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)

31. Resolve

Hi everyone, welcome back. I am so pleased that my last chapter was so well received with Ozpin's secret getting busted wide open, and Cinder and her group getting a well-deserved thrashing thanks to Sonic and company. However, they are not out of the doghouse yet, Eggman is still out there.

But that's not all as Sonic and his friends are about to have a long overdue chat with Ozpin and his inner circle.

Let me make something clear right now though. As many reviewers have pointed out, I am not villainizing Ozpin or anyone affiliated with him. Ozpin, Qrow, Ironwood, Glynda, these are all good people who are being put into a situation where they feel they have no choice but to make some morally questionable choices. But even if it is for the 'greater good' that does not mean that they are in the right.

This is where I feel the canon RWBY series began to derail a bit after Volume 3, on how nobody called out Ozpin or his group on the choices they made, particularly pressuring Pyrrha into becoming the Fall Maiden, which had indirectly led to her death at Cinder's hands and began the start of Ruby's inner turmoil and trauma (though it could also be argued that all that started when Summer left and never came back), as well as negatively effected Team JNPR as a whole. Jaune had basically tortured himself throughout most of Volume 4, running himself ragged training and blaming himself for Pyrrha's death, while Qrow did nothing to help. He should know what it's like to lose a teammate and a close friend given what had happened with Summer, but he pretty much treated Jaune and everyone else as an afterthought, and gave all his attention to Ruby, who in all honesty should have been mad at him for the role he played in Pyrrha's death as well. Aside from that, Ozpin's group has been making these morally questionable choices for a long time before the start of the series, and the only one who really questioned and challenged them was Raven, and even then her character was handled very poorly, which made the entire conflict against Salem feel black-and-white, despite the moral gray that was established at the start of the series (notably with the Schnee Dust Company and their conflict with the White Fang), like how anyone who wasn't on Ozpin's side was the bad guy, or just a jerk altogether.

Again, I know that Ozpin isn't evil. He himself has been placed in an unwinnable situation thanks to the Brother Gods and is trying his best to make do with the shitty hand that he's been dealt, but that's still no excuse for his own actions in deceiving and manipulating his followers, even if it is for the right reasons.

But that's all going to change here, and it'll leave a lasting impact on the characters throughout this story going forward.

With all that being said, let's get this chapter started.

Resolve

"…I believe I speak for the rest of the world when I say that this is an act that nobody has seen coming." Lisa Lavender began, speaking on a news broadcast with the headline 'Vytal Festival Cancelled – Beacon Soon Under Attack?' appearing at the bottom of the screen. "With the recent announcement from Professor Ozpin of a possible attack on Beacon Academy, the Atlas military wasted no time in organizing an evacuation effort for all the civilians and students from Beacon and the other three academies from Amity Arena and the Beacon campus into the City of Vale. Multiple shelters are already beginning to fill as civilians within the city are bracing for a possible attack. Both Beacon staff and several Huntsmen students who have been participating in the tournament have volunteered to assist the Atlas military with the evacuation and organizing defenses around the academy. There has been no official word as to who the attacker may be, but with such unprecedented move made by the host of what is supposed to be a joyous bi-annual occasion for the world, people are already becoming nervous as they can only imagine just who they may be facing."

The report was seen on the holo-screen on the bridge of Doctor Eggman's ship as the mad scientist sat on his command chair with Orbot and Cubot by his side, as well as the Seer Grimm that floated nearby. Metal Sonic was present as well, showing them all recorded footage of Cinder and her group being taken down by Teams Sonic and Dark, and later being arrested.

"I don't wanna say 'I told you so'… No wait... I totally want to say 'I told you so'!" Eggman said to his partner. "Your little chosen one just botched your whole operation! I warned her multiple times not to underestimate Sonic! But did she listen? No! And this is what happens when you don't listen to the genius! Really picked a keeper with that one, Salem."

"Cinder's arrogance has never been in question, but she has proven to be at least be cautious and meticulous should the situation call for it." Salem replied.

"All the good that did her. And I also told Watts to watch himself with Prower. But no, just like Cinder, he had too big a head on his shoulders." Eggman said. "And it cost us that cute little Black Queen virus."

"I don't think Watts or Cinder have big heads." Cubot pointed out.

"It means they got too cocky, Cubot." Orbot told his friend.

"Oh, but nobody's as cocky as the boss here." Cubot pointed towards Eggman, only to get his head pounded down by the doctor's fist as he stood up from his seat. "Ow!"

"We tried things your way, now we're doing it mine." Eggman said to Salem before turning to his robots. "Orbot, tell Adam to meet me outside and to get his forces ready. We're going on the attack, now!"

"On it, boss." Orbot accessed his comms as he, Cubot, and Metal Sonic followed Eggman and the Seer as they left the bridge of their ship.

"Doctor, while your disappointments and frustrations are understandable, I don't believe it is in your best course of action to act rashly." Salem advised.

"Oh, don't worry, this is still gonna fit in your little criteria." Eggman began. "You want humanity divided? The White Fang is gonna be on the attack. This will associate any and all Faunus with the Eggman Empire, which only fuel further discrimination. You want Beacon leveled? Between my forces and the ensuing Grimm that'll be drawn to the attack, not to mention you controlling the big one, there will be nothing left of that Academy by the time we're through. And that will spread further fear across this world, which will only cause the Grimm to act up even more, starting the domino effect that will only work in our favor."

"Fair points, my dear doctor." Salem accepted as the group stepped out through a door and outside the vessel, entering a tunnel that was within a hollowed out mountain range that surrounded Vale and Beacon. "But need I remind you that your adversary, the one you have frequently reminded us not to underestimate, is still there? And you yourself have never truly defeated him?"

"That's why I brought the remaining six Chaos Emeralds down here. With them powering my newest creation, I may finally leave Sonic in the dust! No pun intended." Eggman continued.

"No pun…?" Cubot thought for a moment before realizing it. "Oh! I get it! Dust! Cause this world's got all that magic crystal stuff! That's actually kinda funny! I…" He was silenced when Metal grabbed him by the throat and glared at him with his red eyes. "Or not! Not funny at all! I hated that joke! I hate all jokes!" Metal dropped Cubot, prompting Orbot to come over and help him.

"And even if Sonic does manage to make it out of it, we can always frame him for killing Ozpin." Eggman suggested. "I'll have Metal fly in, kill the man whom Remnant sees as their paragon of virtue, and edit some footage to make it look like Sonic did the deed. This will turn everyone against him and all his friends."

"You make that sound like an easy task." Salem said. "Even if he no longer wields the majority of his magic, he is still a capable warrior."

"Yeah? Well Metal's gone toe-to-toe with the Ultimate Lifeform on multiple occasions. I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble, would it Metal?" Eggman asked his prized creation, who gave a thumbs up in response. "Attaboy. So what do you think?"

The Seer was silent for a moment as it seemed that Salem was contemplating the idea. "An intriguing idea. Should all this play as we hope, we may still salvage a victory. Though, I would ask that you retrieve Cinder."

Eggman gave a loud groan. "Do I have to?"

"Yes." Salem said with finality. "She still wields half of the Fall Maiden power and I can't risk that falling into our enemies' hands. I'm certain Ozpin still has Amber stored within his academy, perhaps close enough to the vault containing the Relic."

"Um… I have a questing." Orbot raised his hand cautiously, realizing he was now directly talking to Salem. "Is it possible for Ozpin to even open the vault with only half of the Fall Maiden's power? Wouldn't it be better for him to have the whole thing?"

"I can't say for certain and it's not something I'm willing to leave to chance." Salem asked.

Eggman rubbed his hand down his face. "Fine, I'll have Metal bust her out before he kills Ozpin. Happy now?"

"Doctor… your frustrations with her are understandable, and rest assured that I myself am disappointed." Salem said. "Cinder may keep the power for the time being, perhaps long enough to open the vault once we locate it. But once that is over, I will look for a potential replacement."

"Oh? So quick to discard her? Even after all the time you spent preparing her?" Eggman looked towards the Seer with a sneer.

"The Beetle is what is necessary to steal the powers and has proven to be a success, while Cinder has proven to be neither successful nor necessary." Salem said. "I will allow her to finish the job here, if only to gain the full power, and then remove it. Remnant has no shortage of orphans to manipulate."

"Glad to know we're on the same page then." Eggman snickered as the group made their way to the end of the tunnel, where Adam Taurus was leaning against the side of the exit and looking toward them expectantly.

"What's going on? Why did you call me?"

"Cinder's plan failed. So now we're just gonna take the direct approach and attack Beacon." Eggman told him. "How are your forces?"

"See for yourself." Adam gestured outside, to where the group stepped onto a ledge to look down into a massive cavern where the entirety of the Vale branch of the White Fang had been gathered, which appeared to be over a thousand Faunus soldiers. All of which seemed to be arming themselves with Egg-tech weapons. Such weapons ranged from small guns to larger mech suits such as replicants of the Egg-Centaurs, or even Egg-Hawks.

"Excellent." Eggman sneered. "Between our combined forces and the Grimm that will be drawn in, Beacon will be nothing but a memory."

"Our deal still applies, doesn't it?" Adam questioned.

"Take that up with my partner." Eggman gestured to the Seer Grimm, which Adam observed curiously.

"Adam Taurus, correct? Doctor Robotnik has spoken quite highly of you." Salem began. "Strong, ambitious, charismatic. Such traits would be most welcomed in my fold. Provided you are able to deliver results."

"You will have them." Adam said. "Even if I can't meet with you now, may I at least know your name?"

A dark smoke was then produced from the Seer's body, which ascended upward slightly before it began to take shape. A shape resembling something humanoid before it became more detailed and even colored to reveal the face and upper body of the one controlling it.

