King: Oh~ You know. You know. Life can be beautiful~ My friends, my friends, I say~ Hope you enjoy! Maybe the world's not fair, but that's not a care. In here it's beautiful. LET'S MAKE THIS BEAUTIFUL~!

Okay. I've indulged. I won't subject you to my singing any more. This chapter. Any who... Today, we have a musical episode~ As in, it's based on a musical. Which was based on a dark comedy movie from the eighties. Be warned, it is not for kids. You have been warned should you need it. I'll put the actual track name at the bottom for anyone who gives a shit. Also... this one had a weird formatting issue before, so it may appear twice in your feeds... Sorry about that.

Inspiration: Heathers: The Musical

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Everyone gathered in the theater together, minus the library group. Blake and Ren were held up and ran in a minute after. Well, neither really ran. Blake had an accelerated pace, but not a full run. And Ren… was Ren.

Ren sat down in his seat next to Nora and paused. Something was off. He turned to Pyrrha, who's eyes looked dulled slightly. "Um… Pyrrha?"

Nora placed a hand on Ren's shoulder and shook her head.

Pyrrha took a breath before speaking, "Nora… It's fine. Well… not fine, but I'll manage."

Ren was still lost. "What's going on?"

Pyrrha had to take another breath to calm her nerves, "Down in the lockers… We found a locker with a version of Jaune's weapon from a possible future. It was reforged using metal from my weapons after I died…"

"Oh… That's…"

Nora placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Should we ask King for a longer break or…"

Pyrrha shook her head. "It stings, but it's like everything else here. Even if it is a possible future. And when we get back…" Pyrrha's eyes filled with a determined passion, "I'm going to do everything in my power to keep it from happening."

King reappeared. "Keep what from happening?"

Pyrrha shook her head, "Don't worry about it. Can we start the next world?"

"Sure. I wonder what we'll…" King flared, temporarily looking like a red and white mint. He shivered and was back to his normal purple. "Oh… This can only end well."

Yang chuckled nervously, "Is it that bad?"

"Um…" King disappeared without answering.

After a moment and the screen starting to form, Ruby spoke, "That's not a good sign."

A small letter fell from the sky and landed on Ruby's lap, [Just don't expect too much action in this one. -K]

"Okay?"

The screen came into form, showing a crowded high school hallway. It was a world without Grimm or monsters. Students merely going about their day.

Ozpin sighed with a smile, imagining a world without Grimm. But his smile fell after a moment. But would that be a paradise, or would we simply lack a common enemy. Our wars still rage with the threat of those monsters…

Ruby groaned, "This is going to be so boring…"

A world where everything isn't a gun.

Ruby suddenly jumped up in her chair, "BLASPHEMY!"

That said, in a world without monsters, humans will fill their place. People can be cruel. Teenagers even more so. These were the worst years of a person's life for many. When everyone around you treats you like children but expect you to act like adults.

Roman groaned and leaned his head back, "So glad I don't have to deal with that anymore… Good riddance to bad rubbish!"

This got a few affirmations from the adults. The students knew they were still on the tail end of that.

"And that brings us to me…"

Blake froze up. "Ilia?"

Yang turned toward her partner, "Friend of yours?"

Blake's hands clenched around her chair.

Yang was able to read this rather quickly. "Got it…" She could tell this had 'White Fang days' written all over it.

"My name is Ilia… And the take away from all of this? High school sucks."

Qrow rolled his eyes, "Teenagers. Always over dramatic."

Ruby frowned and turned toward her uncle, "Hey! We're not that bad!"

Glynda adjusted her glasses, "Your team alone has been responsible for 1,524 Lien in damage. Not to mention Ms. Valkyrie's… tendencies."

Nora let out a hardy laugh, proud of her destructive capabilities.

"I look around at these faces I've known for most of my life and it's… I don't know what happened. One day we're all around campfires singing stupid little songs. Next day? We're at each other's throats like a pack of rabid animals. Everyone's backstabbing each other and burying their friends to get ahead in life."

Roman chuckled, "That just sounds like life to me."

