Chapter 1: Prologue

*Twilight Sparkle's Castle: Ponyville, Equestria; March 21, 2017*

The guard nearly tripped herself in her gallop towards Twilight's library, where said princess was usually found reading through her collection of novellas and encyclopedias she had retrieved from the other universes.

"P-Princess..!" The guard called out anxiously, as if Equestria itself were falling apart as she spoke.

Twilight looked up from her book with a start.

"Yes, Skirmish?" She asked

"Y-You have a visitor... It's someone you know..." The guard, Skirmish, replied.

Twilight was confused and concerned, Skirmish was her personal Honor Guard, a close friend of her's after the war had ended, and all-around one of the bravest ponies she knew, why would she be this anxious over a visitor..?

Unless...

"I'll be right with you!" Twilight replied as she put the book away, if not slowly and meticulously.

"Princess!!" Skirmish yelled urgently.

Twilight threw her book on the coffee table in a rush and followed Skirmish down the winding amethyst hallways. The two of them practically sprinted past other guards and emissaries before finally arriving to one of the many conference rooms.

"He says he wants to talk...He's right inside.." Skirmish bowed before stepping to Twilight's side.

Twilight took a deep breath before opening the door with her magic.

"Twilight... It's been a while.." A young man sat in one of the chairs towards the door, leaving a seat in front of him for the Princess and her guardian.

Twilight blinked in surprise at the human. His voice, while all too familiar, had deepened significantly since their last meeting a little less than two years ago. His hair, as well, had matured into a slightly darker blonde, but the piercing ice-blue eyes, along with the tell-tale scar that swept below his right eye, told her all she needed to know about who he was.

"A-Alex..?" Twilight blinked again, pulling a chair towards her and sitting down. Skirmish stood frozen in the doorway, still in shock over his arrival.

"It's been too long, hasn't it?" Skirmish piped up, slowly closing the door behind her and taking her place at Twilight's side.

"Too long.. Listen, I'm really sorry about leaving you guys without saying goodbye, it's just... I was on a schedule and everything.. You know how it is.." Alex shrugged.

Every movement of Alex's had been accompanied by a quiet mechanical whirring, and Twilight knew well why.

"Still haven't upgraded your limbs, I see..." Twilight stammered, trying to find something else to talk about.

"Yeah... I guess I've never really had to. They've worked well enough as it is. Either way, I should probably get them swapped for something newer before this next mission anyway." Alex replied.

"Mission..?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, shit.. Canis told me to keep that a secret. Look, Twilight, I just wanted to tell you something before I leave again.." Alex remembered.

"And that is..?" Twilight wondered.

"Look, there's no easy way to say this, but I've been doing work for Canis and a bunch of other people over the past couple months, and from what I've seen and heard out there, something's about to happen in Remnant, something bad." Alex sighed.

Twilight winced, several of her friends from the war lived in Remnant, including Alex's possible mare...girlfriend... For something like that to happen again was beyond unthinkable, unwanted, rather.

"H-How bad..?" Skirmish asked anxiously.

"Completely horrible, godawful 'Blood Red Night' level shit." Alex replied bleakly. Twilight could practically feel the pain in his voice.. She knew for a fact that even Alex, a mercenary, war criminal, and even outright killer, didn't want to deal with the possibility of a second Blood Red Night.

"Again with this? I was hoping we were done with that forever!" Skirmish groaned.

"I don't know what exactly is going to happen, but I need you to tell everyone to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious at the Festival.." Alex explained.

"'Festival'..? As in the Vytal Festival that's not supposed to happen for 5 bucking months?! Just how long is this mission?!" Twilight yelled.

Alex raised both hands.

"Keep it down, Twi!" He demanded.

Skirmish put a hoof on Twilight's back, lowering her to the seat once more.

"Like I was saying, keep your eyes open, and please, please be careful.. I have to see someone else one, but remember what we talked about, okay..?" Alex pleaded.

Twilight nodded in reply as Alex stood up and walked towards the door.

"And, one more thing..." Alex added.

Twilight turned to see her friend standing in front of the door, looking back at the two ponies.

"You might want to start practicing battle spells. I know, it'll be a long time, but still. Be careful. Now, I have to go. It was nice to see you again, Twilight.. You too, Skirmish." Alex smiled slightly before walking out the door.

----

*Vale, Remnant; March 22, 2017; 12:13 AM*

The blonde haired huntress-in-training casually walked out of the now-destroyed interior of the club, stepping out into the cool night air as she walked towards the bright-yellow motorcycle she had parked outside in the vacant lots of Vale.

She heard something crash into the ground behind her, accompanied by a low mechanical buzz as a figure staggered up from the landing. The huntress smirked, unfazed at the sudden noise.

"You can't spend one night without beating the living shit out of some poor criminal sap, can you?" A familiar voice echoed.

"Couldn't live without me for too long, could you?" She replied.

Alex stepped into the dim street light with a smile on his face.

"It's good to see you again, 'Lex. Finally got Canis off your back?" She hugged Alex quickly, leaving the young man short for breath.

"It's nice to see you too, Yang.. Listen, I need to you to come with me.." Alex said quickly.

"Uh, Alex... Alpha isn't supposed to be born for another 4 years.." Yang smirked.

"Not like that! God, you're as bad as Delirious!" Alex blushed brightly.

"Smooth, now what do you need me for?" Yang wondered.

"Something big is coming, and I need you prepared!" Alex elaborated.

"Wait.. You don't mean she's back, do you..?" Yang wondered with an edge of seriousness in her voice.

"Exactly. And I think I know a way for you to be ready for whatever that psychopath has planned." Alex replied.

Yang sighed.

"Alright. How long will I be gone? I'm late enough as it is." Yang wondered.

"It won't be too long. You should be back at Beacon soon enough.." Alex answered.

Yang smiled as she got on the motorcycle.

"Hop on." Yang smiled.

"If you think I'm stupid enough to fall for that twice, you've got another thing coming." Alex scowled.

"It's not like you have any other choice! I took the sidecar off Bumblebee a year ago!" Yang shot back.

"Fine, goddammit. But if you get any funny ideas, I'll hold off Alpha for another year." Alex growled as he got on the motorcycle.

"Where to?" She asked.

"Wherever you want as long as it's quiet, it won't take too long." Alex replied.

"I know just the place!" Yang announced as the two rode off into the night.

Author's Notes:

Couple things before I get this show on the road:

A: I know what I said about working on a one-shot before this next major project, but seeing as how I've got no other good ideas up even with MLP Season 6, this is the best I could work with.
Despite juggling other story ideas and actually living life, I think I've managed to work up something decent enough for the internet with Crimson Shade. Just as convoluted, violent, and probably as funny as the first story, if not slightly more so. I've worked out some of the details and I'm as ready as I was when I first started out. (Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing)

B: Relating to a User Comment in Blood Red Shadows about how Kat was going to be the main character for this story, well, I've managed to work something out that can fit her into the grand scheme of things. She is in the story, and from what I've figured, she's definitely going to have an integral role in later arcs. And yes, she is a major character in the Vytal Festival Arc. I just wanted to get that out of the way.

Here's to another story!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 2: Let the Games Begin!

*Amity Collosseum, above Atlas, Remnant; August 6, 2018*

"And welcome, ladies and gentlemen from across the multiverse to the 41st Vytal Festival hosted by the kingdom of Atlas! Today marks the first day of the Tournament! Combatants come from across Remnant and even from schools in other universes to compete for this event! The first and second days are dedicated to the Team Competitions! The winners of the teams competitions will select two members and move on to the Doubles bracket! Our first competitors of the day are Team RWBY of Vale, and Team VRDN from Earth!" The announcer yells with an essence of a WWE announcer's enthusiasm.

Ruby Rose of Team RWBY waved to the audience, along with her teammates, as both competitors walked onto the arena.

"This is an especially interesting match since both teams include survivors of the Provinence Incident of 2016!" Another announcer added.

"Not just survivors, but leaders, in fact! That is, save one member of Team VRDN!" The first announcer clarified

Ruby definitely recognized Vanoss, Nogla, and H2O Delirious' GTA avatars from two years ago, but didn't remember the lanky young man with dark brown, almost orange, hair and narrow red eyes.

"Let's see... Russet Autumn, he's actually a Huntsman-in-training who didn't get a team until these guys showed up.. He might actually be the most experienced hunter of the team..!"

Russet smirked at the others, after which they unsheathed their weapons as the arena began changing.

The arena seemed to shift into a half-urban, half swamp setting, complete with destroyed buildings on one side, with low trees and mud-stained earth on the other.

The teams suddenly heard a loud buzz indicating the countdown.

3...

2...

1...

"BEGIN!"

Ruby swept out towards a dilapidated building on the left side, using Crescent Rose's sniper to help her get on top of the building to act as cover fire while her teammates battled below until she could scope out a strategy.

In a surprise move, Vanoss fired a grappling hook at the street light above her, swinging onto the same rooftop as her.

"'Eyy, Ruby! What's goin' on?!" Vanoss waved.

"Hi, Evan!" Ruby waved before hitting Vanoss in the face with the blunt end of the scythe blade.

"Ow!" Vanoss winced, thinking of a plan.

"Hey, is that a shark eating a cheeseburger?" Vanoss asked, pointing directly behind Ruby.

"A what-now?" Ruby turned directly behind her.

"SURPRISE, MOTHERF**KER!" Vanoss had yelled, who was now slamming his Ragnarok DG-4 into the building, causing Ruby to levitate above the rooftop as Vanoss roundhouse kicked her 20 feet to the dusty ground.

"...And a clever move by Vanoss of Team VRDN!" the announcer yelled as Ruby pulled herself up.

"Glad I thought of that, Mr. Announcer man!" Vanoss smirked as Ruby leapt up again, kicking Vanoss directly in the face. As Vanoss was nearing the ground, Yang threw him 10 feet into the air and falcon-punched Vanoss into Delirious.

"Get off me, dumbass!" Delirious yelled as the two struggled to stand up.

"Not my fault, bitch!" Vanoss retorted, unsheathing a machete.

Russet, who had been fighting with his bare hands up to this point, pulled out a stylized glaive and spun it around, using the handle to redirect Blake's attack and the blade to disarm Weiss, leaving Nogla to grab it.

Once Nogla grabbed Myrtenaster, he planted the blade into the ground, fire spewing from the ground in a 20 foot diameter, forcing Ruby to evade the flames with Vanoss latched onto her back.

Ruby backed Vanoss into the wall of another dilapidated building, giving him a swift kick in the groin, and using the scythe's curved blade to fling Vanoss out of the ring, and face-first into the protective barrier between them and the audience.

"And, in a well-excecuted attack, Vanoss is out!" An announcer yelled as Ruby sped to help Weiss fend off Delirious.

Delirious hacked away at Weiss using an axe, and all Weiss could do at that point was dodge.

Suddenly, Ruby shot Delirious in the head, leaving his body to skid almost to the edge of the arena.

"Ow... Thank Destoyer for this Aura shit, otherwise I'd be dead..!" Delirious chuckled as he staggered up, only to be met by Weiss, who had her rapier back and wasn't too happy with Delirious at that moment.

Delirious let out a scream and held the axe in front of him. Weiss quickly leaped to avoid the axe head, only for the masked avatar to swing the weapon upwards, directly into Weiss.

Weiss held the spot Delirious had hit as she tiptoed to avoid falling backwards out of the ring, Delirious figured he saw his chance and swung the axe in a massive arc, causing Weiss to leap behind him and summon a glyph between her and Delirious.

Delirious swung his axe high as he charged directly into the glyph, only to be blown backwards out of the arena.

"And H2O Delirious is OUT!"

"W-What the f**k?!" Delirious gaped as Vanoss laughed across the arena.

Blake and Russet were engaged in an evenly-matched duel up to this point, and with two of Vanoss' teammates out, Ruby was quick to join their clash.

Russet caught the glaive's blade into Ruby's, and using his strength, flung her into Blake, leaving both stunned so Russet could kick Ruby hard enough to lower her Aura to about 65%. Russet swung the blade sharply upwards, causing Ruby to fly into the air as Russet folded the glaive's blade back, revealing the barrel of a cannon.

Russet fired the weapon's cannon directly into Ruby, who was blown completely out of the ring.

"And Ruby is out in a clever move by Russet!"

Yang was quick to avenge Ruby, hitting him hard enough in the back to blow his Aura down to 15%.

Nogla latched onto Yang's back and pulled her away from Weiss and Blake.

"Gaah..! How much do you weigh?!" Yang yelled.

"F**k you!!" Nogla indignantly yelled back.

Weiss stabbed at Russet, forcing him to leap onto Myrtenaster and do a backflip, kicking Weiss in the chin as he did, slamming the 'ice queen' in the stomach with the handle of his glaive, and swung the end of the handle hard in her side, dropping her aura to around 78%

Blake attacked Russet again, using the dust ammunition in her weapon, she created an explosive clone of herself moments before Russet could even strike her. The copy exploded, blowing Russet into the mud and barely able to stand. Yang's prior attack left him vulnerable, and the explosion managed to completely incapacitate him.

"Russet Autumn is out due to Aura Depletion!" The announcer yelled.

Nogla pulled Yang towards the edge of the ring before launching off her back and onto the floor, with Yang a hair away from a ring-out.

Nogla struggled to get up, and was eventually surrounded by the three remaining huntresses.

"...I'm f**ked now, aren't I?" Nogla groaned.

"Right in the down-under." Yang smirked.

"But I'm not Australi-AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Punctuating her retort with a ridiculously hard punch in the face that blew him out of the ring. The effect the punch had looked somewhat unusual, with a minor hint of a spark.

"AND DAITHI DE NOGLA IS OUT OF THE RING!!! TEAM RWBY IS VICTORIOUS!!" The announcer yelled, causing some to cover their ears due to the sheer volume.

Ruby instantly ran to hug her sister.

"Sis, that was AWESOME!!" Ruby cheered.

"Ahem..?" Weiss coughed.

"R-Right.. Good job, everyone..!" Ruby meekly smiled at the other two girls.

"Hey..Good job, guys..! Especially Weiss, you really f**ked Delirious' shit up.." Vanoss congratulated.

"F**k off, you little bird bitch!" Delirious yelled.

"Wait, where's Nogla and your other teammate?" Blake asked.

Russet was in the background, carrying Nogla on his back.

"Not bad, Daithi, not bad.. But we are out though.." Russet reassured the injured GTA avatar.

"W-We were mowin' troom.. Gweeey.." He muttered.

"Yeah...no." Russet rolled his eyes.

"It was nice seeing you guys again!" Yang waved.

"You too... Let's hang out sometime after this.." Vanoss tiredly waved as his team walked out of the arena defeated.

"Alright, I think we should be heading back now." Yang said.

"Sounds good!" Ruby smiled.

The four huntresses-in-training walked out of the arena as it reset into it's normal state. Once they got inside the hallways of the arena, they were met by Princess Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie, who had quickly formed Team TRAP.

"Hi, guys!" Twilight greeted.

"Oh, hey Twi!" Yang waved, happy to see her other friends again.

"Applejack? You're looking much better after I last saw you!" Ruby smiled.

"Thanks.. It was tough for the first couple months after the war, but I bounced back!" Applejack sighed, looking towards the small exo-skeleton that was needed to move her hind legs.

"You as well, Rainbow. How's your wing?" Weiss asked.

"I'm just happy to be flying with the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow raised her prosthetic wing.

"And what about you, Pinkie?" Yang asked.

"I've had worse landings before Gamma threw me, you know!" Pinkie smiled.

"How are you even alive?" Blake gaped.

"Plot armor." She answered, glaring directly at Destoyer.

"So, when's your match?" Ruby asked.

"It's the second-to-last one. I'm sure we can handle it!" Rainbow confidently postured.

"Wait, who's next again..?" Ruby wondered again.

"Well, us and Team RPID." A voice answered to their right.

Ruby looked right and smiled brightly.

"Lime?!" Ruby looked at another team, running over to hug Lime.

"Who are they?" Pinkie asked.

"They're my friends from Signal before I was transferred to Beacon! This is Lime, Robin, and Carmine!" Ruby answered, pointing to a young, husky man wearing a lime-colored tunic, a light-blue haired girl wearing a form of tunic/dress combination, and another man wearing a dark red jacket with sharp features.

"Heya!" Lime nodded in greeting.

"How are you?" Robin smiled brightly.

"Hi.." Carmine replied, seeming rather aloof.

"Everyone, this is my sister, Weiss, Blake, and.." Ruby began introducing the other group.

"Cool it, Ruby. We already know who they are. It's about that whole 'multiverse' incident." Carmine dismissively waved.

"Okay, then.. Who's your other teammate?" Yang asked, pointing to a young, armored man with a purplish-red shawl and somewhat spiky, bright purple hair .

"Oh, him? That's just Tyrian. He doesn't talk much.." Lime introduced.

Tyrian walked up to the group with a very subtle hint of confidence, stood in front of Ruby hand outstretched. Ruby eagerly shook Tyrian's hand as he nodded his greetings.

"Hi, you must be Ruby." Tyrian slightly smiled.

"H-How do you know my na-." Ruby began to ask.

"The others were so eager to see you again, they couldn't stop talking. I'm antisocial, not deaf." He replied.

"O-Okay.." Ruby smiled anxiously.

"You like these guys, Tyrian?" Yang wondered.

"Eh.. They're not bad, but they're really kinda... Talkative. I'm used to it." Tyrian answered

"Wow, haven't heard T talk this much in a while." Robin commented.

"Fun fact, Tyrian actually fought in this whole 'Blood Red Night' thing you guys were in. Did you meet him at all then?" Lime asked.

"I don't think so.." Twilight replied.

"Anyways, we should probably get ready for the fight. See you later some time?" Robin asked.

"Sure! See you guys!" Ruby waved.

"Let's move, LRTC!" Lime ordered as the four first-years walked towards the arena for their fight.

"You guys are popular!" Applejack noticed.

"Yeah.. I guess." Blake sheepishly figured.

"So, we have a little while, at least.. Want to hang out with Vanoss and the others?" Yang asked.

"I heard they have some fun stuff at the festival, we could meet there!" Pinkie smiled.

"Alright! Let's go!" Ruby eagerly followed Twilight and the others to the exit.

Only Tyrian remained, having watched them from around a corner.

"Come on, T! You fighting or what?!" Carmine yelled.

Tyrian promptly stood up and followed Carmine to the arena for their battle.

----

An armored man walked inside the dark room, met by three other figures.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, I was out looking for that bastard, Emphas." The armored man grumbled.

The middle figure stood up, one eye glowing an ominous orange color.

"Don't worry, you and I both will have a chance to settle our score with young Alex. Soon. But first, we need to send the people of Atlas a... message." The figure glared confidently.

"Of course... Cinder."

Author's Notes:

*Cue Dragonball Z announcer*

Already the plot is beginning to thicken!
Who will be the next team to be eliminated in the tournament, and what is Cinder's plan?
Find out on the next episode of Blood Red Shadows 2!!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 3: Sending a Message

*Atlas, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 2:05 AM*

Carmine had gone out to get a midnight snack, walking through the massive technological empire that was Atlas after he left the convenience store.

He had almost gotten back to the dormitory building he and the rest of Team LRTC had been staying, and he needed to be quick.

Suddenly, a bullet pierced his right leg as Carmine fell to the ground, grabbing the affected limb in agony.

'My Aura should have blocked that! Who shot me?!' Carmine wondered.

A dark figure walked up to Carmine, dragging a silenced lever-gun across the ground as it silently converted into a short, single edged sword.

"W-Who's there..?" Carmine asked.

"Well, well, well.. Out rather late, aren't we?" A masculine voice asked threateningly.

"H-Hey..! Don't kill me! I'll do anything!! You want some chips..?" Carmine asked.

"Screw the chips.. You're going to deliver a message to your... Manipulators for me.." The figure raised the sword eye level to Carmine.

"Y-Yeah... W-What's your messa-" Carmine asked as the figure swung the blade at his neck.

----

*July 19, 2040, 3:05 PM; Location Unknown*

A young man sat in his bunker, sharpening a sickle. He was roughly 17 or 18 in age with dark brown, ever so slightly blonde hair with chiseled, yet thin features, the massive scar that trailed diagonally down his now-yellow left eye to his right cheek.

"You almost ready, Cade?" A feminine voice asked.

"Yeah, coming, Flurry!" He replied, standing up to sheathe his sickle and sword.

Cade climbed the ladder in the dark bunker to find a white alicorn with curly purple and blue hair, his close and only-remaining friend, suited up with an old Scratchbolt exoskeleton.

"How are you holding up..?" Flurry Heart asked.

"Not too well, not since Mom died, y'know..?" Cade sighed.

"I get 'ya.. Keep in mind both my parents died too.." Flurry looked sympathetically at Cade.

"Thanks... Not much consolation, but thanks." Cade smiled weakly.

"How did that last mission turn out?" Flurry asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Well, I at least lessened the burden on Mom and Dad, that's for sure. Problem is, the machine's out of fuel now." Cade replied.

"I found the location of another working Dimensional Gate. Someone modified this one for Time Travel, too." Flurry told him.

"Does... she... know about it?" Cade asked.

"Well, it's two miles underground out in the desert. I can't think of why she'd know.." Flurry replied.

"Okay.. We'd better get moving." Cade said, donning a tattered red cape with cross-pins.

"You still keep that parasprite food?" Flurry scowled at the sight of the cape.

"You still wear that meaningless tiara, Princess." Cade retorted.

"Touché.." Flurry opened the hatch to the outside world with her magic, leading both man and pony into the ruins of the old world..

----

*Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 7:30 AM*

Yang was flipping through channels on the tv in her room. Weiss and Blake stayed with her while Ruby was out looking for a new scroll because someone thought it would be funny to throw her old one in one of the porta-potties at the festival. Eventually, Yang heard her scroll ring.

"Hello?" Yang asked.

"Yang, you need to come out here.." Ruby worriedly told her sister through the phone.

"What? I can't hear you..."

"What do you mean you can't... no.."

"I can't hear you because..." Yang snickered.

"No, no, no..!" Ruby groaned.

"Because of a crappy connection!" Yang laughed.

"YANG THIS IS SERIOUS!!!" Ruby yelled.

"Okay okay, what's wrong?" Yang asked.

"Carmine's dead!!" Ruby yelled through her phone.

"WHAT?!" Yang stood up from her seat.

"I need you guys out here!" Ruby ordered.

----

*July 19, 2040; 3:30 PM; Location Unknown*

Cade rode on Flurry's back high above the clouds of dust and ash over the ruined city.

"How far away is this bunker?" Cade asked.

"It should be another 2 miles." Flurry replied.

"I hope so, because... Wait, what is that..?" Cade wondered, looking down at a large swirling orange vortex below them.

"... Oh horse apples." Flurry gaped.

The vortex suddenly let out a massive burst of flame that threatened to engulf the two had Flurry not evaded.

"F**k! She knows!" Cade yelled, reaching for a pulse rifle in Flurry's saddlebag.

"I know that, smart-flank!" Flurry evaded hundreds of smaller vortexes that apparated into the skies with them.

"I can't get a clear shot!" Cade yelled, charging a pulse.

"I'll dive, you jump off at ground level! We'll meet at the site. It's northeast of here!" Flurry screamed as she dove in a 90 degree angle downwards as the vortexes exploded.

"Found her!" Cade screamed, pointing his weapon at their enemy.

The All-Seasonal Maiden; Cinder Fall.

Cade fired a pulse wave at Cinder, diving out and rolling to avoid the arrows Cinder shot at him. Each pulse exploded on impact and shrouded the area in a dense cloud of dust.

Flurry cleared a path towards the location they were heading.

Once Cade saw Cinder clear the dust to where he was, he fired another pulse, throwing up more dust and buying him time to run.

Cade started running as soon as Cinder began freezing the dust in place before melting the ice immediately. Cade fired more pulses, one on the ground to cover his tracks, and the rest at Cinder.

Cade pulled out a small crystal: the last teleport crystal Princess Luna had gifted him before her demise. He whispered the coordinates of the location into the crystal, which it to glow brightly before shattering, it's light enveloping Cade before he disappeared completely.

It was an incredibly risky move, since Cinder could easily track where the teleport magic led, but not using it would have led to his death.

'Thank you, Princess Luna...' Cade thought gravely.

----

*Outside Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 7:35 AM*

Weiss, Blake, and Yang ran outside to meet their leader, who stood frozen in horror at the scene before her.

Two police cars were parked near Carmine's body, and the others saw only two marks; one bullet wound in the right leg, and one cut at the neck, just deep enough for him to bleed out entirely. It hadn't been a quick death..

"How..?" Yang gaped in horror.

"W-Who did this..?" Blake stared at the crime, unable to look away.

The others found Twilight, eyes glued to the scene before her.

"I-I think I know what might be happening here..." Twilight said suddenly.

"You know something about this?" Lime walked to the lavender alicorn questioningly.

"W-What..? How would I?" Twilight turned to face Lime anxiously.

"You just said you knew..!" Robin yelled, tears in her eyes.

"I-It was just a thought... Maybe it was that team you fought yesterday..! Maybe one of them is a really sore loser!" Twilight stammered.

Lime glared at Twilight, shaking his head.

"Princess, I won't rule it out, but this wasn't any touch-and-go case here..." One of the officers commented.

"Do you think this has anything to do with it?" Another policeman said, holding up a crushed bag of chips in a plastic evidence bag with a pair of tweezers.

"I don't think so... The killer might have just been playing dirty.." The first added.

"Come with me." Twilight whispered urgently, turning to Team RWBY.

The huntresses followed Twilight quickly, only one person watching them as they left.

Tyrian let out a sigh as he turned away from them, and back to the scene of the crime.

----

*July 19, 2040; 3:33 PM; Location Unknown*

Flurry sped down the stairs to find Cade fiddling with the Dimensional Gateway.

"How did you get here so fast?" Flurry asked.

"Teleport crystal.. My last one.." Cade sighed.

Flurry looked pissed.

"You know she can find us if you use those bucking things!" Flurry yelled.

"I had no choice! She would've killed me and you know it! That's why I'm leaving only enough fuel for a one-way trip! Speaking of which, how do I dispose this stuff again?" Cade asked.

"Here, let me." Flurry levitated the bucket of fuel towards her, throwing in a bunch of dust, cobwebs, and old documents so it couldn't be used.

"Let me see one of those..." Cade demanded.

"Fine.." Flurry grumbled, levitating a large dossier with the words 'Classified' and 'CIA' stamped on.

"It's an old CIA document.." Cade noticed.

"CIA? You think Agent Kat would've known something about it?" Flurry wondered.

"Odds are she would... Let me see...Project 'Osiris'... Ohh, shit.." Cade whispered.

The two suddenly heard a loud boom coming from the porthole, followed by another one.

"We've got company.." Cade shoved the dossier into his tunic.

"Buck.. We need a plan!" Flurry stood up.

"Hold on, that fuel is acidic, right?" Cade demanded.

"Oh, it's dangerously corrosive.. I'm surprised the bucket isn't melting." Flurry replied.

"Toss it on the ladder and the ground. It might buy us some time." Cade ordered.

Flurry threw the substance on the ladder and the floor, causing both to gradually burn away and form a decent-sized hole as she galloped back.

Cade got the Gateway ready and set the coordinates.

"And... Let's see... When did Cinder take the Fall Maiden's powers?" Cade asked.

"There it was... Let me see... Early August 2018... Can't remember the exact date.." Flurry figured.

"Let's go with Lucky 7, 10:20 AM..near Atlas.." Cade decided.

"Okay... Let's move!!" Flurry pulled the switch.

The machine enveloped them in a red light, followed by a gradual fade into blue as both man and pony disappeared.

Cinder lowered herself down, noticing both the ladder and ground were eaten away. The two had attempted to trap her...

She gaped at the sight of a dimensional gateway shutting down..

"Damn.. The model's old... They must've used only enough fuel for a one-way trip.. They're gone." Cinder smiled.

She didn't care about following them...they were finally out of her way...Now that they were, she could continue her reign..

----

*Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 7:38 AM*

"Okay, Twi, what's this all about?" Yang asked.

Twilight followed Team RWBY into their room, making sure to lock the door behind them.

"I think I know what's happening here... Five months ago, Alex finished his training with Canis and went straight to me.." Twilight began.

"He went to you? For a visit?" Ruby wondered.

"Yes.. He said that something bad was going to happen during the Vytal Festival, and that from what he saw during his training, and.." Twilight recalled.

"Oh! When I was out late a couple months back, he found me and told me that something big was going to happen..." Yang remembered.

"He saw you too?!" Twilight gaped.

"Yeah... He implied that the person planning this had to be Cinder." Yang blinked in recollection.

"Cinder?!" Weiss gasped.

"Of course... If she could force Adam into joining her, it's safe to assume she spent two years planning her comeback." Blake figured.

"And that's how Roman Torchwick escaped that Atlas aircraft!" Ruby figured.

"So, Cinder wouldn't be doing this sort of thing herself... So someone might be working from inside!" Twilight realized.

"Who would do that for someone like Cinder?" Yang wondered.

"Hold on... I need to make a call.." Twilight said.

*Washington D.C, North American Federation; August 7, 2018; 7:45 AM*

Kat was sitting in a desk at the parliamentary building. Running part of a new country was hard work, but even so, she couldn't help but feel...bored.

At least during her time in the Kahn Militia, and the Coalition, there was always some action involved. Her innumerable hours were spent helping her fellow senators decide on new laws and tax hikes so the country could rebuild.

But even with the importance and weight that came with politics, she felt like this wasn't her calling.

'I should be out with Evan and Twilight at the Festival, not cooped up in some desk stamping papers!' Kat internally groaned.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Picking it up, she could see it was a trans-dimensional call... This was going to hike up her bill..

"Hello, this is Senator Anderson." Kat greeted politely.

"Kat, is that you?" Twilight asked from the opposite end.

"Twilight? Hi, how's the festival?" Kat anxiously inquired, she was dying to hear anything that went on outside the crowded office.

"Umm, that's the thing... One of the competitors died and we think it might be... You know.." Twilight stammered.

"Slow down for a second... Someone died? During the Tournament?" Kat wondered, her curiosity piqued.

No... He died just last night outside the dorm... We think Cinder might be behind it.." Twilight replied.

"Cinder? As in the same Cinder that killed Alex's parents, a CIA agent, and roughly 3 battalions of Coalition troops?" Kat gaped, making sure to keep her voice down.

"Exactly... We might need some help figuring out who's working undercover for her." twilight explained.

"I'll ask Chancellor Smith about it, I'll see if I can go-" Kat began to promise.

"Ask me what?" Hunter Smith, current Chancellor of the Federation, wondered.

"Listen, my friends need my help again.. Something involving Atlas.." Kat explained.

"Atlas? Wait, don't tell me this is about the Tournament again." Hunter groaned.

"Well, yes.. But hear me out!" Kat begged.

"Fine. Make your case, senator." Hunter nodded.

"A competitor died, and Princess Twilight believes a rogue Inquisitor is behind it.." Kat stated.

"Inquisitor?! At the damn tournament?! Listen... General Ironwood is already on my case about not paying for Atlas' tech.. If one of our senators were to head over there and either prevent or protect the citizens from catastrophe.. I might be able to let that senator intervene." Hunter figured.

"Thank you, Chancellor!" Kat shook his hand excitedly.

"Don't mention it. Just go, hurry! The money is due on the 11th!" The chancellor practically shoved her out the door.

Author's Notes:

Well, we have a man and an alicorn coming from the future, a bored ex-militia fighter/senator, and an ulterior plot yet to be revealed..

We're in this one for the long haul!
(Don't worry, I'd put each saga at roughly 10-15 chapters.)

-The Destoyer.

Chapter 4: New Arrivals!

*Atlas, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 10:23 AM*

Kat had recently arrived on Atlas via the Public Dimensional Gateway roughly two hours ago, and having arrived to the fairgrounds another 45 minutes ago, she was almost to the agreed meeting place for Twilight, Ruby, Vanoss, and others to discuss who might be Cinder's mole.

She had traded her business attire to a more relaxed combat suit she kept from her days in the Coalition, and with her old sniper in the case tied to her back, she almost looked like a competitor herself.

Kat finally decided to get something to eat when she heard two people talking just near her.

"Okay, the landing was a bit rough, I'll admit, but hey, we're still alive." A man, about 17 or 18 said.

"Yes, but we don't have any money, spare clothes, or our disguises!" A young woman rebuked her partner's comment.

Kat seemed to know something suspicious was going on, she snuck into a nearby crowd and followed it to the source of the two voices.

"Calm down, okay! We'll find someone who can help us, I'm sure!" The man defended.

Upon closer inspection, the man seemed to be wearing a really dusty tunic, a tattered red cape, and gleaming, ominous-looking yellow eyes, and he had a scar that swept from his left eye to his right cheek. His hair, brown and just barely blonde, spiked almost upwards before falling back down.

The girl wasn't human, but an alicorn. Complete with a pure white coat with a purple and blue mane. The tiara she wore looked like it had seen better days, dusty and covered with signs of damage.

Come to think of it, the alicorn looked... familiar...

Kat blinked, the epiphany setting in.

The alicorn looked exactly like an older Flurry Heart, the naturally born Alicorn who had been born 7 months ago!

"Who's going to help us?! We can't exactly go to Ruby Rose or Aunt Twilight! Pony feathers, not even Agent Kat knows who we are!" Flurry whisper-yelled.

Agent Kat?!

"What the hell is going on here?" She asked, coming around the corner she was hiding.

"See! I told you somebody was going to- holy shit! Agent Kat?!" The man looked shocked at seeing her.

"You dumb-flank! She doesn't know who we are yet!" Adult Flurry used her magic to smack the man with a CIA dossier she pulled out of his tunic.

"Actually, I know who you are, Princess Flurry." Kat glared.

"How do you- oh... You went went to my Crystalling, didn't you?" Flurry asked.

"Yeah, you almost killed me with your sneeze." Kat huffed.

"He he... Sorry about that... You're probably wondering what's going on here, right?" The man asked.

"Well, I'm a little curious." Kat replied.

"Well, it's a long story.. But if it's not too much to ask, could we follow you to speak with the rest of Unity?" Flurry inquired.

"How do you know where I was going? Are you the mole?" Kat accused, reaching towards the case behind her back.

"Hey, hey! No need for that! We're here to stop Cinder!" The man whispered.

Kat looked at them both.

"Fine. But first, you're telling me who you are!" Kat pointed at the man.

"Okay, okay..! My name is Cade.. And, well, this isn't easy to say, but.." Cade stammered.

"Might as well spill it, you're the one who gave us away!" Flurry stared daggers at Cade.

"Well... We came here from 22 years in the future.." Cade sighed.

*Meanwhile, at Amity Colosseum*

"And Team JNPR are the victors!" The Announcer yelled.

Team RWBY cheered for their friends, but they had to be brief, their meeting was coming up in 10 minutes.

"Ladies and Gentleman, it's that time of the day again, the 'Daily Duel!' One lucky competitor gets to volunteer him or herself to challenge a rival and duel! No penalties, no boundaries, and no time limit! Huntsmen and Huntresses! Raise your hands!" the announcer yelled.

Yang's hand shot up in the air.

"Yang, what are you doing! The meeting is in 9 minutes!!" Ruby whispered.

"Come on, Ruby. It's me we're talking about! This fight will be over in about 2 minutes, 4 tops." Yang shrugged.

"And we have our volunteer! Tyrian Alastor, select your opponent!" the announcer hollered. Yang looked down in disappointment, she wanted to be selected so badly.

Yang looked across the arena at the spiky-haired huntsman himself, pointing right at her with a look of familiarity.

"And Tyrian has chosen his rival! YANG XIAO LONG!!"

Yang blinked in surprise, but shrugged it off and went out to the arena with a leap. Tyrian had already arrived himself, pulling out two lever-action rifles from his back.

"Yo, T! Why'd you pick me?" Yang asked with a confident grin.

"Because, it looked like you were bored out of your mind with someone as weak as Nogla on your back!" Tyrian replied.

"You bitch!" Nogla yelled as Vanoss and his friends laughed like crazy.

The starting bell rang loudly as both huntsman and huntress launched themselves at each other.

Tyrian flipped above Yang's punch, spinning the rifle by it's lever and using it's momentum to hit Yang in the side.

Yang punched thin air again as Tyrian leaped above her fist. Tyrian put both guns in an X-shape, grabbing Yang's arm and throwing her up about 10 feet. Tyrian shot round after round at Yang, who either shot at his bullets or narrowly avoided them. The rounds exploded on impact, leaving the arena covered with smoke.

Tyrian charged at Yang again, using the lever-guns like tonfas and hitting Yang hard.

Yang smiled, running right at Tyrian and punching him as hard as she could.

Tyrian blocked the attack with his arms, bright purple force-fields surrounded each arm, leaving his limbs unaffected.

"Wait a minute... The magic signatures don't look like any Semblance I've seen..." Rarity murmured.

"You're right..! It seems... Equestrian in origin.. And it's really powerful..." Twilight turned to her friend.

"Force-fields? That's your Semblance?" Yang asked.

"Yours is getting extra power from each hit. Way I see it, why get hit at all?" Tyrian smirked.

Yang punched again, Tyrian's force-field blocking her attack again. Yang hit Tyrian's arms repeatedly, and it seemed like the force-fields protecting them would shatter.

Tyrian suddenly ducked, shooting Yang directly in the chest. Yang skidded backwards, smoke trailing from her stomach as the shots left two scorch marks behind.

"It looks like we have an even match here, folks! Tyrian and Yang are proving to be neck-and-neck! Thank Dust this doesn't affect the Tournament, or one of these brilliant fighters would be walking home!" the announcer yelled.

"Y' hear that? Looks like we're even if we're not trying! Let's go all-out!" Yang grinned.

"Agreed." Tyrian shot his rifles, using the raw power of both shots for propulsion and leaped 20 feet in the air, kicking Yang in the chest. He flipped onto the ground and continued attacking her. Each hit seemed like it would shatter the arena. Yang attack just as quickly and fiercely as Tyrian did.

"Damn, look at this! I didn't know he had it in him..!" Lime appeared somewhat calculating.

"It feels weird seeing him do this much damage, to Yang Xiao Long, no less! I thought he was the weakest on the team!" Robin blinked.

Tyrian loaded another round and formed a force-field at the end of the barrel, the field surrounded the bullet, speeding it up significantly and producing an explosion once it connected with Yang.

Yang flipped backwards, almost ringing-out.

"There you go. Full power! Now, hit me as hard as you can!" Tyrian smirked.

Yang stood up, rearing up for a powerful hit. Her fist and gauntlet glowed a bright yellow color as though it were in flames, and it produced a slight flicker of red.

"Woah..! Yang looks like she's going to kill him with that punch!" Blake stared.

"What's up with Tyrian..? Is he insane?!" Ruby blinked in fright.

Yang launched towards Tyrian, screaming as she sped up to him.

Tyrian dodged, narrowly avoiding the punch, and sliced off some of her hair with the sharp, protruded edge of the barrel.

Yang slid back, noticing a lock of her hair in Tyrian's hand.

"I don't think you understood! You. Me. Hard as you can. Not half as hard, not some arbitrary amount. I want you.."

Yang's eyes flickered red for a little bit.

"He really is trying to kill himself!" Ruby moaned.

"...To hit me..." Tyrian continued.

Yang seethed, her eyes turning completely red as yellow and red flame circled around her.

"...As hard as you can. You buying what I'm selling?" Tyrian smirked, tossing the lock of Yang's hair aside.

"Oh, yes." Yang glared, hair now standing on-end.

Yang practically threw herself at Tyrian, who stood crossing his arms in confidence as she came ever-closer towards the huntsman.

Yang screamed loudly about halfway to her opponent, speeding her pace as she got closer and closer to him.

Tyrian dodged the hit again at the last possible second, only for Yang to turn around and hit him in the back. The force-field that apparently closely surrounded his body completely shattered, and his aura had dropped down to 10%.

Tyrian skidded mostly on his face to the end of the arena, a single hair protruding out of the ring as he picked himself up.

"Wow... I gotta hand it to you, that was one hell of a punch! If I didn't have that force-field, I'd have probably blown through the shield into the audience!." Tyrian stretched his back, a loud crack resonating through the arena.

"Tyrian tanked Yang's attack like a pro, but he's at a daunting 10% compared to Yang's 86%!"

"Damn! That kid is a beast!" Vanoss stared.

"He's a Super Saiyan!" Delirious screamed.

"HOW?!" Ruby looked wide-eyed at the arena.

Tyrian looked towards the screen with their names and Aura levels on them.

"Not like I'll recover from this..Besides, I forfeit anyway. I'll admit, it wasn't a long fight, but it was good to measure out our power gap." Tyrian surrendered.

"W-Wha..?" Yang blinked, disappointed.

"Don't be like that. We'll probably end up as finalists, anyways. Here's your hair back." Tyrian tossed the lock back to Yang, who looked at it confused.

"Sweet dust.. Tyrian is an absolute monster.." Robin stared wide-eyed.

"If he took that hit, he could probably take out a Nevermore with his bare hands!" Lime grabbed his hair.

"Probably not, Limer. But hey, that's just my opinion." Tyrian smirked as he sat down with the two remaining members of his team.

Yang returned to her team, smiling brightly.

"Well, I technically won! How much time do we have?" Yang asked.

"We have a couple minutes! Let's go!" Ruby grabbed her team and ran.

Twilight nodded, and the Elements walked towards the exit, with Vanoss and his crew not far behind.

Author's Notes:

I'm probably going to get so much crap for adding a Flurry Heart into this story.

Just a bit of a heads up; most of the events of Season 6 happened between BRS and Crimson Shade. I say most of the events because since it's a whole other timeline, I could use what I liked and retcon what I didn't. We're all looking at you, Zephyr Breeze.

Chapter 5: Group Huddle!

*Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 10:35 AM*

The present members of Unity had gathered into an abandoned classroom to discuss what might be happening.

"Where the hay is Kat! She should be here by now!" Rainbow Dash moaned.

"You guys asked Kat? I thought she was busy with political stuff." Ruby tilted her head.

"I see what might be going on! The Federation's leader might have sent her to stop whatever's about to happen because he wants leverage over Atlas! The Federation owes Atlas a lot of money and I guess Smith's looking for a way out!" Weiss concluded.

"I guess Smith does know how to make a deal.." Blake commented.

"Sorry I'm late! I brought company!" Kat announced, Flurry and Cade in tow.

"Who are they?" Yang asked.

"Flurry?! I thought you were-" Twilight gasped.

"Back at the Crystal Empire safe with Mom and Dad, I know.." Flurry wing-hugged her aunt.

"We'll explain everything later, but for right now, let's discuss the facts." Cade said.

"What are you staring at me for?" Ruby asked looking at Cade.

"Ruby, This is Cade. Cade, I think you already know who she is.." Kat smiled.

"But, this is impossible! Age-related magic can only be used by highly advanced-level unicorns! Did you meet Starlight?" Twilight asked.

"No, Aunt Twilight. It's something else entirely.." Flurry sighed.

"Yang... Do you remember how Alpha was able to fight Captain Walker because he used time travel?" Cade asked.

"Alpha was a time traveller?!" Kat gasped.

"Actually, he was also our son..." Yang sheepishly admitted.

"Your WHAT?!" Weiss gaped.

"My brain is so full of f**k right now.." Delirious groaned, holding his head.

"Time travel? I guess it makes sense, remember how we used time travel to get that plunger in Der Eisendrache?" Terroriser nodded.

"How about that one episode of Spongebob where Squidward went into the future?" Nogla added.

"FUUUTURRRE..!" Wildcat imitated.

"WILDCAT THIS IS SERIOUS!!" Cade yelled.

"So, future googling-man, what's the future like in the year 2183?" Vanoss asked.

"We aren't that far." Flurry groaned.

"Then where are you from?" Applejack asked.

"Don't you mean WHEN are they from?!" Pinkie and Delirious said at the same time.

"Ugh... 2040." Cade replied.

"So, what's it like, and why did you go back?" Twilight asked.

"It's... Well.." Flurry began.

"It's a complete and utter shit hole." Cade finished.

"Let's see... Shitty future..." Basically thought.

"Bad hair.." Droidd added.

"F**k off!" Cade almost yelled.

"The sword and the tacky clothes.." Nogla continued.

"Nogla, if you don't stop, no doctor will be able to fix what I'll do to you." Cade seethed.

"Yep. Cade is literally a Future Trunks knockoff." Vanoss concluded.

"And... Shit, you got me." Cade sighed.

"What, next you're going to tell us that your dad was a villain?" Mini Ladd asked.

"Not exactly.." Cade scoffed.

"Yep, they pegged you, Trunks." Flurry snickered.

"Wait, does she watch Dragonball Z?" Delirious asked.

"Can we please get back on topic?" Rarity begged, rolling her eyes.

"Fine! The reason we came back was to help you kill Cinder Fall!" Cade yelled.

"I thought you were going to say Androids, but whatever." Luis shrugged.

"He's being serious! By the time we came back, Cinder didn't just have the Fall Maiden's powers, but all of them combined! She killed Twilight, Celestia, Ozpin, and even Alex Walker and Yang at full-power!" Flurry yelled.

The room took a collective gasp.

"We only had enough fuel for a one-way trip just so our Cinder wouldn't follow us!" Cade added.

"We can't let Cinder get that powerful!" Ruby gaped.

"And that's why we have to stop her. Permanently. But before we do that, we have to find her mole. He or she already killed Carmine, and it's only a matter of time before this mole strikes again." Flurry declared.

"So. Any ideas on who this guy is?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, if I were to guess, I'd say it would have to be Tyrian.. He keeps giving us really weird looks.." Weiss figured.

"He did challenge Yang just to forfeit.. Just like Mercury did with Pyrrha.. He turned out to be an Inquisitor." Twilight continued.

"Hold on, just because he might be a little nuts doesn't mean he's the mole.." Rainbow defended.

"The weapons he was using could've broken Yang's Aura with the force-field bullet. It explains the gunshot to the leg." Ruby shrugged.

"And the barrel was sharp enough to cut my hair." Yang seethed.

"I don't think it's safe to accuse only Tyrian." Kat decided.

"Besides, I can't think of why a mole would kill a random huntsman like that.." Vanoss thought.

"He's trying to scare us. Let everyone know that there's something more going on than we know." Weiss decided.

"It was a White Fang scare tactic to kill one or two people in a village before ransacking and pillaging it for Dust. And who was controlling the White Fang?" Blake asked.

"Cinder." Applejack sighed.

"Well. We figured him out... What do we do now..?" Ruby asked.

"We can't kill him or turn him in to the authorities yet. Not before we see what's really going on here.. One person can't be it. Besides, the CIA look for patterns in other people's killings." Kat figured.

