Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway.

- John Wayne

Alex finally opened his eyes, taken aback by the sheer brightness of... Wherever this was.

"What the hell?! I can't see shit!!" Vanoss groaned, slowly blinking his eyes open.

"Everyone okay?" Alex finally asked, his eyes finally adjusting to the light.

"I think so..." Ruby answered, rubbing her eyes.

"This looks like where Celestia took me when I became an Alicorn.." Twilight noticed.

"You've been here before?" Vanoss asked.

"Why would they ask for all of us? Are we going to come out of this with wings and a horn, too?!" Ruby gasped.

"Where did you come up with that conclusion?" Alex wondered.

"Well, whatever happens, we should probably stick together.." Vanoss figured.

"So... Where was that voice who wanted us in here in the first place? Hello?" Twilight called.

A figure, draped in a white cloak, gradually walked over to the four.

"Who are you?! Why are we here?!!" Vanoss grabbed his assault rifle and pointed it at her.

"Take it easy, ADHD. I don't think... This person... Wants to hurt us." Alex pointed the barrel away from the spirit.

The spirit smiled from under her alabaster hood.

Alex looked at Ruby, who stood with her mouth agape and her breath coming out in short, choked gasps.

'This is weird. Ruby looks like she's seen a ghost! Wait a second... White cloak? They look alike..? Foggy, white room?! Of course! It has to be!! This is some kind of afterlife! And that means..!' Alex's eyes bulged from their sockets.

"Hello, Children... Well, I guess some of you aren't exactly children anymore. Twilight. Evan." She nodded her greetings. Both Vanoss and Twilight were in their twenties, while Ruby and Alex were still in their teens.

"M-Mom?" Ruby gasped tearfully.

The huntress-in-training immediately ran to her, hugging her tighter than Alex himself had ever seen. So he was right!

This was Summer Rose!!

"What the f**k..?" Alex blinked.

"Watch your language. You aren't in battle at the moment." An achingly familiar voice said behind him.

Alex turned to see someone he'd never thought he would ever see again.

"Dad..?" Alex stood still.

The other spirit, his father, walked to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Alex tried to speak, but his own thoughts jumbled in his head.

"Alex. You've grown." Alex's father said.

Two more spirits came to them, specifically Twilight's uncle and Vanoss' distant relative. Flickering Light and Cyrus Fong..

"Uncle Flick!!" Twilight wing-hugged her uncle, who returned a similar gesture.

Vanoss and Cyrus also spoke to each other, shaking each other's hands as they met for the first time.

"Listen... I've been meaning to ask..." Alex began..

"About your heritage? I was going to tell you the truth one of these days... But..." Alex's dad shook his head..

"Oh, please. You gave me the talk when I was ten!" Alex yelled half-heartedly in an attempt to lighten the mood

"You kept asking!" He retorted jokingly.

Both Alex and his dad shared a laugh.

"Listen... In any case... I'm proud of you. And not just because your brothers are dead and one of them was an inquisitor. You kept the family's honor even when you didn't know there was any honor to begin with!" He shook Alex's hand.

Ruby and her mother were still locked in a hug.

"Should we..?" Flickering asked.

"Nah. I think we all know they needed this." Vanoss shrugged.

"True. Both of Summer's kids seemed beaten up pretty bad when they heard. Even Taiyang didn't talk for a few days." Cyrus said.

Summer had eventually settled down Ruby, giving her a kiss on the forehead and wiping the last of her tears away.

"Speaking of which, I think giving you 'the talk' that early helped a lot. Have you seen how him and Raven's kid act around each other?" Alex's father joked.

"Dad. Stop." Alex grumbled. Wait, what was that he said about Raven?

"I thought Yang giving Alex 'Ember Celica' was really cute!" Summer smiled.

"Not you too!" Alex groaned more.

"I know, right?" Twilight added.

"Okay, okay, I think we should stop harassing the boy before his rage breaks again." Alex's father held his hands out.

"You Emphas' and your psychotic rage." Cyrus shook his head.

"True. You dad here went kind of psycho when he found out Omega had gone off the deep end." Flickering remembered.

