And we're back! The Ever After Forest Arc continues.

Chapter 52: Down the Rabbit Hole

When Professor Ozpin awoke, he found himself in a place that was not Beacon Academy. A lush, green field. Mushrooms taller than a full-grown man. A flowing river. Doors that lacked walls to surround them. "Okay, either Barty confiscated hallucinogenic drugs from students and this is his idea of a prank, or I walked into an enemy trap." He mused.

Then, the voice of a little girl rang out in the wind. "Welcome to Wonderland, Professor Ozpin." For someone who was clearly Ozpin's jailer, he could not help but note how pleasant and polite she sounded.

"Well, with how unbelievable this place is, I won't argue with how fitting the name is." Ozpin shrugged. "Now then, do you have a name, my dear, or should I just call you the 'jailer'?"

"You can call me Alice." Alice introduced herself. "I am a Numberless member of Gray Jackal, here to keep you from interfering in the going-ons in Ever After Forest."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. An attack on the students in Ever After Forest, and I end up walking right into Gray Jackal's trap? And she basically admits it's to prevent me from interfering. This doesn't mean Salem has teamed up with them, has it?

"How did you manage to capture me?" Ozpin demanded. "I must admit, I didn't sense your trap. That's not an easy feat to pull off."

"Oh, don't feel bad, Professor Ozpin." Alice assured him. "The Rabbit Hole only appeared as soon as I commanded it to appear when you stepped out of the elevator. Even you, the World's Strongest Huntsman, could not have caught such a thing in time."

"I didn't sense you, either." Ozpin noted. "So, what happens now?"

Then, a white rabbit almost his height, dressed in clothes with a pocket watch around his neck, came bouncing by. "I'm late, I'm late!" The rabbit fretted, much to Ozpin's bewilderment.

"What happens now, Professor, is that you are late for a very important date. At the end of Wonderland, you will find a table for a very important tea party. That is where I am. Reach that place, and you will be set free."

"I'm sensing a 'however' in this somewhere." Ozpin mused.

"Correct, correct, how very correct, Professor Ozpin." Alice cheered. "Unfortunately, everything in Wonderland will be trying to kill you on your way there."

"Including that white rabbit?" Ozpin was confused.

"Except for the white rabbit," Alice promised, "He doesn't have the time to kill you. He's late for a very important date, after all. And so will you if you don't hurry, hurry, hurry."

Ozpin could not decide if this girl was barely tolerable or annoying. Her next statement made him settle on the latter. "Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" Alice chortled. "To think that Professor Ozpin himself would be joining me for a tea party, provided he survives of course."

With that, Alice fell silent. Ozpin looked around at Wonderland once more and sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that by the end of this, I'm going to wish Barty had pranked me with some hallucinogenic drugs?" He wondered out loud.

I just hope the other teachers can get the students to safety. He worried inwardly.

And with that, Ozpin began his dangerous trek through Wonderland.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Hansel Kobalt sighed deeply as he prepared to explain Beacon Academy's dire situation. He quickly realized that being blunt was the best way to explain things. "The perpetrators of the Vytal Festival incident are attacking your classmates in Ever After Forest." Hansel revealed.

This made all the color drain from Team RWBY's face. "For real? They're back?" Yang Xiao Long could not believe what she was hearing.

"You're absolutely sure it's them?" Weiss Schnee asked.

"That's what the reports say," replied Hansel. Hansel wasn't told who was behind the attack, but because the class attended by Pyrrha Nikos was fighting for their lives, he had a pretty good idea who it was.

Hansel took a deep breath. "Now, Glynda is with them, and she's the tenth strongest Huntsman in the entire world." He reminded them. "That being said, they likely have accounted for that. Glynda is probably holding back to make sure your classmates don't get wrapped up in her fight, and there's always the chance the enemy has brought their own contingencies."

