RWBY Rangers: Remnants of the Grid

by DareDreamer

The Earth is under attack once again: this time from creatures that almost brought another world to its knees! Just when they thought their fight was over, Ruby and her friends must morph into action against a Grimm invasion that threatens to overwhelm Earth! With many more Power Rangers standing by their side, they must unlock hidden powers to defeat this threat... and another.

17. Hitting Home

(A/N: More dark stuff ahead as revelations come to light.)

"I am not discussing this further, Tommy," Jen firmly announced, her voice carrying the weight of her unwavering resolve. "I will not allow this situation to become more catastrophic and unpredictable because of their arrival."

The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Jen, I… I get it."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "No, I don't think you do. The Power Rangers are sufficient to handle this crisis, and the last thing we need is…" Her eyes trailed off. "...amateurs."

"They're not amateurs," Tommy countered sternly. "I remember how well they fought against these things, both in their world and this one. And I know my time with them was brief, but they can hold their own against the Grimm well enough. They understand them more than we do, which means we need their help to-"

"I said no, Tommy!" Jen shouted back. "What you're asking of me will have consequences! Dire ones!"

"Time travel always does," Tommy calmly agreed, his words making Jen pause. "I'm not stupid, Jen. Going back in time carries great risk: one wrong move and everything gets shifted out of balance. But you Time Force guys are prepared in that field."

The Pink Ranger's brow furrowed, her silence allowing Tommy to continue. "Wes may not be from the thirty-first century like you, but he's hung out with you guys enough to know how you work. That means you're more than ready for this and there won't be any consequences."

She scowled again. "You can't know that."

"I do know that," he replied. "My memories of that day still hold up strong. Their absence after defeating the Mega Grimmzord is the perfect opportunity. And the six of them didn't return alone, so what does that tell you?"

"For your memories to remain perfectly intact…"

"Exactly," Tommy concluded. "So we're doing this. They won't believe you or Wes when you tell them, so I'm offering to come along because they will believe me. I'll even stay on board to avoid any… temporal mishaps, yeah?"

Jen groaned. "Fine. But it's still a terrible idea."

"How?" Tommy asked. "Once we're finished and this whole thing is behind us, we just need to return them to the exact departure time so that the original team and my younger self don't get suspicious. So to them, they haven't even been gone."

"That's true, but-"

"Great," Tommy finished. "Prep your ship while I fetch Wes-" A hand snagged his wrist and he turned to look into Jen's fierce eyes. "Damages to the past is one thing, Thomas. But if those… kids do anything to the present-"

"All they're going to do, Jen," the Green Ranger retorted with unwavering confidence as he shrugged her off. "Is fix a future that may already be lost. And that includes the future you live in. And they will succeed."

Jen frowned. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"Well, I'm no time travel expert," Tommy answered mid-stride. "But you wouldn't be here to talk to if they failed, right?"

Jen was silent. "That… is correct," she relented with a sigh. "But I'm keeping an eye on them."

He smiled and glanced over his shoulder. "Then prepare to be impressed, Jen." Tommy then left without another word, leaving the woman to her thoughts. Jen could only stare at the man's departing form, knowing that impressive was far from what they really were. She and a select few were the only ones who knew the true danger these children presented… and when—not if—that danger came to light, Jen would not hesitate to quell it, no matter the cost.

…

Darkness and silence. Not a sound and not a word in an ever-expanding void of blackness. It was the realm of blissful dreams and dreadful nightmares, a space where consciousness drifted independently of the body for hours on end without-

KRRRZZZZZZZZT!

Ruby jolted awake instantly when she felt an electric jolt jumpstart her system. Her shrill gasp ended in a sharp cry amidst her shuddering body, which jerked and spasmed erratically. Thanks to a pair of energy-based handcuffs emitting the shock, Ruby's wrists remained locked in place, and the sight of the restraints filled the girl with alarm and confusion. A constant hum drew Ruby's eyes to a transparent red energy barrier barring the only entrance and exit to the small room she found herself in.

A woman in a pink shirt under a leather jacket stood on the other side, her face locked in a permanent scowl as she glared down at Ruby's body. The girl was at a loss for words as she slowly climbed to her feet, memories of her last waking moments on a loop while disbelief and denial crossed her features. The pain… her morpher taken… and being placed…

No… no, that can't be right! Ruby's head whirled around the small room, which she now recognized as a holding cell. She… she was under arrest?! But why? How could Jen do this? And why now, when there was a world that needed saving and a team that needed her to lead them? The fate of the world hung in the balance, and Ruby's absence could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Her silver eyes pleaded with Jen's brown orbs, but the older woman's expression remained unchanged, adding to Ruby's confusion.

"Jen… please…" Ruby begged as she took a step forward. "Th-this is a mistake; you need to let m-GGGNNNNHHHH!" The woman pressed down on a tiny remote Ruby failed to notice until now, sending another shock from the handcuffs that made Ruby's legs give out. She collapsed onto her rear, panting weakly from the jolt amidst burning nerves. The pain and betrayal she felt were palpable, and she wished her friends were here to empathize with her plight.

"There has been a mistake," she heard the Pink Ranger declare in a tone of unquestionable authority. "Which is exactly why I'm not letting you go, EGA-One."

Ruby's face was full of confusion and fear as her chest heaved uncontrollably, her wrists aching from the shackles. "Wh-what… Jen, I… what are you doing?! Why are you doing this?! I-GYYYAAAAAH!" A third shock ceased her attempts to stand, and she fell again, barely able to hear Jen's voice as the buzzing stopped. "I'm doing what I should've done from the start! I told Tommy that bringing you here was a bad idea, and now you've proved it!"

"What?!" Ruby shrieked back. "I just wanted to do what you and other Rangers were too afraid to-" Jen raised the remote high, freezing Ruby in her tracks. The veteran Pink Ranger never broke eye contact with the girl, the brown orbs full of silent obedience and discipline. "Listen to me very closely, EGA-One. And listen well."

"Why are you calling me-"

"I SAID LISTEN!" Jen roared, her sudden tone making Ruby's back hit the cell wall while her silver eyes widened. "You have been a clear and present danger to this world and its timeline, and repairing it hasn't been easy. If I hadn't brought you to 2023, the damage you did would've been isolated and remedied within hours." Her voice then dropped to a dangerous level as her eyes bore into Ruby's soul. "But no… not only have you compromised this timeline even more, but now you've gone and MADE A MESS OF THE WHOLE GODDAMN MULTIVERSE!"

Ruby's heart froze and her body tensed from the woman's harsh words even as Jen threw a fist against the energy barrier, the shield rippling from her punch. "I've already got one world to fix because of you and your little band, so THANK YOU for putting God-knows-how-many-more on the list! And for your sake, EGA-One, you better pray your influence on their inhabitants was minimal!"

Ruby struggled to keep up, recalling a previous conversation in New York. The multiverse… she remembered Summer - the other Summer, don't think of what he said about yours - opening her and Yang's minds to it. Summer and her Ranger team hailed from an alternate Earth: an entire parallel dimension coexisting with this one. And she had mentioned the possibility of more worlds like hers, each with their own Rangers…

No, that needed to wait. "Jen, I… I don't understand!"

"Exactly!" the woman shouted. "In my line of work, I've learned that the most dangerous individuals are the ones who have no idea what they're doing! Sometimes, it's a weapon they wield. Other times, they're being set up… but you, EGA-One, are putting everything at risk just by BEING HERE!"

Ruby felt her soul shake with fear. "Wh-what? B-But I… I-I don't… Why, Jen?! P-please, you need to tell me why!" The older woman tightly clenched her fists, her eyes seething as if she had expected Ruby to understand. The silver-eyed girl struggled to follow through, her voice trembling pitifully. "L-Look, my teleporter, that… that-that wasn't my fault! I couldn't control where I was going or where I would end up! A-And I couldn't contact anyone; I was so alone and just… just needed help! B-But now that I'm back, you need mine! Now please let me out so I can help you fix-"

"No," Jen snarled, the single word freezing the terror-stricken Ruby in place. "You haven't been fixing anything ever since you came here. I have had enough of you, EGA-One. You and the rest of your kind."

Ruby's heart sank at those words. "J-Jen… wh-why are you… c-calling me that…? A-And what… what do you mean…?" She was almost too terrified to find out. Yet, Ruby could not look away from Jen inputting something into her Chrono Morpher… which projected an image of a chaotic city.

Grimm were running rampant, bodies littered the streets, and buildings lay in ruins beneath a dark, oppressive sky. People either lay dead or dying, while entire population centers stood as abandoned husks. Panicked and desperate radio chatter pierced the silence amidst wrecked vehicles in a tone that broke Ruby's heart.

"Is… is anyone out there?" pleaded a faint female voice. "Is anyone still alive? If there's anyone left… p-please… please help-" The voice's sorrow resonated with Ruby, but Jen never looked into the ghastly scene since her stoic eyes were trained on the girl. "This," she spoke scornfully. "...is what your world is doing to mine. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, everywhere. Since the first foreign elements arrived here, they've caused chaos. And you've proven no better by indirectly spreading that chaos through multiple universes. A kind of chaos that is caused when something… doesn't… belong."

Ruby still didn't get it and blinked in befuddlement. "But the Grimm don't belong here and it's my job to make sure they don't-"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE GRIMM!" Jen roared again, cutting off the girl. "This was never about the Grimm! This isn't a war between Rangers and Grimm, girl… this is a war between Earth and Remnant." She leaned close to the barrier, looking straight into Ruby's terrified eyes. "And it's a war we're losing."

Ruby felt a wave of betrayal wash over her as she stood frozen, unable to speak or move, confronted with this unfamiliar side of the Pink Ranger. Jen's tone had shifted so drastically that it seemed like Ruby had gone from being a trusted ally to a complete outsider; the glaring look Jen gave her suggested that trust had never existed between them after all. Her mouth was open and ready to object, but nothing was coming out. Any retorts died before they were even born, allowing Jen to drive the knife deeper into the poor girl's heart.

"Don't tell me I need you, someone from outside the Grid, to finish this. All you have done - and everything from your little fantasy world has done - is pour more fuel onto the fires of cataclysm. Having them connected to the Morphin Grid itself has proven disastrous, so much to the point where the entire Grid has been infected, and we can't do anything about it! Because if we do, they'll just shut us down for good! And your being here hasn't helped, either!"

"B-But I still can!" Ruby tearfully pleaded. "I-I'm not useless, I'm a Ranger and-"

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A RANGER!"

Those explosive words hammered deep into Ruby's soul, shattering it like glass while her legs started to give out from the intensity of Jen's eyes and the rage radiating across her voice. The woman heaved slowly to calm down, but her anger remained. "None of you are…"

The sound of approaching footsteps came too late to spare Ruby, who didn't follow Jen's gaze toward the new arrival as she slumped against the holding cell's wall. The sobs and tears she had recently escaped from were coming back with a vengeance, the woman's berating voice echoing all over. That same voice had dropped outside the barrier, where Ruby's moist eyes spied another woman addressing the Pink Ranger.

"Katie… what have you got for me?"

"I have all the dimensional coordinates from her little joyride. First, it was the RPM and Dino Charge worlds," the other woman spoke. "But then, she veered off to distant dimensions vastly different from ours, all across the multiverse."

"Which ones?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"We tracked EGA-One through Dimensions 95 and 17, where she briefly encountered Ivan Ooze and witnessed Dimension 17's Rangers in action. She was ready to engage that dimension's Putties when she warped away."

Jen's breath hitched. "Ivan Ooze saw her? Any predicted long-time repercussions?"

"Negative, ma'am. Lucas says he believes her to be an Angel Grove resident who would cause him no trouble. That dimension remains stable."

Ruby heard Jen sigh in relief. "Continue."

"EGA-One's next destination was Ranger Academy," Katie complied. "Where she was…" The other woman cleared her throat. "...immediately spotted by several students and interacted with the Green Junior Ranger Sage."

"Goddamnit," Jen hissed. "Tell Trip to place some transdimensional barriers around that one."

"Already on it. Dimension 30 was also affected, but EGA-One landed in an isolated area and did not interfere with ongoing events. No imminent danger there, Jen."

