A Red Rose in the Blue Wind

by Iron117Prime

Sonic and his friends have come to a new world, one Dr. Eggman hopes to conquer. Meeting new friends? That is to be expected of our heroes. New enemies? Also to be expected. But being caught in a war between two immortals? Not the strangest thing that's happened to them, but definitely something new. (Blood and minor swears)

6. Black and White and Red All Over

Hi everyone, thanks once again for your patience. Here we are, at the end of the Volume 1 arc. This is where the action starts to pick back up again. I've been wanting write this chapter for a long while, I've got plenty of surprises in store and I'm sure you'll be pleased with what I have to reveal here. So, with that being said, let's get started.

Black and White and Red All Over.

A large warehouse that served as a storage facility for Dust shipments in transit would normally be a rather quiet place at night, but that was not the case hear as the sounds of gunfire and battle were heard from inside the building, complete with flashes of light and fire being seen from the windows.

A squad of at least twenty White Fang soldiers were currently fighting their most dangerous adversaries they've ever seen. Were their opponents' soldiers of Atlas? No. Were they professional trained Huntsmen? No. It was only a team of three… of the most skilled and arguably dangerous beings of their own world.

Six White Fang agents stood together as they fired their machine guns at Shadow the Hedgehog, who leapt over a metal crate of Dust before delivering a Homing Attack onto the center one to send him flying and crashing into another crate, landing in the center of the group. Before they had a chance to attack, Shadow quickly drew Arondight as he spun his legs, adding an extra boost form his rocket shoes to trip them up while also spinning around as he held out his sword to slice at all of them, damaging their Aura while the impact sent them flying and crashing through various parts of the warehouse, shattering what was left of their Aura to knock them out.

Rouge quickly flew out and extended her foot to kick the face of one White Fang agent, sending him flying as well before four more agents charged at her with blades. She quickly drew Purple Hearts, using them to parry their strikes with relative ease before flying upward to throw them at her enemy like boomerangs, both spun around to clang each of them in the head before they returned to Rouge who fell back down to land both her feet into one of the disoriented White Fang members and quickly delivered precise strikes to each of their necks to knock them down.

One White Fang agent hid behind a crate and pulled out what appeared to be a rocket launcher, locked onto the seemingly oblivious Rouge and opened fire…

Only for Omega to suddenly drop in, catch the rocket in his hand and crush it in his grip, causing it to explode. The smoke quickly cleared to reveal Omega has completely undamaged, much to the rocket-wielding agent's shock before Omega responded by firing a condensed beam of lightning from his wrist to take down the agent in one shot.

"Careful with your new Dust stuff, Omega." Rouge told him. "Don't want to blow this place up, especially with us still inside."

"Acknowledged." Omega responded as four more White Fang agents came out from behind some cover to fire their guns at Omega, but the bullets bounced off his metallic body, leaving him undamaged before he retaliated with machine gun fire himself, making sure his targeting system locked onto the agents to avoid any misfire on the Dust containers as Rouge instructed. He took all four down in less than a minute.

With only four more agents left, they backed away in fear as Shadow slowly and menacingly walked toward them, Arondight in his hand. Getting desperate, one White Fang agent pulled out an axe and tried to charge Shadow, he easily blocked the swing with his sword before bringing his foot to the side of the agent's head to knock him out. Two tried to pull out their guns, but Shadow quickly gunned them down with Arondight's built-in rifle, leaving only one left… whom Shadow quickly sped to seize him by the throat and lift him in the air.

"You…. You're not a Faunus… but you're not human either… so why help them?!" The agent questioned as Shadow merely glared. "You should be fighting with us! Humanity deserves this! They deserve…!"

Shadow's only response was a powerful punch to the face to knock out the agent, as well as knock off the Grimm mask he wore.

"That's all of them." Rouge said, dusting her hands, observing all the downed White Fang agents scattered throughout the warehouse."

"White Fangs agents completely neutralized." Omega reported. "No fatalities. Their Aura is resilient, but not indestructible."

"These past few months we've seen some thugs and other common criminals target Dust shops and stuff like that, but now the White Fang's doing the same thing?" Rouge wondered.

"Dust is highly destructive weapon. The White Fang would seek to use it in their war against Remnant's humanity. It is an obvious motive." Omega replied.

"I know, but they're doing the exact same thing as those criminals we've taken down." Rouge said. "Maybe they're competing against each other or…" She began to think before turning to their leader. "What do you think Shadow?"

He didn't respond right away, his back turned toward them slightly. Rouge looked with concern, but she then saw that Shadow was holding the Grimm mask of the last White Fang agent in his hand, deep in thought. Something of a sympathetic look formed on her face as she knew exactly what was going through Shadow's head right now.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked, walking up to him.

"It's the same…" He began. "Be it Earth or Remnant, humanity is still the same. Discriminatory, fearful… The White Fang's actions are equally inexcusable, targeting the weak, even using fear tactics like their new face." He said, gazing at the Grimm mask. "They claim to be different, yet their actions have shown that they aren't any different from humanity: every bit as violent as they are."

"Humans and Faunus appear to exhibit the same emotional traits." Omega put his two cents in. "By that logic, the only difference between humans and Faunus is their animalist features. Humans feared the Faunus for their appearance, the Faunus feared humanity for their actions, both sides view the other as a threat to their existence and have tried to make the other the enemy of their world."

Rouge certainly understood the logic in both their cases. She has seen humanity's ugly side too, with Shadow being a victim of it himself. "Listen, Shadow…" She tried to say something, but he had already thrown the Grimm mask away and changed the subject.

"It's not just the White Fang that has me concerned, it's the fact that we haven't seen Eggman since our arrival on Remnant."

Rouge could only sigh, knowing Shadow changed the subject to avoid talking about this sort of thing, but she knew he was right at the same time.

"Yeah. It's been months and we haven't heard any claims at world domination yet." She said. "No robot armies, no fire raining down, nothing."

"Most unusual." Omega agreed. "Eggman would have had the Ark repaired within that timeframe, and with the Chaos Emeralds in his possession, he would have a fully operational Eclipse Cannon at his disposal."

"He is likely using the Eclipse Cannon as a method of last resort if his initial plan for Remnant fails." Shadow assumed. "That is likely why he hasn't been seen in this time, trying to bring his plan together."

"Got any idea what it could be?" Rouge asked.

"I have a few theories, but nothing concrete yet." Shadow answered. "I suspect however, we'll find out soon."

---

The Next Day – City of Vale

Teams Sonic and RWBY walked through the city, observing all the decorations that were being set up in preparation for the upcoming Vytal Festival. While RWBY wore their Huntress outfits, Sonic and his friends wore basic, casual clothing (save for Amy who wore her usual red dress). Just like with most of the Beacon Student Body, if anyone asked, they were Faunus. That way they wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention, and it seemed to work. So it seemed like they were just enjoying a casual walk through the city.

"Hmm, must be some party going on." Sonic said, observing all the preparations.

Weiss gave a slight scoff in surprise. "It is not just 'a party'! The Vytal Festival is dedicated to the cultures of the world! Dances, parades, a tournament… oh the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!" She said excitedly.

"That actually gets you excited?" Sonic questioned.

Yang sighed. "Yeah, Weiss knows how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

"I don't have the patience for that sort of thing either." Knuckles added.

"Quiet you!" Weiss scolded them.

"But isn't this festival supposed to be a like the anniversary for a war or something?" Amy asked.

"Not quite." Tails explained, skimming through the info on his Miles Electric. "It's an international event held every two years to celebrate the end of this Great War. It's held in each of the Kingdoms starting with Vacuo, then Mistral, Vale, Atlas and back to Vacuo again. There's also a combat tournament between the Huntsmen academies of each Kingdom."

"You got me at 'combat tournament'." Sonic smirked.

"You sure picked up on all that pretty quickly." Blake noted toward Tails.

"If we're gonna be on Remnant for a while, it's best to know more about this place." The two-tailed Fox answered.

"Can you even go in the tournament?" Ruby asked Sonic. "You aren't technically students."

"Maybe not, but it still be fun to watch." The blue Hedgehog replied. "Maybe we can have Ozpin pull a few strings and have an 'exhibition' match with professional Huntsmen."

"Okay, now you got me excited!" Yang grinned.

"This is nice and all, but why exactly are we here?" Amy asked as the group approached the docks. "This festival isn't for a while, right? Kinda seems early to be celebrating."

Ruby plugged her nose. "Ugh, the docks smell like raw fish."

"I've heard students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship, today." Weiss answered Amy's question. "And as a representative of Beacon, I feel that it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them, so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake translated.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss retorted.

"It is a viable tactic to observe and learn your opponent's abilities." Knuckles granted. "That way you can find an appropriate counter."

"Yes, thank you Knuckles." Weiss smiled and nodded somewhat smugly.

"But at the same time, depending on how it's handled, it can also be considered an act of dishonor." Knuckles added with teasing grin, causing Weiss to comically scowl.

"Who are you calling dishonorable?!"

"I didn't say you were." The red Echidna replied. "I only said it depends on how you handle this tactic. So, I'd be a bit careful if you don't want to have a reputation of playing dirty." He joked, causing most of the group to chuckle and for Weiss to pout.

However, Sonic noticed Ruby looking in the opposite direction. "Hey Ruby, something up?" He followed her gaze and saw what appeared to be a crime scene. "Whoa."

That got everyone else's attention was they made their way closer to get a better looked. It appeared to be a shop of some sort with all its windows and doors broken in, police tape everywhere, even separating the crime scene from the public as a pair of detectives continued their investigation.

"Hey, what happened here?" Ruby asked one of the detectives.

"Robbery. Second dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." He answered as he went to talk with his partner, which the group of eight overheard.

"They left all the money."

"Eh, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?"

"I don't know… the army? Maybe the White Fang?"

"Geeze, this again…?" Amy wondered aloud.

"Wait… again?" Yang questioned.

"Yeah, we've been around Vale these past few months and have stopped more than a few of these kinds of robberies." Amy answered. "Just like here, they didn't touch any of the money. They just tried to take the Dust."

"You've been going around stopping Dust robberies?" Ruby asked.

"Well, like you said, we're not students at Beacon." Sonic answered. "Been all over the city, and there've been a lot of robberies like this. We've stopped most of them, but not all of them apparently."

"You wouldn't have happened to encounter to degenerates in the White Fang, wouldn't you?" Weiss asked, causing Blake to narrow her eyes.

"What's your problem?"

"My problem? I just simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss replied.

"The White Fang are hardly a group of psychopaths." Blake countered. "Their a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided?!" Weiss questioned, only for Sonic to quickly come in-between them.

"Okay, okay, that's enough." He told them, trying to stop a fight from occurring. "No, nearly all the robberies we've stopped have just been a bunch of thugs. Kinda like that Torchwick guy Ruby and I ran into a while back."

"You think it was him?" Ruby asked. "The police haven't found him yet, have they?"

"No, I don't think they have, it could be him." Sonic answered.

"Hold on, you said 'nearly all'." Weiss said to Sonic. "That implies that not all these robberies were conducted by common criminals."

Tails gave a sigh before answering. "Last night, Shadow's team said they encountered a group of armed White Fang soldiers trying to get into a Dust warehouse."

"There, you see?" Weiss pointed out to Blake specifically.

"I'm not going to deny the White Fang were in the wrong there." She replied. "I'm only saying that these two situations aren't connected."

"That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss said. "Those Faunus know only how to lie, cheat, and steal." This only seemed to rile up Blake even further, something Knuckles noticed with a curious gaze.