Something was not adding up for Ruby Rose, though. That horrible night, she and Hansel were the ones who ruined Cinder's plan and forced her retreat. If they knew specifically where to hit to trap the students, they would know she was not with them. So why attack now?

"Professor, what are they after? Why go after our classmates now?" She could not help but voice her uncertainty on the matter.

Hansel studied Ruby carefully. He could tell immediately that she was assuming they were after her or himself out of revenge for what happened at the Vytal Festival. If I tell her that someone else has become a priority-one target for those people…that'll let on more than they need to know. Hansel noted inwardly.

He shrugged. "Don't try to pretend to understand how the minds of evil works, Rose, you'll give yourself an aneurysm." He tried to brush the matter off as convincingly as he could.

Unfortunately, Blake Belladonna was not buying it. "There's something you're not telling us, Professor." She bluntly noted.

Hansel stiffened at that statement. "You and Ruby were the reason the attack failed. You slowed down Cinder, and she injured her severely." Blake pointed out. "And if they knew our classmates were in Ever After Forest, that means they also knew you two aren't among them right now."

Blake narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Petty revenge, I can understand. But without that, this attack makes no sense. That means they're after something else."

Hansel inhaled sharply, cursing inwardly that Blake had found him out. "Teach, Blake's right, that psycho-pyro has no reason to launch an attack like that unless there's something specific she's after." Yang was starting to catch on too. Weiss nodded in agreement. "Come on, if there's something else that's going on here, you have to tell us."

Hansel frowned at Yang being so demanding. "Technically, I don't have to tell you."

"So there is something going on." Weiss realized, making Hansel curse inwardly again. How could he have made such a rookie mistake in all but admitting there was something to hide?

Ruby was now more worried. If Cinder was involved in this, then the monster she now knew as Salem was pulling the strings. So what was she after? If not her, if not Hansel, who was it? At that moment, she knew she had to know more. And that also meant that her teammates had to know more. If anything, they deserved to know more, because she knew they all wanted to save their classmates.

Hansel sighed. "Look, maybe there is more to this, maybe there isn't." He admitted. "But you need to understand something. You're all getting so caught up in wanting to know something, you're not stopping to consider if you should know it."

That made Ruby sick to her stomach. Knowing the truth certainly was not pleasant, not in this case. Yang, however, was unconvinced. "What, you don't think we're mature enough to handle this?" She folded her arms in disappointment. "You know, you're barely older than us, Teach."

"It's not a question of age, Xiao Long." Hansel shook his head. "Listen to me, what I know that you all don't, and the responsibility that comes with it, is unlike anything you've experienced, and for your sake, I hope you don't."

Hansel was lying about one part in particular. One among them did know the truth, and as he looked at the concerned Ruby, he was wishing she did not know. Those damn silver eyes were the only reason she was privy to the same knowledge he had.

Then, Ruby came to a decision that changed the course of the lives of her three teammates. And as she resolved herself to go through with this decision, she thought about what led up to this moment. The truth is, I've always hated it. I've always hated hiding all this from my friends. She admitted inwardly.

Ruby loved her teammates, they were family to her. Hell, Yang was family. The idea of hiding such a horrible secret from them never sat right with her. When they all came to Beacon, they resolved to fight for and protect people, because that was what Huntresses did. But the idea of them not knowing what they were really protecting people from guilted Ruby more than she cared to admit.

I can't keep lying to them. They're my friends, they deserve to know the truth about Salem. And they deserve to know that…that I plan to face her, if I really am special.

Ruby knew in her heart that as soon as Qrow told her that she was 'special' and Opzin later told her about Salem, that she would get strong enough to fight that monster. She was naive, but she was no fool. She once asked herself if Salem was the reason her mother never came home. She already knew the answer. Summer Rose was special just like she was, and that meant she had the same eyes, the same power.

If I'm going to fight this, fight Salem then they deserve to know what I'm getting into. They deserve to know that I'm going to follow in Mom's footsteps…for their sake, and for everyone else's sake. She talked herself up as best as she could.

