Hi Everyone, just a quick word before we start.

This chapter is not canon to the rest of the story. It is more of a gift since my birthday is coming up soon.

I hope you enjoy it.

Wandering the forests of the Ever After had grown mundane for Jaune. Be it on Juniper's back or his own two feet, it had been a very long time since he had been caught off guard by the oddities of the Ever After. But today was different, something had arrived in the Ever After last night. Part of him had hoped it was team RWBY, but it was a lone meteorite of shining silver.

Jaune was pulled out of his musing as Juniper came to an abrupt stop, her ears darting from side to side. "What do you hear girl?" Jaune asked, petting her on the neck. Juniper began sniffing the air before turning her gaze back to him. "Something wrong?" Jaune asked, his free hand now reaching for his sword.

BANG!

Jaune almost jumped as Juniper let out a whine from the noise. It had been a long time since he heard gunfire, though it was much louder than he remembered.

BANG! BANG!

"Juniper come on," Jaune said as he directed his trusted mount towards the noise. Bushes and branches parted way as Juniper rushed toward the source of the noise, Cocrea Mors now in hand. With a strong grasp, he felt Juniper's back leg tense before the two of them were now airborne. His eyes narrowed as they jumped into a clearing, a bizarre sight in front of him.

On one side stood a tall man, looking like he walked out a cowboy flick, with a lever-action rifle in hand. On the other was the Jabber Walker, one of its long arms clutching a bleeding stump that had been a horn. Its eyes narrowed at the strange man as it let out a series of hisses.

Bang!

A fourth shot rang out, clipping the bone mask of the Jabber Walker as it jumped back. The Jabber Walker let out incoherent mumbling as it ran along the trees. "Wait!" Jaune shouted as he and Juniper approached. The figure said nothing, instead swaying his aim towards the two of them.

"Why?" the figure inquired and Jaune felt his entire body still. The voice sounded far too much like his own. "Like I just said, Why?" the figure repeated, his rifle now leveled at the two of them.

Jaune was forced to swallow his disbelief and shock, shaking his head as he did so. "Killing the Jabber Walker won't stop it, it'll be back in a week," he stated in a tired tone. A word of wisdom he had gained after many years in the Ever After. The figure lowered their rifle and let Jaune get a closer look at him.

"Did you just say Jabber Walker, as in the monster from the children's book?" The figure inquired.

"Yes, the very same," Jaune replied.

The figure looked them over, his rifle now held in the crook of his elbow. "So, if that was the Jabber Walker, then you must be the Rusted Knight?" The figure asked.

"Yes," Jaune said in a tired tone as he got off of Juniper. He got a better look at the figure; blonde hair fell from his hat in a wolf tail like his own, thick aviators covered his eyes, a short beard rested on his chin, and numerous scars decorated his face. The figure's attire was strange, some form of military armor underneath a duster coat with numerous belts holding small bags and satchels, and a strange device on his left wrist. "Are you from Remnant?" Jaunhe asked.

"Yes... sort of..." The figure trailed off as he slid his rifle into a holder on his back. "Just call me Six." The now named Six said while holding out a hand. Jaune took his hand, giving Six an inquiring eye underneath his helmet. "Can you give me any directions, I am trying to get out of here?" Six asked.

"Sort of, but it's not easy," Jaune said, part of him wishing to just leave the man in front of him.

"Anything helps, no matter how small." Six replied.

"The exit... has a price..." Jaune trailed off, giving the man a vague warning.

"Knock off that Vague nonsense, what is it?" Six inquired, his face hardening as Jaune felt a strong glare from behind the aviators.

"The gate demands a sacrifice, soul for a soul," Jaune stated, a horrid feeling slithering up his spine as he said so. Six paused at this, let out a sigh, then walked away. "You're walking away, just like that?" Jaune asked.

"What else can I do, I'm going to the gate." Six said nonchalantly.

"You're still going, even after what I just said?!" Jaune shouted as Juniper began trotting after Six.

"I have no choice, but I can't fully trust your word." Six said. Jaune stopped, a hand on Juniper's back keeping her from going any further.