Kali turned toward the criminal with a smug smile, "Then it's a sad existence you lead, isn't it?"

Yang snickered, "Now we know where Blake got that from."

Weiss groaned, "Perhaps, but he has a point. Seems the fewer problems people have, the more they make with others. The Atlas elite act like that all the time."

"Seriously? You're going to defend Torchwick?"

"I'm not defending him. It's a sad existence no matter where it's coming from. I'm just making a statement."

"But, for every rule, there's an exception. In this case three. The quote-unquote Beautiful People that basically run the school."

The screen showed the forms of three girls in rather high-end blouses and skirts: one in red, another in green, and the last in yellow. The screen flickered to show the one in green. Her dark skin, mint hair, and red eyes gave her away rather quickly.

"Emerald Sustrai."

Emerald blinked. She used to dream of looking like that. Someone above it all without a crippling need for food, thus resorting to theft.

"Head of the Yearbook committee… No discernable personality beyond that."

Mercury went into a small laughing fit.

The screen swung to the girl in yellow. She had long brown hair and a scowl that could make a man bleed. This chick had bitch written all over her.

Nora laughed, "Who's that supposed to be?"

"Carmine Winchester…"

The Beacon crew all went cold hearing that. That was… That was supposed to be Cardin in female form? After a moment, they had to admit… they could see it.

"Head Cheerleader… Her dad is loaded. He sells engagement rings to the high and mighty like the Schnee family up state."

Yang's face scrunched a little, "Okay… that terrifying case out of the way… Who's the third one?"

The screen moved slowly to show a blonde filing her nails. Nonchalant about her surroundings, she was above everything. Her oceanic eyes seemed bored by the world. She the kind of girl that ruled every situation.

"And last… but certainly not least… Jeanne Arc…"

"Jeanne's back!" Nora grinned.

Kali turned toward the bundle of energy, "Who?"

Blake sighed, "Jaune as a girl. There was a world not too long ago that had everyone flipped around for being a boy or girl."

"Seriously… she is such a… mythic bitch."

Jeanne looked up from her nails and raised an eyebrow. She looked down on the camera and scoffed.

Yang had to. It was too easy. "So, Weiss on the first day of Beacon?"

Blake shrugged, "Seems like it so far."

Said heiress just groaned. She'd come to terms that she'd been… difficult. Doesn't mean she liked hearing it all the time.

The screen changed to show Ilia in a blue variant of the outfits worn by the three. "But I guess I can't complain about it anymore. I used my skills at forgery to get them out of a detention. Ever since, Jeanne's taken me under her wing, so to speak. Now… I'm one of the beautiful people! No harassment! No assholes! Nothing! It's incredible! It was… beautiful."

Blake's eyes fell. She knew Ilia well enough, or at least she thought she did. Surely, as a Faunas, she'd have gone through something similar. What would she give to have that kind of power? To be above it all?

"Then I learned what it costs…"

Ilia was rummaging through her locker before it slammed in front of her, the hand of Carmine Winchester being the culprit. "Hey! Ilia~"

"Uh…"

Emerald leaned over from the other side, almost as if to cut off her escape. "We were looking for you."

Ilia turned to find the mythic one herself. Jeanne smirked down toward the shorter girl.

Velvet's eye twitched. "So… Jeanne… is the bully?"

This got the Beacon crowd to go silent. The first sound made from them was Nora, "Well that's different…"

Ilia chuckled nervously, "Hey, Jeanne. What… uh… What are you…?"

Jeanne shushed Ilia, "I have a job for you."

"Um… Okay?"

"I need a letter. From Blake Belladonna to you little friend Sonia."

Ilia felt a chill run up her spine. "W-what?"

"Did I stutter?"

"No! It's just… I don't see the reason to…"

"Because I wasn't done." Her venomous tone made Ilia shrink. "It's like this. You're going to pen a letter from our resident football star to Sonia. You're going to make sure she attends the big homecoming party this weekend. She'll be so head over heels, she'll make a fool of herself in front of everyone."

Weiss growled a bit, "A sickening tactic…"

Winter sighed. "Almost Atlassian-elite levels of twisted."