Mom…I'm going to make sure that your death had meaning. That was one of the few times Ruby was able to bring herself to acknowledge that the mother she idolized was never coming back.

She bravely stared Hansel in the face and said to him: "Professor, please tell them the truth, I'll vouch for them all, and take responsibility."

The other three members of Team RWBY looked at their fearless leader in disbelief. "Hold the scroll!" Yang exclaimed. "Are you telling me Ruby knows what you know and we don't?"

"It wasn't my call to make." Hansel glared at Ruby. "Do you realize what you're trying to drag your teammates into, Rose? This is a mistake, a big one."

"Professor, you don't know my team like I do." Ruby was surprisingly brave in the face of the professor's frightening glare. "Even if you don't tell them, they're just going to keep asking questions. They're going to keep trying to learn the truth."

"And more importantly, I trust them…"

"It's not a question of trust." Hansel shook his head. "Don't you get it? Once they learn the truth about the real war that's being fought in Remnant, their lives as they know it are fucked. There's no going back, Rose."

"Then, it's about knowing what we're risking our lives and fighting against, because whether you like it or not, that war has already come to us. It's already hitting too close to home for us not to care." Ruby insisted. "Professor, those are our friends down there! Their lives are in danger, and they don't even know the reason why, other than that there is someone crazy enough to try and kill them."

"That's all they need to know." Hansel shook his head. "That's all they should know, that's all you should know."

"Holy shit, Ruby really does know." Yang glared at Hansel. "You told my baby sister about some really scary shit?!"

"Again, not my call, it was Professor Ozpin's." Hansel sighed. "If it were up to me, I'd have kept her out of it until she actually was ready, not just because things are escalating the way they are."

"Well, then look at it this way, Professor." Weiss spoke up. "If she's already involved in this, then we want to be involved ourselves. She's our leader, and more importantly she's our friend."

"Hell, since she's my freakin family, I'm already a part of this." Yang glared at Hansel.

Weiss glared at Yang for stupidly escalating things. She gave Hansel a gentle expression. "Professor, please, I get that you're trying to protect us from…something, but if our leader's involved, then so are we. That means, we deserve to know what's really going on here."

Hansel took note of the expectant looks on all four members of Team RWBY. "You realize what you're asking me to do, right?" He scowled at them all. "You're asking me to basically pull you into a battle that has killed people far stronger than all of you."

"It doesn't change the fact that our friends are in danger because of this battle, Professor." Ruby reminded him. "Like it or not, we're already involved. And even if you try to ignore it, it doesn't change the fact that I'm already a part of this. Don't you think they should know that? They're my teammates, they're my friends."

Hansel wanted to rip his hair out in frustration. Why did this feel inevitable after the professor told her the truth? No, that's not fair, this became inevitable as soon as she awakened that weird power of hers at the Vytal Festival.

Hansel wanted to yell in anger. "Fine, damn it, fine! But don't say I didn't warn any of you." He reminded them.

Hansel sighed, knowing he was going to get seriously chewed out by Ozpin later for revealing this stuff. "What I'm about to tell you all is classified information, so classified, even the councils are unaware of this. That means, you all need to exercise the utmost caution and keep it to yourselves. No blogging on the Dustnet, no blabbing to your friends, none of that shit. This is information only privy to a very select few, including those closest with Professor Ozpin. People like myself, Glynda, Qrow Branwen, and the other academy headmasters."

"Oh bullshit, Uncle Qrow knows all this and I don't?!" Yang could not believe it.

"Listen, and you'll understand why," Hansel told them. With that, the entirety of Team RWBY fell silent as Hansel began to tell them all the horrific truth about the shadowy war that is being fought for the safety of Remnant, and the real evil behind the Grimm.

Meanwhile, Velvet Scarlatina bravely stared down Hazel Rainhart as she gripped the copy of Hansel Kobalt's Wolf Fang, courtesy of her camera, Anesidora. Hazel, for his part, narrowed his eyes as he attempted to piece together the sudden change in Velvet. There wasn't a single wasted movement in that attack. Everything she did in that moment had the skill of a master swordsman behind it.

