Been a while, huh? Technically, this is also a Seasons update. Enjoy.
Prime Ruby is also rather cynical in this chapter, continuing her spiral from the last ones. Don't worry, she'll get better, but seeing versions of themselves that avoided the Fall is really getting on her nerves.
For anyone interested in making a commission, email me at: storylover543 gmail . com
Weiss liked to think of herself as brave. She had, after all, fought an Arma Gigas and risked serious injury for the sake of her independence, and she chose to become a Huntress, which entailed a life of constant risk fighting against the Grimm and others that meant Remnant harm. No matter how skilled you were, there was no such thing as a risk-free life as a Huntsman. Many of them didn't die in bed, and Weiss had long since accepted the fact that she could die on the battlefield one day.
Those feelings were only exacerbated after the Fall of Beacon. She ran away from the manor knowing full well she would likely perish fighting whatever malevolent force destroyed her second home. Finding out about Salem - particularly her immortality - had been a blow. How were they meant to stand against such a monster when their predecessors had only survived? Despite all that, she continued on, determined to help her friends save this flawed but beautiful world.
...
And yet now, she found herself terrified.
Weiss gulped as the Bullhead landed at the edge of the coastal settlement. It wasn't the first time she'd seen a Leviathan. The first time had been their (admittedly poorly conceived...) plan to get themselves into Atlas indirectly led to it nearly ravaging Argus. She'd put on a brave front at the time, of course, but there was an undeniable fear in seeing something so colossal and knowing you were one of the few things that stood between it and countless innocents.
The Leviathan surged through the water like an unrelenting wave. While the Grimm was slow - thank small mercies - it didn't change the fact that it was a nigh-unstoppable force. From where she stood, Weiss saw multiple airships making bombing runs that the creature ignored as it continued its slow but steady stride. The Colossus was still undergoing repairs, and even if it wasn't, there wouldn't be enough time to transport something of its size here from Argus before the Leviathan leveled the settlement.
Villagers were being evacuated, though it was hectic all-around. While the vast majority were willing to leave for very obvious reasons, a few stubborn holdouts argued about taking their belongings with them. Others still stubbornly claimed that their bunkers would be enough to survive the Leviathan's rampage. She wasn't surprised. Stubbornness was a common trait for those living outside the walls. Their sense of independence was fostered by surviving in the unforgiving tundra. Seeing it for herself was both impressive and annoying.
Despite the chaos happening around them, Schwartz walked on ahead like all was right with the world. Weiss jogged briefly to keep up with her and tried to ignore the slight tremor in her step. If need be, she'd stand her ground without hesitation, but the logical part of her understood that she may as well have been a fly swatting at a bear. No amount of Dust or stabs from Myrtenaster would pierce through that monster's skin. Not even Ruby's precious Crescent Rose.
"You're taking this rather well," Weiss said, forcing her voice to remain level despite her trepidation.
"Hm? I suppose it seems that way." Schwartz shrugged, continuing her stable pace, "You could say it comes from experience."
"You've faced Leviathans before?" Weiss' eyes trailed down to her counterpart's left hand again. Like Yang, she wore the prosthetic with no sense of shame, and the design made it look elegant. Too elegant. She could almost imagine some vapid noble deliberately slicing off their limb for that replacement. The Atlesian upper class was a competition of excess with many of them trying to outdo the other. Who had the the prettier wives, the higher stocks, the more extravagant mansions. Why not something as grim as their own flesh?
After all, that was what they were to Father. Accomplishments he could parade around.
"Our team hasn't made a habit of it, but yes, we've faced its like beforehand." Schwartz flexed the artificial fingers. She knew it was wrong to focus on it so much, but it was...her. Well, not exactly her, but a version of her, "It's good that we were given advanced warning. Hopefully, we'll be able to stop it before it reaches the coast proper. I'd hate to see these people lose their homes. Or worse." Her eyes lingered on the people still stubbornly insisting on their bunkers.
"Perhaps it's presumptuous of me to say, but you seem rather confident about this." Weiss gripped Myrtenaster tightly. Her counterpart's confidence was relieving, certainly, but she still had her doubts. She knew their counterparts were all Maidens, and she knew from...personal experience how deadly a deranged madwoman like Cinder could be, but would it be enough to stop a Grimm that could (in)famously level entire cities with its mere steps?
"As I said, we speak from experience. And..." She looked up, mouth curling in a wry smile, "Looks like you'll see for yourself."
Before Weiss could ask what she meant, what looked like a comet surged overhead, blazing with enough warmth that Weiss felt it even from the ground. Weiss watched in awe as it flew and struck the Leviathan's elongated head with enough force to make it stagger back, roaring in both shock and pain. The few airships close by wobbled slightly and quickly pulled back. Schwartz sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"A little warning might've been nice, Yang," she said.
