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)

34. Aftermath and Fallout

Hi everyone. Welcome back.
I am so glad that the last chapter was so well received, I put a lot into it. Super Sonic has made his debut and has purged half a continent's worth of Grimm, creating a sizeable dent in Salem's plans and posing a serious threat to her.

Now we are dealing with the aftermath of the initial attack, as well as some emotional fallout regarding the students and the adults that they trusted, because all of that was just put aside for the fight at hand. But with the fight now over… yeah, things are going to get very emotional here. And I know how I said before how things would be different from canon from this point forward in the previous chapter, well we really start to see that here too with the final chapter of not only the Vytal Festival arc, but the Vale saga as a whole.

Before I begin, let me say a few things. Yes, I saw the trailer for the Sonic 3 movie and holy crap it was awesome! I am so excited for this movie! Between that and the upcoming Sonic X Shadow Generations video game, this is truly the year of Shadow the Hedgehog! Our favorite Ultimate Lifeform is finally getting the respect he deserves! Regarding Shadow's newfound Doom powers in the upcoming video game, I honestly don't know if I'm going to use them in this story or not. It all depends on what happens in the game. So right now, it's not a yes or a no. We'll just have to see.

With that being said, let's get into it.

Aftermath and Fallout

"Hello?! Is anyone here?!"

Ruby found herself walking through a white void. She had no idea what was going on. One minute, she was being held prisoner by Eggman, and the next… she was in the arms of Sonic but he was different… he was glowing. But right after that… it was all a blank.

Her eyes closed, and now she was here. There was nothing and nobody around her.

"Sonic! Yang! Somebody!" Ruby continued to call out.

"The servers are the seven Chaos…"

"What?" Ruby heard a voice echo through the air. Turning around, she had hoped to find the source of the voice, but she found nothing. "Who said that?"

"Chaos is power… Power enriched by the heart."

"Whose there!? What are you saying?!" The girl cried again.

"…The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos."

"Hey! Whoever is out there, show yourself! What is going on!? Where am I?!" Ruby all but screamed.

Just then, the environment around her began to change with an even brighter light shining over her, forcing her to cover her eyes with her arms. When the light faded, Ruby lowered her arms to look in even further surprise at her change in location.

She appeared to be in some sort of valley at nighttime, near a giant shrine of sorts. She could scarcely make out a green glow at the very top of the shrine. But what drew her attention was the fire that had been blazing all around the shrine, as well a group of individuals at the steps of said shrine. And these people all looked like a certain Echidna that she knew.

"Knuckles…?"

"If we acquire the seven Emeralds, we will have absolute power!" The Echidna at the front of the group stated, with Ruby making her way closer to get a better look at the situation. All of these Echidnas looked almost exactly like Knuckles, but they were dressed in unusual clothing, like something from an ancient civilization. And all of them were armed with crude weapons.

"Seven Emeralds…?" Ruby muttered before looking up at the shrine to see something that made her gasp. Now that she was closer, she could see a giant green gemstone that was probably about as big as her. "Is that… a Chaos Emerald?! It's huge!"

"People's ambitions are limitless! Please stop what you're doing!" A smaller and feminine voice pleaded, finally drawing Ruby to the person who stood in the Echidnas' way.

It was another Echidna, this one being female with peach-orange fur with cobalt-blue eyes and dressed in the same clothing as those in front of her. She had her arms outstretched, like she was purposely barding the warriors' way, despite having no weapon. And she wasn't alone. Standing by her side were several adorable, blue-skinned fairy-like creatures that looked like something out of a kids' show. But despite their small stature, they all had a resolute look on their faces.

"Father! We can still stop all of this! There doesn't have to be any more bloodshed! I am begging you, please stop!" The female Echidna pleaded with tears in her eyes.

However, the warrior Echidna who was the father merely scoffed at her. "I can't keep wasting my time on the nonsense of a child! Forget about her! Go!"

With that, all of the Echidnas charged forward, pushing past the girl and all the tiny little creatures, even as she screamed and the tiny creatures cried out in pain.

"No! Stop!" Ruby tried to rush in and stop them, but as she did, they ran right through her body! Like she wasn't even there!

The girl gasped as she felt all of that, instinctively feeling her own chest. They couldn't see, hear, or feel her. It was like she was a ghost. And she could only watch in horror as the poor Echidna girl was trampled upon along with all those smaller creatures, even by the one whom she referred to as her father. He brushed past her and went up the stairs of the shrine like she was nothing more than a mere obstacle.

Despite not being able to touch any of them, Ruby kneeled to the Echidna girl's fallen form and looked up to see all of the warriors make their way up the burning shrine to the top where the giant Emerald was.

However, they all stopped as the seven Chaos Emeralds appeared surrounding the larger Emerald before something else happened.

A glob of water emerged from the giant gemstone and began to take shape. Ruby could only look with circular eyes as she saw what appeared to be a humanoid water creature appear. Its body was almost entirely made out of blue liquid with glowing green eyes, and what appeared to be a brain floating inside its head.

"What… is that…?" Ruby couldn't even find the words as she looked up in awe and nervousness.

Even the Echidna warriors stopped in their tracks as they saw this entity. "What?! What is this?!" The warriors' leader questioned.

The creature extended its arms as the seven Chaos Emeralds around it began to glow brightly. Then they went directly into the creature, leading to a bright light to form around it as well as it's body to grow rapidly. Ruby's eyes widened in horror as she heard the dying screams of the warriors atop as a mass of water encircled around the burning shrine, extinguishing the flames before that water grew even more. So much so that it looked like a giant mountain made out of water was forming.

But this was no mere mountain. This was still that same creature as before, one that was now taking the form of a gargantuan monster. Its body seemed that of a thick serpent with an enormous mouth and glowing green eyes with giant reptilian slits. Giant tentacles emerged out of the sides of its body. Such a mighty beast easily dwarfed any Grimm she had seen in her life. Even that Wyvern Grimm couldn't hold a candle to it. The monster let loose an ear-splitting roar that shook the whole valley and forced Ruby to cover her ears…

But she was completely overcome by a giant wave of water that shot out from the base of the monster's body. Ruby was pulled into the wave, screaming as she struggled against it, only to feel her body sinking into the water.

She struggled to swim to the surface, throwing her arms outward and upward, but no matter what she did, it only felt like she was sinking deeper and deeper. The light on the surface being pulled further away from her as she sank deeper into the darkness below. She couldn't breathe and tried to hold her breath as much as she could, struggling to escape whatever was pulling her down. But the more she struggled, the harder it pulled, and the more she began to lose her breath.

Her mouth opened as she lost what little bit of energy she had and proceeded to sink completely…

That is until a hand reached for her and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her back up.

Ruby was pulled to the surface, coughing and hacking up water as she tried to catch her breath, her hands and feet only ankle-deep in the water that was pulling her down from before.

"Breathe… just breathe…" A voice from someone in front of her said calmly. "I'm sorry… I know it's a lot right now…"

"What's going on?!" Ruby held her head as she heard a piercing buzz in her ears, closing her eyes tightly. "It's so loud! So much noise! I can't… I can't…!" She almost felt herself sinking again, until a pair of gentle hands touched her shoulders.

"Just breathe… Focus on my voice. Focus on only that right now. Block out everything else."

With no other choice, Ruby followed the instructions of the mysterious person. She breathed, taking in deep breaths. This allowed her to calm herself as she felt the buzzing in her head become softer.

"That's it. Just breathe. Listen to only my voice."

Taking more deep breaths, the girl appeared to calm herself down enough to open her eyes and gaze up at the one who had helped and guided her. It was the same Echidna girl she saw before, the one that was run over by her father and the others. Looking around, Ruby saw that they were no longer in that shrine, but back in the white void as before… except there was a now sea of water stretching out in all directions. And yet, it only seemed ankle deep as her hands and knees were in it, but she wasn't sinking.

"You…" Ruby muttered. "Who are you…? What's going on…?"

"You've taken your first steps." The Echidna girl said in a calming manner with a gentle smile on her face. "I know it's a lot… how it can feel like you're drowning. But only if you let it pull you under. It might seem uncontrollable now, but you will find a way to do it. You're stronger than you think."

"I… I don't understand." Ruby said.

"You will." The Echidna girl assured. "Just remember, the servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power… Power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." The girl gently touched both of Ruby's hands and looked at her with an assuring smile. "You are not alone."

As she said that, everything around Ruby quickly faded from light to darkness as she felt her mind go blank once again.

---

The sounds of birds chirping filled her ears as she felt her eyes slowly open. As they did, Ruby felt a comfortable sensation around her, like she was laying on something soft and familiar… As all her senses caught up with her body, Ruby was able to clear her vision and glance around to see where she was…

She was clad in her all-black pajamas, in her own bed… laying down in the same bedroom that she shared with her sister in her own house. Was she back at Patch? Craning her head up slightly, the first thing Ruby saw was Yang and her father, Tai, both asleep as they sat on chairs near the foot of her bed. As well as Zwei curled up next to her.

"Well, look who's awake?" Pushing herself upward, Ruby turned to see a certain blue Hedgehog leaning against the corner of her room with a smile. "You doing okay, kiddo?"

"Sonic…?" She muttered, and that seemed to stir her family awake.

"Ruby!" Tai exclaimed with a smile as Yang didn't hesitate to leap at her sister and hug her with all her might.

"You're okay…!" The eldest half-sister sobbed. "You're okay…!"

Ruby hugged Yang back, shedding a few tears of relief herself as Zwei came up to lick her face before they pulled apart.

"What happened?" Ruby asked before she gasped. "Eggman! What happened at Beacon?!"

"Whoa, slow down, it's okay." Tai quickly said. "Your sister and your friends pulled you out of there. They brought you home."

"The fight's over, Ruby." Yang added. "We won."

"We… we won…?" She asked. "But… there was that giant robot and all the Grimm… How…?"

"Ask him." Yang gestured to Sonic. "He made all of Vale Grimm-free."

"What…?" Ruby looked to the blue Hedgehog who looked serious for a minute.

"Ruby, what was the last thing you remember?" Sonic asked.

"Well…" She tried to focus on her memories. "I remember… being trapped on Eggman's ship. I saw… everyone fighting and…" She gasped again. "Penny?!"

Yang happened to look down at that, with Sonic giving an answer. "Metal cut her to pieces. Tails tried what he could to fix her, but most of Beacon was trashed after the fight. He didn't have the materials. So Ironwood sent her back to Atlas, where her old man could probably get her repaired. Tails said something about her core being undamaged, so the odds of her coming back are pretty high."

Ruby sighed in relief at that. She could never unsee what Metal Sonic did to her own friend, with her own weapon no-less. "What about Crescent Rose…?"

"Couldn't find it." Sonic said reluctantly. "Looked all over Beacon's rubble but… no such luck. Sorry."

"Oh…" Ruby's spirits dropped at that. Crescent Rose wasn't just a weapon. It was her weapon. She made it herself. She poured her blood, sweat, tears, and soul into making it. And now it was gone…

"Ruby, what else happened?" Yang got her to refocus.

"Well… after what happened with Penny… there was a bright light…" Ruby went on. "Then I was outside and you…" She looked at Sonic. "You were glowing… Like gold or something…"

"That's called Super Sonic." He explained. "Basically when I use all seven Chaos Emeralds I transform. I can fly, my speed gets a huge boost and I'm practically invincible."

"You should have seen him…" Yang began, still in amazement. "He was like a sun stuffed into a torpedo! He obliterated that Wyvern like it was nothing! Tore through every Grimm and Badnik in seconds! It was… amazing…!"

"And that wasn't even the craziest part." Tai said as well, his mind still wrapping around a certain fact that he couldn't believe was possible until it just happened only recently. "He wiped away every Grimm in Vale…!"

Ruby's eyes slowly widened as she heard that. "What…?"

"Not even just Vale…" Tai went on. "The entire eastern half of Sanus… Patch included… all the Grimm are gone! Even the Grimm pools they all come out of…! They're just gone… Erased!"

The girl craned her head back towards Sonic. "How…?"

"Chaos Control." He explained. "I was hoping I could get your whole planet, but that was far as I could go. I used Chaos Control to send all the Grimm into the sun. No way they're coming back from that."

"All of the Grimm…?" Ruby muttered. "They're gone…"

"On just this half of the continent… but yeah." Yang confirmed. "The rest of Remnant is still trying to pull itself together these last few days."

Ruby blinked at that. "Few days…? How long was I out?!"

"Three days straight." Tai answered. "Qrow and all your friends are right outsides, his included." He gestured to Sonic. "They brought you here and have been waiting for you."

"Everyone's here…?" Ruby was trying to process it all. "I've been out for three days…? How was I out for three whole days?! D-did… did something hit me in the head…?!"

"No… something weirder." Sonic said, catching her attention as Sonic looked to her with a serious expression, even more than she'd seen on him before. "Ruby… you used a Chaos Control."

As if she wasn't surprised enough.

"Yeah." Sonic confirmed. "I don't know how but… you ended up using the Chaos Emeralds… teleported them and yourself out of Eggman's ship. That's how I was able to get them and transform. I couldn't get through that, and I tried."

Chaos Control. She'd seen Shadow do it and even Sonic… the technique to use the Chaos Emeralds to warp time and space… an ability that she didn't think was possible, and yet not only did Sonic and Shadow show they were capable… but she used it herself?! How?!

"Hey, listen…" Sonic said, causing Ruby to listen to him. "I know this is a lot, but we got some more stuff we need to talk about. We'll be right outside with everyone else. When you feel you're ready, get dressed and we'll talk."

"…Okay…" That was all she could say.

With that, Yang put a firm grasp on Ruby's shoulder before standing up and following Sonic outside. Tai stood there for a moment, not even looking at his daughter as he probably knew exactly what they were going to talk about with her, and that was the one thing he prayed she would never hear about.

"Dad…?" Ruby looked to her father with worry.

"Everything's going to be okay, Ruby." He told her, turning to her and trying to smile as best as he could. "Just… take your time. Nobody's going anywhere." He then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Ruby alone with Zwei by her side.

Ruby just sat there, appearing deep in thought. She certainly remembered being in Sonic's arms when he was glowing like that. Super Sonic…? The name certainly fit. And… he wiped out all of the Grimm on the eastern half of Sanus!? That… that was beyond incredible! She had always known Sonic was amazing from the very moment he met her. She never thought he could amaze her even further… but low and behold, he blew those expectations out of the water and then some! But as star-struck as she was… she still couldn't wrap her head around what he had told her. She used Chaos Control?! The same kind of power he and Shadow can use?! From the sound of it, even Sonic was unsure of what to make of this. And that left her rather worried.

A small bark got her attention as she looked to see Zwei sitting next to her and panting with his tongue out. Ruby smiled somewhat as she patted her beloved corgi on the head. She shouldn't keep everyone else waiting. Time to get dressed and find out what's been happening these past few days.

---

After getting some casual clothes on, which mostly consisted of a red t-shirt with a random super hero on it and a pair of black shorts, Ruby made her way down into the living room of her house with Zwei right behind her. Walking down the stairs, Ruby saw all of her friends and family scattered throughout the room.

Weiss, Blake, Ren, and Jaune were watching the news on the main holo-screen of the situation regarding Vale, with Tai standing above them to look at the news as well and Shadow leaning against a wall and keeping his eyes on that same screen too. Yang was with Knuckles as the blonde kept an eye on Qrow, who sat on a chair. Pyrrha, Nora, Amy, and Rouge were sitting on the ground next to the fireplace, talking among themselves. Sonic was with Tails and Omega appeared to be conversing with each other regarding Sonic's super Chaos Control from before and the impact that it was having.

"Um… Hi… everyone…" Ruby spoke up, drawing them to her arrival.

"Ruby…!" Weiss quickly made her way to the bottom of the stairs as the girl stepped down before the heiress hugged her in surprise, with Blake right behind her.

"Weiss… Blake… you guys…" Ruby couldn't help but feel relief as she embraced her teammates with Yang the rest of Team JNPR coming in with them, all with relieved smiles on their faces.

"Good to see you, Ruby." Pyrrha smiled.

"Yeah, you slept a log for three days straight." Nora added.

"We're glad you're okay." Ren nodded.

As Ruby broke away from Weiss and Blake, she saw Jaune and hugged him as well, much to his own surprise before he hugged her back. "You okay?" He asked her.

"I'm alright Jaune…" Ruby said. "I'm alright." She stepped away from them and was then greeted by Tails, Knuckles, and Amy next.

"Welcome back, Ruby." Amy said.

"Are you feeling alright? No fevers or anything?" Tails asked.

"I'm fine…" Ruby assured.

"That's good." Knuckles nodded. "But take it easy. Being unable to move for three days means your body is going to be sore for a while."

"Yeah, I can definitely feel it…" Ruby chuckled somewhat.

"Ruby Rose appears to be in a state of perfect health." Omega reported as Rouge came to his side, the two keeping their distance as Ruby addressed everyone else. "Aside from minor to mild injuries, her previous condition was that mostly of physical fatigue and exhaustion."

"Using a Chaos Control for the first time took a lot out of the kid." Rouge said before looking towards Shadow, who continued to remain at his spot, not moving. Though he wouldn't say much of anything, Rouge could clearly see a look of relief in his eyes. Try as he might to play it coy, she knew that he was concerned for her and was relieved to see that she was alright.

However, that relief turned into anger when Shadow saw Qrow stand up from his chair. "Ruby…" He tried to approach his niece, only for Shadow to quickly appear in front of him and barde his way with a glare, causing the man to glare back. "Do you mind?"

"I do." The black Hedgehog didn't budge. "Sit back down."

"What, I'm not allowed to say hi to my niece?" Qrow questioned.

"Sit. Down. Now." Shadow ordered, leaving no room for argument.

It was one thing when Yang and the rest of her friends didn't let Qrow so much as see Ruby while she slept these past three days, but now this freak wouldn't even let him say hi to her?! He looked more than ready to beat the crap out of him, or at least try to. But looking past him, Qrow saw Yang at the front of the pack of all the students as she, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren all stood in front of Ruby and had glares of their own, showing that they were not going to let him get anywhere near her.

Though Sonic, Tails, Amy, Rouge, Knuckles, and Omega were off on the side. They didn't particularly trust Qrow right now, but at the same time, they were prepared to step in and prevent a fight from breaking out on both sides. Ruby had only just woken up; she didn't need to deal with any more chaos right now. She was already about to get something of a bombshell delivered to her already.

"Qrow…" Tai put a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder and looked to him with a sincere expression. "Please."

That seemed to calm him down a bit. And when Qrow looked past them all to see Ruby, he could clearly see some nervousness in her eyes, and it was all surrounding him. He could tell that she was probably still feeling upset over everything that happened before the fight. That alone was enough for him to back down as he sat back on the chair, causing the tension to lower some as everyone backed a bit from Ruby and allowed her some space to move to the couch and sit down herself.