"My name is Salem. And it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

---

Beacon Academy

The dorms were currently empty, all of the students that were previously staying there were either evacuating, or outside getting their tools and preparing for the coming battle. The only activity appeared from five certain veteran Huntsmen, all from Atlas, as they stood outside a certain dorm room.

"Um… doesn't this seem a bit… overkill?" Marrow asked his teammates. "All five of us guarding just one student?"

"You heard the general's orders. She doesn't leave that room unless he says otherwise." Harriet said.

"So, we're just holding this kid prisoner?" Marrow questioned.

"No Marrow, we're protecting her." Clover told her. "James told us that her life could be in danger, so he is assigning us to watch over her."

"But from what…?" Marrow asked. "And why us? Why not have some of his robots? We should be outside with everyone else!"

"I'm with the kid on this one." Elm spoke up. "There's a fight coming, and we should be on the front line with all our men."

"As much as I too would like to stand by our soldiers and fight alongside them, the general gave us explicit orders to protect Miss Nikos." Vine said.

"I talked with James, and he said that Eggman could potentially target her because of her Semblance." Clover explained. "Her Polarity against his metal machines would make her a threat to him."

"You ask me, that's all the more reason for her to join the fight instead of locking her up." Marrow pointed out.

"A fair point, but that's not up to us." Vine responded.

---

Pyrrha herself sat alone on her bed inside the dorm room that she had shared with her team. Despite the Ace Ops outside saying this was for her protection, she felt like she was being held prisoner and it wasn't hard to see why. She had seen Amber and knew a secret that only Ironwood, Ozpin, and a handful of people in all of Remnant know. This was to prevent that secret from getting out. She couldn't tell the Ace Ops outside about it, they wouldn't believe her as it would be her word against that of the general they trusted and reported to.

Of course, there was the matter of the Fall Maiden itself that left her concerned. She had been selected to receive the power of someone felt to be in a fairy tale, or rather half of it. Based on what she had learned, if she had inherited the complete power of the Fall Maiden naturally, she would still be herself, albeit with extraordinary power, but still her. In this case however… her soul would merge with that of another. If she did decide to accept Amber's power… what would happen to her? Would she be herself? Would she turn into Amber, and Amber would take over her life? Or would she become someone else entirely and cease to exist altogether?

And why her? Oh, she could take a guess. What Ozpin had said to her before about being one of the best students in his academy, that lined up perfectly with her identity as the Invincible Girl. The best student, and soon-to-be Huntress in the world, the one that was on the pedestal that no one else could reach. And the only one to stand at the top. It would make sense to give unimaginable magic power to someone like that. Once again, everyone was seeing her for what she was, not who. She felt so alone… just like how she was when she first arrived at Beacon.

Suddenly, Shadow the Hedgehog appeared in front of her in a flash of light, much to her shock.

"Shad…Mmmph!" She was quickly silenced as he was already at her, clasping his hand over her mouth. The black Hedgehog motioned his finger over his own mouth and shifted his eyes towards the door, silently telling her to be quiet and not alert those outside, to which she replied with a nod of understanding.

Shadow removed his hand from her mouth before offering her his other one. Though she was a tad hesitant at first, Pyrrha accepted his hand right before he teleported both himself and her out of the room.

---

Using Chaos Control, the two appeared on the dorm rooftops, revealing that night had fallen over the academy, and multiple airships were now soaring across the blackened sky, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"Wha… what's this? Shadow, why have you brought me here?" Pyrrha asked as she looked around at their change in environment.

"Pyrrha…" Turning around, the redhead was surprised to see not only Jaune, Ren, and Nora; but even Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake, with Zwei by the youngest girl's feet, all of whom looked more than a little concern.

"Tell them what you saw down there." Shadow told her. "Tell them what you can, and I will help if you need it."

Her own eyes widened before they became emotional. He may have brought her here to reveal to them the information that they had procured a few hours ago, but he was giving her a chance to talk with those that she had considered her friends. Her first and true friends that she ever really had. She smiled emotionally towards the black Hedgehog who simply nodded to her as he gestured for her to speak to them.

"Here's what we found out…"

---

Ozpin's Office

Despite so many being present in the headmaster's personal station, it was eerily quiet. The only sound was the ongoing gears of the clock tower that they were currently inside. Ozpin himself sat at his desk with Qrow, Glynda, and Ironwood flanking his sides. And across from him were Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Omega. It wasn't hard to understand why it was so quiet and so tense in this one moment. The two Hedgehogs, Echidna, and Bat all glared harshly at the teachers while the young Fox had an expression of disappointment on his face. Omega had no real face to show any distinguishing emotions, but the glow in his optics suggested that he was viewing the humans in front of him as potential threats. The feeling of tension and distrust was rather mutual on both sides as well, particularly with Qrow and Ironwood as they glared back at those glaring at them, it was a rare sight to see the veteran Huntsman and military general on the same page. Glynda at least had the decency to look ashamed, while Ozpin seemed to have a stoic yet understanding expression of his own.

"And will Shadow be joining?" Ozpin broke the silence.

"He is patrolling the perimeter of the academy, keeping a watch for Eggman's inevitable attack." Omega reported.

"I already have my soldiers doing the same thing." Ironwood said.

"Yeah well, Shadow's always been one to handle things himself." Rouge said.

"Like how you hacked into our systems, stole blueprints for the building and snuck into that vault?" Qrow questioned spitefully.

"You mean the vault that contains a half-dead girl?" Knuckles glared.

"Look, I'm sorry that we went behind your back with my Anti-Virus' secondary program… but you did the same thing to us!" Tails pointed out. "We told everything we knew about Eggman, the Chaos Emeralds, and even some of our past enemies that we've fought and beaten!"

"We were open with you when we first came here! That's how trust is supposed to work!" Amy stated. "But even after that, you didn't trust us!"

"It wasn't that we didn't trust you…" Glynda tried to ease the situation. "We intended to bring you in. And the situation regarding Amber is unique, and not something that we'd even think about doing."

"Come on, you gotta admit that little soul-sucking machine you got down there…" Rouge pointed out.

"That's not what it is." Ironwood said.

"It is machine designed to syphon Aura and transfer it to another." Omega retorted. "You have said explicitly how Aura is an extension of an organic being's soul on Remnant. Logically speaking, the transfer of one's Aura is the transfer of one's soul. Is that not correct?"

"Yes, that is true…" Ozpin admitted. "But as Glynda said, this situation is explicitly unique."

"So, explain it to us." Tails told them.

"We can't do that yet." Qrow said, which earned looks of ire from all of the anthropomorphs present. "Only until we know for certain that you're with us. Unless you agree to that, you guys hit the road."

"Do you really think you're in any sort of position to ask for something like that?" Knuckles questioned as he briefly pounded his fists together, prompting Qrow to grasp the handle of his sheathed weapon.

Sonic then stepped forward and looked directly at Ozpin, the fastest thing alive making eye-contact with the headmaster of Beacon before speaking. "Look, even with any kind of context, you have to admit that what you have downstairs is really in the moral gray area that is leaning very close to black. I'm the kind of guy who wants to give second chances to other people, or even hear out their side of the story. And I'm willing to do that here. But, if you really want our help, we need to know everything you know. All your cards, on the table, right now. Either that, or we walk and handle Eggman, and whatever boogeyman's got you so scared of, by ourselves."

Once again a tense silence fell in the office before the headmaster gave a sigh and spoke. "Very well."

"Oz…" Qrow was ready to protest, along with Ironwood, but Ozpin held up his hand to silence them.

"I was a fool to delay this." He spoke. "Perhaps we should have said something sooner. I can see now that if we are to have Sonic's help, we must tell him everything."

As much as Qrow and Ironwood wanted to protest, they chose not to and decided to trust Ozpin while Glynda looked relieved. Sonic backed closer to his friends as they looked at them expectantly.

"You have had your fair share of encounters with deities, correct?" He asked.

"Yep." Sonic confirmed. "We've fought at least three."

"Well, Remnant was once home to two." Ozpin began. "A pair of brothers. The eldest was known as the God of Light, and he brought life to Remnant. His younger brother, known as the God of Darkness, had a desire to destroy life. The elder would create plants, water, and enrich the world, while the younger would create famine and plagues to destroy all that his brother would create, but life would always return, like day and night."

"That sounds familiar." Tails said, sharing eye-contact with Sonic, who looked at his own wrist where he still had Chip's necklace, now acting as a bracelet for him.

"When the God of Light created sentient life in the form of animals, the Brother of Darkness mirrored his elder's actions and created his own form of 'life', if you can call it that." Ozpin continued. "Creatures that could move and act as if they were alive, but not truly. Anti-life, so-to-speak. And like they're creator, their only desire was to destroy."

"The Creatures of Grimm." Knuckles figured out.

"Bingo." Qrow confirmed.

"So that explains why they're all beasty." Rouge said. "Like more demonic versions of normal animals."

"Beowolves resembling canines, Ursai resembling bears, Nevermore resembling Aves, Boarbatusks resembling suidae, and Goliaths resembling Elephantidae…" Omega listed. "One could assume that the God of Darkness created the Creatures of Grimm in the likeness of natural animals as a counterforce."

"Yes, one could indeed make that assumption." Ozpin continued. "And at that point, the Brother of Light had enough. A brief conflict between the siblings broke out, before they agreed on a compromise. They would work together to create something that they both could take pride in. An entity that would embody their respective powers for creation and destruction, along with the gift of knowledge to learn all that it could about the world, and the gift of choice in the form of free-will. Humans. And that is how life came to be on our world."