"She isn't wrong.. We have to let them make the next move before we do something." Yang added.

"But still... Who's next..?"

*Ironwood's office, Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 7, 2018; 5:30 PM*

Robin walked to Ironwood's office, he had said something about wanting to speak to her in private.

She opened the door to find Ironwood, Professor Ozpin, and Pyrrha Nikos.

"Hello, Ms. Corvus, we need to speak with you." Ironwood began.

"O-Okay." She sat down next to Pyrrha facing Ironwood and Ozpin.

"I believe you're both aware of the exact nature of this conversation, correct?" Opinion asked.

"Yes, Professor." Pyrrha nodded.

"As I'm sure you understand, the police came back with Carmine's autopsy. They suspect foul play, but we all know what has been happening." Ozpin began.

"Who do you think is behind all of this?" Robin was confused.

"It is our belief that an Inquisitor named Cinder Fall is the one behind the death of your friend." Ironwood explained.

"Cinder Fall? But how? Did she kill Carmine..?" Robin asked.

"No, she wasn't the killer, but we received word three days ago that there is a potential mole in our midst. She is looking for Pyrrha's Fall Maiden abilities, as we've discussed yesterday.." Ozpin replied.

"So, you're saying I need to keep a small amount of the Fall Maiden's power so Cinder doesn't do anything dangerous, right..?" Robin asked,

"Yes. I understand, it's only a small part of the Fall Maiden's full power, but if Cinder ever obtains this power, she will destroy Atlas." Ironwood added.

"Destroy Atlas?!" Robin gasped.

"Yes.. And as much as I hate to do this, I'll have to do a partial soul merge with you..." Pyrrha looked upset.

"A soul merge?"

"It was how we transferred Pyrrha the Fall Maiden's power in the first place. We did incidentally transfer the previous holder's mind, but she's since faded into her subconscious." Ironwood explained.

"Listen to me very carefully. If this mole finds you, they will kill you. And that goes for you as well, Pyrrha. Stay with your teams, and do not go anywhere alone for the duration of the Tournament." Ozpin instructed.

"Yes, Professor." Robin nodded.

"You may leave, but come back in two days." Ironwood told them as both girls left.

As soon as the door closed, Ozpin faced Ironwood.

"James, you know as well as I that transferring Pyrrha's powers might be catastrophic." Ozpin explained.

"I have no choice. I have to protect my kingdom, even if we're using one of your students to do it." Ironwood groaned.

"Do we have any leads on who this mole is..?" Ozpin asked.

"None yet." Ironwood replied grimly.

"We might have to shorten the duration of this year's Festival. It's for the safety of your people, James." Ozpin turned to face his equal.

"... Very well. I'm just happy we didn't have to involve Qrow, or god forbid, Captain Walker." Ironwood scowled.

*Outside Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 12:35 AM*

Lime walked past the darkened building carrying a Scroll. He looked up at Atlas' Cross-Continental Transmit Tower, smiling slightly.

"Going somewhere, Lime?" A masculine voice asked from behind him.

"Who's there?!" Lime pulled out his weapon, a hammer with the symbol of a lime at the center.

"Ah, looks like you came prepared. You deserve an award." The figure pulled out a lever-action rifle.

"Don't come any closer, Tyrian!" Lime yelled.

Tyrian walked into view with the rifle in hand.

"I guess that makes two rewards for figuring me out, Lime." Tyrian smirked.

A force-field formed around the barrel of the rifle, and Lime swung the hammer hard.

Tyrian dodged the hammer, using his other lever-gun to keep the hammer away while he pulled the trigger.

Lime's Aura shattered instantly and the bullet pierced his chest. The husky young man coughed up blood as he fell to the ground.

"R-Russet.. He-He's the one..!" Lime called.

Tyrian heard someone fly in from behind him, he quickly turned around to find Russet swinging his glaive at him. Tyrian flipped backwards, grabbing the weapon and pointing it at his chest.

Russet grinned, flipping back the blade to reveal the cannon attachment as Russet pulled the trigger. Tyrian dodged just in time, as the bullet went into Tyrian's intended target: Lime.

Lime coughed loudly as Tyrian once again disappeared into the shadows.

Russet slowly reloaded the cannon as Tyrian pressed the rifle to his head.

Tyrian pulled the trigger, shooting Russet through the head, killing him.

Lime crawled up to Tyrian, grasping at Russet's leg.

"Y-You... You bastard... Why a-are you doing t-this..?" Lime coughed.

"What, did you think I fell for that whole act?" Tyrian scoffed.

"W-What act..?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know exactly what you did." Tyrian laughed.

"Y-You figured that out, huh..?" Lime gagged.

"Hmm. I guess we're both pawns in a game. You just happened to be playing for the wrong side, Lime." Tyrian laughed.

"P-People will get s-s-us-suspicious... They'll hunt yo-you down..." Lime gasped.

"Hmm. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Now, where was I? Oh, yes." Tyrian continued as he pointed the gun against Lime's forehead.

"Checkmate."

Author's Notes:

I want to try and clear up something maybe a couple of you have already noticed.

The Vytal Festival, in RWBY Canon, usually happens around the end of the year, as the students have already gone through at least a semester or two. Due to circumstances at the end of the last story, though, they moved it after the last battle.

So why is it taking place in August?

They took advantage of the fact that their enemies were brushing off that major defeat, and almost two years later, they scheduled it again, making it the 41st festival.

-The Destoyer.

Chapter 6: Nothing Can Go Wrong...

Amity Colosseum; Atlas, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 2:35 PM

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for the next Doubles Match! The next fighters are Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee of Team RWBY, with Robin Corvus and Tyrian Alastor of Team LRTC on the opposing side! Let the battle begin!"

Ruby and Weiss quickly made their way to the arena, with Tyrian and Robin taking their time.

'Remember the plan, Ruby. This is of utmost importance;' Flurry Heart had told her, "If and when you have to deal with Tyrian, push him to his absolute limit! If he tries anything, you take the Ray Gun mag stowed on you and shoot him. And if anything else happens, kill him. No matter what, do not let him reach Cinder!"

Right now, roughly half of Team Unity were at the exits with large cargo ships close by, while the other half stayed at Atlas Academy in case the remaining students or staff needed help.

Tyrian pulled out his rifles immediately while Robin kept her hand on her sheathed falchion. Weiss and Ruby held the similar stances as Tyrian did.

"Listen... Sorry to hear about what happened with your team.." Ruby sympathized.

"Thank you, but we're kinda about to fight, so.." Tyrian replied.

3...

2...

1...

"BEGIN!"

Ruby immediately lashed out at Tyrian, who ducked and shifted to evade Ruby's scythe. Ruby was honestly surprised to see someone with speed almost matching her's.

Almost, as in Ruby nicked Tyrian in the arm when he least expected it, he didn't wince or even let out any indication she got him. He merely looked at his arm, removed his shawl, and wrapped it around the 'wound'. He then charged at Ruby full tilt and leaped into the air.

Ruby fired the sniper-end of Crescent Rose at Tyrian, who flipped out of the way of the shot, ducked down and slid to avoid Ruby's attacks, and swept his leg under Ruby's and knocked her over.

Weiss and Robin seemed to be having a typical spar like most who fought in the tournament. But at that point, Ruby and Tyrian, it seemed, were fighting a duel to the death.

Ruby ducked to avoid Tyrian's attacks and sped back about 50 feet behind her. She braced herself and charged at him, full speed, to take him down.

A force-field enveloped Tyrian's rifles as they blocked the strike meant for his neck. He expanded the force-fields, repelling the scythe as he kicked Ruby in the side.

'It's weird.. Tyrian isn't trying to make me mad like he did with Yang.. ' Ruby thought as she sped at him again from behind.

Tyrian wasn't quick enough to evade and received a heavy punishment, numerous strikes that would've killed any normal person, followed by a cross-clip shot that hit him in the gut and forced him back at least 25 feet.

Tyrian panted, clutching the holes in his armor, all the while wearing an unusual look on his face.

"Ruby Rose is doing some surprisingly heavy damage against Tyrian! Even the other competitors are watching in awe!" the announcer yelled.

"D-Damn... I knew you'd be about as much of a challenge as your sister, but I didn't expect you to have improved this much..!" He gasped, clutching his stomach.

"Improved? What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

Tyrian looked as if he had just seen a ghost, his face turned stark white as he tried to recover.

"Let's stop messing around then and get back to the fight." Tyrian and Ruby had charged at the exact same instant, colliding with a rush of attacks.

*Meanwhile*

"Neo, you there?" Roman asked through a communicator.

"Yes?"

"Okay, remember the plan? We were supposed to be-"

"I know, Roman! Give me a second!" Neo indignantly yelled.

"Cinder is getting the most important bits and Ultimus' forces are almost ready! Find a way to stop that fight!" Roman ordered.

Neo needed a way to have the fighters distracted, even for a second, to stop dead in their tracks..

'Hmm.. 'Stop dead'.'

**

Tyrian and Ruby were locked in a strike-for-strike blitz, with Weiss and Robin watching the battle either shocked or intrigued.

The second Ruby went to reload, Tyrian seemed to raise his weapons and charge towards her. He was about to kill her!

Ruby loaded the Green Cross Mag she hid, load it and shot at the aggressive opponent before her.

Tyrian suddenly shattered like glass. The bullet never stopped it's course, going directly through Weiss, who stared blankly as she fell face first to the ground.

Ruby couldn't help but gaze forward, appalled at what she had done.

Tyrian himself, who had actually been at her right, also looked on in horror as he ran towards the wounded huntress.

"You okay, Weiss? Hang in there, soldier.. MEDIC!" Tyrian yelled as Robin quickly ran off.

For Ruby, everything seemed to be going in slow motion; Tyrian trying to help Weiss, the soldiers and medics streaming down towards the arena.. Had she really killed her own teammate?

The monitors surrounding the arena suddenly went to static as a black chess-piece emblem appeared on-screen.

"N-no..." Ruby gasped.

"Citizens of Atlas, This was no accident. This was no tragedy. This is what happens when you hand over your safety, and your trust, to those who claim to be the guardians of this vast multiverse. Our academies' headmasters, and even their students, wield more power than most military forces. How else were a ragtag group of misfits able to conquer a monstrous force like the Inquisition?" a dark, feminine voice spoke.

Tyrian stared, eyes glued to the screen, appearing to hold back sheer rage.

"They claim to defend the peace, yet what do we see here? One teammate blown apart by the other. What are Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood teaching their students? First, the deaths of three Huntsmen in training and now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses are supposed to carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

"T-That ruthless... callous...monster..!" Tyrian seethed under his breath, fidgeting in rage.

"Ozpin and his followers felt defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help cover up the fact that he has failed not once, not twice, but three whole times to save his kingdom when the Grimm and the Inquisition attacked. Or perhaps, this is another message entirely, a message to all of the huntsmen and huntresses, training or otherwise; Either you die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Ruby finally came to her senses and listened to the jumbotron, staring in horror at what she was seeing.

"This can't be happening..." Ruby gasped in abject horror.

"Our kingdoms... Our worlds have been at the edge of an all-out war ever since the Blood Red Night ended, with our citizens kept in the dark.. So, when the first shots are fired, who can you trust?" The transmission went to static and eventually shut down.

Tyrian turned to the medic.

"There's nothing else we can do, sir. That round was too powerful.. She's gone." The medic sighed in despair.

Tyrian looked absolutely enraged, just barely able to hold back as his hair, once purple in color, glowed a bright orange and stood up before he finally composed himself, with his hair cooling down and particles flying off it like dust, leaving just some of his hair a dark-blonde color, and Ruby detected faint hints of a scar down his right eye.

Tyrian stormed off, untying the shawl from around his wound to his head.

*Meanwhile; Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 2:45 PM

"GOD F**KING DAMMIT ALL!!" Cade threw a table clear across the room in complete rage.

"H-How was anyone able to do this..?" Blake gasped.

"I'm sure we can find some way to help-" Yang began.

"Dammit! History changed the second we showed up! Now everyone's about to die and I can't save anyone! Not even my own mothe-!" Cade stopped himself as soon as he realized who he was speaking to.

Yang stared on in surprise, shocked.

"...I-" Cade gasped.

"No. Just finish what you were going to say, Cade.." Yang demanded.

"Fine. I wasn't supposed to say this, but since Flurry went and gave herself up, I should too... Yang, you are my mother.. And Alex Walker..." Cade stammered.

"...I know.. I guess Alex really did change the future.." Yang interrupted, hugging Cade.

"I guess I can take off this contact, then.." Cade took off the contact lens on his good eye, revealing a deep blue iris, with a bright purple color around the pupil.

"So.. I guess it's true then..." Yang weakly smiled.

"Listen, we have to get everyone as far away from Atlas as possible and deal with the threat at hand. If Cinder lives, it's all over. I can't let that happen." Cade asserted

"I.. I don't understand... If Tyrian was really Cinder's mole, why would he run off to help Weiss..?" Blake tried to think the situation through.

"Me neither! It's almost like.... Oh, ponyfeathers.." Flurry Heart's eyes widened.

"What? Is something wrong..?" Kat asked from across the room, where she had been talking with Vanoss' other friends about what just happened.

"Think about it! If Tyrian wasn't the mole like we were thinking, then why would he just kill three other people out of the blue?!" Flurry yelled.

"I don't get it either! Maybe they did something to him personally, or.." Cade tried to think this through as well.

"Hold on, Lime told us that Tyrian fought in the Blood Red Night as well, right?" Blake asked.

"That's right, if Tyrian really was in that battle, he'd probably be against the Inquisitors." Yang figured.

"The problem is, Flurry and I looked through every document there was! And not once, and I mean not even once, was there ever a guy named Tyrian Alastor on either side!" Cade recalled.

"Shit.. Do you know what this means?!" Yang gasped.

"Not only were Lime, Russet, and Carmine the actual moles.." Nogla figured.

"Tyrian was undercover, but for our side!" Flurry realized immediately.

The ground suddenly began shaking, cups fell off the tables and shattered, TV sets tilted over and fell..

"The hell's going on outside?!" Delirious yelled.

"It looks like a swirling vortex of doom!" Mini noted.

They were right, a large, swirling, white vortex spread itself across the sky, expanding and expanding before it looked like it had spread at least across the city.

"Why the hell is there a swirling vortex of doom in the sky?" Nogla asked loudly.

"F**k... This is happening exactly the way history went..." Cade worriedly muttered.

"You knew this would happen?!" Delirious screamed.

"If there's a vortex of that size... Then that means..!" Flurry realized.

The vortex opened up suddenly, massive amounts of rock, metal, and explosive fell from the sky onto the city below. The biggest object to fall was a massive aircraft carrier, destroyed, seemingly, in battle. Yang noticed just in time the massive lettering on the side of the ship.

"T-The Illiad?!" She gasped.

"Of course... The Inquisitors' experimental dimensional gate...Cinder must have found where all of it went..." Flurry recalled.

"Get down, now!" Mini yelled, diving for cover as everyone else did the same.

A massive amount of debris fell on top of the school, some of it even breaking through the roof and into the school.

"That entire island is falling on top of us!!" Yang screamed as a canister hit the ground, blowing up the wall that led outside.

The group suddenly heard a loud, heavy buzzing sound as numerous ships landed in front of the school, carrying with them at least a hundred armed Adenienite Battle Drones.

Leading the charge was a tall, armored Adenienite wearing a thick, black cape and what almost looked like a mechanical welding helmet.

"What's the matter? Did I catch you children by surprise?" The figure asked sardonically.

The group stood up, arming themselves best as they could.

"Delirious, get the as many people as you can to the school entrance. The four of us will stay here." Yang ordered.

Delirious, Mini, Kat, Nogla, and others charged towards the exit, shooting as many of the battle drones as they could.

"Where is Saigo Emphas?!" The Adenienite bellowed.

"Who's asking?!" Yang retorted, getting ready for the fight of her life.

"I am Ultimus Crux, rival to the Emphas family and second-in-command to Cinder Fall's organization. And you are all in my way."

Author's Notes:

Welp. Tyrian might not be who everyone thinks, Cade is actually another iteration of Alpha, and Cinder's still a sociopath.
A bit of warning, things are going to get a bit 'Volume 3'-ish.

-The Destoyer

Chapter 7: Family Ties

*Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 2:49 PM*

"I am Ultimus Crux, rival to the Emphas Family and second-in-command of Cinder Fall's organization. And you're all in my way." Ultimus had said

"In your way of what?" Flurry demanded.

"Yeah, and what's your deal with Alex!" Yang added.

Ultimus let out a low, quasi-mechanical laugh.

"Ah, the bride and offspring of Saigo Emphas. Think of it this way. he and his family are the Montagues to my Capulet, the Hatfields to my McCoy. The Emphas and Crux families have been at war for generations, and now that there is only one legitimate Emphas left in this timeline, This feud will end, forever." Ultimus raised his sword.

"Flurry, Blake, help Delirious and the others get the survivors out of this damned city. This is personal." Cade scowled.

"Like Tartarus we're abandoning you here!" Flurry demanded.

"You all want to die that badly. I suppose it is best to crush Saigo's spirit before his body when he sees his weakling girlfriend begging for death at my feet." Ultimus grinned underneath his helmet.

"That won't happen!" Yang screamed, leaping at Ultimus.

"Yang, wait!" Cade yelled, drawing his sickle.

"Stop!" Blake sped towards the fighters.

Yang ducked to evade Ultimus' sword as she hit him in the chest. He barely flinched as he recovered almost instantly and raised his sword for another strike.

Cade swept in, blocking Ultimus' blade with his sickle and forcing it up, reaching for his sword and smashing Ultimus across the gut. Ultimus shoved the sickle out of Cade's hands, kicking him in the head and crushing his skull with a heavy boot.

"Cade!!" Flurry hit Ultimus with several combat spells, which were just enough to get Ultimus off of Cade.

"Thanks..!" Cade gasped as Blake helped him up.

Blake then sped towards the Adenienite Warrior, dodging each attack as Ultimus merely hit dozens of shadow clones.

Yang and Cade used this opportunity to attack Ultimus at once, charging at him from either side and punching him in the head and side, respectively.

Flurry flew at about chest-level to Ultimus, firing combat spells rapidly and barreling into him horn-first.

Ultimus grabbed Flurry by the horn, pelting her at Cade, who had leapt up to deal a potential killing blow.

Yang punched Ultimus as soon as his back was turned, and then punched his side repeatedly until Ultimus rammed Yang in the chest with the sword's pommel and raised his blade to finish her off.

Blake shoved Yang out of the way, her Gambol Shroud taking the full force of Ultimus' attack as Cade slid between Ultimus' legs and hacked him in the same spot Flurry had stabbed.

Ultimus grabbed Cade's sword, ripping it out of his hands and hacking at him with both swords.

Flurry and Blake flew in from above, Blake trying to tear through his armor while Flurry charged massive combat spells and firing them, creating decent-sized explosions.

"Y'know, this whole 'eternal family rivalry' thing's a massive load of shit anyways, right?" Cade asked.

"I don't care." Ultimus kicked Cade across the room.

"Don't kick the damn baby!!" Yang punched Ultimus in the face.

"You're a bit old for this game, but I can make exceptions!" Ultimus dodged another one of Yang's punches before sharply kicking her directly at Cade.

Cade and Yang staggered up from the ground. Yang leapt at Ultimus while Cade charged an attack.

Electricity streamed from the outlets and desks, even the board as Cade clasped his hands together, his left side facing Ultimus as he kept charging his attack.

Slowly he pulled his hands apart, letting the electricity form a condensed ball in his hands as he screamed loudly.

Ultimus tossed Blake aside to see just what Cade was going, only to find his attack ready for use.

"BERSERKER PULSE!!!" Cade screamed, throwing the condensed ball of lightning, which blew up the entirety of the room, at Ultimus.

"Is that really all you've got?!" Ultimus yelled, obviously quite bloodthirsty.

"Ugh, you really want me to try?" Cade retorted.

Enraged, Ultimus swung at Cade, Yang, and Flurry. Hitting all three with the blunt side of his sword and blowing them to the other side of the room as he slashed upwards, sending Blake's weapons across the room.

Ultimus kicked Blake in the spine as she fell to the ground.

Blake struggled to get up, Ultimus' attacks were far too powerful for even a huntress to withstand.

Ultimus let out a low, mechanical cackle as he kicked Blake in the side, causing the already-weakened huntress to fall to the ground.

"Now you all see. No matter how powerful or how quickly you attack. You still can't hurt me. As far as I'm concerned, the Faunus is already dead. If I were any of you, I would focus on getting out of here safely or begging for mercy. Not that it would matter anyways." He scoffed callously, keeping Blake in place with his boot.

"Whether you're Alicorn bullet-fodder or an over-confident brat, or a Remnant-Born hothead. None of you have what it takes to defeat me. And fact of the matter is, Cinder will make me even more powerful than even I dare to hope. Perhaps powerful enough to defeat even the mighty Captain Walker. No less this pathetic Faunus riff-raff. I guess the lesson here is whatever kind of trash is trying to fruitlessly defeat you, it's still trash." Ultimus' sword folded into a high-caliber rifle as he planted the barrel on the back of Blake's head.

"No... We are strong enough to take you down... Get out of the way.." Yang seethed, her golden Aura now appearing around her body. Her aura had flecks of red and even some purple as it spiraled around her body. Yang kept her eyes glued shut.

"Hmm.." Ultimus even took notice of this change.

Yang opened her eyes as her aura exploded around her, white light enveloped the room as she screamed enraged at Ultimus. Once she was visible, her appearance had changed dramatically. The whites of her eyes now black and her irises pure red. Her hair stood on end as it changed from golden to flickering red. Even her skin had changed into a deep, violet color.

"I SAID GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Yang screamed, cannon balling into Ultimus with enough force to punch him out of the building.

"What the f**k?!" Cade gasped.

Ultimus was just barely out of view when he was punched back into the building, no less 2 stories above them before being slammed back into the ground, Yang flying down from above to punch him into the ground and back out. This punch happened to have enough force to crumble the walls of the school apart.

Ultimus had blown through several walls before he had finally been embedded into the wall.

Yang let out a roar of pure, unadulterated fury as she fired Ember Celica fully automatic at the Inquisitor.

'What the hell just happened?! Mom's aura just... Skyrocketed..!' Cade thought to himself as Yang continued blowing Ultimus to kingdom come.

"Holy..." Flurry gasped, eyes glued to the carnage.

'I knew Mom was powerful, but this?! She surpassed the Enlightened Warrior form already ?!' Cade gaped.

Yang reared back, red flame circling around one of her gauntlets as she threw one final shot at Ultimus, powerful enough to incinerate the wing of the school Ultimus had been blown into.

"Y-Y-Yang..?" Blake gasped.

"Blake, are you okay?" Yang asked, helping her up.

"What in Tartarus just happened?! She's reached the Inflamed Warrior form already?!" Flurry gaped.

"No wonder this feels different from the form I got when Alex transferred that ability to me.." Yang realized.

"He what?!" Flurry sweatdropped.

"Yeah! He caught me 'clubbing' when he asked me to take us somewhere quiet, transferred his power using some kind of weird magic, and he told me to train as much as possible. I guess I know why."

'Weird magic... She must be talking about that damn Prometheus Charge. Not only did Dad absorb enough power to decimate Omega, but he absorbed the artifact's essence when it shattered on his suit!' Cade realized.

Ultimus staggered out of the hole, clutching the sword and letting out another mechanical laugh.

"Most impressive, Xiao Long. I guess you'll provide me with more entertainment than I once thought. But it still doesn't matter." Ultimus laughed.

"W-What?!" Yang gasped.

"But still, with the Inflamed Warrior state, it should be borderline impossible to control yourself as well as you are right now.. It seems you're much more powerful than your... Significant other.."

Yang smirked confidently.

"And yet, you still don't see the weakness in that form." Ultimus added.

"And that would be..?" Yang confidently asked.

"The Inflamed Warrior form expels far too much energy to be remotely healthy even in a battle situation, you'll tire out quicker, and if you don't get your fights over with, you'll be too tired to even stand up." Cade answered.

"Smart kid, he deserves a prize, but not before dear old mommy." Ultimus laughed, charging at Yang.

He swept underneath her before Yang had time to react, missing her punch entirely as Ultimus slammed the pommel at the base of her spine, kneeing her hard in the side, and putting her in a lock that dislocated her shoulders as she let out an agonized scream.

And that's when the firecracker realized that her Super Saiyan 2 form was as impractical...

Ultimus let her loose before slamming her face against the pommel of his sword...

...As using Internet Explorer to watch Netflix.

...And side-kicking her into another wing of the Academy.

Cade let out a battle cry, charging towards Ultimus with everything he had.

"Cade, wait!" Flurry yelled.

Ultimus evaded Cade's attack before charging an electricity ball and pelting it against Cade's back, blowing him to the other side of the room and skidding against the ground.

"I expected so much more from the spawn of Saigo Emphas and the Inflamed Warrior, but that's what I get for raising my expectations on your generation." Ultimus dismissively scoffed as he aimed the sword at Cade and converted the sword into it's rifle mode.

Two purple-hued explosions blew Ultimus across the room before several dozen more pelted him relentlessly from the side.

'Who is that?!' Cade thought, picking himself up.

Tyrian walked into the room, with Ruby at his side.

"Stay the f**k away from my future wife and son, you gutless bastard." Tyrian scowled.

Chapter 8: ...Everything Has Gone Wrong

*Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 2:59 PM*

Ultimus staggered up, almost barely affected by Tyrian's attacks.

"You... You are the one..." Ultimus grinned crazily.

Tyrian crossed his arms.

"Ultimus f**king Crux. I figured you would be here." Tyrian scowled.

Ultimus laughed.

"I already know who you are, and it's too late to stop Cinder anyways! By now, she's probably dealing with Ozpin and his blind followers right now! So you might as well reveal yourself to your fellow corpses." Ultimus scowled.

"Fine, then. Cade, I need you and Flurry to deal with Cinder, just be sure to let her know how absolutely outclassed she is. Ruby, I'm going to need you to deal with whatever else Cinder's hiding up her arse at the moment. And Yang, power up." Tyrian ordered as the others scampered off.

"If you think you and your little girlfriend can stop me, you're sorely mistaken." Ultimus scoffed.

"I'm going to give you one more chance to decide if this asinine rivalry is really going to accomplish anything." Tyrian glared.

"I'd take it, man. This is a guy who I saw only spare one person. He even killed his brother because he was working for Alpha. And if he won't spare you after you surrender, I have my ways of convincing him." Yang interjected.

"Ignore that last part." Tyrian groaned.

"Aw, c'mon, kid. You haven't seen me in 5 whole months. What have you been doing, anyway?" Yang jokingly pleaded.

"It won't matter what plans you two make! You're done for! You're all goners! I'll kill you both in an instant-!"

Tyrian sped forward, kicking Ultimus in the chest and into the wall.

"Now, I'm going to give you an idea about the absolute hell we're about to put you through. Yang here is what you call an Inflamed Warrior. I'm sure Cade told you all about it. Even with the ridiculous output of energy and the apparently well-controlled bloodlust, it's still ridiculously powerful." Tyrian explained, stretching his arms perpendicular to his body and letting a force-field envelop him.

"And this is the energy I absorbed when your other rival-slash-co-worker, my brother, smashed an artifact on my chest that boosted my power high enough to kill him. As you can tell, I've been practicing Equestrian Magic. Granted, I'm still kind of a novice, but I think I held up well enough." Tyrian continued, lowering the shield.

"Oh, big surprise. You can use pathetic Equestrian magic. It's still nothing compared to me. You'll have to do much better than that!" Ultimus scoffed, unimpressed.

Tyrian smirked.

"Now, this is what I originally got from that power-boost." Tyrian confidently added.

Tyrian let out a low scream, quiet at first as a white circle of electricity enveloped his body and caved in. He crossed his arms in an 'X' shape as he screamed even louder. And with a sudden burst of energy, Tyrian stood with his arms bent and legs bent, unleashing a massive ring as though a bell tolled once.

Tyrian's once purple hair flowed bright orange as it floated off of his body like ash. His arms and legs did the same, revealing advanced robotic limbs, shining blue hair, and a prominent scar over his right eye.

"This is the original Enlightened Warrior form I used to beat Omega and Alpha. Now, listen closely, this next part is important. Adenienites are known for manipulating and absorbing electricity, right?" Tyrian, now revealed as Alex Walker, smirked confidently.

"Oh.. I see what you're doing here!" Yang realized.

Alex let another white energy ball encircle him, before shrinking it down into a ball that rang with the same audacity, but at a much faster rate. He surrounded the ball with magic to amplify the already ridiculous power, raising one hand to the sky. Electricity poured from the outlets, electronics, and even from the sky as Alex held two massive energy balls. Alex forced the two together to form a swirling white-and-purple electric haze as he expanded it around himself again, letting out an electronic bass-drop like effect.

Alex screamed incredibly loudly, charging to his absolute limit before absorbing the energy ball, resulting in a sonic boom that caused the already-crumbling building to collapse.

Ultimus covered his eyes before the room darkened to where he could see. And he almost gasped in surprise.

Alex's once shimmering blue hair turned purple and had grown down to his shoulders, with some of it standing straight up. His skin turned a whitish-purple color. His irises turned completely white, save for his pupils, which had turned purple. Aside from the gentle, flame-like white battle aura, his body glowed purple.

"Now, I'll settle on something simple and call this an Evolved Warrior." Alex confidently cracked his knuckles, his voice having a form of echo.

Ultimus laughed.

"You know, you wouldn't be as cocky if you knew what I had been perfecting behind Alpha's back for 4 years." Ultimus smirked.

Both Alex and Yang took a step backwards.

"Alex.. We can take him, right?" Yang asked.

"I guess we'll find out." Alex shrugged.

A black energy ball surrounded Ultimus, who screamed loudly as pulses of green electricity lashed at the ground near them, emitting a gong-like sound each time it rang, faster and faster as the seconds ticked by, before the black energy ball dissipated.

Alex and Yang blinked in surprise at who was before them.

"Yang... We're boned."

Ultimus' hair had turned green, standing completely on-end as his skin turned completely green with a shimmer of black underneath. The whites of his eyes, like Yang's, had turned completely black, only with menacing green irises instead of the threatening red.

"This, Saigo, is the instrument of your demise: The Cursed Warrior!" Ultimus yelled.

"Aaand it's official. The fan fiction has literally turned into an adaptation of Dragonball Z." Yang deadpanned.

"ARTISTIC LICENSE, MOTHERF**KER, DO YOU SPEAK IT?!"

*Meanwhile, underneath Atlas Academy..*

Ironwood ran with Robin into the chamber, where Pyrrha laid inside.

"Did she follow you?" Ozpin asked.

"I don't think so, Oz." Ironwood replied.

"Um, Professor, I've been hearing a lot of screaming and what sounds like a bunch of bells ringing. What's happening up there?" Robin asked.

"Wait, are there Adenienites out there?" Ozpin asked.

"Yep. Camera footage shows one of your students, an Inquisitor, and f**king Alex Walker up there transforming!" Ironwood seethed.

"As long as we can transfer the Maiden's power into Robin and get you both out of Atlas safely, we can still prevent this calamity from reaching across the kingdoms." Ozpin said as an Arrow struck Pyrrha directly in the heart.

"No!" Ironwood shot at Cinder, who had made her way inside.

An orange mist flowed from Pyrrha's dying body to Robin's, who held out her hands as she absorbed the half of the Fall Maiden's power that Pyrrha had.

"Robin, get out of this bunker. We'll deal with Cinder Fall." Ozpin raised his cane.

Robin grabbed her sword, and converted it to it's pistol form.

"Robin, Go!!" Ironwood ordered.

Robin turned to a still-dying Pyrrha Nikos, raised her weapon, and shot her in the head.

"No!" Ozpin gasped.

Robin raised the pistol to her own head.

"Hail Cinder."

Robin shot herself through her skull, causing the power to float from Robin into Cinder, completing the inquisitor's two-year metamorphosis into the Fall Maiden.

"I'm not sure what was easier. Recruiting your weak-minded students, or getting inside this 'secret' underground bunker. I love it when a plan comes together." Cinder sighed, happily.

Cade and Flurry skidded to a halt to find two corpses, two headmasters, and one Fall Maiden.

"F**k.. We're too late!" Cade gasped.

"Cinder Fall, we've come from 22 years in the future to end your horrible reign as Remnant's Fall Maiden!" Flurry asserted.

"Hm. The pony thinks she can stand up to me. Poor thing, she doesn't know what she's dealing with... don't worry, you'll know true fear soon enough." Cinder smiled maliciously, facing the two headmasters and two time-travelers.

Author's Notes:

The overpowered protagonist of the last story has made his return! His partner and rival have similar powers...

...And then Cinder kills Pyrrha.

Thank god this isn't in the original source... Oh, wait..

Dammit, Rooster Teeth, look what you've turned me into!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 9: Revive and Revenge

*Outside Atlas, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 3:08 PM*

"Come on, guys! We need to get Weiss out here!" Vanoss grabbed one side of the stretcher while Twilight levitated the other with her magic.

The members of Unity had brought Weiss outside the city for a proper burial, since she died trying to prevent Atlas from succumbing to ruin.

Vanoss, Lui, Twilight, Rainbow, and others surrounded the stretcher.

"Hold on a second... I think something's happening with Weiss!" Twilight noticed.

"Wait, Ruby used a Ray Gun blast to kill Weiss, right?" Lui asked.

"Yes, I'm still going to have a talk with her about that!" Rarity grit her teeth.

"The Ray Gun uses Element 115! The exact same shit used to make people zombies!" Moo Snuckel realized.

"Wait... If I can purify the 115 signatures, I could bring Weiss back!" Twilight held her horn, readying a spell.

"If Ruby were here, she'd probably be hugging all of you right now, or something." Wildcat smirked.

"Everyone, stand back!" Twilight charged the spell, her horn glowing bright purple.

"TAKE COVER!!" Pinkie cried, running behind an old building.

The magic floated towards Weiss' body, hovering above her chest and descending into the hole caused by Ruby's accidental shot. The hole glowed white, flowing to the skies before the white aura dissipated as quickly as it came.

Vanoss peered out, walking towards Weiss.

"Is... Is she alive?" Applejack asked.

"RUBY, YOU DUNCE!! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!!!" Weiss yelled.

Every ran to Weiss, happy that she was alive.

"We thought you were a goner!"

"You had me worried there!"

"...Did I miss something..?" Weiss asked.

"Ruby shot you by accident! Someone set her up!" Vanoss told her.

"Who set her up..? And WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE CITY?!" Weiss turned to see Atlas in smoldering ruins.

"Yeah, we have a bit of bad news.. Cinder took over Atlas and dropped the island we fought at on top of us. But Cade and Flurry will probably take care of it, right?" Rainbow asked.

"Yang and the others are there too, but Ruby went with Tyrian to stop.." Wildcat began to explain, when suddenly the ground felt like it was shaking apart.

"What... The f**k... Is that?" Vanoss asked, pointing to the glowing red, whitish-purple, and green lights in the remains of the Academy.

"They look like high-powered Auras..." Weiss noticed.

"What's up with the purple one? It's not solid like the others, it's more... static-y!" Rainbow covered her eyes

"That aura Rainbow pointed out... It's the same magic signature as Tyrian's..." Rarity noticed.

"You're right..! It feels immensely powerful! I can think only think of one other magic artifact that's that potent, but that shattered on Alex's chest... Years ago..." Twilight realized.

"Wait... You mean to tell me that the first-year that killed 3 other competitors is..?" Weiss gasped.

*Meanwhile, underneath Atlas Academy, Remnant*

"So, you two are from the future sent to kill me. And you must be Walker's son?" Cinder smiled deviously.

"That son of a bitch can't go without destroying my tech and helping to destroy the planet for 2 years?!" Ironwood scowled.

"You two... Out!" Cade ordered the two headmasters.

"Mr. Walker, I cannot in good conscience leave you here to die at Cinder's hand-." Ozpin began.

"I said GO!" Cade yelled as his eyes started to glow white.

"WALKER! AS YOUR SUPERIOR OFFICER, I ORDER YOU TO LEAVE!!" Ironwood bellowed.

"I'm not going anywhere until Cinder is dead." Cade scowled at the general, his hair starting to stand straight upwards.

"Your father's done enough damage. Get out before I kill you myself." Ironwood reached for his own revolver.

"James, I'm not Alpha. I'm not here to upscale you, either. Just get out." Cade ordered.

"I agree, General." Cinder suddenly, and calmly, added.

"What?" Flurry gaped.

"Why should I listen to you?" Ironwood scowled.

"Because, if I don't get to you first, Scion probably will." Cinder smiled.

Cade gasped.

'How the hell did she know about my code name?' He thought.

"Fine, but when this bastard dies, and Alexander is forced to leave, he's going to wish he never escaped from Winchester's cell!" Ironwood cursed, pointing to Cade.

"Sounds like you're fighting for the wrong side, General. I suppose it's fitting!" Cinder scowled as Ozpin dragged Ironwood out the door.

Cade and Flurry stood side-to-side, facing Cinder.

"I'm nothing like Alpha, but don't think that means I'll let you go in one piece." Cade threatened.

Cinder smiled, laughing slightly.

"Tell me, Scion, are you anything like your father?" Cinder asked.

*Meanwhile*

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!" Alex charged at Ultimus like a raging bull through the skies.

Ultimus grit his teeth, raising his hand before being blown back by Yang's attack.

Alex grabbed his lever-guns, firing at almost full-auto trying to blow Ultimus apart. It seemed to work, had Ultimus not dodged the last one and sped towards Alex.

Ultimus kicked Alex in the chest before turning around and punching him at the side of the head.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" Yang leaped up, rapidly punching Ultimus until he grabbed her gauntlet and threw her down to the ground.

Alex slammed the lever-guns together, causing them to combine into a longsword. He sped towards the offending Inquisitor and hacked away at him, both Adenienites engaged in a duel.

Yang stayed at the ground, firing all of her remaining ammunition towards Ultimus, distracting him while Alex charged an attack and slashed at Ultimus' armor, causing the armor to shatter almost completely.

Ultimus, infuriated, charged at Alex, hacking and slashing away at him, with Alex just barely able to keep up.

"Well, Emphas! Are you having second thoughts about daring to challenge a higher-class warrior?! I SHALL NOT BE BESTED IN BATTLE, NOT BY YOU!!!! NOT BY HER!!! NOT BY ANYBODY!!!" Ultimus screamed in fury, with Alex obviously on the ropes.

Yang sped behind Ultimus, punching the offending inquisitor in the back of the neck while Alex grabbed Ultimus' arm and sharply twisted it behind his back.

Ultimus roared in pain as Alex and Yang beat and slashed the Corrupted Warrior into the ground.

Once the huntsmen dispersed, Ultimus pulled himself up, he reared back, forcing his arm back into place.

"You... YOU INGRATES!!!" Ultimus charged at Yang, hacking away at her gauntlets until they looked like they couldn't last any longer.

"NO YOU F**KING DON'T!!!" Alex stabbed Ultimus through a weak spot in his armor.

Ultimus pushed the sword in the rest of the way, into Yang's side, ripping Alex's blade out of his chest and smacking her into a destroyed building with the side of Alex's sword.

Alex jammed his elbow into Ultimus' neck and repeatedly punched him in his weakest point while Yang picked up Alex's sword.

Yang pulled the sword back, lurching out as soon as Alex was able to throw him. Yang stabbed Ultimus in the chest again, pulling the sword up and flinging Ultimus' body off of it, leaving all three warriors beaten to near-exhaustion.

"You can't beat us, you big green bastard! We both have enough power left to completely beat you down!" Yang screamed.

"Well, maybe not like this.." Ultimus smiled.

"...What?" Alex gaped as Ultimus started charging again.

Ultimus crossed his arms into an 'X', forcing out as much power as he possibly could, screaming loudly along the way.

Alex raised his sword at the ready while Yang reloaded her gauntlets.

Ultimus let out another powerful scream that threatened to tear apart the ground, all the while spewing an unearthly black aura.

By the end, Ultimus' skin had turned completely black with a few green lines trailing down his eyes and the ends of his mouth, retaining the bright green irises.

"Behold, Saigo Emphas. The culmination of my four years of preparation! The Corrupted Warrior!"

Alex gaped. This was about twice as strong as Ultimus was prior to his change.

Yang turned to face Alex, winking.

"Are you sure that's your maximum? You've been waiting 4 years to kill him, right?! Power up to max to show him what he's in for!!" Yang encouraged.

"Well, Saigo. You know how to pick 'em.. Fine, as due her request. I will reduce you to nothing but a pile of gore!!!" Ultimus roared as he continued powering up.

Once Ultimus started screaming, Alex sped behind him while Yang leapt at his front, both warriors started to repeatedly attack Ultimus, keeping him suspended while they worked.

'I hope you know what you're doing, Yang...' Alex mentally sighed.

Chapter 10: No Mercy

*Atlas Academy, Remnant; August 8, 2018; 3:15 PM*

"Tell me, Scion, are you anything like your father?" Cinder asked smugly.

"You'll see just how alike we are soon enough!" Cade seethed, charging his power while Flurry did the same.

Both time-travelers screamed as they powered up to maximum, by the time they finished, Cade looked very much like his father, while Flurry appeared to be engulfed by a form of Rainbow Power.

"We've spent almost our entire lives fighting you. Every time you absorbed another Maiden's powers, we adapted!" Cade screamed.

"Every parent, friend, and ally you took from us, we needed to move on! What you see here is the result of years spent training! Against an all-powerful seasonal maiden, we couldn't even compare, but against just a Fall Maiden.." Flurry continued.

"Let me explain. You, or at least another you, killed all of the Seasonal Maidens, absorbed their power, and became a god! Congratulations, you callous psycho, you won!" Cade took another step towards Cinder.

"But you made a terrible mistake.. You killed our friends. And now, we're here because of you." Flurry Heart coldly spat.

"Let us show you what you've created, Fall!" Cade screamed, charging towards Cinder with his sword drawn.

Cinder looked uncertain for only a mere second before composing herself, grabbing Cade by the chest and burning away his tunic.

Flurry sped behind her, bucking her behind the head and flying to attack again at Rainbow Dash-rivaling speed.

Cade staggered up, growling as he pulled out his sickle, and flew towards where Cinder would be.

"DIE!!!" Cade roared, slashing Cinder's back repeatedly while both him and Flurry tried to stay on the offensive.

Cinder eventually ducked out of the way, grabbing Cade's sword and ramming the wielded into Flurry. Cinder clutched the blade tigher as it turned a bright orange and shattered.

Cade swept underneath the Maiden, trying to stab her in the back while Flurry darted towards the both of them. Cinder spun Cade around, forcing him to get lanced by Flurry Heart's horn.

"Watch it!" Cade yelled.

Cinder leaped backwards, attaching numerous arrows on the string of her bow and firing, blowing up the exit, where Cade and Flurry could easily escape to.

Cinder stayed on the offensive, slashing away at both time-travelers and kicking one away.

Cade leapt away from the battle, clasping his hands into a ball at his side.

"Flurry, keep her there!" Cade demanded while he charged the attack.

Flurry darted side to side to avoid Cinder's attacks, eventually bucking her away, flying to Cinder's destination, and bucking her again.

Cade, by now, was at half-capacity for the attack, the one that his timeline's Alex had used to sacrifice himself.

'It's no use... Even at 1/4 her usual strength, Cinder is still somehow beating us.. I have no choice but to use this attack...' Cade thought hopelessly.

Flurry looked towards Cade, who by now had his arms to the sky, a large ball of electricity in his hands.

'Is that... No, it can't be!!' Flurry gasped.

"What... Is that?" Cinder seemed interested in Cade's attack.

"GOD SHOCKER!!!!!" Cade yelled, clasping his hands together and firing a bean of purple electricity.

Cinder smiled, grabbing Flurry Heart and throwing her in the direct path of the blast while she leaped out of the way.

"FLURRY?!" Cade gasped, powering down almost immediately.

Flurry tried to escape, but was caught in the blast and completely obliterated.

Cade gaped in horror, falling to the ground with barely any power left.

"W-Why..? H-How?!" Cade gagged.

"Because, Scion, you're still a novice. Even with all of your so-called training, which, I assume was just the cardio from running away while 'I' killed your loved ones. You're exactly like your father," Cinder smiled, planting a boot at Cade's neck while she strung an arrow to her bow.

Cade coughed.

"Do you believe in destiny..?" Cade glared.

Cinder stopped, thinking for a moment.

"Yes." Cinder pulled back the bow.

Ruby stopped to look at the sheer carnage that had taken place. She knew she saw Flurry get completely evaporated by Cade's blunder, but still couldn't believe it.

It was then Alex had been slammed to the ground, with Yang not far behind him.

"D-Dammit..." Alex coughed as Yang picked him up.

"Yang?" Ruby gasped.

"Woah, Ruby?!" Yang gasped, running out of power.

Yang's hair fell back down, turning completely blonde as her eyes also reverted to their normal color. Yang turned to her right to find Cade at Cinder's mercy.

Cade himself had passed out, still breathing, but barely alive.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" Yang screamed, lunging towards her son's attacker in blind fury.

"Yang, wait!" Alex yelled in vain as Ultimus flew from Cinder's left, hacking off Yang's right arm and leg.

Alex and Ruby stared in horror, their situation now hopeless as the two villains, still at their maximum, stood over their dismembered comrade.

Ruby's expression, in particular, was twisted in horror as her eyes began to glow bright white.

"YANG!!!!" Ruby screamed as silver light flowed from her eyes and towards their enemies.

Ultimus, who was Ruby's main target for dismembering Yang, stared on in horror before he was swept completely by the light.

"DAMN YOU!!!!" He screamed as the light completely enveloped him.

The light dissipated, with Cinder staring horrified at the young huntress.

Ruby screamed again, speeding towards her enemy and hacked her apart before the white light disappeared from Ruby's eyes and she fell over, merely unconscious.

Alex, the only standing survivor of the battle, stepped towards Cinder, he stared directly into her eyes.

"Y-Y-You c-can't do this..." Cinder gasped, coughing blood.

Alex only hardened his gaze.

"Y-You ca-can't... Do this..! Help... Me..." She gagged.

Alex growled angrily as Cinder continued to plead.

"H-Have m-m-mercy..!" She gasped.

"What gives you the right?! My parents, Karis, Pyrrha, and now Flurry! You didn't care at all when you killed them, why should I?!" Alex glared.

The warrior's shoulder's stooped as he let out a rattling sigh.

"And the worst thing is, this is all my fault. That's my one big mistake, letting you live. I won't let anything like this happen again." Alex turned again to face his nemesis, loading his old revolver, .44 Scratch.

"You f**king power-hungry sociopath!! This is for everyone! This is for ME!" Alex screamed, shooting his enemy in the neck once.