The eight shared stories for a little while more when Cyrus eventually stopped.

"Alright. I think we should cut to the chase. They aren't dead yet." Cyrus said.

"Okay, okay. Look. I'm pretty sure you all can guess why you're here." Alex's father began.

"You're going to get us to Alpha so we can finish whatever this is you started." Vanoss said.

"No. That comes later." Flickering dismissed.

"Why are we here? And why just us? Our friends are still out there." Twilight asked.

Summer sighed.

"This is a more... Serious matter. One that should stay between the eight of us. No Inheritors. No friends. No Inquisitors. Just you four and us." She explained.

"We can take it." Alex nodded, hardening his gaze.

Jason Walker looked his son dead in the eye.

"Listen, Alex. And this goes for all of you as well. Alpha is what we call a... 'Time Traveler'.." Jason said.

"From what point?" Ruby asked.

"He is from the future, and he is connected to you all. He is someone you all know." Jason continued before stopping.

Twilight gaped, horrified, and Vanoss cringed.

"Dammit, Zera!!" Vanoss yelled.

Summer turned to Alex, sorrow in her eyes.

"Born July of 2022. He travelled from the year 2045 to 1989 in order to even be considered for the role of Alpha.." She explained.

"Why..?" Alex wondered, more hurt than shocked.

"It's a whole lot more than that... Has Locust told any of you what the Chronicai were?" Cyrus asked.

"I think he mentioned it at one point, but he didn't touch base on it too much.." Twilight remembered.

Flickering sighed.

"Long ago, there was one unified force of guardians of the multiverse who called themselves the 'Keepers'. They were responsible for dealing with threats that affected all of reality and existence as a whole... And in the year 1859... They'd had enough." Flickering began.

"One group wanted universes to stay separate, no travel whatsoever, and let each reality take it's course undisturbed. Another wanted free travel between dimensions and for them to form alliances and relationships. They were called the Chronicai and the Inheritors, respectively." Cyrus added.

"Many Chronicai were Time-Travellers. Some who saw the future and didn't like what they saw, or those from the past who wanted a better future for their loved ones than what was happening already. The Inheritors, on the other hand, believed that a group of warriors from various bloodlines would keep evil in check, saving any universe by any means. The two groups were at war for 20 years before one group had been disbanded. The Chronicai." Jason explained.

"Another 20 years were spent hunting down what remained of their group. Splinters and Juntas across dimensions. Eventually the Inheritors got tired of it and hired a group of mercenaries to finish the job." Summer continued.

"The Inquisitors." Alex concluded.

"Ain't it f**king obvious?" Vanoss shrugged.

"I'm with Evan on this one." Ruby added.

"Quiet!" Twilight scolded.

The dead relatives all collectively nodded.

"This deal went well for a while, before an agent of evil sabotaged the group. This man inspired them to rally against the Inheritors and exterminate them. Naturally some Inheritors survived and went on to train those like Raven or Sirius." Jason added.

"The Inquisitors have since been busy exterminating all of us one by one... And that's where we came in. The survivors rallied us together to fight the Inquisitors and finish them off. Needless to say.. You can tell how well we turned out." Flickering sighed.

"And this... This is where you turn the page..." Cyrus nodded.

Alex looked up to find them all tipping their hoods, or horns, or whatever they could tip, towards them.

"Alex... Alpha is a Chronicai. A time traveller who infiltrated the Inquisitors ranks. He believes that our bloodline has to be wiped out. If he kills you, he will bring about the end of the universe, on purpose, mind you, and destroy what is left. You promised Yang that you would kill him... Do us all a favor and fulfill that promise." Jason instructed.

Alex looked up at his father, anxious and nervous.

"If he really knows who I am.. He knows every move I'll make." Alex nervously stated.

"Come on, Alex. We'll show that asshole what it means to mess with an internet celebrity!" Vanoss rallied.

"I've never faced any threat like this, or in the state we're in... But I know we can beat him." Twilight added.

"You promised my sister you would stop him. And, hey. If he is from the future, he should know that this isn't going to end well for him." Ruby grabbed his shoulder.