Weiss only glanced at her counterpart before looking back at the Leviathan. The comet - Yin - flew back around and hit it in the face again. The Leviathan stumbled back once more, causing tremors that shook the freezing ocean. The Leviathan didn't get the chance to try and counter before a dark cloud suddenly manifested over its head and a blinding bolt of lightning stuck down with enough force and heat to burn through a portion of its skull plate.
It was...quite a sight.
As if that wasn't absurd enough, what looked to be a tornado suddenly appeared in front of the giant monstrosity, slicing at its onyx hide, "And that would be Ruby." Schwartz laughed under her breath, "At least I have confirmation they're all here. Now, we should deal with this disturbance."
"I'm afraid my help will be...limited." For one of the few times in her life, Weiss suddenly felt small.
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to climb the thing. If our places were reversed, I wouldn't." Schwartz unsheathed her own Myrtenaster, her (unscarred...) eyes gleaming with light blue flames. The chill in the air was noticeable enough that even Weiss shivered despite having grown up in freezing temperatures, "I expect Yang will need some help. Ruby and Blake will keep at range, we'll keep it distracted in melee. But a burst of speed would be helpful."
"Time Dilation," Weiss said. It'd been...huh, far too long since she used it. It would've been far better off when she faced that bandit in Haven.
"Exactly." Schwartz gave her a smile, "Use it on me. I'll use it on myself as well."
"You want to double-up on Time Dilation? Is that...safe?"
"I admit I've never done it before, but given the circumstances, I think a little risk isn't all that odd. Besides." Her counterpart's eyes twinkled with just a hint of mischief, "Don't tell me you aren't curious if the effects aren't cumulative or even multiplicative."
"...No comment."
"Hm. Spoilsport." Weiss blinked. Seriously? "Don't worry, I'll be the one taking the risks here regardless. If either of our Jaunes were here, I'd suggest them amplifying our Semblances to get a quadruple boost, but needs must." The reminder of Jaune made Weiss chew on her lower lip. Given her counterpart's comments, she knew he was safe, but it was difficult to not worry even just a bit, "Now come on, let's do this before Yang has all the fun."
"You have odd definitions of fun," Weiss muttered, readying the glyphs.
"When you've spent the past two months advertising and rallying instead of fighting Grimm, you tend to get antsy."
With a burst of yellow light, Schwartz was covered in Weiss' Time Dilation. Her own Time Dilation went off soon after and Weiss stepped back as her counterpart seemed to vibrate with motion. With a speed that almost put Ruby's Petal Burst to shame, Schwartz launched forward with a nearly deafening shockwave. A few of the soldiers and citizens covered their ears while Weiss stubbornly refused to look away, watching as Schwartz flew straight at the Leviathan's torso...
...And right through it.
...
Weiss didn't know whether to be impressed or shocked at the sight of it. The Leviathan literally froze mid-step as Schwartz shot through its torso like a bullet through unarmored flesh. Following her wave, a giant ice spike pierced through the 'small' hole she made, impaling the titanic grimm and leaving it stuck in place. She almost felt sorry seeing it try to pull itself from the spike while the rest of their Maiden counterparts continued their assault. Fire, lightning, wind, ice...it was full-on elemental barrage.
The Leviathan didn't last a minute. With one last roar, it slumped deeper into the spike before dissipating into nothing like all its kind did.
"Hey!" Ruby- no, Rose sprinted down to where Weiss was, skidding along the ground and scraping snow under her boots. Belle and the rest of team RWBY joined her soon after, Ruby, Yang, and Blake staring at the still-jutting ice spike less than a mile from the coast. The villagers and the Atlesian soldiers were similarly in shock, which she couldn't blame them for. Even after everything she'd seen the past couple of years, it was undeniably an awe-inspiring sight.
Grimly, her mind wandered to the possibility of what would've happened if they hadn't gotten an all-Maiden version of their team...
"Hey!" Rose said again, jumping in front of Weiss, "Is that Weiss? Uh, I mean our Weiss? You get it."
"I...yes, it is." Weiss nodded numbly, barely able to look at her best friend's maiden reflection.
"What's she doing here? I thought it was just the three of us and we'd be sent back?" Belle asked, arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. She wasn't suspicious of Weiss personally, but something about the situation had obviously rubbed her wrong.
"We already said we don't know much more than you guys about this dimensional stuff," Ruby said, her voice sounding oddly clipped, "I'm guessing Nora was the one who got swapped?" she asked Weiss.
"Mm." Weiss nodded again.
"Holy shit. You all saw that, right? Cause...holy shit," Yang said, eloquent as always.
"We were all here, Yang. We saw it." Blake breathed into her palms, "We got lucky."
"Seems like that's happening a lot lately." Ruby hummed. Weiss blinked at how downbeat she sounded. Also, she personally disagreed. Lucky? They were barely scraping by ever since Beacon fell. These dimensional swaps were just the latest in a long line of mixed blessings. It worked out for them now, of course, but Blake's previous counterpart was a sobering reminder that not every unintended visitor would be as friendly and cooperative.