Cinder gasped and gagged as Alex turned away, not even bothering to listen to her strangled cries as she slowly expired.

Cinder Fall, the one who killed Alex's parents and his friends, the one who prolonged his hell, was dead.

Alex powered down, exhausted, and sat down. He pulled out his Scroll and sent a distress beacon.

"If anyone can hear me, this is Captain Alex Walker. I've got 3 people unconscious, and one is badly wounded. Please send medical attention and get us to Patch ASAP." He pleaded.

Author's Notes:

There's still one or two chapters of the Vytal Festival Saga just to wrap things up.
My only concern so far is that these chapters are way too short.

But I'm just wondering what you're all thinking of the story so far, I know I asked this a lot in the last story, but I'm just curious. Besides, I like hearing from everyone out there.

Until next chapter!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 11: Awakening

*Patch, Remnant; October 11, 2018; 4:19 PM*

Ruby slowly blinked open her eyes, clutching her forehead due to the onset of a horrendous migraine, looking around, she found that she was in her old room back at her house in Patch. Ruby let out a slight groan, still groggy despite having just woken up.

"Ruby..! You're awake!" Her father kneeled at her side, happy to see his daughter awake.

"D-Dad..? What happened?" Ruby asked, the last thing she remembered was her and Alex face-to-face against Cinder and Ultimus with almost no chance of survival... Yet..

"It's okay.. Alex saw everything, he sent a distress beacon and sent everyone back here, safe and sound. " Taiyang explained.

"B-But what about the others...and the city?!" Ruby gasped.

"They're fine. They're all in... What was it, 'Los Santos'? Point is, they're waiting until you recover before you get back to your missions. As for Atlas however.." Taiyang's voice trailed off.

"Atlas was completely destroyed. After Cinder went and f**kin' dropped an island on it, some of it may or may not have hit magma. The entire city became the epicenter of a man-made volcano spanning the entire continent. I'm suspecting it was Cinder's last-ditch effort to kill us, but I could be wrong." Alex explained, walking inside the room.

"What about Yang?! Is she okay?!" Ruby leaped up from her bed.

"Easy... Yang's okay. Cade got to work on her limbs the second he got here and put them on once she came to. She's waiting for you." Taiyang elaborated.

"Cade's here too?!" Ruby gasped.

"Yes. Considering he's my son, I figured I'd let him tag along since, supposedly, we died in his future. Must've been hell for him, that's for sure." Alex nodded.

"But.. What happened?" Ruby asked again, confused.

"I think Qrow explained this to me once. Have you watched 'Dragonball Z: The Legendary Super Saiyan'?" Alex responded.

"...No.." Ruby admitted.

"Okay, this is going to make the whole exposition thing a pain. You know my 'Enlightened Warrior' form, right? And how I got it from when Saisho smashed the Prometheus Charge on my chest?" Alex continued.

"Yes.. Did something like that happen to me?!" Ruby asked, eyes beaming.

"Er... No. Your power is genetic. Where I had to work to get to where I am, you on the other hand, have had this power laying dormant inside of you from the day you were born.. At least until either then or the Blood Red Night, based on what Yang told me happened with Beta."

"So then... I'm the chosen one?" Ruby quizzically wondered.

"Eh. If you look at it that way." Alex nodded.

"I think your sister wants to see you now." Taiyang nudged Ruby's arm.

"Oh, right.. By the way, you aren't, y'know, mad about Cade being your grandson or anything?" Ruby asked. It seemed out-of-character for him to be welcoming enough not to beat Alex or Cade to a pulp for either being Yang's teenage boyfriend or their time-traveling son.

"I've had time to adjust.." Taiyang replied with a subtle scowl in Alex's direction.

"I still have bruises." Alex added.

With that, Ruby walked over to Yang's room to find her and Cade talking.

"Mom, how soon do you think Aunt Ruby's going to wake up..?" Cade asked.

"I'm sure it won't be much longer." Ruby smiled.

"Ruby!!" Yang ran to hug her sister.

Ruby felt completely winded, even more so than usual. That's when Ruby noticed Yang's robotic arm and leg.

"Right.... Prosthetics.. How are those holding up..?" Ruby asked.

"They work great! I know Cade told me he just worked on fixing prosthetics like this, but he actually did a really good job!" Yang smiled.

"Heh... Thanks, mom.." Cade nervously smiled.

"I'm glad to see everything worked out!" Ruby hugged her sister again, happy that everyone was safe.

"So, what happens now?" Ruby wondered, now worried about her future.

"Dad already kind of explained this, but he said we'll have to meet up with everyone at LS. He says now that Cinder's dead, she's apparently left behind a rogue splinter-group of the Inquisition called 'The Fall Knights'. She spent the last two years gathering everyone who didn't die at the Blood Red Night." Cade recalled.

"So far, he's having Kat try and find any ex-Inquisitors who won't work with the Fall Knights. He's been talking to her whenever he got worried." Yang added.

"Okay.." Ruby nodded, seeing a familiar guard pony trotting in her hallway.

"Oh, You're awake, Ruby!" Skirmish Sentry smiled, running in to hug Ruby.

"Hi, Skirmish! What are you doing here!" Ruby wondered.

"Princess Twilight wanted me to stay here in case anything happened, and just for updating your condition. I'll tell her you're awake so we can get a move on!" Skirmish promised.

"Yeah, Skirmish has been really helpful." Cade smiled.

"I'm not surprised she works as Twilight's Honor Guard. Between her, Alex, and Cade, I don't think there's been any big mess in weeks!" Yang added.

Suddenly, Ruby heard glass shatter, maybe a gunshot or two, and sounds of a struggle.

"Aaand, I stand corrected." Yang blinked, grabbing her weapons as Cade reached for his sickle.

Ruby got up and ran to see what the commotion was.

Alex was forced against a table, struggling to fight off someone in a grey uniform. Alex picked the person up and threw him across the kitchen and out the broken window.

"We're under attack!" Alex yelled as he struggled to disarm another uniformed soldier carrying a gun.

"Wait. These don't look like Fall Knights to me... Unless.." Cade figured before being forced to the ground.

Someone tackled Alex to the ground, raising a taser.

"Don't tase me, bro!" Alex screamed, raising his hands defensively while the soldier tasered him anyway.

Alex grabbed the soldier's wrist, twisting it sharply and slapping him with a ball of lightning.

"...because I have lightning powers. Thanks for the extra charge, asshole." Alex swept, kicking the soldier to the ground.

Ruby sprinted into another solder, kicking her in the face and ramming her into the sink while Skirmish bucked a soldier out the screen door, with Zwei chasing him out the whole way.

Cade slashed a soldier's ankles, kicking him down and stomping on his neck.

"Wait... Oh, goddammit, not you guys..!" Cade groaned.

The inhabitants were still fighting off the other soldiers, forcing them out of windows and brutally knocking them out.

"Wait..! I know these people!!" Cade yelled.

"What?!" Alex groaned.

"We're not backing down!!" Yang screamed throughout the ruckus.

"Attention, friends and relatives of Musuko Emphas. This is your last chance to come with us peacefully! Surrender now or face the might of the Silver Ocelots!" A female voice yelled over a microphone.

"Just surrender.. They won't burn down the house or something crazy like that.." Cade sighed.

Alex scowled.

"Fine then, Musuko. I'll play along." Alex held out his wrists as the soldiers got up and carried everyone out.

They were all lined up in front of the house, facing the front, where a practical barricade had been placed around their house.

"So, who are they, anyways?" Yang asked.

"The F**king Silver Ocelots. They're an Inheritor Splinter Group composed almost entirely of Faunus or Faunus-like warriors." Cade explained.

"Does that mean they're on our side?" Ruby asked.

"I don't f**king know!" Cade yelled back, dismayed.

A woman stepped out of a helicopter, walking towards Cade in particular.

"I didn't think I'd see you here, Liss. What, did you come all this way just to see me?" Cade scowled, facing a masked woman.

She removed her mask, revealing the young woman's visage. She had back-length white hair and a pair of cat ears. She kind of looked like a reverse-Blake, with a face that appeared much too young for the alabaster hair color. She regarded Cade with slight familiarity.

"Musuko, you know why I'm here. You can't keep going around and messing with the timeline!" Liss smacked Cade across the cheek, letting out a single claw that tore through his face rather painfully.

"Don't touch my son, you over-confident flea-bag!!" Yang screamed, struggling to break out of her handcuffs.

"Wow, that was racist even for me." Liss scowled.

"Look, just what the hell do you want from us, anyway?" Alex asked, trying to diffuse the situation and looking calm, in spite of the obvious flicker of red lightning indicating his true opinion on the matter.

Liss' eyes widened, gulping audibly and shaking.

"A-A-Alex Walker?!" Liss gasped.

"Goddammit, my reputation f**king proceeded me." Alex scowled.

"A-Are you really the heroic tactician that defeated Alpha two years before now?" Liss practically shook,

"I feel like the term 'tactician' is a bit strong for whatever that was. I prefer the term 'Natural Improviser/ Irredeemable Crybaby'." Alex scoffed.

"Yeah... Even I have to agree.." Yang added.

"Don't you disrespect him!!" Liss yelled.

"Actually, she can. 1; Yang agreed with me, and 2, her and I are kinda close.." Alex corrected.

"What the hell do you mean kinda?! Our son from the future is standing to your right!" Yang retorted.

"MUSUKO IS ACTUALLY YOUR SON?!" Liss gasped in horror.

"Oh, boy." Alex groaned inwardly.

"You and me both." Yang added.

Liss immediately ran to Cade, wiping the blood off with a handkerchief.

"L-Listen... I need you all to come with me to sort this out. Then, maybe you can get back to what you were doing." Liss asserted.

"To where?" Cade asked.

"Don't worry, my superiors are actually pretty nice about this kind of situation!" Liss smiled.

"Oh, god... You wouldn't happen to know anyone named Mr. Popo, do you?" Alex shuddered.

"No, but there's this weird guy named 'Dumplin' who kinda looks like him, though.." Liss recalled.

Alex hyperventilated.

"No... No... No..! Not again!!" He shook violently.

"Oh no, he's having another one of his 'episodes'." Yang sighed.

"E-Episodes?!" Liss gasped.

"Yeah. Apparently he's seen a lot of shit.. And it's gotten to him, bad." Yang replied.

"Like, how bad..?" Liss asked.

"Like 'waking up in a cold sweat crying into my shoulder at 3 AM' bad. I don't think he's slept well in months."

"SPECIAL 21ST RULE OF POPO'S TRAINING: DON'T SHOCK POPO BY ACCIDENT!!!" He shuddered.

Chapter 12: Exposition in 1500 Words or Less

Author's Notes:

This chapter is basically going to act as a run-down of all the crazy shit that happened in the last story. To new readers, this is going to be extra-handy.

But to people who already heard Alex explain countless times his tale of "woe", you might want to skip this.

You have been warned.

(Also, I'm going to write this slightly differently than usual, I think it'll be easier to read like this.)

-The Destoyer

*Location Unknown; October 11, 2018; 4:53 PM*

Liss walked inside the interrogation room to find Alex, Yang, Ruby, Cade, And Skirmish. Taiyang had been sent home because they learned he really didn't do a whole lot in the war effort anyways.

"So, I bet you're all wondering why you're here.." Liss began.

"You want us to tell you something, right?" Yang wondered.

"Precisely.. Not that I don't know the details of the war already, but I just want a basic run-down of everything that occurred two years ago." Liss explained.

"Can I tell this?" Cade asked.

"Sure. How much do you know about the war?" Skirmish asked.

"... My knowledge is scarce." Cade sighed.

"I'll do it." Alex muttered.

"Mind if I pitch in?" Yang asked.

"Me too?" Ruby pleaded.

"Okay." Liss nodded.

"Question is, where do I start?" Alex wondered.

"Try... The first thing that really comes to your mind." Liss smiled, trying to hide her annoyance.

"Okay, so.. I think it was August 11th or 12th of 2016 when this all started for me.." Alex recalled.

Ruby suddenly pulled out a harp, playing a few chords to simulate a flashback.

"Really?!" Cade groaned.

"Whatever, man. Just go with it." Yang shrugged.

"I had just gotten back from hanging out with a friend when suddenly I found my house surrounded by a SWAT team. I won't go into specifics, but about 10 to 15 minutes later, two SWAT guards died, my parents were dragged away and apparently killed, and I was sedated, dragged into the middle of nowhere and I was being tortured for answers about a massacre I wasn't even involved with." Alex described.

"Why did they ask for you specifically, again?" Ruby wondered.

"I'll get to that later. Anyways, the whole torturing thing went on for a freaking month using every method in their handbook and even some I don't think were legal at all. By the end, the CIA pretty much cast me out as 'useless' for what they needed, but they couldn't let anything out. So, their simple solution was to execute everyone they captured.. Including me." Alex continued.

"Damn.." Cade shuddered.

"So, I don't know if it was just dumb luck or fate, but a guy named 'Jäger' swept in at the literal last second, KO'd the Agent keeping me captive, and sent us back to his base. Then, I somehow got wrapped up in there schemes for world domination, but Kat told me what they were planning and we escaped. And by chance, I ended up in Equestria. At first, things worked out okay, but the CIA found me during a welcome party and tried to kill me again. But.." Alex added.

"Dumb luck?" Yang asked.

"... Exactly. Then, over the course of the next few weeks, I met up with Vanoss and his crew, got myself some armor, and plotted our escape using another transporter Twilight had at her disposal. Everything seemed to be going decently well until I ran into Cinder." Alex said.

"Cinder Fall? As in the Cinder Fall that just destroyed Atlas a month back?" Liss asked.

"Yep. We just barely escaped, but I couldn't save the Agent that helped me through that entire ordeal. Long-ass story slightly shorter, we landed on Remnant where I met with Yang, Ruby, and the others. I trained there for about a week and got my Semblance unlocked, and when the CIA attacked again, I met up with Kat and we all planned to take out the agent that captured me. But I went out and.. Took care of it myself.." Alex remembered.

"Right. That was when the whole prophecy of the 'Blood Red Night' was just coming true.." Ruby recalled.

"Yeah. After that whole mess, I reunited with Twilight and her friends and Evan offered us a place in Los Santos because we really didn't have anywhere else to go. We stayed there for a bit less than a month before Luna called for help in Equestria, where the Red Star collapsed the country in on it's own asshole while we were gone. We went back there and fought off a Red Star airship called the Knight's Myriad." Alex retrospected.

"How did he take it out again?" Ruby asked.

"If the dig taught us anything, it was taken out by a large-scale EMP." Liss answered.

"It was there when Celestia formed the Equestrian-Remnant Coalition, or E.R.C, which I was it's Admiral and I was given my own ship, the Iliad. We spent the next month or two fighting off Red-Star across Remnant. And while we were, I found out that I came from a race of technologically superior electromancers called 'Adenienites'." Alex remembered.

"That explains the Enlightened Warrior form. Few races often have that type of transformation." Liss explained.

"I don't think he could have achieved that level without an artifact of great power like the Prometheus Charge, because that power-up came from the Stone, he can transfer his ability to other races." Skirmish noted.

"How do you know?" Liss asked.

"It's easy, he gave some of that power to me in case anything happened. I told Skirmish what happened." Yang answered.

"W-What?! You're kidding!!" Liss gasped.

"It's true...Father, You granted me all of your powers just before you died in my timeline.." Cade nodded solemnly.

"That explains how Cade was able to escape Cinder after she killed the Summer Maiden!" Liss gasped.

"Anyways. A few weeks passed and we figured out where the Inquisitor's main headquarters was located. We were set to head off as a large unit. Until..." Alex shook, remembering the horror of watching helplessly as his allies all converged against one another.

"Right... The ships turned on one another just after the Dimensional Jump started, and the Illiad and Revelation crews held out long enough for reinforcements to arrive, you all converged on their military fortress before Alex defeated the Alpha in a cataclysmic duel that resulted in the death of the Alpha and the loss of Alex's limbs.." Liss noted.

"Yes, speaking of which, Alpha hired a look-a-like to frame me, formed a club to massacre solely to get me arrested and killed, and hired people who held a grudge against me and my friends. The asshole." Alex scoffed angrily.

"Is there anything else you want to know?" Cade asked.

"Yes. I wanted to ask about Alex's post-war training." Liss explained.

"Fine. I trained mostly with Canis about getting my new muscles combat-ready, then I trained with a bunch of guest teachers, including Princess Luna for my Equestrian Magic manipulation, Raven Branwen for Aura elevation, Supreme Leader Krete for my Enlightened Warrior transformation... And... I think it was sensing others' energies." Alex explained.

"Sensing energy?!" Liss gaped.

"Yeah. That's how I could tell Ruby was powerful enough to survive without the Enlightened Warrior form." Alex nodded.

"Well, do you have what you need?" Alex asked, turning to face Liss.

"Actually, there's just something I want to ask.." Liss nervously shuffled.

"And that is..?" Cade asked nervously.

"I want to go with you!" Liss yelled energetically, even jumping a little bit.

"I suppose we could make do with one more. Have you seen or done anything about the Fall Knights?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. If I can manage hacking into the Silver Ocelots' main computer systems, I can get what you need." Liss nodded.

"And I know just the right bit of hardware." Ruby smiled confidently.

Chapter 13: Unity Reunited

*Los Santos, San Andreas; October 14, 2018; 2:45 PM*

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow had just entered the Office building of Wildcat's company that they would be using as a business front until they knew fully what they were dealing with.

"I still can't believe we have to fix everything all over again!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. Despite being the Element of Loyalty, even Rainbow's unfailing qualities were stretched to their limits as they were to go to war for the second time.

"Yeah.. It's horrible, but at least Apple Bloom's grown up enough to where she can handle herself." Applejack sighed.

"I feel the same way about Sweetie Belle. I hope she's doing okay with my parents." Rarity fretted.

"I'm still not that surprised that Fluttershy sat this one out. She was really nervous after the first war ended, but Pinkie?" Twilight questioned.

"Yeah, but still. We should tell Alex that the next time he's up to his thighs in 'Blood Red Night' level antics, we're not getting involved." Applejack asserted.

"You know just as much as I do we can't abandon him." Rainbow shot back.

"Whatever happens, us four can handle it." Twilight nodded confidently as the four ponies were met with a sudden shock.

The office was completely normal. No explosives, no chaos, just an ordinary office, with the word 'ALRIGHT' written over the front desk.

"Let me guess, you're meeting with the boss?" The man at the front desk asked.

"Well, yes." Twilight nodded in reply.

"Follow the hallway to your right, then go to the 3rd door on your left." The man dismissively shooed them away.

Once they had entered, they found Vanoss's crew, Team RWBY, Alex, Cade, Kat, Skirmish, and another unfamiliar face who appeared to be a white-haired Blake, complete with cat ears.

"Did I miss something? Who is this?" Rarity asked.

"This is Agent Liss Kitmai, she's been investigating our group for the past 2 years and just asked to join us." Alex replied evenly.

"And she sold me out! Which is why Cinder attacked Flurry and I before coming here!" Cade spat angrily at her.

"It's not like it was my fault! She was basically a god at that level!" Liss defended.

"Shut the hell up!" Vanoss indignantly shouted.

"Well, I guess it's nice to see all of you again." Alex nodded.

"Alright, so what do we have so far?" Twilight asked.

"Thanks to Liss here, we have some stuff on the leaders of the Fall Knights, and a rough idea of their plans. So far, we've found Roman, Neo, and Morning Star. They're trying to summon a spirit named 'Arabus'. We don't really know who or what this 'Arabus' thingy is, but we've been on the lookout." Ruby explained

"Do you have any idea where these buckers are at?" Rainbow asked.

"We actually have a few places in mind. There's a hideout in the mountains north of the Zandudo Military Airfield that was recently massacred. Also, there's a yacht roughly a half-mile or so off the pier that's looking pretty shifty. And there's a recently vacated building in the city itself that might be housing Cross-Dimensional tech." Cade explained.

"Who's to say it isn't all three?" Twilight asked.

"You might have a point. The White Fang as a whole never had one central HQ, but several smaller camps scattered throughout Remnant." Blake replied.

"Leave it to Roman Torchwick to take a page from Taurus' playbook." Alex muttered.

"Still, we can't just barge in guns blazing and shit, we need to know exactly what we're dealing with." Moo Snuckel figured.

"How about this? We have some of us watching these spots around the clock, some of us investigating whoever this 'Arabus' f**ker is, and some of us cover our tracks so we can get the bitches by surprise." Wildcat explained.

"Why do we need to do things by surprise?" Vanoss asked.

"Vanoss, these guys are part of a f**king inquisitor splinter. Y'know, the same guys who f**ked up Earth, Equestria, and Remnant within a damn week." Lui answered.

"If these c***s are going to be sneaky, then we've gotta be sneaky too or else they'll work around and f**k us up the ass. Y'know, kinda like what Alpha did to Alex." Terrorist added.

"Go to hell, Brian." Alex scowled.

"I have an idea! We could ask Lester for cool shit!" Nogla gaped.

"Did I miss something? When in Equestria did you guys get this organized?" Twilight gaped.

"Do you have any idea what we've been up to the past year?" Vanoss turned to the ponies.

"Well... No.." Rainbow answered.

"We've been killing the original Zombies crews of other universes and doing the Easter Eggs just for the cool shit. We've had to make strategies, spend literally hours making sure everything went right so we wouldn't die because we couldn't get our video game avatars, and we had to GTFO before everything went to complete shit." Delirious explained.

Ruby blinked in surprise.

"I guess that explains the awesome gravity spikes." Ruby nodded in understanding.

"Glad to know everyone's been working their asses off just as hard as I have." Alex nodded with a slight smile on his face.

"Eh, Alex? Working your ass off just as hard as-." Droidd began.

"Droidd, shut up before I throw you out the window." Alex threatened.

"Shut the f**k up, you edgy bitch." Mini tiredly rolled his eyes.

"So, Yang, nice to see you've been handling your new arm and leg well enough." Applejack smiled.

"Thanks. It was kinda hard to take in for the first couple weeks, but I had help.." Yang smiled, turning to Alex and Cade respectively.

"So it's settled. We'll have Kat, Liss, Ruby, and Cade, and I on investigating who this 'Arabus' entity is. For the surveillance group, we'll have Wildcat, Rainbow, Rarity, Blake, and Weiss. And the rest are cleaning up all the mess the rest of you guys make." Twilight explained.

"Sounds like a plan. You sure you've got this covered, Cade?" Alex asked.

"That's a promise, Dad." Cade nodded.

"Be careful, and good luck. All of you." Alex smirked as the rest swept out of the room and turned off the lights.

In that room alone, a pony-like silhouette, just darker than the barely-lit room, had opened it's glowing, yellow eyes before letting out a sigh.

"He is here..." The voice whispered, "The one that feeds on darkness... If I am to survive, I must... Unite or...hide.."

*Meanwhile; Location unknown*

Roman and Neo had stepped inside of a chamber, accompanied by a unicorn pony with a yellow-orange mane and a pure alabaster coat.

"Are you sure this is supposed to work, Morning Star? This thing might not even want to help us!" Roman rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you of little faith. Arabus will help us, and once I tell him what I have for him, he'll beg to serve us." The unicorn replied.

"Even if you manage to release that... thing... We don't even know where your little experiment went! It could be anywhere by now!" Roman indignantly raised his voice.

"Neo, if you would." Morning Star shooed Roman away.

"What are you talking abo-"

Roman gasped in surprise as he felt something sharp pierce the back of his neck. Roman fell to the ground, coughing blood while Neo wiped off the blade of her umbrella as her eyes began glowing a fiery orange.

"W-What..?" Roman coughed.

"That Adenienite scum will pay for destroying my only sanctuary." Morning Star darkly spat, walking up to Roman, still coughing blood on the floor.

"But until my revenge is enacted, there will be a fitting end for an unfit lowlife." Morning Star's horn glowed bright yellow before she fired a spell that finally took Roman's life.

"Morning Star, may I ask what happens if this plan somehow fails?" Neo asked.

"Then, we move on to Plan B." Morning Star responded darkly.

Author's Notes:

And with that, the Fall Knight Saga officially begins!

To make sure this story still appeals to MLP fans out there, I've added a G4 villain and a drastically modified G1 villain to sorta spice things up a bit.

Also, Roman's dead..

...But hey, did you guys see Team RWBY's redesigns? I'm actually going to use slight variations to these redesigns when keeping the RWBY characters in mind. When I say 'slight variations', I mean Blake has a robotic leg from when Adam shot it off in the last story, and Yang actually having a robotic arm as opposed to canon.

-The Destoyer.

Chapter 14: The Legend of Arabus

*Alex's Apartment; Los Santos, San Andreas; October 14, 2018; 2:20 PM*

"Did you find anything in that pile of books?!" Alex urged.

"Not yet.. How the hell can Twilight expect us to be able to thumb through all of this?!" Yang implored miserably.

Twilight and her group went back to the castle's library in hopes of finding more on who or what this 'Arabus' spirit could be. Until then, Alex, Yang, and Liss were to thumb through what they did bring with and see if they could find anything useful...

Which was especially difficult because Twilight left enough books to fill the coffee table and spill onto the floor and on the couch.

"Honestly, Princess Twilight may as well have brought a whole shelf with her!" Liss indignantly agreed.

"Hold on a second... This book looks like the f**king Necronomicon... 'Predictions and Prophecies'... I'm not sure whether Arabus is either, but f**k it." Alex muttered.

"I guess it's worth a shot." Yang shrugged, tossing the pile of books she was looking through to the corner and sliding next to Alex.

"Ah, F**k, it's in alphabetical order!" Alex groaned.

"Really?! 'Arabus' starts with an 'A'! Just give it to me!" Yang ripped the book from Alex's hands.

"I'll look through another pile for more info, you look through there in case you see anything!" Alex rolled his eyes as he dove into another pile of books.

"Here we go! I found something!" Yang beamed proudly.

"How?!" Liss groaned.

"Well, what does it say?" Alex asked.

"I'll read it out loud for you guys.." Yang cleared her throat.

Arabus: The Shade Demon

Once upon a time, long before the magical land of Equestria, there lived a tribe of ancient alicorns called 'The Crimson Shade', they were great conquerors and hunters who thrived in the night.

The Great Trickster, Discord, saw these barbarians as a threat to his rule and a perfect stain on his imperfect world. He wanted them cast aside, but he knew he could not stand against the warriors. At least, not alone.

One day, he tasked the greatest magicians to create a living weapon that could counter The Shade. They toiled for weeks, perhaps even months to craft this perfect deterrent, with Discord even using his own magic. Their result was a pure monstrosity that called itself 'Arabus'.

Arabus took over the mind of one of the alchemists, willing the poor soul to slaughter his cohorts and absorb their spirits. Arabus eventually made his way to the Shade itself, successfully slaying all but one alicorn.

By then, Arabus had grown strong enough to leave his host to form his own body and continue his rampage throughout Ancient Equestria. Those who tried to resist we're quickly destroyed and forced to assimilate with the monster.

Even Discord had been outclassed by the monster, and it seemed there was no hope for the future of Equestria. That is, until the sole survivor of the Shade had created a solution.

The Alicorn had gathered the next greatest alchemists and tasked them to create a weapon that would sever the spirits from the monster to where Arabus could be contained. Their result was a magical weapon that could complete the task and seal away the monster. This weapon came to be known as the Containment Charge.

In a climactic battle, Arabus was defeated, but the souls he absorbed combined with the Shade's inherently dark essence and formed the beings that later became the Nightmare Forces.

To this very day, Arabus is sealed away deep within the Alicorn's weapon, hopefully never to be released.

Alex stared at the book in disbelief.

"Holy shit, someone's trying to release that thing." Alex blinked.

"I didn't know Ancient Equestria was so..." Liss gaped.

"F**ked up?" Yang asked.

"And then some." Liss bleakly nodded back.

"Okay, so who wants to explain to Twilight what 'Arabus' actually is?" Yang asked.

"I'll handle it. I've been the bearer of bad news for a while, now. Don't see any reason that should change." Alex nodded.

"Handle what?" Twilight asked as she stepped inside with Ruby and Cade.

"Alright. Do you want the good news or bad news first?" Alex inquired.

"Uh... Good news?" Ruby answered nervously,

"We found out what Arabus actually is." Yang began.

"That's great..! We might actually have a chance-" Cade began with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Bad news is that Arabus is a soul-sucking Ancient Equestrian demon created by Discord who killed ponies and absorbed their spirits." Alex added.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock.

"A demon?! Morning Star is trying to release a bucking demon?!" Twilight gasped.

"Let me see that for a second.." Kat asked for the book.

Alex tossed Kat the book, rather quickly as a matter of fact.

"You're really going to have to brace yourself on this one." Yang told her.

Kat flipped through the book before finding the desired page, he studied it carefully and efficiently before setting it down and clearing his throat.

"Arabus itself won't be at it's complete strength when it's first released. If we take it out as quickly as possible, we might have a chance of survival. Also, I studied a bunch of CIA dossiers, and one of them just so happened to be about this weapon. It has some form of failsafe that prevents Arabus from regaining complete power like he did before." Kat explained.

"I can't help but notice that this 'Containment Charge' is like the 'Prometheus Charge' in a sense." Alex admitted.

"There might be more to these artifacts. I'll have to ask Celestia about them." Twilight decided.

"In any case, we should probably get to the others with this, they need to know what we're up against." Ruby figured.

"Well, you're not wrong." Kat nodded in agreement.

"Right then. What about the massive cart of books?" Alex asked, pointing at a larger pile of books being carried in by undercover royal guardsmen, who seemed to be struggling with the sheer weight of the material.

"Right... Let's get these back to the library!" Twilight announced, resulting in groans from the guards' end.

"I'm still keeping the 'Predictions and Prophecies' book. I might need this, given the fact that I was directly involved in one before." Alex figured, flipping through pages at a mild pace.

*Location Unknown; October 15, 2018; 3:15 AM*

"Miss Star!!" One of the Fall Knight's grunts ran to Morning Star and Neo.

"Speak." Morning Star dismissively scoffed.

"T-There are detailed instructions revealing how we can release Arabus..!" The grunt stuttered.

"Hm?" Neo herself turned to face the grunt as well.

"There's only one small problem..." The grunt began.

"Spit it out." Morning Star glared.

"...It's written in Ancient Equestrian... There's no way we can translate-"

"There's no way for you to translate it. I, on the other hoof, know what I'm doing." Morning Star dismissively huffed, walking away from the grunt with Neo.

"Are you sure you want to release... It..?" Neo asked.

"Are you sure you don't? This is the only way Alpha left me to avenge our great society. Leaving this project now would not only be cowardly, but disrespectful of your fallen brothers and sisters." Morning Star accused.

"I understand.." Neo rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad you finally know your place. Now, hand me my journal.." Morning Star smiled wickedly.

*Meanwhile; Outside Vinewood, San Andreas*

An unknown figure pulled himself from the bushes, stretching his legs as he continued his trek down the winding road leading to the city.

The figure threw off his charred helmet, revealing a man in his mid 20's with several scars, most of which faded due to... Recent experiences.

"Do you honestly think that a minor light show such as that would be enough to take me down for good, Saigo?" Ultimus laughed sadistically at the thought of getting his desired vengeance.

"The Inquisition has failed me twice already. Alpha didn't live up to his promise and neither did Fall's. I walk alone now, do you understand?! I'm done being a mere pawn, I will destroy you, Saigo!! You and anyone else who dares stand in my way! Whether it be a Fall Knight, your pathetic friends, or your weakling family, there will be no mercy!!" The man roared in fury, as though his message would fall upon his enemy's ears.

"The tides will turn, Emphas. And when it does, there will be no escape, no solace, in the sheer hell that awaits you!" Ultimus panted, enraged at the mere though that Alex was still breathing. Ultimus wouldn't wait for Neopolitan or Morning Star to work out a plan. He had his own plans for his rival.

And no one would be able to stand in his way.

Chapter 15: Obligatory Training Chapter

*Sandy Shores Airfield; Blaine County, San Andreas; October 15, 2018; 2:20 PM*

Alex, Yang, and Twilight walked out to the bone-dry airfield with their weapons and armor with the full intent to train up before their encounters with the Fall Knights.

It took quite a bit of work to try and secure the area they were in. Everyone chipped in to completely cover their tracks and prevent anyone from the outside from being able to tell what they were up to, especially on Cade's part, who had to convince Lester to secure the airfield and 2 square miles surrounding the area.

"Alright, you know the drill?" Alex asked.

"In case anyone suspicious attacks us. We have to run, fight, or call for help." Twilight repeated.

"Excellent. Now who's up first?" Alex asked, raising his dual lever guns.

"You still keep those? I thought you were done with being Tyrian." Yang wondered.

"I feel like they suit me a bit better." Alex replied.

"I've been interested to see how far you've come, Alex. I'll fight you first." Twilight smirked confidently.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked incredulously, as Twilight had almost zero battle experience outside of the Blood Red Night, as far as he knew.

"If I can fight Changelings and Tirek before meeting you, I can handle an overconfident colt like you." Twilight added.

"You've really changed since we first met. Come at me with everything you've got!" Alex spun his Lever-guns in a flourish before aiming them at the lavender alicorn with a cocky smirk.

Yang pulled out a Bluetooth speaker and her Scroll, hitting the 'play' button and sitting up against the watchtower to observe.

"Hey, reader! You see how the text here is a different color? Click it!" Yang smirked as the two got ready to fight.

Alex was the one to make the first move, firing at the ground to launch him at his opponent and kicking at where he figured Twilight would be.

Twilight had narrowly evaded Alex's kick and bucked Alex's back painfully hard. Alex flipped, skidding onto the ground and charging at Twilight, firing his lever guns at a rapid pace.

Twilight shielded herself with a magic barrier, which was promptly shattered by Alex's next attack, a massive spin-kick.

Twilight ducked again, grabbing Alex with her magic and throwing him at an airplane. Alex leaped back down, using the plane as a launch pad and firing his weapons the whole way.

Alex's metal foot met concrete, realizing too late that Twilight was speeding directly towards him. She spun around, rearing her hind legs and bucking him in less than a second. The ensuing kick produced a massive shockwave that could be felt all the way back at Los Santos.

Alex was blown off the ground all the way to the end of the runway, rolling on his back and staggering back up.

Alex coughed, noticing Twilight flying at him full speed ready to attack again. Alex converted his lever guns into tonfas, charging them up with massive amounts of electricity, and ducking to avoid Twilight's kick and slamming the stocks of the rifles into her underbelly.

Twilight had been knocked upwards about 1500 feet, enough to reach terminal velocity, and fell down fast. Alex leaped up to meet Twilight and slammed her back to the ground.

Twilight staggered up from her crater, charging a massive magical attack and aimed directly for Alex, who slammed both hands together and slowly pulled them apart, revealing a brilliant arc of purple-hued lightning.

"DEMIGOD TASER!!" Alex screamed as he fired his attack at Twilight's, creating a brilliant clash at the center of the airfield.

Twilight kept firing her attack, only to discover that Alex no longer resisted. She felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"Looking for someone?" He smirked.

Twilight fired another bolt into the air, having missed as Alex ducked to avoid it, just before sharply kicking Twilight again.

Twilight gagged and charged at him, firing another beam and bucking him simultaneously.

Alex skidded onto the ground, coughed, and slammed his leverguns together at their sides, forming them into a longsword.

Alex charged another attack, firing it at Twilight and sliding underneath, shashing from behind and kicking her with an electrically charged leg. Twilight's sudden and forceful impact with the side of the building completely winded and damaged her.

Both staggered up, walked towards each other, and attacked again, each with comparable intensity.

Yang groaned.

"Yeah, I better stop them." She decided, sprinting in between them. Yang quickly booped Twilight's nose, before turning around and sucker-punching Alex in the face.

Twilight merely blinked in acknowledgement, whereas Alex held his mouth in pain.

"God dammit! Did you forget one of your arms is robotic?!" Alex wiped his mouth, spitting blood onto his sleeve.

"All of your arms are metal and Twilight's completely fine!" Yang retorted.

"I'm starting to regret bedazzling the knuckles.." Alex coughed again, spewing crimson onto the airfield floor.

"That looks really bad." Twilight winced.

"Oh, please. I can handle a little pa-.." Alex's defense was interrupted by another bout of coughing.

"When was the last time you went training?" Yang wondered.

"Just yesterday at a Gym." Alex replied.

"And how often have you been training?" Twilight wondered.

"Every day, for about 5 hours or so, mind you." Alex answered.

"Oh... I get it.." Twilight realized.

With all of this effort, Alex had been burning himself out.

Twilight had read about Adenienite warriors being frequently exhausted, as the primary source for their abilities is mostly their own natural energy.

Between his near-constant fighting, overuse of his powers, and that 'never stop working' attitude of his, Twilight quickly concluded he might be overworking himself to a ridiculous degree.

"Alex.. I think you need to rest.." Twilight informed.

"What? Why?!" Alex asked again before coughing up more blood.

"I'm wondering the same thing-... Oh.. Ohhhh.... Ohh, shit." Yang winced as she realized what Twilight had figured out.

"What the hell is everyone talking about..?" Alex demanded.

"Let me handle this, Twi.. Alex, you're pulling a 'Blake'." Yang admitted.

"The hell are you implying ?" Alex gagged again.

"I'll take care of him, call Cade and ask him to send cleanup." Yang demanded, dragging Alex off the airfield.

*Yang's Apartment; Los Santos, San Andreas; October 15, 2018; 8:43 PM*

Yang had taken Alex to a hospital to get examined to see if his coughing blood were anything more than an injury caused by their little scrap at the airfield. The doctor didn't find anything too wrong with Alex other than one of his teeth had chipped.

But what he said directly after really got to her.

"Ms. Xiao Long, your friend here has to be in the worst state I've ever seen in an Adenienite since the bridging of all these dimensions. Even though his electric potential is off the charts, he's damn close to just collapsing on the floor. I'm honestly shocked he hasn't had an ulcer or a stroke yet with all of this overwork."

Yang had long since pulled out an air mattress for him to sleep, and reluctantly let him help. Once he was set up to stay, Yang laid next to him.

"If you're going to tell me to stop now, you're fighting a losing battle." Alex began.

"I think we both know you can't stop, but until things get bad, I need you to slow down." Yang answered.

"Yang, I see what you're trying to do here, and thank you, by the way, but I can't stop or slow down until I know everyone's safe." Alex turned to face her.

"You can't protect everyone forever, especially not now. Besides, everyone can handle themselves just fine." Yang sincerely replied.

"Do you know what happened the last time I didn't watch out for everyone?! Pinkie was thrown almost to her death, Applejack broke her spine, Rainbow lost a wing..! Hell, you got slashed across the side!" Alex raised his voice.

"We're all still alive, we can pull through." Yang reassured.

"Most of Evan's friends died, remember? I'm not even sure how they're still with us now, but it's lucky they did!" Alex yelled again.

"Listen for one second! You told me once that you want to stop, why haven't you?!"

"Because everything is still shit! After two years, nothing's changed! I'm still trying to take down the last Inquisitors because they still want to watch everything die because f**k all!" Alex screamed, his eyes moistening slightly.

"I get why you have to stay in this, but constantly?! Alex, look at yourself! You didn't slow down when you went to fight Alpha, and look where it got you!!" Yang retorted.

"Does it look like I wanted this?! No matter what, those ruthless maniacs have to pay, don't you understand?! I lost everything twice now! I tried to stop once, and guess what?! they wouldn't!! I have to work as hard as them just to keep up and stay alive! Do you have any idea what it's like to have to run and fight to even breathe?! One false move and it's GAME F**KING OVER!!!"

Yang actually shook after hearing him. Looking into his ice blue eyes again, she noticed something disheartening.

His appearance, his expression, that fearful look in his eye hadn't changed once since they first met. The only change was that his eyes looked dull, tired, from being in the same state of panic for years.

"As much as I'd like to get into bed and sleep the rest of my life away, I can't. Now, I'll never really understand why everyone suddenly wanted me to die, but I know one thing: Because of them, If I just stop whatever I'm doing now and rest while they're planning, everyone I care about is going to die, including you, and... I don't want to lose everything a third time." Alex sighed bitterly.

Yang trembled, how far would he be willing to go just to spare everyone?

"I guess.. This goes without saying, but... I'd risk life and limb for ya, huh?" Alex smirked, pointing to his robotic arms.

"No. Just... No." A voice bellowed to their right.

Alex turned and gazed in fear

"ULTIMUS?!" Alex reached for his sword and charged at the warrior.

Ultimus grabbed the sword in Alex's hands, only mildly glaring at him.

"Yet you have the audacity to call our rivalry worthless. It seems our business has more of an effect on you than you made it out to be during our last duel, Saigo." Ultimus scowled.

"How much did you hear?" Yang wondered, reaching for her gauntlets.

"Enough. I heard enough." He replied.

"Cut.. The shit... Why... Are you here!?" Alex seethed.

"Saigo. As much as I absolutely despise you. I sympathize with your cause." Ultimus admitted.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?!" Yang stared daggers at her enemy.

"Because, bride of Saigo, I was a lot like him before I joined the Inquisition..."

Author's Notes:

Before I get the Fall Knight Saga into full swing, I want to add a bit of depth into Ultimus' character, and I'm sure you guys want to know his motives, especially if he was apparently important enough to keep in the story.

In addition, I wanted you guys to get an idea of where Alex is at by this point of the story.

Also, I just wanted to clear up that I own nothing except the original characters.

-The Destoyer

Chapter 16: Rivals

*Yang's Apartment; Los Santos, San Andreas; October 15, 2016; 8:50 PM*

Ultimus sat down on the couch, his cold gaze never leaving sight of Alex.

"What do you mean 'like him'?" Yang wondered, now genuinely curious about their enemy.

"Just like his parents, mine tried to shelter me from the rivalry our family shared. Then, I guess you could say I had a bit of a 'rude awakening', as you Remnant-borns say." Ultimus scowled.

"Let me guess.. Someone killed your family too." Alex concluded glumly.

Ultimus nodded with an infuriated look on his face.

"Saigo's uncle was my assailant. After seeing what he had done, I killed the attackers myself. Afterwards, Supreme Leader Krete decided not to leave me with my family, as someone as 'violent' as myself would've done more damage than he could ever allow. I was taken to an orphanage when I was 15 years old. At nights, I would return to help my family fight Saigo's." Ultimus continued.

"So, what happened..?" Alex asked, curious himself on the subject of his family.

"There was only one of your family that was absent from their raids. Your father, Yurei Emphas. The rumor was he had moved to the other side of Adenien and married the daughter of a mystic there." Ultimus said.

"The 'Sirants'. Someone explained the whole situation with my family already.. He didn't tell me about the rivalry." Alex recalled.

"Eventually, we had exterminated every one of the Emphas clan. That is, save Yurei. None of us were sure where he had gone. At least until an Inquisitor approached me saying they knew where Yurei and his family went."

"Right.. They moved to Earth to get away from the war, didn't they?" Yang asked.

"Yes. I studied their behaviors for years. And it seemed that they were as intent with sheltering Saigo from the rivalry and the Inquisition. I believe you know the rest, Saigo." Ultimus scowled.

"Damn right. What do you want, anyway?" Alex scowled.

"Listen. The Fall Knights are gathering the tools they need to release Arabus. Once they do, this whole island will be nothing but a pile of ash. Their main location is a hideout in the mountain range north of the Zancudo Military Airfield, but they have reinforcements in the form of a yacht armed with an AA gun and have stockpiled ammunition in one of the abandoned buildings in the city." Ultimus informed.

"How the hell did you know where to look?" Yang wondered.

"I'm no fool. I've been working with Cinder Fall for the past two years and watched as she put this plan together. Needless to say, I'm happy Saigo killed her." Ultimus scoffed.

"Why are you helping me?" Alex asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Saigo? I intend to kill you, and no cutesy horse demon will take that honor away!" Ultimus indignantly replied.

"By no means does this make us friends." Alex scowled.

"That's the spirit. I'm expecting you there, don't disappoint me." Ultimus glared, walking out and slamming the door.

"We'd better tell Evan and Twilight." Alex concluded, standing up.

Yang stopped him from standing all the way up.

"You heard the doctor, you need rest." Yang demanded.

"You can't be f**king serious." Alex glared.

"You heard what Ultimus said, he'll kill you!" Yang retorted.

"If I'm not there, Arabus might kill all of you. I won't have that on my conscience." Alex stared daggers at the huntress.

Yang sighed.

"Fine. I guess I can't stop you. But if anything happens, just know I care about you." Yang relented, the slight echo of a smile through her serious tone.

Alex grabbed his chest plate, guns, and a car battery.

"The hell are you gonna do with that?" Yang wondered.

"Lightning powers, remember?" Alex looked back as he searched the apartment for extra batteries.

Yang nodded in reply as Alex grabbed his scroll.

"Unity, this is Alex. We've confirmed Fall Knight presence at all three locations. Mobilize!" Alex shoved the scroll in his pocket and he integrated the batteries with his armor.

"I'm ready." Yang called, arming her gauntlet, as well as the one Cade had integrated with her limb.

"I'm ready too. Any way you can get from here to the Hideout unseen?" Alex asked.

"I had the motorcycle, but I think we'll be seen the second we get there."

"Didn't Cade say something about buying an Adenienite Freighter?" Alex asked.

Cade ran in the front door.

"I came as soon as I heard." He gasped breathlessly.

"Listen, you mentioned having an old freighter, right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah... I brought it to the airport for repairs. Why, you need it?" Cade asked.

"Bingo!" Yang chirped.

"Okay. We'll need another gunner if we're making a full-blown assault." Cade added.

"I CALL SHOTGUN!!" Ruby sped in front of the doorway.

"And that makes four." Cade nodded.

"Alright! Let's get this shit done!" Alex added, putting his weapons away.

"Yes! I love it when you're feisty!" Yang slugged Alex in the arm as the four ran off.

*15 Minutes Later, Former Altruist Cult Hideout*

"Morning Star, We're under attack-!" A grunt shouted as an armored fist emerged from his ribcage.

Ultimus ripped the soldier from his gauntlet, scowling at Morning Star.

"Hello, Delta." Ultimus greeted coldly, raising his weapon.

"That's not who I am. Not since Walker destroyed my home!" Morning Star yelled.

"Don't play dumb. We all know what this is. And I know exactly what you're trying to do. As much as I'd love to join in on the merriment, only I can be the one to kill Alex Walker." Ultimus converted the sword into a rifle and pointed the barrel at Morning Star's head.

"My Arabus will be the only one killing anything momentarily." Morning Star retorted.

"There is one way you survive. Call off the attack, and relinquish the Fall Knights to me. This is your only warning." Ultimus growled.

"Are you threatening me, Crux?" Morning Star's horn glowed a bright yellow-orange, as did several weapons belonging to the dead at Ultimus' wake.