"Alex. You've shown all of us time and time again that you are capable. You're a good man with a strong sense of justice. And you've held the high standards we've demanded of you. Just watch.." Flickering moved his attention to the screen, a screen showing his memories.

He saw himself fighting the guards at Area 51 and escaping to Equestria, it showed him slaughtering the dragon, and escaping the Task Force a second time.

His friends stared on, experiencing what Alex himself had experienced..

"Shit, man..." Vanoss shook his head.

"Oh! I remember this!" Ruby noticed when his memories finally began including her and her team..

Twilight stared on, mystified..

"This is almost exactly what I went through..." She gaped.

The screen soon began showing his Inheritor training, meeting with his Royal Guard escorts, and the Myriad attack.

"We should get Terroriser and Jäger to meet up and fight... Oh, wait. They're both dead." Vanoss realized.

The memories soon became more and more recent. Omega's death, Sigma's defeat, Yang giving him her weapons. Looking down, both gauntlets were clasped around his wrists. They were extremely tight, but he was used to it by now... That or they cut off circulation to where he couldn't feel anything... It was most likely the latter.

"You wanna get those off? 'Cause I feel like your arms are turning a lovely shade of purple." Twilight joked.

"Nah... I think they'll come in handy..." Alex smiled, his own cheeks turning slightly red.

The memories eventually led to him and his friends walking into the portal, and the screen disappeared.

"You see? Everyone has faced their own trials in recent years. Twilight's position... Ruby' acceptance into Beacon... Evan's success as an entertainer... And now, you have passed your own trials." Jason nodded.

"Even in this quest. Each and every one of you have killed an inquisitor." Summer turned her attention to the screen again. It showed Alex's brutal murder of his own brother... Ruby's frenzied attacks against Beta... Vanoss executing the two Inquisitors, one by revolver and the other by musket... And finally, Twilight's godlike spell that incinerated Gamma.

"This is your opportunity to make things right... Your last true test. If you can survive this, then it will be known that nothing, nothing, can stop you if you all work as one.." Flickering used his own magic to open another portal.

"So... What are you all waiting for, the bus? Get out there and save your friends." Cyrus pressured.

Alex turned to his fellow comrades, his expression hardening.

"Ready up, all of you. Best weapons forward." Alex ordered, unsheathing both of his swords and loading Ember Celica. He let his own rage rush into his senses and enhance his ever-decreasing power.

Ruby unloaded her standard mags and loaded in her Green Cross mags. Going into a readying stance as her Aura darkened to a blood red.

Vanoss put away his standard assault rifle and pulled out a different rifle Mako gave him, one chambered in Armor Piercing .50 Beowulf rounds, designed to be fired at full-auto. This rifle had a large scope attached to it, as well as an under-barrel Dubstep cannon of Vinyl's design and a side-grip.

Twilight readied a powerful spell, summoning great amounts of magic until her horn glowed a bright orange.

"Well. This is it. You all know what to do." Alex nodded.

"On three?" Ruby asked.

"Sounds fine with me." Vanoss shrugged.

"Guys! We're wasting time!" Twilight urged.

"F**k it! Go!" Alex ordered.

Alex charged straight for the crack leading to Alpha, diving out and rolling into a fighting stance.

Twilight flew inside with a slight air of gracefulness underneath her determination, skidding to a halt as she landed.

Vanoss ran, leaping out and pointing the .50 in front of the gang.

And finally, Ruby fired one shot, speeding out of the crack and using Crescent Rose's blade to slow her entry.

The crack dissipated, the four were ready to fight.

"Alright, you bastard. Where are you?!" Alex called out.

The dark, ominously low, condescending laugh echoed behind them, prompting the four to turn around.

Alpha faced them, brandishing a different sword than what Alex remembered seeing above the Subterrains; a heavy, oversized cleaver with a lengthened blade, adorned with various symbols. The end of the blade appeared to curve upwards, ending in a spine-like point.

"So, we meet again, boy."

----

*Tranquility Complex: 55 minutes before Dimensional Collapse*

Mako led the remainder of 'Unity' to a garage filled to the brim with vehicles such as tanks, armored cars, and a transport vehicle.