Weiss didn't get the chance to ask what happened before Schwartz and Yin landed not too far away. They couldn't have looked more different if they tried. Yin, with her hair still blazing, landed roughly like a phoenix descending from the heavens. The snow around her boots melted from the heat, and she flipped her hair as the flames died down, a cocky smirk on her face that somehow managed to look even more smug than Yang's.
By contrast, Schwartz was more graceful, landing gently while a cold wing gently blew around her. The light blue fire around her eyes added a graceful edge to her presence, and her prosthetic seemed to shine in the light. Weiss was suddenly reminded of that old nickname back at Beacon that she used to hate. Snow Angel. It seemed appropriate now given the looks of reverent awe many of the citizens gave the pair.
Schwartz hummed and dusted off her skirt like she'd just finished a minor inconvenience. Perhaps to her, it was. They'd dealt with it like it was nothing more than an irate Ursa, "Well, that's th-"
"Hey, look who I found!" Yin said, cutting off her nonchalant one-liner. The (literally) fiery blonde wrapped an arm around her shoulder and dragged her forward, ignoring her yelps and protests, "The team's all here! Team RWBY from two universes, baby!"
"Maybe try not to announce that out loud?" Belle rolled her eyes.
"Pfft, we just killed a Leviathan! I think that's more important than whatever I'm saying."
"It's to see you again, Weiss! How's everyone back home?" Rose asked.
"About the same. Waiting for the day you all get back. Well, me included now." She shrugged off Yin's arm, "What happened? We were told that the change would only last for a couple of days at most. What happened?"
"The temporal device - that's what we're calling the thing that's causing the switches - was taken down for repairs. That's why we couldn't switch back." Blake put a hand on her chin, "But if that's the case, how did Schwartz and Nora get swapped?"
"A problem with the repairs, maybe?" Ruby asked, "Penny didn't say anything, though..."
"We can talk about that later. First, me and Yin gotta tell you guys something," Yang said, her voice suddenly serious. Yin matched her reflection's sudden shift, her smile fading as she gave the rest of their counterparts a knowing look, "We ran into a...weird Grimm earlier. It was..." She shook her head, "Look, it's hard to explain. We left the body back at Atlas cause of this Leviathan thing. Then again, I probably shoulda just stayed behind considering we did fuck all here..."
"Body? What do you mean body? Grimm dissipate on death." Weiss said.
"Not this one. It's...look, let's just go back. Yin says it'll be easier to explain with General Ironwood there too."
"Right..."
"We need to check in with this Polendina too," Belle said, "Weiss showing up here apparently isn't normal either from what you've told us. Split up?"
"I'll go with Belle," Blake said, "Belle, seems like you were already told what that new Grimm is, so just tell me on the way to the lab."
"I can go with you as well," Schwartz said, "If I'm correct on what this new Grimm is-"
"Yep," Yin cut in.
"Then there's no need for my presence there. We'll meet up once we finish our respective tasks. I'll admit, I'm also interested in seeing this so-called temporal device."
"Sounds like a plan." Ruby shook her head, "Come on, let's go."
Ruby looked down at the ashen-grey body lying on the hospital bed. She'd seen a lot of horrible stuff the past couple of years, dead bodies being just one of them. She wasn't naive. She knew Huntsmen had to kill, and while she didn't go out of her way to do it, it was something she'd been trained to do both in Signal and by her family; especially Uncle Qrow.
Then there was the Fall. So many dead...so many that couldn't have proper burials. Many of them were so mangled that they couldn't even be buried. While it was Pyrrha's death that really drove her to her tipping point and awakened her Silver Eyes, she didn't forget the countless innocent people who died because of Cinder and her pack of monsters. She didn't have any illusions. She was going to kill Cinder. Her, Jaune, or anyone else on her team. It didn't matter who. As long as she was dead.
But even with all that, she found the body in front of her haunting in a way she couldn't explain. It - he - was still alive. Barely. His chest rose and fell, and his body squirmed occasionally, but he still looked like a dead man walking. Tubes and wires were shoved all over his body. His arms, his chest, his mouth...Ruby forced her eyes away from the clear tube prying his lips open and looked at his eyes. One was covered entirely in pale white scar-tissue that left no trace of the face underneath. The other?
A glassy silver eye that stared up at the ceiling, dead to the world.
"So you're saying this man...came from inside the Grimm?" General Ironwood asked. He'd gone to meet them as soon as he had confirmation that the Leviathan was taken care of. Weiss' sister was still on the ground keeping an eye on things, though.
They weren't in a hospital room, not really. It felt like a...vault of some kind. The guy on the bed wasn't a patient, not really. He was something to be kept under lock and key.
"Sort of." Yin rubbed the back of her head. The expression on her face was pinched, "He was inside the Grimm, yeah, but that's not the whole story."
"Enlighten us then."