"Ruby, do you need anything?" Weiss asked. "Something to eat or drink or…?"

"Just some water will be fine." She spoke.

"I'll get it." Weiss said.

"No, I'll get it." Tai insisted. "You're our guest, let me."

Weiss simply nodded as Tai went into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water.

"You guys are all here…" Ruby looked around to all her friends. "How though? Our house isn't all that big…"

"We got something of a campground set up outside." Tails explained. "And we're all used to this kind of thing by now anyway."

"Yeah, even Ice Queen here can rough it a bit, believe it or not." Rouge joked, referring to Weiss who elected to ignore the bat as Tai came back in to give Ruby her water.

"Plus, it's easier now that we don't have to worry about any Grimm attacks." Ren added.

"So, it's true…" Ruby said as she looked into the glass, seeing her own reflection in the water. "The Grimm are gone…" Patch had always been relatively peaceful compared to the rest of Remnant. They only had to deal with the occasional Beowolf or Ursa, nothing that wasn't manageable. But it was still almost unbelievable to know that her home would never be in danger from any Grimm ever again.

"Specifically, those in Vale and a little bit outside, but yeah." Knuckles confirmed.

"What happened at Beacon…?" Ruby asked. "I know that Sonic… cleared out all the Grimm but…"

"Most of the students and staff are fine." Pyrrha explained. "But the campus is almost completely destroyed. Professor Goodwitch and everyone else called in several professional Huntsmen to see about rebuilding though. But it will be a while before Beacon is restored to its former glory."

"Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the Atlas military stationed there." Jaune said. "Most of their forces were destroyed. Once they saw that Beacon was cleared though, Ironwood and everyone else in his army went back to Atlas."

"My sister went with them." Weiss added. "Though she asked me to call her if anything were to come up. I insisted on staying here to look after you." She said to her partner.

"Thanks… Weiss…" Ruby smiled slightly, but it quickly faded as she processed all of that. Beacon is destroyed? And the Atlas military…? So, many people must have died there. That was something that really didn't sit well with her. "What about the bad guys? Or Beacon tower, it was destroyed too?"

"It was but, I was able to restore communications." Tails revealed, much to Ruby's own surprise. "I helped set up something of a make-shift radio tower to sync back up to the other Kingdoms. Installed that anti-virus I made and re-programed it into a firewall to keep Eggman or anyone else from re-hacking into it."

"Yep. Our little genius here." Sonic ruffled the young Fox's head, causing him to chuckle.

"As for our enemies…" Blake began. "Cinder's been captured and has been transported back to Atlas. But her teammates escaped, including Adam and Mimic." She shivered at that one particular part. "Aside from them, with the exception of maybe one other member… most of the Vale branch of the White Fang has been wiped out in the battle. Either shot down by the military, or slaughtered by the invading Grimm. Torchwick is also dead."

"We combed most of Vale to see if anyone in the White Fang was left, but all their bases were cleared out." Rouge added. "We even went back to Mountain Glenn to make sure."

"There were signs that there was another base there, likely where Eggman was hiding." Omega inputted. "All intel suggests that the entirety of the White Fang's Vale division took part in the attack on Beacon."

"Which means the White Fang branch in Vale is completely destroyed with only a handful of survivors." Shadow said as well.

"I… I don't…" Ruby honestly had no idea what to feel about that. On one hand, she was glad that the bad guys didn't win. But on the other, the entirety of the White Fang from Vale has been destroyed? So many people... even if they were the enemy... to hear about all that death made her feel sick on the inside. She looked to Blake and could see a conflicted expression on her, no doubt feeling the same thing as she probably knew some of those Faunus. "I'm sorry… Blake."

"Don't be." She replied with a sigh as she tried to steel herself. "They brought it on themselves."

"So, the rest of the Kingdoms know what happened?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." Amy confirmed. "Eggman was broadcasting the whole fight to the rest of Remnant, probably wanted to break their spirits and showcase just how dangerous he was." A smile formed on her face. "But, all he really ended up doing was showing Super Sonic saving Beacon and most of Vale. Turned it all on himself."

"Well, that is how Eggman usually does things." Sonic himself said with a smirk. "Gets this big idea only for it all to blow up in his face. Only it worked in our favor this time, as opposed to the usual end-of-the world and/or universe type deal."

"Most of Remnant is in an uproar over what happened, at least as far as we can see." Weiss said as she showed Ruby her own scroll and brought up a website on social media, showing all kinds of posts that showed clips and images of Super Sonic.

'Who is our golden savior?!'

'There is a god... And he's on our side!'

'Does Remnant have a new hero?'

'Kingdoms at a standstill!'

'Vale Grimm-free?!'

"Wow…" Ruby still couldn't believe it. "This is… wow…" A smile formed on her face as she skimmed through it. Seeing all these posts about people saying all these wondrous things about Sonic and his impossible feat made her spirits pick up quite a bit.

And while everyone else in that room felt that same sense of awe and relief, Shadow didn't feel the same way as there was now one other thing that Ruby needed to know.

"We also discovered who Eggman is working with." He revealed, catching Ruby's attention as well as everyone else.

"Ahem!" Qrow coughed loudly.

"I think they have a right to know." Shadow said to Qrow.

"No, they don't." The veteran Huntsman said immediately.

"Well considering you tried to get Pyrrha to join your little cult, I'd say we do!" Jaune marched his way to Qrow, who stood up to meet him.

"Is it a woman…?"

All eyes turned to Ruby as she fidgeted uncomfortably in her spot. So much so that Zwei had hopped onto her lap to try and calm her down as she remembered what had happened when she was being held captive in Eggman's mech.

"When Eggman had me… there was a Grimm with him…" She began. "But… not like a Beowolf or anything. More like a… jellyfish or something. But… someone was speaking with it… through it… I think. And it… sounded like a woman…"

Sonic looked to Qrow and Tai and saw looks of horror on their faces. The father of Ruby's entire body shook as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, while the uncle clenched his fists so tightly that it seemed like that his knuckles would pop.

"Hey." Sonic said to both of them. "She's gotta know, they all do."

As much as neither of them wanted this, both men knew that it this point, it was too late. The can of worms had been opened. Tai gave a nod, with Qrow reluctantly sitting back down. Jaune backed away as he and the other students listened closely. They weren't told about this quite yet, Sonic wanted to wait until Ruby woke up so they wouldn't have to explain it twice, to which his own friends agreed. But now was the time that they knew the truth.

"There's a certain Grimm out there, a Grimm in the form of a human. And her name is Salem." Sonic explained to the students who listened closely. "She can use magic too, like those Maidens, but is apparently stronger. Ozpin's group thinks she's about as strong as all four Maidens combined. She can control any Grimm around her and has been living on Remnant for thousands of years. Ozpin has been waging a secret war against her for just as long to try and stop her, even forming his own little secret society to help him."

"Salem…" Pyrrha said. "You mentioned that name…. when we were in Ozpin's office."

"Yep." Sonic recalled. "And Eggman's working with her. Apparently, she's got her own little cult of people helping her out too."

Ruby and the others took all of this in. A Grimm human? One that's been living on this world for thousands of years? How come they never heard of it until know!? It was one thing to hear about the legend of the Maidens being true, as well as the existence of magic. But there was one little detail that Ruby herself noticed.

"Wait… you said Ozpin was fighting this Salem for thousands of years…" Ruby repeated. "How…? Nobody can live that long… It's impossible…"

Sonic gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, buckle up Ruby. Cause this is where things get wild."

---

Flashback – Two Days Earlier

The Beacon campus was almost completely devastated from the battle. But despite that, many people contributed to the rebuilding effort, which included several professional Huntsmen that had arrived in the aftermath as well as the returning teachers. The surviving Atlas soldiers were scrounging what materials they could, both from their own downed ships and units, as well as that from Eggman, before ultimately going back to Atlas.

Presently, Beacon Tower appeared to be just as damaged as the end of the battle, all with the exception of a radio tower that had been built at the top at where was once Ozpin's primary office. Tails was using the Miles Electric to work out the final touches in the tower's systems while the rest of Teams Sonic and Dark were also at the top of the tower alongside Goodwitch and Ironwood, the general standing at the edge as he looked out at what was left of Beacon campus as the rebuilding effort went underway.

"And… done!" Tails announced as he pressed one last button on his tablet, with the radio tower coming online as a yellow dot appeared at the top. "The CCTS network is back online. Eggman's system is out, and my new firewall system is in. It's gonna be way harder for anyone to hack in now."

"Thank you, Tails." Glynda said sincerely. "All of you as well." She addressed Teams Sonic and Dark. "If it weren't for you… Beacon would have fallen. I… I don't know how to repay you."

"You don't have to. It's what we do." Sonic said.

"I…" Ironwood turned around to look at them with an expression that mixed gratitude and shame. "Perhaps… I was wrong… we were wrong… to misjudge and hide from you. You've done what nobody else has before… you've eliminated all of the Grimm from an entire kingdom…! Even my scouts who looked at the Grimm pools could only find empty craters. This… I don't even have the words…"

Glynda put a hand on Ironwood's shoulder in comfort. "We've always dreamt of a better future, and hoped the next generation of Huntsmen would better safeguard Remnant than those in the past… but never once did we think the Grimm would be eliminated entirely."

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't get the rest of the planet." Sonic apologized.

"Don't be sorry!" Glynda insisted as she bowed her head. "We are so grateful to you, Sonic the Hedgehog."

The blue Hedgehog backed away somewhat with an uneasy smile, not exactly used to being bowed to, even if it was out of gratitude. But he did receive a nudge on his arm from a smirking Knuckles, a pat on his back from Tails, and even a kiss on the cheek from Amy, causing him to blush somewhat. Rouge smirked in his direction as even Shadow and Omega gave a nod.

"But… I am sorry about all your men." Sonic said to Ironwood, who only looked down.

"They were soldiers doing their duty. They knew the risk." The general said with reluctance.

"And about Ozpin too." Sonic added. "We disagreed, but he didn't deserve to die for it."

That's when they noticed an odd expression on Glynda and Ironwood's face. It was not necessarily one of grief but more of uncertainty. This left the others confused, except for Shadow who only narrowed his own eyes.

"He's not dead, is he?" The black Hedgehog assumed.

"Not quite…" Glynda began.

"Glynda…" Ironwood interrupted.

"James, after everything… they deserve to know the whole story." She insisted.

"What whole story?" Amy questioned.

"I'm certain Ozpin would have told you everything sooner, but Eggman's attack had begun and well… Now is the best time to tell you the rest." Goodwitch explained. "You already know of Salem, how she's been haunting Remnant for thousands of years after the disappearance of the Brother Gods."

"And how there was a champion chosen by the gods to battle her. The one who passed his power onto the Maidens." Knuckles recalled before it soon clicked to everyone else.

"It's Ozpin, isn't it?" Rouge assumed. "He was the champion?"

"Well, not exactly." Glynda answered. "Are any of you familiar with the concept of reincarnation?"

"Reincarnation. When an individual dies, they return to the living world in a new host body." Omega said. "There are multiple iterations and definitions pertaining to the concept, depending on the form of fiction or mythology of which the concept is used."

"Yeah, out of all the crazy things we've dealt with, reincarnation is actually new to us." Sonic added. "So, what there's a baby Ozpin out there somewhere?"

"I'm afraid it's more… complicated than that." Ironwood explained next. "Thousands of years ago, there was a warrior who went by the name of Ozma. At one point in his life, he was chosen by the Brother Gods to act as their champion to combat Salem. They gave him the ability to use magic to better stand against her, but given how the Grimm can live perpetually forever unless they are killed… Ozma was granted the ability to reincarnate his soul into another body upon his death."

"But not just any person." Glynda said. "The conditions of this involve the soul reincarnating into a like-minded individual."

"That sounds a lot like the Maidens." Amy said. "And if Ozpin is the champion who gave them their magic…"

"He's also the one who made it so they can't give it up unless they die." Tails realized. That caused Sonic to look away in a scowl, something that was unsurprising to his friends. They all knew how he felt about that particular subject, primarily that being a Maiden meant losing your own personal freedom. And if Ozpin really did make it like that, than his own mixed feelings towards him went closer towards the negative end.

"Yes, one of Ozpin's previous lives did indeed pass his magic onto the Maidens." Glynda said. "However, while their situations are similar, there are more than a few differences too. For instance, as the succeeding Maidens are only female and are chosen by their predecessors based on their final thoughts, that does not apply to Ozpin's condition. His successors are always male, and his soul does not reincarnate into whoever is in his final thoughts. He does not choose who his soul reincarnates into, or when for that matter."

"When?" Knuckles questioned.

"Unlike the Maidens, Ozpin's reincarnation is not instantaneous." Ironwood spoke next. "There are some cases where his soul doesn't resurface for years at a time. According to him, there was one time where it took a whole century for his soul to reincarnate."

That took them by surprise. "You're kidding…." Sonic muttered.

"No." Glynda continued. "And there is one other difference too. When a new Maiden is chosen, the successor still retains her own personality. She is still the same person, just with new abilities."

"Unless Pyrrha would have undergone the procedure you recommended for her." Shadow narrowed his eyes at the pair, causing them both to wince.

"The situation involving Amber was unique." Glynda replied. "Not that it's any excuse. But, that situation is actually much like Ozpin's. For when his soul reincarnates into a new body, that vessel becomes a host for two souls."

"Like a split personality?" Tails asked.

"Yes… at first." Glynda replied. "But, their souls eventually merge together into a new individual, taking traits from both."

"You see, that's what we meant when we said Ozpin wasn't exactly the chosen champion." Ironwood added. "Based on what we've heard, Ozma was a very different man than Ozpin was. A result of thousands of different reincarnations and merges."

That's when it all sunk into them as they exchanged looks of concern and weariness. Though, there was some pity they felt for this situation, mostly for the original host that would suddenly have a new soul inhabit his own body and would later merge with said soul and become a new person, almost erasing both their identities. Much like what could have happened to Pyrrha if she absorbed Amber's aura and her half of the Fall Maiden powers.

"Query. You stated that Ozpin's ability to reincarnate was a means to combat Salem, and yet this ability has more detriments than benefits." Omega began. "Primarily how unlike the Maiden transfer process, Ozpin is incapable of choosing whom his soul reincarnates into, or when. If the longest possible time-length between reincarnations is a century, it benefits Salem more if her enemy is unable to act within that time. There is much one can do within a time span of one hundred years."

"Yes…" Glynda admitted. "Ozpin himself once described it as a curse, and it's not hard to think that way."

"Blame lies on the Brother Gods for not creating an effective countermeasure against Salem." Omega stated.

"Perhaps, but we may have one now." Ironwood said, looking directly at Sonic. "You wiped out all of the Grimm on the eastern half of Sanus in a matter of minutes! If you could re-acquire the power of the Chaos Emeralds, can you do so again?"

"I could…" Sonic began with a slight wince. "Shadow can transform like me too. If we both got the Emeralds, we could probably make all of Remnant Grimm free."

"Except we do not possess the Chaos Emeralds currently." Shadow revealed, much to Ironwood's own surprise.

"I… what…?" The general stuttered.

Sonic chuckled nervously. "Yeah, slight side effect whenever we go Super. The gold doesn't last forever. And when our transformations run out, the Chaos Emeralds end up scattering in all directions."

"Scattered…?" Ironwood blinked. "So… what you mean to say is… those seven gemstones… which contain incredible power… are now scattered across all of Remnant….?"

"Yep." Sonic confirmed.

"Do… do you at least know where they are…?" Ironwood questioned, as his body began to shake.

"We do not." Shadow answered.

"But we can find them!" Tails quickly spoke up. "We've done this kind of thing before! If we find one Emerald, I can hook it up the built-in Emerald radar that I have on my Miles Electric and locate the others. And if I patch into the CCT network, maybe I can pinpoint their exact locations anywhere on Remnant."

"There? See?" Amy tried to say for the sake of optimism. "No problem."

"Except… that they can now be targeted by Salem…" Ironwood muttered, not feeling the least bit comforted by that. "Be honest with me… is it possible for Salem to harness the Chaos Emeralds' power?"

Knuckles sighed with reluctance. "We've seen dangerous individuals use the power of Emeralds before, so yes. I believe it is possible."

That's when Ironwood backed away, much to everyone's concern. "James…" Glynda tried to reach for him, but he turned away and stood in front of a pile of rubble.

"That kind of power… in our enemy's hands…" He clenched a large rock as he could only imagine Salem wielding the power equivalent to Super Sonic. "We won't stand a chance!" He clenched the rock so tightly that it broke apart, causing everyone to look at him with concern, while Shadow narrowed his own eyes at him. "Unless… we use the Relics…"

"Relics?" Rouge muttered.

"James." Glynda went to him and put her hand on his shoulder more firmly this time. "You know the Relics don't work like that. And if they're removed from the Vaults, we run a greater risk of Salem acquiring them."

"But if she has the Chaos Emeralds, it may not matter." Ironwood argued.

"Hold on, back up!" Sonic stated. "What Relics? What are you talking about?"

Ironwood only looked away before Glynda gave her answer with a sigh. "When the Brother Gods left our world, they also left behind four Relics, each one having a specific power that revolved around a core aspect of humanity. The Crown of Choice, the Staff of Creation, the Sword of Destruction, and the Lamp of Knowledge."

"Four Relics… four Maidens…" Rouge summed up. "Why do I have a feeling that's not a coincidence?"

"As you already know, one of Ozpin's previous incarnations chose to pass his magic abilities onto the Maidens." Glynda continued. "But sometime later, after the Great War, Ozpin's direct predecessor, the then-king of Vale, founded the four combat schools in each of the four Kingdoms. These schools exist as you already know, to train the next generation of Remnant's protectors. But they also serve another purpose, beneath each academy lies a vault where each of the Relics is sealed away in. Choice for Beacon, knowledge for Haven, destruction for Shade, and creation for Atlas."

"Let me guess. The Staff of Creation is what's keeping Atlas afloat?" Knuckles assumed, much to Ironwood's own surprise. "We got something like that back home too."

"As for the Maidens, Ozpin did not pass his powers onto them solely for this task, but he did design those vaults to only open with a certain key." Glynda said.

"And those the keys are the Maidens." Amy figured out.

"Yes." Glynda confirmed. "Only a specific Maiden can open a specific vault. The Fall Maiden opens the one underneath Beacon, Spring for Haven, Summer for Shade, and Winter for Atlas."

"And what do these Relics do?" Sonic asked. "I'm guessing there's no super transformation with them, right?" He remembered two scenarios, where he used the four Sacred Swords to transform into Excalibur Sonic, or even three of the World Rings into Darkspine Sonic. But something was telling him that these Relics don't work in the same manner.

"No, they are not like the Chaos Emeralds." Glynda answered. "Each one has a different function. The Sword can apparently destroy anything, while the Staff can create anything, the Lamp grants you knowledge, and the Crown gives you visions of a choice you will make in the future. But… we don't know how they function exactly. Only Ozpin is fully aware of that."