And that sword, just where did it come from? Hazel scowled, remembering Cinder's reports on the students. She claimed that the only real threat was Pyrrha Nikos, but assured us even her apprentices could take her if need be.

Damn you, Cinder, your arrogance caused you to overlook yet another dangerous student. Hazel lamented.

Velvet, for her part, quickly thought through her next move. I have to press the advantage. If I let him get back into his own rhythm, even mimicking Professor Kobalt's style and weapon won't help!

Velvet Scarlatina's Semblance: Photographic Memory. She can accurately mimic the exact moves that other people have learned and used in combat to a degree. However, her Semblance does not allow her to mimic the Semblances and capabilities of others or perform moves that are a direct result of another person's Semblance. Combined with her camera, Anesidora, which uses Hard Light dust to create perfect copies of weapons she has photographed, at the cost of it being a one-time use before she has to retake the photos, Velvet can become an extremely dangerous opponent.

With that, Velvet rushed towards Hazel. I don't know if I can necessarily damage him. But if I attack his joints, that'll stun him briefly, stopping him from throwing any sort of counterattack. If I can just wear his Aura down and stop him from fighting back…maybe, just maybe, I can win!

Hazel quickly threw a hook at Velvet, only for her to duck underneath it and perfectly slash his elbow joint. Hazel winced as Velvet slid on her knees and delivered another slash to the knee joint. The hulk of a man grunted as that knee buckled a little from the impact. Velvet quickly planned out her next move while he tried to recover.

Logic says to go for the spine or the neck, but his Aura is so powerful that I couldn't hit him with a decisive blow. So I've gotta focus on wearing him down!

Velvet jumped into the air and delivered a wheel-like slash to Hazel's shoulder. She knows exactly where to hit me, to stop me from attacking for a split second. And that split second is all she needs to put enough distance between us for her to be safe from a counterattack. More importantly, because she is clearly mimicking the style of a seasoned pro, she hits with precision.

Hazel then found himself scowling. Precision, but not power. He noted. Based on the stance and those precision attacks, I can assume that the actual wielder of that sword and that fighting style is extremely aggressive and strikes with the intent to maim or kill their opponents.

Velvet landed, pivoted and went for another jumping slash. This time, she hit Hazel dead in the eyes with a horizontal slash as she moved above him, briefly blinding the juggernaut of a man and making him stumble backwards, grunting in surprise as he flailed about. Just keep attacking, Velvet, keep wearing his Aura down! She reminded herself.

The barely conscious Thumbelina Peach was watching all this with a look of utter amazement in her eyes. Is this…really Velvet Scarlatina I'm witnessing? Last year, she was as timid as a mouse! But she's fighting with such courage…

Peach then took the weapon she was mimicking. And I'd know that sword anywhere, that's Hansel's blade, Wolf Fang. At some point, Velvet must've taken a photo of him.

But it's more than just that, Velvet is standing and fighting with confidence and bravery…

"You know who you have to credit for that." A little voice in her head reminded her. "You teachers who were around during her first year at Beacon certainly cannot."

Peach sighed, knowing that voice in her head was correct. There was only one person she could credit for Velvet's change in demeanor. In fact, Peach could not help but note that a lot of the students seemed to have changed their demeanors since that man arrived. Bullying reports against Team CRDL have gone down, Velvet's confidence has skyrocketed, and so many of the other students just seem so focused. I can't ignore that all this has been happening ever since Hansel returned to Beacon.

As one of the older teachers at Beacon, Peach was far more willing to look at the bigger picture than the prideful Mulberry or the paranoid Greene. She knew that Hansel's return and signing as a teacher had done quite a bit of good for the students.