"Alright, but we're not really experts ourselves." She looked to Rose for a moment. For some reason, her counterpart looked away, "These Grimm are...they were - or I guess, are - made by that monster Salem from...from people with Silver Eyes."
The silence that settled over the room was deafening. Ruby's eyes widened by just the smallest bit and she looked down blankly at the wheezing half-corpse. The glassy silver eye stared up at the ceiling, completely unaware of the world around it. Ruby reached a tentative hand out and slowly closed it...only for the eyelid to shoot back open again. She closed it again. It opened again. Close, open, close, open, close-
"Ruby, stop." Yang grabbed her hand and squeezed. Ruby turned to look at her, her expression blank. Yang was trying to keep calm, but she could tell she was barely keeping it together, "He's...I don't think that's gonna work."
"I know."
"So why are you..."
"I don't know." Ruby's voice was soft. Calm. Yang looked at her like she was expecting her to scream and break down any second now, but Ruby just felt...she didn't know how to describe it. Numb? Tired? Cause why wouldn't Salem, that witch, use people with Silver Eyes in her fucked-up experiments and turn them into monsters like her? That was probably why that Tyrian guy (that Belle turned into a crispy corpse) wanted to kidnap her.
"I see." General Ironwood paced for only a couple of seconds before looking back to Yin and Rose, "What are its capabilities?" Huh, back to normal. She wasn't surrpised. She told him about Salem's immortality not too long ago and he just left afterwards, telling her that he 'had to re-asses'.
"It's not as big or tough as a Leviathan, but they definitely still pack a punch." Yin crossed her arms, "Besides that they're...smart. Scary smart.."
Rose spoke up next, "Ancient Grimm can be patient, but they're still animals in the end. Even Grimm like the Nuckalavee go back to animal instincts in a fight. These Grimm - Hounds, we call them - are Salem's personal attack dogs. They can't blend in like her other agents, but they know how to adapt in a fight. It'll set ambushes, retreat, and even use innocent people as bait or distractions. If you fight them like you do any other Grimm, you're already making a mistake?"
"Do you have any idea how many there are?" Weiss asked.
"We don't know." Rose shook her head, "We fought half a dozen back home, but that could be different here. Different dimensions and all that."
"Honestly, I was kinda hoping that it wouldn't show up here." Yin rubbed her arms together.
"What about him? Is he...?" Ruby gestured to the stubbornly 'awake' former 'Hound'. He was a Faunus, now that she looked closer, "Can he...survive?"
"Yeah." Rose finally smiled, even if it was small, "It's...It's not gonna be easy, and he'll need a lot of help getting there, but the ones we saved back home are living their lives. They just need help. Their minds are still their own."
"This is troubling news." General Ironwood sighed, "With Ms. Rose's...recent revelation about Salem's immortality, the last thing we needed is further complications." General Ironwood hadn't looked at her. She wasn't surprised. She did tell him that they were lying to his face for months less than a week ago. He definitely didn't trust her, "We've already discussed any intel you three - now four - had against Salem, but we should double-check. We don't need any more surprises."
"Right, we probably shoulda told you about the Hounds sooner." Yin sighed.
"What's going to happen to this man?" Weiss asked, looking down at the guy with a pitying look.
"He'll be kept here under observation while he recovers. While he's undoubtedly a victim, we can't discount the possibility that there are lingering traces of Grimm corruption or other such side-effects. We're flying blind here, and the best thing we can do is be cautious."
"By the way, Weiss - our Weiss - showed up. I thought the dimension thing was broken?" Rose asked.
"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Mr. Polendina about the details on that. This machine, such as it is, is confusing to me as well. Up until recently, it seemed more a nuisance until one of Ms. Belladonna's counterparts tried assassinating a major figure in Atlas. Not that any tears would be shed if she'd succeeded..." The General muttered the last part, but Ruby heard it clear as day. She still remembered Blake grousing that she couldn't believe she helped save Jacques Schnee.
They separated after that. Yang tried to stick around, but Ruby waved her off. She needed to be alone. Ruby wandered around the terraces of Atlas Academy, breathing in the cold air. She let her Aura down just a bit to let the full chill hit her skin. The biting frost was a distraction from all the thoughts swirling in her head. Not too long ago, she thought getting alternate dimension versions of themselves would be the worst things they had to deal with. Sure, Salem was still looming over them, but she felt almost...distant. Like a monster from a fairy tale.
Now she felt less like a hero and more just a kid trying to keep her head above water. Yeah, maybe it was big-headed of her to think that, but she really did think - hope - that they would be the heroes. That they could stop Salem, save Remnant, and...and make things right. Make up for how they failed back at Beacon.
She didn't know how long she stood there just wallowing in her thoughts before she felt a clap on her shoulder. She jumped up slightly and turned to see her reflection. Rose, "Heya! You alright? You're spacing out..."