"We've heard about the White Fang too, but didn't they start off as a civil rights group?" Amy asked. "That kinda seems like a pretty big leap, don't ya think?"

"Hey! Stop that Faunus!"

The group turned their attention back toward the docks, quickly making their way over there to see a young man monkey Faunus with tan skin, blonde hair, blue eyes leaping off one of the cargo ships that just arrived at the port. He wore a loose white jacket, red guards on his forearms, blue jeans and yellow sneakers.

"Thanks for the ride, guys!" He told the shipmates as he leapt off the ship.

"You no good stowaway!"

"Hey, a 'no good' stowaway would have been caught!" He shouted back, hanging upside down from a lamppost with his monkey-tail and helping himself to a banana. "I'm a great stowaway!"

A rock was thrown in his direction, which he casually avoided as the two detectives from before approached him. "Hey! Get down from there this instant!"

He threw the banana peel at his face in response before perching himself up on the lamppost with a laugh and leapt off and back down to the docks, quickly making his way up the stairs with the detectives in pursuit. He also happened to pass by Teams Sonic and RWBY, casting a glance and wink at Blake, much to her confusion before running away.

"That was… something." Tails commented.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes." Yang told her in a teasing manner.

"Wait, that was a student?" Knuckles questioned. "Why'd he stowaway?"

"Probably looking for a thrill. I certainly relate." Sonic assumed.

"Quick, catch him!" Weiss told Sonic.

"Why me?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the fastest thing alive? You can easily catch him with your speed!" The heiress stated.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Buuuut, I'm not in the tournament. I don't see a reason to catch and observe him. That's more so, your thing." Sonic teased.

"Ugh! You… you…!" Weiss flustered. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" She exclaimed as she ran in the direction she saw the monkey Faunus run off into.

"You totally did that on purpose, didn't you?" Ruby asked Sonic, who only grinned in confirmation.

"Come on, let's at least humor Weiss for a bit." The blue Hedgehog said as they went after the heiress. Though Blake had an odd expression on her face as she was among the last to try and follow her friends.

"Hey, are you alright?" Knuckles asked her, startling her somewhat.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine. Let's go." She said before running on ahead. Knuckles looked a bit further concerned before joining the others.

It didn't take long for them to catch up to Weiss. But as they rounded the corner, Weiss happened to bump into another girl, causing them both to fall to the ground. Weiss got up and looked to see her 'quarry' had vanished.

"No! He got away!" She heard a whistle from Sonic, turning toward him to see him pointing downward. She looked in the direction to see she was on top of another girl, causing her to quickly pull herself up.

One with short, curly orange hair and a pink bow on the back of her head. She had bright green eyes, fair skin, and freckles; while also wearing a white-gray old-fashioned blouse and thing-length frilled dress with green lines on the sides, along with black thigh-high leg pieces attached to her black shoes.

"Salutations!" The girl greeted with a smile, despite still being on the ground.

"Um… hello…?" Ruby greeted back.

"Are you okay?" Sonic asked, offering her hand, which she oddly didn't take.

"I'm well. Thank you for asking."

"You sure? Because you're lying flat on the ground." Sonic pointed out, still offering his hand.

"Yes I am."

"Do you want to get up?" Sonic asked, further extending his hand.

"Is that why you are holding out your hand? A gesture for me to get up?"

"It means I'm offering you some help in standing up." Sonic told her while also looking just as confused as all his friends behind him.

"Oh. Thank you. And I accept your offer." She grabbed onto his hand, and he pulled her back up on her feet. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Call me Sonic." He replied as the others began to introduce themselves to her.

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby."

"Name's Tails."

"I'm Weiss."

"Knuckles."

"Blake."

"I'm Amy Rose."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked bluntly, causing Amy to elbow her with a slight glare. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Penny repeated.

"You said that already." Knuckles pointed out.

Penny paused for a second. "So, I did."

"Well, sorry for running into you." Weiss apologized before the group turned around to leave.

"See ya later." Sonic waved.

"Take care, friend." Ruby added as they left.

They rounded the next corner, some trying to process what just happened. "She was… weird." Yang commented.

"Eh, we've had weirder friends." Sonic said.

"That's true." Tails agreed.

"Now, where did that Faunus riffraff run off too…?" Weiss tried to resume her search, only for her and everyone else to look in surprise as Penny somehow appeared right in front of them.

"What did you call me?" She asked as Weiss pointed back and forth between where they were and where Penny stood now, trying to understand how she got here so quickly.

"Someone got here fast." Amy said.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't think you heard me!" Yang tried to apologize to Penny, thinking she was talking to her.

"No, not you." She walked past Yang and the rest, getting incredibly close to Ruby and Sonic. "You."

"Me?" Ruby and Sonic both questioned at the same time.

"Both. You both called me 'friend'. Am I really your friend?" Penny asked.

"Eh yeah… why not?" Sonic shrugged.

"Yeah, sure." Even Ruby seemed alright with it, no harm in making a new friend, right?

A wide smile formed on Penny's face. "Sensational! We can paint our nails! And try on clothes! And talk about cute boys!"

"Sorry, I'm not into that stuff." Sonic told her. "But… if you wanna get a chili dog sometime, I'm cool with it."

"What is a chili dog?" Penny asked.

Sonic then spoke to Ruby in a whisper. "Totally forgot to ask, but you got chili dogs in your world, right?"

"Yeah, we do." She confirmed in a whisper back, causing Sonic to breathe a sigh of relief. A world without chili dogs was unthinkable to him.

"So… what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked Penny.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." She answered.

"Oh, you're a student, huh? Which Kingdom are you from?" Tails asked.

"I am from Atlas." Penny replied.

"A friend of yours?" Amy asked Weiss, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Not all Atlesians know each other. But wait… you are fighting in the tournament?" She questioned to Penny.

"I'm combat ready!" The odd girl declared with a salute.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss told her.

"Looks are often deceiving." Knuckles countered. "She may be a capable warrior. And you don't much room to talk yourself Weiss, considering you seemed more dressed like a ballerina than a warrior yourself."

"Balle…!? This is a combat skirt, you neanderthal!" She exclaimed, a comic anger mark on her head.

"Yeah." Ruby and Amy both agreed as they shared a double high-five with Weiss.

"But if you have just recently arrived in Vale, are you familiar with that monkey-tailed… rapscallion?" Weiss asked, getting up and close with Penny.

"The who?" Penny didn't seem to quite understand.

Weiss presented a crudely drawn picture of the monkey Faunus they saw recently. "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Blake questioned, getting Weiss' attention.

"Huh?!"

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Would you like me to stop referring to the trashcan as a trashcan?! Or the lamppost as a lamppost?!" Weiss argued.

"Stop it!" Blake shouted.

"Stop what?! He clearly broke the law!" Weiss argued back.

"That 'filthy Faunus' comment was uncalled for." Knuckles told her. "Yes, he broke the law. But you shouldn't use that as an excuse to demonize his race."

"I'm demonizing his race?!" Weiss exclaimed incredulously. "I'm not going around on a xenophobic rampage, killing innocent people like the White Fang! He's probably one of them!"

"The White Fang is one group of Faunus! Not every single one of them is part of that group!" Blake stated, her fists clenching to her sides. "Stop being such ignorant little brat!"

"How dare you talk to me like that, I'm your teammate!" Weiss walked straight up to Blake.

"Ooh boy, I can see where this is going." Sonic winced as the argument between Weiss and Blake only escalated, even Knuckles seemed to get caught up in it.

"Yeah… we should go." Yang seemed to agree, standing with Sonic, Ruby, Amy, and Tails.

"Where are we going?" Penny asked.

---

This argument continued well into the night by the time RWBY got back to their shared dorm. Even Sonic and his team were there as well with Knuckles taking part in the argument as well.

"There is no denying that the White Fang have done wrong, I admit that." Knuckles said to Weiss. "But not every single Faunus is a part of that organization. A few of your classmates are Faunus, working just as hard as you to try and become Huntsmen. Are you going to deny that?"

"Why are you taking their side? You're not a Faunus, you're not even from our world!" Weiss said to the red Echidna.

"I'm not taking any side; I'm trying to keep things fair. Now don't dodge the question I asked." Knuckles told her. "Are you going to deny the hard work and effort that your Faunus classmates are giving to become Huntsmen?"

"Well, maybe they're the exceptions…" Weiss said.

"Exceptions?!" Blake shouted, standing straight up. "You think the majority of the Faunus are evil by nature?! That they're like the Grimm?!"

"They wear Grimm masks, don't they?" Weiss pointed out.

"The White Fang! Not the Faunus as a whole! They're not the same thing!" Blake exclaimed. "Why do you think the White Fang hate humanity so much! It's because of people like Cardin and people like you that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?!" Weiss questioned.

"You're prejudiced! You treat the Faunus like garbage just for existing!" Blake yelled.

"I'm a victim!" Weiss yelled back.

"How exactly are you a victim?" Knuckles asked. "You're a rich girl, aren't you? You live in the most advanced Kingdom on this planet. It's not the like the White Fang can touch you."

She narrowed her eyes at both of them, looking toward Knuckles first. "You say you want to keep things fair? Well, let me tell you, both of you, why I hate the White Fang, why I don't particularly trust the Faunus…" She walked toward the window, looking out toward the night sky with a serious expression. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child… I've watched friends of my family disappear… board members executed… an entire train car full of Dust… stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious… and that made for a very difficult childhood."

Everyone present, even Knuckles and Blake, had sympathetic expressions towards Weiss, even as Ruby walked up to her to try and provide some form of comfort.

"Weiss, I…" She tried to put her hand on her partner's shoulder, but Weiss rejected it.

"No! You want to know why I hate the White Fang?! It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of the exact same thing happening to us!" Blake shouted.

That caused all tension in the room to suddenly turn into shock as all eyes went wide and set on Blake. It was then that she realized what she just said. "I… I…" She then quickly left a shadow clone of herself as she ran out of the dorm as fast as she could.

"Wait! Blake! Come back!" Ruby tried to get her, but she had already vanished completely.

"I'll go find her." Sonic was ready to run after her, but Knuckles stopped him.

"No, I'll handle it."

"Knuckles…" Tails tried to speak.

"Trust me." He said before leaping out the open window and gliding away. As he left, Amy and Yang in particular glanced toward Weiss, who had an unsure expression on her face.

---

Blake had already made her way to the academy's courtyard, coming to a stop just at the main statue. She took a moment to look at it, the statue of a Huntsman and Huntress standing proudly over a defeated Grimm. She had always admired the Huntsmen and what they stood for, or rather what they're supposed to stand for: justice. It was one of the reasons she wanted to become one. Why she left home, the White Fang, and even her parents. But now? All she could feel was shame. She slowly reached up toward her bow…

"Blake…"

She stopped as she turned around in surprise to see Knuckles landing near her. She was about to turn around and run away, but he already dashed in front of her.

"Wait, stop. I don't want to cause trouble. I just want to talk." He quickly told her. Blake looked surprised for a moment before Knuckles spoke again, gazing at the bow on her head. "You're a Faunus." She only looked away in response. "To be honest, I kinda had a feeling you were long before today."

"If you knew… why didn't you say anything…?" She asked meekly, trying to avoid his gaze.

"It felt personal, and I didn't feel it was my place to pry." Knuckles answered. "But I didn't know you were part of the White Fang."

"I'm not anymore…"

"And that's why I'm here. I just want to talk." Knuckles repeated. "No criticism, no arguments, no discrimination, just you and me. Whatever you have to say or get off your chest, I'll listen."

She still couldn't meet his gaze. "Why…? Why do you want to listen…?"