"So instead of Adam and Eve, we got Adam and Steve." Sonic made a brief joke, which caused Amy, Tails, and even Rouge to snicker, while Knuckles smirked and omega remained stoic. Qrow and Ironwood glared at him while Opzin and Glynda didn't seem to get the joke and remained silent. "Yesh, you'd think you'd be happy at me trying to lighten the mood a bit."

"What about the Faunus?" Knuckles asked. "How'd they come into the picture?"

"We believe that the Faunus were created when the Brother of Darkness chose to 'experiment' a bit on the early humans of Remnant." Glynda answered. "Giving then animal-features to see how they would develop and evolve. And that was not the only gift he gave."

"The Brother of Darkness chose to bequeath humans with the ability to learn and use magic." Ozpin said as well.

"Like those Maidens you talked about?" Amy asked.

"Yes." Ozpin confirmed. "But for reasons that we have yet to discover, the Brother Gods abandoned Remnant. And when they did, humanity's ability to use magic went with them. But traces of that power would remain and, over the thousands of years that would pass, would later evolve and grow. Though they would not reach the same sort of might as magic, they would be mere 'semblances' of the power that humanity once wielded."

"Ah, Semblances. I get it." Rouge said.

"However, when they left, the Brother of Darkness had left something behind that would soon come to haunt us all." Ozpin said, which got Sonic's attention as well as that of his friends. "The Creatures of Grimm had found a new master, though her origins are still largely unknown, one could assume that as the younger brother made the Creatures of Grimm to mirror the elder brother's creation with Remnant's animal kingdom, the God of Darkness had made a 'human' in his own dark image."

"A Grimm human?" Sonic asked.

"And her name… is Salem." Ozpin confirmed. "Like the Grimm, her sole desire is the destruction of life itself. But since she was made in the form of a human, she has the intelligence of one. She too had the ability to create and destroy, to learn and use her knowledge to her benefit, and to choose how she uses her abilities. And since Grimm can't age and die naturally as all humans and animals do, Salem has lived just as long and will continue to do so, unless somebody strikes her down. She has been haunting Remnant for thousands of years, controlling the Grimm as if they were extensions of her will."

"So, the Grimm do have a central alpha." Tails realized. "One that controls them all."

"Technically, she can't control every Grimm simultaneously." Glynda pointed out. "Only those that are around her."

"And thank gods for that, otherwise we'd all be screwed." Qrow said as he pulled out his flask. "Oh, and she uses magic too."

"Excuse me?" Amy questioned. "But didn't you literally just say that your people lost the ability to use magic when the Brothers left?"

"Look who's been listening." Qrow said in sarcastic drama, much to Amy's annoyance.

"You can at least tone down the attitude." The pink Hedgehog said with hands on her hips and lowered eye-lids. "You sure your Ruby's uncle? Cause it's kinda hard to picture how someone so bubbly can be related to a cynic like you."

"You wanna go, pinky?" Qrow questioned irritably.

"Enough, Qrow." Ozpin stopped him before it could get tense all over again. "Yes, Salem does possess the ability to use magic like the early humanity, despite the past and current generations no longer able to. But just because she bares the appearance and intelligence of a human, doesn't mean she is one. She is essentially a dark reflection of us all. Her ability to use magic, as well as command the Grimm as their queen make her the most powerful being in all of Remnant."

"And you think she's the one that Eggman's working with?" Sonic asked.

"All evidence seems to point to that, yes." Ironwood confirmed. "And he wouldn't be the first. For the past thousands of years, as far as we can tell, Salem has had more than just Grimm under her command. She's been able to coarse people to her side as well."

"Like that Cinder kid." Rouge pointed out.

"Salem ability to manipulate others is arguably her greatest weapon." Ozpin explained. "She attracts the worst people to her side, taking advantage of their own greed or hatred, or even coercing more tragic souls who have lost those they held dear to join her, under the promises of revenge or even finding some manner of peace. Many good and innocent people have fell to her machinations, and have become mere shadows of their former selves under her influence."

There was a look of sadness in his eyes as he said that, something that Sonic noticed. Maybe some people that Ozpin knew had fallen for Salem's tricks and schemes. No surprise, he's met more than his fair share of manipulators, as well as people who had good intentions but took them to an extreme.

"Okay, so if Salem is basically the ultimate evil that wants to destroy the world, then why not warn everyone?" The blue Hedgehog asked. "Why keep all this a secret?"

Ozpin and his group shared glances with each other before Glynda answered. "From what we understand, this used to be common knowledge."

"Saywha?" Sonic questioned as more than a few of his friends raised their eyebrows.

"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started?" Qrow asked rhetorically. "Even the craziest ones come from somewhere."

"This brotherhood did not start with us." Ironwood gestured to himself and his cohorts for emphasis. "Many have done battle against Salem in the past, that includes the past Maidens. As you are aware by now though, the Creatures of Grimm are drawn in by negative emotions. Salem easily used that her advantage, sewing seeds for discourse and conflict throughout the centuries, hoping to start a war big enough to turn all of humanity against each other and leaving the Grimm to finish the rest."

"Like that Great War you had less than a century ago?" Knuckles asked.

"We don't know for certain if Salem was responsible for starting that particular conflict, but it wouldn't be a surprise if she did have a hand in it." Glynda answered.

"What of the Maidens?" Omega inquired. "You had stated that once the Brother Gods abandoned your world, your species lost the ability to use magic. Yet these Maidens still possess that ability. What is the reason for that?"

Ozpin hesitated a moment before answering. "One would assume that the Brothers had sensed Salem's rise to power. To combat her, the God of Light had chosen a champion and gave him the ability to use magic."

"And that champion passed his power to the Maidens." Tails figured out.

"Correct." Ozpin nodded. "However, Salem saw this as an opportunity. Under the right circumstance, Salem could manipulate the Maidens over to her side as she had for many others."

"So, this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye in order to protect them, allowing their existence to fade into legend, Salem included." Ironwood said.

"Blissful ignorance." Rouge said.

"Not the words I would use, but yes." Ozpin said. "I apologize for not telling you any of this sooner. But I feared that if this information were to leak out, especially regarding Amber, it would lead to panic or even an uproar, which would inevitably draw the Grimm closer to our borders."

"Alright. I get that." Sonic seemed to understand that much at least. "So, who else is involved in this little illuminati you got?"

"Aside from those gathered here, Headmasters Theodore and Lionheart of Shade and Haven respectively." Ozpin answered.

"What about Winter or the Ace Ops?" Amy asked.

"No, they are not aware." Ironwood answered.

"Not even Professor Polendina?" Tails asked, making sure to avoid using Penny's name. Though if Pietro was involved, it would then explain why Penny was made: to fight Salem. At least that would be what Ironwood intended for her.

"No. Polendina is not currently involved." The general replied.

"What about Ruby and Yang's father?" Knuckles questioned, which earned a glare from Qrow. "You were on the same team with him, along with both of their mothers. Team STRQ, was it?"

"That's none of your damn business." Qrow glared.

"Hey now, we're just trying to get a sense as to who are allies might be." Rouge said in a teasing manner. "You say we're on the same side, so it only makes sense that we know who is on the same side right?"

"Team STRQ was affiliated in this movement before, yes." Ozpin answered, much to Qrow's shock and dismay that he would reveal that so quickly. "Though Qrow is the only active member at this time. Taiyang is retired, though he is often kept in the loop."

"And what about Yang's mother?" Knuckles asked, which only caused Qrow's fists to clench, something everyone else noticed. "We know that Ruby's mother is no longer with us, but we don't know about… Raven was it?" Knuckles was certain to avoid mentioning his encounter with that woman in Merlot's lab, if only because he didn't know what her relationship was with the rest of Ozpin's inner circle.

"She's a damn coward who abandoned her family!" Qrow exclaimed, losing what little composure that he had, much to the surprise of many of Sonic's friends while Knuckles, Rouge, and Omega remained serious. "No! She's not involved and she's not welcome anymore! And she is not an ally you would want! There! Any other questions!?"

"Yeah. I got one." Sonic said, getting serious. "Why involve Pyrrha?"

---

Meanwhile, back on the dorms' rooftop, Pyrrha had told her teammates and Team RWBY everything that went down in the vault with Amber; from what she heard regarding the Maidens, to Amber herself, and what Ozpin's group had intended for her. Shadow rarely said anything and simply let Pyrrha talk, only giving confirmations when asked.

All seven students had listened to it all and were in absolute shock. Their eyes were so wide that they were almost circular, with more than a few mouths hanging open. Needless to say, what they had just learned had rocked all of them to their core. Even someone as calm and reserved as Ren found it almost unbelievable.

"I… I've read the tale of the Maidens…" Blake finally spoke in a shaky tone of voice. "But… I thought it was just that… just a fairy tale…"

"So did I…" Pyrrha said in a very low tone of voice.

"A machine that can… suck away someone's Aura…" Weiss' face went pale just thinking about it. 'But then again, that could explain how Penny came to be.'

"That's… my gods… that's awful…" Jaune muttered.

"I… I… I don't even have the words…" Nora stuttered. "The Maidens… magic… it's all real?! I mean… you'd think we'd be used to that thanks to present company…!" She gestured with both of her arms in Shadow's direction for emphasis. "So why does this surprise blow everything else out of the water?!"

"Probably because of how morally questionable it is." Ren said, looking away with a hint of resentment. "And the fact that one of our teachers, our headmaster, and a decorated general are all a part of it."

That last statement is what caused Yang to clench her fists as her face was twisted with so much rage, her eyes glowing a bright red, looking ready to snap somebody's neck at any given time, because it wasn't just their teachers. Her uncle was a part of this! Her uncle wanted to put one of her friends into that horrible machine! Why would he even consider doing something so morally wrong?!