"I need someone driving the transport vehicle! The rest can get in the armored cars and defend!" Mako ordered.

"What's the plan?" Weiss asked.

"I call the f**king turret!" Delirious' hand shot straight up.

"We're takin' out the base and headed for the castle before the whole island blows up or something." Basically explained.

"Keep in mind, these cracks are popping up everywhere, and I wouldn't want to spend the rest of eternity cooped up in such an untidy place." Rarity snapped.

"That's the idea." Ember simply stated.

"Alright, team. Here we go. Armored cars on either side of the transport! Helo's taking overwatch!" Mako ordered, sliding into the driver's seat of the transport.

Wildcat's and Basically's armored cars started, with Wildcat's moving forward first, then Mako's transport, and finally, Basically's.

The helicopter eventually lifted off, hovering a few hundred feet above the small convoy.

"Delirious, Nogla, Kat! I need you guys to destroy anything of use to the Red Star! Gas tanks, Ammo Stores, anything you can find!" Mako ordered through the radio.

'Understood. I'll have Andromeda mark targets on our HUDs' Kat replied.

The three cars drove through easily, and it wasn't long before various buildings were colored in red, and a yellow circle surrounded them.

'Mako, Wildcat, and Basically! It's advised that you DON'T go into those yellow circles! You'll damage the vehicles, and we can't afford that!' Andromeda advised.

'Don't... F**kin' worry about it..' Wildcat dismissively replied.

As they drove throughout the base, they opened fire on anything painted red.

One building that Delirious shot at eventually exploded, causing the whole structure to be erupted in a gargantuan fireball.

'Woah, SHIT!' Delirious gaped, laughing maniacally.

'Get 'em, boys!!' Wildcat celebrated.

'Let's get 'er goin'!!!' Nogla yelled.

Mako swerved hard to avoid another explosion. Rarity shuffled in the seat next to Mako's.

"I really hope you know what you're doing.." She nervously held her seat.

"Relax, Rares. Driving is one of my strong suits." Mako nodded.

'We've got company! Light-Attack Vehicles inbound!' Kat warned.

Red Star speeders eventually zipped their way into the base, flanking the convoy before being erupted in gunfire.

'Mak! Ram one into that... Damn, I can't say it without rhymin'!' Nogla groaned.

Mako nodded, slamming into the speeder as it crashed into a nearby dimensional crack.

'Eyyy! Nice one!' Basically complimented.

'I wouldn't celebrate yet..!' Weiss gaped.

Mako looked up to see a huge swarm of bullheads above, bearing Red Star markings.

'DIIIEEE!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!' Delirious laughed, shooting at the Bullheads as one started falling.

'WATCH OUT, TYLER!!!' Blake warned.

Their transport swerved out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by debris.

'Whew... Thanks, cat lady..' Wildcat sighed in relief.

'Check your privilege!' She indignantly replied.

Mako made the next turn along with the convoy. They were heading dead-center for the complex.

"This is Master Chief Petty Officer Mako Cerise requesting MOAB strike on my mark!" Mako yelled.

'Solid copy, Chief. Show us where you want it.' A Coalition pilot responded.

'That's your plan?!' Weiss gasped.

'Face it, Weiss. There's probably a lot of resources stored under there. They need to go down, hard.' Ember defended, obviously embittered towards the deaths of her friends.

Another fleet of ships flew in above them, and dove in straight for them!!

"Well, shit." Mako blinked.

The fighters dove in towards the convoy before eventually being shot down.

'Coalition directly above us!!' Nogla yelled.

'We've got your six, Unity. Paint the target!' A Pilot yelled.

They drove faster and faster, eventually driving near a helipad that looked like it was at least near the center of the base.

"Rarity, pull the pin and toss it!" Mako yelled, handing her a smoke grenade.

Rarity steadily held the grenade with her magic, pulling out the pin and, ever so carefully, dropping it out the window.

"Got it!" She yelled.

"Pilot! M.O.A.B target marked by red smoke! Give us time to get out, though!!" Mako yelled.