"What makes you say that?" Jaune asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You know of the Story, you know how it goes, yet the Rusted Knight was poisoned long before the end." Six said as he turned back to look at him. "Either you are not the Rusted Knight of the book or the book does not follow the true events of this place." Six stated as he took off his aviators.

Jaune stilled, his eyes frozen in shock as his muscles tensed. Six looked at him calmly, his own face staring back at him.

"Come on Jaune, I can tell it's you." Six said as Jaune raised his sword on reflex. Six just looked at him calmly, not even the smallest hint of fear on his face. Jaune sighed, his sword lowered as he reached for his rusted helmet.

"How?" Jaune asked as he freed his head from the protective armor.

"Because I can recognize my own voice, and I'm you, or... some other version of you if multiverse theory is correct." Six said, prompting Jaune to raise a brow.

"Then how did you get like this?" Jaune inquired, gesturing to Six's attire.

"A similar story to how you ended up like this I suppose." Six replied while pointing at his armor.

As Jaune was about to reply he felt a strong wind blow over him. "We should move quickly, I have a camp to stay for the night," Jaune said his tone serious. Six just raised his brow as Juniper looked out as the wind picked up. Six just nodded as Jaune got onto Juniper's back.

"Lead the way." Six said as Juniper ran up to him.

Jaune just hoped they would be back at camp before the two of them were trapped in a ponder storm.

The campfire growled as Six just stared at the strange vegetables roasting above it. He turned his eyes towards... himself as he cut up some form of radish-like vegetable. Neither of them had spoken since leaving the clearing earlier, so they remained silent for the time. Juniper, this Jaune's mount, just kept staring at him from across the fire.

No longer wishing for silence, Six let out a light cough.

"So, how long have you been here?" He asked.

Rusted Jaune turned to him, placing the freshly cut vegetables on the other side of the grate. He remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I... It's been difficult to keep track of time, but my best guess is around twenty years." Rusted answered. "What about you, you've seen more than a few years?" Rusted asked.

"Me, well, it's been a few years for me, but nowhere near twenty years." Six replied.

"So, why the getup? did you attend Shade instead of Beacon" Rusted asked.

"All this, well this isn't the first time I was thrown into another world." Six said. Rusted just looked at him with narrowed eyes, confusion clear on his face. "The first time was strange, one moment I was on a mission with my team just our first semester, and the next I was being dragged out of a bunker in a Wasteland." Six explained.

"A Wasteland?" Rusted inquired, one of the roasted vegetables now in hand.

"The ruins of a place known as the United States of America, in one of her new nations known as the New California Republic." Six continued.

"So, you went from a student at Beacon to a survivor in another world's apocalypse?" Rusted inquired.

"The apocalypse had already passed, by the time I arrived many places were building something new." Six explained.

"You said you were being dragged out of a bunker, by who?" Rusted asked.

"It was this Old Man, he'd lived a long life and done a lot of good for people." Six said before pausing. "He was an old Wasteland legend in his youth, but he mostly just lived a peaceful life by then." Six said.

"And what was he doing around a bunker at the time?" Rusted asked.

"Prospecting, a lot of old bunkers can hold valuable Pre-War tech or spare parts." Six explained.

"Pre-War?" Rusted inquired.

"It's what ended the world, a calamitous event known as The Great War that occurred soon after a decade-long resource war." Six explained.

"That's horrible." Rusted stated.

"Yep, though it was two hundred years before I arrived." Six added.

"So, how long did you spend in this wasteland?" Rusted inquired.

"Never got a proper count, but it was quite a few years." Six answered.

"What did you go through?" Rusted asked before taking a bite from the seared vegetable in hand.

"I spent a few years under the Old Man's tutelage, then went my own way for a time..." Six trailed off, his hand unconsciously running over the scar on his forehead. Rusted gave him an inquisitive look as Juniper leaned closer to him. "Two 9 mil, both were point blank, aura doesn't work in the Wasteland." Six prattled on as he took off his hat. "Spent a few years with amnesia, could barely remember much of what I had done in the Wasteland, much less Remnant." Six stated.

"When did you start remembering?" Rusted inquired.