He's stubborn, struggles with authority outside of Professor Ozpin, refuses to mince words, and has the kind of attitude that scares most away upon first impression. However, he has always worked hard to cut his own path in life; that stubbornness oddly gives him a strong moral compass that comes with strong expectations of others; and nobody wants to win more than he does. In a way, that inner strength, that drive and that morality, hidden beneath all that stern and lack of tact, is a great example of a Huntsman

The students…the rest of Remnant only sees what they think is the 'bad' side of him, but they see him in his entirety; the good and the bad. Perhaps the bad puts them off a little, but the good drives them to improve. He's not just carving a path for his own life now, he's carving a path for those students to follow. And it's allowing them to become better versions of themselves, like Velvet is now!

Peach sighed. A pity…now I find myself wishing I could've apologized sooner…

Velvet continued to press her assault on Hazel. Each strike was indeed aimed specifically at an area that could stop Hazel from attacking for a split second, just like Hazel had come to realize. Just keep attacking, Velvet chanted like it was a mantra for survival at this point, if I let up for even a minute, he'll turn this entire fight back in his favor.

Then, Velvet noticed that Hazel's eyes were starting to dart around faster than before, closely following her movements. No! He's catching up!

Velvet gripped the copy of Wolf Fang tightly. I have to go for the eyes again, that knock him off his game and allow me to keep the advantage.

Velvet then swung the Wolf Fang copy. I've got you!

Then in an instant, Velvet stopped midswing. Then she found herself weightless, suspended in midair. Hazel's eyes opened as he gave Velvet a hard stare. "It would seem there are actually children among you that I need to take somewhat seriously." Hazel acknowledged.

No! Velvet fearfully thought. He was holding back all this time.

"You had a good idea, little rabbit." Hazel acknowledged. "Let me guess, was that fighting style and weapon that of a pro Huntsman?"

Velvet did not respond. Hazel's entire demeanor had changed. He was still quite calm, but he no longer seemed lethargic, calmly going from point a to point b. It was eerie.

"You made one major miscalculation, however." Hazel pointed out. "You can mimic the fighting style of a Huntsman just fine, and you certainly can create a perfect replica of their weapon. But your Semblance has a crippling weakness. You cannot mimic the actual strength of a Huntsman. Their power, their speed, their Semblances that compliment those two things, you cannot mimic them."

He figured out everything about me after a short period of time. Velvet was surprised.

"Out of respect, I'll make this quick. Don't worry though, I won't kill you." Hazel promised. "As I have said multiple times, only one person needs to die today, and that isn't you. You can live with the knowledge that out of all your classmates, you were the most difficult to take out."

Then with a toss, Hazel punched Velvet hard in the stomach, sending her into a tree. Velvet's Aura shattered as she slumped to the ground, unconscious. Hazel sighed. I really do hate exerting more effort on children than I have to. He admitted to himself.

Hazel then thought back to all the students he had taken out already. They attacked an opponent they knew was superior to them without any sort of hesitation. Not only that, but despite failing to stop me, they fought valiantly. Their combat instructor has obviously gotten them very...motivated.

Hazel narrowed his eyes. Just another fool filling the heads of children with delusions of grandeur. I don't know who they are, but they must be stopped.

But first thing's first, Hazel remembered he had a mission, I must track down Pyrrha Nikos, for Salem's sake.

Before Hazel could start moving once more, more vines sprouted and wrapped around his body. He sighed in irritation. "When are you going to learn that this won't make a difference, Thumbelina?" He inquired.

Thumbelina Peach was exerting herself to the point where her eyes were bloodshot. Even so, she was forcing her Semblance to remain active. "It will though, because if this helps that one student you're after to get away, it'll be worth it!" She declared. "I told you, I won't let my students down!"

Hazel easily broke free of his restraints, only for more to sprout and grab him. "Thumbelina," he warned, "keep this up and you will die. Overexerting your Semblance will rip your soul to shreds and kill you."