'Wilco. Make it quick.' The pilot demanded.

"Alright, we have to MOVE!!" Mako yelled, flooring the gas petal.

'NononononoNONONONONO!!! WATCH OUT!!!' Delirious yelled as hundreds upon hundreds of ships came crashing down. Wildcat's vehicle slammed into one head-on.

'Shit!' Wildcat yelled.

'Dammit! Who was in there?' Blake asked.

"Wildcat, Delirious, and Ember.." Mako said.

'I don't see Wildcat or Delirious...' Kat sighed.

"We have to keep moving!!!" Rarity yelled.

The transport evaded more and more falling debris from the skies, all the while evading the Red Star that were actually cunning enough not to slip into one of the cracks.

'Chief... MOAB inbound..' A pilot notified.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!!!" Mako yelled.

What felt like a hundred nukes erupted from behind them, the sound causing both Rarity and Mako to clutch their ears in agony. The bright light from the explosion cast long shadows of the two remaining vehicles on the ground as the eventual shockwave rattled their insides and propelled their vehicles faster and faster. Both Mako and Basically had to cut the turn out of the Complex and into the forest road leading to the castle.

'Direct hit! The complex is caving in on itself!!!' Blake gasped.

'Holy fock... That got crazy the last couple o' seconds..' Nogla sighed.

'It's... It's not over yet..' Kat panted.

"Right... How far away is that castle?" Mako asked.

'It's... About seven miles on that road..' Blake shakily exhaled.

"Alright. Here's step two. Alex, Vanoss, Ruby, and Twilight are definitely going to be fighting Alpha, so I'll need Kat, Blake, Weiss, and Rarity to make sure Alpha doesn't send in more reinforcements and cheat. The rest are staying with the transport, ready to pick them up. We have a certified Exit zone about 17 miles west of the castle. We'll move there once our work is done. We have to be fast... I'd say we still have 45 minutes left here before this whole place is sucked up into a black hole..." Mako monologued as she continued driving..

"Please... Don't let us be too late..." Mako thought...

----

*2 Miles outside of the Tranquility Complex, 44 Minutes before Dimensional Collapse*

Locust dove down, rolling out of the way of a large ship.

"The Complex is down! I repeat, The Complex is down!!!" Locust yelled, raising his weapon.

The Ryders cheered loudly, raising their weapons with their right hand and letting out a victorious yell.

"Alright men, this battle is far from over.. There is something I need done. Where is the Inquisitor Alexander captured?" Locust demanded. It was not out of place to interrogate an enemy in the battlefield in Adenien. It was customary, in fact.

Two men dragged the girl to him, and by the looks of it, they had already tried.

Locust looked her directly in the eye, seeing only malice and deception in them.

"What was all of this meant to accomplish, child? What are you planning?" Locust demanded.

The girl smiled wickedly at him, letting out a slight laugh that sent a chill down his spine.

"Answer me!" He demanded again.

"Interesting question, Commander, but misguided.." She replied.

"You threaten our worlds with destruction and chaos, yet you have the audacity to call my actions misguided?!" Locust scowled.

"In every way possible if you truly intend to destroy us.."

"Oh, is that so? Our best men are currently engaging your leader, your Complex is in shambles, and it looks to me the war has come to your backyard." Locust retorted.

"So you have Steps 1 and 2 out of the way, what about 3 through 10?" She looked up at him.

Just then, the Ryders heard a number of unearthly calls and screeches. The Grimm, no doubt.

"Open fire on those monstrosities!!" Locust ordered.

Sigma began laughing again.

"Nothing will save you from the nightmare that awaits you... Locust." She broke the cuffs at the chain, unsheathing her weapons and slicing off his arms and legs.

Locust screamed in surprise, letting one of his severed limbs return to him and grabbed a pistol.

Another girl, much shorter than Sigma, ran to the battlefield, looking maniacally at him.

"No, Neo... Let the Grimm do their job... We'll move our services... Elsewhere.." Sigma sheathed her weapons.

"You'll... You will pay for this..!" Locust fired his pistol, but in vain. The two girls shattered apart, turning into mere slivers of the deadly enemies they once were, then a Beowulf pounced on him, and Locust screamed in agony.