"That depends. Do as I say." Ultimus reiterated.

"Neopolitan. Do what you must." Morning Star smiled wickedly as Neo sped behind Ultimus, cutting through Ultimus' armor and pointing her umbrella at the warrior.

Neo stared coldly at Ultimus, her eyes flaring orange as though they were aflame.

"I see. Cinder gifted you the Fall Maiden's power." Ultimus realized.

Morning Star quickly ran off into a cave as Neo and Ultimus leaped at one another, hacking and slashing each other ruthlessly.

"Send everyone. Tear the hideout apart." Morning Star ordered as she went deeper within the cave.

Author's Notes:

Not really sure what else to put here.

Chapter 17: Strike Force Vanoss

*Fall Knight Yacht; 1 Mile off the coast of Los Santos, San Andreas; October 14, 2018; 9:15 PM*

"Vanoss! Come in, you f**k!!" Alex roared from the radio.

Vanoss winced, turning the volume down on his headset before replying.

"I can hear you, jackass!" Vanoss indignantly replied.

"Good! That yacht is armed to the teeth, and we can't get through them! Blow the f**ker up!!" Alex ordered.

"I know, bitch. Liss already sent us coordinates and shit." Vanoss rolled his eyes.

"Us..? Are you all there already?" Alex sounded surprised.

"We have Hydra jets, you Canadian Vegeta sounding motherf**ker!" Wildcat yelled.

"Actually, I just have a Tank. Lui's flying me in." Delirious replied.

"How many extensions do our comms have?" Blake wondered.

"Nine." Liss answered before signing off.

"Yeah, just blow them apart." Alex dismissively ordered before he himself signed off.

Vanoss turned his head to find several of his friends flying Hydra jets at his sides, that is, except for Delirious and Lui.

"Flying Tank, motherf**kers!! Ahahahahaha!!" Delirious laughed maniacally as he fired the first shot at the Yacht, blowing a chunk out of the ship.

"Haha! Nice!" Wildcat congratulated as his jet dove mere feet above the ocean to do a firing run. Gunfire ripped at the Yacht's hull, filling it with little holes as the ship continued to sink.

"I see the thing!" Vanoss, Nogla, and Moo flew at the ship's right before circling around and firing missiles at the gun. The ship was eventually reduced to a pile of scrap wood and bodies floating in the dark, cold depths.

"That was way too easy..!" Wildcat laughed, celebrating.

Vanoss checked his Radar, only to find numerous smaller ships and jets headed straight for them.

"Wildcat, you weren't wrong." Vanoss gaped right before everything started going to hell.

The PT boats fired tracers at their jets, with the enemy's aircraft quickly locking on.

"Delirious, I'll drop you off on another boat. I'm going to run back and get something else!" Lui dropped Delirious onto a quickly sinking PT boat as the helicopter suddenly veered to the right, as said monkey had leaped off and was parachuting onto the beach.

The sky above the Pacific that night looked like a massive fireworks show, with some of the more ignorant beach-goers clapping and cheering at the display.

"Evan, you got one on your tail!" Wildcat warned.

"I see him!" Vanoss pulled back on the controls, doing a loop behind the enemy and shooting his engine to bits.

"Moo, watch your back!" Delirious alerted as he fired a tank she'll directly at the enemy jet, blowing it to smithereens.

"There's a whole bunch of boats lining up!" Vanoss noted, the line formation of boats firing all at once trying to take them down.

"Oh, crap!!" Nogla yelled as he ejected, aiming his ship at a row of PT boats.

Nogla swam to one of the boats, throwing C4 at it's back and before swimming to another one and repeating the process.

"Everyone who crashes had to take care of the boats!" Mini yelled.

"AAAUGH, NOO!! I WAS TERMINATED!! Why do I have to speak with the f**king accent?!" Terroriser yelled, saying the last sentence in his normal voice and ejecting at the last second.

"I'm back!!" Lui screamed in his kid voice, flying the P-996 LAZER.

"Wow, Lui. That's a nice jet." Wildcat sarcastically droned.

"F**k off!" Lui retorted.

Vanoss's jet spun directly around, nearly colliding with an enemy jet and firing a missile at another. The enemy jet eventually exploded in a fiery blaze before splashing into the ocean's icy grip.

"That's the last one!" Basically yelled after the last jet disappeared from their radar.

"Nogla, time's up.. Let's do this." Vanoss nodded, putting on a pair of sunglasses.

The series of PT boats exploded one after the other, each erupting it's own fireball upon detonation.

"Uh... Guys.." Droidd began nervously.

"What..?" Delirious asked as well.

"There's one more dot... I think it's coming from under the water-." Moo noted before a large number of missiles tore his ship apart, sending him crashing into the ocean.

Vanoss only had to look outside the window.

"Holy shit."

A massive ship, at least the size of the Knight's Myriad, surfaced from under the water. The gargantuan mass of metal suddenly shifted, revealing hundreds of missile launchers.

"TARGETS IDENTIFIED. LOCKING ON. FIRING" A deep, mechanical voice bellowed as it's endless supply of missiles suddenly bombarded the remaining jets.

Vanoss quickly ejected, landing on a section of the metal behemoth as the rest did so in kind.

"You know what this shit reminds me of?" Nogla asked.

"If you say 'Pacific Rim', I'll throw you into a missile." Wildcat groaned.

Nogla stopped talking.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Delirious wondered.

"I have an idea! You remember how we fought the old Nikolai while he was in a mech suit from District 9?" Lui asked.

"Yeah.. Massive pain in the ass." Wildcat shrugged.

"And what are those on the thing's giant turrets?" Basically pointed to two large battery-like objects just behind the weapon's primary cannons.

"They look like giant double A batteries." Vanoss noted.

"Maybe if we have Alex send in some air support, maybe we can-..!" Terroriser began.

"Or we could just use our Air Strikes on them." Moo pulled out a smoke grenade, interrupting Terroriser.

"You think that'll work?" Droidd wondered out loud.

"I know what to do! Some of us call for attack choppers, and the rest of us will target the batteries!" Mini Ladd realized.

"I got this!" Vanoss announced as he called Merryweather on his phone.

"Vanoss, I heard you took down the yacht- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" Alex screamed through the radio.

"Calm down, Scrublord. We got this!" Delirious shot back.

"Alright, Mini and I just sent attack choppers, maybe they'll distract the thing!" Moo yelled as everyone pulled out flares.

"On three, everyone throw these... One, two, three!!!" Lui yelled as everyone began throwing flares.

The scene was utterly chaotic, the crew had leaped off of the mechanical beast and swam as far away as they could as Attack Choppers got blown apart by the Fall Knights' weapon, red smoke bellowing from it as Jets sped over, some of them being blown up, but most of them managing to hit the batteries.

"YEAH!!!" Everyone cheered as they reached the shoreline. They all started hi-fiving each other and hollering until the mechanical voice bellowed again.

"PRIMARY POWER SOURCE DESTROYED. BACKUP POWER AT 50%. TARGETING CIVILIANS WITHIN A 2 MILE RADIUS... ALL WEAPONS ARMED. INITIATE DEFENSE PROTOCOL 90210."

"... That can't be good." Vanoss gaped.

"Don't just stand there, shoot the missiles!!" Wildcat yelled, pulling out a minigun.

From where the weapon had been, they were easily within missile-destroying range and could probably stop most of them if they focused.

"Alex.. We may or may not need you to deploy flares. That weapon is about to tear the city apart." Vanoss informed.

"What?! We can't have that! Yang, Ruby, and I will help take care of the missiles. Cade, deploy flares the second the warning lights go on!" Alex ordered.

"FIRE."

Hundreds upon hundreds of missiles shot out of the weapon as Vanoss's crew shot the missiles, causing massive explosions by the dozen. Moments later, sniper shots pierced through many missiles at once along with several explosive rounds fired at the missiles, blowing up more and more, and finally, a massive purple electric blast blew up the rest of the missiles before a lightning bolt shut the weapon down completely.

By now, the weapon had sunk and all that was left of it otherwise was a massive cloud of smoke.

"Target disabled. Cade, we can move to our destination. Good job, guys. I need you to help the ponies, Blake, Weiss, Kat, and Liss take care of the ammo stockpiled at their target building. They're having trouble." Alex ordered as the freighter flew away.

"Okay... Anyone got a ride there?" Moo asked, putting away own his minigun.

"I'll call a guy for the rest of us. Delirious and Nogla are getting tanks. Lui, Droidd, Wildcat and I are gonna take a Valkyrie." Vanoss announced tiredly.

"Couldn't we just charge at them with a few technicals?" Basically wondered.

"Yeah. I'm calling about that right now." Terroriser pulled out a cell phone.

"Is it just me or is saving the world way too expensive?" Wildcat groaned.

"Aren't you guys using Shark Cards, or are you buying these with real-world money?" Vanoss asked.

"F**k you, Evan." Nogla deadpanned.

Chapter 18: Hellraiser

*Fall Knight Hideout; 1/2 Mile North of Zancudo Military Airfield; October 15, 2018; 9:23 PM

Ultimus charged again, only to ram into another illusion and lose balance. Neo fired a pulse of orange light that blew Ultimus back 15 feet into a wooden shack of a building.

'This woman is either an impressive fighter or a coward. At least Saigo couldn't conjure up illusions like this..!' Ultimus inwardly complained.

Neo only grinned, a sadistic look plastered onto her face as she charged yet again.

"Die!!" Ultimus swung again, only to discover that this was merely another illusion, made abruptly clear by a metallic scraping on his back plate.

Neo smiled again as Ultimus turned around, only to scowl at the sight of three figures falling towards them.

Alex, Yang, and Ruby landed feet away from the two, concern on their faces.

"Where's Morning Star?" Alex asked.

"She holed herself up inside a tunnel. She's trying to summon Arabus." Ultimus replied.

With a bell sound and a flash, Alex had quickly converted into his Enlightened Warrior form, turning to Yang and Ruby.

"Yang, you have the firepower. Break in and see what Morning Star's up to. Ruby, go with her, she might need backup." Alex instructed.

"Are you insane?! The man who tried to kill us is standing right there!" Yang yelled back.

"We made a temporary truce until Arabus is destroyed, remember?" Ultimus converted himself to his Corrupted Warrior form in mere moments.

"Besides. I have more of a need to kill this one than Saigo at the moment."

Yang and Ruby ran off, leaving both Adenienites to confront the new Fall Maiden.

"Be careful, Saigo. This new maiden is a dangerous enemy." Ultimus warned.

"I've dealt with her before I achieved this form. I should be able to defeat her." Alex replied.

Neo seemed to recognize Alex, but didn't seem at all frightened. She only left a cold stare as her eyes began glowing and a vortex appeared beneath them.

Both warriors leaped out of the way once the vortex exploded, with both charging her at once.

Ultimus swung again, only to miss by a long shot.

Using the opening, Alex swept in, side-kicking her 15 feet and landing on his feet, charging while she was still stunned.

Alex and Ultimus swept in, only for Neo to counter. Two pillars of flame burst from her fingertips, knocking both to the ground and leaving them slightly burned.

"Damn child!!!" Ultimus roared with fury, charging Neo again.

Neo stood at the ready, pointing her bladed parasol at the warrior.

Ultimus stuck once to discover that this was an illusion, Neo herself was directly above him, ready to blow him away.

Alex stood there, arms crossed as Ultimus got torched.

"GAAH!! SAIGO YOU BASTARD!!" Ultimus turned and charged Alex.

Alex ducked, sharply kicking upwards and slamming Ultimus behind him, the latter crashing to the ground.

"What can I say? You tried to kill Yang and Cade. As a certain meme would put it, 'One does not simply try to kill my family.'" Alex scowled.

"Oh no. Do not be that guy right now." Ultimus growled.

"Yeah, screw you." Alex rolled his eyes.

Neo let out a small snicker at their argument.

"You know, if I didn't have to kill both of you, I'd let him go just for that." Neo grinned, pointing the blade at Alex.

"I could literally kill you with a handshake. Don't test me." Alex hardened his tone while raising his left hand, a small electric ball forming in it.

Neo's grin dropped instantly, raising her parasol to the sky blade-down. The blade itself slowly turned orange and started flaring with energy.

"Saigo, this is for letting me burn." Ultimus himself raised his hand, green lightning emanating from his fingertips.

"F**KING SHI-!"

*Meanwhile*

"Where is she?!" Ruby whisper-yelled.

"Stay close.. We don't know what could be going on in there.." Yang peeked over a corner to find the unicorn surrounded by candles that just barely lit the room. Morning Star was reading passages from an ancient book, along with the small gem at the side, which was now beginning to glow an ominous dark purple.

Morning Star was speaking in what seemed to be an ancient language. The gem at her side glowed a little brighter as each word was uttered.

"Oh, dust." Yang winced.

"What..?" Ruby wondered.

The gem had cracked, shadow leaking out of it and reforming into a large alicorn-shaped cloud of black smoke. It opened it's eyes, a glowing red, and let out an inhuman roar.

"Lord Arabus... You are free..!" Morning Star cheered.

"What are we going to do?! We can't do anything about that..!" Ruby worriedly reached for Crescent Rose.

The dark spirit turned around, staring directly at the two huntresses.

"Oh, no..." Ruby gaped.

The monster let out a low growl of hunger, glaring at the huntresses menacingly.

"I CLAIM YOUR SOULS!!!!!" The demon roared, flying towards them and firing a very ominous magic.

Yang dodged just in time to avoid the blast. Grabbing Ruby, she ran back up the winding tunnels in an effort to escape before they could become the monster's first victims.

"BIPEDS!! YOUR SPIRITS BELONG TO ME!!!"

*back at ground level*

The explosion shook apart the entire structure of the hideout, wiping out almost anything else in the way.

Alex landed hard on his back, coughing and staggering back up.

"Forget the Maiden, Saigo. YOU'RE DEAD!!" Ultimus screamed, leaping at Alex and forcing him to attack.

Their blades clashed, sending a shockwave of violet and green lightning around the destroyed ruins of the hideout.

Alex was also quick to notice the massive fireball flying in his direction.

Alex leaped out of the way, firing electric blasts in either direction, that is, until he heard an ungodly scream.

"Oh, crap." Alex powered down immediately.

Ultimus and Neo followed suit, curious as to what could've made such a sound.

"I'm sensing an evil energy... Directly underneath us.." Ultimus pointed to the tunnel entryway.

The three waited in terror at what was waiting for them, tension filling the air.

Ruby and Yang were quick to run away, firing sniper shots and blasts before sprinting.

As the sisters ran, the entrance exploded in a wave of dark energy, sending rock and various other debris flying everywhere.

A dark, shadowy alicorn appeared in the new opening, simply walking towards them now,

"T-That's Arabus..?" Neo gasped.

"Ah, what's this I see..? More bipeds..? Hmm.... It seems your energies are foreign, but exceptionally high..." Arabus noted coldly.

'God, even his voice is scary...' Alex thought in horror.

"I suppose this should suffice as suitable sustenance... DIE, MORTALS!!"

Author's Notes:

When I discussed adding a G1 villain into the story, I mentioned drastically changing Arabus' character.

This is what I meant.

Instead of being a cloud monster...thing that apparently stole shadows from ponies, he's now a demon who swallows mortal souls to strengthen his magic.

#3edgy5me

Also, Fall Maiden Neo.

Only on my fanfiction (to the best of my knowledge).

-The Destoyer

Chapter 19: A Blood Red Shadow, Part 1 of 3

*Downtown Los Santos, San Andreas; October 15, 2018; 9:30 PM*

"All clear! We can regroup at the main entrance!" Liss announced, destroying the last ammunition container.

The Ponies, Vanoss's crew, Kat, Liss, Weiss, Blake, and Skirmish had eventually reached the entrance where everyone had parked their vehicles.

"Okay... Let's see how Alex's team is doing.." Kat grabbed a tablet and pressed a button at the bottom of the screen.

"Andromeda, what's the situation?" Kat wondered.

"Scanning now.... It appears Arabus has been released moments ago. Alex, Ruby, Yang, and Inquisitors Ultimus Crux and Neopolitan are fighting off the spirit." Andromeda replied.

"We gotta help them..! They can't last forever!" Twilight urged.

"F**k that! We don't have our Avatars, and this motherf**ker absorbs people's souls!" Delirious yelled back.

"We have to try. Our friends need us!" Rainbow yelled.

"A massive Fall Knight resurgence has been detected retreating from the complex and seems to be headed straight back to retrieve ammunition." Andromeda announced.

"I have a plan..! Evan and his crew, Skirmish, Rarity, and I can stay here and deal with the Fall Knight threat. The rest of you can find a way there!" Liss decided.

"Rarity's coming with us!" Applejack screamed.

"If we all don't do what we're supposed to, one of these threats will wipe out the rest of us!" Kat realized.

"I'll do my duty. Celestia be with you, Twilight." Skirmish nodded, grabbing her spear.

"Come on, let's get over there..!" Twilight shouted as everyone crowded around Twilight.

Twilight, Applejack, Kat, Weiss, and Blake gathered around.

"Rainbow, what about you?" Twilight asked.

"I can get there in ten seconds flat, don't worry about me.. There's something I wanted to try.." Rainbow smirked knowingly.

"I trust you. Twi, get us over there, please." Kat ordered as the five teleported off.

Rainbow took a running start before flying towards the airport and circling around towards the hideout.

"Agent Liss, I'm detecting two cross-dimensional signatures." Andromeda told Liss.

"What about them?" Liss wondered.

"One of them, for sure, is the backup you requested... The other seems to be drawing in more energy... As if it's trying to move something in from another timeline..." Andromeda shakily replied.

*Meanwhile*

Alex dodged another of Arabus' blasts as Cade swept on from the side.

Cade slashed Arabus across the neck with his sickle before being forced out of the way by Neo, who blocked another of Arabus' attacks with her bladed umbrella.

As Neo blocked, Yang and Ultimus charged from either side and sent barrages towards the shadowy alicorn.

Ruby finally leaped in from above, firing multiple Ray-Gun shots and hacking the shadow apart, to no avail.

Arabus' horn suddenly glowed dark purple as he raised his forelegs above the ground.

"I WILL TEAR YOU ALL APART!!!" Arabus roared as he was hit by a magical attack.

Twilight trotted over to Alex's side.

"Did you guys need help?" Blake asked.

"Blake! Weiss!" Ruby hugged her friends.

"Aunt Ruby... We're not out of the woods yet.." Cade turned his attention towards the monster.

"We need to distract him with magic-based attacks so the physical attacks might have an effect." Twilight explained.

"I have an idea. Alicorn, keep a shield around the monster. The rest of us will swarm it." Ultimus ordered.

Twilight nodded, a lavender aura appearing around the shadowy monster as Ruby, Cade, Alex, and Neo swept to it's sides and struck repeatedly, disorienting the monster until they all leaped backwards.

Yang, Ultimus, Weiss, and Blake stayed back, firing bullets, electric projectiles, and the like, further weakening the monster until Applejack raised her legs, ready to buck.

At the same instant, they heard one loud boom coming from the direction of the city. Alex turned around, curious, to find a certain pony speeding towards them with a rainbow-colored shockwave behind her.

Another sonic rainboom exploded a second after the first, the pony speeding towards Arabus at supersonic speed.

Timing the attack perfectly, Applejack bucked one side while Rainbow slammed into the other, leaving the monster gasping for breath.

"AAAGHH... D-Do you think this is funny..?" The monster growled as the others reloaded, preparing for a second attack.

Alex laughed callously at the monster's plight.

"Well... You're in... For a laugh..!" Arabus roared loudly, the barrier breaking as Twilight fumbled, trying to stay standing.

The monster stood itself back up, glaring at the group for their intrusion.

"It's an interesting strategy, Crux. Thinking you could defeat me so easily.. The only reason I haven't killed all of you is because I'm a bit strapped for power right now... But not to worry, WITH THIS NEXT TRANSFORMATION, YOU WILL ALL FALL!!" Arabus roared again, an ungodly screech filling the air as the ground seemed to shatter.

*Meanwhile, Canterlot, Equestria*

Luna and Celestia were just about to trade off work when suddenly Luna felt a chill run down her spine.

"Sister..?" Luna questioned nervously.

"I know... Something terrible has happened.." Celestia wavered.

"You don't think..." Luna began.

"I know it's Arabus, Luna. At least he is not in Equestria." Celestia sighed.

"Not to be rude, sister, but... Isn't your student, her honor guard, and all of her friends in that dimension?" Luna asked.

Celestia knew exactly what her sister was thinking.

"I guess our citizens can deal with a slightly longer sunset.. Let's move, Luna." Celestia groaned.

--

Arabus screamed loudly, his inhuman screech filling the air as Alex struggled to stay standing.

Suddenly, the shadowy fog surrounding Arabus turned red as the sky was filled with a crimson light.

By the time they had all come to their senses, they saw an entirely different Alicorn.

"What the hell?!" Alex gaped.

"T-That can't be possible..! H-He shouldn't be strong enough to do that..!" Twilight shivered in horror.

Arabus by now stood another foot taller. His once black coat was now a deep scarlet that faded into black at the extremities, such as the wings and hooves. His horn had doubled in size and sharpened into a deadly point. The most frightening detail were his eyes, now a dimly-glowing dark purple.

"Now you understand, children... I AM YOUR DESTRUCTION!" Arabus roared again, heading straight for Alex.

Alex narrowly avoided Arabus' horn, sweeping underneath and hacking upwards.

Twilight and Weiss tried keeping him in place with magic and glyphs as the rest readied their most powerful attacks.

"Hurry..! I'm not sure how much longer.. We can hold..!" Twilight strained.

Alex, Yang, and Cade charged in from either side, powered up to their Enlightened forms and a ball of electricity or fire in Yang's case.

"TRINITY STRIKE!!!!"

The three slammed their energies into the Monster just before going all out with their other weapons. Alex spun his lever guns so fast all that anyone could see were two circular blurs and purple projectiles speeding towards their enemy.

Yang punched Arabus as hard as she possibly could, screaming in fury as she tried to end the fight there

Cade slashed at Arabus' neck, adding a few charged punches before all three leaped out of the way for the others to make their attacks.

Ruby ran around the monster in a circle with Blake, shooting at the monster before sweeping in, hacking either side, and repeating until the others could do what they had to do. Kat had ran up to the small building overlooking the ruins, and was sniping whenever she had the chance.

Ultimus and Neo stood at either side of Arabus, charging and firing massive green and orange beams of energy at the monster and getting out of the way.

Applejack and Rainbow were last, with the Earth pony repeatedly bucking Arabus as hard as she possibly could with Rainbow speeding around, kicking Arabus with precision before flying towards the coast and slamming hard into him.

By the time the smoke cleared, Arabus didn't even look all that injured.

"W-What?!" Alex gasped.

"W-We threw everything we had at it..! How is it still standing?!" Yang wondered aloud..

"H-He'll kill us... He'll kill all of us..." Twilight shivered.

"Impressive... For a bunch of Second-rate warriors." Arabus sneered.

Alex grit his teeth, letting out a low growl.

"Alex..?" Yang turned to him, noticing how utterly pissed he was by that point.

Alex screamed, throwing balls of electricity towards the monster, screaming bloody murder and making more of a mess out of the wasteland around them.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" He roared.

"Child, has this ever worked?" Arabus asked, stalking out of the smoke produced by Alex's attacks.

Alex jumped back a little, protecting his chest with his arms so Arabus would just take off the arms.

Arabus instead turned into a cloud of smoke and went through him, leaving Alex worried and afraid for his life.

Blake saw Arabus ready to stab him, and she quickly shoved Alex out of Arabus' path, and faked the monster out using her semblance.

Yang was completely enraged at the idea of losing her best friend or Alex, and punched Arabus as soon as she was able.

The blow almost completely winded the red alicorn, he crumbled downward while staring upwards with rage.

"I WILL OBLITERATE YOU!!!!" Arabus yelled, raising his front hooves and surrounding them with dark magic.

Alex's eyes widened, and staggered upwards as Arabus threw down his front hooves.

From the impact, a wave of dark energy enveloped the small clearing. Several people got idea to jump and avoid the shockwave, but many weren't as lucky.

Applejack quickly evaporated, leaving only time for one pained scream before completely shattering.

"WHAT THE SHIT?!" Alex gaped.

The shockwave dissipated, leaving the others completely shocked.

"Hahaha!! I hope this is a message to all of you... There is no victory here!" Arabus cackled.

Twilight and Rainbow couldn't believe what they saw... Applejack was dead.

Meaning the elements were completely useless.

By extension, their means of properly containing the monster was gone.

Rainbow looked angrily towards the monster, taking off immediately, screaming in rage the whole way.

"Rainbow, stop!" Cade yelled.

Arabus teleported in front of Rainbow, stabbing her with his horn and killing her instantly.

By then, everyone shook. Two of the bravest ponies Unity had were dead.

Arabus laughed.

"TEN. SECONDS. FLAT." The monster mocked them, using Rainbow Dash's voice.

Alex himself was completely shaken.. Innumerable memories ran through his mind of the Pegasus. He had known Rainbow the best out of the Elements besides Twilight, and she had actually saved his life on many occasions..

Just like Karis, or Cloudchaser and Flitter. To imagine Rainbow Dash dead was... unthinkable.

"Alex... Why are you glowing..?" Yang suddenly backed away.

Alex noticed his arms and legs, his entire body, glowing red.

"You.... You soulless... Cold-hearted... BASTARD!!!" Alex had quickly changed from his normal form, to his Enlightened form, and to his Evolved form in a matter of seconds.

Arabus continued to laugh callously at him while Alex gasped and sputtered, too infuriated to say a word.

Yang charged up as well. She knew how badly this got to him.. And besides..

Once he was already at this point, there was no stopping him.

"You son of a bitch... I'll make you PAY!!!" Alex screamed, his purple aura starting to turn red.

"Saigo, you idiot! Our enhanced forms aren't going to make a difference to this demon!" Ultimus warned.

"Listen to him! What can you do that we already haven't done?!" Cade screamed.

With one final scream, his eyes had changed, the whites of his eyes now black and his irises a red-violet. His muscle tone had changed, Alex had gained a slight amount of mass. And his final change was most apparent.

His hair was now like flame, purple towards the roots and bright scarlet at the top.

"Arabus... You're going to pay for what you did to them... IN BLOOD!!!"

Alex flew several feet in the air, Yang close by, as the two pressed their hands together at their sides.

"No... No they're not!!" Cade shivered.

This was the exact attack his Alex and Yang used to try and destroy Cinder!

"What the hell are you two idiots doing?! You'll burn yourselves out!!" Neo, yes, Neo of all people yelled.

"Alex!! Yang!! Don't shoot it!!" Ruby screamed worriedly.

The two separated their hands, a condensed beam of lightning and fire swirled around in their hands.

"T-There's no way they could survive firing that..!" Twilight visibly shook, as she was about to lose two more friends.

"Dammit, Alex! I didn't find us a way out of the militia just so you could die here!!" Kat screamed at the two.

"Yang, think about it! Do you really want Ruby to live the rest of her life without her sister!!" Blake yelled.

"ARABUS!!! YOU'VE TAKEN SOMEONE'S LIFE FOR THE LAST TIME!! SAY GOODBYE!!!!" Alex screamed.

"How can I stop them..? It's over.." Cade shivered, sitting down in surrender.

Suddenly, Arabus screamed in pain.

"What?!" Yang gasped.

Arabus fired magic blasts at innumerable directions before being lanced by another Alicorn, black as the night with a wavy, purple mane and snake-like blue eyes.

This new alicorn fired a dark-blue magic blast that blew him off the cliff.

Arabus staggered back up, seething with rage at this new being.

The Alicorn herself scoffed arrogantly at the monster.

"Arabus, I've grown tired of seeing you harassing these mortals. Your quarrel rests with me. The TRUE Princess of the Night! NIGHTMARE RARITY!"

Author's Notes:

Because who better to fight an edge-lord than another edge-lord?

Putting Nightmare Rarity into the fanfic was honestly a stretch, but I can probably explain how it happened next chapter.

Also, I think I'm somehow becoming worse than Rooster Teeth.

RWBY killed off three beloved characters in the span of about 4 episodes, where I killed off at least two characters in one chapter, and I'm killing off two or three more.

Well, In the words of Kurt Vonnegut, "Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them."

Also, Alex's new Super Mode is the 'Evolved Berserker'. The next two chapters are going to shed a bit of light on this one.

-The Destoyer

Chapter 20: A Blood Red Shadow, Part 2 of 3

5 Minutes Earlier; Downtown Los Santos, San Andreas; October 11, 2018; 9:35 PM*

Rarity stood in a small section of the building that overlooked the rest of the city, absolutely terrified at the scene before her.

'My friends... They're all fighting that ruffian Arabus..' Rarity thought in horror as she saw the view past the mountains bathed in various-colored lights.

"Infuriating, isn't it? The fact that your friends are fighting this monster, how quickly they cast you aside.." a voice said behind her.

Rarity turned around quickly.

"Who's there?!" Rarity wondered aloud.

"Even a human was deemed strong enough to handle this monster. Not you, not another pony, not a huntress or Adenienite, just a plain, simple human. I know it angers you, Rarity." the voice said again.

"H-How do you know my name?!" Rarity asked nervously.

"I've been watching you, quite intently as a matter of fact. And I know being held back for something menial like this is infuriating, especially since all of your friends are dying as we speak." the voice mocked her.

"Whatever they're encountering, I know they can handle it!" Rarity shouted at the monster.

"Oh, is that so? Have you any clue what they are fighting against, Miss Rarity? Arabus is not your typical villain. It has no morals holding it back from slaughter. No conscience, no fear. But unlimited, raw power. It took an Alicorn, his army, and innumerable alchemists to finally seal it away. That is, until right now." The voice revealed itself.

Rarity almost couldn't see who she was talking to, but it had the faint outline of a pony.

"Y-You're the Pony of Shadows!" Rarity realized.

"That's right. A bit of Nightmare Moon's lost energy manifested as a spirit. I saw you in my Castle several moons ago, Miss Rarity, and I knew then how important you would be. I was going to use you to enact my vengeance against the Princesses, but there are more urgent matters now." The Pony of Shadows informed her.

"Then why should I trust you?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was given to believe you were the Element of Generosity. Think of it this way, if you join with me, You will supply me with a new host, and you will be able to save at least some of your friends. That in of itself is an act of generosity, plus you will finally gain the recognition you rightfully deserve. Doesn't that sound fair to you?" The Pony of Shadows asked her.

"I-I suppose so.." Rarity stuttered nervously. This deal sounded way too good to be true.

The Pony of Shadows turned her attention to the horizon, where a glowing red-violet light shone in the distance.

"Do you know the source of this power, Miss Rarity?"

"Is that... Alexander..?" Rarity squinted.

"If you join me, your power will surpass his in strength. Together, perhaps we may end Arabus's existence forever." The Pony of Shadows continued.

Rarity weighed the options. Respect, living up to her title, and saving the lives of all of her friends.. Was it worth it?

"Do you know if any of them are dead?" Rarity asked.

"Two of the ponies you call your friends are now dead. I believe their names were Applejack and Rainbow Dash." The Shadow Pony answered.

"Rainbow and Applejack?!" Rarity asked tearfully.

"There will be time to grieve later. For now, we can avenge them as one." the pony placed a hoof on her shoulder. It felt cold and misty.

"I accept.. Just... Promise me you're right about this.." Rarity winced.

"You are a mare of business, are you not? A promise is about as plausible as Pinkamena's sanity." The shadow grinned, absorbing itself into Rarity through her horn...

*Former Fall Knight Hideout*

"So, you mean to tell me that this is..?" Weiss asked doubtfully.

"Rarity!" Twilight hugged the alicorn.

"Twilight, stand back!" Nightmare Rarity warned as Arabus attacked again.

"H-How is a pony able to hold off a monster like that?!" Ultimus asked in disbelief.

"I SAID STAY BACK!!" Nightmare Rarity yelled, the soundwave from her scream able to knock down everyone.

Ruby staggered up, in total disbelief over what she was seeing.

"Yang, we're still going after Arabus." Alex ordered.

"Got your back!" Yang grinned, reloading her gauntlet and mechanical arm.

"I'm going too. Just make sure you don't pull a stunt like that again!" Cade demanded.

"I'm not sure how else we can take down something like Arabus." Alex told Cade.

Cade transformed within seconds, glaring at his father with glowing purplish-white eyes.

"You have three Enlightened Warriors, including yourself, and whatever the hell this 'Nightmare Rarity' is. Don't tell me we can't stop this monster." Cade retorted.

"Make that four. I'm not letting anyone kill Saigo besides me!" Ultimus roared as he powered up to his Corrupted Warrior form.

"Especially not that monster!" Ultimus threatened.

"Fine, but let's keep it short. I have a 5 year old at home and I've been gone long enough as it is." Neo's eyes glowed orange as she spoke, indicating her alliance.

"We need some way to defeat Arabus. If I'm right, that means I'm probably the key to defeating it." Twilight added.

"Twilight!" A yell to their behind indicated someone else's presence.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Celestia, and Luna stepped behind them, well. In Pinkie's case, bounced.

"You're all here..!" Twilight gasped.

"Twilight, this Arabus monster is too much for you, any of you, to face alone." Celestia told her.

"WE HAVE FACED HIS CREATOR BEFORE, HIS SPAWN SHAN'T BE MUCH DIFFERENT!" Luna said in her royal Canterlot voice..

"I have a plan!" Kat yelled.

"Thank god! What's the idea?" Alex inquired.

"The ponies need to stay behind here! That means we need Rarity. Everyone who can fight Arabus has to get Rarity to use her element, even if she merged with a nightmare! The rest are support gunners!" Kat told them.

"It's so crazy, it just might work. MOVE OUT!!" Alex ordered as the 4 Enlightened Warriors and Fall Maiden took to the skies to get Rarity back and fight off the monster Arabus.

*Above Sandy Shores Airport*

Nightmare Rarity and Arabus charged each other at full power, their magic attacks exploding or falling to the ground and destroying most of whatever was below them.

"Ah, it's all clear to me now... The souls I absorbed... They left and merged with you." Arabus noted.

"Not that it would matter to a monster like you!" Nightmare Rarity retorted.

"I thought so... Prepare to die!" Arabus smiled wickedly, charging a powerful dark-magic attack.

"MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE..!" a voice shouted in the distance.

"Have at thee, monste- wait, what is that?" Nightmare Rarity turned around, searching for he source of the noise.

"MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!!" the voice got closer and closer as the seconds ticked along.

"That sounds like..." Arabus noted as Alex side-kicked Nightmare Rarity in the neck, kicking her into the mountain range nearby.

"LEARN TO SHARE, BRAT!!" Arabus yelled, preparing to fire a magic attack directly at Alex.

Yang and Cade punched either side of the monster before the attack could even fire.

Alex smiled wickedly at the monster, laughing slightly.

"I don't care if you are some legendary warrior spirit. You're still going to die. By my hands, or theirs, you lost." Alex's cocky smile turned into an angry scowl.

"DIE MONSTER!!!" Ultimus fired a massive electric attack at Arabus while Neo slashed the monster before finishing it off with an energy blast.

Arabus smiled condescendingly at them.

"Are you forgetting already what I told you? You're done for! I'll eliminate you all in an instant, just like those two ponies!" Arabus roared.

Nightmare Rarity flew back, firing a myriad of magic attacks, buying the rest enough time to charge their attacks and hold the monster at bay.

"Listen, Rarity. Celestia and Luna are there with the other elements of Harmony, you can stop all of this now and help them. It's our best shot at taking care of this thing." Alex said, turning to the Alicorn.

"The Elements of Harmony will not be enough to destroy Arabus. Besides, the honor can only be left to me." Nightmare Rarity scowled.

"No. You're not seriously doing this right now." Alex groaned inwardly.

"And what if I am?" Nightmare Rarity scoffed.

"God dammit! Just go back there and do the thing!!" Alex yelled.

"DESTINY HAS RESERVED THE HONOR OF DESTROYING THE MONSTER TO ME!" Rarity screamed.

"Fine. I'll take you there myself." Alex scowled at her irrational behavior.

"Oh, what can you do?" Nightmare Rarity asked condescendingly as Alex chopped the base of the Rarity's neck.

"That. I can do that." Alex huffed as he roundhouse kicked Nightmare Rarity back in the general direction of the hideout.

"Fall back! Lead him to the lookout!" Alex yelled as he attacked the monster, kicking it towards Mount Chiliad.

The others flew back as quickly as they could to the now-decimated hideout, with a seemingly invincible monster at their backs.

*Meanwhile; Los Santos, San Andreas; October 15, 2018; 9:49 PM*

Liss, Skirmish, and Evan's Squad had loaded up, and now they were awaiting whomever was coming for them.

"Who the hell do you think is after us?" Vanoss wondered.

"I swear to god if it's some more Inquisitor bullshit like last time I'm strangling someone!" Mini groaned.

"Let's face it, we're already this far in the f**king rabbit hole. We're probably going have to deal with dat boi next." Wildcat scoffed.

"Wait, guys! One if the distortions is here!!" Skirmish dove for cover with her spear as the ground shook apart.

Two portals started to appear. One of them poured out hundreds of soldiers in grey and silver-plated masks.

"Surround the distortion! Box them in!" They yelled indistinctly as they swarmed the distortion.

Vanoss and the others waited right with them.

"Call the city's police, tell them to try and set up a perimeter at least 3 or 4 blocks!" A soldier wearing a uniquely detailed mask ordered.

"You! What's the nature of the tip?" The commander demanded of Liss.

"Right now, several Huntresses and Equestrian royalty are fighting a monster called 'Arabus'. We're trying to keep the Fall Knights from getting in their way as we can!" Liss answered.

"Where are they now?" He asked.

"A forest hideaway a half-click north of the nearby Military Airfield." Liss replied.

"See if we can patch in a radio signal to them! We need people on this 'Arabus' informing them of any weaknesses!" The commander yelled to his squad as the second portal shifted and shimmered.

The second portal looked to be on the verge of collapse, but it was still able to produce something.

A large, orange energy attack that decimated most of the Silver Ocelot resistance.

"The f**k just happened?!" Delirious gaped.

"JESUS CHRIST!!" Lui screamed.

A middle-aged woman simply walked out of the portal wearing a simple red-orange dress. Her features were fading and her energy was off the charts, but it was immediately clear who this was. At least, in Liss' case.

"Cannon fodder as always, Silver Ocelot." The woman scowled towards Liss.

"Who the f**k is this?" Moo asked.

"You don't remember me, Brock?" The woman scoffed in mock hurt.

"Wait a second... Oh, shit. Alex is going to be f**kin' pissed." Droidd realized.

"You mean Walker? Oh, he isn't a concern.. Or, at least he wasn't." The woman smiled maniacally, her eyes glowing not only orange, but blue, green, and even purple.

"Is that who I think it is?" Skirmish gaped fearfully.

"Yep." Liss answered.

"And she's stronger in your universe than in ours?"

"Ridiculously."

"Yep, Cade's going to be pissed."

*Meanwhile*

"Wake up, Rarity." Celestia called.

"Come on, get up!" Ruby urged.

"We need your help, wake up!" Twilight added.

Nightmare Rarity slowly opened her eyes to find she was surrounded by her friends.

"H-Huh? W-What happened?" Rarity asked tiredly.

"Arabus needs to be contained, and quickly, so we came in with the other Elements." Celestia answered.

"First of all, we can't contain this monster, it needs to be stopped now. Secondly, how did you even get the Elements? I thought they were in the Tree of Harmony!" Nightmare Rarity yelled.

"Alex and the others have been fighting to get the Elements here. We were all waiting for you." Twilight told her.

"We need to take down that monster before the peace we've all struggled for is gone!" Rarity got in her place with Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight, and the princesses.

Somehow, only the Mane 3 were glowing with their Element.

"What..?" Celestia gaped.

"Damn it! You can't use the Elements because you've already shed your connection to them! And Rarity isn't in her right mind!" Weiss groaned outwardly.

"We need three more people who could represent Loyalty, Generosity, and Honesty! Granted, one might be easier to find than the other.." Twilight gasped, horrified

"We still can't imprison Arabus using conventional means.. We might have to do something drastic." Celestia sighed.

"What can we do at this point?! We're going to lose everything we worked for-!" Rarity yelled as a dark bolt of magic pierced her body through her back.

Everyone widened their eyes in horror. Another friend had just died right in front of them..

Rarity struggled to stand, changing back to normal before falling to the ground, coughing and spluttering, before finally breathing her last.

"D-Did she just..?" Blake gasped in horror and disbelief.

Ruby in particular was terrified. A look of horror plastered to her face as she stared at Rarity's remains.

'N-No... Not again... If this keeps up, who's next..? Weiss...? Blake..? Yang?' Ruby thought, terrified

Celestia's eyes widened in horror as she turned towards the city.

"Luna.. Do you..?" Celestia stammered.

"I feel it too..." Luna shuddered in fear.

"Oum dammit, what now?" Weiss gaped.

"Another sinister being's power just appeared in Los Santos.. It's strong enough to kill all of us.." Luna answered.

Ruby couldn't believe it. This could be it.

'No..! As if Arabus wasn't enough.. Now this?! I... I can't do this.. I can't watch anymore..!' Ruby shook, cradling her head in her hands fearfully.

"R-Ruby..?" Blake asked out of worry. Even Ruby was scared. Not even scared at this point, just shell shocked.

'I... I feel something slipping..!' Ruby thought as her eyes flickered a silver color.

"Ruby? Is something wrong?!" Weiss asked.

Ruby's hair started to stand on their ends, with her eyes still flickering silver light.

Her fear quickly evolved into righteous anger. How dare this monster kill her friends! How dare it try to kill all of them! The lives of her teammates, her sister, and her possible brother-in-law were at stake! If only she could help! If only she could do something!!

Then it all just fell away from her.

The silver glow in her eyes eventually spread to her body, and Ruby let out a scream of pure rage.

"ARABUS!!!!" Ruby yelled as her hair brightened several shades from black to silver, her pupils had disappeared, and everything just seemed to have this glow.

Alex had been watching all of this from a distance, along with Yang, Ultimus, everyone! Even Arabus eyed the girl intently.

"R-Ruby..?" Yang asked as she suddenly powered down. Yang's power-up had reached it's limit.

"Crap! I can't fight Arabus now! But maybe..." Yang realized, turning to her sister.

If Alex knew anything about what was happening, it was that Ruby had reached her potential. And now that she had been angered like this, there would be no stopping her.

"Ruby, kill the son of a bitch." Alex ordered.

Author's Notes:

Okay, so I have a number of things to go over.

1. I know what you're all thinking: 'If Cinder died last arc, then why is she back now?'
This is the Cinder from Cade's universe. The one who managed to kill everyone but Cade and Liss as far as you know.

The idea is that there are 4 timelines to the BRS continuity. I'll do a basic run-down now to avoid confusion.

Timeline A is where Alpha originally came from. Alex, being the idiot with well-intentions "discarded" Alpha, who later went to the main universe to get his closure/revenge by killing Alex.

Timeline B is the universe where Cade, Liss, and All-Powerful Cinder came from, where Alex is a slightly less horrible parent, died fighting True Maiden Cinder along with Yang.

Timeline C... Yeah, I'll get into that later. Extra spoiler-y stuff..

And Timeline D is the main continuity.

2. If you read the blacked-out portion, you'll know that I'm going to start using other RWBY OCs. Specifically those belonging to a DeviantART user named Longsean22 and SuperKamek. I put both links in the description.

Anyways, hang in there for Part 3 and please be sure to comment what you liked or didn't like down below!

-The Destoyer

EDIT:
Forget what I said earlier about 'timelines being erased' and crap. It just doesn't work in practice or in theory.

Chapter 21: A Blood Red Shadow, Part 3 of 3

*Destroyed Fall Knight Hideout; October 11, 2018; 10:00 PM*

Ruby looked up at Arabus in fury, spinning Crescent Rose in a flourish before leaping up and attacking.

Arabus managed to get a small scrape from Ruby's attack, but was left screaming in agony as the wound poured out shadow.

"Is she doing damage?!" Ultimus gaped.

Ruby raised the scythe above her head in rage. Using the recoil of the sniper-scythe, she hacked and slashed Arabus relentlessly, the monster letting out audible cries of pain when the Silver Eye magic even touched him.

"How the hell is she doing that! We've been attacking this thing for the past 15 minutes and we haven't made so much as a scratch!" Neo gaped as Ruby kept attacking.

Eventually, Arabus worked out the strength to fight back, firing the same attack that felled Rarity moments earlier.

"Ruby!!" Yang screamed in terror.

Arabus' attack merely bounced off her aura like it was nothing.

Arabus looked on in horror, before scowling and screaming in childish rage to the skies.

"DAMN IT!! THERE'S NO WAY I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THIS MUCH DAMAGE!!!" Arabus roared in fury.

Ruby smirked.

"That's what you get for killing my friends!" Ruby looked down at the monster, who was wounded and spilling shadow from his many wounds.

Arabus shook with rage, and his horn suddenly filled with dark magic.

"I WILL SEND YOU AND EVERYONE HERE TO THE SAME PLACE!!!! NOW DIE!!"

His horn shot a massive pulse of dark magic at the group, with several staring in horror.

Alex fired a pulse of electricity that was quickly becoming overpowered by the attack.

"Bounce it back!!" He ordered the others as Twilight joined in.

Celestia and Luna were also quick to add their magic to the counterattack, as was Cade.

"Concentrate!! We can do this..!" Cade struggled.

Ultimus fired his own attack that mixed in with the others' beam.

"Saigo Emphas is my kill!! Nothing is going to stop me from taking his life... NOT EVEN YOU!!!" Ultimus roared.

Neo stared on at the struggle. She couldn't believe how quick everyone was to rally behind him and the red-cloaked huntress.

"Neo, hurry up..!" Ultimus demanded.

"Are you insane?! Alex isn't going to let us go after something like this!" Neo retorted.

"Dammit Neo, now's not the time!!" Alex indignantly yelled.

Yang stumbled into Alex's shoulder, powering up to a mere Enlightened Warrior before adding her own attack into the mix.

"I won't let you hurt Ruby or anyone else!!" Yang screamed.

Neo finally sighed. She had enough of Arabus threatening their lives. Besides, who would be next to die after them?

She stepped to Celestia's side, adding her own beam to the now multicolored attack.

Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy suddenly started to glow.

"Our Elements.. What's going on..?" Fluttershy wondered.

"They're... They're choosing new Bearers..!" Twilight realized as the Elemental Stones from Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity's corpses hovered in the air.

Rainbow's stone shifted from the original lightning bolt to Yang's symbol before merging with the huntress and enhancing her attack.

"What the hell was that?!" Yang gasped as she looked down. The element had attached itself to her metal arm.