"Because I think I know a bit of what you're going through." He told her. "To be a part of something that may have been just in the past, but quickly became corrupt. And… to have a personal past that you're not proud of. Let me your story, and I'll tell you mine. I want to get to know you, the real you."

This seemed enough for Blake to lower her guard slightly. Still keeping her back toward him, she untied her bow from her head, holding the ribbon in her hand as she turned to face him, tears in her eyes, and her cat-ears completely visible to him. He had a serious yet understanding expression on his face.

"Not here…" She spoke.

"Wherever you like." He nodded in understanding.

"Mind if I tag along too?" A third voice spoke up, catching their attention.

---

The next day, Blake and Knuckles sat at a table at a café in the City of Vale, with an unwelcomed third guest. Blake had a serious expression while Knuckles gave a partial glare towards the monkey Faunus.

"What's with the angry looks? It's not like I've done anything."

"This is a private and personal discussion." Knuckles told him. "It would be a lot more comfortable if it wasn't shared with a complete stranger."

"I'm not a stranger. You guys saw me, yesterday."

"All we know is that you are a stowaway who came to Vale for unknown reasons." Knuckles said. "We don't even know your name."

"Oh, well in that case, my name is Sun Wukong. I'm from Haven Academy."

"You're a student?" Blake asked in surprise as even Knuckles raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yep."

"Then why did you stowaway on that cargo ship?" Blake asked. "You could have just come in legally like everyone else."

"Where's the fun in that?" Sun replied.

Knuckles groaned as he pressed his hand against his face. "Just because we know your name now, and that you're a Huntsmen-in-training doesn't mean you can butt in on a private conversation like this."

"Come on you make me sound like a home-wrecker." Sun said.

"There's also the fact that you apparently followed Blake back to Beacon last night." Knuckles pointed out. "On paper that makes you seem more like a stalker than a home-wrecker."

Even Sun winced slightly. "Okay… okay I can see where you think that. But, look I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I just… I see someone who's upset." He looked towards Blake in particular. "And I just want to help, that's all."

Knuckles then glanced toward Blake, silently asking her what she thinks about this. "He's probably not going to leave until he hears this, so let him stay." She said with some reluctance.

"If that's alright with you." Knuckles accepted.

"Geeze, try to lighten up a bit." Sun commented.

"Perhaps you should take this seriously." Knuckles told him before looking to Blake and giving a nod.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "Sun, are you familiar with the White Fang?"

"Of course. I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them. Stupid, hole-in-their-heart creeps who use force to get whatever they want. A bunch of freaks if you ask me." Sun replied, sipping some coffee with his tail.

Blake took a sip of her own coffee before responding. "I was once a member of the White Fang."

Sun choked a bit on his coffee. "Wait… wait…! You were a member of the White Fang!"

"She was, and while their actions now are inexcusable, they weren't always a terrorist organization." Knuckles said before turning to Blake. "Isn't that right?"

"That's right." Blake confirmed before telling her story. "In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were still subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings, akin to real animals… up to the point we were still put in cages, and even hunted and poached for sport. Some Faunus people I knew even had their tails, horns, and ears cut off and taken as trophies; some were even skinned alive, their pelts taken for the same reason. The White Fang rose up as the voice of our people. We originally restrained ourselves to peaceful protests… deciding not to stoop to the same level as humanity. Even as a child, I was at the front of every rally, I took part in every boycott, and I actually thought we were making a difference."

"But that didn't stop humanity from stooping even lower to try and silence you, right?" Knuckles assumed.

"Right." Blake looked away, anger burning in her eyes. "Many of those protests were met with swords and guns. We were shot at, killed, just for speaking out!" She clenched her fists, trying her best to maintain something of a calm demeanor before speaking again. "Five years ago… our old leader stepped down, and a new leader took his place. And she had a… different way of thinking. Humanity attacked us first, so we decided to fight back. Our peaceful protests turned into organized attacks, setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor, particularly the Schnee Dust Company. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect. Out of fear."

Sun was rendered speechless while Knuckles had an understanding expression, listening carefully to every word.

"So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. And instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am, a criminal hiding in plain view all with the help of a little black bow."

"That… must have been hard. I'm sorry." Knuckles said.

"Thanks." Blake nodded.

"So… did you tell your friends any of this?" Sun asked.

"It's… complicated." Blake replied.

"I understand, more than you can know." Knuckles told Blake. "My people were like that once too."

"Your people?" Sun asked.

"He's… not from around here." Blake briefly told Sun before turning toward Knuckles. "Last night, you said you knew where I was coming from. What exactly did you mean by that?"

Knuckles shifted in his seat a bit before beginning. "My ancestors were a tribe of warriors known as the Knuckles Clan, founded over three thousand years ago. Our tribe was pretty small, at least in comparison to some of the neighboring countries. Many of those countries however fought each other for dominance over the land, and our tribe was often caught in the middle. We were able to hold our own, but that current chief at the time insisted that we'd only defend ourselves and take no part in any wars, believing they would lead to our destruction. When she passed away her son, Pachacamac, took over and he also had a different way of doing things. Pachacamac was a tactical genius, that combined with the natural strength and power of my people, and they were able to take down all the surrounding warlords. It was an age of prosperity and strength for the Knuckles Clan. But… upon seeing how strong they really were and the potential they had… Pachacamac decided to 'expand' the tribe's boarders. And by that, I mean he decided to conquer the rest of the world. The Knuckles Clan went from a tribe to an empire, committing war crimes and atrocities wherever they went, believing their superior strength gave them the right to take what they want, with Pachacamac justifying it saying it was necessary for the survival of his people."

"Wow, sounds like a jerk." Sun commented with Blake listening to every word.

"He was a warmongering psychopath." Knuckles said. "Up to the point where he dared to anger our guardian deity."

"Deity?" Blake questioned in surprise. "As in, a god?"

"Yeah." Knuckles confirmed. "Within in the center of our tribe's homeland was an altar occupied by native creatures called Chao. And within that altar was the ultimate power… the seven Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. These gemstones were and still are the greatest and most powerful objects in our world. One Chaos Emerald alone could give a single warrior enough power to take on small armies: all seven together, you'd have the powers of a god."

Both Blake and Sun's eyes widened in shock.

"These Emeralds were protected by the guardian deity of our people, known as Chaos." Knuckles continued. "Pachacamac's daughter, Tikal, had befriended Chaos. She was nothing like her father, she wanted to stop the war, stop the fighting, but her voice fell on deaf's ears. Deciding the power he had wasn't enough, Pachacamac attacked the altar and tried to steal the Emeralds, even running down the Chao and his own daughter to do it. This enraged Chaos, to the point where he himself used the power of the Emeralds to destroy the entire Knuckles clan."

If they weren't shocked before they were now.

"An entire civilization wiped out overnight." Knuckles went on. "All because of their foolish desires for power. Chaos would have destroyed the rest of the world too, but Tikal was able to stop him, at personal cost." He looked away slightly before continuing. "There were only a handful of survivors, and humbled by their… experience, they dedicated their lives to protecting the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds, and eventually that led to me."

"I… whoa… I don't…" Blake was at a loss for words. "Knuckles… I don't know what to say…"

Knuckles nodded briefly. "And I'm not exactly innocent either. When Sonic and I first met, the two of us were enemies. A madman named Doctor Eggman had intended to steal the Master Emerald, my sole duty being to guard it. He tricked me into thinking Sonic was going to steal it, and like a naïve fool, I believed him. And when the two of us fought each other, Eggman stole the Emerald right under my nose. He would have destroyed the world with its power the same way my ancestors almost did. But Sonic and I were able to stop him. And back then wasn't the only time. I've been tricked several times… which has led me into fights that could have been avoided had I simply sat down and talked with the other party."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me about the White Fang?" Blake asked.

"I do get where you're coming from, I really do." Knuckles told him. "But yes. I've heard everything about them from humanity's point of view, and they're not wrong in the fact that the White Fang have crossed several lines. But, things aren't so black-and-white, and I've made it my personal motivation to try and understand both sides of the story, such as a former member of the White Fang." He gestured toward her. "Humanity isn't so innocent either, having pushed the White Fang to take such drastic measures, which only further feeds the cycle of violence and hate."

Blake gave a sigh before a small smile formed on her face. "Thanks Knuckles… for listening. I.. I really appreciate that."

"Of course." Knuckles gave a nod and a smile too.

"Hey, um… quick question." Sun raised his hand. "If it's your solemn duty to guard this Master Emerald thing, and you're here now… aren't you kinda ditching your responsibility?"

Rather than be offended or angered, Knuckles chuckled. "I have a friend who's covering for me, acting as a pseudo guardian of sorts. And, now that I think about, she's a lot like you Blake." He spoke to the cat Faunus girl. "I feel like the two of you would have gotten along pretty well."

While Blake did smile and appreciate that, she also couldn't help but look away slightly, especially with Knuckles' use of the word 'friend'. It made her think back to her own team, but could she even go back to them? With them knowing she's a former member of the White Fang?

---

"Blake!" Ruby tried to call out for her teammate as she, Yang, Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Weiss searched the City of Vale. "Where are you?!"

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a big girl and she has a big strong guy with her." Weiss said.

"Come on Weiss, you can at least act like you're concerned." Amy told her. "You're not even trying to help."

"Hey, you know who could really help? The police." Weiss said, causing everyone else to glare at her. "What? It was just an idea."

"It was a bad one and you know it." Amy responded. "What? You want to throw her in jail or something?"

"I didn't say that." Weiss argued.

"You were thinking it." Amy countered.

"Well… one of us happens to have the ability to run at the speed of sound!" Weiss stated, gesturing to Sonic. "You could have combed the entire city by now!"

"I trust that Knuckles knows what he's doing." Sonic said. "This way, he can do what he needs to do, and we can find them without butting in. You do know what 'trust' is, right Weiss?"

"Of course, I know what trust is!" The heiress replied hotly. "Why are you talking to me about that when you all heard clearly that Blake is a part of the White Fang!? How are you not suspicious of her for that?!"

"We don't know the whole story." Tails said. "Rather jump to conclusions, we should hear her out."

"Exactly." Yang agreed. "She's been a part of our team for months. At the very least, we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Well, I think when we hear her side of the story, you're all going to realize that I was right." Weiss insisted.

"And I think that Weiss' hair looks wonderful, today!" Penny said, suddenly appearing behind them, much to their shock.

"Agh! Penny! Where did you come from?!" Ruby comically screamed.

"How did we not notice her?" Sonic muttered. 'She could give Shadow a run for his money.'

"Hi everyone. What are you up to?" Penny asked in a friendly fashion.

"Uh… we're looking for our friends, Blake and Knuckles." Tails answered.

"Oh, that red man with the big fists and the Faunus girl." Penny said.

"Wait… how did you know that?" Ruby asked.

"That cat ears." Penny pointed to the top of her own head for emphasis.

"What cat ears?" Yang asked. "She wears a…. bow…" She said, coming to a sudden realization.

"Wait… wait hold on a second… are you only just figuring that out now?" Sonic asked.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

Sonic, Tails, and Amy exchanged glances before the blue Hedgehog answered. "Dude, we figured out she was a Faunus since day one."

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed as Ruby and Yang also looked in shock. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I thought it was obvious." Sonic pointed out. "Most of her meals have fish, I even saw her eat tuna out of a can once. It's not my fault your so slow."

"I even heard her purr once." Tails added. "It was actually kinda cute."

"As for why she wears that bow, maybe she doesn't want to be bullied for being a Faunus, ya know, kinda like some of your classmates." Amy said, casting a knowing glance towards Weiss, who looked away with crossed arms and a huff.