His screams were ultimately drowned out by an unearthly, loud, screech, accompanied by the loud beating of leathery wings.

----

*Iridescence, Adenien; 42 Minutes before Dimensional Collapse*

"Raven."

The Inheritor turned around to face Qrow, who looked rather annoyed and disbelieving.

"Is there a problem?" She asked her brother.

Qrow looked disgusted.

"The hell is the matter with you? Those kids need our help, your own daughter needed your help! And now she's in a crappy little tent bleeding to death because-."

"You know as well as I why we have to stay behind. Our days on the battlefield are over." Raven scowled, turning away.

"We can't just leave them there!" He insisted.

"We already left. One day before this battle began." Raven recalled.

"With you knowing full well what would happen! You know why I didn't want to get involved with the Inheritors in the first place?" He asked, raising us voice to almost a yell.

"Because you're too weak and overprotective to understand that this is their fight." Raven bluntly replied.

"What good is following a cult if they aren't around to help?!" Qrow demanded.

Raven went silent for a few moments, at least before delivering her reply.

"I already helped him. I gave him as much assistance as was necessary... Perhaps even more than that. You're still thinking like a Huntsman, Qrow." Raven turned to look back at her brother.

Qrow almost looked appalled, but remained silent.

"I'm not a huntress, Qrow. Not anymore. That time has passed. I have... Other things I must attend to now," Raven began to walk away from the coastlines of Iridescence and leave her brother behind, "But if you still feel the need, there is still some time before Alpha destroys the planet." She nodded before putting her mask back on and walking towards the city.

Qrow blinked, smirking a little.

"Who's the real wimp here, Ray? Abandoning your teammates in a time like that..." He grumbled.

----

*30 Miles south of Miami, Florida; 41 Minutes before Dimensional Collapse*

Lui had now gathered the group of 7 at the portal to Providence, ready to give fighting one last shot.

"We ready to go?" Delirious asked.

"I don't know, guys.. It seems like a really bad idea to be doing this..." Corporal Wilson figured.

"He's right... They already think we're dead as it is. Except maybe Mako.." Wildcat figured.

"Eh, They've got this one... But still, it wouldn't be cool just sitting here and letting them probably die.." Mini figured.

"Nah, we don't have any sort of advantages like we did back there, no weapon wheel or any extra lives.." Moo said.

"They'll be fine... Wait.. Do you hear something..?" Droidd went still, listening for something..

"Oh, no. No! NO!!" Delirious screamed.

Adenien Ryders charged out of the portal in droves, opening fire wherever they could.

"Woah! Woah!" The Corporal stopped them.

"Oh, these are Kat's friends!" Lui realized.

"What happened to you guys, you look like you got f**ked up!" Mini noted.

"T-That psychopath Inquisitor..." The Ryder gasped. Something was wrong..

"Which one?" Moo asked.

"Cinder Fall... She escaped custody and let out a massive horde of Grimm... The horrible F**KING THINGS!!" He shook fearfully.

"Grimm? You mean those f**king monster things?" Wildcat wondered.

The Ryder nodded.

"To make matters worse... There was a giant f**king dragon thing that spawned more of them..! I've never seen anything like it..!" The Ryder continued.

"Dragon? Did Walter White hand you some blue rock candy, because you might've been seeing shit." Moo said, chuckling a little.

"That's not it. They all said they've seen it, and reports of this...thing are flooding in non-stop." Wilson confirmed.

Delirious blinked.

"Holy. Shit. I'm not going in there!" He yelled.

"We're going back in, you little bitch!" Wildcat dragged him by the mask to the ammo stores.

"No! NO! NOT AGAIN!!! AAAAAAAAAAH!!" Delirious screamed as Wildcat physically dragged him into the bunker again.

"I.. I should go.." The others nervously shuffled, heading down the stairs with them. Alone, The Ryders waited, loading their weapons, and making a few calls for... Better equipment..

Author's Notes:

Well, this is kinda the second to last chapter of this arc.

Not really sure what to put here...

Derp.