"And what else?"

"Three other dimensions where the Mighty Morphin team crossed paths with two outside agents and one in-universal concept. No direct interference in any of them, so they're all clear."

"Good, good," Jen breathed. "But the dimension where I found her warp signature… I was in such a hurry I didn't see what it was."

Only silence followed. Ruby didn't raise her head to know that Katie was trying to find the proper words. That silence also stretched to Jen, and the eerie quiet hung over the cell for what felt like minutes.

"Katie…?" Jen finally whispered. "What… what universe was that one?"

"I-I…" the other woman stammered with a shaky breath. "U-um…"

"Katie…" The Pink Ranger's voice was dropping now, the edges leaking with suspicion. "What dimension was she in last?"

"The… th-the, um…"

"Answer me, Walker," Her words were stern and authoritative.

There was a murmur so small even Ruby couldn't detect it.

"Speak. Up."

"She…" Ruby heard Katie swallow anxiously. "Sh-she was in… th-the Shattered Dimension."

Another silence. This one stretched for longer… and Ruby finally peeked out from her fetal position, her eyes damp with tears. Her broken heart let out a small beat of sympathy when she saw Jen's face. The older woman didn't bear an expression of hatred or anger…

…she was stricken with raw terror.

"...what?" She sounded just as small and frail as Ruby was mere seconds ago.

"Th-the Shattered Dimension, Jen," Katie echoed, her features equally afraid. "The Grid infection must've weakened our barriers somehow. Sh-she was there… a-and she… she…"

"What did she do?" Jen spoke with a rising panic, her chest starting to heave erratically. Katie didn't answer and bashfully looked away, unable to find the words… until Jen shot forward and grabbed her teammate by the shoulders.

"WHAT DID SHE DO?!"

"C-Coinless!" the dark-skinned woman stammered. "She found the Coinless, Jen! Counterparts of TJ, Tanya, and the other Turbo Ranger successors! Sh-she morphed to prove to them who she was… a-and alerted Sentries to their hideout!"

Jen was struggling to keep her breathing in check as she backed away, her eyes desperate and frantic as Katie kept going. "Th-they were led by the Ranger Slayer… a-and they wiped out everyone. An entire Coinless base was sacked, with all insurgents dead, even the Ranger counterparts. A-And on the roof, just before you pulled her out…"

"No…" Jen squeaked while shaking her head. "No, no, no, please no…"

"Jen, I can't work around this," Katie trembled. "B-but EGA-One, she… sh-she got Drakkon's attention. He beat her into the ground; he knows she's from another dimension… and he has his sights set on the one she came from. This one."

Yet another silence. Ruby spied tears leaking from Jen's unblinking eyes while Katie was uncharacteristically still. It was a solid minute before the Pink Ranger finally spoke in a frightened and quiet tone.

"I want… every single transdimensional barrier we have… around that universe… seal it off."

Katie made no move. "B-But the Academy's dimen-"

"SEAL IT OFF!" Jen suddenly burst into a terrified frenzy, her voice higher than Ruby had ever heard from her. "USE EVERYTHING WE HAVE, JUST SEAL IT OFF NOW!" Katie was already meters away before she was done, racing off as fast as she could, while Jen was left shaking and panting. Every breath she took was full of despair, and her eyes were wider than Ruby had seen, her face paler than Weiss's skin. That was until they caught Ruby staring at her… and they narrowed with boiling hatred as her fists clenched at her sides. A hot tear trickled down Jen's face, and her teeth were bared in a mixture of rage and terror, her eyes shooting lightning into what remained of Ruby's being. The brunette shrank back with equally wide eyes, still recovering—or failing to recover—from Jen's painful words and her heart-wrenching betrayal.

Except Jen was looking at Ruby as if she had betrayed her, as if the seething Pink Ranger had told her not to screw up, only for Ruby to make the greatest error in the history of errors. But Ruby couldn't wrap her head around everything, especially since her mind was still in fragments from her encounter with Drakkon and his merciless forces who killed anyone in their path…

…people Ruby had led them to.

Ruby's throat seized, and she lost the ability to breathe under this revelation and all the others. Only Jen's voice—low and filled to the brim with anger and pain—filled the silence of the cell.

"Once this is finished… I'm sending you back to where you belong…"

Jen spun on her heel and stormed off without another word, not even bothering to wipe her tear-stained face. Ruby couldn't bring herself to do the same as every muscle and nerve lost connection with her broken brain and her shattered heart ceased to beat. She was helpless against every word in her head, most from Jen, some from Drakkon… and another from someone else.

"If they ever figure out you're from another planet, one where its people have more power than they ever will, they will hate you. They'll want you to go back, and if you can't, they'll kill you."

Faces with purple eyes glared into Ruby from all sides. Faces of hate, rage, disdain… eyes that showed only malcontent and scorn for an outsider. Someone who didn't belong. Someone who wasn't wanted, someone who was feared because of where she came from, someone whose help was rejected, someone who could never change that no matter what she did…

People were dead because of her.

She was blamed just as much as the Grimm just because they were from the same place.

Of all the guardians this world offered, one of them never saw her as an ally, never trusted her from the start…

Ruby Rose was no Red Ranger. She was no Huntress. She was… a kid—a stupid kid who only made things worse. And that was all she would ever be. How could she be anything else when she was never given a chance and denied at every turn?

Ruby closed her colorless eyes and welcomed the darkness, no longer stopping the chokes, the sobs, and the ache in her eyes that were empty of every tear she had shed.

It was a long time before she slipped into silence.

…

"Man… Ruby would've been wandering for hours in this place," Yang murmured, her eyes being one of the several pairs that wandered around the scientific institution. Brilliant blues and shining whites covered the walls and the floors, with those same colors being seen on employee uniforms. Multiple hints of chrome and platinum were scattered around, covering various prototype machinery display cases. The group also spied various monitors sporting an upside-down triangle accompanying the phrase "Welcome To Cranston Technologies."

"It's almost like an Atlas facility," Weiss whispered, her awe noticed by the veteran Blue Ranger. "I developed a lot of useful gadgets and equipment back in the day, including our communicators. And one day, I started to ask myself: what if I could use that mindset to aid not just Power Rangers… but the whole world?"

"It took years for Billy to get this place up and running," Kat continued. "We'd offer you guys a tour under normal circumstances."

"Agreed," Billy said as he broke off into a jog. "I need to contact security and put this place on lockdown!" He wasn't the only man snapping into action, as Zack was already priming his communicator. "Alpha, we're here! We saw Ruby teleport back here. Do you have a fix on her position?"

He heard nothing but silence.

"Alpha? Alpha, you there? Alpha!"

Ren raised a brow. "Technical problems?"

Zack shook his head. "Nah, his channel's open… but he's not responding. Something's up…"

"We can worry about Alpha later," Blake declared. "Right now, we need to find Ruby and fast! There's no telling how long we have before-"

The building rumbled as if struck by an earthquake. People tripped and fell without warning, and the monitors blacked out. They displayed darkness before red exploded across every screen, flashing the word "WARNING" over them all. Overhead PA systems flared to life, beeping a shrill alarm.

"Attention. Attention. All personnel, please proceed to the nearest emergency bunker. Repeat: please proceed to the nearest emergency bunker. Lockdown in effect."

Tommy stiffened as another sound joined the echoing message: a deep, booming roar reverberating through the entire facility. "We're too late…"

Everyone hurried through the halls, directing scientists and technicians to where they needed to go. Andros turned to the Remnantians without breaking his stride while the Space and Galaxy Rangers charged onward. "Get down to the sub-levels! The Command Center's down there, so Ruby's probably there, too!"

"What about you?!" Jaune shouted. TJ had a ready response. "We'll keep that thing busy! Whatever it wants with Ruby… well, get to her before it does!"

"That's the idea!" Yang growled, barreling for the closest staircase she could find. Her friends followed with Power Coins in hand, leaving the veterans to their own devices. "Alright, guys!" Tommy called out. "Remember, Billy's got backup on the way! We're the only things standing between that dragon and Ruby! You guys ready?!"

"Just one thing!" Minh shouted. "Where the hell is it?!"

"We have a containment breach in Lab Two! All non-security personnel, evacuate the science wing now!"

"Come on, Rangers!" Jason hollered once everyone had their sights set on the new destination. "Let's show this skull-faced creep that we're not going down easy! IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

…

Here.

She is here. It knows she is here.

Find her, it tells its spawn. Scour everywhere and find her. Tear it all down if you must.

They obey. Beowolves charge down the halls, Griffons swoop to the upper levels, and Ursai smash through walls as if they are made of cardboard. The ensuing fear and panic allow it to pinpoint the terrified humans easily, but none of them are who it seeks. And it frustrates it.

They are not all scared, however. Some try to fight back, hopeless as it is to them now. They do not yet realize their world is lost, their champions vulnerable, that all they will know is darkness. Only one dares to defy it all.

Only one matters now. The legacy will die, but… but…

It growls. The thought is painful; the memory is unbearable. All the more reason to end it so that it and its siblings shall suffer from it no more. All it must do is find her. Find her. FIND HER.

A familiar scent makes it growl in annoyance, a smell not found amidst the security detail's dead and smoldering bodies. It has no patience for them, nor must it waste the energy.

It commands the brethren to attack, to hold them back while it hunts. She is closer than it realizes, so very close…

She lies… beneath…

How fitting.

It turns and marches down the hall, ignoring the blaster bolts connecting with its dark flesh as if they were mosquito bites. Blasts of purple flame roast and incinerate more security forces, leaving it to ignore their dying wails and agonizing screams in pursuit of a greater target.

…

"NO!" Andros hollered as he watched the dragon's tail duck behind the corner. "We just missed it!"

"Well, there's no way we're missing them!" Jake countered, drawing everyone's attention to the crowd of supercharged Grimm barring their path. "We gotta break through if we're to get after it!"

"No! No time!" Kat objected. "We need to flank around and cut off the dragon!"

"And how're we supposed to do that?!" Damon countered. "There isn't enough of us!" His words sparked doubt in every mind within earshot, each of the Rangers worriedly glancing over each other while the monsters began closing in. Each colored warrior stood fast, uncertainty looming over them with two separate strategies washing over them, each hesitant on which to follow…

"Well, maybe this will even the odds!"

They all whirled around at the new voice, heralding the arrival of several more people charging down the hallway and halting right before the other Rangers. Some people struck ready stances, and others held morphers tightly in their grip. Most of the Rangers recognized these faces throughout the crisis: Cole stood strong with his teammates, two men in red stared down the horde of Grimm, and another crimson-clad man stepped forth from his team with worry covering his face.

"Doc, tell me we're not too late…"

"That depends," Tommy answered. "Is this everyone who answered the call?"

"These things are splitting up, so are we," Wes answered. "Overdrive and RPM are engaging hostiles in the main testing facilities. Beast Morphers and Jungle Fury are in the research labs. And Dino Charge is heading for the assembly lines. Eric and I will see if we can gather the rest of Time Force."

"They're not answering comms," Eric added, shaking his head. "Gotta admit, I'm a little worried about them."

"Then go!" Jason shouted. "Kat, Megaforce, Space, Lost Galaxy! Get after that dragon! Everyone else is on us; we're pushing through!"

"Right!" Kat shouted. "I'll try to reach the other Zeos! Andros, can you get Zhane here?!"

"One way to find out! Good luck, guys!"

Jake shouted into his communicator as he tried to keep pace with Gia. "Noah! Orion! You guys still out there?! We need you at Cranston Tech!" The others stormed down the opposite hallway in pursuit of the dragon, leaving the remaining Rangers to face down the snarling and growling Grimm in front of them.

"Cole? Conner? You all wanna get in on this?" Tommy asked readily.

Cole just clenched his fists. "I have some unfinished business with these monsters…"

The other red-clad man nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?! They got teeth and claws?! Let's show 'em ours!" Morphers were readied synchronously, and roars rang out, drowning out the Grimm's howls.

"WILD ACCESS!"

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP!"