"But… he tried to stop it… right…?!" Ruby looked to Pyrrha desperately. "Uncle Qrow… He… He wouldn't… He wouldn't do this… right?! He couldn't… couldn't have known…! Did… did he… say something…?! Did he try to stop it?! To change Ozpin's mind?! Please tell me that he did!"

Pyrrha honestly felt her heart break at seeing the pleading expression in the young girl's eyes. As much as she wanted to spare her the emotional pain, she had to know the truth. Lying about it would only hurt her even more in the long run.

"No… I think he was… supporting the decision."

That reveal caused Ruby to gasp in utter shock as her pupils shrunk as she instinctively took a step or two backwards.

"Before they showed me… Qrow took away my Scroll…" Pyrrha continued. "So that I couldn't send any messages to you or Sonic. Though Ozpin said he wanted to get Sonic involved in this… it did feel like they were isolating me… trying to prevent me from running away." She looked again to the younger girl whose eyes were already wet, as well as her elder sister. "I'm truly sorry, Ruby. Yang."

The silver-eyed girl fell to her knees and cried into her hands. Immediately, Yang knelt to her sister and hugged her to provide what comfort she could, despite the tears of fury, betrayal, and anguish in her own eyes. Weiss and Blake followed along, as they too put comforting hands and arms around their partners and teammates, the two even sharing eye-contact as they could also see the hurt in their eyes, the hurt that could only come from the betrayal of someone that wasn't who they felt they were, they both knew that pain all too well. Even Zwei whined and whimpered as he snuggled himself up next to the crying Ruby to try and comfort her.

The instant he saw Ruby break down, Shadow's fury boiled over. His gloved fists clenched so tightly, it was a miracle that they didn't rip. No child should ever have to suffer this kind of betrayal from a loved one. Despite the protectiveness that he prostrated over his nieces, Qrow had deceived and even manipulated them. He manipulated children. His own family. Shadow understood that feeling all too well, and just how unforgivable it is.

"Well, obviously you're not gonna do it, right?" Jaune said, looking towards Pyrrha. But he grew concerned when she didn't respond right away, and even looked away from him. "Right…?"

"I…" Despite not giving a clear answer, it seemed like the message was made clear to her teammates.

"You're actually considering it?!" Nora all but screamed. "Pyrrha, you can't be serious!"

"I know what you're all thinking…" She tried to say.

"Ozpin and the others want to risk your life, your soul, in a procedure in where even they don't know the outcome!" Ren stated in a tone that was unlike any quiet or reserved manner he had shown in the past. "And you don't even know why they want to do it?! Why would you even think about doing something so reckless with so little information?!"

"That's what Huntsmen do… isn't it?" Pyrrha asked. "They risk their lives for the greater good…"

"There is a big difference between risking your life in a fight, and risking your literal soul just because someone else is telling you to do so!" Ren argued.

"Exactly!" Nora agreed. "I can't believe you would even think about doing that! Or at the very least, not even talking to us about it!"

"I'm talking to you now, aren't I?" Pyrrha replied. "And I haven't made a decision yet."

"It's still off the table!" Jaune said. "I'm the leader of this team, and I'm not willing to risk your life for something so insane! And I don't give a damn what Ozpin has to say about it!"

"And what of Amber…?" Pyrrha asked.

"She would still die." Shadow said immediately, getting their attention as Team JNPR turned towards him. "With her Aura completely drained, her life would come to an end. And even without this procedure, her body is too severely damaged and beyond recovery."

"Yes, but wouldn't undergoing the procedure be a mercy?" Pyrrha pointed out. "You yourself said that keeping her in that state is cruel."

"There are more efficient ways to put someone out of their misery than risking your own life as well." Shadow responded. "There are at least six different ways that I can do so, quickly and painlessly."

"But if the Maidens are as powerful as Ozpin says they are, and I do not believe he was lying about that, we can't run the risk of that kind of power falling into Eggman's hands." Pyrrha said.

"But they caught Cinder!" Jaune stated.

"Even if that is true, if Amber dies, Cinder could receive the rest of her power." Pyrrha said. "And I would rather not somebody else be put in such an agonizing position as to having their own identity potentially erased when someone… more capable and/or willing… can do it." Despite how serious and genuine she was in her arguments, there was still some hesitation in her voice.

Even Nora couldn't find a response to that. She couldn't picture anybody making a choice like that. But that didn't mean she wanted her own teammate and friend to do it either. Jaune also looked away in frustration. It was just like Pyrrha to not think of herself and put more priority on those around her. And while he admired her for that, hehated the very idea of her throwing her life or identity away like this.

Ren then looked towards Shadow. "Have you or Sonic ever had to deal with anything like this before?"

The black Hedgehog closed his eyes for a brief moment. "There has only been one situation that has been even remotely similar."

This was enough to draw the attention of Team RWBY, with Ruby sniffling as she tried to sit up, prompting Zwei to hop into her lap while Yang, Blake, and Weiss were still at her sides as they too paid attention to what Shadow had to say.

"There was once powerful entity, that was forcibly ripped into two halves." He began. "Those halves manifested as separate beings altogether. One was a force of unbridled destruction that obliterated everything in its path."

"Like the Grimm…?" Jaune asked.

"Worse." Shadow replied. "It consumed an entire planet in flames. No force could stop it permanently. Even the likes of Sonic and myself couldn't completely destroy it, only stall it."

"You're kidding…" Nora and the others' faces went pale just imagining that. "Something even the two of you together couldn't stop...?"

"What of the other half?" Ren asked.

"It gained sentience and manifested into a creature that had its own mind and will." Shadow explained, looking away as he recalled that particular adversary. "He wasn't as physically powerful as his other half, but his malevolence knew no bounds. Even Eggman and myself fell prey to his schemes."

"S-so… how did you beat him…?" Ruby stuttered. "I mean… you did… beat him… right?"

"We did." Shadow confirmed. "You don't need the details, but those two halves would reunite as the original entity that was separated. It took all our combined power, as all as that of newfound allies, to defeat it. Even Eggman had no choice but to aid us for his own survival. But even with all that, it still came at great cost."

He closed his eyes, remembering how they had to erase an entire timeline just to stop that monster. That was by far the most dangerous and powerful adversary they had ever faced. But he would spare these children the details, particularly how Sonic died during that conflict. They were already going through such emotional turmoil already. Which was the reason he had yet to tell Yang about his encounter with her birth mother in the Emerald Forest. Yang was clearly the most emotional out of all the students that they were working with, and finding out about her birth mother's presence on top of her uncle's betrayal could potentially destroy her emotionally. He will tell her about Raven though, but not quite yet. Not until the current crisis was settled.

"And because of that experience, I can at least take a guess as to what could happen with Pyrrha if she decides to undergo the procedure." Shadow continued. "The way I see it, there are three possibilities. The first, is because of Amber's Aura being weakened in her current state, Pyrrha's would be able to overcome and absorb it, strengthening her own in the process. She would gain half of the Fall Maidens' power, but her identity would remain the same. The second, is that Amber's soul manifests in Pyrrha's body alongside her own. Essentially two beings sharing one body."

The second possibility caused everyone to look in even further shock as they could only imagine it. Blake happened to recall reading a certain book that had a man go through a similar dilemma and would dread Pyrrha going through something like that herself. Even Pyrrha was clearly uncomfortable with it herself as she pictured it.

"And the last one?" Jaune asked, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it.

"Both their souls merge and manifest as a new entity." Shadow answered. "Neither Pyrrha, nor Amber. Both are erased as a new being takes their place."

All of them could only look in dread and horror. They couldn't even imagine something like that.

"But that's merely an assumption. I don't know for certain what would happen." Shadow said. "And because of that, I am against you making that sort of choice." He looked to see Pyrrha about to object and pointed at her to silence her as he continued. "Huntsmen and Huntresses must risk their lives to protect the weak, even if it is uncertain, that is true. But you are not a Huntress, you are a student. A child. Too young and not ready to make such a difficult choice. And even if that weren't the case, what do you think would happen to those you care for if you were to disappear?"

"I… I don't…" Pyrrha didn't seem to have an answer to that.

"Please don't do it, Pyrrha." She turned around to see Jaune with a pleading expression on his face. "Before I came here… I was nothing. I didn't have any friends… until I met you, and all of them…!" He gestured to his own team as well as Team RWBY. "I was total garbage, but you saw something in me that even I didn't. You were the first person to actually believe in me, to believe that I could become a Huntsman, even after I treated you like dirt. You're… you're my best friend… you mean so much to me that I didn't even think was possible… and I don't want to lose that… I don't want to lose you! Please don't do this!" He was in tears as he pleaded with her and seeing him cry and break down like that honestly brought tears to Pyrrha's eyes as well.

"The same goes for me too!" Nora pleaded and cried as she grabbed Pyrrha's arm. "I don't want to lose my friend either! We love you, Pyrrha! If we lost you, it would hurt us… hurt me… I… I can't… Please…"

"I lost my family when I was a child…" Ren spoke next, his normally straight voice now cracking. "For years, all I had was Nora… until I came here. Now I have Jaune, and you, and them…!" He gestured to Team RWBY as well. "I have a new family now… and I don't want to lose anyone else…"

"You guys… I…" Pyrrha didn't know what to say. She had already known she could count on her teammates and considered them her closest friends, not to mention her growing feelings towards Jaune. But for them to plead with her like this, on how they are begging her to stay with them and not go… her emotions were forming a conflicting storm inside her. The pragmatic part was still considering the procedure given the potential consequences of the Maiden power falling into the wrong hands, but her heart was screaming at her not to do this, because just like them… she loved her friends. Teams RWBY and JNPR were like her family as well and she couldn't bear to be apart from them.