"Just thinking. Not every day you find out someone wants to turn you to a monster 'cause of your eyes." The words came out way too calmly. Rose blinked, "But...tell me something." Ruby turned away to look at the distant tundra, keeping her face hidden from her other self, "You said that these people came from those with Silver Eyes, so...is mom one of them?"
"Well...that's-"
"Nevermind. You just told me." She hesitated, that was confirmation enough. If it wasn't true, she would've just said no. Ruby gripped the railings so tightly that her palms hurt. She didn't know how to feel. Grief? Anger? Some twisted sense of hope? Her mom was alive. Alive and suffering as some kind of monster because of Salem. She remembered Rose's words on how the people inside those monsters could recover. Was that what she was hoping for? To pull her mom out of that twisted monstrosity so she could slowly and painfully limp her way back to some semblance of a normal life?
"...Maybe she's not like that here? We're in a different dimension. Not everything's going to be the same," Rose murmured, standing next to her.
"So she's just dead?"
"...Would that be better?"
"You're asking me? You're the one who has everything figured out."
"I don't." Rose gave her a half-glare, "I already told you before, I just got lucky."
"Well, it seems like everyone's getting lucky!" Ruby turned to face her Maiden counterpart, "Every single person that showed up here? They all stopped the Fall or...or it just didn't happen! They stopped Cinder or-or they did something else. And nobody died!" She hated how she sounded. Petty and resentful, like she wanted those dimensions to fail just so she'd feel better about herself. It was pathetic.
Neither of them said a word after that. Really, what could Ruby say? An apology? It wouldn't change anything now. Soon enough, Rose would go back to her perfect world while Ruby and the rest of them would still be here, still dealing with Salem and whatever fucked up thing she throws at them. She wasn't going to give up, she'd come too far for that, but it was hard not to feel like the universe - multiverse - was laughing at her.
"I don't know what to do."
"I don't think there's anything you can do." Ruby shook her head, "Sorry if I'm being annoying. I don't hate you for having a good life, it's just...hard, having to deal with all this stuff and knowing that other versions of you out there did better than you."
"Is it really 'better' if it's just cause we got these powers from luck?"
"Luck? So you beat Salem out of luck too?" Rose pursed her lips at the question, "Look...I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, but it's not really happening. I'll get better, I always do, but I need time. I mean, I just found out about Silver Eyed monsters and mom..."
"You can save her."
"If there's anything left of her." Whatever Rose was about to say to that was cut off when Ruby's scroll suddenly rang. It was Blake, "Blake? What's going on?"
"Uh...you might want to go to the General's office?"
"Why? Is something wrong? An attack?"
"No. We went to Professor Polendina's lab. He tried to give us the runaround, but Belle and Schwartz convinced him to tell us the truth. He's been deliberately keeping the machine off to keep our alternates trapped here. We should probably make sure she doesn't, you know, blow up Atlas Academy."
...
Ruby cut the call and sighed. Looks like she wasn't the only one keeping secrets here.
James was not a man who was used to being intimidated. One didn't reach the position of General of the Atlesian military by kowtowing to others. He'd attained his rank through hard work and perseverance, not bribes and backroom dealings. He'd looked politicians, movers of industry, and Jacques Schnee himself in the eyes and told them that he would not be their lapdog no matter what they tried to offer or threaten him with.
Which was why he found himself completely calm and level as four Maidens stared him down with literal fire in their eyes.
"You have some explaining to do." Ms. Belladonna's counterpart - Ms. Belle, if he remembered correctly - growled.
"I assume Pietro told you the truth." James pressed his hands together. There was no sense in panicking or denials. His eyes flickered to team RWBY. Their presence here could be either a stabilizing or agitating factor.
"He wasn't forthcoming at first, but I have experience in telling liars. Professor Polendina is too kindhearted to keep up a mask." Ms. Schwartz said, arms crossed and lips curled up in a thin smile, "He said he'll turn on the machine but pleaded with Blake and I to talk to you first. He assured us that you had a very good reason."
"I do." He kept his expression neutral as he considered his next words, "I won't mince words. Your capabilities were too useful to turn away. Even one fully-trained Maiden would be a boon, but three was unprecedented. Four now, I suppose." He looked at Ms. Schnee's counterpart. Her eyes were calculating and markedly less emotional than those of her team, "And you presence was a boon. Fighting the Leviathan would've led to more casualties if you four weren't present."
"You coulda just asked! We would've helped you!" Ms. Yin threw her hands up.
"For how long?" James raised a brow. Two days? Three? If I asked you to put your life on hold for the sake of strangers, would you have done it?"
"Yes! That's what being a Huntress is all about!" Ms. Rose stamped her foot, "We helped you before you lied to us!"
"And what if you'd said no?" James asked, utterly nonplussed, "You aided us, yes, but I had no guarantee that you would continue to do so for days on end. If you refused because you wished to return home, then things would've been more difficult. In the days you arrived, you've aided in the construction of Amity, taken down one of Salem's agents, and helped safeguard Atlas. I apologize for the deception, but I won't apologize for results."