"I'm not hallucinating from exhaustion, am I?" Cade muttered as his mother's arm started to glow.

"Y-Yang... You're an Element now?!" Blake almost dropped Gambol Shroud in surprise.

"Is Destoyer even trying anymore?!" Neo groaned out loud as the Element of Honesty fused with her.

Rarity's former Element darted left and right, trying to find someone ready to take the mantle.

Kat grabbed her sniper and loaded in Lux Rounds, ammunition that was laced with light magic. She fired at the monster, quickly weakening Arabus' attack.

Weiss and Blake just kept shooting at Arabus, trying to weaken the attack as well.

"Come on..! Have.. To.. Save them..!" Kat put her shoulder back in it's place once she reloaded and quickly got back to shooting.

The element flew over to Kat, fusing with her right glove as she suddenly let out her own beam of energy.

The new Elements' attacks quickly fused together, turning into a rainbow that attacked Arabus from above.

Arabus fired a second beam at both attacks, trying to hold both back at the same time.

Ruby knew what she had to do.

She flew down to Yang, who was the closest element, and Alex, placing a hand on both of their shoulders.

A white glow emanated from both attacks, managing to successfully overwhelm anything Arabus could throw at them.

"DAMN YOU, HUNTRESS!!!!" Arabus yelled as both attacks quickly took their toll on him and he simply evaporated.

Eventually, their attacks slowed down to nothing, with everyone exhausted and powered down.

"Is.. Is he dead..?" Alex panted.

"Yeah.., I think so.." Yang nodded.

"C-Can't sense his presence.. He's gone.." Ultimus confirmed.

Kat staggered downward, barely standing while holding onto a small pile of rubble.

"S-Serves him... Serves him right..." Kat smirked before collapsing.

"N-Need to call... Liss... Medics..." Cade panted.

"How are they holding up... Anyways..?" Alex wondered.

*Meanwhile*

Vanoss and Liss were backed into a corner with Cinder in front of them.

"Okay, look. You're pissed. I get that. Let's make a deal.. What do you want, my Diamond Play button?" Vanoss asked.

"No." Cinder replied as she raised a hand, a ball of multicolored energy pulsating at her palm.

"Oh, crap." Vanoss sweatdropped, this isn't how he thought he'd go.

"Hey! You overpowered psycho!" A girl's voice yelled behind Cinder

"Oh, Salem dammit." Cinder groaned.

Suddenly, Cinder was attacked by two girls, one wielding an Axe-like guitar, and the other holding a metallic viola. Both instruments hit her at once, slamming her into a building.

"What?!" Vanoss gaped.

"Oh, great.. I'm dealing with them now." Liss groaned.

"You know them?" Vanoss asked.

"I know a lot of people." Liss nodded.

Cinder staggered up from the rubble.

"You two again?!" Cinder moaned in exasperation.

"Look, let's make this quick. We're in a crowded city and I really don't want to ruin anyone's late night commute." The viola-wielder, the Faunus girl with black and white hair, shrugged.

Cinder herself was mildly annoyed.

"Yeah. Let's keep it short." Cinder nodded as she flew upwards and fired hundreds of energy shots at the two, who were quick to either dodge or bounce them back.

The three took their fight to the skies, ricocheting off of buildings and striking when they were able.

Eventually, the Axe-wielder raised the axe upwards above Cinder, who was more focused on the Faunus, and hacked at Cinder's arm, blood and energy gushed from the wound.

"Oh, shit!" Vanoss yelled in surprise. How the hell were these normies even doing any damage?

Cinder dropped down, clutching her arm.

"You've gotten a bit more clever since we last fought." Cinder smiled in spite of her wound.

"So..?" The Faunus wondered.

Cinder raised one of her swords at the Faunus, with the other girl quick to uppercut Cinder with the guitar-axe.

The Faunus quickly jumped on the other's guitar strings, propelling her upwards and hacking away as the two landed on the ground.

The two ran at Cinder with everything they had, quickly using both instruments to slam Cinder through several buildings.

By the time Cinder got back, she was holding a wound, walked with a limp, and her arm and shoulder now was bleeding like crazy. The most disconcerting part was the wicked smile.

"I'm going to be honest with you. You're actually the first people to actually do this much damage. I was actually starting to get bored in our old timeline, so maybe here, I'll have a bit more fun... Until then, I'm going to go put my cult back together. You go run home to mommy and we'll put a pin in this." Cinder chuckled psychotically.

"Something's seriously wrong with you. Just... Just go." The Faunus huntress shooed her away in contempt.

Cinder grabbed a small stone, crushing it in her other hand and teleporting away.

"Until next time, Ms. Delsole, Ms. Xiao Long." Cinder said as she disappeared.

Vanoss ran up to he scene, where the two huntresses just stared at him.

"...Dafuq just happened?" Vanoss suddenly asked.

"Let's face it, you've seen weirder things by now, right?" The black-and-white haired Faunus replied.

"Yeah, good point. So, what're you two doing here?" Vanoss wondered.

"We're looking for someone., have you seen a guy with a scar across his face, about this tall-" The Faunus asked curiously.

"You're with Cade..? Alright, who're you related to?" Vanoss face-palmed, interrupting her.

"Er... We'll explain later.. Right now, we need to know where he is." She answered.

"He's with Alex and Yang and a bunch of other people. They'll be in a burnt clearing just up ahead from the Military Base and in the mountains. I can get you there." Vanoss nodded.

"Do you have medical supplies?" The second huntress asked.

"We'll get them to a doctor or some shit." Vanoss shrugged.

"Thanks!" The Faunus smiled.

"Wildcat, these two girls just asked for Cade and the others, I'm flying them in." Vanoss called and told Wildcat, who was busy helping the cops sort the mess out.

"I don't give a f**k, bitch." Wildcat told him.

"Just letting you know so you guys don't get all pissy if I'm not back soon enough." Vanoss retorted.

"F**k you." Wildcat hung up.

"Alright. Let's go." Vanoss rolled his eyes and left with Liss and the other two huntresses.

This was going to be a long couple of hours.

*Yang's Apartment; Los Santos, San Andreas; October 16, 2018; 12:10 AM*

Alex and Yang returned to their Apartment moments ago, with both completely exhausted.

"Damn... I knew Arabus was going to be a pain but holy shit." Alex muttered, twisting off one one his mechanical arms.

"I know, I still can't believe Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow are dead.." Yang shook her head, still in utter disbelief.

"Yang.. We have to talk about this... All of this.." Alex exhaustedly muttered, twisting on a different, more lifelike appendage.

"Okay. What's on your mind..?" Yang wondered.

"Before everything that happened, I was sure it would be just like before, but with three of our friends gone... I don't know if I can say the same.. And I feel like it's my fault.." Alex sighed mournfully.

"Don't say that. We were doing our duty as Huntsmen, shit like this was going to happen eventually." Yang replied with a stern tone.

"This was hardly a hunter's job, this was merc work. No way around it. I put all of you in danger because I was still pissed off. And where did it get us?" Alex asked, turning to Yang.

"You said it yourself. This wasn't any different from two years ago. This group of Inquisitors just got desperate. Because of it, we have two defectors who can help us." Yang assured.

"Ultimus is really just there to kill me once this is all over. And Neo? I can't even tell what the f**k Neo's in it for." Alex shook his head.

"You're just scared, just like you were when we first met. They'll come around." Yang promised.

"Wish I could believe that, but.." Alex muttered, cradling his head in his hands.

"Hey, come here.. We'll get through this, just like we did before. You're still the same headstrong idiot I fell for." Yang smiled, sitting at Alex's side and grabbing his shoulder.

"That's putting it a bit lightly." Alex smirked.

"There you are! Now I know you'll get us through anything in front of us. Just have a little faith." Yang told him.

"Heh.. Right.. What about Cade and those other girls?" Alex asked.

"What, worried about Cade getting a girlfriend already?" Yang smirked.

"Please, as far as I'm concerned, Cade's older than me. He can do what he wants, after all, he was properly raised." Alex smiled at Yang.

"Aww. Anyways, that other girl kind of looked like me, right?" Yang asked him.

"Yeah.. Almost like a carbon copy. And that other one who was talking to Neo looks kind of like if Blake and Liss fused." Alex commented.

"Holy crap, you're right!" Yang laughed a little bit.

"I guess we'll ask them all about it later. For now, what should we do?" Alex wondered.

"I might have a few ideas.." Yang smiled, taking off her jacket.

"What're you- oh." Alex realized.

"I just remembered, we haven't had a lot of time alone.. And I think after a night like tonight, we deserve a break." Yang cooed, massaging his spiky, dark blonde hair.

"I need an adult." Alex muttered.

"I am an adult." Yang winked.

*Meanwhile*

Neo, the Faunus girl, and Ultimus were walking by the Ammunation near the helipad when the lights started flickering.

"Damn, the city's lighting system is horrible." Neo muttered.

"Yeah, I wonder what's going on. I don't remember hitting a power line or anything.." The Faunus girl continued.

Ultimus, all the while, had a look of disgust on his face.

"What's up with you?" Neo asked.

"When Adenienites get 'friendly', they can't control their power output. Electrical systems on Adenien usually compensate for this, but considering how low-tech this 'San Andreas' is, they won't have anything like that." Ultimus explained, obviously sickened.

"Ew.." Neo cringed.

"Calm down, keeping in mind how the power fluctuation isn't too severe, I'd guess Saigo has just moved to-" Ultimus added.

"STOP!!" the Faunus girl shouted, covering her ears.

Author's Notes:

Yeah... Not sure what to put here besides...

I regret nothing.

FYI, I'll be kinda busy, so chapters are going to have to wait a while.

Until next time!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 22: The Morning After

*Conference Room, ALRIGHT Corporation; Los Santos; San Andreas; October 16, 2018; 1:30 PM*

Alex and Yang shuffled uncomfortably amongst their friends (and two enemies, give or take), as several stared accusingly at them.

"Way to go, sparky." Yang sarcastically whispered.

"Hell if I know what happened! I didn't even..!" Alex whisper-yelled back.

"Do you think we should see someone about that..?" Yang wondered.

"Can we stop talking? I'm not sure if anyone can hear us whispering, but-"

"We can, you fool." Ultimus scowled.

"You're really f**kin' bad at whispering." Vanoss added.

"S-Shut the f**k up." Cade groaned uncomfortably.

As for Everyone else, they were fast asleep, including one of the new huntresses.

The auburn-haired one elbowed the other until she woke up screaming in terror.

"DEAR OUM WHY?!" The Faunus screamed.

Alex held his head in his hands, reaching for the cup of E-Cola to wake him up long enough for him to deal with everyone.

"May we move on to more serious matters now?" Celestia asked tiredly.

"Yeah, I'm with you there." Alex nodded.

"Thank Salem, it's over." Neo sighed in relief.

"Okay, so... Cinder's back and Morning Star is still at large.. That's a thing." Kat muttered.

"That's putting it a bit lightly, especially since Cinder's a f**king god, Morning Star probably has more demons she can send at us, and then there's still other inquisitors." Liss noted.

"Something tells me the Gravity Spikes, Apothicon Sword, and the f**king Siegfried Gauntlet isn't enough." Vanoss shook his head.

"'Kay, guess we're getting more shit." Moo shrugged.

"What type of artifacts are you guys even searching for?" Twilight gaped.

"Like Evan said, we've been killing Ricky Tofen and his friends for their shit, including this weird golden testicle thing." Wildcat explained, holding up a golden sphere adorned with ancient symbols and overflowing with souls.

"Wait, how did you find a Summoning Key?!" Luna gasped.

"Ricky Tofen." Delirious added.

"It's GODDAMN RICHTOFEN!!" Lui yelled.

"Who..?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, Edward Richtofen.. So it's you guys who've been killing off a whole bunch of them." Liss noticed.

"Is that a crime?" Vanoss asked.

"I'll let it slide." Liss nodded.

"Bitchin'" Delirious smirked under his mask.

"Okay.. So how are we doing this?" Skirmish asked politely.

"I'm heading back to ask Vinyl for an upgrade on my gear. After that, I'll find Canis and ask him if he knows how I can get stronger. The rest of you can do as you please." Alex explained.

"I'm coming with you." Yang insisted.

"Yeah, take your special fun-times far away from civilization, if you'd please." Kat face-palmed.

"Okay, I'll find Uncle Qrow and ask him to help me get ready for whatever happens next!" Ruby noted.

"I'll look for Winter." Weiss added.

"I'll look for people who have connections to the White Fang, maybe they'll know where Morning Star and the other Inquisitors are." Blake decided.

"What about you, asshole?" Vanoss asked Ultimus.

"I'm going back to Adenien. To let my family know that Saigo is alive. Don't watch your back, Emphas trash." Ultimus scowled.

"Before all else. Cade, Yang, and Kat. We need your Elements. It's too risky having the elements away from Equestria." Celestia asked.

All three threw back their elements to the Princesses, who nodded their thanks.

"Wait..! We have something to say..!" The black and white haired Faunus yelled suddenly.

Cade himself looked at the other huntress, the one with brownish-blonde hair, with a sense of familiarity.

"Okay." Alex nodded.

"N-Neo.. This isn't easy to say, but..." The Faunus began shakily.

"She's your daughter from a parallel future, her name's Oreonna!" Pinkie yelled.

"What?! How the hell did you know that?!" The Faunus, Oreonna, gaped.

"I knew too.. You look exactly like my daughter back at home.." Neo commented with a smile.

"Right, but what about Pinkie?" Oreonna asked curiously.

"Take my advice and don't ask how Pinkie functions, we don't talk about the last guy who tried that stunt." Alex rolled his eyes as he took a sip of E-Cola.

"Poor Stephen Hawking.." Twilight shook her head mournfully.

"Okay, and what about you?" Yang asked, pointing to her.

"That's Auburn, my older sister.." Cade explained.

Alex spit out his drink and gagged.

"Why the f**k didn't you tell me you had a sister?!" Alex coughed.

"I thought you knew already!" Cade defended.

"No!" Alex yelled back.

Vanoss and his friends threw their heads back in laughter.

"Yang, you might want to check yourself out!" Vanoss hollered.

"We didn't go that far, you f**k!!!" Alex and Yang both yelled.

"Okay, Jesus! Relax!" Vanoss defended.

"This is quite a lot to take in at once.." Alex took another sip.

"Besides, Alex isn't my biological father." Auburn said in a monotone voice.

Alex spat out his drink again.

"YANG WHAT THE SHIT?!" Alex yelled.

"Calm down! It wasn't mom's fault!" Cade defended.

"This is the very definition of 'dysfunctional'." Ultimus noted.

"It's kinda like a train wreck." Nogla said as the Walker/ Xiao Long family continued to bicker back and forth.

Long story short, Vanoss and his friends were to collect more weapons and artifacts, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were to train and/or find help, Twilight and the other Elements would find new bearers for the Elements of Harmony. Finally, Alex and his family, were to get some more gear and train.

Oreonna insisted on going with Auburn and Cade since they were all friends in their dimension.

"Please, mom! We work way better as a team!" Oreonna had begged.

After an eternity of more argument, Neo let her go with begrudgingly.

And with that, the five headed off to the nearest Public Dimensional Gateway with Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and the Princesses to Equestria.

*Ponyville, Equestria; October 16, 2018; 5:15 PM*

Alex, Yang, Cade, and Auburn were walking up to the front door of Vinyl's house, having recently arrived with the Elements in Ponyville.

Alex insisted on moving quick, but TSA agents at LS International was a royal pain, keeping in mind they were still armed. Alex and Yang in particular had it bad since their limbs were mechanical.

"So, who is this again?" Cade asked.

"This is Vinyl, she's a friend of mine to say the least." Alex replied.

"Don't you remember Aunt V?" Auburn asked Cade.

"Shut up, Auburn." Cade rolled his eyes.

Alex knocked on the door three times and turned back to face Yang.

"Alex..?" Yang asked.

"Listen, I kinda need you to do something for me, okay?" Alex asked.

"Sure.." Yang nervously answered.

"I need you to read this cover-to-cover. I don't care when, just read it." Alex ordered, handing her the 'Predictions and Prophecies book.

"Got ya! I'll have this done by tomorrow!" Yang nodded.

Vinyl carefully opened the door, carefully eyeing the five huntsmen and huntresses over carefully.

"Holy buck, Alex?" Vinyl smiled.

"Hi, Vinyl. Can we come in?" Alex asked.

Vinyl snickered to herself.

"What's so funny?!" Alex indignantly asked.

"Daamn, boy! Puberty hit you like a bass drop! You sound almost like a raspy, badass Mr. Cake!" Vinyl noted.

"God dammit." Alex groaned.

"Wait, she's right!" Oreonna laughed.

"All of you shut up." Alex scowled.

"Aw, c'mon, Alex! We were just playin' with you! We'll kiss and make up later!" Yang slugged him in the arm.

"If this ends up like last time, I'm abstaining." Alex furrowed his eyebrows.

"So, who are you three?" Vinyl asked.

"Vinyl, This is Cade and Auburn, my... Our.. Children from the future." Alex shook his head.

"Oh, really? Cool." Vinyl shrugged.

"Wait, what?" Alex gaped.

"Yeah, Pinkie told me about how Alpha time-travelled to kill you, so I assumed other people can do it too." Vinyl explained.

"Oh, that makes sense." Yang noted.

"And this is Auburn and Cade's friend, Oreonna." Alex nodded to the Faunus.

"What is good in the 'hood?" Oreonna smiled.

"Okay, so I'm guessing you're not here just to talk.." Vinyl smirked.

"Of course. We need some upgrades to our gear." Alex stated.

Vinyl led the four of them down to her and Skirmish's shared basement, the ex-Scratchbolt home base.

And, dear god, it was beautiful.

Back-lit machine guns hung on walls, several prototypes for new Bass Cannons were piled at a corner, and another wall was lined with Iron Man-like weapons and gear. But on a small, alabaster pedestal was a ball of condensed purple energy contained in a metal cylinder.

"So, should I start writing down your wish-list now?" Vinyl asked.

Author's Notes:

I chose the worst possible name for this chapter.

Anyways, sorry about the wait! I just got done with this chapter yesterday, and I'm getting started on the next Arc.

To be honest, I wasn't sure about who I really want to be the main antagonist for the next Arc, deciding between about 4 villains planned.

Take care and happy reading!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 23: In The Meantime...

*Ponyville, Equestria; October 16, 2018; 5:18 PM*

Alex and the others looked impressed at the weaponry Vinyl had created.

"Damn, some of this shit seems pretty cool." Cade said, grabbing a gauntlet that reached to his elbow. The gauntlet sparked and hummed with untold amounts of energy.

Yang herself grabbed a small canister about the size of a shotgun shell.

"What does this do?" Yang wondered aloud.

"That's what I call a 'Scratch-Shot'. The battery in place of the primer is good for about 100 shots or so. I asked the SDC a little while back if I could integrate this with Dust, and I paid a ton of Bits for the shipment I got!" Vinyl explained.

"Holy crap, what's this shit run on?" Cade asked.

"I made a deal back in 2017 for this stuff called 'Hoofstentium'. Almost unlimited power in such a small battery, but it isn't cheap." Vinyl said.

"Do you think you can integrate these with Ember Celica?" Yang asked, absolutely exited about the idea.

"Sure, but I can't give it to you for free, you know how it is, right?" Vinyl winced.

"How much?" Alex asked.

"About... 1,200 Bits." Vinyl told him.

"Twelve hundred?! I may be a hired gun, but that price is kinda steep for a gauntlet!" Alex gasped.

"Tell ya what, because we're friends, I'll drop the price. 850?" Vinyl suggested.

"Okay, that I can handle. How about upgrading our limbs?" Alex asked.

Vinyl inspected Alex and Yang's prosthetic arms and legs, wincing audibly at the damage done in recent battles, she nodded.

"1150 bits." Vinyl said.

"Deal." Alex shook Vinyl's hoof.

"Okay, so I know it must be a pain lugging those things around, how about I make you something else?" Vinyl asked him, pointing to Alex's lever-guns.

"Like what? It's not like there's a lot to Dual Wield!" Alex insisted.

"How about I model your new weapons off of, hmmm.. Maybe this?" Vinyl levitated an HK MP7 over to Alex, who inspected the weapon.

"Not bad, got anywhere to test-fire?" Alex asked, pointing the gun towards the ceiling.

Vinyl walked over to the uncovered wall and pressed a button, revealing a 50 yard range with several targets already set.

"Let's see what you got." Vinyl commented, tossing him a magazine of Scratch-shot rounds.

Alex loaded the weapon, and fired a burst at the five targets in a matter of seconds, most of which hit around the center in close groups.

"I'll take it. Make sure you can turn it into a sword." Alex told Vinyl.

"Alright... 1990 Bits." Vinyl said.

"This is definitely making a dent in the ol' pocketbook." Alex muttered.

Cade walked up to Vinyl, curious as to what he could get.

"Alright, since you are Alex's colt, I'll find you something cool. See anything you like?" She asked.

"How about that .454 on the wall?" Cade pointed to a Desert-Eagle style pistol with an extended barrel, which Vinyl levitated to him.

"The Dante .454. The barrel's longer to counteract the recoil or something, I'm not an expert." Vinyl shrugged as she tossed him a mag.

Cade sighted in his targets, concentrating deeply, before shooting the five targets.

The targets exploded, sending shreds of paper and splinters flying around the room.

Cade raised the weapon to the ceiling, smirking.

"Nice. I'll take it if this thing can turn into a short sword. I'll keep the sickle as it is." Cade nodded.

"Smart move. 1600" Vinyl said.

"Why does he have that thing again?" Oreonna asked Auburn.

"He uses it to block an opponent's sword, then he opens them up to a counter-attack. Ingenious, if you ask me." Auburn explained.

"What about you two? I noticed they're badass instruments, but mind if I take a look at one of yours just to see what it's made of?" Vinyl asked.

Auburn held out her guitar/axe, which Vinyl levitated to a table under a scanner.

"Abadeer's Flame. Analysis, Dust-Powered core and Dust laced strings. Upgrades: Hoofstentium-Dust core results in 50% power increase. Remnantian Steel blade replacement with Tenacia results in 45% durability increase and 35% sharpness increase." The Scanner chirped.

Auburn, who usually had her trademark uninterested stare, actually smiled a little bit.

"You know your weaponry, Ms. Scratch. I'll admit that much." Auburn said.

"Much appreciated, and I bet I can do something similar for your weapon, Oreonna." Vinyl added.

"Symphonic Discord V2?!" She gasped excitedly.

"If you want it, Alex'll pay for it, but they're each about 1500 bits." Vinyl nodded.

"Just make sure to tell your mother I'm buying you all this cool shit, I'd feel a lot safer without her breathing down my neck with her f**king Mary Poppins sword." Alex commented.

"Okay, Mr. Walker!" Oreonna agreed cheerfully.

"How are you guys doing on armor?" Vinyl asked.

"What's your latest model?" Alex asked her.

"Right here. The Avalon Mk. VIII, equipped with Tempered Tenacia armor, enhanced Bass Cannon exo-leap comes standard with this thing, and it's all powered by the Dust-Hoofstentium V-Core 9.0. Highest power output I could get out of this thing." Vinyl promoted.

"The HUD?" Alex asked.

"I took a page out of the Aura Scanner's book, along with extra-dimensional devices like them and lined the helmet with a visor with some combined capabilities. This thing can get a read on whatever you're dealing with even if they're purposely trying to hide anything." Vinyl explained.

"On-Board weapons systems?" Alex wondered.

"Since you're an Adenienite, the V-Core can act as a power boost when you need it, and it'll automatically enhance your electrical output in battle. If that's not enough, the Bass Cannon Exo-Jump can deliver a pretty strong kick." Vinyl elaborated.

"How much?" Alex inquired.

"For you, 2000 bits." Vinyl coughed.

"I'll take that as well." Alex nodded.

"I'll take one too at that price." Cade added.

"Sounds badass enough for me, I'll take one too!" Yang grinned.

"I'll just take the Exo-Jump. I won't need armor that much. Besides, I'd rather not have that kind of burden on my step-father's shoulders." Auburn said.

"Same here. Also, why would you need armor when you can just as easily dodge?" Oreonna asked.

"Alright, what's the total so far?" Alex groaned.

"For three new weapons, two upgrades, and three models of my best armor, plus six limbs... 14,590 Bits. You just paid my rent for about 3 months." Vinyl said.

"I have 15,000. Do taxes have to be a factor?" Alex moaned.

"No. This is just a personal business." Vinyl grinned.

"Deal." Alex shook Vinyl's hoof.

"Alright. You're not doing anything, are you?" Vinyl asked.

"Well, we were going to Adenien for training, but.." Alex muttered.

"Say no more, just stay at the Ponyville Hotel, It'll take about 6 days for me to get everyone's stuff done." Vinyl clarified.

"Alright... Since I paid for all of our shit, who's buying 2 hotel rooms for 6 days?" Alex groaned.

"I dunno, 410 Bits can go a long way around here. A room there is, like, 67 Bits a night." Vinyl said.

"So that's Yang and I taken care of, what about you three?" Alex asked Cade, Auburn, and Oreonna.

"Do you think Fluttershy will have room for all of us?" Cade wondered.

"Twilight might have some spare rooms." Yang suggested.

"I don't wanna just stay at someone's castle for nothing..!" Oreonna decided.

"Then maybe you could do some chores for Twilight while she does Royal duties and shit. Spike seems like he has his hands full." Vinyl figured.

"A castle stay sounds nice." Auburn agreed.

"Alright, meet me back here in 6 days. I'll have your stuff ready by then!" Vinyl promised.

"On an unrelated note, how often does Equestria use electricity?" Alex asked.

"Tourists prefer a rustic feel for their hotels, so not there. Why?" Vinyl wondered.

"Never ask that question, please..." Cade shuddered.

Oreonna, wanting to pay Alex back for mentally scarring her, leaned in to Vinyl's ear and whispered her explanation.

Vinyl grinned and let out a stifled laugh.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"

*Griffin Castle; Werfen, Austria; October 31, 1945; 9:45 PM*

Der Eisendrache: A Group 935 facility centered in an Austrian castle, with views of the wintry Austrian forests littered with rockets nearly ready for launch. This is where Edward Richtofen would make his next move in his plan to kill the original cast. This was where Tank Dempsey would perish by his own hand...

That is, until they showed up.

Richtofen stumbled and fell onto the ground, clutching his knee.

"W-Wait..! Do you have any idea what you are doing?! You're dooming this universe for your own twisted goals!!" He yelled.

Wildcat stood over him with a blood-stained katana.

"Oink Oink, motherf**ker." Wildcat smirked as he stabbed him with the Katana.

Thinking quickly, Vanoss absorbed Richtofen's soul in the Summoning Key before looking at Delirious.

"So, what's the plan?" Delirious asked.

"You, Wildcat, Nogla, and I are group one. Mini, Lui, Basically, and Terroriser are group two. And Droidd and Moo Snuckel are with group 3, as for who else is with them, we'll ask around.

"We have bigger problems, Evan!!!" Nogla yelled, crashing onto the Landing Pad with numerous zombies right behind them.

"Shit! Did you get any of the targets for your Fire Bow?!" Wildcat asked.

"I can't hit shit!! I'M DOWN!!!" Nogla screamed as the zombies crowded him.

"God dammit. I'll handle Nogla. You and Delirious get your bows!" Vanoss ordered as the two ran away.

"You think we'll be ready for when Cinder f**ks us up?" Wildcat asked Delirious.

"We have badass weapons just like her's, so we might be good!" Delirious replied.

Vanoss quickly revived Nogla and ran towards the castle walls and up the stairwell leading to a Wundersphere.

"Evan, what's the plan after this?!" Nogla asked.

"We're definitely going to Gorod after this, then we'll explore some of the Black Ops I and II maps and try to get those wonder weapons from the box. For me, at least, I'm thinking Origins staffs, and maybe the Scavenger from Call of the Dead." Vanoss explained.

"How f**kin' long is that gonna take?!" Nogla asked.

"Based on how long it's taking us to get the bows, probably looking at... 6 months for everybody?" Vanoss figured.

"DESTOYER'S DOING A F**KING TIMESKIP?!"

*Location Unknown, Remnant; October 18, 2018; 8:45 PM*

Blake slowly walked into the stylized hut in the deserts of Vacuo, and had travelled for two days to find this place.

"I figured you would show up.." A feminine voice noticed.

"Yes.. I heard you might have something for me." Blake answered meekly.

Raven Branwen walked out, carrying a slightly rusted, still bloodstained Wilt and Blush, weapons that had once belonged to her long deceased partner, Adam.

"These are the weapons recovered by the Adenien Ryder Corps. I had long since saved these for you, Blake." Raven commented.

"Also, can I ask something of you?" Blake asked.

Raven nodded slightly, turning back to face the huntress.

"You're familiar with Adam's fighting style?" Blake asked.

Raven smirked.

"Adam was not only affiliated with the White Fang, but for some time, he was my student. A prodigy in the combat style I trained him in. Qrow went as far as to say he was my perfect student, on account of my own alliance with the White Fang." Raven explained.

"You were with the White Fang? Why did you leave then? Why did you let the White Fang be influenced by the Inquisitors?" Blake asked.

"I have a plan for this world, Ms. Belladonna, one that will benefit all mankind and Faunus alike. A plan that required the White Fang. One that required the Inquisitors. That required.."

"Alex..?" Blake asked.

Raven appeared slightly disappointed at the mention of his name.

"As annoying and unpredictable as he can be. My plan called for specifically him. As much as the little bastard annoys me, he does serve his purpose. As he is right now." Raven smiled knowingly.

"And what is his purpose..?" Blake asked.

"In his point of view, the Inquisitors are his mortal enemy. After all, they did kill his parents, some of his friends, and destroyed his chance of a full mental recovery.

"With Cinder, this is especially true, she has taken the most from him besides Agent Winchester. Meaning he will go through any means necessary to kill her with his bare hands.

That, Blake, is his purpose. He is a hunter born and made to destroy groups like this. To relentlessly root out every last member and either convert them to our cause, my cause, or kill them. And once he's done.." Raven explained.

"You're letting him go..?" Blake asked.

Raven laughed a little bit.

"Oh, my naive little huntress, that's for me to know and for you to not discover."

Author's Notes:

Just to let you guys know, the chapter after the next one, there will be a time skip.

It's going to be about 6 months and will deal with how prepared they are for the next threat, and what the next threat will be.

And also, while I think Raven served as the perfect mentor-figure for Alex in the last story, she seems a little more enigmatic to me, don't you agree?

-The Destoyer

Chapter 24: Time for an Upgrade

*Vinyl's House, Ponyville, Equestria; October 22, 2018; 3:45 PM*

Everyone had come to Vinyl's place to get their gear before moving on, and everyone was talking about what had happened in the past 6 days.

"Y'know, I thought we'd have to actually work at Twilight's, but she does most of it herself or with Spike." Cade noted.

"Yeah, Laundry wasn't much of an issue. Ponies don't wear clothes all that much!" Oreonna smiled.

"I don't think Twilight appreciate your trick, though." Auburn said.

"Aw, c'mon! She just didn't understand it!" Oreonna defended.

"I'm sure there was plenty to understand, especially with the bucket of yellow paint!" Cade yelled.

"You're just mad because you had to clean it!" Oreonna huffed.

"And get the paint out of Twilight's mane and coat! And had to deal with Rarity's f**king ghost!" Cade screamed.

"Don't worry, this'll be out in no time.." Cade promised Twilight.

"Do it nooooow! Purple and yellow don't miiiiix!" Rarity's ghost moaned.

Cade seethed, combing flakes of yellow paint out of Twilight's coat.

"Caaade! That red cloak with your jacket doesn't look good on yooou!!"

Cade growled, combing the knots out harder.

"Ow! Be careful!" Twilight winced.

"Tell your sister that yellow and blue claaaash!"

"GOD DAMMIT RARITY!!!!!!" Cade screamed.

"Well, Ruby's cloak does look a bit tacky on you." Yang noted.

Cade growled again.

"So, what happened to you two?" Oreonna asked Alex and Yang.

"How do I put this..? This week was a f**king pain." Alex scowled.

"Really? Name one bad thing that happened." Cade demanded.

"Well, as soon as we got to the hotel, we 'took a break'..." Yang began.

"Oh, so that's the one you decided to go with." Alex scowled.

"F**king stop, mom." Cade seethed.

"And then, well.." Yang continued.

Alex and Yang rolled around, kissing and whatnot, when suddenly Alex felt odd.

"Um... Alex..?" Yang wondered as Alex started glowing blue.

"What?" Alex asked as he converted into his Enlightened form by accident.

"Okay... I can make this work..!" Yang grinned devilishly as she went Enlightened as well.

"Wait.. When did I..?" Alex asked as Yang strolled up to him.

"I guess since we have an older daughter with Cade, we can start..." Yang smirked, leaning in to kiss him.

A bolt of electricity met their lips, shocking them both.

"Dammit!"

"Ow!"

The reactive bolt shot out the slightly ajar window, and shocked Derpy by accident.

The Pegasus pony lost control before eventually colliding into town hall, causing the main tower to topple and crash, sending splinters of wood everywhere.

Alex and Yang powered down quickly, beholding the carnage.

"Let's never speak of this again." Alex concluded.

"I'm telling Cade and the others!" Yang announced.

"F**k." Alex scowled.

Oreonna was rolling around on the floor, laughing hysterically.

"That's the best thing I've ever heard!" Oreonna giggled uncontrollably.

"Hey." Alex scowled.

Oreonna looked up at Alex, cat ears perked.

"F**k you." Alex growled in a low voice.

"What else was I going to tell you..?" Yang pondered.

"Yang's kinda..." Alex stammered.

"Oh, god." Cade recoiled in disgust.

"Ha! Jokes on you, old man!" Oreonna smirked.

"DAMMIT OREONNA I'M NOT EVEN THE FATHER!!" Alex yelled.

"Told you so." Auburn stared.

"Really..? So what happened..?" Cade asked.

"Goddamn Cardin Winchester." Alex seethed.

"Oh, no." Cade sighed.

"I'll tell this one, Yang." Alex shook his head.

Beacon Academy; Vale, Remnant; October 20, 2018; 1:35 AM*

Cardin snuck out of the party with a scared look on his face.

"Oh f**k oh f**k please don't see me Alex..." Cardin whispered to himself as he ran for the cliffs.

"Cardin Winchester." Alex growled angrily.

Cardin sweatdropped as Alex blocked his way out.

"A-Alex..! I didn't mean what happened..! I can expla-" Cardin stammered.

"Explain what?" Alex scowled.

"Please don't kill me.." Cardin pleaded as Alex circled him.

"Kill you..? Okay, you're kind of an asshole, but I wouldn't... Oh, my god." Alex realized in horror and disgust.

It all added up.

The unexpected future daughter.

The fact that Alex himself wasn't her father.

The deathly horrified expression Cardin had.

"You motherf**ker." Alex scowled, red electricity buzzing loudly.

"W-Wait..! We can talk about this..!" Cardin prepared to run.

"Ohoho, don't start running just yet! I have to deal with you first! You remember Tyrian right? How he killed 3 kids? Yeah, that was me, and I did that just because they were in league with Cinder Fall. So imagine what I'll do to you for this!" Alex walked up to him, rage blinding his vision.

"Uh, oh.." Cardin stared in fear.

Alex turned Enlightened in the fraction of a second as he walked up to Cardin, and immediately went Evolved as he grabbed Cardin by the collar.

"You think you can get away with this..? What'll a criminal like you do after this?!" Cardin asked in terror.

"Call me a criminal after what you did?! I'm a dumbass, but doing what you did... I've killed for much less." Alex grinned as he electrocuted Cardin as he choked him, killing the "huntsman" instantly.

Alex threw his corpse off the side of the cliff with a self-satisfied grin.

"And stay... Drown.. I really need work in my puns.." Alex powered down and set out to get Yang out of the party.

"Cardin ran away like a bitch." Yang explained.

"Haha. Ran away. Right.." Alex smirked.

"I don't believe that-" Oreonna said.

"Don't worry, kid. It's fine," Alex leaned in and whispered to her.

"I know you know what happened. We take this to our graves." Alex whispered as Vinyl came upstairs levitating a few crates.

"Alright, here's all of your stuff! Try not to break it all, okay?" Vinyl asked.

"Gotcha." Alex nodded.

"So, what's the plan now?" Oreonna asked.

"We're gonna spar." Alex smirked.

"Don't break it now! I spent-!" Vinyl yelled as everyone ran out with the crates

*Outside Ponyville, Equestria; October 22, 2018; 4:00 PM*

"Ready, Yang?" Alex asked.

"Not yet!" Yang yelled back, strapping on her new limbs, a brushed golden color.

Alex's own arms and legs have been given an overhaul, looking like something out of a Michael Bay movie, and having a dark steel finish adorned with his symbol on the right arm.

Alex heaved as he put on the Avalon VIII chest piece, which reminded him somewhat of War Machine's suit minus the minigun, and weighed surprisingly little despite the technology and hardware.

"Helmets or not?" Alex asked.

"Okay!" Yang nodded, strapping on her own helmet.

The helmets Vinyl had designed were individualized dramatically. Yang's in particular reminded Alex of her motorcycle helmet, with the purple visor wrapped over her eyes.

Alex's helmet was more of a military style helmet, complete with a face guard and enhanced targeting systems elaid within the visor.

"Yang!" Alex yelled.

"Yeah?" Yang wondered.

"Your power level is about 2800 right now! You're at Aura Level 28!" Alex screamed.

"Yours is... Wow.. 2750..! Aura Level 27 isn't bad!" Yang replied.

"Huh. So Alex is slightly weaker.." Cade noted.

"Oh, that makes sense. he has less power but a shorter fuse." Oreonna said with a smug grin.

"F**k you!" Alex yelled.

Yang grabbed a belt of Scratch-Shots and loaded them into her new arm. Grabbing another, she loaded it into her one gauntlet; 'Ember Scratch'.

Alex unsheathed his new sword, 'Thunderbolt', and split it apart into the two SMGs vinyl had picked out for him, appropriately named 'Thunder and Lightning'.

"Ready now?" Alex asked.

"Hell yeah!" Yang grinned, cocking both her Arm and Ember Scratch.

"Here I go!" Alex roared, leaping at Yang.

The two charged, firing their weapons and colliding at impossible speed, but Alex was careful not to hit her in the chest, as little Auburn might get hurt or worse.

Alex swept into the grass, leaping up as soon as Yang leapt in and kicked her in the arm hard enough for the Exo jump to kick in and blow her away.

Yang fired her weapons backwards, sending her back into their fight, with Alex fully aware and firing.

Several shots hit the huntress, but each one only strengthened her as she went in for the kill, punching Alex in the chest.

Alex skidded backwards, shooting Yang whenever he had the chance, and jumped high up to avoid Yang's next attack before letting himself fall, kicking Yang in the leg as he went down.

Yang reared her right hand back as Alex opened fire, only for her fist to meet him quicker than the bullets ever could.

Alex checked Yang's power level again. 2850. It had raised a little bit.

"D-Damn.. Your Semblance is still keeping up.." Alex coughed.

"Yeah! I don't see you using yours!" Yang suggested.

Alex understood her loud and clear.

Slamming Thunder and Lightning together to form Thunderbolt, he charged up at least a little bit before leaping at Yang.

Yang ducked and weaved to avoid Alex's strikes, well placed as they ever were. Still, Alex managed to keep up and eventually nicked Yang in the side.

With a self-righteous smirk, Alex fired an electrical pulse at Yang, blowing her and a bunch of grass back with her.

"D-Damn, kid.. You're getting better." Yang smiled.

"Want to take it up a notch?" Alex asked.

"You know it!" Yang cracked her knuckles.

Both went into their Enlightened forms quickly, staring down one another.

"Let's see just what you've got... 8550. Aura Level 85." Alex noted.

"8250. I'm still ahead." Yang smirked confidently.

"Yeah, but y'know what they say... Strength isn't everything." Alex grinned as he charged at Yang.

Yang flew upwards and down, using the boost to punch Alex, but found herself punching thin air.

Alex, on the other hand, was underneath, and kicking her straight up.

Yang stopped herself at 10 feet, and by that point, Alex was already there.

Each slash made her a bit stronger, but nonetheless wore away at her Semblance.

Yang eventually retaliated, punching thin air as Alex dodged and hacked upwards.

Yang staggered back as a clump of golden hair drifted to the ground.

Alex could only stare in horror.

"Ah, f**k." Alex gaped.

Yang screamed, automatically ascending to the Inflamed Warrior and glaring at him.

"A-Aura Level 330?!" Alex screamed. Her power had increased to exactly 33,000.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!!!" Yang screamed, gunning at top speed and punching Alex in the crotch.

Alex powered down immediately, being blown across the clearing and back into The Everfree Forest, clear past Ponyville.

Vinyl, Oreonna, and Cade stared wide-eyed back at Yang, who appeared scared that she might've killed Alex.

Auburn stared blank at Yang, and back towards the Everfree forest.

Alex eventually shambled back, barely able to stand.

"She p-punched me in the dick... Why...? Why did she punch me in the dick..?" His legs shook and bent inwards.

"Oh Oum, Alex! Are you okay?" Yang asked as Alex ascended to Evolved Warrior and back-handed Yang into the mountain holding up Canterlot.

"That.... Was for... M'dick..." Alex coughed.

"Please tell me you're okay!" Cade yelled,

"I'm fine! Good hit, 'Lex!" Yang called back.

*Senate Building, Washington DC, North American Federation; October 22, 2018; 4:05 PM*

"Senator Anderson. I heard about what happened in Atlas. You saved my skin back there." Chancellor Hunter Smith thanked her.

"No problem, Chancellor.. I better get back to work.." Kat nodded.

"Actually, I was hoping to see you first." A familiar voice called.

Chairman Mako Cerise stepped inside the room, looking at Kat with pride and familiarity.

"C-Chairman Cerise.." Kat gasped.

"At ease, Senator. I just wanted to talk to you about something. The Chancellor has already been cleared, but I still need a private space." Mako explained.

"Okay.. I make sure to keep my office bug-free, so come in." Kat nodded as the three stepped inside.

Mako locked the door and sat in the chair next to the Chancellor, and hardened her gaze.

"Kat, as you know, the more dimensions we run into, the more difficult it is to defend against these attacks. I've been discussing with Equestrian, Remnantian, and Adenienite officials about what to do with several... Anomalies.." Mako began.

"The CIA held all of it's secrets in Area 51, but as you know, it was destroyed. Hundreds of artifacts a day are being uncovered both in the ruins of Area 51, as well as the debris from Kalos Prime in Atlas. Hundreds of these monstrosities are being contained and brought back to base, but alone, we can't contain them all." Chancellor Smith explained.

"So, I recently cleared a new department for containing creatures like this if possible, a department with agents from all 4 dimensions, working together to keep our worlds safe from incidents such as the recent attack in Los Santos. This department is called the SCP Foundation, and I want you to be it's Director." Mako explained.

Author's Notes:

Just a couple of world-building things I wanted to make clear.

1: Aura Readers are pretty much Dragonball as scouters, meant to measure how powerful someone is, but they aren't within the same standard. For example, the average human is roughly 1300, at Aura Level 13. This goes for Ponies as well. To find someone's Aura Level, measure in how many hundreds there are in that level.

2: Adding in the SCP Foundation might seem like a shoe-horn, but think about it. Given everything that's happened in the past two stories, with apocalyptic events close to fruition and insane monsters running rampant, not having something like it in place to keep everything in check would be a massive blunder, especially to the governments and police forces.

Also, this is leading into the 'Integral Role' Kat has in the story. From being a runaway similar to Alex to becoming a senator sounds really pathetic and I'm sure many would rather see her in an important spot rather than being on the sidelines as Alex does what he normally does.

CANON CHANGING EDIT:
I've decided to change the circumstances of... certain aspects of the story.. Ethical reasons and such. The Destoyer does not condone... Yeah, you get the idea..

Chapter 25: Children of the Future [IMPORTANT EDITS]

Sokarian Plains, Adenien; May 19, 2019; 1:55 AM*

The sun had long since set over the Plains in the Sokaria Province of Adenien, where a full, silver moon had risen over the grassy fields all around, painting the grass a dim white.

Alex and Yang had brought a temporary cabin to be closer to the mentor Canis had recommended. In one of the bedrooms laid Cade, Auburn, and Oreonna, since the cabin was so small.

A couple weeks before, though, Yang had given birth to Auburn, had been promptly rushed to a hospital in Ochiros, a city situated a hundred miles east of their current settlement.

The mere facts that Auburn had been born a month or so premature, and that, even as a baby, Auburn scarcely even showed signs of life, scared the ever-living hell out of the young parents. But thankfully, most of their worries had been settled 9 days ago, when Baby Auburn was finally able to come back to their settlement with them.

The future crew had just finished putting the young Auburn to sleep, leaving the rest to do the same.

"Hey, Cade, you asleep..?" Oreonna asked suddenly.

"I was" Cade answered tiredly.

"So.. What do you think about this timeline..?"

Cade sighed.

"It definitely has it's problems.. More now that Cinder's trying to f**k everything up for us again." Cade replied glumly.

"I know.. I can't help but feel like we brought our Cinder here.. Like it was our fault.." Oreonna sighed.

"We can't think like that. Not now. The best we can do is train and wait." Auburn suddenly said.

"Oh, Auburn.. I thought you were asleep?" Cade noted.

"I was awake the whole time." Auburn replied.

"So, Auburn, what do you think about the new timeline?" Oreonna asked her.

"One thing is sure. We don't have to split up anymore." Auburn answered her.

Cade sadly sighed. Him, Flurry, Auburn, and Oreonna had been the only fighting survivors of Unity. They couldn't risk being found together, so they split up a long time ago. Auburn went with Oreonna to the Badlands of Adenien, whereas Cade and Flurry stayed in Equestria, sticking around the barren cities and to the ruins of Ponyville.

Flurry. She was his responsibility. Sure, she was older than him, but Flurry wasn't a fighter in the slightest. Even her name brought waves of guilt.

"So, Cade.." Oreonna asked again.

"Hm?"

"I was thinking about this since before we had to split... Do you know about Alpha?"

Cade felt a twinge of guilt at the mention of the Alpha Inquisitor.

"Mom and Dad always told me stories about the Inquisitors, but they didn't tell me that I was that bastard until I turned 9.. So from then on I always swore I would do right by them, help whenever I could, and try to avoid becoming the Alpha..? But, even now.. I still feel like I could screw up at any moment.." Cade explained.

"Oh, Cade.." Oreonna audibly winced. She always had been the older sister of the group, and cared for each and every one, that was why it was so hard to see Cade and Flurry go..

"It's fine.. You let me handle myself for now, Oreonna. We'll deal with Cinder and everyone else, and we'll go back... Try to fix everything.." Cade decided.