"So, where are Blake and Knuckles?" Penny asked.

"Blake ran off last night, and Knuckles went after her. We haven't seen either of them since." Ruby answered.

Penny gasped. "That's terrible!" She ran up to the surprised Ruby, grabbing her by the arms. "Well don't you worry, Ruby my friend! I won't rest until I help find your teammates!"

"Okay, maybe some extra help won't hurt." Sonic seemed alright with it.

"You're so casual about it." Weiss said.

"Hey, nothing wrong with an extra set of eyes." Sonic said. "Let's split up and cover more ground. Ruby, Tails, and Penny are with me; Amy, you go with Yang and Weiss, keep an eye on the Ice Queen too."

"Hey!" Weiss protested before the group split off.

---

Meanwhile; Knuckles, Blake, and Sun walked away from the café. "So, what's the plan?" Knuckles asked Blake.

She sighed. "Do you really think the White Fang is behind these robberies? They've never needed that much Dust before."

"Oh, they are." The trio suddenly looked up to a lamppost behind them to see Rouge sitting casually at the top of it. "These guys are gearing up for something big."

"Rouge… why am I not surprised?" Knuckles commented as she leapt down.

"Who's your new friend?" She asked, referring to the monkey Faunus.

"Name's Sun, nice to meet ya." He greeted with a smile.

"What do you mean the White Fang's gearing up for something big?" Blake asked Rouge, getting back to the point.

"We heard some whispers about them trying to hijack an SDC freighter coming in tonight." Rouge answered. "And given how those two groups are at war with each other, it seems the most likely place to find them."

"I've heard that too." Sun added. "Supposed to be a huge Dust shipment."

"Oh, and that's not all we've heard." Rouge said. "Something about 'the big boss' coming in to oversee the whole thing."

"Big boss?" Knuckles questioned, sharing a glance with Blake. "The current leader of the White Fang?"

"Don't know, didn't hear a name." Rouge responded. "But it might be a good chance to figure out what those guys are up to. Right, little miss Belladonna?" Blake narrowed her eyes at Rouge, understanding what she was implying. "Hey, I'm a professional spy back home. Familial connections like that pretty easy for someone like me."

"So you know she's former White Fang." Knuckles said with a slight glare.

"Don't worry, Shadow's not gonna interrogate her. He knows she's not with them anymore." Rouge told him. "But, he will be at the shipyard tonight, Omega's already there on standby. You guys wanna come, maybe bust this thing wide open?"

"I'm in! Sounds like fun!" Sun grinned.

"Blake?" Knuckles looked towards her. He was already on board with finding out what the White Fang were up to and stopping them, but he also wanted to know what she felt about it.

Though she looked conflicted at first, her expression became steeled with resolve. "I'm in."

---

Weiss, Amy, and Yang had exited out of shop, having found nothing on the whereabouts of their friends. "Thanks anyways." Amy told the shop owner before closing the door.

"Well that's another dead end…" Yang practically sulked, before looking at Weiss who seemed just as indifferent as before. "You really don't care if we find her, do you?"

"Don't be stupid, of course I do." Weiss replied. "I'm just afraid of what we'll say when we find her."

"Weiss, you have every reason to be upset at the White Fang." Amy told her. "But you don't even know Blake's whole story. The White Fang didn't start out as a terrorist group, they only used protests first and only just recently began using force. Even if Blake was one of them, she might have left when they changed their methods because even she might know they go too far."

"If that's true, she would have said something sooner." Weiss countered. "The innocent never run."

"Unless you don't give them the choice."

A certain black and red Hedgehog had appeared out of nowhere, approaching the group with a scowl on his face, which seemed directed toward Weiss in particular.

"Shadow?" Amy looked in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Yang also asked.

"Blake Belladonna is former White Fang." Shadow said, much to their surprise. "I've done my research. Her father was the previous leader, in fact." That took them by further surprise. "His methods were strictly pacifist, using protests and boycotts to get his message of equality across. But his position taken by Sienna Khan, who suggested fighting back and the majority rallied behind her."

"See?" Weiss told Yang and Amy. "I'm not the only one who thinks…"

"Just as the Schnee Dust Company's current leadership has made their monopoly into a corrupt business that has been spearheading Faunus discrimination for years, long before the White Fang took arms." Shadow interrupted, glaring at Weiss, causing her to scoff in surprise.

"What are you…?"

"Faunus labor paid even below minimum wage, borderline illegal." Shadow continued. "Unsafe work conditions, high accident and even fatality rates among said Faunus labor. They receive little-to-no compensation or insurance in comparison to their human superiors. Humans who have more power in that company, humans who subject the Faunus to essential slave labor, humans who do everything in their power to gain more and more financial success than any other business on this planet, even resorting to questionable and illegal methods, which are often overlooked by those in power who are in their pocket."

"Listen you…!" Weiss tried to say something, but Shadow wasn't done yet.

"That includes this planet's only military! The army of Atlas has been a business partner of the Schnee Dust Company for years, allowing them to contract their own private branch of the military for their own personal force. If they wanted to, both could have the power to not only completely obliterate the White Fang, but even resort to the genocide of the entire Faunus race, down to the last child! The SDC takes what it wants and won't hesitate to stoop to stinkingly low methods to get what they want, ruining countless lives in their wake. With that said, how does that make them any different from the White Fang?! If anything, the fact they have more power to abuse makes them worse!"

"How dare you!" Weiss shouted. "We are not terrorists! We don't go around murdering people…"

She was interrupted when Shadow shoved something into her chest, with enough force to push her back to the wall. She was about to say something, only to see there was a large envelop in her hands.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Yang tried to march over to Shadow. Even if she didn't agree with Weiss right now, she didn't like seeing her teammate getting pushed around.

"Stay out of this!" Shadow exclaimed, pointing at Yang and glaring at her with his red eyes.

She was shocked and startled by his tone, but quickly became angered by it. Her own eyes briefly flashed red as well as it looked like things would escalate, but Amy quickly grabbed her by the arm.

"Yang, don't."

"But…"

"Trust me." Amy insisted. "You don't want to get in his way when he's in this mood. And you definitely do not want to pick a fight with him."

With great reluctance, Yang calmed down, her eyes turning back to their natural lilac color, but she still maintained a glare on Shadow, who ignored her as he gave a brief nod of acknowledgment toward Amy before turning back to Weiss.

"What is this?" She questioned as she stood up, referring to the envelop.

"Open it." Shadow told her.

"What are you…?"

"Open it!" He exclaimed.

Startled by his anger, Weiss opened the envelop and pulled out its contents, revealed to be a series of photographs. But what she saw on them, caused her to gasp in shock and even cover her mouth with her hands as she dropped the pictures.

These photos were of various hate crimes and lynchings being conducted by humans on Faunus. One had a fox Faunus tied and hung by a tree branch and beaten by people with a of sticks like a pinata. Another was a photo of Faunus children of various types being forced into cages; they were covered in blood as human males holding knives had cut off some of their extra features such as horns, claws, and even tails. One particular grotesque photo showed a skinned corpse of a Faunus with a huntsman holding up a pelt of lizard-skin proudly like a trophy.

Even Yang and Amy looked in horror as they saw the dropped photos on the ground.

"Look at them." Shadow told Weiss. "Look at what your kind has done to them. I've done my research, all those Faunus weren't even part of the White Fang… and even more disgusting is that some of those people were employed by the Schnee Dust Company. They might not have high positions of power in your company, and some might have even been arrested for those crimes, but it doesn't change what they did. You accuse the Faunus of being corrupt and distrustful? Humanity has proven to be just as savage if not more so for thousands of years, and they still haven't changed! And it's not just with the Faunus, it's with your own kind too! How many people have your fellow humans killed?! How many businesses and lives have the SDC ruined by absorbing them into their conglomerate or even driving them to the ground and out of business? The fact that they are still spearheading discrimination shows that they are just as corrupt and dangerous as you claim the White Fang to be. You want to know why the White Fang do what they do? Because they feel that their protests weren't enough. Because they feel that your company, your family's company, and other humans like you, have given them no other choice."

"B-But… but I…" Weiss was at a complete loss of words, reeling from the horror of the pictures before her, as well as every word that the black Hedgehog had hammered into her. "They've killed innocent people too… friends of mine…"

"And you have a right to mourn them. You have the right to be angry at the White Fang as they too have crossed just as many ethical and moral lines." Shadow granted. "But, by refusing to acknowledge the crimes committed by not only your own company, but by your entire species, by choosing only to see things in black-and-white, you have proven no different from those people."

"I haven't killed anybody!" Weiss yelled, tears of fury in her eyes. "I'm not a murderer!"

"But that could change." Shadow replied, keeping his glare on Weiss. "You are the heiress to your father's company…"

"My grandfather's company!" Weiss insisted.

"Your grandfather is dead, and your father is in charge. The SDC is currently under his control." Shadow continued. "If you end up inheriting that conglomerate, as well as hone your skills as a Huntress… but most of all… if you keep up this mentality and refuse to see things any other way, you could very well become worse than your father. You could take control of the SDC and Atlas military, which is possible given the position your elder sister is in and commit genocide upon on all the Faunus."

"I would never do anything like that!" She was practically baling now. Weiss cried tears, not of sadness, but of anger. Anger at her father and the years of abuse he put her through since childhood. "I'm not my father! I don't want to be my father! I… I don't want… to be a horrible person…" She said, breaking down, her legs shaking.

"Then prove it." Shadow told her, causing her to look in surprise. "You have a chance to prove to be different. Your teammate is a Faunus and former White Fang. You have the chance now to try and make peace. Talk to her, listen to her, try to understand her point of view. Just that alone will prove you infinitely better than your father, and most of your species. Make the effort to understand, do what the most of humanity refuses to do, and break the cycle. Or don't and remain isolated in your bigotry and discriminatory views… human."

Shadow then turned to walk away, leaving the speechless Weiss alone. He passed by Yang and Amy before stopping briefly to address them.

"Rouge has met up with Knuckles and Belladonna." He revealed, causing them to look in surprise. "The White Fang are planning on hijacking a Dust shipment at the shipyard tonight and they intend to be there, as do I. You want to tell Sonic and the others, or even join us, feel free."

With that, the Ultimate Lifeform sped away, leaving an energy trail of red behind before it and him vanished without so much of a trace left.

"Whoa…" That was all Yang could say, having listened to everything Shadow said, but being unable to form a response of some kind. "That was… whoa… He… really hates humanity, doesn't he?"

"Shadow knows there are good humans out there." Amy explained. "Both in our world and Remnant, he knows not all humans are evil. But… at the same time… he has seen the worst in humanity. He's even a victim himself in that regard…. People in power have…. Hurt him. Really, really badly." Amy knew the reason Shadow had such an opinion on most of humanity, all her friends knew. "And we've seen people go too far to. What the White Fang is doing now is wrong… but what people have done to them in the past is just as wrong."

"Yeah… I think I get it." Yang seemed to understand. She turned and slowly walked over toward Weiss as she saw her pick up the photos from the ground and look at them, deep in thought. "Weiss… are you okay…?"

"I…" She didn't answer right away, but she did put the photos back in the envelop, albeit with shaky hands. The images and words from Shadow clearly had an effect on her. "Let's just… find Blake."

Amy and Yang shared glances before the later put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, if you want to talk… we're here to listen. You're our friend too."

"I know…" Weiss nodded before walking away, with Yang and Amy right behind her.

---

At the same time, Penny had continued to accompany Sonic, Ruby, and Tails in their search, and had some questions to ask them.

"So, Blake is your friend?"

"Yes, Penny." Ruby answered in a semi-annoyed sigh.