The ensuing flash of light signaled the Grimm to attack, and the Rangers rushed up to meet them…

…

"Ruby?! Ruby! Are you in-"

Yang halted upon entering the barren and empty Command Center. Consoles were shorted out, wrecked machinery coughed out sparks, and several monitors had gone dark. Aside from those minor damages, the entire room looked intact… but there was no trace of anyone's presence.

The Yellow Ranger shook her head in shock. "I… I-I don't get it; she should be here! When we teleported to this place before, we all came right here! Where could she be?"

Blake was still surveying the area. "Alpha was with her; maybe he could-"

"Uhh…" Nora spoke up. "He's over here… but is he supposed to be like that?" The ginger-haired girl was waving her hand and snapping her fingers in front of Alpha's slumped face but was getting no response. "Hellooo? Wakey wakey…" Jaune stared at the robot with an almost pale face. "Oh no… h-he didn't lose power, did he?"

Weiss switched on her communicator. "Billy, how busy are you right now?"

"I just finished evacuating the staff to secure locations. Why?"

"We're in the Command Center. Ruby's not here, and Alpha looks… asleep for some reason."

Weiss heard only silence on the other end before another response came through. "What do you mean, asleep?"

"He looks fine," Weiss clarified. "But all his lights are off and he's not moving. Almost as if he's been deactivated."

"Deactivated?" she heard him mutter. "How is that… wait…"

More silence. This time, Yang felt unnerved by it. "Billy? What's going on?"

"This isn't right," the man murmured. "I designed and built Alpha Nine; I'm the only one who knows the authorization code for his manual shutdown sequence!"

Ren raised a brow. "Shutdown sequence?"

"Weiss, bring me closer to him. I need to access the Command Center's security feed." Billy's tone had dropped to an unfamiliar level; he spoke with a hint of suspicion. Weiss obliged and held her arm close to Alpha's dome-shaped head. "Okay, you're good. Now what-"

"Activate emergency system reboot. Passcode Alpha Theta Eight-Two-Eight-One-Nine-Nine-Three."

The red lights snapped back to life, and the robot jerked to a full stand immediately. The sudden motion startled Nora. "-your help! Uh…" Alpha Nine's head swiveled around, his systems adjusting to his new surroundings. "Um, hello, fellow Rangers! I'm sorry, but I might be suffering from a glitch. My internal diagnostics are showing some blank memory space…"

"That would be because someone found your off switch," Blake informed him. "Billy's looking into that right now."

"Alpha," Yang whispered solemnly. "Do you know if Ruby is still here? We saw her teleport here not too long ago…"

"She did?" Alpha scratched his head in confusion. "Funny… I don't remember seeing her after the incident. Maybe I should check for energy signatures…" The robot wandered over to one of the consoles and fiddled with the switches and buttons, only to pause after several seconds of searching. "Huh? Nothing between then and now? What in Zordon's name is going on here?"

Pyrrha's brow furrowed. "Something isn't right here."

"Everyone…"

Weiss lifted her communicator again, her stance rigid at Billy's low and condescending tone. "Billy? What is it? Did you find anything?"

"Yes…" came his grim answer. "I retrieved some footage on the verge of being purged from my systems… I'm sending it your way."

All eyes turned to the Command Center's central monitor, its systems starting up and light flashing across the screen. Within seconds, a camera feed of the empty Command Center popped into view, where Alpha was erratically pacing back and forth in front of the main console.

"Ai-yi-yi, where are you, Ruby? Why can't I find you anywhere? Oh, what would Zordon do? Think, Alpha, think!" He walked away from the console, mechanical fists rapping against his head. "It makes no logical sense! Her energy signature isn't on this planet! Or ANY planet! Oh, where could she be?! The others would never forgive me if I can't bring her back!"

A sharp crackling sound accompanied a pink glow, snapping Alpha out of his nervous rant. He brightened up as the security systems picked up the faint sound of approaching footsteps. "Oh, thank goodness you're here! I need-"

"Zeta Omega Five-One-Nine-Two-Two."

Alpha jerked in place, the lights in his head went dark, and his body motionlessly slumped over as his systems shut down. The figure who strode past him marched over to the main console and immediately set to work, adjusting her leather jacket, which covered a pink shirt. The Remnantians saw short brown hair whip around, wary eyes on the lookout before a pair of hands flew over the controls.

Nora squinted at the woman. "Is that… Jen?"

"She shut you down?" Weiss asked Alpha incredulously. "Why would she do that?"

The words "Access Denied" appeared on the monitor, causing the woman to grunt in frustration before she inputted another series of commands. It didn't take long for those words to be replaced by "Access Granted: Dimensional Barriers Cleared."

Jaune blinked in befuddlement. "Dimensional Barriers? What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

Yang, however, was stunned into silence. "Oh my gods… Summer and Tyler… they were right."

Blake turned to her with a confused look. "Yang? Right about what?"

"I… uh…" the blonde awkwardly ran a hand through her sunny locks. "It's… something way too complicated for me to explain…"

"Wait, shh!" Ren hissed. "She's saying something!"

True to his words, Jen was muttering something under her breath as she frantically searched through a chart of a cosmic scale. Entire planets passed the monitor, and coordinates emerged from each one. Some moved far too fast, but Yang noticed a pattern amidst the ones she managed to identify.

Each of those planets looked exactly like Earth.

"Of all the…" Jen whispered to herself, most of her words barely audible. "Stupid… most irresponsible… I warned him, but he didn't listen; they never listen…"

She turned to the screen and froze with a hitched breath, her eyes glued to a blinking red signature on the monitor. Without wasting a second, Jen hammered a button with her fist…

…and the signature was gone.

The Pink Ranger keeled over the console, her breath steady and heavy. The Command Center was calm and quiet again, and the monitor switched off at Jen's command. Everyone held their breaths as they remained peeled on the footage, anxiously awaiting future events while Jen calmed herself.

KRASHOOM! A bright red beam impacted the Command Center floor, wisps of crackling crimson lightning flying amongst its length before snapping out of existence. The teens all exhaled in relief when they recognized the familiar visage of Ruby Rose clad in her Red Ranger suit but quickly fell back into silence when they noticed her current state. Yang's heart twisted with pain, and her lilac eyes locked on her sister's face. Dry tear marks marked Ruby's cheeks, and her once-bright silver eyes had become puffy and dark. A million different thoughts and emotions were laid bare, and her mind couldn't keep up.

And the way Ruby's head was whirling around… it was like she had been somewhere that was too much for her to handle. Yang, Blake, and Weiss felt immense guilt that they had not been here sooner. Ruby was so close, yet so far away at the same time. Yang absentmindedly approached the monitor with an outstretched hand, almost wishing that Ruby would see her and rush up to her.

Fortunately, someone was already there for her.

"JEN!" Ruby shrieked in delight and tackled her from behind, nearly knocking the woman over as her high-pitched voice rang through the speakers. "I'm back! You brought me back! Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou, thank you so much! I thought I was lost forever, oh THANK YOU!"

Jen didn't answer, remaining only at the terminal, still and silent like a statue. The Remnantians were flooded with relief and laughed amongst themselves, still unwilling to turn away from the monitor. "She's okay…" Blake whispered to a smiling Yang. "She's back…"

"She's back…" Yang echoed as Weiss grinned alongside her. Seeing her sister so delighted filled her being with joy. Yang watched Jen closely, waiting for the older woman to return the gesture and express her relief…

But all Jen did was clench a fist tightly against the console, Ruby too delighted to notice.

"I-I don't know what happened!" she frantically stammered. "I was looking through some stuff that could help me and-" Her silver eyes shot open and she jerked in realization, quickly separating from Jen and whipping her head around the Command Center. "Oh my gosh, Alpha! Where-"

Ruby stiffened upon seeing his limp body and sprinted over to him while Jen started shaking in place. The group's smiles began to drop, and confusion settled in…

…until Jen whirled around with a blaster and fired a blinding red beam right at Ruby's back!

"Alpha! Alpha, are you o-GYYYYYYAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHH!" The joy and happiness vanished instantly, replaced by fear, shock, and horror all around as the other teens helplessly watched the veteran Pink Ranger blast Ruby on the spot, the latter's painful shriek ripping through their ears.

At the same time, the woman's face twisted into an expression of raw anger. The beam's energy coursed through Ruby's body as she screamed in agony, draining away her Red Ranger powers in seconds. Ruby collapsed to the floor with weakened gasps as the beam faded, her morpher clattering alongside her. Nobody spoke, fear etched across their faces as they bore witness to this horrible and heart-wrenching betrayal. Tears welled in Yang's eyes, Weiss's face turned pale, and Blake held her hands against her mouth with wide, golden eyes. Nora and Ren were chilled to the bone, and Jaune and Pyrrha looked like something had died within them.

Ruby meekly tried to crawl forward on the footage, a hand desperately reaching for her morpher. Her friends and teammates were frozen in place, words dying before they could be spoken as they helplessly watched a fuming Jen storm over to their leader and grab her morpher from the floor like an upset mother taking away a misbehaving child's toy. The woman then shoved the blaster into its hidden holster, snagged Ruby by the hoodie, and lifted the girl to her eyes.

The footage showed the back of Jen's head, leaving Ruby's expression clear as day. Shock and horror filled her once-crying face, which was on the verge of spilling tears once more. Ruby's mouth was hanging open in disbelief, and her unblinking eyes were full of fear.

"J… Jen…?" she pitifully squeaked out, earning a pang of sympathy from her audience.

"Ruby Rose," Jen snarled with as much authority as she could muster. "As an officer of Time Force… I place you under arrest."

She smashed her fist across Ruby's face in the blink of an eye, knocking the girl out cold in her grip. The impact made the others physically recoil, their hearts falling apart at the sight. Once Ruby had fallen completely unconscious, Jen went still again before setting Ruby onto the floor and slapping a pair of futuristic handcuffs around her wrists. The woman then unceremoniously draped Ruby over her shoulder like a ragdoll.

"You were right, Jen," someone spoke up. "All she's good at is messing things up." Three more figures strode into the room, and the rest of the RWBY Rangers immediately recognized them. They were the other Time Force Rangers, except for their Red Ranger. Katie glared at the limp Ruby while Lucas and Trip turned to Jen obediently.

"What now?" asked Lucas.

"Take the security footage and wipe it from the system," Jen ordered. "And don't worry about Alpha. He won't remember a thing."

She turned to Trip next and handed him Ruby's morpher. "Get this to the vault and lock it up tight. And I want it destroyed only once we get the others."

"Speaking of others…" Katie continued. "The other EGAs are bound to get suspicious. If they come across the holding cell or ask too many questions…"

"As of this moment, those mistakes are liabilities," Jen spat. "And they've done far too much damage to both this timeline and theirs. If even one gets too suspicious, I want all of them detained, their Power Coins melted down, and their connections to the Grid stripped."

"We just put the finishing touches on the portal, Jen," Trip added. "But I'll need a DNA sample to properly fluctuate a rift to Remnant. And since we're talking about a world outside of the Grid, the risks are-"

"To hell with the risks!" Jen shouted. "You get that portal ready within the hour, Trip. I want these fairy tales gone from our reality and back to where they belong."

Lucas turned quizzically. "And what about EGA-Nine, Jen?"

"Let me worry about EGA-Nine," she countered before turning to Katie. "Is the weapon ready, too?"

"Affirmative. Once we depower that dragon, the Grimm will be history."

"No, they won't," Jen objected. "Before this is done, nobody will remember they even existed, understand? Foreign elements have proven far too dangerous, and it's our job to get this timeline on its proper course! Katie, I wanna know where EGA-One has been, and I wanna know now!"

The Yellow Ranger nodded and rushed out of the Command Center, followed by Lucas and Trip. Jen was the last to depart, carrying Ruby's limp body. Nobody could look away, even as the Command Center became empty and the footage ceased. Nobody could handle the storm of emotions swimming through their bodies, their minds wracked with the horror and pain from the imaginary knives plunged into their backs. Hearts stopped beating, lungs stopped breathing, and they could utter no words to describe everything they had just witnessed.