Ironwood nodded. He never cared for the high-end side of Atlas. Most never earned their fortunes, getting it handed to them as they all pissed it away to show off to the other supposed elites around them.

Ilia shook in place and tried to find what nerve she had left, "I… You don't understand. Sonia's had a crush on this guy for… years! If I did this and she…"

Kali's head tilted toward her daughter, "Guy? So, you're a boy in this world?"

Blake shrugged, "Apparently. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Oh~ I bet you'd have taken after your father."

Blake sighed, "Mom…"

Jeanne cut her off, "That's the point, remember?"

"I get that! But this is just… cruel! Can't we just… I don't know! Just…!"

Jeanne cut her off by getting in her face with a smile. "Are we going to have a problem?"

The world cut by a sudden musical tone, a crashing wave of a single note.

Ruby tilted her head, "So, another musical sequence?"

Weiss shrugged, "To be fair, I liked the last one."

"You were also half of it."

Cinder rolled her eyes at their foolishness.

Salem, however, was rather enjoying herself. Humans were tearing each other apart and she gets a bit of musical theater? A good day. She didn't get out of the Grimmlands much, so she takes what she can get.

"You've got a bone to pick?"

A repeat of the note.

Jeanne ran her hand over Ilia's cheek to her collar, causing her to blush, "You've come so far," Jeanne suddenly grabbed Ilia's shirt and slammed her back into the locker behind her, "why, now, are you pulling on my dick?!"

This time the tone was paired with some shocked coughsand a few laughs.

"I'd normally slap your face off."

Another cutting tone.

"And everyone here could watch~"

Final tone.

"But I'm feeling nice." Jeanne dropped Ilia, who fell into a sitting position. "Here's some advice." She leaned down to the sitting girl, her grin fueled by a twisted sense of superiority. "Listen up, bi-otch!"

Now the music kicked in full swing.

Salem grinned, "I rather like this version."

Cinder blinked and had to agree. She was positively ruthless, using the girl for what she needed only to threaten to take away what she gave.

As the music started to really swell, Jeanne stepped away and snapped her fingers. Emerald and Carmine grabbed Ilia off the floor by the locker and tossed her into the fray before her, like tossing bait to a shark. All the while, the two joined in the moment, singing together, "I like!"

Jeanne looked down toward Ilia with a smile, "Looking hot. Buying stuff they cannot."

"I like!"

"Drinkin' hard. Maxin' dad's credit card."

Now it was Raven's turn to grin. "I like her."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Of course you do… You have so much in common."

"I like!"

"Skippin' gym. Scaring her. Screwing him~"

"I like!" The two moved in again and pushed Ilia back against the lockers and to the ground.

"Killer clothes."

Coco nodded slightly, agreeing with that single sentiment.

Now all three sang in unison. "Kicking nerds in the nose!" Jeanne slammed a foot down against the locker and leaned forward onto her now elevated knee.

Weiss held a hand up as if to halt the events on screen (not that any of them would realize it works). "Hold up! She's in a skirt!" The sheer scandal of it all was unimaginable.

Coco just shrugged, "Some people just kind of do that. They don't care. Besides, from what we've seen, this Jeanne seems like the kind of girl to use her body to get what she wants."

Jeanne leaned down with a smirk, her eyes seeming to glow with pure malice and condescension. "If you lack the balls, you can go play dolls. Let your mommy fix you a snack." Jeanne stood straight again and crossed her arms.

Emerald and Carmine grabbed Ilia's arms and forced her up again. This time keeping a hold of her arms. "Wo-oah!"

Jeanne's face seemed to soften, her threats fading for a new option, "Or you could come smoke, pound some rum and coke, in my Porsche with the quarterback!"

Emerald and Carmine tossed Ilia forward again as Jeanne grabbed her arm and swung her around in a sort of dance. "Honey whatchu waitin' for~! Welcome to my Candy Store! It's time to prove your not a loser anymore! Then step into my candy store."

Salem sighed, "Humanity in a nut shell…"

Ozpin took a sip from his mug and shook his head. "If humanity was really like that, you'd have won a long time ago. We may be divided at times, but we can be better."