"He never told you?" Sonic asked in surprise.

"Ozpin wanted to be sure that Salem could never learn how the Relics worked." Ironwood commented. "Even not telling his supposed friends about it." The way he said that implied that he did not agree with that specific option.

"He was trying to protect us, James." Glynda defended.

"We could do more though if we had that knowledge." Ironwood argued. "All his talks about friendship, and he doesn't seem to have faith in them."

"For once, Ironwood's right." Shadow spoke up. "All of Ozpin's talks about unity? Co-operation? And yet none of those who listen to his long-winded speeches even know who exactly he's trying to unite them against. And while it is understandable that he would want to avoid a panic, his apparent strategy against Salem is only focused on defense, and a rather poor one at that."

"Excuse me?" Glynda questioned.

"Atlas at least has a military with advanced technology." Shadow said. "It can defend itself just fine. The other Kingdoms? Or specifically, those Relics of yours, the only thing guarding them are children! Untrained, undisciplined, children with no knowledge of what they're protecting! It would be one thing if you had veteran Huntsmen doing so… but any army of child soldiers being used as meat shields?!" The black Hedgehog stepped forward and glared at Glynda with his soul-piercing red eyes. "That is unacceptable!"

"They are not meat shields!" Glynda argued. "The students are being trained to protect all of Remnant! They can leave any time they wish. Their sole purpose is not to protect the Relics!"

"And you believe your academies are worthy fortresses?" Shadow questioned. "Look around you!" He gestured to the destruction that surrounded the tower, which was already mostly destroyed itself. "Eggman's forces aside, Salem had agents infiltrate your academy with little effort and nearly succeeded in sabotaging you! Not only that, but your enemy also now has the means to steal the Maiden powers! As you said, if it weren't for us, Beacon would have fallen and the Relic underneath this school would be in Salem's hands! Now I understand why your Maidens have to live in isolation, not for their protection, but everyone else's. Their powers are truly a curse. And you would have put that curse on one of your own students."

Glynda had no counterargument to give. As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew that he was right. Salem's agents infiltrated Beacon and had even sabotaged the CCTS network. They didn't even know about that until Tails had used his anti-virus program to find it. She hated to even think about it… but as she already knew… if it weren't for Sonic… Beacon would have fallen, and the Relic of Choice would be in Salem's possession. Though she didn't believe the Maidens to be curses, they almost put the burden of the Maidens' responsibility on the shoulders of one of her own students.

"What is your plan?" Shadow continued. "Ozpin must have told you what his endgame was for eliminating Salem if you were so close to him. So, what is it?"

"I…" Glynda didn't answer right away. And one glance at Ironwood, who didn't even speak up himself, game Shadow the answer he needed.

"You don't have one, do you?"

"Ozpin… believed that if humanity was made strong enough and united together, it would be enough to keep Salem back." Glynda tried.

"Keep her back, but not destroy her." Shadow said. "Even if these Relics don't function the way the Chaos Emeralds do, they can still be used against Salem! But he didn't! Ozpin chose to hide them! Scatter them! I read how your Great War ended, how the rest of Remnant was ready to follow the King of Vale. If he truly was Ozpin's previous incarnation, he had Remnant united right then and there! He could have united them all against the enemy that wants all of them dead, regardless of their differences! Using their power and that of the Relics, he could have stopped Salem! But no. Instead, he opted for this." He gestured to around himself again. "A walled society that is stuck defending, never attacking. Like a weatherproof shelter holding up against a never-ending storm. But no matter how strong your fortress' walls are, they won't last forever. They'll wear down eventually. I'm sure a monster that has lived for millennia is more than aware of that fact. All he did was delay Salem's plans."

"That's what I told him!" Ironwood exclaimed, shocking everyone else except Shadow. "I offered to share Atlas technology with the rest of Remnant! To help better prepare them for the war against Salem! Maybe even use the Relics, but he said no! He insisted that this was the better option! And look where it got him!"

"Good to know that we can at least agree on that much." Shadow said to the general.

"Well… we have Cinder now, right?" Sonic quickly stepped forward, hoping to stop any potential conflict. Though a part of him actually agreed with Shadow. He already made his thoughts known about how he disagreed with the Maidens giving up their personal freedom, and while he did pity Ozpin to an extent, that didn't mean he agreed with him. But now was not the time to focus on the past, they need to focus on the now.

"We do." Ironwood confirmed, calming down somewhat. "She's been brought aboard a medical ship. Her condition is critical but not life-threatening. We'll transport her back to Atlas and find out for certain how she was able to syphon the Fall Maiden's power."

"Maybe with enough study, we can find a means to remove the Maiden powers from their hosts without killing them." Tails offered.

"Except I do not believe that Cinder was the true Fall Maiden." Shadow said, catching all their attention.

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles asked.

"After Sonic used Chaos Control to remove all Grimm from the area, something happened to Cinder…" Shadow recalled.

---

Flashback

Shadow had lowered his arm from his face as the bright white light faded. He stared out through the hole at the bottom floor of the dorm building, looking with a slight smile, recognizing the effects of a Chaos Control. No doubt Sonic's handiwork. But suddenly…

A loud cough caused Shadow turn back towards Cinder's broken form as it still laid in the puddle of blood just like before. Only now it was moving, with Cinder coughing and hacking up blood, much to Shadow's own concern.

He moved closer to Cinder and picked up her form, her body spasming as she hacked up more blood from her mouth. Acting quickly, Shadow picked up a shard of glass from the ground and slashed at Cinder's throat, not enough to kill her, but creating a small enough opening to allow the excess amount of blood to slide out so she wouldn't choke. But that wasn't even all of it. Her left arm went completely limp.

Shadow reached for the left arm, her only remaining arm, only for it to feel like rubber on the inside. As if there were no bones at all. Feeling his hand and fingers along it, Shadow felt that the bones inside were almost completely grounded up. He could already see patches of red forming under her skin. Her veins were bleeding internally, ruptured and torn open by something. With even more quickness. Shadow used that same shard of glass as before and charged with Chaos Energy to give a slice and amputate Cinder's whole left arm, leaving her completely armless. The slash of the rock with Chaos Energy had also cauterized the wound to keep her from bleeding out.

His own eyes narrowed as he opened his comms. "Omega, do you read me?"

End flashback

---

"Cinder's internal organs were completely ruptured, notably those in her left arm." Omega explained. "As if her veins, nerves, and bones were all connected by an unknown factor… and said factor had been ripped out completely."

"And given how your Chaos Control targeted only the Grimm…" Shadow looked towards Sonic as he and everyone else came to the same conclusion with their own eyes widening in horror.

"She had a Grimm inside her?!" Sonic exclaimed. "Gross!"

"That Grimm more than likely was the true vessel for the Fall Maiden's power." Shadow said. "It was likely teleported to the sun just like all the others. Which would mean…"

"The Fall Maiden power isn't in Cinder anymore. And probably ended up with some random girl anywhere on Remnant." Rouge realized.

"And we have no idea who it is." Knuckles finished.

Glynda and Ironwood both looked towards each other in shock. The very idea that Salem could develop a Grimm capable of syphoning the Maiden powers was disturbing alone. But to put it inside somebody!? They knew of a few Grimm types that could possess other people, such as Nightmares or Chills, but this felt much more horrific.

"Maybe this is a good thing though." Amy said. "It means Salem has no idea where the Fall Maiden power is either."

"And with all the Grimm cleared out in Vale, she can't raise an army to attack Beacon!" Tails put in.

"What about Eggman? I imagine he's still gotta have the rest of his Fleet, not to mention the ARK..." Knuckles asked.

"Which is useless without the Chaos Emeralds." Tails said.

"And without the Fall Maiden, they have no means of opening the Vault beneath Beacon." Shadow said. "For now, Vale may be safe from either Eggman or Salem. But if she's capable of creating a Grimm that can steal the Maiden powers, she may try to do something like this again, and target the other Kingdoms."

"Okay, so here's what I think we can do." Sonic said. "We'll look for the Chaos Emerald, while you guys..." He pointed to Glynda and Ironwood. "Keep doing what you're doing and protect the other Kingdoms. You said that you don't have the means to go on the offensive against Salem, right? Well, now you do. Us." He gestured to himself and his team. "We'll look for the Emeralds, Shadow and I will go Super, and we'll get rid of Salem and all the Grimm and beat Eggman back. So, what do you think?"

Glynda and Ironwood shared their own thoughts and expressions with each other before they both seemed to come to a conclusion.

"I think… that may be our best option." Glynda said reluctantly, causing Sonic to smile. "Although, even if Vale is now free of the Grimm, that doesn't mean there is no threat. People can be just as dangerous. And with a now more liberated environment…"

"Criminals can see this as an opportunity and try to worm their way into the little safe haven here, right?" Rouge assumed.

"Yes." Glynda confirmed. "Corruption will come to Vale, and Salem can take advantage of that. So, I'm going to call back all local Huntsmen to Vale and we'll work at building a solid defense for the Kingdom. I'll get in contact with Headmasters Lionheart and Theodore and inform them of the situation. If we find any Chaos Emeralds, we'll contact you, I promise."

"I'll return to Atlas for the same reason, have my military scour all of Solitas for any Chaos Emeralds there." Ironwood said.

"And you will contact us if you locate any Emeralds?" Omega questioned.

"Of course." Ironwood nodded, but Shadow looked at him skeptically. "We'll also keep Cinder with us. Even if she's no longer the host for the Fall Maiden power, she's been close enough to Salem that we can probably get some information out of her, like where she's hiding."

"Okay, so we got a plan." Sonic said before he got serious. "But before we start, there is one last thing."

"What?" Ironwood questioned.

"Before Eggman attacked, Ozpin said he had something planned for Ruby." Sonic said with a very serious expression. "What is it?" That caused all of his friends to look serious as well, particularly Shadow, before Glynda sighed again and gave her answer.

"It may be best that you hear that from her father." She said. "He and Qrow may have to tell her and all her friends about it as well."

---

Present Day

"…And here we are now." Sonic finished.

It all became silent as each of the students let everything that they just heard sink in. Nobody in Teams Sonic or Team Dark said anything else either, simply just letting the students process everything. Tai had a sympathetic expression on his face as he looked to his daughters, who were still thinking all on it, while Qrow just took another drink from his flask, but felt the same way. The one thing they had hoped to never happen, was to tell the girls about the monster that's been haunting all of Remnant since long before they were even born.

After at least five minutes of awkward silence, Ruby finally spoke. "I… I… I don't know what to say to any of that…"

"Ozpin is a ghost…?" Blake muttered.

"I wouldn't exactly put it like that." Tai said.

"He possesses another individual against their will and assimilates them into himself. What exactly would you call that?" Weiss questioned, causing Tai to wince.

"You make it sound like he does it all on purpose, but he has no control over any that." Qrow stated. "He didn't ask for any of that."

"So, you knew about this too?" Yang glared at him.

"Yeah, we knew." Qrow confirmed.

"And who is 'we'?" Ren questioned, looking toward the two men in the room.

"Their team, I assume." Knuckles said, getting the students' attention. "Before Eggman attacked, Ozpin revealed how Team STRQ was involved in his war against Salem, including your birth mother, Yang."

The blonde's own eyes widened in surprise as she heard that, with Ruby being especially surprised.

"On that note, I met Raven Branwen." Shadow revealed, much to everyone's further surprise. Even Sonic, Rouge, and those in their group were caught off guard by that. "Just before our confrontation with Ozpin in the vault. However, she was reluctant to reveal any critical information other than to keep you and your sister as far away from Ozpin as possible." He said to Yang and Ruby specifically.

"What…?" Yang muttered.

"Wait… you saw Raven?!" Tai stood up from his spot while Qrow looked away with a scowl.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sonic asked his fellow Hedgehog.

"I intended to, but our focus was on Ozpin at the time." Shadow explained before looking at Yang again. "That and you were already going through enough emotional turmoil. I did not want to add to that until everything calmed down."

"She was at Beacon too." Knuckles revealed to Tai's further surprised. "And at Merlot's laboratory. She was probably the one who helped us out back then."

"The lady in the Grimm mask?" Rouge remembered her as well.

"Yep." The red Echidna confirmed.

"And she possesses the ability to turn into a bird." Shadow added.

"Just like Qrow over here." Knuckles added, gesturing to Qrow leading to all the others to look at him and Tai too with Ruby being emotionally confused and Yang looking in a mixture of surprise and anger.

Qrow simply drank from his flask again, causing Tai to shake his head at him before he spoke to everyone. "Team STRQ was formed at Beacon. Our leader was Summer Rose, Ruby's mother. I was on it, along with Qrow and his sister, Raven. Around our third year, Ozpin brought us into his fold, told us about Salem and offered us a chance to join the fight against her."

"Why you though?" Blake questioned.

"Our team was… well… Let's just say that we got in over our heads at times." Tai continued. "We disobeyed our teachers, usually because we thought we could do more to help… even jumping into a fight where we weren't supposed to be in. And surprisingly, we came out on top almost every time. Ozpin recognized all that and decided to turn a blind eye because of the good we did, and even bent the rules for us."

"That sounds familiar." Ren commented as his team and Team RWBY looked among themselves while Teams Sonic and Dark continued to listen.

"Like I said, Ozpin told us about Salem and offered us the means where we thought we could make a real difference in the world." Tai went on. "And we jumped right in." He then looked away. "But maybe that was mistake."

"No, it wasn't. We did good, Tai." Qrow told him. "You know we did."

"But at what cost, Qrow?" The man replied. "Maybe if we said no… Summer would still be here… maybe Raven too."

"Hey, that was her fault, not yours!" Qrow stated.

"Was it?" Yang questioned as she stood up and marched over to her father. "Or maybe it was your fault?"

"She left, Yang." Qrow said as he stood up from his spot to meet his niece. "She left this family. She left you."

"Then why did she save me?! Why did she save us?!" Yang exclaimed. "She helped us at Merlot's lab! She saved me from Adam at Beacon…!"

"And she left right after!" Qrow shouted back. "I don't know what goes on through her head anymore, but that woman stopped being your mom when she abandoned you!"

"So, what, Summer's my mom?!" Yang questioned.

"She's been a better mother than Raven was!" Qrow argued.

"Oh, like you have any room to talk about that!" Yang pushed him. "We see you like once a year at most! The only time you ever really stayed around was to train Ruby to be a Huntress!" She gestured back to her younger sister, who only sunk deeper into the couch, prompting Blake and Weiss to sit closer beside her. "You wanted Ozpin to bring her into Beacon, didn't you!? You want her involved in all this, don't you!? What with Summer gone, you and Oz want Ruby to replace her?!"

"No!" Qrow shouted as loud as he could. "That's the last thing I want! I trained her to defend herself, not to get involved with Salem!"

"Defend herself from Salem?" Sonic questioned, speeding in-between Yang and Qrow to push them apart. "Why? What's so special about Ruby? Ozpin said he brought her into Beacon for a reason and it's somehow connected to Salem. Why?"

"That's none of your damn business, blue boy!" Qrow argued.

"Sonic saved Beacon! He saved all of our lives, including your nieces!" Weiss stood up, pointing into Qrow's face. "So I'd say it most certainly is his business! And ours too, being on Ruby's team and her friends!"

"But because of that, those fancy rocks that gave him that power are now scattered across all of Remnant, ripe and ready to be picked by Salem!" Qrow argued.

"That can't be helped!" Tails countered. "That happens every time Sonic and/or Shadow transform!"

"So maybe instead of complaining about it, we actually do something!" Amy added. "And if you don't want to help, then fine. But you don't have to be such a jerk about it!"

"Keep my family out of it, and we're good." Qrow narrowed his eyes.

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you volunteered Pyrrha, one of your nieces' friends, into becoming your secret weapon." Blake practically growled at Qrow.

"Maybe he's just jealous that Sonic saved Beacon instead of him and Ozpin." Nora commented spitefully.

"You kids really think I'm the bad guy here?" Qrow questioned irritably.

"Considering you provoked my sister into a fight with several innocent bystanders around, you certainty don't come off as a good Samaritan." Weiss added. "If you really wanted Ruby out of this conflict, you should have kept her away from Ozpin, Salem's apparent arch nemesis who has been leading this secret war."

"Ruby might be your family, but she's my friend." Sonic stated, looking straight at the veteran Huntsman. "If Salem is after her, then Eggman might be too. It would be easier to protect her if I know the reason why. You think I can't help? I just wiped out half a continent's worth of Grimm, something that not even Ozpin could do! I can help you! I want to help you! But I can't do that if I don't know what's going in! So, pull out that stake that you have up your own butt and let me help!"

Qrow honestly looked ready to punch Sonic in a second, and the blue Hedgehog recognized that intent. He was more than capable of fighting back. He'd even use his speed to pull Qrow outside so that Ruby and her friends don't get swept up init. But Tai quickly grabbed Qrow by the arm to pull him back, causing the man to turn to him as the father of Ruby and Yang looked at him fiercely.

"He's the reason Ruby's even here, Qrow." Tai stated. "The reason Yang and everyone else are still here and still alive!"

"He also brought that freak scientist here who destroyed Beacon and killed Ozpin!" Qrow argued.

"Oh, don't even go there." Jaune practically spat as he sat up next. "Ozpin's not dead, he'll come back. Or are you just upset that he won't be Ozpin anymore. Is that the reason you're throwing a fit like a five-year-old, you drunken jackass?!"

"Jaune…" Tails stood up with Pyrrha to try and stop him.

"No! Don't give this bastard any excuses!" Jaune exclaimed as he went right up in Qrow's face. "Are you upset that Ozpin won't be Ozpin anymore?! Well, that's exactly what you wanted to do to Pyrrha!" That caused the aforementioned girl to look away, leading to Ren to come up and put a hand on her shoulder with Amy doing the same as she gently grasped her hand.

"We were offering her the choice!" Qrow argued. "We weren't going to force her…"

"You could have done that to any professional huntress!" Jaune continued. "But you chose her!"

"He's right." Ren said with a glare in Qrow's direction. "Being a veteran huntsman involved with one of the headmasters of the four combat schools has got to mean that you know more than your fair share of female warriors. People who are probably more used to that sort of thing, and not a student who is only in her first year."

"I didn't choose her, Ozpin did." Qrow replied.

"And what, you didn't disagree with him?!" Jaune shouted. "I'm the leader of Team JNPR. Pyrrha is my partner, my teammate! And you tried to stop her from telling us!"

"Cause it we didn't want it leaking out!" Qrow argued.

"We can keep a damn secret!" Nora shouted as she stood up as well. "Or maybe you were just afraid that we'd get her to say no! You wanted her to say yes, didn't you?! All your talk about keeping Ruby out of it, but you got no problem sacrificing any other student, right?!"