"Do you have any family, Pyrrha?" Shadow asked, which drew her attention as she set her emotional eyes onto him. "Any biological family?"

"I… I live with my mother…"

"Do you love her?" He asked again.

"Of course I do…" She confirmed.

"And she loves you?" Shadow queried once more.

"Yes, she does…" Pyrrha answered without hesitation. Despite the rest of the world seeing her as the Invincible Girl, Pyrrha's mother saw her for who she was and loved her all the same.

"How do you think she would feel if you were to disappear?" Shadow questioned. "I'll answer that for you. She would be destroyed. For a parent, there is nothing more agonizing than burying their child." He once more thought of Gerald and Maria, and how the former lost his mind after the latter died. How even he himself was nearly consumed by vengeance over losing Maria. "But ultimately, the choice is yours. Not mine, and not theirs." He was referring to her teammates.

"What…?" Jaune and everyone else looked in shock. "But you said…!"

"I am just as against it as the rest of you are!" Shadow reaffirmed, making that perfectly clear. "But just as Ozpin cannot force Pyrrha to undergo the procedure, we cannot force her to abandon it either." He looked to Pyrrha again. "You are considering the consequences of what would happen if you say 'no', but that seems more like Ozpin's thoughts than your own. You should also consider what would happen if you say 'yes', and what you would lose. Though the outcome of this is unclear, there is one thing that I can guarantee with utter certainty, regardless of what anybody else wants from you, you will have the support of myself, my allies, as well as Sonic."

"B-but…" Pyrrha stuttered. "What if Ozpin… and those working for him… what if they go against you… Ironwood has the whole Atlas military…?"

The black Hedgehog gave a scoff. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform, and Sonic is powerful enough to be considered my own rival. We've battled and defeated gods. Give us a real challenge."

Right after he said that... the first time ever... all eight of the students saw something that they had never expected to see... Not in a million years...

Shadow smiled.

The ever stoic and perpetually angry Hedgehog smiled towards Pyrrha. And it wasn't an arrogant or prideful smirk, it was a genuine smile of assurance and comfort towards the red-haired girl that had her green eyes shaking with emotion.

"Whatever choice you make, Sonic, myself, and the others will be by your side all the way." He said. "Leave the fate of the world to those who have experience saving several at once. There's no need for you to make such a sacrifice."

In a split second, Pyrrha leapt at Shadow, her arms wrapping around his body much to his own surprise as she burst into tears and sobbed loudly.

"Thank you…!" She cried almost uncontrollably. "Thank you..! Thank you…! Thank you…!"

Despite the initial surprise, Shadow smiled contently, even as Jaune, Nora, and even Ren hugged Pyrrha, and incidentally Shadow himself, as they too cried with joy. It seemed they wouldn't be losing their beloved friend after all. Though Shadow felt a grip on his shoulder as he glanced to see the teary-eyed Jaune look at him with a smile.

"Thank you…" He muttered as well.

The smiling Shadow simply nodded.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and even Yang, were all brought to tears as they saw this, holding each other closely while Zwei barked loudly. But these were tears of joy. Despite being on separate teams, they all cared for Pyrrha just as much as her own teammates did and were terrified at the thought of her losing herself in something so dark and twisted. But now… all they could feel was immense relief.

Her teammates pulled away, allowing Pyrrha to stand as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you, Shadow. All of you, thank you." She said to her seven closest friends and surrogate family. "I'm sorry… for making you worry."

Now it was Ruby's turn to hug her as she came right up to wrap her arms around her. "We love you, Pyrrha. Don't ever forget that."

Her tears almost returned as she hugged Ruby back. "I love you all too. Thank you… I know what I have to do now."

---

Ozpin's Office

"Why did you think Pyrrha would be the next Fall Maiden? Why her?" Sonic questioned as he and his friends continued to question Ozpin's group. The mention of that particular choice caused Glynda to look away with shame, while Qrow and Ironwood were still serious. As for Ozpin, despite a seemingly serious look, there was a hint of regret in his eyes.

"We are aware that your group, Sonic, has begun to lose its trust in us." Ozpin began. "And as Teams RWBY and JNPR were working closely with you, that mistrust was spreading to them. We had hoped that with the selection of Miss Nikos, we could use that as a means to bridge the gap and bring you into the fold."

"You could just have simply come to us directly and not go through one of your own students." Tails pointed out.

"We had to be certain that the information we shared would not become public knowledge." Ironwood said. "And as you are aware, Cinder Fall was Amber's assailant, the one who stole her power and had returned to finish the job. Securing the Fall Maiden's power was of the upmost priority and we felt that this was the best way to kill two birds with one stone."

"Kill one of your students, you mean." Rouge pointed out with a glare, which earned a glare back from Ironwood and Qrow. "You yourselves admitted that you have no idea what would happen if Pyrrha went into that machine. What would happen if two different Auras mixed together. For all we know, it might be too much for her and her body could fall apart!" She scoffed as she shook her head. "I myself am not afraid to get my hands dirty, but I'd never risk a kid like that. That is a new low."

"We're not forcing Miss Nikos to undergo the procedure, we were offering her the choice." Ozpin insisted.

"But why Pyrrha? Why not you?" Knuckles looked towards Glynda. "When we first came to Beacon, you said personally that you don't just toss your students to the wolves, you try to prepare them! But it seems like that's what you're doing to her, just throwing her into something uncertain and waiting to see what happens! Only women can inherit that power, right?! Why risk your own student before yourself?!"

"Because I can't!" Glynda stated. "There is an 'age-range' so-to-speak of which one can inherit the Maiden powers. Infants can't inherit it, and neither can those who have passed a certain point, and unfortunately I am too old." A look of regret was clearly seen on her face. "Believe me, if I could undergo that procedure and inherit that power, I would without hesitation. The last thing I wanted was to put this kind of burden on one of my own students."

"If age is a critical factor for Maiden inheritance, then Winter Schnee would be a potential candidate." Omega advised. "She is also an effective fighter with clear mastery over both her swordsmanship and Semblance. Granting her the power of a Maiden would make her an even more effective killing machine."

"But I wouldn't like it since how she and Weiss are so close and it might end up tearing them both apart." Amy said.

"I suggested Winter for that very reason." Ironwood said. "Both because she is a skilled fighter, and because she is close to her sister, and we could use that to mend the rift as Ozpin suggested."

"Again. Could have just come straight to us." Sonic reminded. "Would have been way easier."

"I decided against Winter because she is a soldier, and a soldier is not what I'm looking for." Ozpin put in. "I'm looking for a guardian, someone who can be a symbol of comfort, not conflict."

"Okay, I got some questions." Tails said, raising his hand even. "Forgetting about the Aura transfer machine right now, you said that someone can become a Maiden if she is the last person in the previous Maidens' thoughts. Well, if that's the case, can someone have more than one power?"

"I don't follow." Ozpin replied.

"Let's say for example, the current Spring Maiden dies and her last thoughts are on the current Winter Maiden." Tails explained. "Would that individual, who already has a Maiden power, inherit another? I mean, all the Maiden powers came from a single source, right? It would make sense."

"Ah, I see." Ozpin understood. "Truthfully, I do not know. It is a possibility that one could inherit more than one Maiden power, but it is also equally possible that because the body is already serving as a vessel, that it can no longer inherit any further power, so that of the deceased would end up to someone random."

"Alright, one more question." Tails went on. "How would they give up the power? What if they no longer want it? Can't they pass it on to someone else?"

That caused Ozpin to wince as he and Glynda shared concerning thoughts with Ironwood and even Qrow looking uncomfortable at that. That brief hesitance did not sit well with Sonic and the others.

"They cannot…" Ozpin revealed.

"What?" Knuckles all but narrowed his eyes.

"A Maiden cannot give up their power of their own accord." Ozpin revealed. "The only way they lose the power… as if they lose their life."

It became deathly silent as they let that sink in. It wasn't long before all their eyes narrowed as all of them, Rouge, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and even Sonic, all felt anger brewing inside them as fists clenched tightly.

"Are… you… SERIOUS?!" Sonic exclaimed, which caused Glynda to back away in shock, even Qrow and Ironwood were caught off guard. They had only ever seen Sonic rather casual and only got serious in the middle of a fight, but for him to lose his composure like this was not something they expected. Ozpin however could only hang his head down as the blue Hedgehog went on. "THEY CAN'T GIVE UP THEIR POWER UNLESS THEY FREAKING DIE?! THEY'RE STUCK WITH IT FOREVER!"

"…Yes." Ozpin confirmed reluctantly.

"I just… I…" Sonic grabbed his own quills in frustration.

"As said before, Salem's manipulations are not to be underestimated." Ozpin stated. "She could trick and manipulate the Maidens into relinquishing their powers, or even forcing them to do so. As much as I do not like the burden that comes with their abilities, giving them the ability to give it up would create more risks."

"I can't believe you'd even think about doing that to Pyrrha!" Sonic shouted at Ozpin with an angry look on his face. "Even if she's still alive and still herself after all Aura transfer stuff, you're not only cursing her with a power that she can't get rid of, but you'd have her spend the rest of her life, alone!"

"Hold on a moment, that's not…" Glynda tried to speak.

"No, I'm not done!" Sonic slammed his hands on Ozpin's desk. "You said that the Maidens don't officially exist! You erased their history to keep them away from Salem! Which means they're basically living alone forever! If Pyrrha decides to become your next Fall Maiden, she won't ever see her friends or family again! Hell, as far as Remnant's concerned, she won't exist anymore!"

"I wouldn't phrase it like that…" Ozpin tried.