"But you are all mad at her?" She asked again.

"No, nobody's mad." Tails said. "It's… complicated."

"Blake's apparently got some baggage and is having a rough time trying to get over it." Sonic summed up. "We're just trying to find and help her."

"Baggage? Is she carrying something heavy?" Penny asked in confusion.

"No, not like that." Tails explained. "It means she's upset and confused right now."

"Oh… I see." Penny nodded. "Why is she upset?"

"Well… Blake might not be who we thought she was." Ruby answered.

Penny gave an audible gasp. "Is she a man?"

Sonic struggled to hold back his laughter at that. "N-No, it's not like that…" he did his best to calm down. Tails elbowed him to get him to stop laughing. "Sorry, sorry…" He calmed down.

"I'm not sure what she is." Ruby said. "She didn't exactly give a detailed explanation before she ran away."

"I don't have many friends." Penny revealed. "But if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things."

"Me too…" Ruby said, looking away.

"Hey, listen Ruby." Sonic got her attention. "Let me give you some advice on this. We'll find Blake, and when we do, let her know that you care."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, not sure what he meant by that.

"Talk to her." Sonic explained. "Let her know that no matter what, you still consider a friend, even if she doesn't. And that you're there for her if she needs anything, someone to talk to, someone to ask help from, or even just a shoulder to lean on. Be there for her. You'd be surprised how much an effect that can have on people." He spared a glance towards Tails, who smiled and nodded back. "The first step to helping a friend, is reminding them that they're not alone."

This seemed to lift Ruby's spirit a bit, already giving her an idea of what to say to Blake when they find her. "Thanks Sonic."

"No problem, it's what friends do." Sonic smiled. He then felt a buzz on his side and took out his scroll to see a message from Amy, which he quickly read and smirked. "And what better way for friends to bond, than by beating up bad guys?"

---

Night had fallen as Knuckles, Rouge, Blake, and Sun had arrived at the shipping yard, the four of them lying flat and on the rooftop of one of the warehouses in the port. The SDC shipment had already arrived, now they just need to wait for the enemy.

"We're in position." Rouge reported to her teammates through their personal comns.

"Affirmative. Awaiting for the enemy's arrival." Omega responded back.

"Did you have to bring an extra? There's no room for dead weight here." Shadow pointed out, referring to Sun.

"He was very insistent. Plus, he says he's a Huntsmen student like Blake here, so why not?" Rouge shrugged.

She heard Shadow sigh from the other end. "His choice, then. We are not responsible if anything happens." He said before cutting off.

"Don't worry, I can fight." Sun told the group. "I'm training to be a Huntsmen after all."

"So, you keep saying." Knuckles said. "Put those words into action and I might just believe you."

"Here, stole you guys some food." Sun offered the group some apples.

"You won't be a student for long if you keep breaking the law without a second thought." Blake pointed out.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun shot back at Blake, who narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, too soon."

"No wonder you let him tag along." Knuckles said to Rouge. "One thief to another."

"Oh, lighten up, guy." Rouge rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, an unnatural gust of air blew down toward them, causing them to look upward to an incoming airship, which shined its lights upon all the cargo in the docks. From around the corner of another warehouse, Shadow pulled Omega back to avoid being seen as they, and the other four, watched the ship land and its bay doors open. Stepping out of it were seven armed White Fang agents.

"Oh no…" Blake muttered. She knew it was them from Rouge, but it still pained her to see this.

"I know this can't be easy." Knuckles said to her. "If you want to back out…"

"No." She shook her head. "I have to stop them."

"Don't worry kiddo, we got your back." Rouge assured.

"So, what are we waiting for, let's go!" Sun was about to leap into the fray, but Knuckles pulled him back down.

"Hold it. We still need to find out who this 'big boss' is." Knuckles said. "We go in now, they'll just run away, and we won't learn anything. We wait."

"Grab the tow-cables. We gotta get everything ready for when he arrives." One agent ordered.

"Come on! Pick up the pace!" Somebody else spoke from within the ship, stepping out to reveal not another member of the White Fang, but the human criminal known as Roman Torchwick. "We got a lot of Dust to pick up here, and not much time to get it all ready! So, why don't you animals hurry up!?"

"Who is that?" Knuckles questioned.

"Roman Torchwick." Rouge answered. "A small-time petty crook here in Vale."

"I heard Sonic and Ruby talking about him." Knuckles said. "But why is he with the White Fang? He's not a Faunus."

"No, he's not." Blake shook her head as she stood up, drawing one piece Gambol Shroud. "They'd never work with any human, much less one like that." She said before leaping off the building.

"Blake, wait!" Knuckles tried to stop her, but he was too late. "Damn it..." He leapt off after her.

"Hey, wait for me!" Sun also went after them, much to Rouge's annoyance.

"Shadow, we're going in. But you and Omega stay on standby. I got a feeling that things are going to escalate real soon." She contacted her leader.

"This is why we don't work with children." He chastised before she also leapt off the rooftop.

---

"No, you idiot! This isn't a leash!" Torchwick told a White Fang agent who held a tow cable in his hands, only for Blake to suddenly appear behind him. She grabbed both his hands and pinned them behind his back with one hand, while holding Gambol Shroud in the other, the blade an inch from his throat. "What the…? Oh for the love of…"

"Nobody move!" Blake demanded, even as all seven White Fang agents aimed their guns at her.

"Whoa… take it easy there, little lady." Torchwick said mockingly.

"You should head your own advice." Knuckles appeared, facing most of the White Fang with a glare as he punched his fists together with Rouge and Sun taking up flanking positions, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Suddenly, Blake threw away her bow and revealed her cat ears to everyone. "Brothers of the White Fang why are you aiding this scum?! Why are you letting him give you orders?!"

Torchwick gave a laugh. "You think I'm the big boss? Sorry, but I'm just a humble guide for the man, telling him the ins and outs of Vale's lovely criminal underworld."

"Oh? So, who is the big boss?" Rouge asked.

A massive shadow suddenly began to loom over the entire shipping yard, causing everyone to look up in surprise to see an advanced black and red aircraft carrier far more advanced than anything Remnant has seen so far. It was twice times as large as the dropship that Torchwick and the White Fang had arrived in. A bay door opened on the bottom as twelve objects were dropped from the vessel, flanked by sixteen smaller objects that flew from the opening sides of the vessel.

The larger objects dropped and surrounded the group, revealing them to be a set of twelve white and black humanoid robots, standing over two meters tall with guns for hands; while the smaller ones were red flying machines. These were Egg Gunners and Egg Flappers respectively, all aimed their targeting lasers at Knuckles, Blake, Rouge, and Sun.

"Whoa… Robots?!" Sun exclaimed while Blake's eyes widened

"Badniks…" Rouge grimaced. "You have got to be kidding me."

Knuckles' glare hardened as he glanced up to see the recognizable Egg-Mobile approaching the scene and a familiar laugh could be heard from its pilot.

"Ahh ha ha haa! Looks like you ran into a little trouble here, eh Torchwick?" The mad scientist said with a maniacal smirk.

"Eggman!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Ah, Knuckles. It's been a while, and you to my dear Rouge." Eggman greeted in a faux polite tone. "Making new friends I see…" He said upon noticing the two Faunus with him, but he happened to recognize one in particular. "And one of them, just so happens to be the lovely Blake Belladonna."

"How do you know my name?!" She narrowed her eyes at him, keeping a firm grip on Torchwick.

"Oh, a certain high-ranking member of the White Fang talks quite a bit about you." Eggman replied. "About yey tall, red hair, bull horns…"

Blake's face almost went pale at that description, something Rouge and Knuckles both noticed before the later spoke out. "White Fang, whatever this man has promised you to get you to work with him, it's a lie!" He tried to reason with the armed and masked Faunus. "He doesn't care about your revolution, just his own!"

"Ooooh, and that's exactly why we're working together, because our little revolutions coincide with one another." Eggman explained with a sneer. "We both want to uproot Remnant's current hierarchy and make something new out of it. I offered the White Fang a means to have what they want, and they accepted my offer. I've already given them more advanced weaponry that makes that stuff from Atlas look like wind-up toys. They'll make an excellent addition to the Eggman Empire." Knuckles, Rouge, Blake, and even Sun, all glared at Eggman before he spoke to Blake in particular. "And you Ms. Belladonna, as a former and influential member of the White Fang, are also welcomed to join us. All I would ask is your complete and total obedience, and I can guarantee you'll live like a princess in my new world order."

Blake easily saw through his façade. One look at this madman and she knew what kind of person he was. Somebody who only cares about obtaining power for himself, using anyone to get it and discarding them without a second thought, with the White Fang being his pawns in this particular scheme. She already had her answer for him.

"Here's what I say to that!" She aimed Gambol Shroud and fired a single bullet, which just caressed his right cheek, shaving a few hairs off his mustache. This caused all guns, be they those of White Fang or Badnik to be aimed at her and her friends, though she still kept a firm hold of Torchwick.

Though startled at first, he glared at the Faunus girl. "So, you dare to defy me, do you?" Before any of his robots could make a move, a black and red blur shot forward, already taking down four Egg Gunners while bullets tore through the air to shoot down three Egg Flappers. He looked in surprise to see who it was. "What…? Shadow!"

The black Hedgehog appeared with a glare at the mad doctor with Omega right behind. "Target Eggman identified." The former Badnik reported. "Commencing immediate termination!" He immediately fired his machine guns at the Egg-Mobile, but a forcefield quickly enveloped the hovercraft to protect Eggman.

"What are you idiots waiting for?! Attack!" Eggman commanded his remaining Badniks and White Fang agents as they opened fire, with Team Dark and Sun being the first to charge forward and attack.

Using the ensuing chaos as his opportunity, Torchwick slammed the back of his head into Blake's face, causing her to let go before he swung his cane, Melodic Cudgel, at her, knocking her back. He aimed and tried to fire at her but was quickly knocked back by a kick from Knuckles. He looked up with a glare to see Knuckles helping Blake to her feet before they faced him.

"I already have one red problem already; I don't need another." He growled before firing an explosive shot from Melodic Cudgel at them.

Shadow moved with such speed, already having Arondight out as he closed the distance between himself and most of the Badnik forces. He decapitated one Egg Gunner, crushed a second with a homing attack, sliced a third down the middle, and threw a series of Chaos Spears to destroy three Egg Flappers before gunning down two more with Arondight's rifle attachment.

Omega fired streams of condensed lightning Dust at the remaining ten Egg Flappers that tried to fly around and shoot at him. He had already shot down two, with streaks of residual lighting being drawn to the nearest source of metal, two other Egg Flappers, and short circuited them out. Eggman's jet boosters easily allowed him to maneuver around the shots of the last six as he continued to fire more beams of lightning, destroying them in mere moments.

Rouge kicked one White Fang agent in the face to knock him down before throwing out Purple Hearts, which spun toward two more agents to strike their hands and force them to drop their guns. Sun then took advantage of this to leap forward and take down both agents with precise punches and kicks. He quickly noticed the targeting lasers of the last six Egg Gunners training on him and rolled out of the way just as they opened fire; but Rouge quickly flew in smash the one in the middle with both her feet before throwing out Purple Hearts once more in both directions to decapitate the remaining five robots around her in one fell swoop as her heart-shaped boomerangs returned to her.