"When the whole American Wasteland landed smack dab in Remnant." Six said.

Rusted just looked at him in shock. "Was... Was it the two Brothers?" Rusted inquired.

"No idea, maybe it was the Brothers? maybe it was something else." Six said. Rusted shook his head before letting out an annoyed huff.

"What was Remnant like when you returned?" Rusted asked.

"Only a few months had passed, Beacon was currently in their second semester and the Vytal Festival hadn't started yet." Six explained.

"Did... Did your age change back?" Rusted asked.

"No, I was still in my mid-twenties when I returned." Six answered.

"How did Remnant React to a massive Wasteland popping up out of nowhere?" Rusted inquired.

"With panic, on both sides, then things got diplomatic." Six answered.

"No war?" Rusted inquired, leaning in.

"No, but the White Fang tried to create their own kingdom on Wasteland soil, didn't end too well." Six said.

"You seem rather influential in the Wasteland?" Rusted said.

"Yeah... I'm technically the leader of a large nation east of the NCR." Six said before running a hand over the back of his neck.

Rusted was silent for the time being, only taking glances at him while taking another bite of his food. Six took s few of the vegetables off the roast and began taking bites from them.

"Not bad, definitely taste better than Wasteland crops." Six mused before he took another bite.

"What happened before you ended up here?" Rusted asked out of the blue.

"Huh?" Six inquired.

"Where were you before you ended up here?" Rusted repeated.

Six paused, taking one last bite of his food before throwing the husk into the fire.

"How much do you know of Grimm and Remnant Legends?" Six asked.

"Sale, the Maidens, the Relics, Oz told me a lot." Rusted replied.

"Ah, well... Ozpin... invited me to join his inner circle due to my influence in the Wasteland." Six said as Rusted growled under his breath. "Anyway, during the Vytal Festival, this bitch attacked with an army of Grimm and a small army of infiltrators." Six said.

"Not the White Fang?" Rusted interrupted.

"No, The White Fang were busy trying to set up colonies on unclaimed areas of the Wasteland." Six replied. "Back to the point, this bitch killed the Fall Maiden and then tried to incinerate Pyrrha and Ozpin." Six said.

"Cinder." Rusted spat out with vitriol.

"Yeah, that was her name." Six said. "Anyway, I start fighting her with everything I got as Oz pulls Pyrrha out of the place." Six said before Rusted leaned back, shadows now covering his eyes. "The fight got intense and moved deeper into the bowels of Beacon Academy, then we came across a large door that didn't look like it belonged there." Six said.

"A Relic gate." Rusted said.

"Yeah, Oz mentioned that he had one deep inside of Beacon." Six said. "Back to the point, we kept fighting until the gate opened and Cinder rushed for this weird crown in the middle of this strange room." Six explained.

"The Crown-" "Yes the Crown of Choice, please stop interrupting." Six cut off Rusted before he could drive it further. "Anyway, considering what Cinder did to get the powers of a Maiden, I was not in the mood to deal with her taking a Relic to her "Dark Mistress" and her hordes." Six said in a sarcastic tone. Six stopped, running a hand into his bag and fishing something out of it.

The Crown.

"Kept it out of her hands, not for lack of trying on her part." Six said as he quickly put the crown back in his satchel. "She was pissed, and tried bringing the whole place down on both of us." Six said. "I was thrown into one depths of the room while she tried to destroy everything around her." Six said before letting out a dry chuckle. "I chucked a bundle of plasma grenades at her before the darkness consumed me, saw a deep green glow take over the door before I closed my eyes." Six said.

"Think you got her?" Rusted inquired.

"Maybe I killed her, maybe she lived with her limbs melted off while being buried alive." Six said with a morbid smile. "What about you, what is your story?" Six inquired. Rusted paused, lazily tossing the remains of his food into the fire.