"We can't. Everything's already been destroyed. Besides, when we do kill our Cinder, we'll be stuck in our own timeline again because we used up all our fuel for the time machines. There won't be anything for us to go back to."

Cade sighed.

"Y'know how our parents used to call us 'privileged', I'm calling bullshit." Cade smirked.

"At least we're more prepared to deal with anything they can throw at us." Oreonna optimistically noted.

"I guess that's true.." Cade laid back down, trying to go back to sleep.

The door suddenly opened, with Alex walking back inside with Yang, both bruised and battered from 13 hours worth of training.

"Hey, kids..." Alex greeted tiredly.

"You alright..?" Cade asked.

"W-We're fine... Just... Y'know..." Yang answered, obviously exhausted.

Alex carefully helped Yang to their room, carrying all of her bags for her and setting them down.

"Um, Mr. Walker..?" Oreonna suddenly asked.

"What?" Alex wondered.

"Isn't Yang still, y'know, 'recovering'?" Oreonna asked.

Alex smirked slightly.

"You never stop bringing that up, do you? Yang's fine. Master Karos is making sure she stays away from anything that might hurt her. Still, though. it's 13 consecutive hours of hard training.." Alex replied evenly, referring to their new mentor.

Karos wasn't as grumpy as Canis was, but the two had a similar method of teaching. Since they've arrived, they had to deal with intense battles, simulated and real as they took on jobs across Adenien. They had scheduled it so Alex and Yang could work with improving their Aura control while Oreonna, Auburn, and Cade could improve their speed and strength, since stamina was already high for their age.

"So, when do you think we'll be going back to Equestria?" Auburn asked.

Alex thought for a moment before looking back at his Scroll.

"We scheduled it for.. Next week." Alex replied, turning off his scroll.

"Huh.. I didn't think we were almost done yet.." Cade gaped. Had 8 months really passed that quickly?

"Yeah.. I'm still going to need more time with Karos anyway to perfect this new technique." Alex shrugged.

"New technique?" Oreonna wondered curiously.

"Yeah. Unfortunately I can't keep it up that long. Ascencion cuts that time down even more. " Alex admitted.

"Something tells me Oreonna wants to see it." Cade smiled.

"Alright.. You might get it for a split second, but you guys can see. Come outside." Alex led the three of them about a mile away from the cabin, the warm air a relief from the cold winter months.

Alex puffed out his chest, and charged up his energy, the only indication Alex let out was a low, yet rising shout.

Eventually, a yellow-ish electric field formed around him as Alex let out a scream. The field Alex was generating almost looked like an artificial electric sun.

"OVERCHARGE!!!" Alex roared as the pulsating yellow current surrounding his body exploded into a fiery blaze, as though his Aura was burning out.

Cade and Oreonna were shocked to see the sudden increase the Overcharge produced, while Auburn watched in curiosity.

Alex smiled, checking the aura.

"So, what do you guys think?" Alex asked them.

"Woah..! That was flashy! And scary! And awesome! And..!" Oreonna excitedly replied.

"With this and the Evolved combined, Cinder might not stand a chance!" Cade gaped.

Yang eventually walked behind the kids before shouting at them.

"THE BABY AND I ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!!!!" Yang screamed angrily.

Alex nervously laughed.

"Sorry, Yang..! I was just showing the kids the Overcharge.." Alex explained shakily as Yang dragged him back by the ear.

Cade and Auburn stared on in shock.

"Are you still as scared of mom as I am..?" Cade whispered.

Auburn didn't respond.

"I figured you'd say that.."

"Welp. Goin' to bed now!" Oreonna zipped back towards the Cabin as quickly as she could.

*Cairo, Egypt; May 19, 2019; 2:50 AM*

A middle aged man laid in his tent, reading through yesterday's reports with a stern, somewhat satisfied look on his face as he calmly flipped through the pages.

He reached for a small journal, bearing the Inquisitor Crest; A black eagle with a red background, as he flipped the book to the next blank page and began writing.

Entry 876.

Date: May 18, 2019

Operation Hawkeye is still bearing no results. The artifacts we have been searching for have not yet been recovered, though in have full confidence we will find what we are searching for in due time.

Another attack by the SCP occurred today. Dig Cite C fell to the Foundation, leaving only two in our possession. Reports suggest they have received enhanced weaponry not before seen on this planet. It is safe to assume that the Foundation itself is mass-producing such weaponry.

I have ordered my friends in the Imperius PMC to attack Dig Site F tomorrow and bring these weapons back for testing.

My comrade Sigma contacted me yesterday saying we may soon receive help from her organization if we send precisely 1/4 of what we find to her. My only concern is that the reports clearly state that Sigma had perished in Atlas. It is unsettling, but her offer is tempting.

I fear for the future, but I do believe I can rebuild the order.

"Sir! Delta wishes to speak with you!" A soldier yelled.

"Let her in." Xavier ordered as he heard hoofsteps on the sand.

"Hello, Upsilon." Morning Star greeted.

"Delta. Has your group made any progress?" Xavier wondered.

"The remaining Fall Knights have ran into a few problems. Our reports suggest the SCP is going to attack Dig Site B tomorrow." Morning Star worried.

"Fret not. Where the Fall Knights have failed, the Nexus Divisa will conquer." Xavier confidently answered.

"But, you know we're losing too much ground!" Morning Star yelled.

"Then the time has come. Let them know the fury of HADES." Xavier ordered, saying the code word that would be certain to turn the tide of the war.

"HADES?!" Morning Star gasped.

"Have HADES unleashed upon Dig Site F at 5:00 AM. Afterwards, send your Fall Knights over and retrieve the weapons they have been using. Do not fail me." Xavier commanded.

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get this chapter in sooner, I've just been kinda busy and all.

I've decided to delve a little bit into Cade, Oreonna, and Auburn's stories and exactly how they know each other, as well as unveil the Villains for this Arc.

Take care!

-The Destoyer

[EDITS:]

Dear Christ, I have my work cut out for me.

As some of you know, I occasionally go back and edit my stories to add a better flow to the official (well, as official as a Fanfic can get) canon.

This one's quite the doozy.

If you check the description of this story, a couple characters of this story (being Oreonna and Auburn) actually don't belong to me, but to a couple other users (SuperKamek and Longsean22)

Because they don't belong to me, I've had to account for their origin stories and pinpoint where and how they would fit into Blood Red Shadows Canon.

Recently, Kamek released a long-ass blog post of a Fire Emblems project, with Oreonna and Auburn as characters. Said Blog Post can be seen right here, if you click this shiny green text.

This is where things get kinda out of hand..

On his blog post, it says that Auburn was born May 1st.

However, on my story, Auburn (that is, Present Auburn. Future Auburn is the badass that we see in the story fighting alongside Alex and the others) isn't shown until Chapter 35. Which takes place October 18th.

So, by this point of the story, Auburn should've been born already, an entire arc earlier.. (Well, technically just 10 chapters, but Arcs are kinda long and tedious to plan out.)

Thankfully, this should only affect 10 chapters of the story. But even so, I'll have quite a bit of work to do patching up the placement of a few important details for this to actually work out.

Take care, everyone!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 26: Back on your Feet! (Slightly Edited)

*Sokarian Plains, Adenien; May 26, 2019; 3:15 PM*

Alex and Yang skidded to a halt, weapons bared as both collapsed, Alex clutching his side.

"Good hit! You'll be ready for anything Star and that other lackey of Alpha's has planned, Yang! Alex as well!" Master Karos, the armored, near-elderly man smiled.

"Heh... Thanks.." Alex walked away, sitting next to Yang at the chairs in the side.

"Now, I've always been curious as to how strong the kids might turn out to be! I'll have you all fight at once!" Karos shrugged merrily.

Oreonna handed Yang the newborn Auburn as Cade, herself, and Future Auburn walked up to the three corners of the large arena-like structure and took their weapons out.

Cade wearily pointed his modified .454, Conductor, between Auburn and Oreonna. He heard Vanoss' report, they both managed to take out Cinder with only a few minor injuries, whereas even in his Enlightened form he couldn't stop her!

"Begin!" Karos yelled as all three leaped at one another.

Auburn quickly strummed the strings of her guitar, blowing both Oreonna and Cade away from her. Auburn sprinted towards Cade, brandishing her axe as Cade tried to duck and evade his sister's attacks.

Oreonna swept in from the side, playing a chord from Symphonic Discord V2, the sound waves enough to send Auburn skidding to the side. Leaving just her and Cade.

Cade jumped into the air to avoid Oreonna's next chord, slamming his boot mere inches off as Oreonna quickly moved onto bladework. Thinking fast, Cade brought up his sickle to block Oreonna's sword, pointing Conductor's barrel right at her.

Auburn swung the axe strings-first just before Cade could finish her, blowing him into the wall as the two girls attacked eachother, leaving him to pull himself from the wall.

"It looks like Auburn and Oreonna trained more with their weapons than Cade. The girls know their limitations well enough to take on even their Cinder." Alex noticed.

"I will say this about your son, Alexander. His learning style almost mirrors yours. Once he fights more, he'll be more than a match for them even without powering up." Karos smirked.

Cade leaped from the wall, shooting both repeatedly before sticking the landing, gripping Oreonna's sword with his hand.

Auburn noticed immediately and swung for his neck, only for Cade to pull Oreonna away from the blade and kick her directly into his sister.

Cade raised his hand, firing a pulse of lavender-colored electricity towards the two, only for their strings to completely absorb any of his lightning.

"What?!" Alex gaped.

"Ah, yes. Their weapons have iron-coated strings, along with Ms. Scratch's home-brewed power core. It'll absorb almost any amount of electricity and use it for an added power boost! Mighty ingenious if you ask me!" Karos smirked.

Cade stared on in horror as the two girls surrounded him, brandishing their weapons and generating innumerable amounts of noise.

Cade, by the end of the beat down, was lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

"He's tough, but I guess he isn't tough enough yet.." Auburn noticed.

"Do you think we'll have to go a bit easier on him?" Oreonna asked.

Cade's eyes shot wide open.

"I DON'T THINK SO!!" Cade roared.

The two backed away as Cade suddenly went Enlightened and glared directly at them.

The two girls moved to his sides, hacking away at Cade, with Cade managing to finally fight back.

Cade kicked Oreonna right in the arm, causing her to drop Symphonic Discord. Cade picked up the weapon, and forcing all of his power into the sword, played a single chord that blasted both girls away, Cade threw Symphonic Discord aside and leaped right at Oreonna, who swung right for his side. Cade blocked her attack with his sickle, and fired a charged shot right at her, blowing her through the wall and into where Alex, Yang, Present Auburn, and Karos were watching.

"Oreonna, you okay?" Yang asked.

"I'll... I'll be fine... Give Auburn a minute.." Oreonna smirked weakly.

Auburn charged directly at Cade as her hair suddenly stood on end. the second their weapons clashed, she had suddenly gained a bright orange aura. She reared the axe back, swinging it right into Cade's armored chest, and blew him through the two walls, and several feet into the concrete lining their underground training room.

Auburn eventually lost the orange-colored Aura as she placed the axe across her back again, running up to check on Oreonna.

"You okay?" Auburn asked with a mere indication of concern.

"I'm fine... Cade on the other hand..." Oreonna coughed as Alex and Yang pulled Cade out of the wall.

"Y-You're still an absolute monster.." Cade coughed encouragingly at his sister before doubling over in pain, "J-Just like when we were kids.."

Auburn stared at him with a look of sincerity, nodding back to him.

"You've improved." Auburn nodded.

"So... Cade is stronger than Oreonna, but not as strong as Auburn.." Alex tried to figure out the pecking order in his head.

"I got their Aura Levels right here! Oreonna's at Level 26, Cade's at 27 exactly, and Auburn is about 28." Yang exclaimed.

"Well, what's my Aura Level now? I haven't checked since our last battle." Alex asked.

Yang grabbed the Reader, pointing it right at him and reading his out loud.

"You're at Aura Level 28. 2850, to be exact.." Yang quickly pointed the reader at herself, "... And I'm at Aura Level 29, almost 30." Yang answered.

"Now, a few words of advice before you continue, Alex.." Karos stood up to shake Alex's hand.

"Yes?" Alex wondered.

"I wouldn't recommend using your Overcharge alongside your Enlightened Berserker. That combination can prove deadly because it puts what little of your body you have left under a lot of stress." Karos began sternly.

"I understand." Alex nodded.

"Also, the nearest Dimensional Gateway is 123 kilometers to the west. Though I will warn you, that is where the Crux family marks their home. Do not do anywhere near it. Hell, just go north 200 kilometers, and then move west before heading south." Karos noted.

"Wait... Do you know where we can find a Class IV Freighter..?" Alex asked.

"110 Kilometers east in Ochiros. It's a Ryder Surplus shop. I recall you're familiar with the area." Karos nodded.

"Okay, thanks for everything, Master Karos." Alex nodded respectfully.

"Anytime!" Karos replied as the five walked out the door.

"Okay, here's the plan.. Since Cade here left the old freighter with Vanoss of all people, we're going into Ochiros and getting another one. We'll pool our resources and try to get what we can and fly right over Ultimus' little shithole and get where we need to go." Alex explained.

"Did you guys gas up the car?" Yang asked.

"Yeah.. Just yesterday." Auburn replied.

"Well, what're we waiting for, let's pack up and move." Alex ordered as everyone stepped out.

*Gorod Krovi; Stalingrad, USSR; May 22, 1944; 4:15 PM*

"OH DEAR GOD SCOTT!! COVER ME!!" Moo shrieked as he was inevitably surrounded by zombies and downed within seconds.

"I got him!" Ohmwrecker yelled, firing a Pack-A-Punched Death Machine into the massive horde of undead in their midst.

"Hey, where are the others again?" Droidd yelled to Ohm as him and FourZer0 ran and helped him up.

"Vanoss and his group are at Revelations doing f**k-all while Terroriser and his group are screwing around in Buried." Ohm answered.

Vanoss had called in a favor to Mako asking her to send Ohmwrecker and FourZer0 over to help them with their Easter eggs in exchange for Wonder Weapons that her group could use to help them later.

"THREAT DETECTED." An echoing mass of zombies, along with two Manglers roared as they surrounded all of them.

"Oh f**k me!!" Moo yelled as he was downed again, along with everyone but Ohm fell to the ground.

"You got this!" Droids added in encouragement to Ohm as he helplessly gunned down most of the zombies before being shoved onto the ground by a Mangler's shockwave cannon.

The particular Mangler staggered up to him, raised his sickle-arm, and glared down at him.

"FASCISTS MUST DIE!" The Mangler yelled as his arm cannon was completely blown off.

Ohm turned around to find a young huntress wearing a dark robe along with a signature red cloak, hands and face splattered in what seemed to be blood as she pulled back the bolt on her weapon, a large, Pack-A-Punched Scythe with a sniper barrel.

Quickly, The huntress swept in, bisecting the zombies in groups as she got to work reviving everyone.

"Ruby?!" Moo gasped, using his pack-a-punched M1927 Thompson to shoot the last zombie, ending the round.

"I'm glad to see you, Brock! Who are these guys?" Ruby greeted, turning towards Ohm and FourZer0.

"This is Ryan and Scott. You can just call them Ohm and FourZer0, though." Moo pointed.

"And you're Ruby, right? The one Evan invited to that one Infinite Warfare video?" Ohm asked, referring to the literal one video they made for the entire game.

"Yep! Listen, Twilight says it's time for that meeting. Vanoss and the others are already in Ponyville!" Ruby noted.

"Nice, and how did you get here?" Droid asked.

"Through the.. Pod that the zombies... Destroyed..." Ruby's voice trailed off as the next round started.

"Oh, shit." Everyone muttered under their breath.

*Location Unknown; May 27, 2019; 2:34 AM*

"I apologize for my lack of contact these past months, M'Lady.. I have been busy." Cinder began.

A tall woman wearing a thick, black cloak and what appeared to be a white headdress merely stood outwards, facing the crystalline scarlet fields before her.

"Speak, Cinder." The woman demanded calmly.

"The Unity Squadron is arming our enemies in Cairo, and they're meeting up shortly. The Silver-Eyed Huntress is among them." Cinder explained.

"It has been a long time since I've contacted you, my perfect assassin. Tell me, how do you feel having gained what you've desired for so long..?" The woman asked evenly.

Cinder raised a hand, letting the raw power form a ball in her hands.

"Everything you promised." Cinder replied with a wicked smile.

"I'm glad you're enjoying what I have provided you with. Another task lies ahead." The woman slowly turned around, revealing black and red eyes that glowed sinisterly.

"I will do anything as a favor to you, Lady Salem." Cinder bowed.

"Keep gaining followers. Do not intrude Unity's encounter with the Nexus Divisa. If all goes as planned, they won't recognize the folly of their actions until it is too late.." Salem grinned devilishly.

"Yes, Salem." Cinder continued.

"Also, be wary of my other agents. Lately, they have been proving to be more cunning than even you, my perfect weapon." Salem warned.

"I understand.." Cinder stood and left the room, leaving Salem to turn and face the moon.

"Salem..? This Alexander is... Stronger than my own. I cannot destroy him as easily as I did before." Cinder suddenly said.

Salem grinned.

"Alexander Walker is still young, unruly, and blissfully unaware of how close he is to falling apart. The only solace he has are his loved ones. The moment they lose their trust in him is the moment he breaks. I will warn you, he is still headstrong, even then. But just like before, he will thirst for revenge, be cautious." Salem advised.

"Thank you, Salem.." Cinder exited the room, pulling up her own scroll and typing.

Sigma:

Prepare your Armageddon. If Arabus couldn't stop them, it will.

Upsilon:

Armageddon is supposed to be my last resort, Sigma. I can't afford to waste it now.

Sigma:

I suppose it's not my place anyways. Do as you wish.

Author's Notes:

Edits:

Turns out those edits I have to make aren't as severe as I thought, on account that babies can survive being born a month or so early. I'm still thinking about how I'm going to handle battle scenes.

Chapter 27: Unsecured (Edited)

*Cairo, Egypt; May 30, 2019; 1:45 PM*

A helicopter flew over the smoldering remains of the SCP occupied dig sites, all of which were barren and burning.

Kat looked at the carnage in abject horror.

"What the hell happened here?" Kat stared out of the helicopter in horror.

"Damn Nexus. They've been using a trans-dimensional sun-gun against us for the past 7 months. We tried taking back Dig Site X, but... Something attacked us.." The sergeant explained.

"What attacked you?" Kat asked.

"Field reports suggest an 8-foot tall humanoid. It's described as incredibly muscular, and insanely bloodthirsty. It was last spotted at Dig Site O." He replied.

"Where are the Nexus hiding?" Kat wondered.

"They've fortified one of the Great Pyramids to the east, but they're so heavily guarded that even our largest combined unit couldn't break in."

Kat thought things over for a moment before turning to face her sergeant with a slight grin.

"If they can't turn the tide here, I have people who can. Get a hard line to Equestria as soon as possible!" Kat ordered as the helicopter slowed to a landing.

She stared at the horrid scene before her, of the remaining 1200 or so men, half of them were badly burnt and had makeshift splints and casts running up and down their arms and legs.

"Is this the only base we have left?" Kat asked.

"Yes, Director. The Nexus have been hitting us left and right. If we don't do something soon, we might lose SCP-2807." The sergeant sighed.

"Which one was 2807 again? I swear, there are already thousands of these SCPs running around everywhere." Kat scoffed.

"We'll discuss that later. For now, we best be on the lookout. Send your friends, they may be our last and best hope." A lieutenant muttered, shaking his head.

*Ponyville, Equestria; May 30, 2019; 2:00 PM*

Ruby, Vanoss' crew, and The three original Elements of Harmony had been conversing.

Weiss, Blake, and Alex's crew had been the only ones to not show up, so they sat there in wait, discussing as to what might happen in this next encounter with the Inquisitor Splinter.

"Ruby! I haven't seen you in a while!" Vanoss smirked, shaking hands with the huntress.

"It really has been a long time.. You look different.." Ruby squinted, trying to figure out just what was so different about him.

"Uh.. Personal space..?" Vanoss asked awkwardly.

"Sorry!" Ruby grinned, backing away.

"So.. The Vigil... How did that go..?" Skirmish asked sadly, referring to the memorial vigil several of the Elements of Harmony and a lot of others attended in the night before they had separated.

"We took some time to remember our friends. I know they're still watching us.." Fluttershy nodded morosely.

"We had to choose new Elements, though. Celestia didn't want to risk keeping them away from the tree or Equestria for too long." Twilight explained.

"Really? Who are the new guys?" Wildcat asked.

Three teenaged fillies burst inside the room suddenly, wearing the necklace-like Elements as they entered.

"CUTIE MARKED CRUSADER DIMENSION PROTECTERS!!" They hollered.

"Jesus! I have really bad hearing because I spent 6 months killing f**king zombies!!" Delirious winced, clutching his ear.

"Oh, sorry!" The yellow earth pony, Applebloom, apologized.

Ruby squealed, hugging all three of the new elements.

"Hey..!" Sweetie Belle gasped in surprise and lack of air.

"Can't... Breathe.." Scootaloo wheezed.

Ruby quickly let them all go, apologizing frantically.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"It's fine..." Applebloom heaved, finally able to breathe.

"Who are they..?" Weiss asked as she and Blake walked inside the castle.

"Weiss! Blake!" Ruby and Fluttershy quickly greeted.

"How was your training?" Twilight asked.

"I can say I'm more prepared for anything that might happen, that's for sure." Weiss replied.

"Well whoop de f**king do, let's just wait for Alex's dumb ass and go." Terroriser dismissively scoffed.

"There are fillies here!" Twilight screamed.

"It's okay. The universal-exchange kids at school talk a lot worse." Sweetie Belle shrugged.

A huge metallic thud could be heard outside the castle as five ragged hunters (and one baby) ran inside, armed and visibly anxious.

"Alex! Yang! Wait... Is that a baby?!" Ruby gasped.

"Now isn't the time!" Cade panted.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.

"What the hell were you thinking? Flying right over Ultimus' f**king 2 million dollar ranch?! We haven't even had the baby for a month!!!" Yang screamed.

"As if I'm not the only one not thinking shit through!" Alex yelled back

"Yeah right, dumbf**k!" Yang hollered as several transport ships landed.

"...Wat?" Vanoss gaped.

"I swear, you're more of a dunce than Ruby, Alex." Weiss shook her head.

"At least I didn't go overboard at COCO'S STUPID BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!" Alex roared, shooting at a half-dozen transports.

"So, I like to relax a little, big deal!" Yang shot back, gunning down the soldiers coming out of the transports.

"We've been raising your LITERAL bastard child after that idiot Cardin got to you!" Alex yelled back.

"Love you too, Dad." Auburn stated, rolling her eyes.

"WHAT?!" Ruby gasped.

"...Wait, was that sarcasm?" Yang wondered.

"If you're raising a small child, shouldn't you be doing literally anything else? Seriously, I'm not even sure these future ones should be here, same goes for the small child horses." Wildcat asked.

"Speaking of that jackass, you scared him off, didn't you?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, if by 'scared off' you mean 'flat-out killed'." Oreonna rolled her eyes.

"Even better! Why didn't you let me get a kick in?!" Yang added.

"Yeah! Sure! I could've absolutely asked you while you were passed out!" Alex replied scathingly.

"Hold on, phone call!" Twilight ran over to her communicator as everyone set out to defend the castle.

"Great! Perfect! Now if anyone else has something to add, get it out of the way now!" Alex yelled, a vein popping out of his forehead.

"Kat needs us in Cairo. Morning Star is still there, a monster and some sort of super weapon are killing a bunch of her men, and worst of all, the Nexus is holed up in an ancient pyramid." Twilight explained.

Alex stared apprehensively at Twilight.

"God dammit, Twilight." Alex groaned.

Ultimus charged out of his transport, sprinting and punching Alex hard in the face.

"You bastard! Did you think you'd get away so easily?!" He roared as Auburn and Cade held him back.

"We were in a rush, you over-zealous c**kbite!" Yang scowled.

Vanoss and his friend stared in disbelief at Alex's situation.

"Holy f**k, they're parents." Moo gaped.

"I guess that explains how Auburn got so.. Auburn-y.." Droidd added.

"I just... I can't.." Ohm tried to process the incident before him, utterly confused.

Alex turned around to face Ohm and Fourzer0.

"Okay, who the f**k are they?" Alex groaned.

"This is Ohm and Fourzer0." Vanoss introduced.

"If there's anyone here who needs counseling or some shit, it's clearly you." Fourzer0 said.

Alex smirked.

"Yeah, you're getting the idea." Alex nodded in agreement.

"Hi, Mr. Alex!" Applebloom greeted.

Alex stared down at the adolescent ponies in front of him.

"... And who are they?" Alex asked Twilight.

"That's Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister." She replied.

"I'm Scootaloo, I was friends with Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo greeted solemnly.

"And I'm Applebloom.. I'm Applejack's little sister!" She added.

Alex audibly winced.

"So... You all knew Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, huh..?" Alex sighed.

These three were still children. And they lost their role-models and family... All because of him.. Being a parent now, himself. Alex suddenly couldn't bear the idea of them dying.

The three nodded.

"Don't worry. I won't make the same mistakes I made with them. Stay close to Twilight, Yang, Ruby, Vanoss, or me. Got it?" He asked them, determined that these fillies wouldn't meet the same fate their families had.

"Okay." Applebloom nodded.

"How charming, Saigo. But we have business to attend to!" Ultimus scowled.

"Can we not do this right now, Ultimus?! " Alex shouted.

"I don't know, can you drop dead?!" He retorted.

"Oreonna, tell him what an asshole he's being." Alex scowled.

"Nah, this is more your problem than mine." Oreonna shrugged.

"Go f**k yourself!" Alex hollered back.

Twilight stared at Alex as he argued with Ultimus and now Oreonna.

"Ahem.. We have work to do, everyone.." Twilight whispered as everyone decided to head out through the back entrance.

"Well, that's my cue. Find the next flight home." Alex shrugged.

Ultimus growled.

"WE'RE NOT DONE HERE, EMPHAS SCUM!!" He yelled.

Alex reached into his pocket and threw $20 in quarters at Ultimus as he left.

"There! Toll's paid! Now f**k off!" Alex shouted over his shoulder.

Author's Notes:

Welp, Alex is going to earth for the first time in years, and the main villain of this Arc is going to be revealed!

Will Alex break down upon going back? Probably.

Find out for sure on the next 'exciting' chapter of Blood Red Shadows 2!

(I really need to get this into swing, the first 4 chapters of this Arc were basically outlines of prep-time and backstory)

Edit:

This last scene is either funny or sad. Funny being how utterly dysfunctional Alex and Yang are, or sad being how utterly dysfunctional Alex and Yang are.

Chapter 28: Uncontained (Edited)

*Cairo, Egypt; May 30, 2019; 3:00 PM*

Following the incident Alex had experienced even getting to the castle, he took a moment to politely ask Spike and Skirmish to take care of the baby for them until they made it back.

Eventually, though, the time came for all of them to head out on their next mission.

Alex was taking it as well as you'd expect.

"Holy shit, it's hot out here!" Yang panted, using the local gateway for support.

"Yeah, no kidding.." Vanoss said, practically throwing off his owl mask.

"G-G-God dammit..." Alex shook.

Ohm turned around to find Alex on his hands and knees, shaking and muttering to himself.

"Okay, what's up with him?" Ohm rolled his eyes.

Twilight blinked.

"He hasn't been in his home dimension since before we met... He might be having a hard time being back here again.." Twilight explained.

"Still?! We aren't anywhere near Oregon!" Kat added, walking up to the new arrivals carrying her trademark sniper rifle.

"H-Hey, Kat.." Alex kept shaking uncontrollably.

"Jesus, it's like he hasn't been in a desert before, either!" Wildcat groaned.

Yang poked Alex's shoulder a few times before he finally looked up at her.

"C'mon! We don't have time to waste right now! I'll take care of you later!" Yang pulled him up and led him to Kat.

"S-Sorry.. Haven't been here in a while.." Alex commented.

"How's it all look?" Kat asked.

"Well.. Even shittier. Which seems kinda hard since last time I was here, I almost f**king died." Alex scoffed.

"Yeah, The Nexus has been f**king things up here for the past few months. Between attacks from this monster and the sun cannon, it's easy to see why we need you guys." Kat explained with a shrug.

"How the hell are we gonna do this? I mean, the monster I can understand, but the giant magnifying glass in orbit right now seems like a lot to deal with." Cade asked.

"I've been trying to set up an SCP-controlled space program, but Chancellor Smith thinks it's a 'waste of federal tax dollars' or something, so I've been bugging the Russians about borrowing one of their rockets." Kat noted.

"Well, good luck. Where's the monster right now?" Lui asked.

"From what Intel has, he's back in the Pyramid. He only happens to come out at night." Kat explained.

"What's the plan?" Vanoss asked.

"The Nexus is using the power of the sun to it's own gain. If we can reflect the beam into the pyramid's entrance, it can provide us with a way in and give us the advantage we need." Auburn explained.

"The only problem is, where are we going to find a mirror large enough to reflect a beam of that magnitude?" Kat asked.

"Hold on! Do you have any solar panels?" Cade asked.

"We might have a few, but not enough to convert such a high amount of sunlight into energy."

"If we can move the sun gun just a few feet, we might be able to make it fall to orbit, or maybe redirect it towards the pyramid!" Vanoss figured.

"We don't have anything like that just yet." Kat added.

"We can't get into the pyramid without first taking out their primary defenses, and we'd better come up with something by nightfall!" Weiss said.

"Kat, don't you have anything at your disposal? Artifacts, spells, anything like that?" Alex asked.

"We've captured at least 20 potentially lethal SCPs, but I don't think we can get them out here in time." Kat replied.

"Okay, they're probably going to have some method of controlling this 'sun gun' inside their base. If we can take out the Monster and the guards at the entrance, maybe we can overpower them, kill Callan and Morning Star and then we can move on to killing Cinder." Alex decided.

"That might work... Do you guys think you can handle the Monster?" Kat wondered.

"What kind of monster do you think it is?" Alex wondered.

"Definitely something I've never seen or heard of before, It's skin was metallic. Not anything it was wearing, but it's skin." Kat explained.

"Metal skin? What is this thing, Colossus?" Delirious asked jokingly.

"So we're fighting a Colossus knockoff and shutting down an oversized magnifying glass. I can think of a few ideas." Terroriser agreed.

"Alright.. We're gonna need a few minutes to think things through and find a work-around for every counter the Nexus can come up with. And if they find what they're looking for, we'll need to know the Artifact's capabilities, Kat." Blake decided.

"Okay.. Lieutenant, bring me any and all files relating to SCP-2807." Kat ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am." The Lieutenant nodded.

"Cade, I need you to call Liss. We might need backup." Alex told him.

"But, Dad... Liss seems pretty busy trying to get more soldiers after Cinder slaughtered them." Cade answered.

"Then call the Coalition. They'll come running once they find out the Nexus is trying to possibly destroy the continent." Alex scoffed.

Yang turned to Auburn and Oreonna.

"I need you two with Weiss and Blake to do some cool spy shit at the Pyramids. Kat, can you give us any nearby Dig Sites that could be taken back?" Yang asked.

"Dig Sites S, T, and V are nearly recovered. And the Dig Sites closest to the pyramid are M, N, and O." Kat explained.

"We'll do our best, Ms. Xiao Long." Oreonna promised.

"Just be careful out there." Yang insisted.

"We promise." Auburn nodded.

Alex by now had started getting to work on mapping out any vantage points on Kat's war map.

"Alex, a word?" Blake whispered.

Alex nodded, walking with Blake to a small enclave deeper in the tunnel.

"What's this all about?" He asked curiously.

"It's about Raven.." Blake replied in a low voice.

"Raven? Does she know anything about this?" Alex wondered.

"No... If anything, she couldn't care less about the state of your world."

"Couple things. First off, Earth is so f**king far from what I consider a home. Secondly, why do you need to talk about her?" Alex wondered.

"Just... Be on the lookout.. I don't think it's safe to trust her.." Blake insisted.

"Well, to be fair, she did train me to the point I was ready to fight Cinder and win. But then, she is really kind of a prick. Especially considering she didn't do shit when the Blood Red Night came around." Alex figured.

"Look... My point is, she's been acting like Adam did before... Well... I won't let her do what Adam almost did to me.. Be careful.. For Yang's and Auburn's sake." Blake continued.

Alex nodded.

"The hell you think I've been doing any of this for?" Alex shrugged.

Alex stood up.

"Look, I think we've all got work to do. But trust me.. It's just this and one more mission. After that, we'll never need to do this crap ever again." Alex swore.

"Okay.. Just.. Try and look out." Blake nodded as she walked away.

Alex turned and walked back to the map. He pretended to crack his metallic knuckles as he stared down at the war map, now his own personal chessboard.

"Just this and one last mission..." Alex sighed.

*Inside the Great Pyramid; May 31, 2019; 5:25 PM*

Xavier continued to walk in strides, writing in his journal.

Entry 1001, May 31, 2019.

The men are terrified. Our scouts have reported seeing two known affiliates of the Coalition. Two huntresses known to have helped spearhead the Assault on Kalos Prime. I do not believe it matters. Now that we occupy almost every Dig Site, we are expecting to find the Artifact soon enough.

HADES has scorched the desert, and my Apocalypse has been proving especially useful. And now that The Catalyst is here, I can unleash my creations upon them and take back the dominance that rightfully belonged to the Inquisition.

Delta has been proving to be quite an annoyance, especially as of late. So insistent on taking the reins and the credit for my work. I have come to the conclusion that she is too power hungry to possibly continue our partnership and far too dangerous to be left alive.

"Still too busy to talk, eh?" A low voice uttered coldly.

Xavier looked up to see a metallic blob of mass rising from a vat of oil.

"Someone seems to be in a better mood than usual." Xavier commented.

"Who wouldn't be..? Is that bastard here?" The blob asked.

"I believe so.." Xavier shrugged.

The blob dissipated, revealing a liquid metal shape of a young man with dark blonde hair as it slowly assumed it's true form.

"Don't bullshit me. Is he or isn't he?" He demanded.

"Yes.. He arrive with those huntresses. Given the circumstance, I believe they are going to attack tonight, Jakob." Xavier replied.

"That's not my name, Callan. Or do you want me to keep calling you 'Xavier'?" He scowled.

"Fine. What exactly is your deal with the bastard anyways? You aren't a full inquisitor." Xavier questioned.

"My deal is that son of a bitch RUINED my chance for power, FORCED me to take Cinder's offer and get turned into some goddamn FREAK, and DROPPED A F**KING AERO-CARRIER ON MY FACE!!" Jäger yelled.

"I did everything in my power to make you a better fighter than Walker could ever be! I even made spare mimicrite material so you could overpower even a thousand Ratte tanks!" Xavier yelled.

"That's no excuse. But tonight, I take solace in the fact that I get my revenge.. Walker will die, I won't even offer him a chance to surrender." Jäger grinned sinisterly.

Author's Notes:

Jäger's back, and he might actually cause some trouble!

So... Yeah... I'll try to keep these arcs at just the right length. 'Till then, happy reading!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 29: Unprotected (Edited)

*Cairo, Egypt; May 31, 2019; 7:00 PM*

"We're back!" Oreonna yelled throughout the camp indicating his return from yet another perimeter check with Blake, Weiss, and Auburn.

"So, what's going on out there?" Kat wondered.

"It's not looking good. They look like they're getting ready for something big. Everyone aligned with the Nexus is practically waiting for us to show up." Blake sighed.

"Shit. We'll need some heavy reinforcements if we're going to beat the Nexus in their own base." Kat seethed.

"The coalition said they could help us tomorrow." Cade noted.

"I asked Princess Celestia about any chance of reinforcements on her part, but the Royal Guard is understaffed and most Equestrian Mercenaries aren't willing to come over and fight an army." Twilight sighed.

"We don't have time! If we don't attack first, they'll come over to us!" Kat worriedly replied.

"Can't the NAF send reinforcements? You are still government personnel!" Alex wondered.

"Not from halfway across the world! Even if we could, the NAF itself doesn't even have clearance to travel to Egypt! We had to pose as a scientists to be able to come here!"

"So, we're able to literally travel between dimensions and you guys can't teleport across the f**king ocean?!" Alex yelled.

"It's not like we have teleporters yet! Besides, all the Foundation has so far is creepy shit!" Kat retorted, her tone well beyond exasperated.

"Hold on..! We can do something, right? Kat, give us a run-down of our inventory!" Yang demanded.

"Besides us, we have 1,300 rebels left over from the attacks on the rest of the dig sites. 12 helicopters, and barely enough weapons for everyone. " Kat sighed hopelessly.

"Well, what the shit?!" Yang gaped.

"I have an idea." Auburn announced.

"Well, tell us. At this point, we're willing to take suggestions!" Kat replied.

"How many weapons in total do you have?" Auburn asked.

"About 600 rifles.. All of which are crudely made knockoffs made by local arms dealers. We had the wonder weapons Evan got us, but we were ransacked by the Nexus." Kat noted.

"What the fu.. Do you have any idea how long I spent to get you that shit?!" Vanoss shouted.

"Well, taking a page from Russian battle tactics used in your 'World War II', about 1 in 2 of your men will carry the rifles. those without a weapon will carry the spare ammunition. We'll use the helicopters to take out any machine gun positions or anything else in the way. Evan's squad will lead the charge, since they're equipped with wonder weapons. Father, Mother, Oreonna, Cade, and I will take care of the monster, while Aunt Ruby, Aunt Weiss, and Aunt Blake will assist the assault division. The Elements of Harmony are going to be used to counter any last minute obstacles and to capture Morning Star and Xavier Callan." Auburn explained.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Auburn.

"Welp. All in favor?" Alex asked.

A resounding 'yes' was mumbled among the group.

"Against?"

Silence.

"Okay. Evan's team up front! Militia fighters, Ruby, Weiss, Blake in the middle! Kat and the Ponies are hanging back! Helos, get ready in 20 minutes! Let's go!" Alex ordered.

*Outside Cairo, Egypt; May 31, 2019; 7:25 PM*

Ultimus stood on a building overlooking the pyramids.

He had heard about Alex's plans to deal with Callan and Morning Star, but judging by the vastly scorched landscape and immense fortress recycled from one of the ancient structures, it would be a challenge even for a warrior of Alex and his caliber.

"That bastard.. He's walking head-first into a trap." Ultimus quickly deduced.

Several armored fighters with the Crux Family Crest, a black eagle on a field of emerald, landed behind him, with several mercenaries quickly running out.

"Ultimus, sir.. We did a scan of the entire fortress. The Nexus Divisa is carrying extra-dimensional weaponry and is numbering within the hundreds." His lieutenant explained.

"Tell me, Lieutenant. Why is this place such a wasteland?" Ultimus demanded.

Ultimus couldn't quite grasp what had possessed Alex to come over here. This place, especially now, was a barren wasteland. From what he could collect from other inquisitors, there was something on Earth that could turn the tide of the war to their favor. But how could he possibly have known?

"The Nexus and a new organization called the SCP Foundation have been at war here for months now. Their director is an ex-senator for the NAF." The Lieutenant replied.

"Of course.. One of Saigo's friends. He doesn't care about the damned artifact..! He just wants the Inquisition gone.." Ultimus realized.

"What're our orders, sir?" The lieutenant asked.

"Assist the SCP Foundation by any means necessary. Find Saigo. And do not interfere with our battle if you value your life." Ultimus ordered.

"Yes, sir." The lieutenant then ran away to hand off the orders to the others.

"Ultimus! Your Uncle is on the line!" Another soldier hollered, carrying a communicator.

"Yes, Uncle Venator?" Ultimus asked.

"Ultimus? Where are you?!" His uncle asked.

"I am in Egypt, on Geo Vector 0-1. I've found Saigo Emphas." Ultimus explained.

"Emphas?! You're delusional if you think I'm letting you deal with them! Don't you remember what happened when you tried to stop Cinder from eliminating his parents?!" Venator yelled.

"My condition is of no concern. I will deal with Saigo, and I will not hesitate to kill him or anyone in my way!" Ultimus bellowed.

"Please, you couldn't handle a 17 year old girl in a skirt, much less Saigo!"

"No more questions, Uncle Venator. I have come too far just to disappoint you again. When I kill Saigo, I demand my rightful place as your heir." Ultimus demanded.

"Are you dense?! You couldn't even kill Saigo's brother! And he was your damn coworker!" Venator scolded.

"'ll have you know, Omega managed to kill Yurei's allies, and gave me the respect I rightfully deserve!" Ultimus hung up and threw the communicator against the Fighter.

"Ultimus, Sir. The SCP and their allies have mobilized." A soldier said as he saw an up innumerable number of soldiers run onto the battlefield, the sun just beginning to set.

"Then you are to head out as well." Ultimus ordered.

"Yes, sir. We were able to retrieve the Family Sword as well." The soldier promptly handed him a meter-and-a-half long broadsword with the Family Crest on it's guard, black leather wrapped around the handle and an emerald fastened to the pommel.

"Thank you, Corporal." Ultimus nodded.

Quickly donning his armor and helmet, Ultimus leaped into the battle, a small shockwave knocking several of his men over as Ultimus leapt into battle.

The tide of soldiers quickly stopped as Ultimus landed in front of them, glaring at them angrily as he drew his sword.

"Where is Saigo? ANSWER ME!" Ultimus demanded.

"He went off to deal with some kind of monster or some shit." Vanoss shrugged.

"Imbecile. I'll deal with him. Until then, I don't particularly care for the Nexus myself. My men are siding with you in this fight. Just ensure you don't interrupt our battle, understand?!" Ultimus glared.

"My sister and her children are with Alex right now! If you lay a finger on any of them, I will hurt you!" Ruby yelled at him.

Ultimus thought for a moment.

"Fine then, feel free to join the fight. Because if they interfere, they die!" Ultimus scowled.

*Inside the Great Pyramid*

"What is that?" Jäger asked as the sounds of boots, helicopter rotors, and engines filled the air outside.

"The SCP..! They're attacking us..!" Xavier realized.

"I'll deal with Walker!" Jäger snarled.

"Wait..! He's too dangerous!" Xavier reached for him.

"'Danger' isn't any of my concern. I just want to see the bastard die, then I can scurry away like the cowards you and Morning Star are!" Jäger scowled.

"You know what? Callan, just go! I'll deal with Celestia's Apprentice!" Morning Star shouted.

"I'm as much a part of this as you, Morning Star! I will fight when needed!" Xavier scowled.

"Xavier, listen! You're not a Huntsman, you're no Equestrian, and you're certainly no Adenienite! It's too dangerous for you here! Get to your safehouse. If I don't call within 2 hours, assume I'm dead and move on to Plan B." Morning Star ordered.

Xavier paled at his comrade's sudden outburst and immediately took off.

"Best of luck to both of you." Xavier nodded as he took off running.

Author's Notes:

Ultimus and Jäger are hunting Alex, and both forces are ready for anything!

Someone is certain to die, but who?

Find out next chapter!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 30: Ultimatum Part 1 of 3 (Edited)

*Cairo, Egypt; May 31, 2019; 7:45 PM*

Alex and his group strayed into the city to avoid confrontation in the battlefield, at least for the moment.

"Alright, everyone. Here's the plan. As soon as the fighting starts, get Yang somewhere safe, and you kids stay away. I'll handle whatever's out there until-" Alex began.

"The f**k are you talking about?! Someone or something is trying to kill you, and you want me to get somewhere safe?!" Yang objected.

"One: You're a mother. And two: let's face it, I have a shorter lifespan than Twilight's sane streak." Alex scoffed.

"So what?!" Yang retorted.

"Here we go.." Cade rolled his eyes, grabbing his Conductor and checking the corners of the long deserted buildings.

"The hell do you mean 'so what'?! I can't have someone killing both you and Auburn, Oreonna would kill me!" Alex defended.

"Oh, that's your excuse. Not a colossal tin-man, but a short-ass neko is going to kill you?!" Yang shouted.

"I would, though." Oreonna admitted.

"Wait a second, who's your father..? I don't remember Neo finding a Faunus husband.." Yang wondered.

"Tukson Delsole." Oreonna replied.

"The bookseller?" Alex gaped.

"Yep." Auburn confirmed.

"Huh. Remind me to go back to Vale, I gotta get the next 'Man With Two Souls' book." Alex nodded.

"Wait a second, what were we talking about before?" Cade asked.

"This 'Monster' was found leaving the back entrance of the pyramid and heading into the city." Auburn replied evenly.

"Okay, then... Stay together, watch every entrance, this guy could come from anywhere.." Alex nodded, unsheathing Thunderbolt.

"You won't have to look far." A familiar voice threatened as everyone heard a loud crash to their right.

A large, man-shaped metal blob growled angrily as it started to take shape.

"Wait a second... He sounds familiar..!" Alex gaped as the massive metallic blob started to form a person.

The blob finally converted into the shape of an 8-foot tall, brawny man as it's skin slowly changed from a metallic shine to human skin and hair, before it took on a familiar face.

"Private Walker." Jäger scowled.

Alex stared on in horror.

"J-Jäger..!" Alex gasped.

"You know this thing?!" Cade gaped.

"Oh.. So you're this 'Jäger' I've heard about..! I'm Yang!" Yang waved.

"What, trying to lighten the mood?" Jäger scathingly remarked.

"Aw, C'mon! Can't we just get along?" Oreonna asked.

"Really, this is how you two handle someone trying to kill me!" Alex scoffed.

"You know what..? I'll let Blondie go, besides, Walker's my kill." Jäger shrugged.

A green and grey blur quickly zipped past Jäger, hacking his back and creating a huge spark.

"Would you care to repeat that, you waste of junkyard scrap-metal?" Another familiar voice scoffed.

"Oh, who has the balls?!" Jäger growled.

Ultimus turned back from the store entrance he was facing and scowled at Jäger.

"This isn't your fight, you failed science experiment. Saigo's my prey, back off now while I'm still offering you a chance." Ultimus warned.

"That bastard dropped a carrier on my face, Zeta! I'm not letting you take that away from me!" Jäger shouted.

Ultimus laughed.

"If you think I'll stand by and let my last chance of gaining any respect die in front of me, you're sorely mistaken." Ultimus threatened.

"Oh, crap.." Alex gaped.

From what it seemed, both enemies would be trying to kill him.

"Oreonna, get Yang out of here." Alex ordered.

"Like hell I'm going anywhere!" Yang shouted, loading her weapons just as the others did.

"Auburn and I came too far just to let you die again!" Cade added.

Ultimus scowled at Jäger, before turning back to glare at Alex.

"You will die as you lived. In cowardice, begging for your life." He threatened.

Alex braced himself. He wouldn't let them kill anyone.

"Bring it." Alex growled angrily.