"Don't you roundabout this!" Sonic exclaimed angrily as he pointed directly at the professor, silencing him. Qrow looked ready to step in, only for Glynda to keep him back as Knuckles and Tails stepped in front to keep Qrow away from Sonic while Rouge, Omega and Amy eyed Ironwood who hadn't moved from his spot. The looks in each of their eyes told the adults that they all were in complete agreement with their blue friend. Even Omega, who was a literal weapon himself, had been abandoned and thrown away, left to rust in a dark pit where nobody would ever know of his existence, would never wish that same fate on an innocent.

"I will admit… should Miss Nikos accept this offer… she would have to disappear, for her protection." Ozpin said.

"And if she doesn't?" Sonic questioned. "If you really want my help Oz, then I need to know one thing from you right now. What if Pyrrha said 'no'? If she doesn't want that power, would you force her against her will to become your Fall Maiden?"

"I would not!" Ozpin stood up from his spot, his tone rising and his face becoming serious as he looked at the glaring Hedgehog who didn't back down. Ozpin then lowered his tone before speaking again. "Look, I admit that I've made probably more mistakes than anyone in human history. I've made hard choices… and many of them did not turn out as well as I had hoped. But the one line that I will not cross under any circumstance, is to force an innocent soul to do something that they do not want to do. If Miss Nikos declines, then I will respect her choice."

Sonic could tell from the look in his eyes that Ozpin spoke the truth. Guess he really did have lines that he wouldn't cross. With that, Sonic said nothing and simply backed away, showing that he understood, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

"You still didn't answer my question." The blue Hedgehog said again. "Why even consider Pyrrha? There's gotta be more to it than just 'bridging the gap'. Otherwise you would have probably chosen Nora, Weiss, Blake, Yang, or even Ruby." That caused Qrow to growl loudly. "Why Pyrrha specifically? Tell me now, Ozpin."

Once more, Ozpin sighed before responding. "Miss Nikos is a capable fighter, perhaps one of the best in my academy. She's intelligent, emphatic, strong, well-admired among her peers. She cares deeply for others and because of that, I believe she is ready."

Amy then laughed out load. The pink Hedgehog laughed as if she was just told a hilarious joke. And that did not sit well with Ozpin's group.

"Is something funny, Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked.

Amy stopped laughing for a moment and then gave her answer. "Yeah, what's funny is how someone who seems so wise and experienced clearly doesn't know anything about his students. You really think Pyrrha is ready for that kind of burden?" Her smile faded as she looked more than a little serious. "Let me tell you right now why she's not. Sure, she's a good fighter and she's got a good heart, I've seen that myself. But… that's also put her up on a pedestal, one so high that nobody, not a single one of her fellow students, feel they could ever reach. And she hates that. Everyone in and out of this school only see her as the Invincible Girl, someone who is untouchable, someone cannot be bested or beaten. And because of that, she can't form any kind of meaningful connections with anyone! She said that herself to me that she before she even came to Beacon, she had no friends at all! No real ones anyway. Because nobody felt they could ever be good enough for her! She came to Beacon, alone! Even some of her own teammates felt that way about her at first! Now look at her! She's made friendships that will last her a lifetime! Her teammates, including Team RWBY, they all love her! We see her as our friend too! We see Pyrrha Nikos, not the Invincible Girl! You would isolate her from everyone she loved if she chose to accept what you are offering her! You'd make her alone all over again, maybe even worse than how she was before!"

"That's probably the reason why they chose her." Rouge spoke up. "Speaking as someone who knows a thing or two about manipulation, they probably selected her because she was isolated before, so it would be easier for someone who is more used to isolation to be all alone again."

"That is not…" Glynda tried.

"That's exactly what you're asking her!" Amy stated. "You're asking her to leave behind everyone she's ever known! Maybe even herself!"

"The enemy we face…" Ironwood said.

"Yeah, Salem's dangerous. You made that clear." Knuckles said. "Which is why you should have just come directly to us and not through those kids!"

"Isn't that what you're doing?" Qrow questioned spitefully.

"I'm sorry, what?" Amy turned her ire towards him with hands on her hips.

"You've been having those kids fight that egg-guy since day one!" Qrow went on. "You say we don't care? You are having them work behind our backs and getting involved in a war that they shouldn't been be a part of!"

"And yet you volunteered one of those children to become a living weapon as the next Fall Maiden." Omega countered.

"The Maidens are not weapons!" Glynda argued.

"They live in isolation unless you call them for help. What else would you call that?" Rouge questioned.

"And we're not using Ruby and the others, they volunteered!" Tails said. "We also told them that if it got too dangerous, they would be out and they agreed to that! We haven't lied or manipulated them the way you did!"

"We're not manipulating…!" Qrow raised his voice.

"You lied to your nieces." Knuckles listed. "You lied to them about what's going on in the world, and about their own family. How is that not manipulation?"

"My damn family is none of your business!" Qrow yelled.

"They may be your family, but they're our friends!" Sonic stepped forward. "And when you manipulate someone like that, someone who trusts or even loves you, that crosses a line! If Salem's as dangerous as you say she is, and she's working with Eggman, then we won't have them in the fight anymore! You, on the other hand…" He pointed to Ozpin. "Are a hypocrite who is trying to draft one of those kids into your secret war! I get that you want to avoid causing a panic because of all the Grimm so you don't tell the world about Salem. I get that. But using kids like what you're doing is unacceptable! Let me make this clear right now. You want our help fighting Salem and Eggman? Fine. We'll fight them. We'll work to protect Remnant and its people. But if you really intend to use Pyrrha or any of her friends, or any other kid, as disposable pawns in this war of yours… you're gonna have to go. Through. Me." He declared as he had Caliburn drawn and ready to fight at any given moment.

And it wasn't just Sonic. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Rouge all stepped up and had their weapons at the ready, with Omega's hands already converted into machine guns. In response, Qrow had pulled out Harbinger as Ironwood drew one of his guns.

But when Ozpin stood up and was ready to step in-between the opposing parties with Glynda right beside him, a flash of light appeared in that spot, revealing none other than Shadow and Pyrrha, having used Chaos Control to teleport into the office.

"I believe that since I'm the topic of this conversation, I should have a say in it." Pyrrha said, while everyone else was more than a little surprised to see her, though one look at Shadow with the green Chaos Emerald in his hand pretty much answered all their questions.

"Sir, we have a problem." Clover contacted Ironwood on the comms. "Miss Nikos is no longer in her room! We'll begin searching…"

"Don't bother, she's here." The general replied, while everyone else looked towards him with suspicion and concern, even his own allies.

"I don't understand... what do you mean?"

"Stand down, Clover. You and the Ace Ops just keep an eye out for any possible attack. Leave the rest to me." Ironwood responded.

"Understood." The leader of the Ace-Ops signed off.

"It's rather telling that you're elite squad can't even keep an eye on a child." Shadow noted.

"James… were your men holding Pyrrha prisoner!?" Glynda exclaimed in shock.

"You didn't know?" Pyrrha herself asked in surprise. "I assumed that since you were all on the same side…"

"We had no idea!" Qrow stated as he quickly noticed the distrustful glares Sonic and the others were giving him. "Seriously!"

"She was not a prisoner!" Ironwood insisted. "I assumed that since Cinder and her group infiltrated the academy, they were aware of Miss Nikos' Semblance which could make her a prominent threat of Eggman…"

"Save the deception, you didn't want her revealing any sensitive information to her teammates or anyone else." Shadow told him, glaring at the general who glared back at him.

"Professor Ozpin, I've come to a decision regarding your offer to make me into your Fall Maiden." Pyrrha said as she walked towards the professor who continued to stand behind his desk. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

In that one moment, Sonic and everyone else felt a huge sense of relief, as did Glynda. Ironwood clenched his fists as he glared at Shadow while Qrow rolled his eyes in annoyance, but he too glared at Shadow who didn't hesitate to glare at them back.

Pyrrha then continued to speak to Ozpin. "The duty of a Huntsman and Huntress is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, regardless of the risk to one's own life. And I am more than willing to do just that. But that does not mean I intend to give up what I hold value over, and that's the lives and relationships that I have with my friends and loved ones. I will risk myself for them, but I won't sacrifice myself, because all that will end up doing is harming them more than any physical injury. Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Li Ren, even Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, they are good people, my friends… better friends than I deserve. And there is nothing that scares me more than losing them or causing them pain. So, you have my answer, and it is no."

Despite the refusal, even Ozpin himself was relieved to hear it. Contrary to what most of those gathered here thought of him, Ozpin didn't want to put such a burden onto Pyrrha, and he was even more pleased to know that she put value over the friendships she had with her teammates and others around her.

"Very well." Ozpin accepted his choice. "Can I assume that you confided in your team as well as Team RWBY about what you saw down there?"

"I did." Pyrrha confirmed.

"You told them?!" Qrow exclaimed, completely losing his composure.

"I would think that Ruby and Yang at the very least deserve to know that their uncle is part of a secret society that is rather comfortable operating in the moral gray area." Pyrrha said, turning a glare towards the man who broke the trust and hearts of his nieces. His secrets made the sweet Ruby cry and that was something she took personally. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Sonic nudged Shadow on the side with a knowing and approving smirk, understanding what he did, giving Pyrrha the chance to confide into those close to her. Shadow simply nodded in response.

"What did I miss?" The black Hedgehog asked.

"Eggman's partner is a human-Grimm witch named Salem who wants to destroy all life on Remnant, and Oz and his buddies formed their own little cult and have been waging a secret war on her for years." Sonic summed up, much to the surprise of Ozpin's group, both in the revelation itself as well as the casual tone he summed it all up in. "There are a few other details, but we can fill you in later."