Every Power Ranger team had trusted and respected the Remnantians… all but one. And all because they came from a world the Morphin Grid could not reach, a world not part of their legacy. And because of this, Jen and the rest of Time Force saw the Remnantians as something that did not fit in. Something that did not belong. They saw them as a cancer that they needed to cut out, denying them any chance for action. And the way they spoke of them - spoke of Ruby - with numbers and designations rather than names…

"RRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGHH!" Yang snapped first with a heartbroken scream, her fist smashing against the closest console with hot tears spilling from her eyes: eyes that snapped towards the intimidated Alpha Nine. "Where is she?!"

"Y-Yang, I-"

The Yellow Ranger shot forward and grabbed Alpha by the shoulders. "WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS THAT PINK PIECE OF-"

"YANG!" Blake hollered, a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Yang, please! She's not-"

"We trusted someone who never trusted us at all!" she roared, her tone full of anger and pain. "Y-you saw what she did to Ruby! You heard what she said about us! YOU ALL DID!"

"They want us gone…" Jaune whispered, his voice sounding hopeless and far away. "They don't want us here…"

"That… It…" Nora sputtered. "How can they say that?! It's not like it's our fault the Grimm are on Earth!" The Pink Ranger then froze in place, her eyes wide as she turned to her friends. "...is it?"

"No!" Weiss scoffed. "No, that's not true! The Rangers need us! They need our help! It's just Jen and Time Force who… who don't… ugh!" She stomped her heel against the floor hard.

"Ai-yi-yi, all of you, please!" Alpha begged, his hands outstretched. "This is just as much of a shock to my systems as it is to yours! I want answers as much as you do, but that must come later!"

"I can't wait, Alpha," Yang sobbed, her fists squeezed tightly. "The next time I see that bastard's face, I'm gonna deck her so hard she'll-!"

"Think of Ruby, Yang!" the robot pleaded. "She needs you! All of you! Not just as Rangers, but as her friends! You must find where Time Force is keeping her, and fast!"

"But if they see us," Pyrrha shuddered. "They won't think twice about disbanding our team and removing our powers…"

"With what's going on up there," Weiss reminded her, pointing to the higher levels. "I doubt they'll notice. And besides, Billy found that footage, didn't he?"

"That is correct!" Alpha shouted. "And he is most likely informing the other Rangers as we speak! The eight of you are not alone in this; you still have allies among the Power Rangers!"

"He's right," Ren realized. "They didn't have their Red Ranger with them! Maybe he doesn't know about this!"

"Everyone," Weiss spoke up. "I know you're all struggling from this… myself included. But Ruby wouldn't want us to be so let down when she needs us the most! We find her, send that dragon running… and then get answers. Straight from Time Force."

"And with everyone else by our side," Blake added. "I know they'll feel just as betrayed as we are."

"Right," Yang breathed with a shaky exhale, her lilac eyes steeled on the room's exit. "Now, let's go get our leader back."

…

"Billy does not appreciate you breaking in here!" Jason roared while shoving his sword through a Beowolf's open maw. "If you're as smart as I hear, get outta our way!"

"Yeah!" Connor cried as he cracked his staff across a Sabyr's jaw. "We need a word with your leader! Nobody messes with a fellow Red on my watch!" He caught the lunging Sabyr with his staff's head, the T-Rex jaws clamping tight around its throat and allowing a sharp twist to finish the Grimm. Jason followed suit by impaling the Beowolf and lopping off its head like an executioner once it keeled over.

"Huh," Connor mused upon spotting the rest of the horde bearing down on the Rangers. "They're either ignoring us or choosing not to listen!" He dashed away from several pouncing Grimm with red blurs and pole-vaulted over a swiping Beowolf, kicking down a Griffon in mid-flight while Jason rolled away and returned fire with his Blade Blaster. Kimberly slid beneath an Alpha Beowolf and flip-kicked it in the face, leaping overhead before pinning its limbs with precise arrow shots. The empowered Grimm struggled against its restraints, failing to spot a yellow figure soaring overhead.

SKKRRRREEEEEEEEE! Helpless against the sudden auditory assault, the Alpha Beowolf could only howl and shriek in agony before Kira plummeted down, stabbing her Ptera Grips through its eyes. She promptly hurled her daggers at two charging Sabyrs, but her direct hits weren't enough to slow them down, and she dove away from their charge.

"HRRRAAAAH!" Cole met them in her stead, grabbing one of the Sabyrs and hurling it over his shoulder to smash it into the floor. Danny caught the other one and held firm while wrestling it into submission, avoiding its gnashing maw. Max went low while Taylor went high, with Merrick picking off stray Grimm with precise shots. Alyssa flipped away from swipes and batted away attackers with her claws and batons; her presence echoed by another white light.

"HEE-YAH! NOBLE TIGER!"

"TIGERZORD! WHITE RANGER POWER!"

Tommy sunk Saba through a Beowolf's skull and kicked away a Boarbastusk, a swipe depriving it of a tusk. A rising swipe cut through another Beowolf's flesh, but his next attack was interrupted by a sudden cry. Tommy whirled around to see a Sabyr pinning down Alyssa, ignoring the many strikes of her baton against its bony skull as it tried to bite down on her face.

"Alyssa! Heads up!" Tommy called before hurling his saber. The white sword clattered near his fellow White Ranger, who was now trying to hold the beast back with her baton… until she spied Saba lying right next to her. The sight of the weapon made her smirk delightfully under her helmet before she wrapped her fingers around Saba's hilt…

…and decapitated the Sabyr in a single movement, vaulting back to her feet with the gleaming blade in hand.

"Shall we, Miss Enrile?" the sword suggested.

"My pleasure, Saba!" she answered, expertly twirling the sword as she engaged in a deadly dance with the Sabyr's packmates. She cleaved a leaping Sabyr in half, blocked a paw with Saba's flat end, and impaled that Sabyr through the chin, the sword's tip bursting from its skull. A distant growl alerted Alyssa to a lumbering Ursa, its forelimbs ready to smash her flat…

"AI-YAAAH!" A flying kick from Tommy made the beast double over, allowing the White Ranger to pound a fist into its head. More Sabyrs and a Beowolf converged on Alyssa, who kept them at bay via lasers fired from Saba's eyes. Once a hard uppercut had broken the Ursa's neck, Tommy leaped over the disintegrating course.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP!"

White turned to black and Tommy smashed his Brachio Staff over a Boarbatusk's head, keeping it away from Zack and Danny as they hacked and chopped at any Grimm that got close to them. A beam of purple energy blasted from an Alpha Beowolf's maw, intent on obliterating the Black Rangers until a horned shield halted its path. The empowered Grimm intensified its struggle, leaving a Triceratops-themed Blue Ranger barely holding on against the beam.

The deadly ray ceased once a spiked lance skewered it through the chest, earning a howl of pain from the beast. "Ethan! NOW!" The Blue Ranger charged forth and smashed his shield against the monster's neck, the edges cleanly severing the Alpha Beowolf's head while Billy yanked his lance out of its degrading corpse. With no more Grimm remaining, everyone else took a moment to themselves.

"Alright, that's enough standing around," Connor called, taking off at a slight jog. "Let's get after that dragon and-"

"Wait," Billy stopped him, his tone unexpectedly low while his helmet faded to reveal a stoic and hardened face. "I found something you all need to hear."

Tommy and Jason stared at him in confusion before Minh spoke up. "Billy? What is it?"

The veteran Blue Ranger turned to his allies with a glare in his allies. "Jen took Ruby into custody. She and the rest of Time Force want the Remnantians off Earth."

"What?!" Kimberly gasped. "No, that… there has to be some kind of mistake here!"

"Then why else are they not answering their communicators?" Billy calmly asked her. "Believe me, I've tried to come up with every possible theory that claims otherwise. But the video evidence I saved from permanent deletion is undeniable proof. Jen has a grudge against Ruby and her friends, and she's been going behind our backs."

"But… but why?" Zack whispered. "Why would she do that? What have any of them done to get on her bad side?"

Minh didn't waste any time and hurriedly tapped into her communicator. "Yang! It's Minh! Listen, Ruby's not the only one in danger! You all are! I know this will sound crazy, but you cannot trust Jen and Time Force! Got it?" She received no answer. "Yang?! Hello?!"

"What's wrong?" Kimberly queried. "Is her communicator offline?"

The rookie Yellow Ranger shook her head. "No, it's active! But… but I can't reach it! It's like something's…" She trailed off as the realization struck her, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "...or someone is blocking the signal."

Jason stoically made eye contact with Billy. "What was in the footage, Billy?"

"Jen, Katie, Lucas, and Trip were in the Command Center. They apprehended Ruby there and confiscated her morpher."

"Any chance she's still down there?"

"Possibly."

The veteran Red Ranger turned away and marched down the hall. "All of you, keep on that dragon." A taken-aback Connor tried to follow. "W-wait, where are you going?"

"To find Wes and Eric," he answered without breaking his stride. "And the three of us are gonna have a chat with Jen."

…

Ruby snapped awake to a distant rumbling. Her holding cell shook in sync with her trembling body. Still haunted by the nightmares that had refused to release her from their grip, she barely acknowledged the cell's energy barrier flickering and sputtering like a dying lightbulb. Another rumbling wracked her to what remained of her core… and the barrier sputtered out of existence. The energy-based handcuffs around her wrists also powered down, the useless links clattering off her aching arms.

Ruby barely heard the distant wail of alarms and faraway shouting. Still, she felt something else amidst the occasional tremors: a deep and echoing roar that belonged to a certain Grimm.

Run. Flee. Escape.

She obeyed, taking off from the cell and sprinting down the hallway. With every step, Ruby was plagued by demons—demons she could never escape, no matter how fast she ran. Her vision was unfocused, and the world quaked under her feet. The blaring alarms became screaming voices, the distant rumbles turned into deafening explosions, and she saw faces from the corners of her eyes.

This is not your world. These are not your people.

…generation after generation hiding it from them in shame.

There has been a mistake.

You'll be nothing to them, just like how you were nothing before.

…incredibly flawed.

I'm doing what I should've done from the start!

Some will come to accept me and welcome me, but others will still hate me.

How foolish they all were, thinking you were ready.

I've already got one world to fix because of you and your little band!

They'll want you to go back…

Victims are never worthy.

I've had enough of you: you and the rest of your kind.

I'll put this planet on its proper path.

This is what your world is doing to mine.

We can make this world better. Better than Remnant could ever be.

This is a war between Earth and Remnant, and it's a war we're losing.

We're better than them.

Since the first foreign elements arrived here, they've caused chaos.

We're far more powerful than them.

Don't tell me I need you, someone from outside the Grid, to finish this.

We can fix this world, pull it to heights Remnant will never see…

YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A RANGER!

WHAM! Drowned in her demons and fears, the feeling of a door against her face was all it took to snap Ruby back to the present. She collapsed in a broken heap, her mind wracked with doubts, trust issues, and if it was even possible to save a world that didn't want her. She lay there for a while as if her body had believed she was dead until she forced her eyes open…

…and she noticed a metal door sliding open, revealing columns upon columns of technical equipment and stashed Ranger gear. Then, Ruby saw a sign next to the door that read "VAULT."

Oh… that's right… she didn't have her morpher.

Because she didn't deserve it.

Chasing that thought away was like swimming up a waterfall; all Ruby could do was suppress rather than dispel it. The faint roars and rumbling above reminded her of the potential danger she could face. If she was going to get out of this - get out they don't want you - she nee… ne… n…

It was her only choice.

She had to find it… but this place was enormous, much larger than Beacon's library. Ruby had no idea where to start, but she had to look. Her Power Coin had to be here, her only ticket to getting out alive.

…

The humans were like insects: small, insignificant, irritating, and not worth its time and attention. Yet they did not know when to stop, throwing everything at it and hoping for the best. Even now, they thought themselves invincible. Untouchable. They thought they had the advantage in the building's atrium, unaware of how wrong they were.

It withstood every weapon and powered through every attack. Over a dozen Rangers commencing a futile offensive, their energies more tantalizing than any ounce of fear or anger. It would have made it famished if it had not absorbed so much already, the entire Morphin Grid succumbing to its influence.