"I'm fighting and dying for what I believe in, Hazel, and I'm not giving up either." Peach vowed. "Not a single one of those kids gave up against you, so neither will I."

Hazel once again broke free of his restraints. Peach nearly summoned more vines, only to vomit blood, stopping her from doing so. Hazel was then behind her in a split second, showing a surprising amount of speed that he had clearly been holding back from the start. A quick chop to the back of the neck finally sent Peach into unconsciousness. "I really wish I could say that I admire your will to continue the fight, Thumbelina, really I do." Hazel said sincerely. "It's just a pity that the determination of you and your students is wasted in an unwinnable war."

"But I keep my word. Out of respect for our past, you will live. Goodbye, Thumbelina."

And with that, Hazel continued his trek to track down Pyrrha Nikos. Inwardly, however, his hate for Ozpin was beginning to be matched by Beacon Academy's combat instructor. And he knew exactly who it was. He heard the whispers on his travels to complete Salem's instructions. He had seen the newsreels, read the papers, all of it. Everything pointed at one name that surprised Hazel to this day: Hansel Kobalt.

The thought of that name in particular made Hazel scowl. I suppose having blood on your hands is just a family trait at this point. Such a pity that the cycle continues with you, boy. A pity our spy has told us that you won't be here today. You, just like Ozpin, deserve to see what happens when you fill the heads of children with delusions of grandeur.

Meanwhile, Team JNPR continued to retreat as far from Cinder Fall and Ann Greene as they could muster. "How long are we going to keep fleeing?" Nora Valkyrie asked.

"Until we're out of this forest," Jaune Arc replied, "you heard Professor Greene, our focus needs to be on survival. Plus, it's urgent that we call for help ASAP. Ren, do you think we're far enough away from Cinder to contact Beacon?"

Ren quickly took out his scroll and winced when he saw the no service message. "No good, I'm not getting anything."

"How is that possible? The CCT tower is still up." Nora pointed out.

"Someone must be jamming our signals." Jaune muttered. "Damn it, they thought of everything."

"This isn't right," Pyrrha shook her head, "it's me they're after. I can't keep running like this while everyone else is fighting for their lives."

Jaune winced at how frustrated and guilty Pyrrha sounded. He shook his head, knowing he had to stop her from going back in to fight. "Pyrrha, you can't think like that, if Cinder gets her hands on you, she gets the full power of the Fall Maiden, and then we're really in trouble."

"But everyone else…"

"We have no choice but to put our trust in the teachers for the time being." Ren asserted. "I don't like abandoning our friends any more than you do, but Jaune is correct. If everything we've been told about a Maiden's powers is true, that woman must be stopped at all costs from obtaining such power."

Ren sighed. "Being selfish to be courageous is a luxury we just cannot afford in the present time. So, we keep retreating."

"Besides, the other teachers back at Beacon know there's something wrong, right, they wouldn't just hang us out to dry." Nora pointed out.

"That's right, Nora," Jaune smiled reassuringly at Pyrrha, "I'm sure Professor Ozpin's on his way right now. Once he gets here, everything's going to be just fine. He's the best, after all."

Pyrrha still looked very uncertain. Jaune grabbed her by the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha, but this isn't up for debate. Like Ren said, we can't afford to be selfish." He gently told her. "Now come on, let's keep moving."

Meanwhile, on the airship, Team RWBY sat in horrified silence as Hansel finished the dark truth of Remnant's shadow war with the true enemy. Hansel sighed as he saw the pale looks on Weiss, Blake and Yang's faces. They weren't ready for this. Hansel glanced at Ruby, who actually looked guilty now for this. I really hope you're ready to accept the consequences for this, Rose.

"I really want to say you're lying," Blake admitted, breaking the silence first, "but…if Ruby's backing you up on this…I've got no choice but to believe this."

"Okay then, so let's say it's all true." Yang muttered. She then continued in a clearer tone. "The Grimm are actually commanded by someone…no, something. Her name is Salem, and she's hellbent on…what, exactly? Subjugation? Destruction?"