"And if you didn't disagree with Ozpin on that, then your just as bad as he is!" Jaune's face was less than an inch from Qrow's. "Ozpin deserved what he got! Maybe Yang's mom was right to leave! And maybe the one Ruby really needed to be kept safe from was you! You would get her killed just like her mom!"

Qrow immediately punched Jaune in the face, knocking him to the ground. Then, in the blink of an eye… Qrow himself was smashed into the wall and lifted from the ground by the single arm of Shadow the Hedgehog, who glared up at Qrow with his blood red eyes and looked ready to pulverize him in an instant. The second he hit Jaune like that… he just earned himself a trip to the emergency room.

"Stop!" Ruby had immediately dashed at Shadow, grabbing his arm, much to everyone's alarm as they stood up.

"Ruby…" Weiss tried to reach for her, but Sonic held his arm out to keep her from getting involved, with Knuckles holding Yang back for the same reason, both confident that Shadow wouldn't hurt Ruby or let her be hurt.

"Stop…!" The girl pleaded as Shadow looked towards her but kept a tight grip on her uncle. "Please… just…. Stop…" She fell on her knees in emotional exhaustion, but still held Shadow tightly as tears built up in her eyes.

The second her saw her like that, Shadow felt his own gaze soften somewhat before looking towards Rouge as she was near the downed Jaune with Pyrrha picking him up as he rubbed his sore cheek with Ren and Nora all around him, ready to jump in if Qrow tried anything. Rouge simply looked to Shadow with a raised-eyebrow and a frown.

Shadow sighed as he loosened his grip on Qrow and let him back down, but made sure to keep himself in-between the man and Ruby, the two kept their glares hard on each other.

"Qrow, maybe you should take a walk." Tai advised.

"What? Tai…" He tried to protest, only for the blonde man to go up and grab him by the shoulder.

"Take a walk. Cool off. Don't come back into this house until you do." He ordered, leaving no room for arguments. "This is my house, and you do not hit a kid in it! Now go!"

Qrow looked back to everyone else and saw how everyone else was glaring hard at him, especially Yang who looked ready to beat him at a moment's notice as it seemed Knuckles was the only one holding her back. But when he saw Ruby… and the heartbroken look in her eyes… that's when it all hit home for him. The man said nothing else before he walked out the front door.

Tai breathed a sigh of relief before turning to the students, to one in particular. "Jaune, are you okay?"

"Eh… yeah. I'm alright." He said as he rubbed his face.

"I'm sorry about him." Tai apologized. "Qrow… has hard time admitting when he's wrong, especially when it comes to anything related to Ozpin. He shouldn't have hit you. Do you need any ice?"

"I'm fine. Thanks." Jaune said before Tai turned to Pyrrha.

"And Pyrrha? I'm really sorry… for what Ozpin and the others were trying to do to you." He said.

"Did you know about that?" She asked. "About the Aura transfer machine and what they wanted from me?"

"I'm technically retired from Ozpin's work, but Qrow keeps me in the loop." Tai explained. "So yes, I knew about the machine, and I was straight up against it. Something like that is cruel and wrong. But I didn't know they had selected someone to inherit Amber's power until you all came here. I'm sorry."

Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you."

That was one problem managed, but there was still one big can of worms that he wouldn't want to open, but at this point… there weren't any other options. He looked to his youngest daughter as Shadow stepped aside and allowed his eldest, after Knuckles let her go, to help her to her feet, where Weiss, Blake, and Amy quickly helped her sit back on the couch.

"Silver eyes." He spoke aloud. That got everyone to listen as Tai looked to Sonic. "You want know why Salem would target Ruby? It's because of her eyes. Silver eyes."

Sonic remembered how Ozpin mentioned that when he first met him and Ruby just before going to Beacon.

"You're special, Ruby." Tai looked to his daughter. "Just like your mom, your part of a lineage of rare people here on Remnant. Those born with silver eyes are born with a unique power, different from that of a Semblance, a power that is harmful to the Grimm."

"Harmful how?" Tails asked as everyone continued to listen.

"Silver eyed warriors have the ability to literally stop Grimm in their tracks." Tai continued. "When they use their power, those eyes emit a white light that only seems to hurt the Grimm. I've seen Summer use that power to blind Grimm, turn them to stone, or even vaporize them. It took a lot out of her, depending on how much she used or how many Grimm were affected, but it's some very powerful stuff."

"And since Salem is a Grimm…" Sonic realized it.

"Silver eyed warriors are a threat to her." Tai confirmed. "So much so that she's been hunting them down. As far as we know, Ruby might be the last one."

"Is that what happened to Mom…?" Ruby herself looked to her dad with shaky eyes, which made the man heart-broken, both at her daughter's expression and the fate of his second wife.

"…Yes." He confirmed, causing Ruby to look away with tears in her eyes, to which Yang hugged her as Weiss and Blake put their hands on her for comfort, with Zwei curling up next to Ruby too. Jaune and his team, along with Sonic's friends and even Shadow looked to Ruby in sympathy at that.

"It is reasonable to assume that these silver eyes allowed Ruby Rose to connect to the Chaos Emeralds and induce a Chaos Control." Omega theorized.

"Maybe…?" Tai shrugged. "There have been a lot of legends involving silver-eyed warriors, but nothing on any gemstones like your Chaos Emeralds. And truth is… I don't really understand how they work either."

That took everyone by surprise. "What?" Amy questioned.

"Even though Ruby's mom used them?" Sonic asked. "She didn't tell you how they worked?"

"She tried… but Summer said it was like trying to describe color to someone who's blind." Tai replied.

"What about Ozpin?" Knuckles asked.

"He doesn't know either, believe it or not." Tai said. "Or maybe he just didn't tell us. I'm not sure."

"And you had Ruby go to Beacon to protect her." Tails figured out.

Shadow scoffed. "Even though its headmaster is the one spear-heading that secret war."

"I didn't want Ruby going to Beacon." Tai revealed, much to everyone's further shock. "Truth is, I never wanted her to be a Huntress. Her or Yang." He turned in the direction of his daughters and saw a look of shock and then anger on his eldest, but an expression of heartbreak in his youngest, causing Tai's own heart to sink even further but still continued. "I don't completely regret working for Ozpin. Our team saved a lot of lives… we did a lot of good work back in the day. But… that kind of life… one filled with suffering and death… one that… that took my girls' mothers away…" Tai's body shook. "The last thing I wanted was for either of them that live that kind of life."

"Sure didn't make any effort to stop us though." Yang growled.

"Yang…" Tai tried.

"Don't!" She stood back up and glared at her father. "It's bad enough that my uncle is part of a cult that is ready and willing to sacrifice people's lives for the 'greater good'… but you lied to me my entire life!? You knew some monster was going to come after Ruby!? And you never told us?! It's one thing if you wanted to avoid causing a panic with the populace or whatever… it's another when you keep something like that from the rest of your family!" She shook her head and spoke at her dad with such venom. "But given that you've lied about both of our mothers, I'm not surprised at all to hear that you don't really support our dreams."

"Yang…!" Tai still tried to get through to her, but she marched past him and to the fireplace where she spotted a framed picture of herself and Ruby as kids, with their father, their uncle, and Summer all on it. With her eyes turning red, Yang snatched the picture and threw it across the room, causing it to shatter on the wall, leading to Ruby giving a squeak in fright.

Immediately, Knuckles grabbed her by the arm. She looked down at him with her red eyes and tried to pull her arm back, but he kept a firm grip on her and wouldn't let her go. He then gestured over to one direction, leading to Yang to look at her own sister, who looked at her with worry and fright as Weiss stood close to her with even Blake looking somewhat nervous to reach out to her. This caused Yang's own expression to soften before she calmed down.

"I'll be outside." The blonde then went to the front door and left, slamming the door behind her.

"Maybe… we can all use some space." Blake suggested.

"Yeah… good idea." Tails agreed. "Is it alright if we stay here?" He asked Tai.

"O-of course…" He quickly said, wiping away the tears in his own eyes. "You're all welcome to stay here. All of you. As long as you need."

"Thank you, sir." Weiss nodded as all the students walked out the front door. Even Ruby stood up as Weiss and Blake helped her before they went outside. Sonic and the others were about to leave as well…

"Sonic…?" Tai spoke up, leading the blue Hedgehog to turn around when the man walked to him and kneeled to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you… for bringing my girls back home." He said with such gratitude that he was crying.

Sonic smiled as he patted Tai's arm. "You're welcome." He was the second last one to leave, with Knuckles being behind him as he turned around to see Tai walking to the direction where Yang threw their family photo.

The man kneeled down and tried to clear away the broken glass to retrieve the picture, but his hands shook as tears formed in his eyes. He tried to push through that and reach for it, but Knuckles' own gloved hand gently touched his own, much to Tai's surprise. The red Echidna used his free hand to brush aside the glass and pick up the picture before handing it to Tai, which he shakily took.

"If it's alright with you, can we talk?" Knuckles asked humbly.

---

"I'm going for a walk." Ruby said as they were all now outside, where a large campground had been set up in front of their house. The Cyclone was parked on the side with a series of tents set up around the general area, along with bags and cases of supplies that they would need.

"Wait, we could come with you…" Weiss offered.

"No." Ruby replied, her back turned to everyone else. "I just want to be alone right now."

Weiss looked like she wanted to say something, but Amy stepped forward. "Alright. But if you need anything, just say it. You got your scroll on you, right?"

Ruby wordlessly reached into her pocket to take out her scroll and show it to them before walking away, making her way towards the woods. Ruby happened to stop by a nearby shed where she heard the sounds of tools at work, no doubt Yang working on some kind of project inside to vent her frustrations. But Ruby paid it little mind before walking off into the woods, with Zwei following her.

"Will she be alright?" Blake asked.

"I think she just needs time right now." Tails said.

"Listen up, all of you." Shadow got the attention of the remaining six students. "This has gotten too dangerous. You've all done your part, but it ends here and now."

"What?" Nora questioned. "You can't be serious!"

"This is not up for debate." Shadow reaffirmed. "Do you remember what was said when you started working with us in our investigation with Eggman?"

Though a few of the students didn't answer right away, Pyrrha responded. "You said if it got too dangerous, that we'd be out."

"And it's reached that point now." Shadow stated. "Many of you are capable fighters, but you're still young. And our enemy is not just Eggman anymore, but a creature that is hell-bent on destroying all life on this planet. Not to mention the supposed defenders that are willing to risk your lives to do what they feel is right."

"B-But… Adam… and the White Fang…?" Blake stuttered.

"If you have any more information to share, share it now." Shadow said. "Otherwise, your time with us has ended."

"What about Ruby?" Weiss asked. "You heard what her father said in there? About silver eyed people being a target for Salem?"

"Ruby is one thing." Shadow replied. "In her case, it may be safer with her if she's with us for her protection. This island may no longer have any Grimm on it, but if Eggman wants her, he will wipe it off the face of the planet to get to her."

"He's not wrong." Tails added. "If Eggman gets the Eclipse Cannon working…"

"Exactly." Shadow reaffirmed. "Ruby would be safer with us until Salem and Eggman have been dealt with. As for the rest of you, you've contributed much, but it's over now."

"Shadow… please…" Jaune tried to plead with him.

"My decision is final." He said with finality, causing all the students to look down before he noticed a disapproving look on Sonic's face. "Don't give me that look, you know I'm right."

"Okay, okay, why don't we talk elsewhere?" Sonic suggested.

"I just said…" Shadow was starting to get irritated until Rouge appeared behind him to put both of her hands on his shoulders.

"We need to talk Shadow. Like a real talk." The white Bat insisted before she looked at the students. "You kids just get some rest. Okay?"

"Alright." Ren nodded as the rest of the students all split up, with Tails, Amy, and Omega moving to join them before Rouge pulled Shadow over to the other side of the cabin with Sonic right beside them.

Once they were behind the house and out of ear-shot from everyone else, Shadow spoke up again. "We all agreed…"

"That if it got too dangerous, they're out." Sonic interrupted. "And you're not wrong. This whole conspiracy stuff going on with Ozpin and Salem is crazy, not to mention Ruby's eyes being connected to the Emeralds. Honestly, I agree that Ruby would be safer with us. But that's not the problem."

"Then what?" Shadow questioned.

"Let's start with the fact that you almost pulverized Ruby's uncle right in front of her, just after she woke up from probably the most traumatizing night of her life." Rouge pointed out with her hands on her hips.

"Qrow struck Jaune first. Did you expect me not to react to that?" Shadow retaliated.

"Okay, he was a jerk about this whole thing. I'm kinda ticked at him too." Sonic admitted. "Especially with Ozpin since he made it so the Maidens can't give up their powers unless they freaking die. But you don't have to treat everyone in his inner circle like they're the enemy."

"After what they tried to do to Pyrrha, and Ruby especially…!" Shadow as growling at that part.

"That was messed up, no argument there." Rouge agreed. "They essentially tried to weaponize those two girls. And we all know how you feel about that." That caused Shadow to look away slightly. "But like it or not, we need them. We don't know anything about Salem or the rest of Remnant outside of Vale. If we're gonna look for the Chaos Emeralds and take the fight to her and Eggman, we need to know more. It would be easier if we worked together."

"How can you consider working alongside them after what they've done?" Shadow questioned. "They deceived us, manipulated children…"

"At least Glynda was willing to apologize and admit she was wrong." Sonic argued. "And we don't know anything about the other Headmasters. Maybe they're good people who disagreed with that messed up Aura transfer machine like Tai did. And besides, we all know that you have done worse." That, again, caused Shadow to look away. "You've tried to kill me when we first met, heck you even tried to blow up the whole Earth. So, what? You want me to take you out with the rest of the Ozluminati? After all, if they can't be forgiven, can you?"

That caused Shadow to back away, raising his hands in defeat. "What would you suggest then?"

"First, give the kids time to let everything process." Rouge said. "They basically found out that there's a monster out there who wants to wipe out everything and everyone they know. We might be used to that sort of thing, but they're not."

"And maybe apologize to Ruby?" Sonic suggested.

"She would be more willing to listen to you." Shadow said to Sonic specifically.

"But I'm not the one who caused a scene in her own home." The blue Hedgehog replied. Shadow said nothing more before dashing away on his air shoes. "Think he'll do it?" He asked Rouge.

"He'll try, in his own way at least." She confirmed with a smirk. "Speaking of kids, you know the others are gonna still get themselves involved, despite what Shadow said."

"Yeah. Blake's got some personal investment with the White Fang, Yang's gonna probably want to find her mom, heck I think Pyrrha's probably gonna want to find who the next Fall Maiden is…" Sonic began to list off.

"Right, so let's let those kids rest and think for a bit." Rouge suggested. "Knowing them, they'll let it all process before thinking of a plan themselves."

Sonic smirked. "Since when are you a psychiatrist?"

"Hey, knowing how people think is essential for any spy." Rouge shrugged off. "Speaking of…" Her ears perked up at something as she glanced back at the sight of a black bird with red eyes, hiding in the trees behind them. She quickly threw out one of her Purple Hearts' in its boomerang form as it moved to strike the bird, who flew down before its shape changed to reveal none other than Qrow who landed on the ground with an annoyed expression. "Sorry buddy, can't feel these ears." She flapped her own ears.

Sonic gave a whistle, this being the first time seeing Qrow turn into a bird, or back from one anyway. "Bet that comes in handy."

"Guess the whole bird thing really does run in the family." Rouge said.

"Well, it's in their names so…" Sonic joked, while Qrow just looked annoyed as he smacked his own hand against his face with a growl.

---

Jaune gave a grunt as he slashed Crocea Mors at a nearby tree, chopping off a much of the bark before he pulled back and slashed again. And again. And again. And again. He slashed and hacked at the tree so much that the outer bark was all but gone.

"If you're trying to chop that tree down for firewood, there are more effective ways to do it." Tails said from behind as he and Ren approached Jaune, who took a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead before turning toward them.

"I'm training." Jaune said.

"You're supposed to be resting." Ren pointed out.

"I don't need to rest." Jaune insisted as he lifted his Crocea Mors again, only for Tails to come to him and put his hand on Jaune's own as well as the handle of his sword.

"Yeah, you do. You're gonna wear yourself out like this." Tails told him, causing Jaune to sigh as he let himself fall on his rear, with Ren and Tails sitting in front of him.

"You're not training. You're venting." Ren said, causing Jaune to look away, who made no effort to deny it.

"Ozpin made me the leader of Team JNPR." The blonde began. "I didn't ask for it, he gave that title to me. As the leader, everyone on my team is my responsibility, right?"

"Right." Tails confirmed.

"So, Ozpin had no room wanting to make Pyrrha, my partner and teammate, into his Fall Maiden without even talking to us with her! With me!" Jaune exclaimed, standing up from his spot. "All that stuff about unity and friendship, and he almost destroyed our team!" He punched the tree he was venting on so hard that it cracked. "And Qrow… Oh-ho-ho… that bastard…! He has the audacity to say he cares about Ruby?! Then he shouldn't have let her go to Beacon in the first place! All he and Ozpin wanted was just another silver-eyed soldier in their secret war! Yang's mom was right! Ruby needs to stay as far away from them as possible!" He punched the tree again several times before it ultimately broke, causing it to topple over. He fell to his own knees as the Aura around his own hands flashed slightly.

Tails and Ren both said nothing and just let Jaune had the chance to vent all his frustrations out before they both exchanged eye-contact and walked forward to him.

"What Ozpin and Qrow tried to do was wrong. You're right to be angry with them for that." Ren said. "But we can't exactly fight them ourselves."

"Well, it's not like Sonic or Shadow couldn't take them…" Jaune put in.

"They can, but that's not the point." Tails added. "If we fight them, we're just playing into Eggman and Salem's hands."

"So what? We're supposed to work with them?" Jaune questioned, turning to them to show his anger filled face. "After what they did…?!"

"Not all of them feel that way!" Tails insisted. "I know for a fact that Miss Goodwitch feels ashamed for what they tried to do."

"Then why didn't she stop it?" Jaune questioned.

"Ozpin likely persuaded her." Ren assumed.

"Of course he did." The blonde rolled his eyes.

"Jaune… you're not alone here." Tails quickly said. "You're the leader of your team, but that doesn't mean you gotta shut everyone else out. Your teammates are your friends, people you can confide in. And they're not your only ones, you got lots of friends that you can talk to."

"And you're not the only one who feels betrayed." Ren added as his own eyes narrowed. "I'm furious with them myself."

"It doesn't look it…" Jaune muttered.

"I'm very good at concealing my anger." Ren commented. "Trust me, my friend. A calm sea can be just as crushing as a raging one."

Jaune blinked in surprise. "Wow… that sounded deep. Eh, no pun intended with the whole 'sea' thing uh… you get what I mean!"

Ren smiled. "Yeah, I do." This was enough to cause Jaune to smile somewhat, but it faded again. "But that's not the only reason you're upset, is it?"

"She kissed me." Jaune muttered.

"Who?" Tails asked.