Sun had managed to find himself surrounded by the four White Fang agents in total, something Shadow noticed as he grabbed one by the face to slam him into the ground hard and knock him out. He would have gone in to deal with them himself, but Sun had already pulled out what appeared to be a mix between a staff and a nunchucku, which he spun around to slam one in the face, trip another off his feet while also slamming the end of his staff to knock that same guy into the ground while spinning on his staff to kick his feet out and take down the last two. He gave something of a smirk toward Shadow, who simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Torchwick continued to fire explosive Dust shots from Melodic Cudgel at Blake and Knuckles, appearing to keep them at a distance. He directed most of his fire toward Blake, who flipped backwards and left a shadow clone behind to give herself an extra boost backwards for greater distance while Knuckles tried to rush Torchwick, who turned his fire on him, but the Echidna only swerved from side-to-side to avoid the blasts and easily close the gap. Torchwick tried to swing his cane at Knuckles, but the Echidna easily caught it. Even as Torchwick tried to wrench it free, Knuckles wouldn't budge with his grip.

A smirk however fell on the criminal's face. "I hear you and your friends aren't from this world, right? You're aliens."

"Your point, being?" Knuckles questioned.

"I also heard that you freaks don't have aura!" He aimed his cane at Knuckles face and fired a point-blank shot, appearing to score a direct hit and engulfing the Echidna in an explosion.

"Knuckles!" Blake's eyes widened in shock.

Torchwick grinned victoriously as he tried to pull his cane back, but he still felt it being held back by something. The smoke soon began to clear to reveal Knuckles hadn't even budged an inch, or even seemed scratched in the slightest. At the most, all he had was a patch of suit covering some of his face.

Both the criminal and young Huntress-in-training looked in absolute shock as Knuckles hardened his glare at the enemy.

"Do I look like I need aura?" He said before pulling his fist back and punching Torchwick as hard as he could. His own aura flashed as Knuckles' fist made contact, right before the force of the punch sent him flying and crashing through three sets of cargo containers before he fell off the docks and into the ocean.

Blake's eyes were so wide they were almost circular. Sure, she saw Knuckles hold back a Goliath's stomp with his bare hands, but to see him not only take a Dust shot to the face and still remain standing while also delivering a punch like that was still quite surprise.

"Um… are you… okay…?" She asked, slowly walking up to him.

He looked back to her with a confident and reassuring smile as he still held Melodic Cudgel in his hand. "I am completely uninjured. Don't worry, I've taken worse." He easily snapped Torchwick's cane in half in his grip.

Eggman looked on to see most of his Badnik forces and White Fang agents have been taken down rather swiftly, even Torchwick was already down for the count. But he didn't seem the least bit irritated, if anything, his smirk only grew.

"Well… the pawns are out of the way, time to bring in the real…UGH!" The Egg-Mobile was suddenly struck in the side by a familiar attack as Eggman saw a blue blur appear above him. "Sonic!" He saw his nemesis flip in mid-air before landing at the top of a cargo container to stand on equal level with the mad scientist.

"Yo Eggman. Long-time-no-see. How ya been?" Sonic greeted confidently as Tails and Ruby also arrived to stand beside him, the girl drawing Crescent Rose.

"That's your enemy you told us about?" Ruby asked Tails.

"Yep, Doctor Robotnik, AKA Doctor Eggman." The young Fox replied.

"Ah, I see you made new friends, Hedgehog. Why am I not surprised?" Eggman noted upon seeing Ruby. "No matter, it gives me the opportunity to show you what I've been working on." He slammed his fist down on a button on his Egg-Mobile.

Suddenly, the black and red airship that Eggman had arrived in began to descend closer to the ground, drawing the attention of Knuckles, Blake, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, and Sun as they saw it shift and change. The first notable change was a set of four robotic legs from its bottom as the outer haul became much sleeker but still heavily armored. What stood out the most however, was a trio of robotic heads resembling that of a canine emerged from the front. The gigantic three-headed dog robot landed on the ground with a large thud as all three heads let loose a mechanical roar.

Sonic and Ruby sped toward the ground in front of the giant robot, the later drawing her scythe as Tails flew with them; they were quickly joined by Knuckles, Blake, Sun, and Team Dark.

"Is that a giant robot dog?!" Sun exclaimed as Blake was put in a stunned silence stupor.

"A giant robot three-headed dog!" Ruby also exclaimed.

"That is a rather unique robotic design." Penny said, popping up out of nowhere, much to the whole group's surprise.

"Wha… Penny?! What are you doing here?!" Tails exclaimed.

"You had said this would be a good bonding experience among friends." Penny replied.

Eggman laughed as his Egg-Mobile attached itself to an opening on the giant robot's back. "Remnant has so much to offer me, most especially it's unique natural resource of Dust! I've already managed to implement it into this lovely little prototype. Behold, the Egg-Cerberus! Crush them!" He commanded, pressing the 'attack' button on his Egg-Mobile, causing the giant robot to roar as all three of its mouths opened; the one in the center shot a stream of fire, the one on the left unleashed a blast of ice crystals, while the one on the right fired bolts of lightning.

"Scatter!" Shadow ordered, causing the group to split off in multiple directions to avoid the explosive elemental blasts that already lit up most of the shipping yard.

The Egg-Cerberus went on the attack, charging forward to the group comprising of Sonic, Ruby, and Blake. The blue Hedgehog quickly picked up both girls and ran away just as the Egg-Cerberus bashed through some shipping containers and a loading crane, before skidding to halt and turning around to blast fire from its central mouth, twisting it around to spread waves of flame. Tails, Rouge, and Sun, being the closest, flew or leapt up to avoid the waves of fire with Sun firing a shotgun blast from his staff to propel himself even higher onto a nearby rooftop. The left head then aimed upward to fire a stream of cyan-colored Dust energy, which quickly condensed and changed into a rain of icicles, that fell toward the area where Knuckles, Shadow, Omega, and Penny were located. Omega fired explosive Fire Dust bombs from his guns to intercept most of the icicles, while Shadow threw more Chaos Spear to take care of the rest.

"That is a highly destructive machine right there." Penny pointed out.

"Kid, you need to get out of here! Now!" Knuckles told her.

"This is no place for children! Leave!" Shadow also insisted.

"Do not worry." Penny walked forward just as the icicle attack came to an end, her eyes narrowing at the Egg-Cerberus. "I'm combat ready!" As soon as she said that; a compartment in her backpack opened up to produce a single sword, which split up into a total of ten separate blades, all connecting to Penny's back via thin wire cables, much to the surprise of Knuckles and Shadow, even Omega directed his attention toward her. She moved the swords out in front of her with gestures of her hands, the blades pointed outward and spun around rapidly, generating a large pulse of green energy. She threw her fists forward and fired a massive energy beam.

"What…?!" Eggman was caught by surprise as the side of the Egg-Cerberus was struck by Penny's attack, blasting with enough force to push it back, almost close to the edge of the shipping yard with the water below. However, the Egg-Cerberus dug its claws into the ground, anchoring itself so it wouldn't be pushed over just as Penny's attack ceased. The dust cleared to reveal the side of the haul that was struck by Penny's attack was only moderately damaged at most.

"Whoa…!" Sonic muttered in surprise, everyone seeing Penny's attack with just as much surprise. "Combat ready is right… That was awesome!" He grinned.

Eggman growled slightly as his targeting systems locked on Penny. "Two can play at that game!" The Egg-Cerberus' right mouth opened up to generate a similar attack, with a sphere of lightning before it fired a condensed shot toward Penny and her group. Shadow acted quickly enough to run and grab Penny, moving out of the way just as Knuckles and Omega dodged as well.

However, this also happened to strike a stack of Dust containers, lighting up all the Dust inside and causing it to explode, sending large pieces of debris flying up into the air and all over the area. Everyone moved to avoid the falling debris however they could, but Blake happened to trip up on a piece of rubble and looked in shock to see some debris falling toward her.

"Blake!" Ruby was about to speed over and assist her.

Suddenly, a black Glyph appeared above Blake just as the debris struck, repelling it and sending it flying back up and into the water. In that same instant, Eggman heard a pair of yells, along with accompanying gunshots, and glanced behind to see Yang and Amy, the later using shotgun blasts from Ember Celica as Amy held onto her. They landed on the back of Egg Cerberus, just above Eggman's cockpit as they tried to bring their respective weapons onto him, only for a shield to block the gauntlets and hammer.

"Nuh-uh-uh." Eggman shook his finger with a grin. "Hard-Light Dust Shields. Now who's ready for a ride, ladies?" The Egg-Cerberus roared once again as it ran like a bat out of hell, in an attempt to shake off Yang and Amy as they held onto whatever they could. At the same time, the three-headed dog-like mech tried to ram and crush everyone else on the ground.

Blake, who was still stunned by the sudden save, looked in even further surprise to see a familiar hand extended toward her.

"Weiss…?" She absent-mindedly accepted her hand and stood up as Ruby and Sonic joined her. "Why did…?"

"Okay, look. We obviously have a lot to talk about…" Weiss began. "But, I'm certain that we can both agree that, whatever-the-hell that thing is…" She pointed towards the rampaging Egg-Cerberus. "…It takes priority. So, for the moment, can we put our disagreement to the side and work together to stop that thing before somebody gets hurt? And after that… maybe we can have a… heart-to-heart. Deal?"

Though still surprised, Blake knew Weiss was right about this. Eggman takes priority, everything else can wait. So, with a firm resolve, she nodded in agreement. "Deal."

Ruby and Sonic exchanged brief smiles before getting back to the situation at hand. "Okay, we gotta get organized." Sonic said as Tails hovered above them. "Tails, try and break that thing down."

"Okay…" Tails began. "It's heavily armored, so nothing we have can do any damage. In fact, it looks like Penny's attack barley broke through. That armor seems to serve as good offense to, made for bashing and crushing; but its primary weapon appears to be its long-ranged Dust attacks; fire in the middle, ice on the left, and lightning on the right."

"Alright, did you guys get all that?" Sonic spoke to the rest of his team over the comns, and even Team Dark.

"Yes." Shadow reported as he and Knuckles dodged another charge of the Egg-Cerberus, the force was enough to throw off Amy and Yang. Fortunately, Rouge flew in and was able to catch them both and set them on the semi-destroyed rooftop of the warehouse. "Omega, scan it. Find its power source as well as it's Dust munitions."

"Acknowledged." Omega did a quick scan of the Egg-Cerberus before it fired a shot if Ice from its left mouth, which Penny defended as she landed in front of Omega to spin her tethered-blades out like a shield. "I have completed the scan. Dust munitions are located within the throats of each head, and the unit's central power source appears to be a Chaos Emerald."

That got the attention of everyone on their team.

"A Chaos… Emerald…?" Weiss asked, not quite understanding what she heard over the comns. Though Blake remembered the story Knuckles told her. One of seven gemstones that can grant incredible power.

"We'll explain later." Sonic quickly said. "Now we just need a plan…"

"Wait, I think I got one!" Ruby said to Sonic as she turned to her partner. "Weiss, can you make three separate glyphs at the same time? Try and force that thing's mouths open?"

"I can if it can stay still long enough." She confirmed.

"Okay, we'll all split up and attack from all directions, divide Eggman's attention." Ruby explained as Sonic opened the comns and allowed her to speak to everyone and relay her plan. "Weiss, Blake, and I will attack the front, getting the attention of the middle-head. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles do the same for the right; Shadow, Rouge, and Omega take the left. Yang, Amy, you and Blake's new friend try and attack Eggman directly. Penny, are those swords of yours connected by wires or something?"

"They are indeed." Penny relayed, hearing Ruby's instructions through Omega's speakers.

"Alright, you go at that thing's underbelly while it's distracted. Try and tie its legs together or something to keep it from moving around." Ruby continued. "If he gets mad enough, Eggman might fire everything at once. Weiss will use her Glyphs to force all its mouths open; while Sonic, Shadow, and I fire down each of its throats at the same time. That should cause all the Dust inside to explode and destroy it."