"Understood, but there is one detail that I would very much like to know." Shadow turned towards Ozpin's group. "What role does Ruby Rose play in your 'secret war'?"

"She doesn't have a role." Qrow said immediately.

"Spare me." Shadow began. "You trained her personally…" He pointed to Qrow first and then to Ozpin. "And you brought her into your academy well before she was even at the proper age, and it wasn't because of her skills in combat." He made no mention of his encounter with Raven, mostly because he wasn't sure if he could trust her word either. "You brought that child here for a reason. You will tell me what that reason is right now, or I will beat it out of you and all your present cohorts to within an inch of your miserable and worthless lives."

"You wanna back that up?!" Qrow challenged, aiming Harbinger's gun mode at him while Ironwood had both his pistols drawn, prompting Rouge and Omega to move by Shadow's side…

With Pyrrha right behind them as well as she had drawn her own weapons too and glared at the two men, ready to fight them with everything she had.

"You really better listen to him Ozpin." Sonic advised the professor with a glare of his own. "Shadow always follows through on his threats. That, and I'd really like to know if you got some secret plan for that sweet kid."

Ozpin knew at this point, there was no way out. He and his allies were outnumbered and outmatched. They could not beat Sonic and his companions in a fight, not that he'd want to fight them. On the other side, the last thing he wanted was for Ruby to be brought in this way. But, if they were to really have any hope of salvaging this alliance and getting any kind of help from Sonic, he had no choice but to tell them.

"There is indeed a reason I brought young Miss Rose into Beacon, but it's not what you think it is…" Ozpin began. "You see…"

"Sir! Sir!" Ironwood was once again alerted on his comms. He looked towards Shadow spitefully wondering if he was allowed to answer that. Shadow nodded, telling him to answer.

"What is it?"

"Dozens of air-borne vessels have appeared on our radar!" The soldier on the other line reported, prompting Ironwood to pull out his scroll, pull up the data and connect it to Ozpin's desk, allowing a large hologram to appear before all who were present. "They are approaching from the mountains, and they match the descriptions of the enemy units that attacked the city of Vale months ago!"

It was true, the hologram showed the mountain range that had separated Vale from the outside world where dozens of ships of various sizes ranging from several dropships that resembled giant insects, to large battleships that resembled swordfish, all with the largest vessel bearing the shape of a giant eagle in the middle of the approaching fleet.

"It's Eggman." Tails said as he and his friends recognized many of the ships in the fleet.

"Yep, the infiltration plan failed, so now he's going with his usual full-scale assault shtick." Rouge commented.

"All his weapons and vessels are likely equipped with Dust, making the Egg Fleet a far greater threat than before." Omega assumed. "He has had ample time to prepare."

"How much do you wanna bet that the White Fang are with him too?" Amy guessed.

"And if he's after Amber, he'll level all of Beacon and most of Vale, and shift through the ashes to find her." Knuckles said seriously.

Qrow glared at the approaching fleet while Glynda looked more than a little worried. Ironwood clenched his fists as his body shook, and even Ozpin was starting to sweat. They all knew that once the first shots were made, the Grimm won't be far behind. This truly was the worst case scenario.

"I understand that you do not trust us right now…" Ozpin spoke towards Sonic and his companions, as well as Pyrrha. "But at the moment, innocent people are in danger, so I must beg…"

"Of course we're going to help." Sonic interrupted. "We're the good guys, we're not gonna leave anyone high and dry, not even you."

"I'd advise your forces to prepare for the very worst." Shadow told Ironwood specifically. "The Doctor will not pull his punches."

The general gave a nod as he accessed his comms once more and began to relay orders to his military, while Sonic turned back to his friends. "We should get out there."

"Right, let's go." Tails said as they all walked towards the window and the balcony to take their leave. Tails picked up Pyrrha and flew away along with Rouge, Knuckles jumped off to glide while Omega let himself fall but would use his boosters to slow his descent. Sonic had picked up Amy and sped down the tower, leaving only Shadow as he turned back to glare at the adults.

"Don't think for one minute that this is finished." He warned before leaping off the balcony too.

Yet again, a tense silence fell over the room as Ozpin steeled himself. "Who among our staff and the students are present at the academy?"

"Port and Oobleck are still here, sir." Glynda answered. "The other professors are currently in Vale to assist the authorities in evacuating people to the shelters. As for the students…" She looked through her scroll to get a read out. "Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, CRDL, SSSN, ABRN, BRNZ, and FNKI are all that remain, along with Penny Polendina and Ciel Soleil. They've chosen to stay and hold the defenses."

"James, do what you can to have our forces get them organized and prepare to defend Beacon. Coordinate with Sonic and the others too." Ozpin instructed.

"I understand." James nodded.

"Oz…!" Qrow tried to protest, not wanting his nieces in the middle of a war.

"We do not have time to pull them out, Qrow." Ozpin already knew what he was going to say. "And even if we did, I do not believe they will listen to us. I do not like it, but against the threat we face, we need everyone we can get. The most we can do is fight alongside them so that they are not alone in this fight."

"Will you be joining us, sir?" Glynda asked.

"No… I will have to guard Amber." Ozpin answered. "Just because we've captured one infiltrator does not mean that Salem wouldn't have somebody else use this chaos to their advantage to slip through and get to her. But I trust you and James to lead the defense."

"Very well." Glynda accepted.

"Good luck, to you all." Ozpin said. "I truly wish I could fight alongside you."

"Ain't got no good luck, but you do what you gotta do, Oz." Qrow said as they went to the elevator. Once they entered, Qrow turned back around and tried to give his mentor a smile and a finger salute "See ya at the end of this." He said before the door closed, leaving Ozpin alone as he pressed his hands against his head, once more, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders and his alone.

---

The entire Atlas military appeared to have most of Beacon completely secure. All the non-combative students were gone and those that were staying behind to help fight were gathered in the main avenue and the courtyard alongside a few teachers and multiple Atlas soldiers.

The entire air fleet, which included eight large air ships and countless smaller gunships, with General Ironwood standing on the bridge of the flagship. Tails was currently in the Cyclone's plane mode at the front as the fleet that hovered just above the entire army of hundreds of AK Units with several dozen Atlesian Paladins. And standing at the very front of the army were Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and Omega. This impressive defense force was facing the direction of the surrounding mountains where they would soon see the fleet of their enemy.

"Omega?" Shadow requested his machine friend.

"No enemy signals detected as of yet." The former Badnik reported.

"Tails? Can you see anything up there?" Sonic asked over the comms.

"Nothing yet." Tails reported back. "It feels like Eggman's just dragging this whole thing out."

"That's no surprise, we all know how dramatic he is." Knuckles said.

"Be ready." Shadow instructed. "For it won't just be the Doctor's machines."

"Yeah, don't remind me." Sonic said seriously as they continued to gaze in the direction of the mountains. Despite the moment being deathly silent, they could practically hear the growls of the countless Grimm that were probably just waiting on the other side of those mountains.

---

"This is it." Clover said as he and Winter stood in front of the Atlesian forces that had gathered around the CCT tower at the center of the campus. This defense force consisted of several soldiers, including the other Ace Operatives and six Advanced Paladin units, which were more heavily armored and had more weapons than the current models. "Our priority is to protect this tower. If it falls, communication between all the kingdoms will cease."

"Our air fleet will keep the enemy ships from approaching in the sky, we will make sure no ground forces get past us." Winter instructed as well. "Keep your eyes peeled for any possible infiltrators as well. Understood?"

"Rodger!" All the soldiers and the Ace Ops saluted.

As they got into position, Winter and Clover exchanged nods before the former couldn't look back in the direction of the main campus. Even if she couldn't see her younger sister, she knew that Weiss was there and couldn't help but be concerned for her well-being.

---

Meanwhile, Glynda was at the central courtyard area, talking with Port and Oobleck about the placement of students and military forces in the general area.

"Teams RWBY and JNPR will protect the north end of the courtyard…" The history doctor explained. "CFVY and SSSN are in the east, ABRN and BRNZ are in the south, and CRDL and FNKI are in the west. I will join those in the west to help provide support and leadership."

"I will join those in the south." Port said. "Miss Rouge has volunteered to assist those in the east, while Miss Amy Rose, along with Penny and Ciel from Atlas have joined those in the North."

"And Amity Arena?" Glynda asked.

"Completely emptied of all civilian and staff." Oobleck reported. "If Doctor Eggman is to get to that beautiful flying piece of art, he will have to get past the entire Atlesian fleet."

"Understood. Be ready for anything." Glynda instructed her fellow teachers. "This may very well be the fight of our lives."

---

At the north end of the courtyard, Teams RWBY and JNPR were prepping their weapons to make sure they were fully armed. Zwei also happened to be with them as Penny approached Ruby specifically.

"I am looking forward to fighting alongside you again, Ruby." The android girl said with her usual smile.

"I… yeah, me too." Ruby said in a somewhat less enthusiastic tone, much to Penny's concern.

"You seem rather distraught. Are you unwell, Ruby?" She asked.

"I… uh…" The younger girl didn't quite answer right away.

"Sorry Penny." Yang stepped up for her sister. "A lot's been happening right now and Ruby's… well, let's just say we found out something that really didn't sit well with us."

"Oh. Well, is there anything I can do to help?" Penny offered.

"I appreciate that Penny, but…" Ruby didn't even have an answer for that right away.

"Hey." Turning around, the pair of half-sisters and their android friend, spotted Qrow approaching them with a casual smile. However, that smile faded when he saw Yang step protectively in front of Ruby and glare at him distrustfully while Ruby herself shrunk behind her elder sister. "Look uh… you know if you're head's not in the game, you can still catch a shuttle…"

"Get lost." Yang glared, much to Qrow's surprise. "We got nothing to say to you."