"Pyrrha…" He hung his head down.

"Oh… Really?" Tails looked to Ren in surprise.

"On the lips. Yes." He confirmed.

"Oh…" Tails winced somewhat at that, a sudden feeling of awkwardness setting in.

---

"I kissed Jaune…" Within the tent she shared with Nora, Pyrrha sat with an embarrassed expression on her face, sitting across from Amy and Nora. She put her hands over her eyes as her whole face turned red. "Why'd I have to do that?!"

"Hey, it was the end of a big battle." Nora said. "You're entitled to a just as big a smooch."

"Exactly. You can never top the likes of a VE-Day kiss." Amy added. "You should be happy, Pyrrha."

"Except he doesn't like me back." Pyrrha said into her hands before lowering them. "You all know how he feels about Weiss, there's no way it's going to work out with us!"

"Uh, if I'm being honest, he's probably given up on Weiss." Nora said. "I don't see him hitting on her anymore."

"Even if he no longer feels that way about her, who's to say that he feels that way about me?" Pyrrha questioned. "He's already such a great friend, I don't want to ruin all of that with perhaps my first real friend who saw me for me and not the Invincible Girl!"

"Hey, hey." Amy reached out to grab both of Pyrrha's hands with her own. "You remember what we talked about, right? Just before the dance?"

Pyrrha only nodded as Amy spoke to her.

"You said that same kind of thing before, about making things too awkward?" Amy recalled. "Well, now it's out in the open. Talk with Jaune, let him know how you feel. If he feels the same way back, then great. If not? Then… I'm sorry. But what you two have is special. So, no matter what, I know he'll have your back. He'll always be there for you, whether it's just as a friend or something more."

"And he's not the only one. We're all here for you, Pyrrha." Nora added, grabbing onto Pyrrha's left hand with both of hers while Amy held onto her right one. "If it doesn't work out, not only will I give Jaune a harsh tongue-lashing for not taking you seriously, but you don't have to face that alone either. Whether it's fighting monsters and bad guys, or dealing with all that awkward mushy stuff, the JNPR family is facing it together. You, me, Ren, and Jaune, we're all in this together. No matter what."

Pyrrha let lose a sigh, feeling a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. While she was still nervous if Jaune didn't reciprocate her feelings, it felt good to know that she wasn't dealing with it alone.

"Thank you, both of you." Pyrrha wrapped her arms around them both as Amy and Nora returned the embrace. Though Pyrrha broke off soon after. "While we're on that subject, I do have something else I want to share."

"What's up?" Nora asked with a smile.

"Remember how you said that with… whatever was inside Cinder now being gone… that the Fall Maiden power could be anywhere?" Pyrrha recalled nervously.

"Yeah…?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Pyrrha sighed again, this time out of nervousness as her anxiety returned. She closed her eyes…

And then opened them to reveal a red fiery glow over her own eyes.

---

"Oh gods…" Jaune continued to sit, his hands over his face as Tails and Ren stared at him sympathetically. "Oh gods… Oh gods…"

"You've been saying that for the last minute." Ren pointed out.

"What else am I supposed to do?!" Jaune exclaimed. "My partner and best friend kissed me?! On the lips! On the lips!" He leaned into both of them, causing them to both to fall back. "Does this mean Pyrrha likes me?! Like, likes me, likes me?!"

"That's usually what a kiss means." Ren said as he and Tails picked themselves up.

"Okay Jaune, just calm down." Tails tried to ease him.

"Calm down?! How am I supposed to be calm?!" Jaune continued to panic as he pulled on his own hair. "Oh, this is crazy! My best friend has a crush on me!? How did I not see that?! Why didn't she say anything?! How am I supposed to…"

*SLAP!*

Ren's hand coming across Jaune's face stopped his rant. The young man blinked a few times and was snapped out of his panicky state.

"Thanks, Ren."

"You're welcome." He nodded.

"Look, Jaune…" Tails began. "I'm not… quite the expert when it comes to talking about this kind of thing. I never had a girlfriend, and I'm not interested in one right now. But, you do feel comfortable talking with Pyrrha regardless, right? You didn't have any problems before."

"No, I didn't." Jaune confessed. "Because I just thought she was a friend. I mean… she's great! Amazing! I just… never really considered… Should I consider this?"

"I think it would be rude to at least not consider her own feelings." Ren told him. "But at the same time, you shouldn't dismiss your own."

"Yeah… if I'm being honest though… I don't know what to feel." Jaune confessed.

"Well, that's fine. Who said you had to figure all that out right away?" Tails asked with a smile. "Tell that to Pyrrha. Just tell her that you need time figure things out, I'm sure she'll understand."

"And what if I end up doing something that's going to ruin our friendship? Jaune asked, looking away.

Ren put his hand on Jaune's shoulder and gave a smile. "I don't think there's anything you can say or do that'll make her feel any less of you, even just as a friend."

Jaune smiled back as he put a hand on Ren's arm, looking to him and Tails. "Thanks guys, you're the best."

"Anytime." Tails smiled.

---

Nora stared at Pyrrha in awe and surprise as she saw the red fiery glow in the eyes of her sister-in-arms. She'd never seen anything like that from her before and, for one of the few times in her life, Nora had no idea what to say.

Amy, however, was quick to figure it out. "You… You have the Fall Maiden's power…?!"

"Yes." Pyrrha confessed, her eyes still glowing. She opened up both her palms as a fireball appeared in one and a small tornado in the other, much to their surprise.

"Wha…?! How…?!" Nora questioned. "You… You weren't in that machine! And Amber died…! How can you…?!"

"Well, right after Sonic wiped out all of the Grimm and the battle was over… something happened to me…" Pyrrha began.

---

Flashback

Pyrrha had found herself in the middle of a white void, looking around in shock. One second, she was at Beacon with all her friends and allies. But she blinked and now, she was here.

"Hello!? Where is everyone?!"

"I see… So, you're my successor then."

Gasping, Pyrrha looked directly in front of her to see none other than the woman that she saw in cryo-stasis within the Aura transfer machine. But unlike there, she was wide awake, her eyes opened to reveal something of a saddened expression.

"A-Amber…?"

"That's my name. Or was, it seems."

"But… does this mean… your power…?"

"So, you know? Well that at least saves me time explaining it, not that we really have much of it." Amber said reluctantly.

"I don't want it!" Pyrrha cried out. "I don't want the responsibility…!"

"It doesn't look like you have a choice." Amber told her. "I don't either. I never wanted this, but we don't always choose what we get."

Pyrrha was already crying, which only caused Amber to look in sympathy.

"I am truly sorry. But maybe you can do more good than I did with it. It's your power now." The former Fall Maiden said as her body slowly began to fade. "Good luck. You're going to need it." Those were her last words before she faded away completely.

End Flashback

---

"…and now, here we are." Pyrrha finished. "As far I can tell, I'm still me. I don't have any of Amber's memories or anything. So that's one good thing."

"Why didn't you say something?" Nora asked.

"I didn't want Qrow or the others finding out. Because I don't want them to send me away." Pyrrha confessed, causing the two pink girls to look at her with softened expressions. She then gave a hallow laugh. "Ironic… I told them no. That I wasn't going to be their Fall Maiden… the Invincible Girl that they saw me as. But I guess destiny has other plans."

"Destiny can take my Piko-Piko to the face!" Amy stated firmly, much to Pyrrha's surprise. "I got a thing for tarot cards, but if that means I gotta let this sweet and innocent girl throw her life away just because some old man tells her to?! Then I'll throw those cards in the fire and beat up anyone who tries!"

"That goes double for me!" Nora proclaimed. "I don't care if he's Ruby's uncle! If Qrow tries anything with you, I'm gonna put him in the hospital!

"You… you guys…!" Pyrrha was already getting emotional.

"We don't care if you're the Fall Maiden or some Invincible Girl!" Nora stated, firmly grabbing Pyrrha by the arms. "You are Pyrrha Nikos! A member of Team JNPR and my best friend! A sister even! And I am not letting anyone take you away! Not ever!"

"You don't have to tell the others right now if you don't want to." Amy added, speaking more gently before smiling again. "But when you do, I think we all know what they'll say. We're not letting you go, Pyrrha. Are you willing to let us go?"

Pyrrha closed her eyes and let the magic flames vanish as she turned her powers off before opening them to reveal tears flowing out with a smile as she wrapped both her arms tightly around Nora and Amy, even more so than before. "Never!"

She cried as the two hugged her once more, holding her as tightly as they could as she let out all her pent-up emotions.

---

Yang was currently in the shed, working on a new motorcycle that her dad had bought to replace the one that Metal Sonic tore apart. Seemed like a good way to tune everything else out, by tuning everything on the new bike. It was the same model as the old one, but it was black unlike her yellow one. But that was fine, she could give it a new paint job later.

"Yang…" A voice spoke to her. But she was tuning it out, focused on working on her new bike. "Yang." Her fists clenching and her teeth grinding, she did her best to block it out and focus on her bike. "Yang!"

"What?!" She exclaimed, throwing away her socket wrench and finally turning around to see Blake staring at her. Her expression softened somewhat, but her anger was still there. "What do you want, Blake? I'm busy."

The Faunus girl gave a sigh before speaking firmly. "Yang, I know you're going through a lot. But there's no need to take your anger out on me or ignore everyone else! But if you're not in the mood, I'll just go." Blake turned around to walk away, only for Yang to quickly grab her arm.

"Blake, wait. I'm sorry." She quickly said. "You're right, I shouldn't have lashed out. It's just… Grr!" She got angry again. "All this time…! All this time and everything Qrow's done, it's been for Ozpin and his damn conspiracy! He has the nerve to say that my mom abandoned us?! He left us for Ozpin! Why?! What's wrong with this family?! And, if he's really talking crap about Raven abandoning us, then he should take that up to Summer cause she did the same thing! She left us for Ozpin, and it got her killed! Ozpin got her killed, and Qrow's still working for him?! At least Dad got out of it! But he still didn't tell me that Ruby, my own sister, was being targeted by a monster?!" With a yell, Yang punched a hole clear through the wall.

Blake just stood there, not saying anything and giving her partner the chance to vent because she really needed to get it all out. She knew first-hand how hard it was to keep all of it inside you, and how painful it was to not let those around you know how you feel.

That's when she heard sobbing. "She left…" Yang turned around to reveal her eyes were now their normal lilac color, but also red from the tears that were pouring down, causing Blake's expression to soften. "I finally found her… and she left right after…! Why…?! Why did she leave again?! Why does everyone do this?! Why does everyone keep leaving me…?!" She slid down the wall and pulled her legs in as she cried her eyes out.

Blake immediately sat down next to her. "I'm not leaving." Yang didn't respond right away, but her sobs slowed somewhat as Blake continued. "I told you before, that I know what it's like to have someone you look up to, someone you trust, not be who you think they are. Or to have your own family feel like they're leaving you, or that they don't believe in what you want. I also told you, that you don't have to be strong in front of me." That's when Yang slowly looked toward her, her messy face partially concealed by her arms and legs as Blake looked to her with a sincere expression. "You need a shoulder to lean onto, Yang? Right now, I'm that shoulder. So let yourself fall apart and I'll help pick up the pieces. I'm here for you, Yang. And I won't ever abandon you."

Yang then pulled her partner into a hug as she sobbed out loud, letting all her frustrations pour out of her like a raging flood. Blake wasted no time in hugging her back, holding onto Yang tightly as tears formed in her own eyes as well.

And just outside, Sonic and Weiss happened to hear the whole thing. Both of them wanted to say something, but it looks like Blake beat them too it.

"Heh, second place for once." Sonic chuckled. "Not used to that." That caused Weiss to snicker somewhat, but Sonic could see that there was some turmoil inside her as well and she needed to let it out. "Okay, what's eating ya?"

Seeing no point in trying to hide it, Weiss spoke. "Did you happen to see Adam Taurus' face… during the battle?"

"No, not really." Sonic answered. "Barely even saw the guy."

"He had my company's logo branded onto his face." Weiss revealed, causing Sonic to look in surprise. "Right over his eye… SDC. Schnee Dust Company."

"Ouch." Sonic winced.

"My name… used in such a… barbaric… and horrifying manner…" Weiss grabbed her arms as her body began to shake. "I… I know that my company has problems… I've even seen how Faunus are treated… by people in my company but… branding…? Like… like he was owned by them…. Like… a slave… no… like cattle… How can I not have known that?! That my family's name could be used… for something so… evil…!? The White Fang have killed innocent people. They've sided with Eggman… and Salem but… I don't blame them for hating my family…! For hating me…!"

"Hey, it's not like you're the one who did that to him." Sonic said.

"I might as well have!" Weiss exclaimed as tears were in her own eyes as she crouched, her body shaking even more. "I've turned a blind eye to what my family has become! Now when I see my own reflection, all I see is my father staring back at me with a grin!"

"Weiss, hey, look at me!" Sonic sped over in front of her. She looked at him with a shaky expression to see just how serious he was. "You're not your dad! You didn't brand Adam! You didn't do any of that stuff that your company did! Just because you didn't know about it doesn't make you guilty! It's not your fault. Whatever those creeps might have told you, they're wrong. All that stuff? It's your dad. Not you! You got that?"

"I…" Weiss continued to shake. "I…"

"Your company isn't you. Your dad isn't you." Sonic continued. "Who you are is up to you. Not me, not your pops, not that Adam-jerk, you. You are free to be whoever you want. If you want to burn down the SDC and remake it into something better, go ahead. I'll help light the fire. Or if you just wanna walk away from it all, then walk away. Only you get to decide what you want to do, nobody else. Don't let your last name drag you down. Either cut it off, or get stronger so that nothing can weigh your down. And Weiss, you are strong enough already. Plenty strong. Those guys can't hold a candle to you even if they wanted to." He grinned his typical grin. "And if any of them try to say otherwise, you tell em to kiss your boots and leave them in the dust. Cause you can run circles around them. I know you can, Weiss Schnee."

The heiress looked at him with emotional eyes. Once again, she was reminded of the kind of person Sonic the Hedgehog was. He wasn't the type to let anything get in his way. He was the type to do what he wanted, to help who he wanted, and to stand against anything that would threaten even a complete stranger. He was as free as the wind. Not even a horde of Grimm could stop him! He wasn't just as free as the wind, he was like a golden light in the darkness, evident when he literally turned gold and burned away all the Grimm in all of Vale. He was the kind of person that she wanted to be. Someone who was free, but someone who stood up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves.

"Thank you, Sonic." Weiss hugged him. "Thank you."

"No prob." He smiled genuinely and patted her back.

Weiss' smile faded as she pulled away. "Ruby… I can't imagine what she's going through right now." A part of her felt she could relate on the matter of a parental figure not being who they think they are, something she shared with her during the tournament… but this whole thing with her eyes… and seeing Penny get torn apart with her own weapon…

"Yeah…." Sonic looked down. "Poor kid's got it hard. But she ain't alone in this either. She's got you, me, and everyone else. So, when she gets back, we'll be sure to let her know, right?"

Weiss smiled once more. "Right."

---

Shadow had already sped through most of the island, not finding any further signs of Grimm, which was to be expected. He had already searched Patch the moment they came here and all he found were just a couple of empty craters, likely where the Grimm pools used to be. Though he supposed he could take another sweep for any Badniks or suspicious figures who may be after Ruby since Eggman and Salem knew of her now.

Based on what he had seen, even though Patch was technically considered a part of the Vale kingdom, it was a relatively isolated and small community. Perhaps that was the reason the girl grew up here. If those with silver eyes were being hunted by Salem, it would make sense to live in an isolated area such as this. Of course, that didn't exactly put any comfort onto Shadow. Ruby was a child, born with a unique power, and others were planning to either use her for said power, or kill her. She didn't deserve to live a life like that. But once they've eliminated Salem and drove Eggman back, perhaps she can live a free life. For now though, it would be best to keep her with them for her own protection.

Shadow soon sped out of a forest and came to a stop at a small clearing on a cliffside, where he spotted a stone on the edge. A gravestone. The black Hedgehog stepped forward slightly to get a closer look. Once he saw it, his own expression softened as he read what was engraved on it…

'Summer Rose. Thus Kindly, I Scatter'

Complete with a rose emblem engraved above it.

The Ultimate Lifeform closed his eyes slightly, paying his own respects. But they soon opened at the sound of movement coming from behind. Instinctively, he grabbed the handle of Arondight as he turned with a serious expression towards the trees…

Only to see Ruby stepping out, with Zwei right behind her. The girl gasped slightly. "Shadow…?" Zwei gave a small bark himself. Shadow lowered his guard the moment he saw her. "I… I could come back…"

"No, it's fine." He allowed, stepping away slightly and letting her walk closer towards the grave. Ruby looked down at the gravestone and Shadow saw the sorrowful expression on his face. "Your mother?"

"Yeah…"

"My condolences." He said sincerely.

"Thank you…" Ruby sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Shadow sighed again before he spoke. "I owe you an apology." That caught Ruby too look at him in surprise. "For the escalation that took place in your home."

"No… Qrow was the one who hit Jaune. He took it too far." Ruby replied. She gave a small chuckle. "I guess you were right about not trusting him. But I didn't want you to be. Technically we're not related. Yang's mom was his sister, not my mom. But he was the one who trained me… Even though he wasn't as home as often I'd like… he almost felt like a second dad. I always hoped that… whenever he was away… it was for a good reason. I just… didn't think it would be…" She didn't even get a chance to finish as she sniffled. "Do you really think he's a bad person?"

"He's a fool, who puts more faith in a ghost than his own family." Shadow said what he felt. "That said, I wouldn't necessarily call him malevolent. Just an imbecile. But that doesn't make him any less dangerous."

Ruby didn't quite know how to feel about that. On one end, it was nice to know that her uncle wasn't evil. On the other, him being dangerous still frightened her, especially if it involved all her friends. Shadow could tell right away that Ruby felt conflicted. And probably isolated at the moment, unsure of what to do next or who to talk to. Sonic would have best been the one to talk to her, but he could at least say something to help her feel that she wasn't alone.

"You've heard that I am referred to as the Ultimate Lifeform, correct?" Shadow asked.

"Uh… yeah. Rouge called you that at Mountain Glenn. And I think you said that yourself at Beacon… when we were all talking with Pyrrha." Ruby remembered.

"Do you know why I'm called that?" Shadow asked again.

"Because you're so crazy powerful…?" Ruby guessed, remembering when Shadow used his Chaos Blast to destroy all of Merlot's mutant Grimm.

"Because I was made to be that powerful." Shadow revealed.

"Made?" Ruby looked in confusion.

"I'm not a natural born creature. I was grown artificially in a laboratory, aboard the Space Colony ARK." Shadow revealed. "Well over fifty years ago."

"Fifty years?!" Ruby backed away in surprise.

"And the one who created me… was Professor Gerald Robotnik." Shadow revealed once more.