"You're just like Ironwood back home." Ms. Belle sneered.
"Indeed. Though, at least he was upfront about seeing us as weapons." Ms. Schwartz scoffed, "Let me make this very clear, General. We sympathize with this world and the burden you're all living with, but we will not be held hostage. We've dealt with people seeing us as nothing more than living artillery back home and we don't have any desire to repeat the experience here. You will order Professor Polendina to return us to our homes at the deadline he gave us for when this device is still stable. Until then, we are willing to help, but if you attempt to lie to us one more time, there will be consequences. Do we understand each other?"
The right side of his mouth twitched silently. He was never fond of being issued ultimatums, but he also knew when to cut his losses. Logically, he knew that he couldn't force any other outcome. Trying to make them stay longer would result in non-cooperation at best. At worst, it would antagonize four Maidens who had no reason to care about a world they would never see again.
"I understand."
"Good. Professor Polendina said that we have four more days' worth of time here before we run into problems. We won't risk going even a minute above that time limit." Ms. Schwartz's eyes softened just a bit, "We truly do sympathize with your situation - we remember well Salem's machinations - but we have our own lives. You can't ask us to risk being trapped here any more than we would ask you to do the same were we in your place."
"Hm." James nodded. This wasn't optimal, but he knew it was the best he could hope for, "Team RWBY, could you stay behind?"
"You talking to us?" Ms. Xiao Long raised a brow.
"Naturally."
"We'll see you guys later." Ms. Yin shook her head and walked out followed by the rest of the Maidens.
James waited till they left the room before he stood, grabbing the datapad from the table. Ms. Schnee had been giving reports on the swaps to Winter for the sake of posterity. He'd ignored them beforehand - he had more important things to focus on that team RWBY and JNR being rendered ineligible for combat operations - but after Ms. Belladonna's previous counterpart nearly assassinated Jacques, he couldn't afford to. Then these alternates became a risk.
...And yet they could also be unexpected boons.
"What do you want, General?" Ms. Schnee asked, her eyes on the datapad.
"Team RWBY, from today onwards you're to be given another task." He tapped the datapad, "Up until now, Pietro had been working on repairing the Temporal Device to ensure that these switches stopped. That stops today."
"Wait, hold up? You want this to keep happening?" Ms. Xiao Long asked.
"He's hoping for more alternates like the Maidens to show up." Ms. Belladonna crossed her arms, "Isn't that a huge risk? My last alternate wasn't exactly 'cooperative'. And what if we run into other versions like that? We got lucky now, but if these four were like Cinder..."
"It's a risk we'll have to take." His eyes landed on Ms. Rose. The girl flinched slightly but didn't look away, "Up until now, I assumed that we could rally Remnant to fight Salem like she's a conventional enemy. She is not. Ms. Rose has told me that." She winced again, as did the rest of the team. While she'd taken the responsibility of telling him, all four of them had lied to him. It was something he hadn't forgotten, "We wasted time in an endeavor due to mistaken assumptions."
"Hey, that's-"
"Ms. Xiao Long, I didn't come here to discuss your lies." She stepped back like she'd been struck, "This is an order. You four, plus Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie will be participating in the search for allies. The chances of a solution falling on our lap are slim, but this is a chance that we cannot waste." Neo Politan's consent wasn't needed. She was a prisoner partially responsible for the death toll at Beacon, "For now, keep watch over your counterparts."
"General-"
"Dismissed." He turned, cutting off whatever Ms. Rose was about to say. She had lied to him, and while James learned to not take things personally - petty grudges were impractical - her omissions had cost them time; a resource that was in painfully short supply in recent days.
The four of them left without a word after that. James waited for the door to shut again before he opened the bottle of wgiskey on the table. He poured himself a generous helping and downed it all in one gulp. The next few weeks were going to be...difficult.
All things considered, Weiss really should've considered herself lucky. The alternates that everyone had to deal with were a mixed bag. One Jaune was Neo's unwitting (and later, all too willing) lapdog, Yang had to deal with a simp (was that the right word?) version of herself, Blake's was an unashamed terrorist, and one of Ruby's counterparts, while still a force of good, was uncouth and had no sense of boundaries for who to properly flirt with.
By contrast, her counterparts had all been rather pleasant.
Right now, she and Schwartz were helping to establish defenses across numerous villages in the Tundra. Weiss' Semblance and manipulation of Dust allowed her to create fortifications, but they would be temporary. Schwartz's maiden powers and understanding of structures would allow her to make more permanent changes. If Salem really was sending Grimm to try and weaken them, then they needed more fortifications lest the casualties mount.
Using her Semblance, she assisted her Maiden counterpart in the task. Walls, moats, spikes...anything that would keep the Grimm at bay. They couldn't stop something like Nevermores, but the villagers had their own defenses in place for such a task.