"Hey, hey." Qrow raised his hands and tried to put on a friendly smile. "What's with the angry eyes?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that you and your little cult friends tried to brainwash Pyrrha?!" Yang glared as her eyes turned red.

Qrow winced slightly before speaking. "Hey, no one was brainwashing anyone, we were just giving her a choice…"

"What kind of choice is that?!" Yang exclaimed. "What you tried to have her do?! Well now that she's said 'no', you gonna try to put me or Ruby in that machine of yours?!"

"No! Of course not! I'd never do that!" He tried to defend himself.

"I don't believe you." Yang glared.

She didn't believe him? Did she really say that to him? Did she really believe he would forfeit their lives so easily? He heard those same words before and saw that same glare of distrust with those same kind of red eyes. Why was his niece sounding more like her? No, he won't let her turn out the same way! He can't!

"Look, Yang…" He tried to step closer.

"That's far enough." Weiss said as she and Blake immediately stepped up to block his way from his nieces. "I suggest you leave." The heiress said as she grasped the handle of her own sword.

"Look kids, this isn't any of your business." Qrow told them.

"The hell it isn't." Blake glared. "Those two are our teammates and friends." She pointed back to Ruby and Yang. "And if you are going to try anything with them, you'd better be prepared to go through us first."

"I'm not trying to hurt any of you! I just want..."

"Is there a problem here?" Turning around, Qrow saw none other than Amy with the Piko-Piko over shoulder, with all of Team JNPR right beside her, each of them with their weapons out as they glared harshly at the veteran Huntsman, with Jaune and Nora appearing the most volatile.

The veteran huntsman glared at the pink Hedgehog before trying to speak to the students. "Look, I don't know what they told you…" He gestured to Amy for emphasis. "But we're not the bad guys here."

"You sure about that?" Jaune questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure." Qrow replied irritably.

"Then prove it." Ren said. "We are about to face an enemy that has every intent of burning Beacon to the ground and conquering our world."

"So maybe you should focus on fighting him and not trying to turn our friends into living weapons." Nora practically snarled.

"That's not what we're trying to do!" Qrow argued. "Why can't you…?"

"Go away, Qrow."

Slowly turning his head, the man looked in shock to see Ruby, who was not even turning facing him or even look him in the eye, as she repeated her statement.

"Just go away…"

"Ruby… I…" He tried to step forward, but once again had his path barred by Weiss and Blake, with Yang stepping in front of Ruby to once again glare at him with her glowing red eyes. Turning around, Qrow also saw Amy, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha glaring at him the same way. Realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere like this, he conceded. "Okay. Okay, I'll go. I'll… I'll talk to you later." With that, he walked away, causing the situation to diffuse.

Penny, who had seen and heard everything, didn't really understand what was happening. But she seemed to at least get that Ruby was in some emotional turmoil right now and decided to address that.

"Ruby…? Is there anything I can do?"

The girl looked towards her and wasn't even sure how to answer that. "Hey, where's your dad? Is he still around in all this?"

Though uncertain as to why she would inquire about her father, Penny answered regardless. "General Ironwood ordered that he'd return to Atlas for his own safety. I would agree because my father is not one who is capable of combat."

"Okay, that's probably a good idea." Ruby said. If Eggman knew that Penny was an android as she feared, it would have been best to keep the one who created her away from Eggman for that very reason. "I'm going to get a higher vantage point…"

Before any of her friends could say anything, the red-clad girl had used her Semblance to speed away, moving towards one of the colonnades and getting to the top to perch herself at that position.

"I… I do not believe she is doing alright." Penny said.

"No, she's not." Yang confirmed as Zwei whined, looking in the direction that Ruby sped off to, prompting Yang to kneel down slightly and pat the dog's head.

All of them could see that Ruby was currently dealing with a lot right now, not that any of them blamed her giving the circumstances. And any one of them would have approached her to try and talk, but with a battle about to begin, there didn't seem to be much time for a pep talk like this.

Fortunately, Amy knew a certain someone who Ruby would listen to and say what needed to be said rather quickly. She opened her comms channel to call that someone…

"Hey Sonic, are you there?"

---

Ruby sat at the edge of the right side of the outer colonnade, looking over Crescent Rose to see if it was functioning properly. Though she had already checked it over three times, doing so again would make for a good enough distraction. Better than dwelling on all the negative thoughts in her head. Once she was done with that, she looked through the scope to try and spot any approaching enemies.

"See anything you like?"

Turning around, she saw none other than the blue Hedgehog she had befriended and come to admire so much approach her with his usual smile.

"Sonic? Shouldn't you be up front with everyone else?"

"Eh, I can be back there in two seconds at most." Sonic shrugged before sitting down next to her and looking at her with concern. "You doing okay?"

"…I… I don't know…" Ruby confessed. "I mean… I can handle fighting robots, monsters, and bad guys, no problem. But… Ozpin… what he and Qrow tried to do to Pyrrha… I mean, Shadow said that I shouldn't trust him… but I wanted to. I wanted to believe that… even if he was keeping secrets… it was for a good reason! I… I just didn't…"

"I get it." Sonic understood. "Family and all that. It's one thing if someone you don't really know all that much or just know professionally is keeping secrets. But when it's someone close to you, that's different."

"So, what do we do?" Ruby asked. "I don't want to fight them or anything… but I don't know if I can trust them now… I… I don't know what to do…"

"Yeah, it's looking like a bumpy road ahead." Sonic gave a slight sigh before responding. "Look, Ruby. I'm not gonna lie to ya, but I don't really have any answers, at least not right now. We'll figure that out later. But right now, we got a battle to fight. And if you feel like you don't wanna do it…"

"I still want to fight." Ruby insisted, a firm expression forming on her face. "I know that Eggman is bad news and I know he has to be stopped. He's threatening my home, and I am going to defend it."

Sonic smiled as he could at least see that Ruby was in the right headspace regarding the fight right now and that's what's important at this time.

"Then focus on that. Focus on what's in front of you. Focus on the now. We'll work on all the drama later."

Ruby smiled slightly. "Weiss told me the same kind of thigh just before our match earlier. If I try to focus on too many things at once, it'll distract me."

"See? Even the ice queen's got some good advice." Sonic joked, nudging Ruby, causing her to giggle. "But seriously, you're not alone in this, okay? You got your sister, you got your team, you got all your friends, and you got me. We got your back."

"Thanks Sonic." Ruby said with an emotional smile. "I really needed that."

"Anytime." The blue Hedgehog smiled back.

*FLASH!*

Suddenly a massive electrical storm erupted from the clouds that hung over the mountain ranges, clearing them all away to reveal none other than the approaching Egg-Fleet.

"MWA-HA-HA-HA! THE LIFE OF THE PARTY'S FINALLY HERE!"

Ruby was more than a little startled by the sudden appearance of the massive enemy fleet as well as the sound of the mad scientist's voice booming through the air, while Sonic looked more annoyed than anything else.

"And here we were having a moment." Sonic said with lowered eyelids.

"You should get going." Ruby advised.

"Yep. See ya at the end of this." Sonic said before speeding back to the front lines.

Everyone gathered together, all the Huntsmen, soldiers, students, machines, and anthropomorphic heroes, turned their eyes towards the Egg Fleet that seemed twice the size of the Atlas air fleet regarding the number of ships. And at the front was the white and gold ship that bore a resemblance to a giant eagle with the symbol of the Eggman Empire plastered on its haul.

"TREMBLE IN FEAR, FOOLS! I AM DOCTOR EGGMAN, THE NEW LORD AND MASTER OF REMNANT!"

---

Within the confides of the ship's bridge, Eggman sat at his command chair as he spoke into the speaker with Orbot and Cubot at the controls beneath him. Metal Sonic was at Eggman's right while the Seer Grimm was on his left.

"You Huntsman have been protecting your world for many decades and have done a… half-decent job, at best. But credit where it's due on maintaining your world order for his long, you actually did save many lives. But as the old saying goes…" A sinister smirk formed on the mad doctor's face. "No good deed goes unpunished!"

"All weapons locked and ready to fire on your command, Boss!" Orbot reported. "Our Badnik forces and the White Fang are ready to be deployed whenever you are."

"Oooh, this is so exciting! My motherboard is shaking!" Cubot said excitably.

Standing up from his seat, Eggman pointed forward dramatically. "FIRE!"

Done.

The Battle for Beacon has begun!

Despite Cinder being caught in the previous chapter, Beacon is still in danger. Eggman has now launched a full-scale assault. Can the combined forces of Sonic and his friends, all the Huntsmen students and professionals, as well as the Atlas military hold them back?

Of course, even if the battle is won, the drama is still far from solved. Ruby and Yang are clearly devastated by their uncle's actions and secrets, with the rest of their friends being enraged on theirs and Pyrrha's behalf. And fortunately, it seems that Pyrrha has chosen not to become the Fall Maiden this time around, getting some encouraging words of advice from Shadow, who knows her situation all too well, being seen for what he is and not who. The Ultimate Lifeform and the Invincible Girl.

There is now clearly a rift between the Sonic Heroes and Ozpin's illuminati. As for whether or not it gets resolved… that's still up in the air. And even then, it'll take some time for the secret society to regain the trust of not only Sonic and everyone, but even their own students.

And while Sonic and the others aren't aware of Ozpin's curse of reincarnation or of the Relics yet, they will find out very soon.

First things first though, get ready for the epic climax of not only the Vytal Festival arc, but the Vale saga as a whole! After this, nothing in the RWBY canon will ever be the same again.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.