"Robotnik…?" Ruby gasped. "Eggman?!

"Not the Doctor, but his grandfather." Shadow began. "The Professor was not like the Doctor though. He had no aspirations for world domination. To the contrary, he wanted to save it." That got Ruby's attention as she listened closely. "The Professor, you could say was the exact opposite of the Doctor, using his intellect to help as many people as he could. The government of our world was so impressed with him, that they wanted him to use his medical brilliance to find a way for humans to become immortal."

"Immortal…?" Ruby stuttered, but continued to listen.

"The Professor refused, believing that would violate nature. At least at first…" Shadow closed his eyes before continuing. "His granddaughter, Maria, was diagnosed with a terminal illness, one that had no cure. But Gerald had hoped that this project would have the means to cure her. Even if he was against the idea of immortality, he had hoped that this project would at least cure all disease, so he accepted the project. He brought his research team aboard the ARK, Maria included. He tried almost everything he could, but nothing he did worked. He couldn't create what he had hoped would save his granddaughter. And the more he failed, the more it ate away at him. That is until… he received help."

"From the government…?" Ruby asked.

"No. From extra-terrestrials." Shadow revealed, much to Ruby's further surprise.

"Aliens?! Like actual aliens!?"

"The Black Arms." Shadow continued. "A space ferrying race, traveling across the universe on a comet. Their leader, Black Doom, was impressed with the Professor's work and offered his help. Their technology was unlike anything he'd ever seen, more advanced than anything you could dream of, particularly bioengineering." He noticed a confused look on Ruby's face.

"Bio… what…?" She clearly didn't understand.

"The study of organic matter." He translated.

"Oh." Now she understood.

"With their help, the Professor succeeded." Shadow went on. "He had created a lifeform that was immune to all disease, one that wouldn't age even. Me." He looked to Ruby as her own eyes widened in shock. "I don't age the way you and everyone else does, likely a result of Black Doom donating his own DNA to the Professor to grow me. You could say that Black Doom was my biological father. Not long after I came to be, the Black Arms left with Black Doom promising to return for 'The Time of Reckoning'."

"That doesn't sound good…" Ruby commented.

"It wasn't." Shadow confirmed. "Not long after they left, the Professor soon discovered what the Black Arms really were. A parasitic race that would feed off the sentient life of any planet they came across. If I were to describe them in a way you understood… imagine the Grimm, but with advanced technology, and military tactics."

Militarized Grimm?! Ruby's imagination led her to picture the likes of the Grimm being organized like the Atlas military, even operating their own ships and using the same kind of weapons. Suffice to say, such a thought terrified her.

"The Professor had developed the Eclipse Cannon as a countermeasure against the Black Arms for when they return, a way to destroy their comet." Shadow continued. "I never knew any of this though. The only home I knew was the ARK, and the only family I felt I had was the Professor and Maria." He looked down in mourning. "She was like a sister to me. While some of the scientists treated me as an experiment, she saw me as a person. She loved me… and I felt the same way about her."

"Maria…" Ruby then remembered what had happened on Merlot's Island. "As in… that girl that Mimic took the form of…?"

"Yes." Shadow confirmed.

"What happened to her?" Ruby asked, getting a bad feeling about this.

"She died." He revealed, causing her to gasp. "Not from the disease. The government began to grow fearful of Gerald's experiments, particularly me. They saw me as a potential threat, even though I had done nothing to harm them. Because of that, the project was shut down. Soldiers invaded the ARK, arrested all of the scientists, Gerald included, and tried to capture me. Maria tried to help me… only for those same soldiers to gun her down right in front of me."

Ruby gasped again, putting her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

"A twelve-year-old girl… unarmed… not a threat to anyone…" Shadow closed his own eyes, remembering her smiling face, even as she died. "And I couldn't do a damn thing to save her."

Ruby couldn't even imagine what that was like… Actually… she did. She did understand what that was like. After all… Penny was cut to pieces right in front of her, and she couldn't do anything to save her either.

"But despite her efforts, the soldiers were still able to capture me." Shadow continued. "The Professor was driven mad… the very project that the government pressured him to do… the one he poured his sweat, blood, tears, heart, and soul into… the one he bet against everything to save his granddaughter… it was all destroyed, taken away by the same people who wanted him to do it in the first place. He was driven so mad… that he put a program inside me to carry out his revenge, even after being executed by the government."

Executed?! Did Ruby hear that right!? They killed him just because he did what they told him to?!

"I almost destroyed the Earth." Shadow went on. "Both because of the Professor's programing, and because of my own hatred for what happened to Maria. That's how Sonic and I first met, when I tried to kill him for getting in my way."

"But… you didn't…?" Ruby muttered.

"Because it's not what Maria would have wanted." Shadow's expression softened. "Even as she died, she never carried any hatred in her. Her heart was pure… and I couldn't stain her memory with blood. I abandoned my revenge, and dedicated myself to protecting our world and any innocent lives."

"Shadow…" Ruby was already crying. "I'm so sorry…"

"Thank you." He nodded in acknowledgment. "But I didn't share my story to have you pity me. I did it because I can understand what you might be feeling right now. How you feel isolated, alone… wielding a power that you don't understand and unsure of how to use it."

Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to calm herself down as she looked down at her mother's grave again. "You don't want me involved in any of this at all, do you?"

"Not because you are weak, but because you are young and innocent." Shadow said. "Children shouldn't have to put their lives on the line just because foolish adults tell them too."

"But… Salem is after me…" Ruby stuttered.

"Which is why I feel it is best that you stay with us." Shadow replied.

"B-but you just said…"

"Not as a fighter, but so that we can protect you." He explained. "We've dealt with crisis' much like this before. I don't know what exactly your power is, and perhaps we may find out down the road… but just because you have a special power doesn't mean you have to use it. You don't owe anything to anyone. Not us, and certainly not Ozpin and his followers, Qrow included. We're about to go to war, and I've seen just how hellish that is first hand. When the Black Arms returned, they almost destroyed everything. Whole cities were obliterated, streets were stained with blood and the bodies of countless people, children even…" He closed his eyes once more as he heard the screams of people and the deathly roars of the Black Arms soldiers… but above all.. the dark and unholy laugh of Black Doom himself. "That is not a place for children to be in." He sighed yet again. "That said, just as Ozpin's followers can't tell you what you should do, I can't either. All I can do is warn you of what might come. Much like Pyrrha's choice in whether or not to become the Fall Maiden, only you get to choose what to do with you have. Just be aware of the consequences, especially to yourself." He turned around and prepared to leave. "But I can at least say that no matter what, we will protect you. You won't be facing this alone."

"Thank you, Shadow…" Ruby said. "Oh, uh… before you go." She reached out before he could speed off. "I… I don't know what kind of person Maria was… but if she could see you right now… I'm sure she'd be proud of you." She said with a smile.

Shadow kept his back turned for a few seconds before responding. "I'm certain that two of you would have made good friends." He turned to reveal his own smile. "She really would have liked you." That caused Ruby's own smile to grow right before Shadow walked away.

Though Zwei did gallop up to him and gave a friendly bark, leading to the black Hedgehog petting the dog on the head and went back into the forest. Zwei then went over back to Ruby as she turned to look back at her mother's grave. Her smile faded the moment it did, though. While Shadow's words did seem to help her, she still had a lot to think about.

"My choice, huh?" Normally, she'd ask her mother what choice she think she should make… not that she would get an answer. But now… she wasn't sure if she even should ask. It was her choice, not her mother's.

---

Back inside the cabin, Knuckles sat on a chair, across from the sofa where Taiyang sat, two pictures in his hands. One was the family picture that had him, Summer, Qrow, along with the young Ruby and Yang… the one that Yang threw and broke the frame. The other, was that of the old Team STRQ, the same kind of picture that Qrow had.

Tai looked at them with a sad expression, while Knuckles said nothing, waiting for the man to speak.

"Thanks…" He finally spoke. "For… bringing them back home."

"Of course." Knuckles nodded.

Tai chuckled. "Ruby wrote quite a few letters about you guys… I didn't think she was being serious about aliens though… until Ozpin messaged me."

"He told you about us?" Knuckles asked.

"Like I said, I'm retired from his little crusade. But, he and Qrow do tend to let me in on some big things if they feel inclined." Tai explained. "Guess a bunch of aliens counts." Tai chuckled again. "You should have seen what Ruby wrote about Sonic. Called him her 'big blue bro', or 'the cool blue guy'." He laughed. "I swear she was writing fan letters; it was adorable."

Knuckles gave a small laugh himself, unsurprised. Out of all the students they befriended, Ruby was particularly drawn to Sonic. "What about Yang? Did she write anything?"

Tai's smile then faded. "Yang never wrote any letters." That caused Knuckles to look serious. "Even before you guys showed up, she never did. She never really texted or wrote or called… not unless she had to. It was only when I called or texted that she'd respond." He then looked up at Knuckles. "Be honest… was Raven really at Beacon?"

"She was." Knuckles confirmed. "And beforehand too. Helped us even. But she did leave right after… without even so much as a word to Yang." He looked away in anger.

Tai felt the same kind of way. While he was glad to see that she did apparently keep an eye on Yang, and even expressed some concern to Ruby too, it still peeved him that she left soon after. It was one thing if it were him or even Qrow, but she still owed Yang an explanation at least.

"I also know what had happened in Yang's childhood, when she took Ruby to that cabin and almost got them both killed." Knuckles revealed, causing Tai to wince as he regarded that incident too. Qrow was so angry that he beat the crap out of him for that, and he didn't blame him. He had shut down after Summer disappeared and pretty much left his girls alone. "And we both know how stubborn Yang is. She's not going to stop until she finds her mother and gets an explanation out of her. And if I'm being honest, I'd like to speak to her too. To know her side of the story regarding Ozpin's war against Salem. Qrow is very biased towards him, so I know where he stands already. But I also want to know your side of the story. I'm sorry if this is too personal for you, but… if we're both going to help Yang, and believe me she is going to need help for this even if she won't admit it, I need to know what happened."

"You saved her life… and Ruby's." Tai said. "I owe you, so I'll tell you everything."

Knuckles nodded as he gestured for the man to begin. Tai took a breath to collect his thoughts before he spoke.

"Qrow and Raven are twins, and they were born into a bandit tribe in Mistral, and the one in charge was their dad. To say he was an asshole was an understatement. He had this whole motif of how the strong thrive over the weak."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Knuckles rolled his eyes. Even his own people once felt that way back in ancient times.

"Those two did not have a happy life." Tai continued. "Qrow especially. Their dad really hated him. Not that he really favored Raven, but he really hated Qrow. Not my story to tell why, and it's not important right now. When they were old enough, their old man sent them into Beacon… not to become Huntsmen, but to learn how to kill Huntsmen." Now Knuckles was listening very closely. "Huntsmen were tracking and hunting down the bandit tribe, they needed a countermeasure. So, the two enrolled into Beacon and were assigned with Summer and I onto the same team. Raven was Summer's partner, and Qrow was mine. Our first year, the two only kept to themselves, like they were the only people in the world that they can trust. Summer… well… you know how Ruby is, right?" Knuckles nodded to that. "Well, Summer was a lot like that too. Raven always called her annoying and tried to get her to back off, but she stuck to her like glue, determined to find that 'sweet little center' underneath all the 'brooding exterior' as she would say. Qrow also has a… unique Semblance. One that he has a hard time controlling, it's caused our team a number of problems. Ozpin noticed and volunteered to help, even trained him personally. Qrow was reluctant at first, but soon accepted. It didn't take long for Qrow to become attached to him. Ozpin more-or-less became the ideal father to him. Right after that, he started to open up a bit more to Summer and I."

"What about Raven?" Knuckles asked.

"She took a while longer." Tai continued. "You know how stubborn Yang is, right? Well, she's twice as much so." He chuckled, earning a humorous smile from Knuckles as well. "But, eventually, she caved. By the end of our first year, our whole team felt truly together. That's when they opened up to us and Ozpin about the truth of why they came to Beacon… only for Ozpin to already suspect."

"He knew?" Knuckles asked.

"He had a feeling… he's lived long enough to pick up on things most people would overlook." Tai answered. "But despite that, he welcomed them both with open arms, told them that they were capable of so much good, and Summer and I both felt the same. They found a family with all of us." He rubbed the back of his neck with a blush. "Not long after that I… kinda formed a bit of a crush. I'm sure you can guess where that led to."

"You married and having a child." Knuckles said with a smile. "And Yang's a great person. You should be proud."

"I am… I'd like to think that Raven would be too." Tai said before his smile faded. "Like I explained to the kids, Ozpin brought us into his inner circle in our third year. But Qrow and Raven were both given… special tasks. You remember how your black Hedgehog friend pointed out Raven's ability to turn into a bird?"

"I also saw Qrow do the same thing at Beacon." Knuckles replied. "Let me guess, Ozpin?"

"Yep." Tai confirmed. "He used his magic to give them the ability to turn into birds. He employed them as his spies, to get close to people who Salem was close to. Since they enrolled into Beacon as spies, they had the experience and weren't above doing some dirty work either."

"Can you do that too?" Knuckles asked. "Turn into animal? What about Summer?"

"No, just Qrow and Raven." Tai answered before smiling. "But Summer said she'd want to turn into a cute little puppy. Said that nobody would ever suspect a puppy." He laughed again, causing Knuckles to chuckle somewhat himself before realizing something.

"Hold on, I thought Ozpin gave up all of his magic to the Maidens." He remembered.

"Most of it, not all." The retired Huntsman said. "He's not as strong as a single Maiden, but his centuries of experience as a fighter more than make up for that."

"And he's incapable of taking that power back? Even though it came from him?" Knuckles questioned.

"No, he can't." Tai replied, noticing the look of disapproval in the red Echidna's eyes. "Yeah, we all thought the same way too, even Raven. She out right called the Maiden powers curses, just like Ozpin."

"Given the kind of life they have to lead, where they're alone and unable to see their families again… it's easy to think that." Knuckles said.

"And you're not wrong." Tai admitted. "But getting back to the main story… the fight against Salem was brutal. We fought all kinds of dangerous lunatics that sided with her, seen good people be turned against those who cared for them… and all kinds of Grimm horror shows that would keep you up at night. But we faced it together. Even Raven was willing to face it all, to jump into fire! For the sake of the world, for the sake of us! Whenever any one of us were in a pinch, she would fight tooth and nail to help us! Nothing would stand in her way!" Tai smiled reminiscently. "She was… amazing."

"The apple didn't fall far from the tree." Knuckles commented. As stubborn and difficult as Yang was, she at least knew where to aim that. She loved her sister with all her heart and cared deeply for all her friends. She too wouldn't hesitate to jump into battle to help those who needed it.

"Yeah… I'm proud of how much Yang took from her." Tai admitted.

"But… something happened." Knuckles' smile faded, getting serious. "Something that caused her to leave."

Tai's own smile faded. "It… it happened around the time we found out she was pregnant. Everyone was overjoyed, Summer absolutely balled in happiness for her sister-in-arms and begged to be the godmother. I cried my eyes out too. We were gonna have a kid… our family was growing. But Raven… She wore a smile… I could tell that a part of her was happy… but… she was also scared. And the more our little girl grew inside her… the more terrified she became… paranoid even. She would try to call Ozpin as much as she could, ask about anything Salem-related… like when her next big move would be, and if he had something to stop it. The rest of us tried to assure it was alright, and that everything would be fine… But… more and more… she withdrew. Like… like she didn't want to be a part of this anymore."

"Part of what?" Knuckles asked. "Ozpin's crusade? Or the family?"

"At the time… I didn't think there was a difference." Tai shrugged. "Ozpin was part of our lives so much that he felt like a part of the family."

"What happened after Yang was born?" Knuckles asked. "She said that her mother left at that point. But I suspect there's more to the story."

Tai shivered, recalling a specific set of memories that did not sit well with him. "After Yang came into the world… She wanted us to stop. She wanted all of us out of the war against Salem… even quit being Huntsmen entirely. She said it was a suicide mission, and that none of us would make it out alive if we didn't step away, not even Yang. She even went so far as to say that Ozpin would throw Yang to the Grimm if it served his purposes."

"I can see that her fear got to her…" Knuckles said. "But… what's wrong with wanting to get out of that? It sounds like a mother who was scared for her child."

"And I get she was scared for Yang, I understood that. We all did." Tai replied. "We told her that she was free to leave and raise Yang, and put the sword away. To be a mother… But she said that wasn't good enough and wanted all of us to do that."

"Would you?" Knuckles questioned. "Would you walk away from Ozpin and raise your daughter?"

"Of course I would." Tai said firmly. "I strongly considered retiring with Raven and raising Yang. I would have loved a life like that."

"What about Summer or Qrow?" Knuckles asked. "Did they feel the same?"

Tai looked away somewhat. "They were both so committed to the war effort. They felt they could help raise Yang and keep working with Ozpin."

"But Raven didn't like that." Knuckles figured out.

"No. Not one bit." Tai shivered once more as he remembered something that he actually considered the worse moment of his life. "One night… Raven tried to leave with Yang. She took our girl from our crib and tried to flee the house… we tried to catch her, and when we did… she drew her sword on us!" That caused Knuckles' eyes to widen. "She accused us of being Ozpin's puppets, said we were brainwashed! Suicidal soldiers who would raise Yang to be the same! Hell, she even said that if Ozpin asked us to kill Yang we would do it! How could she think that?!" He was in tears as he recalled that. "How could she think we would kill our little girl?! We tried to reason with her…! To talk with her…! But she attacked us!" Knuckles paid close attention as Tai continued to shake as he recalled that. "She fought us tooth and nail. She fought us… like she was fighting the Grimm… like the kind of people we fought against. I looked in her eyes… and I could see fear… fear of us… the way she looked at us… looked at me…" Water was really coming out of his eyes now. "…Like we weren't the same people who loved her… Even Qrow… her own twin brother… she saw as an enemy. We… we had no choice. We took her down." Tai tried to pull back his tears. "We took her to the hospital to recover… told Ozpin what had happened… and then she left. She was gone. All that was left was a black feather. She didn't even take Yang with her." He put his hands on his face. "I never saw her again after that."

Knuckles stood up from his spot and walked over to Tai, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Tai looked up to see the sympathetic expression on the Echidna's face and smiled with gratitude as he patted his arm. Knuckles stepped back and allowed Tai to collect himself again.

"Even if she did leave… if it's true she's been watching over Yang and even Ruby… then I'm glad that she… at least still cares about our little girl." Tai smiled.

"That's another thing I wanted to talk with you about." Knuckles said, getting Tai's attention. "I know that you trained Yang, or at least tried to. I spoke with Ruby about this… and as far as she could tell, you only taught her the basics. Even if you're retired, I'm sure a veteran like you would have seen how she was using her Semblance…"

"Like turning herself into a living punching bag just to store up all the excess energy and later unleash it all in one strike? Not really defending herself from anything bigger than a city block explosion?" Tai assumed.