Emerald and Carmine separated from the line and flanked Ilia, "Guys fall!"

Emerald leaned forward, placing her arm over Ilia's shoulders, "At your feet. Pay the check~"

Carmine popped in over Ilia's other shoulder, "Help you cheat~"

"All you!"

Emerald grinned, "Have to do…"

Jeanne stepped in again, "Say goodbye, to Shamu."

Ruby scratched her head, "Sha-who?"

She was only met with shrugs, but they were all pretty sure it was supposed to be an insult of some kind.

"That freak's…!"

Carmine leaned her arm onto Ilia's shoulder, "Not your friend. I can tell, in the end…"

"If she!"

"Had your shot…"

"She would leave you to rot!"

Emerald's eyes fell a little. She knew that, in a way, she was like this friend to Cinder. She'd be dropped once her usefulness ran dry. She owed Cinder everything, but it was clearly all one way…

The Emerald on screen jumped around to face Ilia, "'Course if you don't care, Fine! Go braid her hair. Maybe Sesame Street is on!"

"Wo-oah!"

"Sesame Street?" Mercury raised an eyebrow, "That some kind of kids show?"

Emerald shrugged, "Maybe? Could be one in this world, at least."

"Or forget that creep!"

Emerald stepped around them, "And get in my jeep."

Jeanne clenched her fists and adopted a stance of power, "Let's go there up someone's lawn!"

All three voices unified again, "Honey, whatcu' waitin' for? Welcome to my candy store~! You've just gotta prove you're not a pussy anymore~! Then step into my candy store!"

Jeanne traded every other line with the duo of Emerald and Carmine. All the while, they could see a letter forming in the background.

"You can join the team."

"Or you can bitch and moan!"

"You can live the dream~"

"Or you can die alone!"

"You can fly with eagles."

"Or if you prefer…"

"Keep on testing me."

"And end up like her!"

A blonde girl in a white shirt and jeans ran up to Ilia, who was now alone. "Ilia! Oh my gosh! You won't believe it!"

Blake blinked. "So… Sonia… was Sun?"

Sun shrugged. "I guess that makes sense…"

Kali turned to Sun and Blake, "So… She has a crush on the male version of Blake… Do you perhaps~?"

Blake was able to stop her, but barely. "Mom!"

Gira glared toward Sun, keeping him quiet.

Ilia looked troubled but was able to hide it well enough. "What happened?"

"I got an invite! A real letter from Blake! This is amazing!"

Yang felt a shiver run up her spine. "Wait… Wasn't that what…"

In the background, Jeanne and her cohorts were watching the scene. Jeanne had her arms crossed, waiting for Ilia's answer.

Ilia shook a little, but ultimately smiled. "Color me stoked!"

Tai chuckled. "I haven't heard people talk like that in years…"

Qrow groaned. "It's making a comeback, for some reason."

Ironwood glanced toward the two, "Seriously?"

"Yep… Teenagers are weird as hell."

Roman nodded, "A-fucking-men."

Sun's eyes narrowed toward the screen, "Isn't this scene implying she forged the note? Siding with Jeanne?"

Jeanne grinned as the music flared again.

Emerald moved up beside Ilia, "Honey, watchu waitin' for~"

Jeanne smacked the back of Emerald's head, "Shut up, Emerald!" Then she suddenly returned to the song, "Step into my candy store~!"

As she held the note, Emerald and Carmine flanked Ilia again, "Time for you to prove you're not a lame ass, anymore~!"

"Then step into my Candy Store~!"

Ilia had sold her soul to the Demon Queen of Signal High… She just tossed her friend… The girl she's known for as long as she's been alive! She just tossed her to the pits just to advance her own station in the school. She's stepped into the candy store.

"It's my candy sto-ore~!"

The music cut, and Ilia was left with only a single thought. Is this still beautiful?

Salem started to chuckle, "I rather enjoyed that. Seeing that, without the Grimm, humans will become the monsters in their place."

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King: The track is called Candy Store. (Shocking, I know...)