So it feasted again, opening its mouth and draining the Rangers dry. They screamed as if it was devouring their souls rather than their powers. Colors dwindled from their bodies and charged up their devourer, giving it the necessary might for its true prey. Even once these Rangers had regressed to powerless, helpless humans who stared at their useless morphers in horror and fear, the power within it built to immense levels…

…before it blasted a devastating purple beam at the floor beneath its feet, boring a giant hole with forces greater than any drill. Metal was melted in seconds, and wood withered away; the foundation was no match for its might. And once this obstacle was removed, its prize would be waiting like the frail little flower she was.

…

"No… no… no…" Ruby moaned with each passing item, her anxiety still at an all-time high with each display case she examined. Old morphers, ancient weapons, and artifacts tied to the Grid, yet nothing resembling a Power Coin with a wolf inscribed. It would take hours for Ruby to scour the entire vault, hours she did not have. The hope she would ever find it was fading fast, much like her faith. She felt lost in more ways than one, alone in a world that would never have - and never would - welcome her. She saw people refusing her help simply because she and the Grimm hailed from the same place. She imagined the people of Earth - just as destructive and violent as the woman in red said they were - finding a way to Remnant and waging a brutal war with her home, hoping to exterminate any threats to their people… be it the soulless Grimm, the beastly-looking Faunus, and every person possessing or having the potential to possess a Semblance.

These dark fantasies tuned Ruby out of reality as she considered her situation hopeless. Then, she felt an unnatural heat and heard the creaks and groans of weakening metal. Lights flickered, and bits of the ceiling began to crumble away, forcing Ruby to look up and see an ominous purple glow breaking through. Ruby rushed for cover and ducked beneath one of the vault's many shelves just as the ceiling burst open in a shower of debris. It was followed by a massive impact that shook the entire labyrinth… which was then followed by a deep, sinister growl that turned Ruby's blood to ice.

She didn't dare look, for the goosebumps prickling over her skin and the chill racing up her spine told her all she needed to know. Even now, she could feel the glowing purple eyes scanning the room like searchlights. The deep growls of the beast she was now trapped with emanated through the still air, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

That growling evolved into a thick, gravelly voice filled to the brim with all things dark and malicious.

"RRRROOOOOO-BEEEEEEE RRRROOOOOSSSSSEEEE…"

Ruby's breath came in ragged gasps, each exhale shuddering as her body trembled uncontrollably. Vivid memories of past encounters with deadly foes gripped her heart, rendering her utterly paralyzed. A cold sweat broke out as she instinctively covered her mouth with a trembling hand, fear glimmering in her wide eyes. At that moment, rational thought eluded her; she was ensnared in a web of terror that amplified her anguish. If she had been able to think clearly, she might have recognized that her anxiety and despair were like a beacon to the Grimm lurking in the shadows. But logic was a distant thought; all Ruby could do was remain frozen, enveloped in silence, praying the darkness would pass her by.

"IIII KNOWWWW YOU ARE HERRRREEE, LITTLE ROOOOSSEEE…" growled the beast. "I HAVE WAITED SOOOO LONG TO FIND YOOOUUU AGAAAIINNN…"

Thumping noises that did not belong to Ruby's hammering heart sent shockwaves through her splintered soul, and she risked peeking out of cover to see the dragon's tail swaying through the air as it marched through the vault. Entire shelves buckled and collapsed like dominoes from the monster's mass, nostrils sniffing the air while evil eyes darted about. It cared little for what artifacts and weapons smashed to the floor in broken bits, shards of glass crunched to dust under its claws while massive wings toppled the tallest shelves.

"YOOOUUU ARE RIGHT TO FEAR MEEEE, CHILD," it whispered in an echoing tone. "BUT… IT IS NOT FROM MY PRESENCE, IS IT? NOOOO… YOUR MIND… IT IS IN TURMOIL…" Ruby's breath hitched as she slowly crouched down, carefully moving through ruined shelves and steering clear of broken artifacts of Rangers past. "AHHH… IIII SEEEEEEK A WILTING FLOWER…"

It knows. It can sense her. Ruby will be dead in seconds; hiding can only do so much and-

"I ALMOST FEEL PITY FOR YOU, LITTLE FLOWER…" It was as if the monster was speaking right next to her, a devil on her shoulder whispering into her ear while she crawled beneath a pair of fallen shelves acting as a tunnel. "YOUR SUFFERING WOULD HAVE BEEN EXQUISITE. ALAS… I HAVE DEVELOPED A DIFFERENT APPETITE…"

Find it. Grab it and go. Finditfinditfindit.

"THE STRUGGLES YOU HAVE WITNESSED, THE BLEAK REALITY YOU HAVE SEEN… YOUR PETALS ARE FALLING AWAY ONE BY ONE… AND YOU EXPECT TO BRING SALVATION TO A WORLD THAT HAS BEEN DRIVEN TO MADNESS?"

It was impossible for Ruby to ignore as she crawled about like a mouse, the words deafening upon her ears as the shadows closed in. Focus… she needed to focus… find the coin and-

"A WORLD… THAT HAS REJECTED YOU?"

Ruby stiffened, her muscles failing to respond as she felt overwhelmed by many emotions. She felt detached from everything, the world spinning around her. The crawlspace stretched onward, the exit a fading light at the end of a long tunnel.

"OH…" whispered the creature. "THERE IT IS. BUT I SUPPOSE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE, HASN'T IT? EVER SINCE YOU BIRTHED YOUR FIRST SECOND THOUGHTS."

Ruby was seconds away from telling the monster to shut up, only to grab her words by the throat and shove them back down lest she give herself away. She kept inching forward bit by bit, slowly emerging from underneath the shelf and hugging another fallen column. At the same time, the gargantuan Grimm loomed overhead, the purple glow of its eyes illuminating the entire vault.

Another glow, this one golden and glinting, caught Ruby's eye. Something round and shiny lay amidst the shattered glass, prompting her to move slowly towards it…

"INCLUDING…" A monstrous talon-clad foot smashed into the floor, cutting Ruby off from the Power Coin and causing her to fall back with a yelp. She looked up to see the beast glaring down at her, its massive visage making her feel even smaller. "YOUR OWN WORTH."

Ruby said nothing as she stared into the dragon's ominous orbs that seemed to study her in return. It didn't move either; both girl and Grimm stared at each other for what felt like an entire lifespan. She had no idea what to do now, not even try to comprehend what this Grimm meant. Ruby recalled flickers and pieces of malcontent towards the Rangers throughout her journey on Earth. She briefly saw the phoenix-themed Red Ranger before her again with a wicked smile, then the twisted visage of Tommy Oliver glaring down at her with a disgusted scowl…

"Wh-what…" Her voice was on the verge of breaking from the pile of horrible memories within. "Wh-what do you want from me?"

Its reply was a small, seemingly gentle growl. "OH, RUBY… A SIMPLE MIND WITH A SIMPLE GOAL FOR A COMPLICATED WORLD." It relaxed its stance and ceased all signs of aggression. "TELL ME… WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING EVER SINCE YOU CAME HERE?"

Ruby clenched her fists and tried to stop them from shaking. "T-trying to stop the Grimm… to stop you from destroying this world!"

"AND HOW HAS THAT BEEN TURNING OUT FOR YOU?" it asked quizically. "HOW MUCH PROGRESS HAVE YOU HALTED? HOW MUCH OF A FOOTHOLD HAVE YOU GAINED?"

"I… I…" Ruby trailed off as she realized she had no answer. For every Grimm she had cut down, there were always more. She and her friends couldn't be everywhere at once to stop them. "I've been… fighting and… and…"

It tilted its head. "AND…?"

Nothing followed. Because there was nothing to add. All Ruby had been doing was fighting, holding back a tide of darkness that never ceased. There were no victories, only temporary pauses and retreats from lost territories. And it was the same thing everywhere she went, every city she had tried to defend.

There was a sharp snort from the dragon. "YOU FIGHT. AND YOU FIGHT. AND YOU FIGHT. AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, HOPING IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. BUT NOW YOU'RE SEEING IT, RUBY. YOU ARE NO CHAMPION… YOU ARE FODDER. A MEANS TO AN END. A WEAPON HELD BY THOSE WHO CONTROL YOU, WHO SEEK TO CLAIM YOUR VICTORIES AS THEIRS."

Ruby violently shook her head with a shuddered breath. "N-N-No, I-"

"THEN WHY DO THE POWER RANGERS NOT TRUST YOU?" it interrupted. "YOU KNOW THIS POWER IS NOT YOURS TO KEEP FOREVER, BUT NOT BECAUSE YOU MUST RETURN HOME… BUT BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE YOURS AT ALL."

"I-I have no Aura!" Ruby desperately squeaked. "No Semblance! It's my only-

"ONLY THOSE WHO ARE WORTHY MAY WIELD THE ENERGY OF THE MORPHIN GRID," it spoke heavily. "SO TELL ME, RUBY ROSE… ARE YOU WORTHY?"

"Y…" She struggled to get it out and forced herself to nod. "Y-Yes…"

The dragon slowly grasped her morpher with its sleek black tail, wrapping its length around the device before sliding it towards Ruby's feet. The brunette stared at the coin inside, the wolf staring back at her.

"THEN SHOW ME…"

Ruby slowly knelt and brushed her fingers against her morpher - not yours it was never yours - and jerked her hand away, her chest heaving rapidly. She blinked a few times to clear her mind; every deep breath fractured. Her dim silver eyes never left the golden surface, its glow continuing to beckon and tempt her.

"WELL?"

Her eyes turned back to the dragon, who lowly growled upon seeing the girl making eye contact with it. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, RUBY? PICK IT UP."

"I-I… I-I-I…"

"PICK." The word was like thunder. "IT." It boomed across the vault. "UP." There was no anger, yet it pounded in Ruby's ears. Ruby's hand trembled as she painstakingly reached for the morpher, forcing her fingers to wrap around it gently. A storm of doubts and worries flooded her mind with fear and inevitabilities. The wolf insignia looked seconds away from lunging at the girl and closing its jaws around her throat, the power punishing her for her unintentional actions across the many different worlds.

"NOW SAY IT." growled the dragon. "SPEAK THE WORDS. MORPH INTO THE RED RANGER… AND FIGHT ME. FIGHT LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL. DO THE ONE THING YOU ARE EVER GOOD FOR, EITHER HERE OR ON REMNANT."

Ruby felt a wave of fatigue seep into her bones as she recalled every single battle, the memories making it seem they had occurred within moments or seconds of each other with no room in between. No breaks, no rest, no chance to stop, just fighting and fighting and fighting…

This… this is her chance, the source of it all is right there-

Ruby's throat felt clogged, and her heart stopped beating. Not even a tiny breath left her mouth, and voices assailed her from all sides. The fiery woman's lecture, Evil Tommy's disgusted beratement, and Jen's wrathful accusations bombarded her ears…

"SAY IT..."

Life chosen for you

Victim

Mistake

Shackle

Their fault

Don't belong

"SAY IT."

Not your world, not your people

Ability to be controlled

Bringing you here was a bad idea

"SAY IT!"

Can't or won't, you haven't learned the truth yet, putting everything at risk, COLLAR ON YOUR NECK REFUSE TO LET YOU GO YOU AND THE REST OF YOUR KIND YOU DIDN'T MATTER TO ANYONE THEY HOLD US BACK SOMETHING DOESN'T BELONG STRONGFROMWEAKINCREDIBLYFLAWEDCHAOSYOUCAUSEDWHYDOYOUSQUANDERITVICTIMSARENEVERWORTHYYOURENOTSUPPOSEDTOBEARANGER

CLANG!

The morpher banged against the floor and bounced one more time before settling down near Ruby's feet… before her knees hit the ground and something clear and wet plopped into the Power Coin. All was quiet, all was still…

…save for fresh tears staining Ruby's shattered face, her eyes squeezed shut in anguish. She saw only blurred darkness as the memories finally became too much for her to take. She collapsed with quiet sobs, wet sniffles, and a heaving form, all while the dragon remained motionless above her… with a silent grin dotting its features.