It was noon when they decided to take a break back in Mantle. Weiss did her best to keep a low profile while her mirror walked without shame. The people of Mantle had no fond feelings for her family. To them, Father - and the Schnees as a whole - were responsible for their destitute circumstances. The faces of corporate oppression. The fact that she was a Huntress who'd been disinherited didn't matter (assuming they knew the latter). She was a Schnee, so that was enough.
They ended up at a small restaurant. The Faunus owner regarded them with suspicion, especially since they were near-perfect reflections of one another, but accepted their money all the same, "I hope they don't spit in our food..." Weiss muttered as she and Schwartz sat across one another.
"We still have to repair that gap in the wall later. It'll be quicker if we're here." Schwartz shrugged, "Honestly, why did the General leave that there?"
"He wanted to focus supplies on...well, his personal project." She doubted Amity was truly a secret now, but she wasn't going to risk it.
"It's a hole in the wall that Grimm can slip into," Schwartz said flatly. Weiss shrugged back. She wasn't going to defend it, "If I wasn't so frustrated with the man, I could almost respect his stubbornness." She drummed the fingers of her left hand against the wood. She watched the metal digits without a word. She'd been shocked when she saw Yang with a prosthetic arm back in her bandit egg donor's camp, but she'd been too distracted with everything else to truly take note of it.
This was different. This was...her.
Schwartz said something. Weiss blinked, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"
"I said take a picture. It'll last longer." Scwartz's wry smile made Weiss blush, "You want to ask, don't you?"
"Well..."
"It's fine." Schwartz let out a soft breath, "It's the price of a costly mistake. There was a time when I - all of us, really - thought ourselves untouchable because of our powers. Why wouldn't we? We retook Mt. Glenn and saved Vale from that rampaging wyvern. Remnant was singing our praises. It's hard to not let it go to your head. A wretched man played into our ego and used it to manipulate us. He fed into our perceived superiority. This is the result."
"Who was it?"
"Leonardo Lionheart." Weiss pursed her lips at the name. She agreed with Yang that leaving him with his reputation intact post-mortem was better than he deserved, despite Ozpin's claims, "He played all of us. Me, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune...for a coward, he knew how to tug at our strings. If it weren't for Mercury, I'm sure he would've succeeded."
"I still find it odd that Mercury Black, of all people, is one of your allies. He helped destroy Vale here."
"Yes, I heard it from Blake. I suppose it makes sense that it's not just the four of us that are different." She drank the house water, tracing the mechanical fingers against the rim of the glass, "That's why I personally believe there are risks to relying on our knowledge. If we're wrong, then the results could be...severe."
"Running with flawed knowledge is better than running blind, as Winter always said."
"Hm. Never heard mine say that. Another difference, I suppose." She smirked slightly, "I hope our Jaune is handling your Nora well."
"What's team JNPR like in your world?"
"JNPR?"
"Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren?"
"They're not a team in our world. Jaune's the fifth official member of team RWBY-J." Weiss blinked. She knew from context clues that Jaune was close to their entire team, but that was a surprise, "Team PRMN is friendly to us, but they have their own lives."
"...For what it's worth, we are sorry for taking you from your home for so long." It wasn't her fault that General Ironwood lied to them, but she felt a sense of responsibility all the same.
"It's fine. It wasn't your intent, and I suppose I can't completely fault your Ironwood." She sighed, "The only thing I'm annoyed with is that I was supposed to go on a date today. Sun bought tickets to our favorite band. All that lien, down the drain."
"Wait, Sun? As in Sun Wukong? You're dating him?"
"Yes." Schwartz said it like it was the most normal thing in the world, "You aren't?"
"No! I...well, I'm in a sort-of courtship with someone right now, but it's nothing concrete."
"Who is it?"
"...Jaune."
"Jaune?" Her counterpart blinked, "Hm, a somewhat odd choice. I won't deny that he has his appeal, but I've seen him dating Ruby for over a year now. The thought of myself dating him is...odd."
"That's my line! For the longest time, I thought Sun and Blake had something going on. He followed her after Beacon fell, for Brothers' sake." And now she and Yang were dancing around each other. It was somewhat frustrating to watch, "You and Sun? How did that even happen?"
"Well...it technically started when I got him arrested for stowing away on a ship." Weiss blinked. Schwartz coughed awkwardly, "It's...a somewhat long story, but we made amends and I asked him to the dance. We kept going after that."
"Huh...I asked Neptune to the dance."
"I tried the same, but he looked at me rather poorly considering I had his best friend arrested while calling him choice names." Schwartz winced, "We've long since made up, and I'm very happy with my relationship. I'll make sure to make it up to Sun when I get back. Oh, but I do wish you luck with Jaune. My advice? Be aggressive. Jaune is...oblivious, and rather inexperienced when it comes to romance. Poor Ruby had to throw up a neon sign to make him understand."
"...You're joking, right? He flirted with me on the first day! He serenaded me before the dance!"