*Meanwhile*

Twilight flew inside the back entryway of the Pyramid with the other Elements. They opted to move away from the battle once this back entrance had been discovered so they could deal with anything Morning Star could throw at them.

"This way..! We should be able to find something to use against the Nexus!" Twilight said as Fluttershy got to work looking for anything suspicious.

Pinkie practically bounced towards a broken-down wall, looking in and finding nothing.

"Girls, stay quiet. We don't know who or what is still in here.." Twilight warned the new additions.

"Okay, Princess Twilight.." Applebloom answered.

"We might need to split up.. To cover more ground.." Scootaloo suggested, peering into an emptied armory.

"Sounds good. C'mon, Fluttershy..!" Applebloom moved to Fluttershy's side as the two crept slowly to the right.

"Sweetie Belle.. This way..!" Pinkie nodded to the young unicorn filly.

"I guess that leaves you and me, Scootaloo." Twilight walked side by side with the orange Pegasus further down into the depths.

Twilight and Scootaloo found themselves lost quickly as they wandered around the darkness of the pyramids.

"It's kinda scary.. Why aren't there anypony guarding anything..?" Scootaloo wondered out loud as the two wandered in the darkness of the ancient pyramid.

"They're all out front... This facility is larger than I thought.." Twilight figured.

"But it isn't completely unguarded, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Morning Star stepped out of one of the rooms with her saddlebags.

"You're the one who killed Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted as she flew at Morning Star, bucking her as hard as possible.

The white and orange unicorn skidded backwards, placing one back leg against a wall to keep her from crashing into it.

"Princess.. I will confess I was a lot like you once.. Accepted as Celestia's student.. Guaranteed to excel at any challenge in front of me! But unlike you or that coward Sunset Shimmer, I have the means and foresight to achieve my own ambitions!" Morning Star shouted, using her magic to pull out both a crystalline red and black crown and a very familiar artifact.

"T-The Alicorn Amulet?!" Twilight gasped.

Morning Star grinned.

"So you aren't completely blind to dark magic. There is one secret about this Amulet that even Celestia was unaware of.. The Amulet was just one of two parts to grant it's user power matching even a Princess like yourself!" Morning Star grinned wickedly.

"But why?! Is it really worth losing yourself to the Amulet's magic?!" Scootaloo gasped.

"I was cast out of Celestia's tutilege for my views on Dark magic! To make things worse, you and that pest Walker destroyed my new home and killed my friends! You will pay for what you've done, Sparkle!!" Morning Star put on the Alicorn Amulet with a loud clink, and placed the crown on her head as soon as the Amulet's magic started to show.

Twilight and Scootaloo could only stare in horror as the Unicorn underwent a painful transformation into an alicorn.

Wings snapped out of her sides as she grew several feet taller, laughing maniacally as her magic overloaded and blew out the back end of the Pyramid.

Several Nexus soldiers looked in horror as their new leader destroyed the area around where she had ascended.

Twilight stared in horror as the final changes took place.

By the end, Morning Star had gained several feet in height and grew large wings. Her coat had changed from pure white to soot gray, and her mane went from yellow-orange to a fiery red-orange. Her eyes had changed as well, from turquoise blue to bright red.

"When I find that artifact, this world is history! And Equestria will be next on the chopping block! There's nothing you can do to stop me, Princess!" Morning Star sneered as Twilight stood to face the Inquisitor.

"I won't let you do this..! I won't let you destroy everything out of your own fury!" Twilight shouted."

"Fine, then! You and your friends will die with this sad little rock!" Morning Star roared, flying at full speed towards Twilight and Scootaloo.

*Earlier, outside the Pyramids*

Vanoss yelled as he tore through the crowd, using his upgraded PPSh to mow through the hordes of enemies before Delirious ran through, firing his Zeus Cannon and throwing other Nexus troops aside.

Kat hip-fired her sniper, tearing through several enemies at once, with her metallic, bird-like Sentinels clawing through more foes.

"Ruby, show them what you've got!" Kat shouted as another batallion charged over a nearby dune.

Ruby loaded her upgraded scythe, Blood Rose, and leaped high into the air, zipping down towards the crowd so fast that her cape could only be seen as a large red line that cut into the center of the crowd, hacking a great deal of Nexus troops apart.

Weiss skewered a few other Nexus soldiers, shoving the bodies off her sword and summoning a giant suit of armor that kicked more troops up and hacked others to bits.

Blake, on the other hand, fired Gambol Shroud into a group before practically teleporting behind them, and hacking the collective bunch into pieces with her ex-mentor's weapon; Wilt and Blush.

Kat ran towards the huntresses.

"The last of my men are dead..! We're the only ones left!" Kat worriedly shuddered, loading her sniper again.

Vanoss and company cornered with them, weapons loaded and pointed towards their enemies.

"Oh, crap.." Vanoss gaped.

"Collaborators of the SCP Foundation! This is your only chance to surrender! Drop your weapons!!" A Nexus patrolman ordered.

"What do we do..?" Ruby stared in awe at the crowd around them.

Kat's face went pale as she looked to see every side littered with Nexus Troops.

"I... I don't know.." Kat gasped.

Suddenly, a large explosion ripped the pyramid apart, leaving behind a grey and red-orange Alicorn standing in the rubble, magic energy destroying everything.

"Oh, shit!!" Moo gasped as everyone quickly ducked down.

By the time Kat had gained the will to look, Twilight and Scootaloo were being bombarded by the Alicorn, leaving the Nexus crew to watch.

"Hey..! Something's happening over in the city, too!" A Nexus soldier gasped.

"Kat..! Any ideas now?" Ohm whispered.

"Head back to base..! There's too much going on, we have to find the Eye!" Kat ordered as everyone shuffled away from the crowds observing both battles.

"What eye?!" Vanoss demanded.

Author's Notes:

So, just a recap... It's Alex and co. Vs. Jäger and Ultimus next chapter, with The Elements, Huntresses, Gamers, and Kat vs. Morning Star in the last part..

We're in this for the long-ish haul!

(Still, it's good Twilight and the others are starting to be in the spotlight again..! Story was kinda leaning towards Alex and Yang's story arc..)

Until next time!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 31: Ultimatum Part 2 of 3

*Cairo, Egypt; May 31, 2019; 8:00 PM*

Alex charged at Jäger, punching him as hard as he could before hacking away at the metal behemoth with his Thunderbolt.

Yang immediately went after him, only for Ultimus to kick her in the side.

"Ultimus, what the hell are you doing?!" Yang demanded.

"Interfere and I kill you in front of him, do you understand?" Ultimus retorted, an evil glint in his eye.

While Alex was busy fighting Jäger, Ultimus immediately sped in and slashed Alex in the side.

Alex quickly dodged Ultimus' next strike, blade-locking the Ex-Inquisitor until Jäger kicked Alex in the chest, directly into a building.

"I don't care what Ultimus says.. We outnumber those bastards!" Cade shouted, sprinting towards the Adenienite and shooting him repeatedly.

Ultimus scowled, kneeing Cade in the chest and kicking him into another building.

Auburn steadily walked towards Ultimus, guitar in hand as she played a chord, causing Ultimus to skid backwards, wincing at the sheer volume.

Given a perfect opportunity, Cade and Oreonna fell in either side, the three doing everything within their power to stop Ultimus, or at least slow him down.

Cade round-house kicked Ultimus while Oreonna leapt from side to side, hacking whenever she could as Auburn raised her weapon, ready to deliver a devastating blow.

Before Auburn could strike, Yang charged at the warrior, punching him as hard as she could, causing him to crash through several buildings.

Ultimus staggered upwards, growling in anger before transforming to his Cursed Warrior form.

"WOULD YOU STOP INTERFERING?!" Ultimus roared, using his own raw energy to blow the four hunters away, leaving him to deal with Alex.

Alex himself was entangled in Jäger's metallic lock, leaving him unable to move as Ultimus struck Alex in the gut.

Alex coughed, the wind completely knocked out of him, as Jäger's metallic extensions continued to constrict him.

Ultimus scowled, using a charged fist to punch Jäger off of his rival.

"Heh.. Thanks.." Alex coughed loudly.

"I'm the only one allowed to kill him, Jäger. Got it, you living scrap heap?" Ultimus scoffed as he grabbed Alex by the throat, throwing him towards a building.

Jäger angrily charged at Ultimus, using extensions of his liquid metal body to pummel the life out of the warrior.

"ALEX WALKER WILL DIE BY MY HAND ALONE!!" He screamed, continuing to beat the living daylights out of Ultimus until he powered down.

Alex slowly staggered up, Yang quickly running to his side.

"D-Dammit... Jäger's definitely beefed up while I was gone, and Ultimus seemed even more powerful than before.." Alex wheezed.

"Nothin' we can't handle, right?" Yang grinned.

"Let's hope so.." Alex grabbed his sword again, pulling the weapon apart as they converted to their submachine gun modes.

Jäger quickly noticed Alex and Yang, charging straight at them and kicking Alex as hard as he could.

Alex, still trapped, made every effort to gun down the metallic blob Jäger had become while Yang punched him as fast and as hard as she could.

Ultimus staggered up, coughing blood and transforming straight to his Corrupted Warrior out of anger.

"I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!!!" Ultimus shouted, swinging at Jäger's head as hard as he could as Yang continued to pummel the metallic strongman.

Cade coughed as he stood up, grabbing his Conductor and shooting Jäger.

"Get off him!" Cade shouted as Oreonna and Auburn hacked Alex out of Jäger's grasp.

Alex turned to look at Ultimus, who was by now gaining strength.

"Oh, right.. Enlightened forms.." Alex realized.

Yang also took notice, crossing her arms and shouting as she transformed to her Enlightened form.

"Come get some, you big chrome f**ktard!!" Yang shouted.

Cade was also quick to transform, wasting no time attacking Ultimus.

"You've made a grave mistake, Son of Saigo!" Ultimus shouted.

"Why don't you just shut up about your stupid, one-sided rivalry!!" Cade shouted, kicking Ultimus aside.

Auburn slid underneath Jäger, swinging her axe up and cutting Jäger into two pieces.

Oreonna was also quick to gain an advantage, using her dust-powered viola to propel herself, cutting through both Jäger and Ultimus as she skidded to Cade's side.

"Yo, Green guy! You look like Shrek with permanent marker all over your face!" Oreonna grinned.

Ultimus only scowled.

"Do you want to die horribly?"

"Wow! No need to get so hung up! Besides, 'it doesn't make sense not to live for fun', right?" Oreonna asked with a smug grin.

Ultimus screamed in rage, kicking Oreonna directly in the face.

"Alright..! Fine! You can be Fiona!" Oreonna continued mockingly.

"Ha!" Alex, now back in his original form, laughed as Jäger kicked him into the skies before leaping up and kicking him back to the ground.

"I've got you, Fathe-" Cade signaled as Jäger grabbed him by the neck and threw him into a coloumn of buildings.

Alex struggled to stand.

"I don't have any choice here..! I'll have to do it..!" Alex stood up, charging straight to the Evolved Warrior form and screaming loudly to the skies.

"OVERCHARGE!" Alex roared as a bright yellow aura surrounded his once whitish-purple one.

"Over-what?" Jäger asked as Alex kicked him

Alex was in the skies within an instant, kicking Jäger to the ground before flying and kicking him back up. He repeated the attack several times before Ultimus leaped up at Alex.

"DIE!!!" Ultimus roared as Alex kicked him down.

Jäger immediately held Alex in a lock, allowing Ultimus to repeatedly kick, punch, and slash Alex until Jäger threw him to the ground.

Ultimus kicked Alex into the sky again, raising his foot and kicking Alex in the spine.

"FUUUUUU-!" Alex screamed, slamming into the ground at full force, powering down back to normal.

Yang charged at Ultimus, punching him in the face as she went Inflamed.

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!!" Yang roared, avoiding Jäger's attacks and punching him as hard as she could.

Ultimus swept his leg underneath Yang, tripping her and causing her to crash into a building.

"O-Okay... Not c-cool.." Alex coughed, charging at Ultimus and Jäger with his sword in hand.

Ultimus kicked forwards, only for Alex to leap over the appendage, hacking his neck and ducking to avoid Jäger's attacks.

"Father!!" Cade yelled, brandishing Conductor and shooting Ultimus while Auburn fought Jäger.

Alex crawled over to Yang, picking her up.

"G-Go.. Hurry..!" Alex ordered.

"We've been over this, I'm not going anywhere..!" Yang yelled back.

"Are you dense?! You're fighting two of the most dangerous people I've ever dealt with, and you're-!" Alex shouted.

"You're insane if you think I'm just going to leave you here! Pregnant or not, I'm still following you!" Yang screamed.

Ultimus kicked Alex in the face, sending him careening into a series of buildings. Ultimus powered down and simply walked towards him.

Alex coughed blood, wiping some off on his armor and scowling at Ultimus.

Yang screamed in rage, charging towards Ultimus and punching him in the face.

Ultimus clutched his eye in agony, skin searing underneath.

"H-How dare you!!" Ultimus roared in anger.

Yang braced herself as Ultimus powered up and ran, brandishing his sword.

... Only for Jäger to stand in front of her, extending his arm out and stabbing Ultimus in the chest, grinning evilly as he did.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Crux? Walker is mine!" Jäger shouted, pelting the badly wounded Ultimus at a series of buildings.

"What..? Decided to take out the middle man after all this time..?" Alex scoffed.

"Nothing that Adenienite brute will ever do will make me walk away from this.. For 3 years, I watched as my own life fell apart! You think you had it rough?! I was cheated out of an entire planet all because of you and Kat! After I'm through with you, she's next!!" Jäger screamed as Auburn hacked at Jäger's back.

"Insolent little pest!" Jäger wrapped a metallic appendage around the offending huntress and her weapon, flinging her away with ease.

"Now, tell me.. Was it worth it? Killing the man who tortured you for so long..? Defeating the empire that plagued you with battle after battle? Losing friend after friend? Has this charade redeemed you in some way, Walker? Or did it just feel good killing everything in your way like some kind of psychopath?" Jäger grinned evilly.

Yang ran up to Jäger, hitting him as much as she could before she suffered the same fate as Auburn.

"Oh, right. Everything won't work out in the end. It never does for people like you. Morning Star will live. Cinder Fall will live. And everyone you ever loved or valued will die right in front of you. Now, tell me. Does it drive you mad knowing every glimmer of hope you had was all a cruel joke?" Jäger grinned.

Cade and Oreonna charged at either side of Jäger, hacking off bits of his metallic body, only for whatever was hacked off to slither and merge back with him.

Jäger raised both of his arms, grabbing both hunters by their heads and throwing them aside, leaving Alex completely alone against his enemy.

Alex only stood up, clutching his wound and staring Jäger in the eye.

"Let me tell you the truth, Jäger. The only reason I'm not like you, an incoherent, mentally unstable psychopath, is because of those people you just threw aside. And the people there, fighting what I can only assume is Arabus reincarnate." Alex shrugged, turning to face the ensuing battle behind him.

"Unlike you, I have friends instead of coworkers. Everything that's letting you nearly beat me into submission is all some concoction Cinder and her scientist friends whipped up in the lab. Everything I have, I learned from someone else in the group." Alex continued, walking up and glaring at Jäger.

"One good thing about having this many people actually give a damn is that I'm less effed in the head the more I'm with them. They drive off my own personal issues like the plague." Alex smirked.

"What are you saying?" Jäger scoffed, glaring back at him.

Alex charged up to Evolved Warrior, over-charging mere moments after and clutching Jäger by the neck.

"Lay a finger on any of them, and you will truly understand what I'm capable of, Jäger." Alex grinned wickedly, squeezing the metallic behemoth's neck as Electricity sparked around his fingertips.

Jäger gagged and coughed, glaring Alex right in the eye as Ultimus ran back, sword in hand.

Alex turned back, staring daggers at Ultimus with a smile that just screamed 'Joker'.

"Run.." Alex grinned, a large ball of lightning taking the place of where Jäger once stood.

The lightning ball suddenly exploded, with Jäger wordlessly exploding into a cloud of metal ash, Alex never taking eyes off of Ultimus.

"I don't care how far off the deep end you've gone..! I am the one who will-!" Ultimus shouted, before Alex sped right in front of him.

Alex grabbed Ultimus by the temples, a smaller ball of lightning forming around Alex's free hand.

"You really.. should've ran away.." Alex grinned, slamming the ball of lightning into Ultimus' chest, causing the warrior to be blown out towards the pyramid, merely battered and broken, but not killed.

Alex then appeared in front of Ultimus again, kicking him into the skies and back to the dilapidated city.

"There are only two reasons I let you live... One, I saw your men help mine fight the Nexus and proved more useful alive. Secondly, when we do fight, I want it to be something worth the time." Alex explained, kicking Ultimus in the head and knocking him unconscious.

Alex powered down, moving towards his family and Oreonna.

"Everyone okay..?" Alex asked meekly, the thoughts of what he did seconds earlier running fresh through his mind.

"W-We're okay.. What happened with Jäger and Ultimus..?" Yang asked, helping Auburn stand up.

"I killed Jäger, but I'm letting Ultimus go back and kiss his boo-boos." Alex scoffed.

"You let him go?!" Cade gaped.

"Are you nuts?! Shrek almost freakin' killed me!" Oreonna added.

Auburn nodded slightly, as though thinking something through in her head.

"Come on, Twilight might need our help-.." Alex sighed, grabbing Thunderbolt before turning back and looking at a bright light in the sky that rapidly grew brighter.

"Wait... Is that.. Kat?!" Yang gaped.

Author's Notes:

And on the next episode, everyone fights Morning Star.. And something happens to Kat.

And that's all you'll know, at least until next chapter..

-The Destoyer

Chapter 32: Ultimatum Part 3 of 3

*Cairo, Egypt; May 31, 2019; 8:05 PM*

Kat stared in terror as Twilight flew up to fight the newly empowered Morning Star. Turning back to face Vanoss and company, she crouched down and motioned them to do the same.

"I have to find that artifact, otherwise Morning Star's going to kill us all..! Delirious, Terroriser, Nogla, and Ohm, come with me. The rest of you cover Twilight and try to slow Morning Star down!" Kat ordered as she ran off with her friends.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are going to fight me alone? How... Gutless." Morning Star grinned as her eyes continued to glow an ominous red color.

"You had every chance to forget all of this and run, but you still didn't change. I don't want to do this, but all I can do now is save my friends... And kill you." Twilight solemnly flew up, firing bolts of magic on her way and bucking Morning Star in the side.

The dark alicorn didn't budge.

"What?!" Twilight gasped.

"Bad move." Morning Star scowled, grabbing Twilight with her magic and flinging her at the pyramid.

In one of the trenches in Dig Site Y, Vanoss had snuck in with his group, loading their upgraded weapons.

"Okay, guys... We'll beat this horse f**ker with a well thought out, air-tight, overly convoluted plan. Lui, what we got?" Vanoss asked.

"The tunnel systems in each dig site are apparently connected by an underground tunnel system beneath the Dig Sites. We could split up, look for vantage points, use whatever the Nexus guys had lying around, and-" Lui figured, now turning to face the crowd.

"DIIIIIIE!!!!" Vanoss screamed, unloading his upgraded PPSh at the Alicorn.

"LEGGO MY WAFFLE!!" FourZer0 shouted, shooting his Wunderwaffe DG-3 at the Alicorn as well.

"What about the plan?!" Lui asked.

"F**k your plans!" Mini Ladd yelled, wielding his upgraded death machine.

Lui shrugged, grabbing his Pack-A-Punched Locus and shooting Morning Star.

"Now, this is unexpected. Do you really think you can stop me with those useless trinkets?" Their enemy asked scathingly, firing a magic burst towards the dig site.

Everyone quickly ducked to avoid the oncoming blast, and ran further underground.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake themselves leaped up to fight the Alicorn as well. Slashing, shooting, anything they could do to stop Morning Star.

"What did I just say?!" Morning Star surrounded herself with dark energy, which quickly expanded outwards and sent the three huntresses down below.

Ruby flipped, firing her upgraded scythe at the ground, propelling her towards Morning Star, allowing her to easily hack at her neck.

Ruby was immediately surrounded by a dark ball of magic, and flung back down to the ground at such a high speed, that all anyone saw was a blur.

"Ruby!" Weiss gasped, arranging a series of glyphs that encircled Morning Star.

"What is this..?" Morning Star wondered, using a spell to analyze one of them.

Weiss nodded towards Blake, who ran up to the closest glyph with Wilt sheathed.

Blake immediately zipped upwards, bouncing from one glyph to the other in rapid succession. For a second, it looked like Blake would actually kill her.

Instead, as soon as Blake readied herself for a killing blow, she was surrounded by dark magic. The sinister energy constricted her lungs until Morning Star merely flung her into the ground.

The impact left a massive crater in the sand, with a badly wounded huntress at it's epicenter.

"Blake..!" Ruby glared at Morning Star, her eyes beginning to glow silver.

Morning Star instantly teleported in front of Ruby, generating a powerful spell.

"I don't think so." The dark alicorn glared, firing a wave of dark energy at the huntress, obliterating the surrounding area and reducing the girl to a broken heap on the ground.

"I saw everything relating to Arabus and his death. I have to say, I haven't seen magic that powerful from a human before. It's been fun, but you are useless to me now." Morning Star glared, charging another blast that was meant to finish her off.

Sweetie Belle teleported Applebloom at Morning Star's side, who bucked the alicorn away.

Scootaloo flew in from the other side of the pyramid, kicking the Alicorn away again, with Sweetie Belle waiting for her at the bottom, firing a spell that held her in place. The spell held on for only a second until Morning Star broke out of it.

"You brats!!" Morning Star screamed in rage, only for Pinkie Pie to shoot the party cannon at her, blinding the Alicorn with confetti.

"Fluttershy! Now!" Scootaloo yelled.

Twilight fired a spell at Morning Star, leaving the two at a standstill as suddenly, a large beam of white light descended from the skies.

"Everypony, get back!" Twilight yelled as the beam of solar energy crashed down on the Alicorn, the darkening skies now bright as ten suns.

"Now!" Vanoss yelled from Dig Site W.

The mortars and gating cannons from the various dig sites suddenly shot at the Alicorn, firing shell after shell at the Alicorn.

"DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA!!!" Basically yelled as the cannons kept blowing the alicorn apart.

Ruby pulled herself up, the black cloak she had been wearing now torn, revealing an under suit similar to what she had worn back in Los Santos when they fought Arabus. Coughing and aiming her scythe, she attacked Morning Star as soon as the solar cannon flickered away.

All the while, Twilight stared hopelessly at the volley of attacks her friends were dealing out.

"It might seem like we're doing okay now, but Morning Star is an immortal on par with the likes of Celestia.. I hope what Kat finds will help.." Twilight thought.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to find..?" Delirious asked, throwing a rock to the side.

Kat sighed.

"This is and should be among the best-kept secrets among the SCP Foundation, but because I know you guys well enough... I'll tell you." Kat began.

The group kept shockingly silent, stopping their search.

"Legend has it that an Ancient Egyptian artifact was buried somewhere near the Pyramids, an artifact which bestowed immense, godlike power to a person every thousand years or so. It's a small jewel shaped like a lion's eye. They called it the 'Eye of Sekhmet'." Kat explained.

"The eye of what?" Nogla asked.

"Wait... Do you guys know anything about- you know what, f**k it." Kat shrugged.

"No, c'mon, what were you gonna say?" Terroriser rolled his eyes.

Kat grumbled to herself in annoyance.

"Sekhmet was an Ancient Egyptian war god! This artifact should give us a power boost capable of turning someone into a demigod! Or, in Morning Star's case.." Kat trailed off in horror.

"An actual f**king demon war god or some shit." Ohm gaped.

"Which is why we need to find it now!" Kat yelled as she hurriedly dug through the rock with her bare hands desperately.

Nobody happened to notice the two Nexus troops in their search, hiding behind another formation.

"Dammit! I shoulda never trusted that pretentious horse piece of shit!" The first kicked at a rock formation.

"We're all gonna die because some idiot kids waged some kinda alternate dimensional Crusade or something stupid..!" The second scowled.

"Well, in times like these, we've gotta make the right choice.." The first decided.

"The right choice..? What would that... No." The second shook his head in disbelief.

"C'mon, it's not like we were gonna use that damn thing anyways! I still think that most of those legends are BS anyway!" The first retorted.

"Dammit, you're right. Give it to the kid." The second groaned.

The first Nexus soldier stepped out of the darkness.

"Hey! Hands in the f**kin' air!" Delirious ordered.

"We're... Look, we get it. Morning Star's a f**kin' psychopath! We just needed the money.." The second defended.

"We found your rock." The first sighed.

Kat looked up from her sniper scope.

"You're bluffing." Kat glared.

"Look, lady! Since that bullshit back in 2016, work hasn't come that easy! We barely had any choice!" The first glared.

"Yeah, it was either this, linking up with some other psychopath, or going through that immigration BS in the Federation!" The second yelled.

"So.. You really want to defect?" Kat asked.

The entire room rolled their eyes.

"Yes!" Everyone yelled back indignantly.

"I can get not having a good job. Give 'em a chance." Nogla decided.

"Yeah, they seem kinda normal.." Terroriser decided.

"Look, just take your gem, kill whatever the f**k is out there! and find us some work!" The first soldier finally begged.

Kat sighed, taking the gem in her hand.

"What are your names?" Kat asked.

"I'm Hughes, and this is Krieger." The first soldier, Burke, told her.

"Listen, Hughes, Find a man named Alex Walker. He's in the city right now and probably could use some backup, help him with whatever he needs. Krieger, you're with us! You two are hired!" Kat yelled, sniper in one arm, and gem in the other.

"You heard the girl, go!" Krieger told Burke as he ran off towards the city.

"Why don't you flies just give up?!" Morning Star boasted.

Kat loaded her sniper again, sneaking through the dunes nearby with the gem in hand. None of the documents she had been given provided a way to activate it herself, so she kept it safe with her.

"I won't give up! We will stop you!" Twilight screamed, firing magic bolts at the Dark Alicorn.

She crawled, hunkering down on one side of a dune before running to the next one, the desert heat now completely irrelevant.

Blake finally staggered up from her crater, clutching Wilt and sheathing it.

"H-H-Have to fight..." Blake gasped and shook.

"Get back! Get back!" Vanoss ordered, ducking down as the Dig Site was blasted.

"IT'S GOROD TIME, MOTHERF**KERS!!!!" Wildcat yelled, grabbing a Javelin and shooting Morning Star.

Kat ducked, narrowly avoiding the missile as she saw Blake trudge towards their enemy.

Blake continued to press forward, slowly gaining the energy to fight.

"Die.." Blake demanded, charging at Morning Star.

Morning Star charged a spell, and pointed her horn at the advancing huntress.

"Blake!!" Weiss gasped, using her glyphs to catch up.

She had to try. She had to move her out of the way.

Morning Star shot the spell, blowing them both apart.

Kat gasped in horror.. Two huntresses, among the strongest and bravest she ever knew died right in front of her.

Twilight, completely enraged, flew up to avenge her fallen friends, was blown out of the sky with another spell, her right wing blew off completely.

Kat dropped her sniper rifle. Two had died and one was out of commission. She gazed hopelessly at the scene before her.

"Twilight Sparkle. Your demise, like theirs, was an inevitability. A failure waiting to happen. It must be humbling to say the least to have come so far, only to see everything you worked for wiped away in the blink of an eye." Morning Star grinned wickedly.

Kat's fear quickly turned to anger, anger at the loss of her comrades. She quickly picked up her sniper.

"I warned you what would happen, my little princess, yet here we are. Sorry, Twilight, but you're just another one of Celestia's failures." The Dark Alicorn grinned, preparing another spell that would end the Princess of Friendship forever.

Kat suddenly heard a loud 'ping!' from her pocket, the Eye of Sekhmet had shattered inside!

Kat fumbled into her pocket, holding only a lion's eye and shattered glass in her hand.

Then it began to glow a bright yellow-orange color.

The glow surrounded Kat, leaving her feeling warm in the desert heat. Not hot, but warm.

"Young warrior. You face impossible odds, yet you still found the courage to pick up your weapon. Not only that, but lead an army for the cause of protecting the ones you love. I only choose one to bestow my powers every 1000 years, and you are worthy of being the next." A strong, female voice spoke to her.

Kat knew the voice instantly.

"S-Sekhmet.." Kat realized.

Morning Star turned around, irritated, but stared in horror once she saw what Kat held, and what she was becoming.

"Impossible..! You found the Eye of Sekhmet?!" The Alicorn gasped in terror.

The yellow orange glow eventually seeped into her hair, once a darker brown. The light surrounded her body, giving her the outline of a lioness-human mixture, finally she opened her eyes, now like the one in her hand, which turned to stone and crumbled in her hand.

Kat glared at Morning Star, amber outline of a tail flickering side-to-side.

"Furry!" Vanoss yelled.

Kat paid him no mind, only focused on her enemy alone.

"W-Who are you?! What are you?!!" The Alicorn gasped in horror.

"You should know who I am. My name is Katherine Anderson, Director of the SCP Foundation, and you've just signed your death warrant."

Kat sped towards the Alicorn, slashing at her with light-claws, before kicking the Alicorn into the skies.

At incredible speeds, Kat ascended upwards, leaving burnt claw-marks into her side before scratching away at her wings, burning them clean off and leaving Morning Star falling to the ground.

Kat sped towards the ground, spinning around and smacking the now-Unicorn with her tail into the Pyramid, destroying it as Kat raced across the desert, flinging tons of sand at Morning Star and clawing her back and sides.

Kat, expressionless, finally kicked Morning Star over, and using one light-claw, sliced the ex-Alicorn chin to tail, turning as she bled nearly to death.

"You have only a few minutes left to live, Morning Star. While you're on your way to hell, think about what you did." Kat scowled as the amber glow left her body, receding into a tattoo-like mark on her right hand.

Kat took both the Alicorn Amulet and the Crown from the dying unicorn, staring into her eyes as the unicorn finally expired.

Kat turned around to find Alex and Yang's family, Ruby, and the unharmed members of the Elements of Harmony.

"I have a number of questions." Alex commented bluntly.

"Yeah, same here." Yang shrugged.

"That was awesome!! You were all 'hiyaa!' and Morning Star was all 'Aah! You foiled my plans!'!" Ruby smiled proudly.

Kat smirked at Ruby, nodding slightly.

"Well, I'll just say this. I finally closed the gap." Kat nodded.

*Schnee Family Crypt; Atlas, Remnant; June 5, 2019; 3:00 PM*

"... And may we honor the lives of two brave huntresses-in-training, forever." Winter solemnly sighed as the service continued.

Alex sighed, twitching uncomfortably in the suit he wore as he held his two bouquets for the fallen.

Yang sat to his side, clutching his arm rather tightly.

"I know, I'll miss them, too." Alex mumbled, pulling her into a hug.

Ruby held Yang's hand as well, and Alex felt a pang of sorrow for both of them.

"We were stronger and more powerful than they could reach alone.. We should have done more to help them." Alex thought painfully.

He could've saved them, he could've protected everyone.

Instead, he was swept up in his wrathful slaughter of the Inquisition and had been too exhausted to fight after their encounter with Jäger and Ultimus.

Maybe all of this was his fault.

Cade, Auburn, and Oreonna stared in discomfort at the scene before them, and Alex knew exactly why.

They had seem them die once already.

"Is this the first time they've been able to pay their respects..?" Alex wondered.

One by one, the procession moved to the two caskets. It took some talking on Ruby and Yang's part, but they managed convince Weiss' father to have Blake buried with her teammate in the Schnee Crypt.

Alex took the two bouquets and led his family towards the two caskets, placing the white roses with Weiss' casket and the Belladonnas with Blake's. He felt his eyes almost water.

"Dammit, I promised myself I wouldn't do this." Alex winced, blinking as if a speck of dust got in his eye.

Yang, of course, knew better.

"You really weren't kidding when you said you missed them, did you?" Yang asked.

Alex sighed.

"This isn't the time or place to kid." Alex commented.

Kat walked up next to them.

"It's been a pain, but I did get Mr. Schnee his 'compensation fee' from the SCP. I had to sell him some of our safer containments, but it's the least I could do." Kat commented.

"I get 'ya. Mr. Schnee wanted me to pay him 15% of whatever I make for the next 6 months." Alex nodded.

"So... What now..?" Kat asked him.

"I'll find Cinder myself and settle this. I don't want to see another 'Cairo' ever again." Alex told her.

"Like hell. I'm going with you." Yang slugged his arm.

"Yang, this shouldn't even be a discussion." Alex commented.

"If this is about Auburn, I can handle taking care of her, at least for a little while." Kat shrugged, referring to the child she still carried.

"I'm not making you do anything yet. Obviously, I'm going to prepare first." Alex told her.

"Oh, thank god." Kat sighed in relief.

"So, I'll train and do some odd jobs for the next year or so, but then I'm taking Cinder down and ending the bullshit there." Alex confidently figured.

"Odd jobs?" Yang asked.

"I'll find us a place to stay temporarily. That is, if you're willing to deal with my crap for another year." Alex commented.

"I took your crap this long, right? And besides, dimensional gate companies scrape for money so much they'll charge you a fortune for your emotional baggage." Yang grinned.

Alex glared at Yang.

"God dammit, Yang." Alex groaned.

Author's Notes:

And there! The climax of the Nexus Saga!

Kat's a furry. That's a thing.

Also, I'm a terrible f**king person.

No judgement.

-The Destoyer

Chapter 33: Calm Before the Storm

*SCP Headquarters, Washington D.C; June 5, 2019; 1:45 PM*

Kat held the artifacts she recovered from Morning Star's body in two air-tight, metal containers and carried them over to the nearest on-site Containment Unit.

"Director!" The commander of Containment Unit 247 ran over to her, his men not far behind.

"Take these two and lock them in separate areas. Do not tell anyone else the location of either of these." Kat ordered.

"What about SCP-2807? Did you recover it?" The commander asked.

"Here's the thing.." Kat's voice trailed off, covering the three glowing orange claw-marks on her right hand.

"You fused with it, didn't you?" The commander deadpanned.

"...Yes." Kat admitted.

"Okay, we'll get these out of your way. If anything else happens, contact one of the Doctors." The commander nodded, taking the package and running as five men in suits went in the front door.

"Are you the director of this organization?" One of the men asked.

"Yes.. Who are you?" Kat slowly answered.

"We're with the real SCP Foundation in Geo Omicron 4-13. We got the call soon after your operations in Cairo ended." The man replied.

"Shit." Kat face-palmed.

"We're here to offer you a deal. We can't have two Foundations running around, so you can either become this dimension's SCP division, rename your organization, or we could just hand you this cease-and-desist letter." The Agent offered.

"Fine, we'll discuss this later, tell your superiors we'll be ready to talk tomorrow." Kat replied.

"We'll be happy to hear that. Also, be careful. An organization called the Chaos Insurgency is insistent on attacking the Foundation and releasing every SCP they can." The Agent warned as he and the other four left the building.

"Hey, Miss Director.. We're ready for our interviews." Kat heard Hughes and Krieger walk in once the Agents left.

"Sure thing, I'll have someone with you soon." Kat replied, groaning slightly.

"Why did I agree to this?" Kat wearily thought.

*Interdimensional Currency Exchange; Crocus, Fiore; June 5, 2019; 1:48 PM*

"So, we have about 1,400 in Equestrian Bits, 945 in Remnant Lien, and... $6 in Adenien Marks. Can I have that converted into Jewel, please?" Alex asked.

"I doubt it's worth that much." Yang added.

"Yeah, but it should be enough for a small apartment somewhere with a bit less people. We'll find work where we can." Alex noted.

"Your total is about... 296,733.40 Jewel." The teller informed.

"Really..? Wow.. Okay, let's find a cheap apartment somewhere.." Yang grinned.

"Thanks for visiting Fiore!" The teller smiled as they left.

The Walker/Xiao Long family decided to head to Fiore to find work. Mostly because they could handle killing a few monsters, and the place was similar enough to Remnant.

"Well, that worked out." Cade commented.

"True. We should ask where to look for a place to live." Future Auburn added as the four moved along.

"Somewhere far away from other people, preferably." Alex nodded.

"Aw, C'mon! It'd be nice to make a few more friends, right?" Yang asked.

"Ah, yes. And how did that turn out for you?" Alex retorted.

"It turned out great!" Yang shouted.

"Yeah, people are so great..!" Alex sarcastically retorted.

"Mom, dad. We need to find a place where you two can settle this in a more private place." Cade interrupted.

"Kids these days, arguing out in public.." A man commented.

"You think they're bad, there's this Guild out in the country where crap like that happened constantly.." Someone else said.

"Really? Where?" The first man asked.

"My old place in Magnolia Town, this young girl across the river yelled constantly, 'What are you two doing in my apartment!!' At least there they didn't yell in front of a baby." the second man replied.

Yang obviously overheard, grinning at him.

"No." Alex scowled.

Yang smiled bigger.

"No.." Alex rejected, more worriedly than before.

Yang practically pleaded to find this town without even saying anything.

"No, no, no..!" Alex begged.

"Magnolia is 150 miles east of the city." Auburn told Yang.

"Dammit..!" Alex wailed.

*Location Unknown, June 5, 2019; 2:00 PM*

"Lady Salem, the Nexus has dissolved." Cinder reported.

"And what of the Unity soldiers?" Salem asked.

"They've long since left, with Alex, Yang Xiao Long, and two of the Time Travellers in a dimension called 'Earth Land'."

"Good. You're doing well, my protégée." Salem grinned wickedly.

"Thank you, Salem. I believe it is necessary to report that three Huntsmen have discovered my group and are planning an attack." Cinder added.

"And who are they..?" asked Salem.

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren." Cinder answered.

"Hmm.. They were teammates with our... Test Subject, weren't they..?" Salem wondered.

"Yes."

"Let them suffer the same fate as their friend, and proceed as planned with the village in East Vacuo." Salem commanded.

"Yes, Lady Salem." Cinder nodded.

Cinder started to leave, and then turned back to face Salem.

"I have seen Walker's growth between his encounter with my Fall Knights and the Nexus. I imagine he will be looking for me." Cinder informed.

"As I have said, Cinder, he is brash and headstrong. He won't relent in a standard battle." Salem replied, as though their enemy meant little to them.

"And as for Zeta..?" Cinder asked, referring to Alex's current rival.

"Think of it like this, Cinder. Why waste a bullet when you can have the guard dog do all the work..?" Salem figured.

*Location Unknown, June 5, 2019; 4:55 PM*

Raven continued to sharpen her many blades, sliding each brightly colored tool back into it's sheath once she had finished.

"Raven, a word..?" A gravelly, yet lighthearted voice asked in the doorway.

Raven stepped out of her small cottage into the fields, where a familiar face had been waiting.

"Qrow. It's nice to see you again." Raven nodded her greeting.

"You too, sis." Qrow smiled slightly.

"So, what have you been up to as of late..?" Raven wondered.

"Ruby needed to train with me for some mission in Cairo. She just got back and is going to meet with Tai soon." Qrow answered.

"I've been working." Raven said.

"On what? Y'know, you've always been pretty tight-lipped about your missions. What do you even do, anyways?" Qrow wondered.

"The Inheritors are growing, Qrow. My work is never over. I need to train them and now I need to doing high profile missions." Raven answered.

"I get 'ya. Training Huntsmen must be easy work compared to what you've been teaching 'em." Qrow nodded in response.

"I need to get back to this, we'll see each other again soon, right?" Raven asked.

Qrow smiled.

"Sure thing. See ya 'round." Qrow waved before transforming into a crow and flying away.

Raven walked back inside, grabbing her sharpening stone and a piercing red blade.

"Indeed, my work is never over. But it should be.. soon."

Author's Notes:

In this episode..!

I basically confirm this story crossing over with a legit anime...

And I regret it very little.

- The Destoyer

Chapter 34: Expanding Horizons (Ever so Slightly Edited)

*Northern Mistral, Remnant; June 11, 2019; 1:45 PM*

Oreonna ran towards Neo, dodging an orange-colored energy blast and blocking a kick with her Viola.

The second Oreonna's blade clashed with her mother's, Neo quickly shattered. Another illusion!

Neo leaped over her daughter and sped towards her at lightning speed, trying to work in a quick slash.

The half-Faunus was quicker, side-stepping to avoid the blade and smacking her mother in the back with her literal instrument of death.

Neo flipped onto her feet, shooting multiple energy blasts before racing behind her and trying to gain an upper hand.

Both hunters collided, each one carrying out devastating blows against the other.

Trying to end their spar quickly, Neo swept her umbrella underneath Oreonna's feet, surrounding her with copies of herself.

Oreonna then slammed her instrument into the ground, breaking every last illusion and blowing Neo away.

Neo leaped up to her feet, a proud smile on her face.

"Not bad, kid.." She smiled.

Oreonna returned the praise with a grin and a flick of her catlike ears.

"You've had a lot of time to adjust with the Fall Maiden's power. You almost had me once or twice." She replied.

Neo sat down, taking a minute to catch her breath as Oreonna sat next to her.

"You're still in contact with Auburn, right?" Neo asked.

"Actually yes. She's with Cade and their parents in Fiore. You've been there before, right?" Oreonna wondered.

"I haven't been there, but I do remember Beta being from there. Never really liked him, though.." Neo answered.

"So.. You were asking about Auburn?" Oreonna tried getting back on the subject.

"Oh, yeah. Your friend seems like a good training partner for you. And the weirdest thing is that she's so unlike both her parents." Neo figured.

"I guess that's true, we were able to stand our ground with Cinder." Oreonna agreed.

"Hm... About Cinder.. In your timeline, she has every maiden's powers, right?" Neo wondered.

"Unfortunately. Thank dust she went mostly after Cade, otherwise, we might not even be here."

"And she's followed the three of you in this timeline?" Neo questioned.

"Yeah.. I've heard that Mr. Walker would be the one to take care of her, but.." Oreonna wondered.

"Alex can barely handle a little scuffle with another version of his own son, much less Cinder." Neo scoffed.

"I'm guessing that's why he's been training himself to death.." Oreonna realized.

"Listen, Oreonna. I don't mind you hanging out with Auburn or Cade, but I can't stand those two idiots leading the charge. Even so, if you want to go with them, I'm not gonna get in the way." Neo sighed.

"Thanks, mom..!" Oreonna smiled.

"Just remember that if things don't go well, you still have your father and I." Neo reminded her.

"I promise." Oreonna swore.

A younger Oreonna had been observing their entire conversation with interest, eyes widened at the fact that her older self was so cool.

The older Oreonna grabbed her Scroll and started texting Auburn.

Oreonna:

Mom's letting me come with you guys! :DDD

Auburn:

I'll let Mom and Dad know. Mom's asking what your Mother thinks of her.

Oreonna:

About as well as you'd expect..

Yang:

Even after the apology gift basket?!

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall; Magnolia Town, Fiore; June 11, 2019; 2:00 PM*

Alex looked through the assignment board, looking for a job.

"Hey, Alex!" Yang poked his back.

"Oh, hey. So, how did everything go with the whole 'introduction' thing?" Alex asked.

"Well, on one hand, we'll fit in perfectly.. Most of the people here are orphans, and this one guy's a parent, just like us! On the other hand..." Yang's voice trailed off.

"What did you do..?" Alex grumbled.

"We need to rebuild three tables." Yang answered.

"Why did I even ask? Anyways, I guess you got your mark already." Alex continued.

"Yep!" Yang grinned.

"Okay.. So, where'd you have Mira put it?" Alex asked.

"Left arm." She replied.

"Really? Knowing you, I thought you would've chosen a creepier place." Alex groaned.

"'Creepier' as in..?" Yang asked.

"Not keeping up that minefield of a conversation.. I'm just going to look for a job, and we'll be on our wa-"

Alex was quickly punched in the side.

"LET'S SEE HOW STRONG YOU ARE, NEWBIE!!" Natsu yelled.

"Sit the f**k down, pinkie!" Alex uppercutted the fiery Mage off of him.

"Smart move, new guy." Gray commented.

"Uh, sir... Your clothes.." Cade winced.

Grey screamed and went off to look for his clothes.

Cade and Lucy, another Mage, watched the chaos from the bar, the former completely surprised at the sight.

"How often does this happen?" Cade asked.

"Once or twice a day." Lucy replied.

"Once or twice?!" Alex gaped.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Yang grinned, joining in the brawl nearby.

Alex crawled off towards the bar. He was already used to stuff like this, thanks to Vanoss and his crew. But the fact that they were all around as strong as he was, he found a bit disconcerting.

"I guess being involved in this crap a couple times a day is decent training.." Alex commented.

"Why would you need training?" Lucy asked.

"Well, it's a lot to explain, but the short version is that I have a number of problems I need to fix within a year and a half." Alex shrugged.

"Well, I'd be interested to hear all about it later, but until then, I've already found us a job. Lucy, round up Natsu and Gray. The new recruits can join us if they'd like." Erza decided.

"We'll go. Besides, we need whatever money we can get." Cade nodded.

"Let's hope this mission doesn't end up like they usually do." Alex and Lucy simultaneously mumbled.

Alex blinked.

"Okay, what happens with you?" Alex sighed.

"Natsu sets everything on fire, Gray freezes whatever Natsu missed, and Erza..." Lucy explained.

"If it makes you feel any better, that sounds a lot better than what happens with me. At most, an entire continent was completely wrecked." Alex said.

Lucy screamed.

"AN ENTIRE CONTINENT?! WHAT IS UP WITH YOU?!"

*Location Unknown; June 12, 2019; 1:30 PM*

"Lady Salem. The Unity team is growing stronger and stronger. I think it's almost time we begin Phase One." Cinder confessed.

Salem scowled at the lack of foresight Cinder suddenly had.

"Have your years in power made you so lacking in concentration?" Salem asked.

"Lady Salem.. I.." Cinder began to explain herself.

"I am aware of how strong the Unity Team has become.. That's why I've prepared some... Reinforcements.." Salem continued.

"Reinforcements?" Cinder asked.

Salem nodded.

"No plan can be seen through without supplementary assistance. The Grimm are decent pillagers, but they are inconsistent. Vulnerable. So I've been looking for the perfect assistants to my plan." Salem explained.

She summoned a small glyph, revealing a crystal ball.

"Our enemies have used this to their advantage.. Now, it shall be their downfall.." Salem continued, looking inside the crystal ball.

Cinder peeked inside the ball as well, and grinned at what she saw.

A golden sphere, adorned with ancient markings and pulsating with energy..

The Summoning Key.

Author's Notes:

And with that, the next part of the story is revealed: The Coven Arc.

A fully powered Cinder Fall, hordes of Grimm, possibly the Apothicons..

Normally, I'd save something of this caliber as the epic conclusion of a story, but I'll be honest..