The world around Ruby was dead. Every light had gone out and she was in a void of nothingness. Her soul had faded away and the flame of hope was snuffed out. Everything she had fought for meant nothing. No matter what she did or who she saved, people would loathe and despise her simply because she was not "one of them". It was the same thing for Huntresses, wasn't it? Some people hated them, too, despite all they had done. People wanted to be left alone, they saw the heroes as extensions of something else. Huntsmen and Rangers just fighting, fighting, fighting until the day they died, never free and never loved by those who commanded them. Those who… enslaved them. Roped them into games and pulled invisible strings, motivating their pride and lifting their hearts so that they would be inevitably cut down.

All of Ruby's life… had been… a lie…?

Did… did Ozpin know? Did Summer know? Did they both try to hide this?

With her worldview shattered and all trust gone—even in her closest friends, who remained oblivious to the truth she now knew—Ruby's broken eyes turned to the one thing that stayed with her… and she spoke in a fractured, emotionless voice.

"Wh-wh-what… n-n-now…" Even Ruby wasn't sure if she heard herself. "D-d-do… y-y-you…"

The dragon recoiled with wide eyes, sensing what Ruby was trying to ask of it. "KILL YOU? WHY?"

Ruby said nothing; there was no more room in her mind for any confusion.

"BUT THERE IS STILL SO MUCH TO DO," the beast spoke as if reassuring her while creeping forward. "I HAVE MANY PLANS FOR YOU, RUBY. TO KILL YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW… ALL THIS TIME I'VE SPENT WAITING FOR YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN A WASTE."

She blinked through flooded dull eyes. "W…waste…?"

"YESSS," it cooed creepily as it slowly circled Ruby like her own shadow. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING, LITTLE FLOWER. ALL THESE YEARS DREAMING, PONDERING, LEARNING…" There was a pause until Ruby felt the dragon's head looming dangerously close over her shoulder, its silent breaths ruffling her hair. "AH… YOU REALLY HAVE NO IDEA, DON'T YOU? SOMEHOW… THIS DOES NOT SURPRISE ME."

Ruby sniffled and sobbed through a shuddering breath. "Wh-what are you… t-talking about…"

"YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FIGHTING," it whispered. "WHILE THE POWER RANGERS SIMPLY SAT BACK AND DID THEIR RESEARCH ON ME…"

Ruby shook her head, anger filling her at the reminder. "They looked… and they looked… but they didn't find anything and they wasted their time when they should have-!"

"NOT ENTIRELY, RUBY," it interrupted her. "ONE OF THEM FOUND THE TRUTH. A TRUTH THAT SHE DECIDED TO HIDE FROM THEIR FELLOW RANGERS AS THEY SEARCHED… AND IT IS WHY SHE DESPISES YOU SO MUCH OUT OF EVERYONE ELSE."

Ruby's breath would have hitched if she hadn't lost it. "...what? Y-You mean… Jen?"

The dragon only grinned in response, silently confirming Ruby's guess. Ruby's mind spiraled as she climbed back to her feet, her wide eyes trained on the dragon. "Wh-what is it? What did she find? Why did she hide it?" She waited for a response…

…and waited…

…and waited…

The dragon silently smiled at Ruby with a malicious grin, its deadly teeth on full display as the corners of its mouth remained locked in a nightmare-inducing inhuman expression. The purple glow of its eyes bore deep into Ruby's being, which started to shake as the silence became deafening.

"What was it?" she asked with a quaking voice. "Please, I… I need to know."

The grin only grew wider, unnerving Ruby even more. It remained silent as if it were just another ordinary Grimm. But its eyes gleamed with sadistic delight, and the answers were deep behind them—answers Ruby was becoming more frantic to uncover.

"What did Jen find that made her hate me?!" Ruby begged with heaving breaths. "How long have you been waiting for me?! Wh-where did you even come from?!"

It knew. Ruby knew that it knew and it wasn't telling her. Why wasn't it talking now? Why wasn't it telling her?! And why wouldn't it stop giving her that creepy smile?! The silence closed in on Ruby like walls, the brunette hyperventilating uncontrollably. She couldn't look away from those evil eyes that seemed to know just what kind of effect doing nothing had on Ruby, who clenched her fists into her hair and turned her panicked silver eyes on the dragon.

"SAY SOMETHING!"

Still. Nothing.

Ruby was on the verge of losing it. The answers to solving everything were behind a locked door, and she didn't have the key. She opened her mouth to scream in despair, tears leaking from her squeezed eyelids…

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

A roar from the heavens snapped the dragon's head upward, and a yellow fireball smacked it in the face. A hail of yellow meteors followed to batter the beast's bellowing body, a unified scream of determination ringing out as Ruby saw her Rangered-up friends diving through the hole the creature had created. They immediately attacked with a relentless fury that Ruby had never seen from them.

Yang came crashing down on the dragon's head, her fists pounding at the monster's skull and prompting howls of anger and pain to shake the vault. The Yellow Ranger vaulted off to avoid the beast swinging its head at a stray shelf. Weiss followed through with well-aimed ice blasts, freezing the dragon's folded wings against its body. Blake kept it disoriented with her pack of shadows, bolts of darkness shooting from her palms. Jaune and Pyrrha charged in with their silver sword and golden spear gleaming brilliantly while Nora smashed her lightning-infused hammer against the dragon's front leg and Ren hung back with glowing green daggers, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

The dragon bellowed with a force capable of trembling a mountain, spinning in place and swatting everyone away with a single swipe of its tail. Well, almost everyone; Yang grabbed the limb and pulled as hard as she could with a mighty roar. Undeterred, the dragon slammed the Yellow Ranger into the floor and flicked her away, leaving Yang to smash through a display case and collapse near the shell-shocked Ruby.

The Yellow Ranger's dragon-styled helmet disappeared once she noticed the brunette. "RUBY! Oh, thank gods!" Ruby was caught in a near-crushing embrace yet could not return the gesture. Not that she had the time, anyway, as Yang immediately pulled away and broke into a rant. "L-Listen, we saw what Jen did to you and I wanna punch her stupid face so bad, but right now we need to get you outta here because there's a Grimm with a grudge and I don't know what you did to piss it off-"

"RRROOOOOSSSSSSEEEE!" The demonic howl made Yang yelp as she dove to the side, taking Ruby with her before giant jaws closed around the empty space. The monstrous head whirled in their direction with an abyssal bellow, its maw aglow with violet flame.

"MOVE!" Yang hollered while ushering Ruby down a wall of untouched shelves. The sisters felt the infernal wave of dark heat against their backs. The dragon bellowed and roared with rage meters behind them, brushing off every fireball Yang threw its way. The beast shoved away columns of artifacts and rampaged through the makeshift corridors.

"RRROOOOOSSSSSSEEEE! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME! YOU-GRRAAAAARGH!" A bellow of pain escaped it as a golden arrow sunk into its violet eye. It became an agitated snarl as it swung its tail at a massive storage rack, forcing Pyrrha to abandon her vantage point and fire more arrows that bounced off the monster's horns. It drew back another heated breath…

…but a beam of sub-zero energy connected with its mouth, freezing the dragon's jaw shut. Suppressed growls accompanied every shake of its head, the monster uncontrollably bashing away more display cases as Weiss sailed towards its being. The Grimm dragon turned at the last second so that Weiss' saber met the flesh of its side instead of its forehead. It then threw its body against another storage rack, sandwiching the White Ranger between them. Blake pounced from the top of a distant shelf, her claws sinking into the monster's spine while Ren did the same from the opposite side. His daggers sunk deep while Blake sprinted toward the dragon's head, jade poison spreading through its system. Once he had provided an efficient infection, the Green Ranger hurried after Blake and her accompanying shadows as the Black Ranger swung across a curved horn and connected her boot against the Grimm dragon's other eye.

The monster's tail snagged a leaping Ren and threw him aside, the beast diverting its internal power to counteract the poison and absorb its energies before it could take a fatal effect. Empowered by the Green Ranger's energy, it shot off the floor and crashed back down like a meteor, the impact knocking Blake off and dispersing her shadows. The Black Ranger dug her claws into the ground and snarled ferociously, summoning her twin blades into her grip.

The dragon's throat lit up with dark violet colors, and the ice around its mouth cracked and dripped as it failed to barricade what was approaching. The glow brightened and intensified until the ice shattered beneath an explosive burst of streaming purple fire. A trail of hellish heat wafted everywhere until the Grimm dragon focused a devastating blast toward Ruby…

Jaune jumped in the way with shield in hand, the violet inferno colliding with his shining silver barrier. As the Silver Ranger stood tall against the fires, Yang noticed something about her sister and quickly patted her over. "Wh-where's your morpher?!"

Ruby couldn't properly respond. "I-I… it…" Her eyes darted about in a panic, her mind torn and conflicted until Yang focused Ruby's attention back on her. "You need to find it, and-"

"NO!" Jaune roared over the howling flames. "JUST… GET… GET HER OUTTA HERE! GO!" Taking his eyes off the dragon was a fatal mistake as the beast charged forward, ramming the blonde knight full-force and sending him flying across the vault. Yand immediately let the dragon have it and sprayed both flamethrowers right at its face, backed up by surges of purple lightning courtesy of Nora. Weiss aided them with freezing beams, but the dragon continued to stumble and stagger forward with an unnatural fury in its eyes, shrugging off heat, ice, and electricity amidst heavy growling and desperate roars.

"GRRRGH! TAKE… HRAARGH! THE… RRAAARH! GIRL! TAKE! THE! GIRL! RUBY… GRROOAARR! ROSE… GRRAAAR! MINE! MINE! MIIIIINE!" Yang's head whipped around for a hasty exit until she spied the massive hole in the ceiling. "Ruby! Hold on tight!" The silver-eyed girl had no time to argue and wrapped her hands around her sister's waist.

BRAKOOM! An explosive punch from both fists rocketed Yang skyward, avoiding the claw that swiped for her. "NOOOOOO!" howled the dragon as the Yellow Ranger sailed into Cranston Tech's central atrium. Now that they had a moment to breathe, Yang gently set Ruby down and stared into her face: a face the blonde barely recognized as her sister.

"Ruby…" she whispered with mounting dread. "Wh-what… happened to you?"

Ruby did not respond. She only looked down and away from Yang's gaze, her vacant eyes devoid of emotion. The blonde suspected she understood what this was all about. "Ruby, if you didn't hear me before… I know. I saw what Jen did; we all did."

Ruby slowly turned back, and it broke Yang's heart to see her little sister's eyes so lifeless, lacking any cheerful glimmer. "Jen… Time Force… they want-"

"They want us to go home," Ruby pitifully croaked. "They… they hate us, Yang… th-they all do…"

"Wha—no, no, no," Yang soothed, cupping her sister's cheek. "No, that's not true, Ruby… Alpha told us the other Rangers will understand. And they'll be just as hurt and angry as we are… they still believe in us."

"N-no…" Ruby sniffled, pulling her sister's arm away with a heartbroken look and a shaky demeanor. "N-nobody trusts me… this whole world hates me… a-all because I'm from—"

"RRRRRROOOOOOSSSSSSSEEEEEE!" The whole building trembled as if stricken with terror from the enraged bellow. "YOU CANNOT HIDE! YOU CANNOT FLEE! THERE IS NOWHERE ON THIS PLANET THAT I! CANNOT! FIND YOU! RRRRRAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"

The floor beneath the sisters' feet exploded outward and a pair of dark wings shrugged off the last remaining pieces of ice. A golden spear was stuck in its neck and Pyrrha hung on for dear life while a purple panther construct clawed at the dragon's face. A pair of pink lightning whips were attached to its rear legs, but Nora's attempts to restrain the monster were for naught as it emerged back onto Cranston Tech's ground floor. Jaune, Weiss, Ren, and Blake collapsed in heaps amidst the fading dust, but the dragon remained determined and ferocious in dispelling the current pests assailing it.

It dragged Blake's yowling Panther Animal Spirit into its mouth and bit down hard, reducing the construct into purple specks that retreated into Blake's body. Next, it grabbed Pyrrha and threw her against the wall before deflecting Nora's hammer with its tail, smashing her to the ground, and batting her aside.

But everyone slowly stood back up while Yang joined them. Exhaustion wafted over their forms, and their fingers retained a death grip on their weapons. Their persistence made the dragon furious, and it snarled menacingly, its eyes and mouth aglow with violet light.