"Cinder attacked the Vytal Festival with the White Fang and a horde of Grimm, she killed a lot of people... including Pyrrha." Rusted trailed off. Six leaned in closer as Rusted clenched his fist. "Team Rwby split apart.. with Ruby and the rest of us traveling to Minstral to deal with the Relic and Maiden issues there." Rusted stopped, running a hand through his beard. "There was a traitor and we were forced to take the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas after a fight at Haven." Rusted gingerly put a hand on the pommel of his sword. "I unlocked my semblance to save Weiss from dying during the battle, but the journey to Atlas wasn't easy." Rusted said. "It wasn't easy in Atlas either, especially with Ironwood going off the deep end." Rusted stopped as his shoulders dropped. "Penny became the Winter Maiden and we fought to save the people of Atlas and Mantle from Salem's Grimm hordes..." Rusted stopped, his eye hardening.

Six stood up, putting a hand on Rusted' shoulder.

"Have you killed people?" Rusted asked.

"Yes... more than I can count." Six answered honestly.

"Were they innocent?" Rusted asked.

"No, to wage war against good people is bad for the soul." Six said, the phrase echoing in his mind.

"I killed Penny... She asked me to do it so that Cinder couldn't take the Maiden's power." Rusted said as his teeth clenched. "Winter got the powers, and we fought off Cinder, but it wasn't enough." Rusted said as Juniper began to nuzzle into his side. "One by one, team Rwby was knocked into here, then Cinder fled with two Relics in hand." Rusted stopped as his eyes narrowed at the fire. "We saved the people of Atlas and Mantle, but the escape route was destroyed and... I fell down here." Rusted said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you see their faces, do you see them when you sleep?" Rusted inquired.

"Sometimes, only when I've had horrible days." Six replied, knowing full well what Rusted was asking.

"How do you live with it?" Rusted asked.

"Those I killed were horrible people; Raiders, Slavers, Criminals, Cannibals... they deserved what happened to them." Six said sternly.

"What if they didn't deserve it?" Rusted countered.

"Then understand why you had to do it, but don't forget that it was you who did it." Six replied.

"You think I don't know that!" Rusted shouted as Juniper rested on his shoulder.

"Do you regret killing Penny?" Six asked.

"Yes..." Rusted said in a tired tone.

"Then don't forget her... use what has happened to her to drive you forward." Six said as Rusted just looked at him in confusion. "Ensure that next time no one will have to die to keep power out of Cinder's hands or Salem's grasp." Six explained.

"I guess." Rusted droned on.

"I can only give you advice, it is up to you to better yourself." Six replied.

"That's what they all say." Rusted grumbled.

"People can change, just give them time." Six said.

"Change... always change." Rusted said as Juniper worked to push him out of his funk.

"Yes... Change." A new voice chimed in.

Six turned to see a strange glowing cat resting on a tree. He gave Rusted a quick glance back, seeing the Rusted grit his teeth in barely contained fury.

"Hello knight, long time no see." The cat spoke with a wide grin.

"Leave." Rusted demanded.

"Oh, not going to introduce me to your friend." The cat faked offense in its voice.

Six calmly stood up, narrowing his eyes at the talking cat. "He told you to leave, so go." He stated to the cat.

"What... no name to give?" The cat inquired. Six had no patience for a snake, so he whipped out his Sequoia and fired a shot at the branch the cat was resting on. The Cat let out a shout as he fell to the ground while Six flicked the hammer of his Sequoia. His eyes narrowed as the Cat rushed into the bushes and disappeared.

"I'm going to assume that was the Curious Cat?" Six inquired.

"Yes, good shot." Rusted replied as he pulled himself up.

Six looked out, the sight of the massive tree just to the left of the horizon. "I have to go now, I need to get back," he said.

'Wait, you're leaving just like that?" Rusted inquired.

"Yes, I've done well so far." Six replied. Six took a quick glance back, he could see Rusted was trying to think of what to say. "I can tell you have your own mission, but I can't help you much when I have to complete mine." Six said. "Thank you for the meal, and our conversation, I wish you the best of luck Jaune." Six said before he turned back to the tree. He could feel Rusted gaze on his back, even as he stepped onward.

"Remember what I told you!" Rusted shouted at the top of his lungs.

"And I to you." Six shouted back as he continued on his way.

So yeah, a quick non-cannon sort of spoiler-filled omake, this was just something that came to mind that I found somewhat interesting and wanted to write before I go back to writing the rest of the story.