"That's something even I can't say for certain." Hansel admitted.

"And she was the real brains behind the attack on the Vytal Festival? Cinder was just a pawn of hers?" Weiss could not believe that there was someone commanding that lunatic.

"And the reason Ruby knew this before us, is because apparently her silver eyes give her some kind of special power? A power she used at the Vytal Festival?" Yang turned her attention to her sister.

"I saw it…kind of…I was drifting in and out of consciousness." Weiss admitted. "I honestly thought I had been hallucinating at the time due to my injuries. I never could have imagined it was all real."

"Professor Ozpin thinks it could give us a sort of…edge." Hansel sighed. "I personally don't see it yet, but there's so little we actually know about that power."

"Hell, all we've had to go on with what they can actually do is merely speculation." Hansel admitted. "Frankly, this is why I was opposed to telling even Rose the truth. With so little we understand about that power, it's not really any help."

"I went to Professor Ozpin and asked for the truth after Uncle Qrow suggested it. Professor Ozpin's not entirely to blame." Ruby claimed.

"I don't get it, why hide all of this? If all of humanity united against her…" Weiss began.

"According to the professor, Salem's peak is an S-Class fighter. She alone could level an entire kingdom." Hansel revealed. "The only thing stopping her is that the 10 Legends act as a deterrent, especially Ozpin. And now, Klaus Rot is dead."

"Don't you get it? The Grimm are already terrifying on their own. If people realized they had a master who could go toe-to-toe with their best Huntsmen, the panic would be unlike anything you've ever seen."

"And my baby sister is supposed to fight this?" Yang's eyes were red now.

"Yang, you can't expect me to stay out of this." Ruby reminded her. "If my eyes really can help me make a difference, I have to do something. Mom tried to do something."

"Yeah, and look where it got her!" Yang snapped, making Ruby flinch. Blake and Weiss gasped at Yang's callousness. Her eyes returned to normal when she realized she took it too far. "I'm sorry, Sis, losing her was hard on me too."

Hansel winced as well. They're already proving why this was a bad idea.

"Mom died fighting for a cause she believed in. I have to do the same." Ruby admitted. "Otherwise, how can I possibly call myself her daughter? What's the point of having this power, if I'm not allowed to use it for what it's meant to."

I have to do this, if I do this, I can grow to understand her better. I can grow closer to her. If I take up her cause and fight just as hard as she did, maybe…maybe I can understand why she chose her mission over me. Ruby added, allowing her darkest thoughts to surface for a brief moment.

Ruby Rose, deep down, often wondered why her mother chose a mission over raising two daughters…

"Ruby, it's not that simple…" Yang trailed off.

Hansel heaved a sigh and stepped in. "You two can have your argument later, but we need to focus on what's important. I asked the pilot to take us to Ever After Forest, he's going to drop us off. I'm going in there and I'm taking out the attackers."

"You mean we're going in there." Yang forgot her frustration and worry for Ruby.

"Out of the question." Hansel scowled.

"Those are our friends, Teach, you can't ask us to ignore this!"

"How many times do I have to tell you girls? You may have some skill, but if you keep trying to punch outside your weight class, it's going to get you all killed." Hansel reminded them.

Suddenly, Blake noticed something outside the window that made her gasp. "Oh, Gods!" She exclaimed.

Everyone ran to nearby windows. Hansel gasped in horror at what he saw.

Using telekinesis, Glynda Goodwitch flew about as she continued to bombard the Jormungandr with telekinetic attacks. However, nothing she did was leaving lasting damage on the giant serpent. The only possible explanation was that she could still sense the presence of her students nearby. She could not afford to hurt them.

When the giant serpent nearly tore her in half in one bite–and thankfully, she managed to fly away in time–all the color in Hansel's face left him. "Glynda…" he muttered in worry at the sight of his adopted mother fighting for her life.