"That's… actually a very good strategy." Weiss agreed.

"That could work." Tails nodded.

"Great idea!" Sonic grinned as Blake also nodded in agreement.

"An impressive plan." Even Shadow had to admit it.

"That's my little sis." Yang smirked with pride.

"Let's do it." Knuckles grinned.

"Oh, my name is Sun, by the way. Not 'Blake's new friend'." Sun put in.

"Alright, less talking more moving people! Let's go!" Rouge said as the entire group ran forward and began to encircle the Egg-Cerberus from all sides.

Eggman grinned maniacally from inside his cockpit. "You kids wanna play, huh? Okay. Let's play!" He pressed all the buttons he could, causing the Egg-Cerberus to go on the attack, launching long-ranged attacks from each of its mouths at the heroes.

Up front: Ruby, Weiss, and Blake used their respective Semblances and weapons to dodge the blasts of fire shot at them before making their way to the top of a crane, where they fired their own long-ranged attacks: gunshots from Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud while Weiss swung Myrtenaster to send out waves of her own Dust attacks. All attacks hit the front of the Egg-Cerberus but didn't seem to do much damage.

On the right side, Sonic drew Caliburn as he attacked the right head with a homing attack, before slashing his sword at it's face as Knuckles ran up, drawing Galatine as he leapt forward and plunged one axe into the haul of the side to slice at it. The right head swung around to knock Knuckles off before firing a blast of lighting at the airborne Sonic, but Tails quickly flew in and briefly put Sonic down before flying up to throw some Dust grenades of his own creation at the right head.

While he was on the ground, Sonic noticed a piece of thin, broken, metal. He picked it up and could see that it was rather long as well, with both ends rather sharp. An idea came to his head as he ran around in literal circles around this particular area, dragging the end of the scrap metal along the ground, causing it to heat up from the friction.

On the left side; Omega unleashed a volley of rockets along the Egg-Cerberus' haul, making it seem like he was trying to break through. Once the volley stopped, Rouge flew into plant some of her explosives in that same spot, leaping back to avoid the resulting blasts, which did seem to break through that portion of the armor. Shadow then leapt up at the left head, landing on top of it and drove Arondight into its forehead. The left head roared as it tried to shake Shadow off.

Penny quickly made her way underneath the Cerberus' underbelly. With it being attacked from all sides, it didn't seem to be going anywhere. She produced her various blades again, this time a set of sixteen and sent four out in each direction. Four of the blades tangled around each leg, tying the cables around them before the blades themselves stuck into the armor, piercing through a bit.

From the top, Eggman gasped in shock as Yang, Amy, and Sun appeared above his cockpit.

"Hey Doc, ready for an appointment in intense physical therapy?" Yang cracked as she tried to punch the glass cockpit of his Egg-Mobile, but once again, struck a barrier of Hard-Light Dust. But that didn't stop her from pounding her fists and shots from Ember Celica into the shield with Amy doing the same with her Piko-Piko hammer, even Sun used his staff-shotgun weapon to attack the shield, which didn't seem to show any signs of breaking.

"You kids never learn, do you?" Eggman sneered. "Trying to encircle me? I'll just bash my way…" But when he tried to use the controls to move the Egg-Cerberus away, his screens turned red to show an alarm. "What? A malfunction in the legs?! Now?! No… wait…" he turned on the monitors to see Penny underneath, using her own strength with her cabled-swords to force the legs to hold still, bringing her hands together to try and bring the legs closer and pin them.

"How can… one little girl…?!"

"This… is difficult…" Penny said, sounding strained. "It is strong… even for me…!"

Growling in frustration from the constant attacks, especially the ones aimed directly at him, Eggman slammed his fists on all the controls. "FIRE EVERYTHING! FIRE EVERYTHING!"

All three of its mouths opened at the same time, preparing to unleash a massive attack. Just as they planned…

"Weiss! Now!" Ruby told her.

The heiress aimed Myrtenaster at the Egg-Cerberus and focused. Three flat and vertical Glyphs manifested in each of its mouths and not only forced them open, but kept the attacks back, creating a buildup of fire, ice, and lightning in each respective mouth.

"What?! System backfire! Are they trying to cause an overload!?" Eggman exclaimed.

"SONIC! SHADOW!" Ruby yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping they could hear her, and they did. With nods, both Hedgehogs sped toward each of the forced-open mouths.

From the left side, Shadow leapt into the air to throw a Chaos spear; while Sonic did the same thing on the right side, throwing the scrap metal in his hand like a makeshift spear, the tip of it glowing red hot from all the friction he built up. In the middle, Ruby remained where she was and converted Crescent Rose into its sniper-formation. Getting a lock with her scope, she fired multiple shots.

All three attacks struck at the same time, shattering the Glyphs while also breaking through and striking the Dust munitions inside. This created a chain reaction, combined with the built-up from the clogged attacks. The middle head exploded and erupted into flames, traveling down the neck and toward the center; the right side surged with an overload of electricity, also traveling toward the center; the left side had multiple icicles explode from outward, breaking the head and neck from the inside as the effect traveled through the neck.

"NO! EJECT! EJECT!" Eggman launched his Egg-Mobile from the Egg-Cerberus. Amy, Yang, and Sun also took that as their cue to jump off and get some distance from the robot.

"IT'S GONNA BLOW!" Amy yelled as all the heroes ran as fast as they could, Penny retracting her blades and ran at inhumane speeds from underneath just as the chain reaction reached the center unit.

*BOOM!*

A large explosion of fire, ice, and lightning lit up the whole area, completely obliterating the entire mech. Fortunately, everyone was able get enough distance and find some form of cover to avoid getting caught up in the blast.

When it all settled and began to calm down, all that remained was a small pile of rubble within a blackened crater in the very middle of the now destroyed shipping yard.

"Whoa…!" Sun looked in awe as everyone came back out and grouped together.

"That… was a lot bigger than I thought it was gonna be…" Ruby commented.

"Nice, Rubes!" Sonic ran up and gave the girl a thumbs up. "I'd give that explosion a solid ten out of ten!"

"Your plan for total destruction was above satisfactory. I congratulate you." Omega stated.

"Yeah, not bad kid." Rouge smirked.

"That's my sis… a walking weapon of mass destruction. Come here, Ruby." Yang pulled her younger sister into a congratulatory hug/noogies.

"You made a lot good calls there." Tails complemented. "You took advantage of the flaws in the mech's design as well as Eggman himself, even though you only just met him."

"Yes… it was a good plan." Weiss had to admit. "As expected from our leader."

"Ozpin definitely made the right call in putting you in charge." Amy added with a genuine smile.

Ruby blushed at their praise. "Awe, thanks guys."

"Don't celebrate yet." Knuckles quickly said. "Where's Eggman?"

"Up there." Shadow pointed to the Egg-Mobile that hovered high above their location, so high that it couldn't reach them.

"This isn't over!" Eggman told them over the speakers of his personal transport. "That was only a prototype! My next mech will be far stronger! Soon all of Remnant will be mine!" Eggman declared as he flew away.

"He is particularly stubborn and dangerous individual." Penny commented.

Sonic snorted. "Kid, you got no idea."

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Blake questioned.

"He's long gone, and we don't know where his base is." Knuckles replied. "Other than the Ark which is completely out of reach for us."

"Don't worry though, we'll get em next time." Sonic assured.

As the group began to celebrate their victory, Ruby had her attention drawn to the rubble in the crater. She could have sworn she heard something akin to a chiming or humming noise ringing in her head, one that seemed to draw her in closer.

"Ruby…?" Yang noticed her sister already sliding down into the crater, with everyone right behind her.

She was already at the pile, seeing a faint green light in the middle of it. Using her hands, she shuffled through the pile before finding the source of said light. She picked up a perfectly cut glowing green emerald in her hand.

"A Chaos Emerald." Tails observed.

"Like the ones you told me about?" Blake asked Knuckles.

"Yes, that is one of seven total." The Echidna confirmed. "Their power is how we got here."

"It's… kinda beautiful." Weiss observed.

"How can something so small be so powerful?" Yang asked.

"It appears to be emanating an energy I am unfamiliar with." Penny observed.

"It is known as Chaos Energy." Omega answered. "A source of power that can change its purpose depending on the user's intent."

"Hence the name, huh?" Sun noted.

Ruby couldn't stop herself from staring at the Chaos Emerald in her hand. There was something about it that drew to her. The more she stared into it, the more she could practically see the energy radiating from it. There was a faint and distant sparkle of light in her eye…

Only for Shadow to swipe the Chaos Emerald from her grip, snapping her out of her trance. "Wha… what…?"

"This is not a toy. It is a powerful and dangerous gem, not to be taken lightly." Shadow told her sternly.

"S-sorry… I… I don't know what came over me." Ruby rubbed her eyes a bit, the feeling she had now escaping her.

With the situation now resolved and all excitement and tension leaving the group, Blake turned towards Weiss and began to speak. "Listen, Weiss I…"

"Stop." The heiress interrupted her. "I meant what I said about the White Fang before. They may have started out differently in the past, but that's no excuse for their actions now. They've stollen from people, they've killed people. It's morally and ethically wrong." She happened to glance towards Shadow, who looked at her with a slight glare before giving a sigh. "But… at the same time, what has happened to the Faunus in general, even before the White Fang is equally wrong."

That took Blake by surprise as Weiss continued.

"Being beaten, tortured, caged, even killed just for being different… That's… that's wrong on every level." Weiss said, shivering slightly as she still remembered the photographs Shadow had shown her. "And I'm not blind to humanity's own crimes, nor that of the Schnee Dust Company. My father's taken it and led it into a moral grey area… one that could potentially lead to a darker route, much like the White Fang. But I don't want that to happen, I won't let it happen. I acknowledge that humanity is far from perfect and there are horrible and evil people in the world… just as not every Faunus is automatically part of the White Fang. My attitude before… while not entirely unwarranted… was also unacceptable… and I'm sorry for what I said."

Blake did not expect Weiss to come out and apologize like this. But, now that things were different from yesterday and everyone seemed to have a cooler head, Blake decided to do the same thing.

"You were right about the White Fang though." She began. "They took things way too far, becoming just as monstrous as they claim humanity to be. I didn't want to be a part of that, so I left and I have no intention of going back."

"I know, your actions here have proved that." Weiss replied. "All I ask now, is that when something this big and/or personal comes up, you'll come to your teammates, people who want to help you and not some…" She looked towards Sun in particular, pausing a bit before choosing her next words carefully. "Someone else. Though, personal friends outside our team that we've gotten to know would also count." She looked at Knuckles, who gave a nod of acknowledgement toward her. "If you can promise me that… I'll promise to be a bit more… open-minded."

A small smile formed on Blake's face as she gave a nod. "Sounds like a deal." She offered her hand to Weiss, which she accepted with a shake.

Sonic snorted slightly. "Let me guess, Shadow gave you the whole 'all humans suck' speech?" He asked Weiss with a knowing grin.

"He does not pull his verbal punches. Or physical ones for that matter." She looked to see Shadow was already walking away before speeding off with the Chaos Emerald in hand.

"Hey Blake…" Ruby came up to her. "Look, I just want you to know too, that whatever happens… I got your back. Both as your leader and as your friend."

"We all do." Yang stepped up as well.

"Same with the rest of us." Knuckles added, referring to himself, Amy, Tails, and Sonic.

Blake had to rub her eyes a bit, already feeling a bit misty. "I know… thanks."