Knuckles was surprised to hear that. "Wait… you knew? You knew her fighting style was flawed?" Tai only gave a nod. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Maybe because I was scared…" The man replied, looking down. "Yang has so much in common with her mother… and I'm proud of a lot of it… but… Qrow always said it was Raven's fault for leaving. But I can't help but feel that… maybe I did something. Or didn't do what she needed me to do. I… I didn't want to repeat that mistake with Yang. That if I pushed too hard… I'd end up pushing her away. Yang's always been self-sufficient. I regret that I shut down and wasn't there to help her and Ruby grieve after we lost Summer but… she grew up so fast. And if she could take care of herself and Ruby… then maybe… she could figure it out. I gave her advice, spoke in a way that she'd listen and not take it too hard…"

"But all it did was make her feel invincible." Knuckles said. "She made her Semblance into a crutch… Not to mention her temper."

"Yeah… you might be right…" Tai looked away in shame.

Knuckles sighed before speaking. "You want to know something? Yang felt the same way about you."

Tai turned to him in shock. "What…?"

"She told me and some of our friends just how frustrating it was for her growing up, raising Ruby by herself." Knuckles began. "Yes, I know why you… shut down. And I'm sorry for your loss, of both Raven and Summer, I really am. But… Yang lost them too. She never knew her birth mother, her stepmother was loss when she was young, and neither you nor Qrow really told her anything about your past with Raven. Because of that, she felt she had to raise Ruby and be so strong because she had to be. That she had to be the strongest just to be good enough. And that if she showed anything that was seen as weakness, physical or emotional, or being unable to take care of her sister, or even pushing too hard with you… that you'd shut down all over, and her uncle would leave and never come back. She was afraid… of not being strong enough for you."

Tai's eyes widened like saucers, his face in absolute and total surprise. So much so that he took a few steps back and fell backwards into the couch and let it all process.

She was afraid…? Afraid of him leaving like Raven? Afraid… that he would think she wasn't good enough?

"I… I never wanted… I didn't…"

"You didn't intend to hurt her. I know you didn't." Knuckles said. "I can see it, you love your daughter. And… I know she loves you too. But family shouldn't keep secrets from each other. I'm not a parent, and my birth family is long gone… but Sonic and the others? I consider them family. And we're all honest with each other." Tai looked to him with shaky eyes. "You need to be that for Yang. She needs her father."

"After everything…?" Tai muttered. "Y-you saw how she was! How she reacted to… all of this!" He waved his arms around to gesture to all around him. "It's… it's just like how it was for Raven… and if she's really felt that all her life…?" He looked to Knuckles again with tears in her eyes. "There's no chance in hell she's going to forgive me."

"It will only end up that way if you let it." Knuckles told him, grabbing onto Tai's shoulders firmly and looking him dead in the eye. "I don't know if it's too late for you and Raven, but I know it's not too late for you and Yang. She is still here! And you can still reach her!"

"Like this…?" Tai asked emotionally. "She'll never listen to me…"

"Maybe not right now." Knuckles said before smiling. "I've seen her angry, but I've also seen her humble herself. I've seen her willing to open her mind, to learn and improve. Yes, right now, she's hurting. And she's not in a mood to listen, but she will be. And when that time comes, and believe me, it will. Sit down and talk with her. Until then, just tell her that you're here. Let her know that the door is open and you're waiting for her. She'll come back on her own time."

Tai looked down at his own shaky hands? Was there really still a chance he can salvage his relationship with Yang? Even after how much he screwed up? 'What would Summer say?' He wondered to himself. Oh, who was he kidding? He knew exactly what she would say! She would say to get up off his butt and take the leap! Even the smallest chance was still better than no chance at all. Even if he did fail Summer and Raven, he was not about to fail their daughters.

"Okay… I'll let her know." Tai said, causing Knuckles to smile. "When she's cooled off. I'm sure you know by now."

Knuckles scoffed humorously. "Trust me, I do." He offered his hand to the man with a genuine smile. "You're a good man, Taiyang Xiao Long. And you have a pair of incredible daughters."

"Damn right, I do." Tai grasped Knuckles hand with a grin, which turned into a genuine smile. "Thank you, Knuckles. For looking out for her. And… for listening." Clearly, he was keeping all of this in for a while.

"Anytime, my friend."

---

Night had fallen over the Xiao Long family cabin. Nearly everyone was asleep. All of the students and most of Sonic's friends all slept in the tents that they had set up outside. Weiss and Blake shared one tent, Ren was in another by himself, Amy was with Nora, and Tails slept in the cockpit of the Cyclone, with Sonic and Knuckles sleeping against the opposite sides of the parked plane. Omega technically didn't sleep but rather powered himself down as he entered sleep mode. And Rouge wasn't in a tent, but rather hung upside down in a tree on the north side of the house with her wings folding inward, while Shadow slept at the canopy of the tree on the south side, his body directly under the light of the shattered moon.

Inside, Qrow slept on the couch, Tai was asleep in the room that was originally meant for himself and Raven, and later Summer. Yang was sleeping in the room she shared with Ruby, with Zwei curled up at the foot of her bed. But Ruby's own bed was empty.

In fact, the silver-eyed girl wasn't asleep at all. She sat on the roof of her home with a book in her hands, which she was reading to herself aloud.

"…A door opened for Alyx at the tree. But before she went back home, the girl had a great many questions to ponder. After all the lessons she learned, the foes she defeated, the friends she made and lost, who had she become? Would she still be the same Alyx when she went back home? The leaves of the tree rustled, and on the wind, Alyx heard one more question…"

"What are you?"

Turning around in surprise, Ruby looked to see Pyrrha, clad in her own sleepwear, climbing from the window to join the younger girl on the rooftop.

"The Girl Who Fell Through the World?" She asked to which Ruby nodded as Pyrrha set down next to her. "That happens to be my favorite fairy tale. The story of Alyx as she traveled through a whole new world… meeting the Rusted Knight, defeating the Red King at his own game, and evading the mad family and their six-headed beast. It's quite the adventure."

"It's also the last story my mom read before she disappeared." Ruby revealed.

Pyrrha gasped, causing her to look in guilt. "Oh Ruby… I'm so sorry! I didn't…!"

"It's okay." The younger girl smiled, assuring there was no hard feelings before looking down. "I never really thought about that question… what are you? I just thought it was some fairy tale stuff. But now… with my eyes… I'm not so sure."

"I know the feeling." Pyrrha said, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Most of my life, people only saw me for my talents as a fighter and believed that's all I was. When they hear the name 'Pyrrha Nikos', they always think 'the Invincible Girl'. They know what I am, but not who I am."

"And that's why Ozpin and everyone tried to make you into the Fall Maiden." Ruby commented, looking away. "They saw you for 'what', not 'who'." Pyrrha nodded. "It would be one thing if it were Ozpin… but Qrow…" She sniffled at that.

"I really am sorry, Ruby." She wrapped one arm around Ruby and pulled her in, allowing the girl to let some tears fall. Of course, it wasn't just Qrow that she had lost faith in. Her mom was also involved in all of this too. If she were still here, what would she say about all of this? Would she have gone along with Ozpin about trying to make her friend into a living weapon and lying about all of this? A part of her had hoped that wasn't the case since her father was out-right against it. But… given how young she was when Summer left… Ruby never really knew her. She had no idea if she would be against or support such a morally gray choice. And that terrified her. She never really did know her own mother, did she?

They both heard a creak on the rooftop. Not so loud that it would wake up everyone, but loud enough to catch their attention as they turned to see Jaune trying to crawl his way on, but it looked like he was trying to do so quietly as to not disturb them.

"Sorry…. Sorry… don't mind me! I'll just… go back… in." He tried to go back in through the window.

"No Jaune, it's fine. Come on out here." Pyrrha allowed.

With a sigh, Jaune climbed back out and sat down near the two. "You looked like you were talking about some… personal stuff. I didn't want to get in the way."

"It's okay." Ruby said as she wiped the tears from her face. "Are you… okay, Jaune? Qrow hit you…."

"I'm fine." Jaune replied. "What about you? You okay?"

"A little better…" Ruby answered. "Weiss and Sonic tried to talk with me when I got back, I appreciated it. But I still got some things I need to figure out."

"Don't we all?" Pyrrha said somewhat humorously.

"Sorry I yelled back there…" Jaune apologized.

"No, Jaune you were right to be angry." Ruby told him. "I'm angry at Qrow. What he tried to Pyrrha, what he did to you, and how he's been treating Sonic and everyone."

"Well, I just wanted to say that… I got your back, Ruby." Jaune told her. "One leader to another, and a friend to a friend."

"We both do." Pyrrha added.

Ruby smiled emotionally towards them. "Thanks guys."

Jaune's own smile lowered before he spoke to the other girl on the rooftop. "Pyrrha… about what happened at Beacon I uh…"

"I'm sorry, Jaune." Pyrrha quickly said. "I'm sorry for…"

"No, don't be sorry. I mean it wasn't bad…" Jaune spoke up, with Ruby looking in confusion. "I was just… surprised. I didn't know you felt that way…"

"Well, the fault is mine for not exactly conveying how I felt." Pyrrha went on, which only caused more question marks to appear around Ruby as she had no idea what was happening right now.

"And I kinda made moves on Weiss all the time, but I was too dense to take a hint." Jaune added. "Which only makes sense, cause I'm apparently so dense that I didn't notice you. Not that you're unnoticeable or anything, you really stand out. But not in a bad way, in a good way. I'm mean, you're famous. But I'm not looking for famous! Oh, did that come out wrong? It came out wrong! I…"

"Uh… what's going on here?" The confused Ruby asked, with that confusion only growing as she saw Jaune and Pyrrha look away from each other with red faces before the latter answered.

"I kissed Jaune."

Ruby blinked a few times, taking a few seconds to process it all before she inhaled and prepared to scream…

Only for Pyrrha to quickly cover her mouth. "Sssh! Let's please not wake everyone else up!"

Ruby nodded as the older girl removed her hand from her mouth. "You two kissed?!" She mouthed like she was shouting but no noise came out of it.

"At the end of the battle… She did kiss me, yeah." Jaune said as he rubbed the back of his neck with his cheeks blushing, and Pyrrha played with her own hair and Ruby looked at them in pure shock.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have done that." The redhead girl confessed.

"Uh… I didn't mind it exactly." Jaune began and almost went into another panic, until he remembered Tails and Ren's words about being honest and straight forward. He then sighed to speak more calmly and clearly. "Pyrrha, look. You're my best friend, and I care about you, a lot. I just… never really considered dating you. Not that I think you'd make a bad girlfriend or anything, I just… it never really occurred to me. So… I don't know if I can say yes…" That caused Pyrrha to look down. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna say no either!" He quickly said. "I just… I don't have an answer right now. So, I might need some time to really think. Is… Is that alright? For me to… not have an answer for you?"

"Of course." Pyrrha assured. "Take as much time as you need." A part of her was still hopeful that he would return her feelings. But another part was worried that he might still say no. But she wasn't going to rush or pressure him. His feelings were his own and if he needed time to sort them out, then she would give it to them.

"Thanks. But… if I end up saying no… Does that mean… we won't be friends anymore?" Jaune felt a tad guilty about asking Pyrrha something like that, considering how awesome a friend she was to him, but he had to be honest.

"I love you, Jaune Arc."

That caused the young man to look to Pyrrha as she smiled lovingly toward him, all while Ruby hung in the background, her hands on her face as she tried to hold back a squeal.

"You were the first person who saw me for who I was, not what I was." She continued. "You made me feel special, but also normal. Like I can be both a Huntress and a person, one who can feel emotions and connect with others outside of the battlefield. That there was more to me than just being a fighter. You have no idea how happy that makes me. And when you begged me not to become the Fall Maiden… how you wanted me to stay as I was… and not leave your life…" She was crying in joy at that. "I love you, Jaune. And there is nothing you can say or do that will make me stop loving you. So, even if you don't return my feelings… I'm willing to accept that. If we end up as nothing more than friends, I will always be by your side. That is never going to change."

The blonde young man looked at his partner with round and circular eyes. Did she actually just say that she loved him? It would be one thing if it were just a crush… but love?! A part of him couldn't believe it! How can someone as amazing as her love a normal and down-to-earth guy like him? But, maybe that was the reason she loved him. That caused him to remember what she said to him back at the dance… that he was the type of guy she wished she was there with. Someone who saw her for her. And he did. He saw Pyrrha Nikos, not the Invincible Girl. Though he still didn't have an answer for her yet…. It was a relief to know that their friendship would remain intact no matter what.

"Okay." He smiled. "Sorry to make you wait… But… I want to be honest about this. And… I honestly don't have an answer."

"That's fine." Pyrrha accepted, grasping his hand. "Take as long as you want. I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?" Jaune asked, tightening his own grip.

Pyrrha's smile only grew. "I promise."

The two hugged each other tightly. Only for them both to remember how they were still in the presence of Ruby, who looked at them with a wide smile and sparkling eyes.

"Sorry… you had to hear all that." Jaune apologized.

"Are you kidding!? I'm just so happy for you two!" She leapt at them both, hugging them. "If you two do end up together, I call dibs on being first bridesmaid!" They both blushed once again at that before Ruby pulled away. "But seriously, after all the dark and intense drama we just dealt with… it's kinda nice to deal with more… lighthearted drama. As in, the kind that doesn't deal with life-or-death stuff."

"Yes, that is a nice change of pace." Pyrrha admitted.

"Speaking of…" Jaune began. "Shadow said he doesn't want any of us involved in this anymore."

"Except for me." Ruby said. "He said it would be safer for me if I stayed with him, Sonic, and everyone else until they say they can get rid of Salem and Eggman."

"And I get where he's coming from." Jaune replied. "But…"

"You don't want to step aside." Pyrrha figured out.

"No. After everything we've been through together? He wants me to pack it all in? Not a chance in hell!" Jaune stated. "In fact, I might have a few ideas that can help them."

"I've got some too." Ruby added. "So, you wanna discuss some of these ideas and compare notes? Leader-to-leader?" She smiled reminiscently of a certain blue Hedgehog.

Jaune smirked, similarly to a certain black Hedgehog. "Absolutely."

"Well, perhaps I can contribute as well since I'm here." Pyrrha offered. "That said, I do have something I want to share with you two. Specifically…. About me being the new Fall Maiden." She then quickly covered both of their mouths as they looked at her with wide-eyed expressions. "Please don't scream and wake everyone."

---

The Next Morning

"You're the new Fall Maiden?!" Pretty much everyone exclaimed as the combined groups of Teams Sonic, RWBY, Dark, and JNPR, alongside Tai, Qrow, and even Zwei, were all gathered outside.

"I am indeed." Pyrrha confirmed, her eyes glowing once more as she generated a thunderstorm in her hand, which was quick to disparate as she deactivated her powers "But I'm still me. Nothing from Amber was transferred to me, just the power." She saw the looks of shock from most everyone, save for Amy, Jaune, Nora, and Ruby, whom she already shared this information with. Even Shadow was somewhat surprised to hear this. She then turned to Qrow, who was just as surprised. "Feel free to tell the rest of your cohorts about this, if you wish. But I still have no intention of leaving my friends and family. This power is mine now and I refuse to disappear to maintain the perpetual stalemate that Ozpin had set up against Salem, not when we have a chance to win it." She looked towards Shadow and Sonic. "I want to use this power to help the rest of you find the Chaos Emeralds, to defeat Eggman and Salem."

"I know you said you didn't want us involved anymore, Shadow." Jaune spoke to the black Hedgehog personally. "But none of us are going to walk away after everything we've been through. We can't… I can't…"

"And I know you also said that it would be safer if I were with you, but I don't want to be a burden where you have to constantly protect and watch over me." Ruby said. "I want to help. And if I got some kind of anti-Grimm power, then that means we got more going for us. Please… let me keep fighting."

"But are you sure that's what you want?" Shadow questioned, asking Ruby and Jaune. "And not what somebody else wants from you?" He looked to Qrow in particularly, which only caused him to scowl.

"Yeah, we're sure." Jaune confirmed.

"One hundred percent." Ruby said as well.

The Ultimate Lifeform then looked towards Sonic and Rouge, the former simply smiled while the latter shrugged with a grin of her own. "So long as it's your choice." He accepted.

"Thank you." Ruby smiled.

"If Ruby's going with you guys, then so am I!" Yang stated, stepping next to her sister.

"As am I." Blake said as well.

"That goes for me too." Weiss also stepped forward.

"And if Jaune and Pyrrha are still in this, then I'm in it to win it!" Nora proclaimed. "Fall Maiden or not, nobody is breaking up Team JNPR."

"Agreed." Ren said firmly. "Count me in as well."

Teams Sonic and Dark looked toward each other before most smiled. While some of them still didn't like the idea of kids being drawn into some kind of war, they were all still friends. These students have grown stronger, and they have too alongside them. Just like before, they were in this together.

"But Ruby, you don't even have Crescent Rose anymore…" Tai tried to say, which only caused Ruby to lower her head.

"Hey, how good are you with a sword?" Sonic asked.

"Well… I'd say I'm pretty decent." Ruby said. "Not as good as I was with Crescent Rose, but I can use a sword."

"Then use this in the meantime." Sonic handed her Caliburn, much to Ruby's own shock.

"B-but Sonic…! That's your weapon, I can't take it!" She stated, holding her hands out in refusal.

"Meh, I don't really need it." He replied. "I bash monsters and robots weaponless all the time. The sword was just to go along with the whole weapons thing you guys got. But if you need a weapon Ruby, then take it. At least until you decide to make something new. Go ahead, it's okay."

Ruby hesitated for a moment before taking the sheathed sword. She grabbed the handle with one hand and slightly drew the blade, looking at her own reflection in the sword that was Caliburn. It felt weird to use a weapon that was not her own. But as much as she hated to admit it, she was useless without one. If this meant that she wouldn't be a burden to her friends on the battlefield, then she'd accept it. She sheathed the sword back and slung it over her shoulder.

"Okay. Thanks, Sonic."

"No prob."

"Well… since you guys are apparently taking charge now, do you have a plan?" Qrow questioned in his usual demeanor.

"Yeah, we got one." Jaune glared back at Qrow. "We'll split up."

"Split up?" Amy questioned.

"Tails, Omega, what are the chances that any Chaos Emeralds are in Vale right now?" Jaune asked.

"Highly unlikely." The former Badnik answered first. "Vale was at the epicenter of the event."

"Agreed, the Chaos Emeralds are probably scattered elsewhere." Tails added. "The only thing we know for sure is that no two Emeralds will be in one place."

"So, then we'll split into three groups." Ruby began. "One group goes to Atlas, another to Mistral, and the other Vacuo. We'll look for not only the Chaos Emeralds, but the other Maidens. Try and convince them to come out of hiding and join us."