She's holding back, even I can tell from here. And it's because she's waiting for the students to get to safety. Who am I kidding? I can't fight the attackers and evacuate everyone at once!

Hansel bit his bottom lip in worry and frustration, an act that did not go unnoticed by an empathetic Ruby. Hansel took a deep breath. "You four can come with me," he decided, "but you are not to engage anyone without my permission. Otherwise, your only mission objective is to help get your classmates out of that damn forest."

Team RWBY all nodded in unison. "Now, like I said before, I've arranged for the pilot to drop us off on the other side, far from Glynda's battle with the Jormungandr." Hansel revealed. "We'll head into the forest, find all the survivors and get them the hell out of here."

"And again, no engaging unless I say so, you four are on rescue duty." Hansel reminded them.

Suddenly, the Jormungandr whipped its massive tail at Glynda. She managed to avoid it, but the insanely high winds that picked up as a result nearly caused the airship to lose control. "Shit!" Yang cursed in surprise.

"Everyone hold on!" Hansel yelled.

The pilot's voice came on the intercom. "I'm going to try and get control, just hold on."

It took a great deal of effort, but the airship was soon stabilized. "Was that just from that thing whipping its tail?" Yang was shocked.

"That's an ancient-class Grimm, for you." Blake muttered.

The pilot's voice came on again. "We're beginning our descent. Be ready to depart because frankly I don't want to stay here.."

Hansel quickly made his way to the back of the airship. He came back with everyone's bags. "Arm yourselves, now." He ordered.

One by one, each member of Team RWBY got their weapons out…and Zwei. "...I seriously keep forgetting he's here." Hansel admitted before shaking his head. "I guess a bloodhound is useful for a rescue mission."

Soon, the airship landed on the other side of the battle between the S-Class Huntress and ancient Grimm. Hansel led Team RWBY and Zwei out of the airship. He quickly gave the pilot a thumbs up and the pilot quickly took off.

"Let's move!" Hansel exclaimed.

The group began to move into Ever After Forest, ready for whatever was ahead. What they would soon discover, however, was that their first test was nearer than they thought.

Hansel quickly stopped them upon entering the forest. He then called out. "You might as well come out, I can sense you."

Team RWBY's eyes widened when they saw two familiar faces step outside. Then, several more copies of one of those familiar faces stepped out as well. "A Semblance." Hansel muttered. "Everyone be on your guard. Keep your Aura sensing sharp, and what you see won't fool you."

The many copies of Emerald Sustrai chuckled cruelly at the group. "Aww, how cute, you think that's going to help you. You're as dumb as you look if you think this is going to be like last time, Kobalt. After all, there's a lot we have to pay you back for, when it comes to that night." Emerald's voice rang in the wind.

Mercury Black, however, had his gaze solely on Yang. And it was a smirk as cruel as Emerald's chuckling. "Hey there, Blondie, you owe me one for my leg, what do you say?"

Yang's eyes turned red. "I say I'm going to break more than your leg this time." She promised.

Weiss spoke up as well. "And that means you're the one who tricked Yang into punching Mercury in the first place, Emerald." She glowered at the green-haired girl, wherever she was. "You're going to pay for ruining her good name."

It was time for the counterattack against Salem's forces, along with the rescue of those trapped inside Ever After Forest, to begin.

A.N: As usual, a lot to unpack here. First, let me just say, I started writing this before the volume 9 teaser and having not seen it myself. So, I was unaware that RT is using their own Wonderland for V9. Anyway, needless to say, enjoy Lewis Carroll references for the next several chapters.

We also have the revelation of Salem to the rest of Team RWBY. We're taking a slightly different direction here. Par for the course with this story, we have two schools of thought that are completely valid in whether they should know or not. I love these moments, frankly.

We've also got a few pages of Velvet being a badass before reality hits, and Hazel continues to be a juggernaut. Finally, we've got a rematch with Yang and Mercury, and the teased fight of Weiss vs Emerald finally happening.

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next time.