declined. "I already stalled my homecoming once. I fear I'll lose my nerve if I do it again."

They understood, sad as they were to have to part ways. They shared one final group hug as the boat behind Adam blew its horn loudly, signaling its departure. Adam stepped back from his team— his family— and, with a nod from the faunus, turned and boarded a ship. They watched as it departed minutes after, growing smaller and smaller towards the horizon.

That just left the Rose-Branwens and Whitley.

"I don't know about any of you," Raven grunted, stretching her back, "But I think I need a long nap. Maybe a drink, too..."

Summer shook her head as they all boarded their own ship. Patch wasn't too far away from Vale, and they'd only need to take a short trip inland once they docked. The five of them were quiet the whole way back. It was night now, the sky full of stars as they got further away from the city. If they squinted, it even looked like one of the stars just had something collide with it, exploding far, far away.

Looks like Sir Fluffykins had followed Salem's instructions to the letter.

They arrived on Patch and made their way back to their home. It was just the way they left it when they'd fled. Evidently, Ozma hadn't decided to turn the place upside down at all. A blessing, truly, as they could all simply go to their beds and pass out. Whitley was pointed towards the guest room, where he fell face first on top of the covers and immediately fell asleep.

Ruby and Yang turned in as well, bidding each other goodnight and sweet dreams as they shut the doors to their rooms softly. That left Raven and Summer as the only ones awake.

They both collapsed next to one another on the couch, a bottle of wine between them. They didn't even bother with glasses, instead just passing the bottle back and forth as they took swigs.

Raven turned the television on. It was already on the news channel. She wanted to see if anyone was reporting the sky exploding.

Of course there were, even at this late hour of...

"It's only eight..." Raven groaned, leaning back heavily.

Summer shook her head. "Of course it is."

They both turned back to the current report just as the reporter received a transmission.

"What's that? Wh-what!? Are you— Right! Ahem!" They straightened out. "This just in! We've received word that Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy has resigned from his position!"

Raven snorted. "That's the fastest I've ever seen Oz handle something."

Summer rolled her eyes. "Of course the only time he's quick about something is when he retires. Still wanna know who the schmuck is that he plans on having take over for him."

"And according to his resignation address, he has a successor already planned and signed on!"

Raven pointed lazily. "Well there ya go. Let's see who it is."

Summer stared at the screen, eager to see just what Oz had planned. She blinked as the report kept going, an image plastered next to them as they talked about all the qualifications of the new replacement. A strong, willful huntress who had proved herself more than capable on all fronts. He had stated that she had already agreed to the position and would be starting come the next school year.

So why, Summer Rose asked the Gods that she now knew for a fact existed, was she looking at a picture of herself on the TV?

Raven stared slack jawed at the screen. "No fucking way..."

Summer despondently dragged the bottle out of Raven's hands and drank the rest of it in one swoop. Despite all that had happened, this had to be one of the most nightmarish things she'd seen all day.

Raven ran a hand through her hair. "Woof, that fucking blows, Sum. Sorry to say it, but better you than me!"

"And we've also received word that Glynda Goodwitch will be stepping down as well due to... Er, religious reasons? And her replacement as Deputy will be taken by Summer Rose's own teammate, Raven Branwen! Branwen is a well known huntress in Vale who..."

The two women stared at the screen in silence. Weren't they wanted for treason against humanity? Did Oz really have his strings attached to that many people?

Why was that even a question? Of course he did. And as a result, unless the two of them wanted to make themselves look like the most cowardly huntresses to ever exist, they were now the upcoming headmistress and deputy of Beacon Academy.

Raven shambled like a corpse to the kitchen, grabbed two more bottles of wine, and fell back on the couch, handing one to Summer after she finished demolishing the first. They both drank from their bottles heavily before clinking them together with all the enthusiasm of a mortician. They didn't even meet eyes as Raven mumbled.

"Cheers to the promotion..."

Far, far away, another star exploded as two Gods hurtled through space at the speed of Fluffykins. The two women could really relate to that star. Maybe if they summoned the Gods back, they'd just kill them all and spare them the agony of this life? Raven stared off, broken and depressed.

Talk about a role reversal.


I started Talk About a Role Reversal very shortly after my first fic, More Than You Can Chew. That was four years ago now. Never did I expect people to enjoy this story as much as you all have and never did I even expect to truly go as far with it as I did. It was a fun idea that I wanted to play with and it ended up becoming one of my greatest undertakings as a writer.

At times I wondered if I even liked this story anymore. I had grown as a writer to really appreciate the slower, more somber moments I could manage to write, and as you likely read in a few places in this story, I was starting to become invested in seeing them included in my work. But at its root, this was a comedic story and I had never intended a serious conclusion to it.

Every time I uploaded a chapter I would think to myself, "Are people even going to enjoy this? Is this too much of a non sequitur?"

Turns out, those choices I agonized over were some of you guys, the readers, favorite parts. Salem's backstory, Sir Fluffykins, tonal shifts, serious moments, subversions of expectations and more. You all continued to show this story more love than I expected and it truly kept me going when, in all honesty, I wanted to drop this story.

I'm so happy to be able to say this story is done, but it is bittersweet in that I have some rather unfortunate news to break to you all.

I don't know when— or ifthe next story will come out.

Perhaps the motivation will strike and I'll be able to start something I fall in love with as much as you all did with this story but if we're being frank, I've been really pushing myself to write for RWBY. I won't just rag on the show, we all know its flaws and whatnot, but I will say that if I can't feel a connection to the media, how can I really feel a passion for a work based around it?

That being said, I like writing. I want to keep writing! And I want to do it for all of you just as much as I want to do it for myself. I mean it with my whole being when I say that knowing one of you is reading this lights a fire in me to do it again.

Was that too heartfelt? Or too shallow? Heard all that before, maybe? Hopefully not too often, if you have!

Thank you all so very, very much for reading up to this point. If you see any more of this story it might be a short epilogue chapter just for fun, but here and now we can consider this story completed.

Rock on you guys, and until whenever the next time is:

Have a wonderful time.