"GIVE… ME… THE GIRL," it seethed, the nightmarish tone of its dark voice threatening to instill terror in the teens' cores. Yang was the one to respond, her teeth bared in an enraged snarl. "Like hell."

"You want her?!" Nora roared back. "Come and get her, ugly!"

"We'll never back down," Blake promised with glaring golden eyes.

"You are not laying a single claw on her," Jaune growled, banging his sword against his shield.

"Whatever business you have with her," Ren added with a twirl of his daggers. "You'll take it up with us."

Pyrrha got into a defensive position and pointed her spear at the dragon's face. "Ruby is not going anywhere with you!"

"And neither are we!" Weiss finished with a flourish of her saber. "We stand with each other to the end! Just like any Huntsmen and any Ranger would do!"

The dragon snarled with an intense rage, the glow in its eyes and mouth intensifying to dangerous levels. Raw and wild energies built inside it, coalescing in violet lightning crackling across its form. It lowered its head and tucked in its wings, a low and ominous humming sound rising from within…

"For Ruby," Yang hissed while cocking her gauntlets. Everyone charged as one with a determined cry, converging on the dragon with every ounce of power they had in them…

GRRROOOOAAAAAARRRRHHHH! The Grimm dragon erupted in a dark and chaotic wave of wild Morphin Grid energies that engulfed the atrium, forcing Ruby to raise her arms. The dark powers washed over her harmlessly, but to her horror, no one else was as fortunate. Her friends' battle cry transformed into a scream of pain in less than a second, the dragon's overwhelming energy obliterating their powers in the blink of an eye. Ranger suits, weapons, and armor were erased like a canvas stripped of paint, colors and sparks fading as morphers flew away from their bodies. Everyone hit the floor hard in groaning, nearly unconscious heaps, sliding and tumbling to painful stops as their morphers and Power Coins clinked and clattered across the open space.

The Grimm dragon huffed where it stood, heavy breaths accompanying the steady rise and fall of its broad, dark torso. Yang had landed right before Ruby, weakened moans and winces escaping from the blonde's form. Her lilac eyes creaked open as Ruby hesitated to approach her, but both sisters spotted the glint of the Burning Dragon Power Coin not far away. Yang pushed through the daze and scrambled for her morpher, only for the dragon's massive forelimb to crash down on the one person nearest to it. A terrified gasp of alarm erupted from Yang's suddenly frozen body… whose purple eyes met Blake's amber orbs, the raven-haired girl trapped between long, terrible claws as the dragon's huge foot kept her pinned.

"MAKE ONE MOVE FOR THAT MORPHER…" growled the dragon with all the fury it could muster. "AND WE LEARN IF CAT FAUNUS HAVE NINE LIVES."

Ruby remained as still as her teammates, her unblinking eyes glued to the tense scene before her. Nobody said a word or moved a muscle, with Yang's gaze alternating between the pinned Blake and the dark dragon staring into her soul. Blake was entirely at the monster's mercy, struggling uselessly against the weight pressing down on her and the wicked talons limiting her movement. Ruby could see Yang starting to shudder much like she had been not too long ago, the blonde struggling to breathe and maintain her composure.

"D-Don't…" she growled, trying to put on a brave face but failing to hide the fear within as she clenched trembling fists. The monster's eyes studied Yang's posture before glancing down at the helpless ravenette beneath it…

…and that wicked, soulless smile returned. Ruby swore there was recognition or understanding in those inhuman orbs, her heart sinking at the dreadful possibilities. Whatever it had just learned, it would be utilized to great effect. And it began by turning its attention away from Ruby for the first time.

"YANG XIAO LONG," it spoke sadistically. "SURRENDER YOUR SISTER TO ME… OR SHE DIES. SLOWLY."

If Yang felt broken upon witnessing Ruby's distress moments ago, Ruby felt as if she had hit a new low after seeing her older sister seize up. Yang's yellow mane whipped around as her tear-filled eyes darted between Ruby and Blake, two of the closest individuals she had ever cared about. Ruby remembered Yang always being there for her during childhood, raising her when no mother was around to support her. She also recalled Yang's attempts to bond with Blake, gently coaxing the quiet bookworm out of her shell and helping her feel more comfortable around others.

If the roles had been reversed, Ruby would have been tormented once more. Faced with the impossible choice between family and friends, no matter how deeply she cared for them… if it was her who had to make that decision, she would have crumbled all over again.

"Y-Yang…" Blake whispered, the golden-eyed girl slowly shaking her head. "Don't. Not for-" The dragon let out a growl and increased the pressure, causing the dark-haired girl to wince under the weight. The depth of its tone and the twitching corner of its mouth suggested that the creature was growing impatient faster than Ruby had anticipated. Perhaps it viewed this situation as a pointless delay?

"GIVE HER TO ME," it rumbled to her sister. "NOW."

Ruby wished she could comfort the petrified Yang, much like Yang had just tried… but she was just as scared seeing Blake at the Grimm's mercy. Tears welled within her lilac eyes, which once shone bright, her bravado faltering and panic rising. Yang was always the strongest of the team, able to power through any physical pain and barrel through any obstacle. So, seeing her rendered to such a meek and helpless state in a scenario that tested the mind over the body… Ruby didn't know what to think anymore.

"I-I… sh-she…" Yang's voice quivered. "S-she's all I… I-I can't, she… she…"

"THEN PERHAPS," boomed the dragon. "YOU NEED MOTIVATION." The sisters watched in horror as it raised one of its sharp claws…

…and sunk it into Blake's left hip.

"YYIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The ensuing shriek of agony ripped through the sisters' hearts while Blake's face was locked in pure torture, hot tears leaking from her squeezed-shut eyes. Her mouth was wide open in a high-pitched wail, and with no Aura to protect her body, whatever pain Blake was feeling had to have been magnified. The intruding claw dug another inch deeper into the soft flesh of Blake's lower torso, her scream rising in pitch and volume.

"NOOOOO!"

"STOOOP!"

Yang and Ruby screeched simultaneously, the former's moist eyes trembling at Blake's form while the latter pleadingly held her hands in surrender. The dragon's eyes snapped back to Ruby and relieved a red-soaked talon from Blake's body, earning a final anguished cry from the ex-Faunus, who curled in on herself. She pressed a hand against her hip, blood already dripping out from her fingers and staining the floor.

"BLAAAAKE!" Yang screamed in terror as she hurried to her partner's side. Ruby moved to join her, fear flashing through her dim eyes. A gargantuan black tail barred her path with a loud thud. Ruby was again lost in those evil glowing eyes; her hands raised pleadingly.

"P-please…" Ruby whined. "I-I'll go with you, I'll do whatever you say, just… just…" She caught Yang kneeling over Blake's body from the corner of her eye and heard faint, wet pleas to hold on, but the Grimm dragon's gaze made it impossible to direct her focus there.

"YESSSS…" it hissed at her. "NO ONE ELSE HAS TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOU…"

TJ. Tanya. Justin. Carlos. Ashley. Cassie.

And… and now…

No. NO. NO NO NO!

The smell of blood in the air. Ash staining her hands. Screams, fire, blaster shots, charred bones, bodies with smoking holes, everyone on Earth she failed to save, people with lives snuffed out in a heartbeat.

The tears were coming again, pressure building up inside. Ruby's eyes had a slight rising sensation that was either an unbearable ache or an intense burn, and it wouldn't go away no matter how hard she squeezed her eyelids shut. No more, no more; this was all too much-!

An explosion of color burst throughout the atrium, shooting Ruby's eyes open. A bright prismatic beam of pure energy had struck the Grimm dragon head-on, its thunderous howl of pain nearly deafening Ruby, Yang, and everyone else whose struggles to regain consciousness became instant awakenings. The beast collapsed onto its side, legs and tail thrashing erratically as its untamed violet energies were forced into the rainbow-colored ray.

That ray led to what appeared to be a large, futuristic-looking cannon. The cannon continued to blast the black beast and stash the drained energy within its system. Jen Scotts stood sternly near the main barrel while Trip, Lucas, and Katie worked to keep the cannon firing. "That's it! We got it!"

"Rip every molecule of Morphin Grid energy out of that thing, Time Force!" hollered the Pink Ranger. "We end this here and now!" The woman's eyes glared at the struggling and bellowing Grimm dragon that fought to resist the beam's effects. But the powerful ray remained locked on and sapped more of the stolen Grid energies from its body. The monster shrieked in agony as it tried and failed to fly away, its form growing weaker and dimmer by the second. Purple lights started to flicker and fade while its violet orbs shuddered, struggling against the reversion to the blood-red irises all Grimm were known to possess.

With all the Rangers' eyes on the dragon, Ruby turned hers back to her friends. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were still dazed, not at full capacity, as they struggled to push themselves up. Weiss was frozen from where she lay, her icy blue eyes focused on the sight that Ruby slowly approached. What she saw looked unreal, something she refused to believe… but had already seen too many of those to last a lifetime.

Yang was on her knees and quietly sobbing as she cradled an unconscious Blake in her arms, blood trickling from her hip wound. She couldn't hold back the tears as she stared into the ravenette's still face.

"I'm sorry…" Yang choked, curling in on herself and closing her eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

Ruby gently reached out and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Anything she could have said to comfort her sister or promise Blake's well-being was long gone. She couldn't find it anymore… just like she could find nothing to calm herself.

There was something amidst the heavy whine of the cannon's beam: a faint shuddering and creaking from the device. Ruby tore her eyes away from her sister and saw the cannon trembling, a lit panel on the gunner's station flashing red. Lucas fell into shock upon seeing it and scrambled to fix whatever problem had arisen.

Jen noticed the beam was beginning to flicker. "What's going on?!"

"The energy readings!" Lucas yelled back. "It… it's a total overload! There's too much power!"

"Divert to the backup units!"

"I can't! They're all full!"

"The hell do you mean they're all full?!"

The bright purple light within the cannon expanded, even as more were funneled in like water rushing into a balloon on the verge of bursting. Alert systems blared and certain functions ceased, the power breaking through metallic material and leaking into the air. Ruby risked a glance at the dragon… and saw that it wasn't even close to being completely drained, no matter how weak it appeared. The multicolored beam started losing power, the contraption shuddering violently.

"No…" Jen whispered with terrified eyes. "NO!"

BWA-KOOM! Time Force was blown off their feet by an immense blast of wild violet energies, blasting the entire cannon apart from the inside out. Pieces of metal and materials Ruby couldn't identify littered the floor as smoking-hot bits. The four adults were all sprawled out haphazardly, but Jen resisted the urge to pass out as her eyes locked on the freed corrupted energies…

…that were slowly drawn into the Grimm dragon's open mouth.

The weakened Pink Ranger held out her arm, forced to watch the infected Grid energy fly away from her outstretched arm. "N-nooooo…" The maelstrom of corrupted power flowed back into the Grimm dragon's awaiting maw, restoring it to full strength like a starving animal enjoying its first meal in weeks. Once the last speck had been swallowed like dust into a vacuum, the dragon exhaled a breath not unlike a sigh of relief and re-opened its glooming violet eyes.

After a few seconds of studying her and her defeated friends, the quiet atrium was flooded with a booming, gravelly voice.

"WE WILL MEET AGAIN, RUBY ROSE. AND WHEN WE DO… THIS WORLD THAT YOU HAVE FAILED… YOU WILL WATCH IT DROWN IN DARKNESS."

It unfurled a pair of dark, leathery wings and launched itself upward faster than Ruby could track, its powerful horns and thick skull smashing the building's ceiling wide open. The dragon was gone in seconds, a deep roar echoing through the sky… but its parting words joined the many voices that haunted Ruby to her broken core. She turned away from the hole, her eyes wandering the atrium…

…until they froze once they met Jen, the older woman standing firm with clenched fists and a tight jaw. Lucas and Trip were gathering their bearings, but Katie was standing wide-eyed at the sight of the injured Blake, more specifically, her bleeding hip.

"Another breach…"

"No," Jen firmly promised. "The last breach." She began to march forward, causing Ruby's heart to spike with panic as the girl instinctively staggered back. Jen never broke her gaze as she addressed her teammates. "Get their morphers and prime the portal. It's over."