"Doesn't sound like the Jaune I know. But wait, he did that? And you two are still in a courtship?"
"W-Well, I didn't like him back then! He was..." She bit her tongue. She wasn't going to badmouth the man he was now by comparing him to the boy he was before, "L-Look, the point is we're taking it slow and he's been a gentleman about things. I like it that way."
"If you say so."
Their food - chicken and mashed potatoes - arrived shortly after. Weiss eyed it warily while Schwartz dug in. Politely, of course. Manners were still paramount. She chewed on her chicken leg and swallowed, "So...I've been meaning to ask. I've seen the news. Your version of Father was elected to the council?"
"Hm? Oh, that's old news. He's been arrested." The casual way she said it made Schwartz blink, "He worked with Arthur Watts and compromised Atlas for the sake of his ambition. That's treason, and no amount of money or influence he has will let him weasel his way out."
"So...it's only Whitley and Mother at the manor now?"
"Yes..."
"...What's your relationship with Whitley?" Schwartz asked suddenly.
"Huh?" Weiss' brows furrowed for a moment, "Well...distant, if you want to put it kindly." There were far more unflattering terms she could've used, "He always hated me and Winter. After Beacon...he treated me kindly. Still smarmy and annoying, but it felt like he was making an effort to bridge the gap. Then I found out it was a lie." Her grip on her fork tightened, "He was setting me up to be disinherited by pretending to be family. And when I found out, he told me it was the consequence of not following Father's orders."
Even thinking about it again made her blood boil. It wasn't the ambition that that hurt her. No, she always knew he wanted to become the heir. What truly made it hurt was betraying her trust.
"...Perhaps you should visit him?" Schwartz said.
"Why should I? So he'll blame me for upending his cushy life because I had our worthless Father arrested?" Weiss scoffed.
"I understand that Whitley hurt you, but if your Jacques is anything like ours then...I'm not surprised what he turned into."
"And what? I'm supposed to 'save' him?" Her face twisted into an ugly sneer, "Winter and I grew up under that household too. I was deprived of my childhood and never once did I stab him in the back or...or pretend I cared because I wanted to prop myself up. I could stomach his hatred, but not his betrayal."
"We weren't flawless ourselves. Father twisted us all. Winter ran away to to the military." Schwartz held a hand up, "She did. I don't blame her for it, but she placed the burden of being the heiress on our shoulders. And in turn, we left for Beacon with our pride motivating us."
"So what? Was I supposed to stay there? Put my life on hold for Whitley's while he hated me? He's only a couple of years younger than I am. He can't hide behind his youth like it's a shield. He knew exactly what he was doing."
"What then? Are you prepared to hate him forever?" She almost said 'Yes', but something held her back, "I'm not saying you should pretend he's some innocent lamb. Because you're right, all of you grew up under Jacques Schnee's shadow, but...it might be better to see if you can help him step out of it. If he refuses? Fine, leave him to the hole he's digging himself, but perhaps it's not too late now that he's in prison and can't exert his influence anymore."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience..."
"Whitley and I made our own peace. I suppose it helped that I gave up my position as heiress." She what? Schwartz caught her look of disbelief and laughed under her breath, "Priorities change. My role as a Huntress - as a Maiden - meant I couldn't split my attention. You probably feel the same. You're a Huntress now, all of you. How exhausted do you feel every day? How much time do you spend on missions hunting Grimm? Do you think you could do all that and be CEO?"
"That's...Grandather-"
"Grandfather was a good man, but he wasn't good at business. And he's not with his own skeletons in the closet. Just look at Vacuo." Weiss winced, "...I'm just giving my own perspective, of course. You're free to ignore me. At the end of the day, we're not the same person." She raised her left hand and traced her fingertips across her unscarred left eye.
"...I'll think about it."
That's all I ask.
Days passed and the deadline finally arrived. Weiss could tell that General Ironwood was reluctant to let their counterparts leave. Weiss could understand the sentiment. They were definitely powerful and experienced, but at the end of the day, this wasn't their world, and it would've been unfair to demand any more of them.
They all said their goodbyes and well-wishes. Belle, of course, groused and made a scene about how she had to go back to the cell, but she ultimately complied. The last thing they needed was Neo up and about. She wouldn't have been surprised if that mute psychopath was thinking of using their switches for some sort of escape plan.
The familiar feeling of electricity in the air came soon after. Schwartz held her hand and smiled, "Good luck, Weiss."
A bright green light engulfed the room, and when she looked back, Nora stood in Schwartz's place, her mouth and cheeks stained with pancakes and syrup, "Oh, come on! I was gonna win that contest!"
"It's good to see you too, Nora." She looked past her and smiled at the sight of Ren and Jaune. Another reprieve before they plunged back into the breach.
Next chapter will be more comedic since we're focusing on a more comedic dimension and how everyone but Ironwood reacts the same way to it.
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