"Awe, that's cute." Rouge smirked. "Got some lovey-duddy friend-bonding stuff." She tried to speak with Omega, only to find that he was looking directly at Penny while she stared back at him.

"My name is Penny, who are you?"

"I am designated E-123 Omega, the ultimate E-Series robot."

"E-Series? I am afraid I am unfamiliar with that term." Penny said in minor confusion.

"I was constructed by Eggman." Omega revealed. "I refuse to serve him. I will destroy all he has built. Your proclivity to destruction is very impressive. I predict you will be a superior being in the future."

"Thank you." Penny nodded. "And I predict that you and all your friends will be successful in defeating that dangerous Doctor Eggman."

"Wonder how those two are getting along so well?" Tails asked.

"Who knows." Sonic shrugged.

Penny's eyes slowly widened. "I must go." She turned around and proceeded to walk away.

"Wait, Penny where are you going?" Ruby asked.

"Home." She answered.

"Okay, thanks for your help today. See you around, pal." Sonic gave her a friendly smile and a finger-salute. Penny returned with a smile and a salute of her own before walking away.

"Is she really walking all the way back to her home?" Yang asked questioned.

"She'll probably catch a taxi or something." Amy said before the group heard some sirens coming their way. "Now all we gotta worry about is what to tell the police."

"I doubt they're gonna be happy about all the collateral damage." Tails gestured to the all-but completely destroyed shipping yard around them.

"Well, we got several eyewitnesses, right?" Ruby said hopefully. "Right, Sun…?" She only looked in shock to see Sun was already gone, leaving a dotted silhouette of where he once stood.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Knuckles commented with a sigh.

"My mind has not changed about him being a rapscallion." Weiss said disapprovingly.

Blake gave a humorous scoff. "Believe it or not, he says he's a student from Haven."

"You're right, I don't believe it." Weiss replied.

Sonic smirked, seeing everyone getting along again always made him happy. And yet, that happiness didn't last long as he glanced upward towards the sky. So Eggman has made his move, huh? And he's working with the White Fang. Yeah… something told him that things were not gonna be easy going forward.

---

Meanwhile, back at Beacon, Professor Ozpin sat in his office, looking at the data pad in his hands, watching a video feed of the massive fight in the shipping yard. He then looked at the message that had been attached to it. The sender went under the name 'Qrow', and the message read 'Mad Doctor made his move. How will Queen react? What's our move?'

Ozpin looked with a serious expression. He had now seen what Eggman was capable of with his own eyes. In just a short amount of time, this new player had gained an effective enough study of Dust to properly weaponize and use in his own machines. That and the fact that he's made an alliance with the White Fang shows that he is not above employing others to assist him, which matched up with what Sonic and his friends had told him of the Doctor.

It would seem that his eternal struggle now had a third player, one that was just as dangerous as she was. With a heavy sigh, Ozpin began to respond to Qrow's message, giving him his next set of instructions.

---

Torchwick limped his way back to the hideout, having been picked up from the water by a single Egg Gunner during the fight. He glanced upward to see the Egg-Mobile entering through the rooftop. He gave an annoyed sigh before limping back inside himself.

"Ow… Ow…" He held his chest, which still ached from Knuckles attack as he fell back in a chair to rest. "How the hell does a little guy like him punch so hard…? Ow…"

"Hello there Roman." Orbot greeted as he and Cubot appeared before him. "You appear to be in a state of pain."

"Really? What tipped you off?" Roman said sarcastically.

"Well, you keep saying 'ow' and you're limping." Cubot answered. "That's a dead give away."

"It was a rhetorical question!" Torchwick exclaimed, only to wince as he held his sides again. "Ugh! Damn that hurts!"

"I could fetch you some pain medications." Orbot offered.

"I can get you an icepack too." Cubot also offered.

"Save it…" Torchwick groaned, but his and the two robots' attention was caught by the door opening again as three individuals walked in. The one at the front was a young woman with fair skin, amber-colored eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail that hung over her shoulder; she wore a short red, long-sleeved, dress with black heels. The two behind here were a young man and another young woman; the former had Caucasian skin with gray hair and eyes, wearing a mostly gray and black outfit, while the later next to him had dark skin with mint-green hair and red eyes, wearing a rather revealing top with white and brown pants.

"Oh hey, Cinder and company. How you been?" Cubot greeted friendly, but the woman apparently named Cinder walked past him.

"We happened to see what occurred at the docs." She revealed. "Very interesting."

"Are you kidding?! It was a disaster!" Torchwick exclaimed. "We didn't get even a speck of Dust from all that! Working with those mutts was your idea, by the way! Yours and that crazy doctor pal of yours."

"And you'll keep working with them as long as we tell you." Cinder told him, producing a flame in her hands as her eyes glowed.

"Now, now, we're all on the same side here." Orbot tried to defuse any sort of tension. "You don't want to make the boss mad with in-fighting, do you?"

"Don't worry, little robot." Cinder said in a sinisterly assuring tone. "I'm sure the results of our endeavors will be most satisfactory."

---

Eggman walked from his personal transport into his main control center, which had quite the set up fitting for the mad doctor, plenty of computers and advanced pieces of equipment located all over. Of course, his most advanced and deadly creation, Metal Sonic was also present. The deadliest Badnik appeared to be showing a holographic recording of Teams Sonic, RWBY, Dark and their allies recent battle against the Egg-Cerberus.

"So, what'd you think of my performance? Not too shabby huh?"

Something else slowly left the shadows of the room to reveal itself. It appeared to be a jellyfish-like creature, its main body resembling that of a black crystal ball with red mist inside, it had bony plates on the outside as well, with some red tentacles coming from the bottom.

"It was quite the… flashy performance, Doctor."

"What can I say? I like a little fare." Eggman said. "But it was also two-fold. I got a chance to properly test Dust in my mechs, the two work well in concert. I may not even need a Chaos Emerald for my next project. But also, you got a chance to see Sonic and his friends in action for yourself."

"I will admit, he is among the strongest individuals I've seen. But he'll fall just like everyone else… but I must question your carelessness in losing one of those Emeralds, especially given this 'Chaos Control' ability you told me of.'

"If you're worried about them taking the Ark back, don't." Eggman replied as he sat down casually on his chair. "I've already got the other six up there powering a special shield that neutralizes all forms of Chaos Energy. They can't use it to teleport back up there. And if they decided to use it to power a special kind of spaceship, my entire Egg Fleet is guarding the station as we speak. They'll be shot down in sight. The loss of one Chaos Emerald is somewhat unfortunate, but it's not that big a loss."

"If you believe it to be, but just know you are responsible should something happen."

"Yeah-yeah." Eggman waved off. "Now its my turn to question something. Are you sure it's absolutely necessary to use the White Fang? I'm not prejudiced towards them or anything, I just find it unnecessary. I could level all of Beacon myself if I wanted to. Heck, I could use the Eclipse Cannon right now."

"We have discussed this, Doctor. Your resources and technology would indeed deal a great blow to Remnant. But it would also give them a common enemy to rally behind, and we need them divided."

"And as I've told you, Sonic has an annoying habit of bringing people together." Eggman argued. "Heck, some of his closest allies were once his enemies. He could easily unite Remnant against me, and later you should he find out about you. And he is capable doing that on his own, he has some pretty smart friends watching his back."

"He can't. Ozpin won't let him."

"Are you sure about that? Ozpin could see Sonic's potential and just decide to tell him. He does have the potential to actually stop you, as in permanently." Eggman advised.

"Ozpin doesn't trust anyone, not even those most devoted to him. Only himself. Everything must be done his way, he believes he alone must Shepard the people of Remnant. Should someone take that duty away from him, or even prove to be better at it, he will sabotage their efforts."

"Sounds familiar…" Eggman said with a chuckle.

"Any attempt Sonic will make at saving Remnant will be hindered by Ozpin, which will lead to conflict between their respective groups. And that will only aid us in the end."

"When it comes to raw power, Sonic and Shadow each alone have the advantage over Ozpin and his little illuminati." Eggman pointed out.

"Ozpin has the stronger influence; he could turn all of Remnant against them if he desired. Power alone is insignificant if the world stands against you."

Eggman chuckled. "And that's why our partnership is going to work. We have the power and the influence. So, tell me, Salem… Do you regret this little alliance of ours?"

---

"Of course not, Doctor. It has opened so many possibilities for the both of us."

Standing on the balcony of her dark and unholy fortress, overlooking the desolate and monster-infested wasteland that was her home, was a lone figure. She appeared to be female with a humanoid shape, wearing a black and red dress that stretched all the way down to her ankles, with a thin cape of the same color scheme. She carried a crystal ball in her right hand that allowed her to communicate with her newfound partner. Her skin and hair were pale white, black veins visible on her arms and even her face, which carried a smile of pure and unrelenting evil complete with glowing red eyes and black irises.

"Sonic the Hedgehog has faced and defeated many powerful adversaries in the past… But he has never faced anything like me before."

These were the words of the Queen of the Grimm, known only to a few and feared by all those that do know her, who even hesitate to speak her very name. Salem.

Done.

Yep. Eggman and Salem are working together. Bet you didn't see that one coming. (Evil laugh).

But seriously, I know many of you were expecting them to be at odds with one another, with Eggman serving as the third player in Ozpin and Salem's thousand-year chess-match/divorce proceedings, something Ozpin suspected as well. But they both actually have much more to gain by working together… and you'll find out just how they met in the next chapter and why their alliance actually works.

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, particularly where Team RWBY has had their first encounter with Eggman, who is using the White Fang, as well as Torchwick. We also got to meet Penny and rest assured, I have special plans for her, one I'm sure you'll find most pleasing.

But what I enjoyed the most about this chapter was my portrayal of Knuckles' character. Like Shadow, he's always been among my favorite characters in the Sonic franchise (I loved how they handled him in the recent movie), but I hated how in more recent games he's been treated as a bumbling idiot for comedy relief purposes. So, I decided to handle him how I believe he should be handled.

He is still a serious warrior, though he will crack a few jokes (the price of hanging around someone like Sonic), but he's not an idiot here. He's smart in his own way, especially when it comes to fighting. But I think his most predominant trait is his newfound willingness to listen to both sides of the story. In the past, we know he was tricked, mostly by Eggman, and often got into unnecessary fights, mostly with Sonic. So now, he's trying to avoid that, trying to avoid jumping to conclusions by listening to the points of view of others; which he did here in Weiss and Blake's different opinions regarding the Faunus and White Fang.

On that note, Weiss has every reason to be mad at the White Fang, having crossed many lines, including murder; but Blake is also right in the fact that the Faunus have been discriminated against for years before the White Fang was even founded: a classic case of both sides having a point, with Shadow making sure Weiss understands that. You can't have Shadow without his own personal views toward humanity.

I really enjoyed writing the conversation between Knuckles and Blake here, and they have already begun to form a friendship with one another. They can even relate to one another with their respective backstories regarding both the White Fang and Knuckles Clan.

Oh, and in case you didn't figure it out, Knuckles was talking about Shade the Echidna. I know she comes from the RPG game "Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood" which has been considered non-canon. But I think that's a shame, because I like Shade's character, and the Nocturnes Clan expands a bit more into the backstory and lore of the Echidna race. So, in this continuity, the events of the game I am declaring canon (at least in my story). Shade is currently on Angel Island guarding the Master Emerald in Knuckles' stead. As for whether she'll make an appearance, who can say? You'll just have to wait and see.

With this, the Volume 1 arc has come to an end, and we'll be getting started into Volume 2 real soon. The action is finally gonna kick back up as Eggman will take a much more active role in the story. I am very excited to show you all what I have in store in the future of this story.

Until then, peace out.