"Hey!" Nora called out, stomping forward with bared teeth. "This isn't over 'til we say it-" She threw a fist forward only for Jen to swiftly catch it and wrench it backward, earning a pained wince from Nora before she tossed her aside. She continued to storm towards Ruby with a fuming expression… until a heart-wrenching scream tore her focus away.

"YOU BASTAAAAAARD!" Yang howled as she fiercely lunged at Jen, who caught her outstretched fist, spun around, nailed her elbow to the back of Yang's head, and stomped down on her neck in one fluid motion. Yang continued to scream and writhe under the woman's boot, wildly pounding the leg to no avail, with hot tears staining her face. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?! WE TRUSTED YOU RIGHT FROM THE START!"

"Time Force," Jen demanded as her eyes shot daggers at the remaining Remnantians. "Detain them all. It's time these undesirable elements get off my pla-"

"JEN!"

Everyone froze at the sudden roar that silenced all other sounds. Katie, Lucas, and Trip all seized up in shock, but Jen remained motionless, her expression unchanging. She kept quiet yet closed her eyes and took a steady breath while Ruby slowly turned in the voice's direction.

"You should've stayed away, Wes. For your sake."

Jen's voice was calm again, with a hint of regret, but the Time Force Red Ranger wasn't having it and stormed up to his teammates. Another man in red with a blaster in hand joined him, while Ruby spotted Jason near a hallway entrance. Jason's face was tight, and his fists clenched as he stared at Jen with an unspoken fury. Once his eyes landed on Ruby, his gaze softened, and he seemed to be giving Ruby a quiet apology.

Unfortunately for him, the time for apologies had long passed for Ruby.

"W-Wes," Katie stammered, stepping into his path with raised palms. "I… w-we can explain-"

Wes forcefully shoved past her as his eyes locked with Jen's unflinching orbs. "What the hell is this, Jen? Jason told Eric and me everything, and no matter how much I want to believe otherwise…" He glanced at the defeated and sob-wracked Yang under the Pink Ranger's boot before returning to the older woman. "What did you do?"

"I'm doing what needs to be done," she told him. "And neutralizing the greatest risk to our reality."

"Risk?! RISK?!" The other man echoed, appalled. "What… what on Earth could you make think that they are dangerous?! They're Rangers, Jen! One of-"

"No, Eric," she spat at him. "They're not Rangers. They were never meant to be."

Wes scowled, disbelief and betrayal washing over his face. "Jen… what… the hell… are you talking about?"

She scowled back. "That information is strictly confidential."

"Confidential, my-" Wes cut himself off with a hurt grimace. "Jen, I trusted you. How in the world could you do such a thing? These people are our best shot at ending this-"

"I didn't want to get you involved in this, Wes," Jen calmly said. "This matter is bigger than you. Bigger than any Ranger. None of them would understand how dangerous these people are to this world and this timeline."

"I doubt that."

The woman's gaze broke away from her friend. Her brow creased from the irritation of being interrupted. "I don't believe I was addressing you, Scott."

"You're right…" Jason shot back with a frown. "You're not. You're gonna be addressing them."

Jen raised a brow at his words while Ruby and her friends blinked in confusion… before they heard voices and rushing footsteps coming from the other hallways leading into the atrium. Ruby shrank within herself as she witnessed several Ranger teams charge into the atrium, fully morphed and weapons ready.

"It came from in here!"

"Where is it? Where's the-"

"-massive amount of Grid energy in this location! This has to…"

"Dragon! Eyes open for… for…"

"Ruby! Guys! Is every… one…"

Much to Ruby's surprise… everyone stopped. Helmets flashed away to reveal surprised expressions, weapons were lowered, and Rangers looked around in confusion before their eyes joined the many others taking in the scene before them. Pieces of scrap metal lying everywhere, discarded Power Morphers, two giant holes in the floor and ceiling… and Jen Scotts standing over Yang Xiao Long with her boot placed on the defeated blonde girl's neck.

Amidst the horrified faces, Tyler was the first to speak. "...Jen?"

Gia whipped out her Mega Blaster and pointed it right at the Pink Ranger's face. "GET OFF OF HER!" Katie snapped into action and whipped her own blaster out in response. "PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN, NOW!"

"DANA!" Carter howled from the crowd. "BLAKE'S BEEN HIT!"

"STOP!" Lucas roared, his Chrono Blaster aimed at the Red Ranger's head. "No one goes anywhere near them!"

The other man looked at the Blue Ranger in shock and anger. "Are you crazy?! She's bleeding! She needs medical assistance ASAP!"

Trip bolted for the nearest Power Coin, but a red flash beat him to it. "I don't think so," growled Conner. The green-haired man narrowed his eyes at the Red Ranger. "Conner McKnight, I order you to surrender that-"

"Nuh-uh! Not until you tell me-"

"Not until you tell all of us what the hell is going on here!" finished Kai, his Quasar Saber pointed at Trip's throat.

"All of you, disperse immediately!" Katie commanded, training her blaster on everyone she saw. "By the order of Time Force!"

"I see your Time Force," finished Z, fishing out a badge and presenting it to Katie. "And raise you one Space Patrol Delta! Now, put down your weapon or-"

She jerked from something that was prodded into her back. "That's not happening."

Z and the closest Rangers turned in shock to see a tall, muscular man with blonde hair and a mustache glaring down at her. He slowly marched to the forefront, a Blade Blaster with a yellow lightning bolt trained on the Yellow Ranger, whose jaw dropped at the sight.

"Jack? Wh-what the hell…?"

"Step away from the professor, Wes!" All eyes whirled to see Marvin Shih marching from the crowd, the other HyperForce Rangers flanking him. Hushed gasps and whispers wafted over everyone. The team approached the Time Force Rangers, glancing warily at the crowd until Ruby caught Chloe's eyes: eyes full of regret and disappointment.

"C…Chloe?"

"I'm sorry it had to be like this, Ru-" A glare from Jen as the older woman released Yang cut her off and she sighed. "EGA-One… but orders are orders. You and the other Remnantians are just too dangerous."

"Dangerous, how?!" demanded an incredulous Ren before Nora spoke up next to a visibly hurt Yang. "I-Is this about the whole 'too much pink power' schtick?" Dana worriedly knelt next to Blake's body, with a scowling Carter stopping Lucas via blaster to the head. Vesper solemnly stared at the injured Black Ranger and turned to Weiss. "When she wakes up… tell her I'm sorry."

"Why are you doing this?!" shouted Pyrrha. "We haven't done anything! We've been working with you to stop the Grimm!"

Jen didn't answer… she only glared at Ruby with scorn. Her expression reminded Ruby of something the dragon had said in the vault. It explained that Jen had found something about that Grimm she had decided to withhold from her fellow Rangers. She had this nagging feeling in her gut that her discovery - one she would not share easily - was at the center of this.

"Everyone calm down!" A familiar voice rang out, sending pain through Ruby's mind. She couldn't bear to look at… at him now. Not after… no, that was ridiculous, this wasn't him. But it was still the same face, the same…

The memory made her hang her head low, and she sniffled, but not even Yang's presence could heal her. "There's one thing we can all agree on here: what made Jen think it was a good idea to stab our new friends in the back."

"You bring Ruby back here after whatever she went through," Minh growled near Tommy's side. "And that is your welcome back gift?! I cannot believe you!"

Jen frowned at Jason, Tommy, and the other Mighty Morphin Rangers. "How did you even learn about this? This was a classified operation."

"One," Billy lowly explained. "You forget where you are and who built it. Nothing in Cranston Tech or the new Command Center escapes my attention… including shutting down Alpha Nine and attempting to erase camera footage from the systems."

"And two!" echoed Alpha. "It's not just any day the Command Center's computers are connected to the wider multiverse! Need I remind you how taxing the task can be for the Grid, much like your transportal devices?!"

Ruby heard another rush of gasps from the crowd. Her eyes scanned her friends, and she noticed that all of them - save for a slightly surprised Yang and the unconscious Blake tended to by Dana - were lost and confused. The blonde slowly turned to her sister with realization in her lilac orbs. "Is… is that where you were?"

"Jen…" Summer stepped away from the rest of her team, who were all glaring at Jen alongside the Dino Charge team. "What's this about the multiverse?"

"And… and what is a multiverse?" Weiss queried, making the HyperForce Rangers stiffen up and cringe. Eddie nervously flicked his eyes over to Jen. "P-Professor…" Silence answered him as Jen scanned the suspicious and hurt crowd of Rangers, the woman contemplating what little options she had. A quiet, steady breath left her nostrils, and she showed no signs of regret for her actions or words.

"So… you all want answers."

"I think that's been made pretty clear," Eric responded.

"Very well," Jen whispered. "We meet in the Command Center in five minutes. You'll learn how these children have endangered the Earth… and why they shouldn't stay." She turned and marched away with Time Force and HyperForce on her heels. None of the other Rangers made a move to follow, most of them never letting them out of their sights until they disappeared down the hall. Others gathered around the Remnantians, their aggression dropping to worry and concern.

"Guys, we're so sorry about all of that."

"I don't understand, how could she-"

"Whatever happened to 'once a Ranger, always a Ranger'?"

"Jen had no right to do what she did."

"And HyperForce knew about this?! They knew?!"

"She's gonna be okay, right, doc?"

"I stopped the bleeding, but it's gonna leave a scar…"

"Hey, Ruby," Wes, Jason, and Carter approached her, the former looking just as disheartened as she was. "Is everyone… are you…"

Ruby didn't say a word. She stared past the three Red Rangers and looked at Tommy, who glanced worriedly from the corner of his eye…

…and Ruby saw that twisted, wrong version of himself glaring back at her with disdain. And standing with Tommy were TJ, Tanya, Carlos, Ashley, Cassie, and a significantly-older Justin. People Ruby had watched die right in front of her.

She shuddered, her eyes glittering with tears as the voices swirled around her again. "I… I-I-I'm fine…"

Jason groaned. "Kid, don't… don't do that. Don't lie to yourself. You look terrible."

"Ruby…" Weiss whispered, her posture frail as she spoke gently, almost as if the wrong word or volume would shatter everything. She couldn't find the words, but Ruby knew what was happening in the heiress' head. The last conversation they had had together… back at the Aquabase's cafeteria…

It was Weiss' turn to shudder, her breath hitching in hurt shock. "Ruby… wh-why didn't you tell me?"

Everyone was looking at her now. Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha… all of them looked hurt in a way that keeping a secret could inflict. Ruby wanted to reassure them, brush it off, and tell them she was alright. She could get through this…

But everything had thrown it all away.

"I… I-I just…" Ruby sniffled, broken. "I-I want it… to stop… s-so many d-died… a-and I c-couldn't…" A sob wrenched from her throat and she buried her head in Yang's chest. "I couldn't stop… th-thinking about her… and what she said to me…"

Yang paused. "...her?"

"I-I didn't know what to do…" Ruby squeaked pitifully. "I-I just wanted answers… something… anything that could help me stop her… b-but I… I-I can't save them… I can never save them…" She remained there for what felt like hours, crying against her sister, who was starting to cry back. The three veteran Red Rangers stood in solemn silence, unspoken words passing over them.

"I… I don't belong here…" Ruby confessed, the space where her heart used to be painfully empty. "N-no matter what I do… people will… h-hate me… b-but I just… I-I just… w-wanna… h-help…"

Jason shared a glance with Tommy, thoughts from another world they hadn't had for decades slowly resurfacing. The two men shared a gentle nod before the crowd of Rangers slowly shuffled out of the atrium, yet the small group gathered around the Remnantians gently ushered them out.

"Ruby… no matter what happens next…" Jason whispered soothingly. "I want you to remember… we all have your back. And if Jen wants you gone… she'll have to go through all of us."

"We're supposed to be a team, Ruby," Yang added, pain in her voice. "I don't understand why you didn't talk to us."

Tommy sighed. "I think I might… and I think every Red Ranger here knows, too."

Ruby didn't have the headspace or mindset to listen or respond to whatever was said. She never opened her eyes during the long trek to the Command Center… and even though she was surrounded by those who cared for her, she had never felt more alone in her life.

So Ruby walked alone: alone towards her ultimate judgment.