"If the Fall Maiden is the one who opens the vault beneath Beacon, then it would make sense to keep myself away from said academy, correct?" Pyrrha added.

"We'll keep the vaults closed if that's what Salem's after. But having all four Maidens on our side would really tip the odds in our favor, wouldn't it?" Jaune asked.

Sonic and the others thought for a moment. "You know… that's not a bad idea." Sonic said with a smile.

"Speaking strategically, it has its benefits." Shadow admitted.

"So, any ideas for who the teams would be?" Knuckles asked.

"Actually, that does follow an idea that I had in mind." Weiss spoke up, getting everyone's attention again. "Before, we learned that Eggman was somehow acquiring Dust from my family's company, but we don't know how."

"Probably someone who works for him and Salem slipped into the SDC." Rouge suggested.

"Most likely." Weiss confirmed. "So, who better to look into that than the company's own heiress?" Everyone looked to her in surprise, especially her own teammates. "My father wants me back home so badly? Perhaps I should accept his invitation."

"Go back…?" Ruby looked to her partner with worry, remember when Weiss told her how much of a nightmare it was growing up with her father. "Weiss…"

"Ruby, it's okay." She assured with a smile before looking at Sonic. "I've been thinking about what you've told me, Sonic. You say I'm free to make my own choices, well, this is what I chose. I'm not returning to my father's side. He's corrupted my family name so much so that it might be irredeemable. But, there are innocent people over there, people who might be exploited by him, and by extension Eggman and Salem. I'm not speaking as a Schnee right now, but as a Huntress. And as a Huntress, it's my duty to protect those people, even if it means going against my family. And if I can't save the SDC, I may as well burn it to the ground myself so it doesn't harm anybody else."

Sonic smiled. "If you need help getting that fire going, let me know." Weiss smiled emotionally before hugging Sonic.

"She won't be alone though." Tails said. "If you're going to most technologically advanced kingdom on the planet, you'll need a tech expert yourself, Weiss. And I may even see what I can do about helping Penny." He looked to Ruby at that part, who only smiled gratefully at him.

Breaking off from Sonic, Weiss' smile only grew. "Thank you, Tails. I also plan to speak to my sister as well."

"You gonna tell her about all this?" Qrow questioned.

"I trust my sister with my life." Weiss narrowed her eyes at him. "Which is more than I can say about you and your family." He shook his head in response.

"Speaking of family…" Blake spoke up next. "I'll be going to Menagerie."

As most people weren't surprised by that. "Blake…?" Yang questioned.

"There is a possibility a Chaos Emerald ended up there too." She explained. "And if not… I still have to go. I've been running away from this for too long."

"Your family?" Knuckles assumed.

"Yes." Blake confirmed. "Eggman's taken the White Fang, my father's hope for human and Faunus for co-existence, and corrupted more so than I would imagine. The White Fang is a part of my past that I can't erase or run from any longer. So I'm going to face my past, my family."

"That makes two of us." Weiss commented.

"Do you plan to tell your family about Salem?" Ruby asked.

"Yes." She confirmed. "He might be a pacifist, but my father has fought the Grimm before. And if the whole world is in danger, including the Faunus, he'll listen. That said… Ruby, Sonic…" She spoke to them next. "If anyone is going to Mistral, it might be best to talk to Sienna Khan. She's the head of the White Fang there, but she's not like Adam. She might have been the one to get them to fight back, but she does care for our people. If Salem and Eggman's goal involves destroying it all… she'll stand against them too."

"Turn the White Fang over to our side?" Sonic mused, looking to Ruby with a smile. "Okay, I think we can get behind that."

Blake smiled before looking to her partner. "Yang, I know I said I would stay by your side but…"

"I get it." Yang assured as she smiled. "You got your family baggage, I got mine. But maybe I can come with you."

"No, I need to do this alone." Blake said. "And I should be fine by myself. Menagerie isn't an official kingdom. There are no Huntsmen academies, no Relic vaults, it shouldn't be on Salem's radar. But I promise if I need help, I will call you. And like you said, you got your own baggage to deal with. I know you want to see your mother, so I'm not going to stand in your way."

Yang nodded. "Alright. Do what you gotta do. I won't let my baggage get in your way either."

"I promise I'll come back. To both of you." Blake said to Ruby and Yang.

"We know." Ruby assured as she and Yang hugged Blake, leading to her hug the two back. Weiss ended up looking away. She wanted to join in but hesitated. "Weiss…" Ruby got her attention as she, Yang, and Blake offered their hands to her, telling her to join in. She smiled with tears in her eyes as she came over and embraced all of them.

The moment of Team RWBY's union caused all of their friends to smile, even Shadow had a small smile himself. Qrow looked at them for a moment, and for only a second, he saw Team STRQ in their place. He gave a sad smile of his own.

Tai smiled too, truly happy that his daughters had friends they could rely and count on. As they broke apart, he walked towards his eldest. "Yang…?"

She looked at him with a scowl immediately. "What?"

The temperature in the atmosphere dropped with just how coldly she addressed her father, causing him to wince slightly. He looked to Knuckles, who only gave a nod before he spoke to her.

"If you're going to find Raven, go to Mistral." Tai said, much to Yang's own surprise and especially Qrow's. "After she left, she would have returned to her old stomping ground. I don't know for sure where that is in Mistral, but she'll definitely be there. I wish I had more to give, but that's it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Yang questioned.

"Because it's what you want." Tai answered. "Yang… look. I… I screwed up. I failed. I'm sorry." Yang looked away with crossed arms, but still let him speak. "But this is your home. Your family. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, I'm here. Whenever you need. I promise, I won't leave you. I will never leave you."

Yang's expression softened somewhat, but she still looked away and didn't even give a response. Tai sighed, figured that would be the case. He looked to Knuckles, who gave another nod, indicating he approved. The door was left open, and she knew that now. He did what he could. The rest was up to her

"Tai…" Qrow grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away slightly, but the man turned to his brother-in-law and looked at him with an expression showing that he was not budging.

"Even if it's too late with us to make amends with her, Yang deserves a chance to meet her birth mother. We owe her that much at least." He said to him personally while the students and their inter-dimensional friends conversed more. "And while we're on the subject, here." He handed him a large, thick, and stuffed envelope.

"What's this?" Qrow questioned.

"Letters that Ruby wrote to me about Sonic." Tai answered. "You should read them. Take a look at just what kind of impact he's left on her. Ozpin might have been the father you needed, well I think that maybe Sonic is the big brother that Ruby needs." That took Qrow by surprise. Her big brother?! "And maybe, take the chance to get to know him and all of his friends yourself, before you automatically decide that you don't like them. They saved Ruby, Yang, and all their friends. I think you should at least make the effort to thank them."

Qrow sighed as he put the envelope away. "Okay, fine." He accepted. "No promises though."

"Good enough." Tai muttered. "And actually try to help Yang find Raven."

"Okay…" He nodded. "But what if she tries to hurt her or both of them?"

"Then I know you'll stop her." Tai said. "And it won't just be you." He looked back towards his daughters with all of their friends before he smiled. Yeah, Ruby and Yang were in good hands.

"Okay then…" Jaune addressed his teammates, friends, and allies. "Since Teams RWBY and Sonic got an idea where they're going, Teams JNPR and Dark will take Vacuo. We'll look for the Summer Maiden and any Chaos Emeralds that might be there too."

"Your whole plan is to divide and conquer." Shadow noted. "Given our circumstances, it's probably the best plan we have. That said, it still won't be easy. Eggman still has the rest of his armada, and Salem controlling the Grimm. Not to mention any potential corruption they could work to their advantage, like with the White Fang."

"True, but as you said, it's the best plan we can manage." Pyrrha replied.

"There's also the possibility that Eggman could stab Salem in the back." Knuckles put in. "Believe me, any so-called partnerships he takes only lasts as long as he wants them to last."

"Well, if Eggman and Salem go at each other, that's good news for us, right?" Nora asked. "Maybe we can finish them both off while they're tired."

"What about all the collateral damage that could result?" Rouge questioned rhetorically. "An army of killer robots versus an army of man-eating monsters, with neither side caring about who gets caught in the crossfire?"

"Oh…" Nora winced. "I see your point."

"Yeah, in the worst case… Eggman could take whatever Emerald he finds and plug it into the Eclipse Cannon." Sonic said. "And believe me, that thing packs a wallop. He could wipe out a whole continent if he wanted to."

"And all seven Emeralds being channeled through the Eclipse Cannon would be enough to completely destroy the planet." Omega added.

"Any chance we can try and take the Ark for ourselves?" Ren asked.

"Not right now." Tails said. "Even if we had a way to get up there, Eggman probably has the rest of his fleet guarding it and we don't have the means to fight back against all that. At least, not yet.."

"All the more reason for us to find the Chaos Emeralds first, right?" Ruby asked.

"Right as rain." Sonic confirmed. "So, we got our plan. We'll split up. Ruby, Knuckles, Yang, Amy, and I will head to Mistral. Weiss and Tails will go to Atlas while Blake heads to Menagerie. Team JNPR and Team Dark are going to Vacuo. Our goal: find all the Chaos Emeralds, all the remaining Maidens, and get as many allies as we can."

"Oh, Is that all?" Amy questioned with a smirk.

"I'm coming to Mistral too." Qrow stepped in. "I know that place like the back of my hand. I can help."

"I don't know." Yang crossed her arms, glaring at him. "How do we know a little birdie won't try to sabotage us?"

"Yang… even if you don't trust me… do you really think I can take him in a fight?" The veteran Huntsmen gestured to Sonic.

The blonde happened to look towards her sister. She could tell hat Ruby had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, Ruby wanted to give her uncle another chance. On the other, she was still hurt by what he did. "Sonic?"

"I'm not above giving second chances." The blue Hedgehog said. "Plus, this gives us a way to keep an eye on him." He said, mostly towards Shadow, Jaune, and Yang who appeared the most distrustful of Qrow, which they seemed to accept before Sonic looked to the man directly. "Just as long as there no more secrets, you got it? We all need to be in-the-know, now."

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Qrow accepted reluctantly. "Just as long as you don't throw them to the Beowolves."

"Take you own advice." Jaune glared, but Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from going any further.

"What about you, Dad?" Ruby asked. "Are you coming?"

Tai sighed sadly. "Wish I could, Ruby. But I'm out of practice. If I go, I'm more likely to get in the way. But, that doesn't mean I won't be helping. So I'm going to Beacon, I'll help Glynda and everyone fix things up over there and keep the peace. I'll also tell her what your plan is, and she'll contact the other Headmasters to let them know. With communications back, that shouldn't be a problem. And I'll be sure to look after Zwei too. Right boy?" He looked to the corgi who was by his feet, the dog barked happily. "And Ruby... I'm sorry." She looked to him as he continued. "To be honest, I still don't like this. The last thing I ever wanted was for you to be involved in the same war that your mother away. But I know I can't stop you. So just please... promise you'll be careful. Stay with your friends."

Ruby then walked up to her dad and wrapped her arms around him, much to his own surprise before he returned the hug with a smile. "I promise. I love you Dad…" She sniffled.

"I love you too, sweetie." He smiled emotionally and looked over to Yang again. Though there was still some anger in there, her eyes did soften a bit as she only gave a nod. When they broke off, he went over to Sonic. "Please… look after my girls."

"I'll make sure they're both safe. I promise." The Fastest Thing Alive extended his hand to shake, which Tai accepted with a firm grasp. He turned to the rest of his party, particularly to the friends he was parting ways with. "If anyone needs help, just call. You know I'll be there in a flash."

"Of course." Blake nodded.

"Wouldn't expect anything less from you." Weiss smiled.

"Hey Tails…" Sonic met with his best friend and surrogate brother. "Be careful. I know you can take care of yourself but…"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You just try not to go overboard. I won't be there to bail you out." Tails grinned.

"You bail me out? That's rich." Sonic laughed before he pulled Tails into a noogie and then clasped hands with him. "See you soon, little bro."

"You too, big bro." He said before looking to Jaune. "Good luck out there, Jaune."

"Thanks, I think I'm gonna need it." The blonde chuckled.

"Hey, Amy!" Nora came up to her and held out Magnhild in hits hammer form. "Hammer Harpies for life?"

The pink Hedgehog brought out the Piko-Piko and clanged it against Nora's weapon. "Hammer Harpies for life."

Pyrrha then came up to her and hugged Amy. "Thank you, Amy. For being my friend."

"You're welcome." She hugged her back. "Just follow your heart, Pyrrha. I'm sure you and Jaune will work things out."

"Hey Weiss." Rouge tossed the heiress her wallet. "You're probably gonna want that back." She turned around and proceeded to walk away.

"Give it back." Weiss stopped her.

"I just did." The white Bat shrugged innocently.

"My credit card. I know you still have it. Now give it back." Weiss demanded, completely unsurprised. "You know it's no longer working anyway."

Rouge chuckled as she pulled said card out. "Here I was planning to sell it and buy something nice down in Vacuo. Ah well." She flicked it back at Weiss. "Don't miss me too much, sweetie." She winked.

"Believe me, I won't." She groaned before meeting up with Ruby, Yang, and Blake as their team shared one last group hug with each other.

"Team RWBY isn't done." Ruby said to all of them. "We all have our jobs… so let's do them and make sure we all come back to each other. Okay?"

"Absolutely." Blake said.

"Count on it." Weiss confirmed.

"No arguments from me." Yang added.

The group then proceeded to pack and gather up all their belongings, taking down the campsite and making sure they had all the necessary supplies, with even Yang going to collect her new motorcycle. After about an hour, they had everything they needed.

"We'll all head to the docs. They got boats and air ships that should take you all where you want to go." Tai offered.

"Thanks, but Weiss and I are good." Tails climbed onto the Cyclone, with Weiss putting all of her supplies in the cargo hold on the side of the ship before climbing in herself. The young fox powered up his vehicle. "You ready?"

"Yeah." She confirmed. With that, the Cyclone took to the air as everyone else looked up to see them take off.

Sometime after that, the group had reached the docs on Patch, and everyone boarded their respective ships. Tai and Blake both got on the same boat that would take them to Vale's mainland, where Blake could catch an airship that would take her to Menagerie. Sonic, Ruby, Yang (with her new motorcycle), Qrow, Knuckles, and Amy were inside an airship that would fly them over to Mistral. Shadow, Jaune, Omega, Rouge, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha all boarded another airship that would take them to Vacuo.

Even as the separate parties all made distance from one another, they still knew that they were in this together. Their time at Beacon and at Vale had come to an end. Now, a new mission had begun.

Done.

Wow, this epilogue turned out way bigger than I thought it was gonna be. So much so that I had to omit a scene I was planning on with Eggman and Salem and how they and their subordinates are handling their defeat. But this ended up being so long that I had to cut it. And that scene itself is gonna be a big one and I didn't want to cram anything in.

But don't worry, we'll still get to see what's going on the villains' side of the story soon. Just remember, that my next chapter for this story will be a continuation of the Classic/Chibi mini-story. After that, I'll post the first chapter to the next arc, where we'll have the villains' meeting. So please be patient.

But yeah, there is a lot to unpack from this epilogue.

First, Ruby met Tikal and got to see what happened with the Echidnas and Chaos back then. And she will talk about that with Sonic and everyone soon, once she clears some other thoughts in her head. Despite her desire to keep going, she still has a lot she needs to deal with, such as coming to terms with her family's history in the war against Salem. And despite no longer having Crescent Rose, Sonic is letting her borrow Caliburn for the time being. As for whether or not she'll get that weapon back or make something new… you'll have to see.

Ruby also knows about Shadow's origins. One of the reasons he was so concerned about Ruby's safety, as well as that with Pyrrha when Ozpin offered her the choice in becoming the Fall Maiden, was that he feared that Ozpin and the others would make them into living weapons like what had been done to him. As for whether or not the other former Beacon students learn about Shadow's history and origins… you'll have to see there too.

Yang also has a lot to deal with right now too. Some of the things she might have said were a bit uncalled for, but can you really blame her for lashing out the way she did? Yang's always been one to never really take any kind of bad news very well, and with something so personal like her birth mother, her abandonment issues, and everything her family's been doing… yeah. She's going to be holding onto this for a while.

Speaking of, one of my favorite scenes to write here was the conversation between Knuckles and Tai, where he learns Tai's side of the story regarding what happened in the past with Raven and the war against Salem. And, as you may have noticed, I took some creative liberties with the story of Team STRQ, as well as Qrow and Raven's own origin and roots in the Branwen tribe, and you can expect some more expansion later on in that arc too. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the canon did not handle Raven's character well, or the rest of the Team STRQ for that matter. We don't even get a flashback episode with their team or anything, other than that little bit with Summer and Raven in Volume 9. So yeah, expect some more creative changes regarding that. But I really enjoyed writing Tai here. He's a flawed man who has obviously made mistakes, but he's got a real good heart and I wished the canon expanded more on him. He's going to try and set things right with his daughters, and it'll start by getting back in shape to rejoin the fight later.

And yeah… Qrow was an asshole in this chapter. In my opinion, he's always been something of an asshole. Again, I know he's a good person at his core and I do plan to bring out some of his better qualities here… but he doesn't seem to be facing the consequences of what he does, which includes some morally gray stuff. But one of his biggest issues is his emotional dependency on Ozpin, which I also felt didn't get a lot of focus in canon. But I plan to fix that here as Qrow is going to try and work at earning his nieces' trust back. So long as he's willing to apologize and accept Sonic, that is.

Oh, and yes. Pyrrha is the Fall Maiden. Despite everything that happened, she still ended up receiving the Maiden power. But naturally this time. She's still herself and not a hybrid/fusion of Amber like what she feared she'd become with the Aura transfer machine. But this is also good news, cause a full-fledged Maiden on their side will certainly be beneficial to the group in their new quest to obtain the Chaos Emeralds and seek out the other Maidens.

We also got a nice little moment between her and Jaune, where he's not sure about his own feelings towards Pyrrha and needs time to figure it out, which she has accepted and has reaffirmed nonetheless, that she will always have his back regardless.

And now our large group has decided to divide and conquer…

*Sonic, Ruby, Yang, Knuckles, Amy, and Qrow are heading to Mistral.

*Tails and Weiss are going to Atlas.

*Blake is going to Menagerie alone (I wanted somebody to go with her, probably Amy, but I do plan for Amy to take a big role in Mistral, primarily as someone who is trying to help Ruby out with her issues).

*Teams Dark and JNPR are going to Vacuo (yeah, we're seeing that Kingdom way earlier than canon).

We still get the big split up and separation like in canon at the end of Volume 3, but unlike before… it's all planned and for the sake of their new mission. Find the Chaos Emeralds, find the Maidens, and gather as many allies for the coming war as they can.

Thus the Vale saga for "A Red Rose in the Blue Wind" has now come to an end.

Now begins… the Hunt for the Chaos Emeralds saga. And we got a few arcs with several surprise in store.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.