There's a lot more going on than what I've revealed.

Chapter 35: Prelude

*SCP Foundation; Geo Vector 0-1 HQ; October 18, 2019; 1:55 PM*

"Hey, is Kat Anderson nearby? I need to give her something.." Vanoss told the person at the front desk.

"Are you turning in an SCP?" The man at the front desk asked.

"Well, yeah.. So should I wait here, or..?" Vanoss continued.

Kat had walked out of a nearby office.

"Okay, fine. But just this once. Got it, Dr. Bright?" Kat asked.

"Hey, Kat!" Vanoss waved.

Kat looked towards Vanoss' direction with a smile.

"Just don't do anything stupid.. Hey, Evan!" Kat greeted with a shake of her hand.

"Hey, so listen.. I read up exactly what one of those SPC thingamajigs are, so I wanted to turn this in, finally." Vanoss told her.

"Really? What are you handing in?" Kat wondered.

Vanoss reached into his bag and pulled out a small, golden sphere adorned with glowing blue symbols on the sides.

"Is that..?" Kat gaped.

"The Summoning Key. I found it in my closet along with a bunch of old VidCon shit. I figured it's best to hand in something this crazy-looking to you while I still have a chance." Vanoss told her.

Kat grabbed the orb, letting it float in her hand with golden light.

"This thing's extremely dangerous, Evan! You don't just leave it sitting in the damn closet.!!" Kat chided.

"That's why I'm handing it in!" Vanoss defended.

Kat face-palmed.

"Be more careful with this kind of stuff when you find it, capisce?" Kat demanded.

"Aright!!" Vanoss promised.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" Kat asked.

"Actually, yeah. Apparently Alex went and invited us to Fiore for some kinda thing.. Let me try and remember what it was.." Vanoss figured.

"Oh, god. I think I know.." Kat mumbled.

"Wait, really?" Vanoss gaped.

"You Blockhead! Alex and Yang are getting married tomorrow for chrissake!!" Kat yelled.

Vanoss' face instantly drained of color.

"Come on! We gotta go!!" Vanoss yelled.

"Hughes, cancel my all appointments for the next three days!!" Kat ordered, shoving the Summoning Key into her bag as she ran off.

*Alex and Yang's 2nd Apartment; Outside Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 18, 2019; 1:57 PM*

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza had been in Alex and Yang's small apartment, with three carrying a look of horror as Alex looked through his Scroll.

"Come on! You two already have a kid and you're not gettin' hitched?!" Natsu retorted.

"You morons! If you're going to plan a goddamn wedding, you don't invite people a day before!!" Alex screamed.e

"We didn't invite everyone, I just invited this guy named 'Al Contacts'!" Happy defended.

"That's ALL CONTACTS!" Yang screamed, her eyes already a darkening shade of red.

"Look, Cade, Oreonna, and Auburn are going to be back from their mission with Shadow Gear tomorrow, and we had this planned behind your back for at least a month." Gray added.

"But still!! F**kin' hell, even I don't know how many people Natsu and Happy invited!!" Alex screamed.

"It does explain a few things." Yang recalled, remembering Erza asking for her and Alex's measurements.

"Will all of you be quiet?! You're agitating the child!" Erza yelled from across the apartment.

Alex sat down on the couch with his head in his hands.

"F**king shit. Everyone and their mother's gonna be scrambling to make it here.. Do you guys have any idea how long it took for us to get from Crocus to here on foot?!" Alex groaned.

Natsu, Happy, and Gray screamed in panic.

"YOU GUYS WALKED FROM CROCUS TO MAGNOLIA ON FOOT?!"

*Ponyville, Equestria; October 18, 2019; 2:25 PM*

Twilight scrambled for her teleportation spells while Spike worked overtime to find someone who could get them fitted within two hours.

"Come on, come on..! Who invites wedding guests the day before?! I'll have to reschedule my plans.. Or miss.!!" Twilight worriedly mumbled as she dug through her books.

"The pony who bought the Carousel Boutique is interested! They need all of us over in 15 minutes!" Spike yelled as he ran out the door.

Twilight suddenly heard a magic communicator ringing in the other room.

"Skirmish.!!" She called.

"On it!!" Skirmish yelled, running back from the front door towards the communications room.

Twilight dug and flipped through almost every spell book at her disposal, growing more desperate by the minute.

"It's from Alex again!" She yelled.

Twilight levitated the communicator over to her, reading the message carefully.

Alex:

Sorry about the fuss I might've caused. My guild-mates were planning a wedding behind our backs and got to my scroll after one of them forgot to message you guys a week ago. We've talked to all the venues and asked to reschedule, but the soonest they could get was the 22nd.

Again, really sorry about what happened.

Twilight blinked in surprise.

"Everything okay..?" Skirmish asked.

Twilight's horn immediately started glowing a bright magenta as her eyes twitched. The horn exploded pure magic energy as everything around the room was blown aside.

"Holy shit.." Skirmish gasped.

Twilight took a second to regain her composure.

"They rescheduled it for the 22nd. It's still going to take a while to get everything ready.." Twilight told her.

"Rescheduled..?" Skirmish wondered.

"Alex's friends scheduled the wedding behind their backs." Twilight explained.

"Sounds like the type, all right." Skirmish joked.

"Very funny. Now I need to get to the boutique, I need you to bookmark any important teleportation spells." Twilight ordered.

"You got it!" Skirmish promised as Twilight ran out the door.

Skirmish sat down and started thumbing through the books slowly and calculatingly, looking for any teleportation spells that would help them.

*Patch, Remnant; October 19, 2019; 2:30 PM*

Ruby fell onto her bed in exhaustion, hundreds of combat-styled dresses and red cloaks strewn across her room.

She reached for her scroll, and texted a close friend of her's since the battle that took the life of her two teammates.

Ruby:

Hey, Sun! I got an invite for my sister's wedding on the 22nd, you wanna come?

Sun:

Sure! Where's it at?

Ruby:

It's in Earthland, my sis sent a map to the area, too!

Sun:

I'll go! Mind if I bring a couple friends?

Ruby:

More the merrier, I guess!

"Ruby! Did you know about this?!" Taiyang yelled from across the house.

So obviously he got the memo..

*The House, Location Unknown; October 20, 2019; 2:30 PM*

Dr. Monty fiddled around his controls nervously, as though searching for something.

"Dammit! Several Summoning Keys have gone missing, the Apothicons are gone, and numerous other versions of those four idiots are dead!" Monty slammed his fist against the table in a rage.

"How... How did this happen?" Monty seethed.. His perfect world was at risk! This and every other universe could be in complete danger!

A monitor to his side started beeping, as Monty ran over to check. The machine was meant to search every dimension and find each version of the Summoning Key.

Monty found that, strangely enough, the red dots on his screen seemed... Clumped together..

"Strange.. It's almost as if they... Oh, f**k!" Monty realized.

Whoever had been screwing around with those damned artifacts had combined them!

"Let's see... Geo Vector 0-1... Bollocks! Where did it..?" Monty scowled. This person was traveling dimensions!

Monty traced the energies on the wormhole between that dimension and searched for the other end.

According to the path the Summoning Keys had been heading, they were traveling to..

"Mashima 10-22; Earthland..." Monty noticed.

Monty grabbed his journals, shoved them into his side-bag, and headed off.

He instantly ran back to his microphone, trying to find the only crew that had still been standing.

"See, I've run into a small problem. You know how you dumbasses have been messing with forces beyond your control? Yeah.. Believe it or not, some other dumbass one-upped each and every one of you!

That Summoning Key Richtofen's been lugging around, imagine that combined with about ten other Summoning Keys. Yeah, it's that bad.

I'll set up a portal over there as soon as I can. What I need you to do is help me find whoevers' been f**king everything up and get that key before something else rears it's ugly head!" Monty ordered.

Chapter 36: Birds of a Feather

*Outside Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 20, 2019; 4:55 PM*

"I'm glad you were able to make it with preparations still underway, you two." Ezra greeted.

The three stood in a clearing at least a mile away from town. A nearby river that fed into the sea rushed in the distance, and the wind blew leaves in from the forest about a half-kilometer behind them.

Between missions, Alex had requested training from anyone willing, with Erza being one of now 6 people who stayed at the hall often enough and were strong enough to do so. Yang insisted on coming along to make sure the two weren't doing anything wrong, among other things.

"Thanks for taking time to help out with this." Alex thanked.

"It's no trouble." Erza nodded.

"Woo! Let's see what you've got! You can take 'er!" Yang applauded.

"Yang, not now!" Alex insisted.

Erza didn't respond to either outburst.

"What have you been doing for training since we last worked together?" Erza asked.

"I've mostly been trying to keep up my strength and endurance. I've learned a couple new tricks from that stunt on Galuna. And I've been wearing these," Alex removed his chestplate, removing a block of steel from the core and shoulders respectively, "Since the Tower of Heaven."

Erza stared at the steel blocks on the ground before her, lifting one up with slight difficulty.

"How much do these weigh?" Erza asked.

"About 30 Kilos." Alex replied evenly as he felt his thighs and shins and yanked off two more similarly sized bricks from either leg.

"Each?" Ezra gaped.

"Yeah. He's pretty stubborn about keeping 'em on, too. He only really takes them off to bathe." Yang answered.

"Oh, come on. I've taken them off more often than that." Alex scoffed, removing more weights off his wrists and upper arms.

Erza stared at the pile of weights on the ground, almost perplexed at the sight.

"This has to be 700 pounds at least!" Erza thought.

"Gotta admit, it's better to have these off.. Much lighter, now!" Alex flexed.

"Well.. Hopefully this training exercise is going to be a bit easier on you." Erza grinned.

"We'll see. What's the plan?" Alex cracked his knuckles.

"It's simple. Attack me." Erza requiped to her Lightning Empress armor.

Alex drew his own sword, now remolded into a single-edged scimitar.

Just after the Fantasia parade ended, Alex and his family returned to Ponyville because several of their weapons had broken down from month after month of abuse. Alex requested his next weapon in the form of the familiar SCAR-H, leaving him with a much more powerful weapon.

Of course, it came in handy since most of the guild had been ensnared in another battle with a dark guild by the time they got back.

"I'll let you take the first attack." Alex stood, sword ready.

Erza grinned.

"Very well. Natsu! Gray!" Erza yelled.

"What?!" Alex thought as the other two mages leapt to Erza's side and attacked.

Alex darted backwards, leaping though any attack he could before landing behind Natsu.

"Sup, Pinkie?" Alex grinned.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' PINKIE?!" Natsu swung his fist.

Alex blocked the attack, only to have his metal hand heat up.

Natsu leaped towards Alex, raising another flame-wreathed fist and punching Alex in the side.

Alex doubled over, leaving him open to Gray's attack..

"ICE-MAKE LANCE!!"

Alex had mere milliseconds to evade the offending splinters, landing in front of the Ice Mage and side-kicking him into a tree.

Just as Gray started to stand, Natsu readied his own attack.

"FIRE DRAGON-!!"

"ICE-MAKE-!!"

"Shit!" Alex gaped.

Alex was instantly bombarded by arcs of flame and slivers of ice. He darted towards the ice, knowing well the searing pain that came with getting burned.

The ice slivers bounced off his armor and the bigger chunks dented the metal plate. The largest blocks of ice, he was able to hack in two and attack Gray easily.

Alex swiftly ducked to avoid an ice-covered fist, kicking Gray into the skies and readying his own counter.

Alex reared back his right arm, as though preparing to throw a ball, as a pulsating mass of lightning formed in his palm.

"THUNDERBURST!!!" Alex pelted Gray with the violet-colored ball of energy, resulting in an impressive display of energy as the Ice Mage fell to the ground.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!!" Natsu blew a massive gust of fire towards him.

With mere moments to react, Alex unsheathed his sword and allowed his energy to pour into the blade.

With a wide swing, a razor-thin strip of lightning parted the flames, forcing Natsu to evade the deadly arc.

Alex ran past the Dragonslayer, planting a blow onto his stomach and slowly uncurled his fist.

"Shock Breaker." Alex deadpanned as Natsu was blown into the forest.

Alex turned around to find that Erza had been charging an attack in the twenty or so seconds he'd been fighting Natsu and Gray.

"LIGHTNING BEAM!!" Erza fired a pulse of electricity towards him.

At the same instant, Natsu flew towards him at incredible speed, grinning as he reared back his fist.

Alex raised his hand towards the electric pulse Erza made as Natsu grew ever closer to him.

Natsu and Erza both gasped in surprise at what happened next.

Alex absorbed Erza's blast through his palm. Grabbed Natsu, swung him towards Erza, and sent him on his way with his own counter-attack.

Erza leaped out of the way, forcing her to requip into her Heaven's Wheel armor.

She reared back both arms and carried two swords, all the while requipping dozens of others.

"Ah, crap. Blumenblatt.." Alex raised his own weapon to block.

Alex managed to successfully block Erza's initial strike, only to be hopelessly unprepared for the dozens of swords that skewered past. One in particular managed to actually stab around his armor and left behind a nasty cut.

Instantly, Natsu and Gray leapt to the opening like sharks to blood, and bombarded him with ice and fire attacks.

By the end, Alex staggered onto one knee, clutching the wound Erza's sword had made.

"Are you done?" Erza asked.

Alex grinned.

"You wish.."

Alex stood back up, raising himself to Evolved Warrior and glaring at the three mages.

"I don't think you guys have seen this yet... Allow me to introduce you the Evolved Warrior." Alex grinned.

Erza stared at the static light-purple aura, his spiky, purple hair, and the way he now seemed to surge with newfound power.

"Evolved Warrior..?" Erza repeated in curiosity.

Alex blinked.

"Oh, I almost forgot this was a training exercise." Alex quickly powered down.

All three mages were completely perplexed by the sudden changes.

"How did you do that?! Are you some kind of super-wizard?!" Natsu asked.

"Natsu." Ezra glared.

Alex grumbled.

"It's a long story, and I'd prefer not to tell it now." Alex said.

"Alright.. Hey, Yang. What's up with Alex?" Natsu asked.

"NATSU!!" Alex screamed.

"Oh, yeah.. We've had a bunch of problems involving inter-dimensional dictatorships and shit. Alex needed to head over here to train, and I talked him into joining the guild." Yang said.

"For what? If this threat follows you here, we need to know." Erza demanded.

Alex sighed.

"Now, this is going to take some explanation.." Alex groaned.

Alex explained that Cade and Auburn were their children from the future, and that their timeline's Cinder had followed them to this timeline. He also told them about the Maiden's power, and how Cinder had killed all four and become much stronger than even he wanted to deal with.

Erza, Natsu, and Grey were absolutely horrified.

"If this 'Cinder' is as strong as you say she is, we need to tell Makarov, now!" Erza demanded.

"Are you crazy?! I'm not letting another world die because of my bullshit!" Alex yelled.

"You and your family joined this guild, so your problems are our problems, now." Gray swore.

"Is everyone I meet f**king insane?!" Alex yelled.

"What about the wedding?" Yang asked.

"THAT'S YOUR QUESTION?!" Natsu screamed.

"Your friends can help. In case Cinder comes, we need everyone ready." Erza explained, dragging both Alex and Yang by the wrist.

*Crocus, Fiore; October 20, 2019; 5:00 PM*

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and the CMC wandered around town, asking around for directions to Magnolia Town.

"Well, so much for being polite." Twilight sighed.

"Aw, cheer up! We'll find our way! Let's ask this guy!" Pinkie pointed to an aging man with white hair and a red scarf. Carrying a sachel, he spoke to four other men.

"...And make damn sure you find those Summoning Keys before..." The man turned around and looked at the ponies.

"Uh.. Hello, sir! My name is-"

"Twilight Sparkle. Former Protégé of Princess Celestia, and a known benefactor of Geo Vector 0-1's division of the SCP Foundation." The man replied.

Twilight gasped.

"How did you know..?" Twilight asked.

"Erm... Dr. Monty, who und what are they?" A man with a moustache and a German accent asked.

Dr. Monty smiled.

"Our ticket for putting everything back into order.. Tell me, where are the Summoning Keys?"

Author's Notes:

I intend to make this arc quite a bit longer than the others. Let's face it, 10 chapter story arcs of roughly the same plotline isn't going to work any more than three times.

Now, I'm still working on the storyline of this arc and when exactly the crap's gonna hit the fan. But I can honestly say that when it does, it's gonna be epic.

Chapter 37: The Coven

*Location Unknown; October 21, 2019; 3:44 PM*

Salem, Cinder, and two other members of their inner circle, Watts and Hazel, around a table.

"Where's Tyrian? He should be here." Hazel scowled.

"Hmm... If I remember correctly, Tyrian was out getting help from the Chaos Insurgency." Cinder answered.

"For him, I suppose it's fitting." Hazel noted.

"Why would we need help from yet another organization?" Watts wondered.

"Because, doctor. They know the most about a certain number of artifacts that can help us achieve our goals." Salem replied.

"Speaking of artifacts, Cinder's allies in the Nexus were barely able to get that damn Egyptian gem. Why wasn't she there?"

"I was instructed to stay back, Watts." Cinder scowled.

"So, just because you have every maiden's powers, means you can talk to me that way. At least I was able to 'convince' Neo to kill Torchwick." Watts grumbled.

"As if she needed convincing.. That fool is about as useful as a White Fang grunt." Hazel scowled.

"My former associates are not of your concern, you two. And don't think I won't simply kill you for disrespecting me." Cinder said.

"Coming from someone who couldn't kill some imbecile Adenienite kid." Watts scoffed.

"Fight him, and you'll understand he's more of a threat than any silver-eyed warrior you've ever dealt with." Cinder retorted.

"That's quite enough, you three." Salem scowled contempt fully at them.

The three grumbled as the sank into their seats.

"Now, Doctor. Have you made any progress with the children?" Salem asked.

"They're coming along. Conditioning is the harder part, but in due time, they'll work out." Watts explained.

"As they should. Hazel, I need you dealing with the Artifact. Cinder will stay with me until the time comes." Salem ordered.

"What exactly do you need me to do?" Cinder asked.

"We wait. We let Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian do their part. You two may leave." Salem said, turning towards the other two men as they left the table.

Salem waited until the two left the room.

"Yes, Salem?" Cinder asked.

"My pupil. As much as I need every piece of my puzzle. I find that I have a few pieces that, ahem, don't fit." Salem explained.

"And then?" Cinder asked.

"When the time comes, they will have outlived their usefulness. execute them." Salem ordered.

"Yes, Salem.." Cinder stood up.

Salem sat in her seat, thinking things through in her head.

"One other thing, Salem?" Cinder asked.

Salem's eyes narrowed, "Speak."

"What are your intentions with the Artifact?" Cinder asked.

Salem smiled.

"Patience, my protégé, all in due time."

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 21, 2019; 3:50 PM*

"So, what do we do now?" Alex grumbled.

The guild had welcomed everyone of his friends quickly before pulling them inside, checking the doors for anything suspicious.

"We wait. This 'Cinder' will plan an attack on Fairy Tail to find you. They'll expect all of us in the Guild Hall to take us down in one swift blow, but Fairy Tail gains a significant home-field advantage." Erza stated.

Alex heard a loud knocking on the door, and everyone quietly panicked.

"I'll check." Auburn promised as she went and opened the door.

"So, you sure about this? The guild looks like they're ready to blow any second." Alex asked.

"They'll be fine. Remember the guild war with Phantom Lord?" Yang asked.

Alex felt his latest scar; a ragged, vicious looking cut across his chest from his fight with Gajeel. The fight had left him battered and nearly broken, mostly stemming from the fact that apparently iron attracts lightning.

"Remind me again to never to piss off a Dragonslayer." Alex scowled.

Auburn opened the door, letting in the New Mane 6, and five strange men, one of them appearing much older than the rest.

"Hold on.." Alex stood up and walked towards the older man.

"Who are you? I don't remember sending you five an invitation." Alex glared.

"We've come with the ponies. We're looking for something and we were hoping that you could help." The old man replied.

Alex scowled.

"I'll let this slide.. For now. What's your name?"

"I am Dr. Monty. And you are Saigo Emphas, AKA Alex Walker. I must say that I'm impressed with your work." Dr. Monty replied.

Alex backed up.

"I never told you my name.." Alex glared.

"We'll discuss this later, there are other matters I must worry about." Monty promised, walking past him.

Alex turned to face the other four.

"And you are..?" Alex asked.

"Hmm. Angry, this one.. Probably American."

"F**k you, Takeo."

"Apologies. I am Nikolai. This is Dempsey, Takeo, and the German is Richtofen." Nikolai nodded.

"It's fine." Alex curtly replied.

'Richtofen' instantly went his separate ways towards Dr. Monty, and Alex's curiosity piqued.

He had to know who they were.

"Excuse me. I gotta wash up." Alex left, following Richtofen.

Yang stood up, looking concerned.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Just something I have to attend to. It won't be long." He replied.

Alex stalked the two gentlemen cautiously as they trekked slowly through the Guild Hall, conversing about some unknown subject.

As they headed towards the back end of the Guild Hall, Alex was able to get closer. Who were they? And how did they know so much about him?

"...Are you sure he can be trusted, Dr. Monty? I've seen what he is capable of, but he's... Unpredictable.." Richtofen asked.

Alex gasped silently, clenching his teeth.

"I can understand where you're coming from, Doctor Richtofen. But the fact of the matter is, he's dealt with so much similar stuff before, this should be a walk in the f**king park!" Monty noted, turning around and looking back suspiciously.

Alex snuck back around the corner, to prevent being seen.

Alex held his mouth shut and forced himself not to move. He soon heard footsteps again and snuck to follow.

The two were heading up the stairwell as Alex waited for them to move along as he silently crept behind.

The two seemed to be heading towards a deck behind the Fairy Tail Guild Hall overlooking the ocean, private enough to not be seen by the rest of the wedding party.

"Well, I trusted Doctor Maxis with correcting our actions. I led ze souls to ze House with my Summoning Key.." Alex overheard Richtofen tell him.

"Maxis was acting under my supervision, Richtofen. If Walker is able to help us find that damn conglomerate of a Summoning Key, then there's no problem whatsoever. Your comrades seem to be making friends of the other travelers, so what's the issue?" Monty asked.

The Summoning Key... Where did he hear about that before..?

Vanoss!

"Speaking of Captain Walker, you can stop sneaking around like a f**king cat." Monty called.

Alex sighed.

"Dammit." He muttered.

"Eh... Was he following us this whole time?" Richtofen asked.

"Mostly." Alex replied curtly.

"So you know of our situation?" Monty asked.

"Bits and pieces. I know about something called a 'Summoning Key' that you apparently need badly enough to come here." Alex rolled his eyes.

Monty sighed.

"Alright. If you don't mind, Edward. I'd like to recap a bit so Alex here gets the full scoop." Monty stated.

"It is alright. We need as much help as possible." Richtofen replied.

"Sit down, Alex. This might come as the biggest shock to you since you found out about Auburn not really being yours." Monty stated.

Alex decided to ignore that comment as a whole.

"Now, as you learned from a slightly earlier age, the Universe is a big, big big place. Bigger than what I even thought. One of these particular dots in the cosmic paper that is reality, is my own universe..

"Now, That universe in of itself is filled to the brim with dozens upon dozens of other sort of 'Mini-Universes', if you will. Dimensions within dimensions like some kind of Russian Nesting Doll. And it was beautiful.

"The thing about that is, well, I've run into a few problems involving an ancient evil that has been making my life as of late a bigger headache than usual. The Apothicons.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, the Inquisitors were evil. In fact, most people in general are a little evil if you really look into them. But the Apothicons, holy shit, they're bad."

"Doctor Monty, I can't help unless you get to the point." Alex interjected.

Dr. Monty cleared his throat.

"Of course. Anyways. The Apothicons are bad, so is the guy leading the charge, as they say. The original harbinger of doom. The Shadowman.

"Normally, I would've banished him as always and called it a day, but, as luck would have it. Things got worse.

"Apparently, in addition to my own universe. There are hundreds, thousands even, just like it. Only with some changes, though. Some small, some so drastically different they're barely alike! It was perplexing, at first, but then I wondered how the other 'me's felt.

"The point is, similar things have been going on in these parallel universes. But here's the main problem. Dozens and dozens of other versions of Doctor Richtofen and his Crew have been found, mysteriously gunned down and had weapons stolen off of them!

"The more I looked into it, the more problems arose! Weapons and plans were disappearing, certain elements of certain creations all messed up like your family tree.

"But the absolute worse thing..? A crew of four went to a parallel version of one of my worlds, and captured that universe's Shadowman inside one of the Summoning Keys!! If that wasn't bad enough, they went and merged them all together!! The damn Shadowman could be in any one of the thirteen or so they mixed together!!!"

Alex was hesitant to ask his next question.

"Who or what is this... 'Shadowman'? How powerful is he?" Alex asked.

Monty shook his head.

"Well, in the grand scheme of things. You are at a...uh... Six-point-five.. maybe seven. And the Shadowman is at... Say... 138." Dr. Monty explained.

Alex fell back into his chair.

"Well, shit!" Alex flipped the table.

"Calm down! There is a way to put this mess to a standstill!" Monty yelled.

Alex calmed down and slumped back into his chair.

"I'm listening, Doctor." Alex nodded.

Monty leaned in close.

"Find me that Summoning Key, or else this," Monty gestured to the ocean to their right, "Will be the last you ever see of a peaceful world." He scowled.

Alex stared in horror... How could something like that exist..?

"I need to get to work.. Fast.." Alex stood up.

"Well, if you say so.." Monty handed him a red bottle with a small 'plus' symbol on it.

Alex held the bottle in his hand.

"The hell's this..?" Alex asked.

Richtofen stood up.

"That is Juggernog.. It increases your endurance and strength two-fold at least.." Richtofen explained.

"I had to make these perks special for you. Adenienites can't drink, remember?" Monty asked.

"Huh..?" Alex wondered.

"Oh, right. You didn't discuss that part with Ultimus, yet.." Monty rolled his eyes.

Alex glared.

"Okay, what the hell are you? Explain, now!" Alex demanded.

Monty grinned.

"My name's Dr. Monty, nice to meet you." He replied with a slight grin.

Author's Notes:

We get an actual view of Salem's group in this Arc, 'The Coven'.

Thank god for Rooster Teeth getting the juicy bits about the new antagonists out of the way early, or I would've actually had to create characters myself!

Also, we get a look into Doctor Monty and his motives, and more and more of Salem's plan is being unveiled as I write!

Happy Reading!!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 38: Chaos Theory

*SCP Foundation Geo Vector 0-1 Division; October 21, 2019; 9:30 PM*

Hughes and Krieger stood guard outside one of the Containment Chambers, armed and waiting for anything unusual.

"So... Do you think we really made the right choice..?" Krieger asked.

"About..?" Hughes wondered.

"The Director. We gave her the Eye, and she gave us a job.. Even so, with everything that's been happening.. Were we right..?" Krieger wondered.

"Morning Star would've killed us all. What could we have done? Die?" Hughes asked.

"Still.. I can't help but feel like I'm doing something wrong by taking this job.." Krieger admitted.

"Hey, I know how you feel. I don't care how many times we get to see 999, these people are f**kin' insane!" Hughes threw up his hands in exasperation.

"I nearly got killed just going to the bathroom! And whenever shit's not trying to kill me! it's creeping me the f**k out!" Krieger assented.

"And, I mean, what's next, the Facility gets attacked?!" Hughes yelled.

Suddenly, the pair heard gunfire and explosions from close by.

"Dammit, Hughes." Krieger held his rifle.

The two ran towards the main entrance to discover armed soldiers fast-roping in through the skyline and more breaking windows open and shooting nearby attendants.

"Christ!" Hughes shot at some of the soldiers, two of them getting shot to death.

"Keep me covered!" Krieger told him, grabbing another dead SCP soldier's gun and counter-attacking.

"Where are you going?!" Hughes asked.

"This whole facility is in danger!" Krieger yelled as he dual-wielded the SCP standard issue HK416s and took down as many as he could on his way to a side-room.

"Dammit, Krieger.." Hughes spat, shooting more soldiers who happened to make their way inside.

"Reinforcements inbound!!" A dozen or so SCP guards charged in behind, taking out the rest of that battalion.

"The hell's going on?" Hughes asked.

"The goddamn Chaos Insurgency. They've just tried shutting down our power. Since using the classic internet didn't work, they're trying to do it manually." A commander informed.

"Anything I can help with, Sir?"

"Place the Containment Units on backup power! They'll shut down the main power soon, but we can hope that the Backup power holds out long enough!"

Krieger stepped out of the room.

"Okay. Backup power's on. That... Oh, reinforcements showed up.." Krieger sighed in thanks.

"Now, we need to hold out for as long as possible.. The Insurgency is getting backup from an unknown faction." The commander ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" The soldiers hunkered down in vantage points all over the lobby, some even setting up MGs near the stairs.

"Well.. I guess what we've been doing is better than what we were doing.." Krieger admitted.

"Agreed."

A large horde of Soldiers charged in from either side of the main entrance, all of them carrying pack-a-punched weapons.

"The hell?!" Krieger gaped at the strange weapons the Chaos Insurgency carried.

"Take cover!!" A guard shouted, throwing a Molotov and burning a group of machine gunners.

"We've gotta hold the line! Don't let up!!" The commander ordered.

Hughes grabbed the suitcase at his back, assembling a 20mm cannon at his side as Krieger covered him.

"Hail Mary!!" Krieger grabbed a frag grenade and tossed it at another group.

The group exploded into a pillar of fiery ogre as more and more soldiers piled in.

"Keep holding on!!!" The commander ordered as he was shot in the head.

"Fire!!" Krieger yelled upon seeing Hughes' sniper.

Hughes grabbed the cannon, aimed for a dense crowd of Chaos Insurgency troops, and shot the first round.

The shot pierced through ten troops before ricocheting and killing an eleventh, all of whom died instantly.

"Good shot..!" A soldier congratulated.

Krieger reached for his pistol, a rail-gun that fired a .50 caliber lead ball.

"Last one!" Krieger shouted, finishing off the enemy soldier.

"Is that the last of them..?" Hughes asked, holding a second round in his hand.

"I think so... You guys okay?!" Krieger yelled.

A unanimous 'yes' was mumbled throughout the group.

"Radio's back up!" A soldier called.

The men gathered around the small radio while Krieger kept watch.

"Soldier, do you copy?" One asked.

"Y-Y-Yes, sir... Th-They're tearing us apart here... The Chaos Insurgency... They-" The radio devolved into static as a soldier claymore to get it back on.

"Come on... Don't die on me!" He grunted, smacking it.

As soon as the radio went back on, all they heard were screams of pain and agony.

"Were one of the SCP's released?!" Another soldier gasped.

"No. Krieger turned on the Emergency Power. If all goes well, that should be up and-"

The lights instantly shut off before the flickering red emergency lights turned on as well.

"-Running..."

The men gathered their weapons, watching the front and backsides of the room.

"Stay close.." Hughes ordered.

"Right.. We can't-"

Suddenly, the men began screaming in agony as Hughes was splattered in an unknown fluid, all the while, a ragged, wicked voice cackled with glee at the sudden carnage.

"Blood..?" Hughes gasped.

"Hughes, you there?" Krieger fell in close to Hughes.

"The hell just happened?!" Hughes panicked.

"Calm down! I'll take care of whatever's--"

Krieger screamed in pain before his cries were subsided by gurgling and a dull thud..

"Krieger?!" Hughes grabbed Krieger's pistol, holding it out in front of him..

"Hm.. Seems I've missed one." The voice chuckled.

Hughes turned round to see a figure of a man holding... Claws?

The man walked slowly towards him, scratching the metallic claws against the wall as Hughes fired the railgun.

The killer diverted the shot into the wall, and Hughes could practically see the wicked smile of the psychopath.

"W-Who are you?!" Hughes gasped, loading the cannon with trembling fingers.

Hughes' neck was clutched in the killer's grasp, feeling the sharp metal blades sink into his neck.

"Guess it won't matter anyways.. My name's Tyrian.. And you're the only one who'll ever know.. Before I rip your throat out, where's the Summoning Key?" Tyrian grinned.

Hughes growled in anger and pointed the barrel of the Cannon at Tyrian's chest.

The shot managed to pierce Tyrian's Aura, but it didn't prevent him from clawing out Hughes' throat.

Hughes gasped and spluttered, reaching for another gun so he could finish him off.

"Eheheheh... ahahahah!!! Guess you're not much of a talker... At least, not anymore!!" Tyrian chuckled, pulling the bullet out of his chest as he kicked Hughes over, planting a foot on his chest.

More Chaos Insurgency soldiers poured inside.

"Sir.. The Summoning Key is not located at this facility!" The Chaos Insurgent reported.

Tyrian grumbled in disappointment.

"Well, at least it was worth the visit.." Tyrian grinned as he lowered himself down above Hughes, and lashed his claws across his face.

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall; October 21, 2019; 9:45 PM*

"YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!" Dempsey had Vanoss by the neck, pinning him to the wall while Nikolai and Takeo raised their weapons at the rest of Vanoss' crew at the doorway.

"S-Shit..! G-Get the f**k off me..!" Vanoss struggled under the soldier's grasp to little avail.

"You killed every version of us you found! How about I return the favor?!" Dempsey scowled.

Vanoss swiftly kicked Dempsey where no man should be kicked. Now free, Vanoss stole Dempsey's .45 and held it up to his head.

"It was easy enough killing ya the first 30 times, let's go for thirty-one!" Vanoss grinned.

Erza scowled, twisting Vanoss' arm behind his back and kicking Dempsey in the face.

"As much as I don't mind infighting, I'd rather not have Mirajane mop your blood off the floor." Erza demanded.

"As much as I hate these murderous pigs, we should not kill each other." Nikolai decided.

"Agreed. It is not the honorable way." Takeo agreed.

"That doesn't mean everything's okay, you f**ks." Wildcat said.

"Wildcat.." Delirious raised his hands as the rest of Vanoss' crew walked inside.

Twilight sat in the stool next to Yang.

"So, Princess. How's the new wing?" Yang wondered.

"It's... Still unnatural, but I'll get used to it.." Twilight figured, giving the robotic wing a flick.

"Yeah, I get ya. Thank god Cade was able to build these for me, otherwise I might not have been able to fight!" Yang smacked her metallic right arm and leg.

"Hi, Yang!" Ruby greeted as she walked inside the guild.

"RUBY!!!" Yang ran and immediately bear-hugged her sister.

"Gah.. Y-Yang.. You're crushing my ribs.." Ruby gasped.

"Oh, sorry!!" Yang smiled sheepishly.

"So, how's the Guild working out?" Ruby asked after taking a breath.

"The people here are awesome! Alex

Alex walked back in the main hall with Dr. Monty and Richtofen.

"Hey, Doc." Dempsey nodded.

"So, were you able to figure out why Dr. Monty's here?" Gray asked.

"I was.. Where's Makarov?" Alex asked.

"I'm right here.!! Give me a second.." Makarov exclaimed while climbing up to the railing of the second floor.

"Is everyone here? Where's Kat?" Alex asked.

"Hey." Kat nodded respectfully.

Alex smiled back before hardening his expression.

"Okay. I was able to get Dr. Monty here to tell me why he came to Fairy Tail. And... Well, do you want the good news or bad news?" Alex asked.

"I'd rather take the good news, kid." Dempsey scowled.

"I'm with the weird guys! Gimme the good news!" Natsu demanded.

"A real man would want the bad news first!" Elfman shouted.

"I'm with the buff guy over there." Vanoss sighed.

Alex face palmed.

"For f**ks sake.. The bad news is that Monty's here because someone in this Guild Hall is carrying an artifact called the 'Summoning Key'. Apparently, it's containing a demon of some kind called the 'Shadowman'. For whatever reason, I feel like Cinder Fall's connected with this mess somehow." Alex commented.

A collective gasp sounded throughout the room.

"The Shadowman?!" Cade screamed.

Oreonna's face paled at the mention of his name, whereas Auburn now had a horrified expression.

"Wait, you know about that 'Shadowman'?!" Gray yelled.

"Know him? He's been terrorizing us since Our Cinder let him out! It took me 3 years of training before Flurry and I stood a chance!" Cade explained.

"The Shadowman bridged Future Equestria and Future Adenien when he summoned our timeline's Apothicons. It took everything we had to kill that monster." Auburn added.

"He's the one who killed my mom in our timeline!" Oreonna exclaimed.

"Neo..?" Yang gasped.

The entire guild hall, aside from Monty's crew, was swept in a wave of terror.

"AAHH!!! ANY ONE OF US COULD LET HIM OUT! I BET IT'S GRAY!!" Natsu yelled.

"IT ISN'T ME, YOU HOTHEADED FREAK!" Gray retorted.

"SHUT UP!!" Alex demanded.

The hall was kept unusually silent.

"But there is good news. If we can find the damn Summoning Key, we might be able to stop all of this shit before it even happens." Alex told them.

"Even so, why would Cinder release the Shadowman again if she knows what'll happen?" Cade wondered.

Alex grinned.

"She's running out of ideas. It's just like what happened with the Changelings before we met Alex, They got desperate and invaded Canterlot to survive.." Twilight explained.

"If what you're saying is true, it means Cinder's willing to attack the Guild, and that's where her plan goes to shit. Yang, the kids, and I have been in the Guild for a little over 6 months now, and if I learned anything from being here, it's that if you piss off Fairy Tail, you won't like what happens next!"

The Guild Hall suddenly erupted in an uproar.

"Damn right!" Makarov, Elfman, and most of the Guild Members shouted.

"I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!" Natsu yelled.

"If she wants this Shadowman released, she'll have to deal with all of us, then!" Mini shouted.

"I'll teach this 'Cinder' person why you don't f**k with a Marine!" Dempsey roared.

"If we managed to recover from everything that's happened, then we can fight this 'Shadowman' or anyone who wants to release him!" Twilight noted..

"CUTIE MARKED CRUSADERS DEMON LORD KILLERS YAY!!!" The three fillies yelled.

"I've dealt with a lot of Grimm, I can help with your Shadowman problem too!" Ruby added.

"Alright! Here's my plan: Tomorrow, the wedding goes on as planned, with someone watching for anyone suspicious while looking for the Summoning Key. Whether or not the Shadowman's released, we'll fight hard, and WIN!" Alex screamed.

*Meanwhile; Outside of Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 21, 2019; 10:15 PM*

Hazel and an armored figure walked through the mountains, overlooking the quaint town of Magnolia.

"And you're sure she's here?" The figure asked.

"Yes. If my people are right, your target should be in that building." Hazel replied, pointing to the large structure overlooking the sea.

"Now. Listen to me carefully, You go ahead and release that Shadow-Whatever on this world, I don't really care. I'll take care of that little silvery eyed shit myself. If you or anyone else gets in my way, they die, understand?!" The figure demanded.

"Don't worry. You get your prize, my superiors get an opening for their plans with Remnant. Alex Walker will die. And that'll be the end of it." Hazel answered.

The figure laughed.

"You expect me to let that bastard escape my grasp? Oh no, I'll take care of him, free of charge."

Author's Notes:

And here's the official reveal of Tyrian.

.. No, not Alex's alter-ego in the first story arc, but one of the new villains introduced in RWBY Volume 4.

Expect things to start going crazy by next chapter.

-The Destoyer

Chapter 39: Apocalypse Initiated

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 2:45 PM*

Hazel entered the Guild Hall, politely greeting a...flying blue cat...upon entry.

"Thank you." He nodded curtly, walking inside the hall.

"Aye, sir!" Happy grinned.

He overheard two men conversing about their girlfriends or something, not that he cared.

"...So, I'm hanging out with Ruby now.." A blonde-haired monkey Faunus explained.

"Wait.. Ruby..? Huh.. Never thought you two'd make a couple." A man wearing an owl mask figured.

Looking at his scanner, the Summoning Key should be inside this building.

He just had to find it.

*Outside Magnolia Town, Fiore; 2:47 PM*

"Ma'am, I am approaching the city. When shall I activate the portals?" Watts asked.

"As soon as we send out our signal." Cinder replied.

"Alright.. If you insist.." Watts muttered.

He stood out, awaiting the supposed signal as the figure walked out.

"Now, what am I to do with your sick creations, Doctor? Put them out of their misery?" A figure asked.

"We are to wait for a signal to let my children out. I will activate the portals." Watts explained.

"These freaks won't go after me, will they?" The figure wondered, unafraid.

"No. They'll flock with the others." Watts replied.

The figure grinned sadistically under his mask.

"Excellent. The coming storm won't compare to the monumental battle that follows it. " the figure smiled wickedly.

*Inside the Guild Hall; 2:48 PM*

"Okay.. Keep your eyes out for the Key, alright?" Alex asked.

"You can count on us!" Applebloom replied

The crusaders scampered off as Twilight trotted next to Alex.

"Are you sure they can handle the responsibility?" Twilight asked.

"They handled Morning Star decently, they can deal with a game of 'find the needle in a haystack'." Alex noted.

"Right..." Twilight nodded.

"Besides, everyone else is doing pretty much the same thing." Alex shrugged.

"I'll leave you to deal with your special some-pony. Speaking of which, she's coming in 3...2...1.."

Yang tackled Alex onto a table, smiling down at him.

"Ow... Hey, Yang..!" Alex grinned a little.

"Sooo~ you having fun?" Yang smiled.

"Heh... Yeah.. Or I would if we weren't busy searching for something." Alex answered..

"I asked Oreonna and Wendy to help take care of that. Cade's with Auburn and Lucy in the back." Yang said, inching closer.

"What about the door?" Alex asked.

Yang was silent, and she actually looked really nervous.

"Yang... Who's on door duty?" Alex demanded.

"...You probably won't like it, but..." Yang sheepishly smiled.

*Fairy Tail Back Hallway; 2:50 PM*

Hazel kept up his search. Those three teenagers were going to be an issue. He'd otherwise silence them, but this was more of a 'high-profile' mission.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Someone screamed in anger.

Hazel immediately ducked into a nearby staircase, hiding.

"That was close.. Don't wanna attract attention.." Hazel sighed.

He went down the stairwell, which led to a library. Hopefully, it was close.

'Let's see.. Once I clean this place up and find that stupid trinket.. I could actually kill Cinder.. If Salem of all people wants it, I must be hitting a gold mine..!' Hazel thought.

He continued his search, thumbing through notes and books.

"Nothing here... Useless... Jobs for 2,000,000 Jewel.. That'll get a cheap mobile home.." Hazel rolled his eyes.

"Please... You must help me..." a voice called.

Hazel looked upwards.

"Who the hell..?" Hazel scowled.

Hesitantly, Hazel walked up the staircase.

*Inside the Main Hall*

"YOU ASKED HAPPY OF ALL PEOPLE TO WATCH THE DOOR?!" Alex yelled.

"Hey, he said I could trust him!" Yang retorted.

"Well, why not just f**king ask?!" Alex grabbed Yang's wrist and dragged her over to Happy.

"Happy?!" Alex asked angrily.

"Yeah?" Happy asked, eating a fish.

"You didn't happen to let anyone weird or unhinged inside, did you?" Alex asked.

Dr. Monty, Richtofen, and Vanoss ran to the three Fairy Tail members.

"What happened?!" Monty asked, worriedly.

"Yang put Happy on door duty!" Alex replied.

"... You mean ze blue cat, right..? Wait, am I hallucinating..?" Richtofen asked.

"Hey! By the way, I did see somebody weird, okay?!" Happy defended, albeit poorly.

Alex, Dr. Monty, and Richtofen sweatdropped.

"Imbecile!" Monty yelled.

"You've doomed us all!" Richtofen screamed.

"Now we have to work overtime just to find the stupid thing! Where's Natsu?!" Alex asked.

"Natsu?!" Vanoss groaned.

"Yeah, what's up?" The pink-haired Dragonslayer asked.

"Happy's gone and let in some stranger! I need your sense of smell to either find that Summoning Key, or find the guy Happy let in!" Alex explained.

"You got it! By the way, I've been smelling something weird since a few days ago.. It almost smells like a mix of Lucy's Keys and Dark Magic." Natsu noticed.

"That could be it! We need to find that Summoning Key before he does!" Vanoss realized, sprinting in-tow with the rest of the group.

"Right! C'mon, Happy!" Natsu yelled from across the room.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy flew towards the team as the party continued.

Ruby and Sun immediately went towards the door.

"We'll keep watch!" Ruby promised.

"Thank you!" Alex screamed.

*Coat Room; 2:54 PM*

Hazel looked through the coats, shoving his hands through the pockets and purses as he went.

"Only through me, can you find your redemption.." the voice promised.

Hazel hurriedly looked for the Key, cautiously feeling through the coats.

Suddenly, the door behind him was opened.

"Ahh!!!! There's some creep in the coat room!!" A straight-haired blonde girl yelled.

"N-No, wait..!" Hazel begged as she grabbed the nearest purse and smacked him with it.

"Lucy!" Cade yelled, unholstering his Conductor pistol.

Cade and Auburn pointed their weapons at the stranger.

"Don't move a muscle, or I'll blow your brains out!" Cade ordered.

Hazel grinned.

"Try me, Thunder blood!" Hazel yelled, shoving Lucy to the wall and grabbing Cade by the neck.

Auburn swung her axe and hacked his back open, leaving the man staggering down and dropping Cade.

"You're dead!" Cade punched him back into the coat room, shooting at Hazel as he dodged the bullets and ripped through the coats.

One particular purse fell over, causing a large, metallic ball to roll out of it.

Cade, Auburn, and Hazel eyed it before attacking each other.

"Don't stop me, Huntress.." Hazel scowled as Cade dove in for the Summoning Key.

Alex, Natsu, Yang, Dr. Monty, Richtofen, and Vanoss stopped in front of the chaos.

"Oh, shit!" Alex charged, kicking Hazel down into the main hall, ruthlessly attacking as he continued.

"Quick, grab it!" Richtofen demanded.

"No! Kick it over!" Monty ordered.

Lucy went and reared back as Hazel leaped back up to get it, grabbing Lucy's whip as he reached.

Lucy stepped on his face with the back of her boot.

"Watch it, creep!" She yelled as he used the whip to pull the Summoning Key closer.

"Natsu! Yang!" Alex ordered, grabbing a hold of his foot.

The two charged, firing at Hazel and blowing up that part of the building.

The group fell to the ground, stunned, as they struggled to find the Key through the smoke.

"Yang..?" Alex coughed.

"I'm here... Cade? Auburn?" Yang replied.

"Yeah.." Cade winced.

The Summoning Key emitted a golden glow as Hazel reached and picked it up.

"Good job, you fools! I did my part, now do yours and DIE!!" Hazel raised the Summoning Key to the skies, only for the golden glow to surround him.

"The hell?!" Delirious gaped.

"Dammit, Natsu!" Gray yelled.

The glow that surrounded Hazel only intensified as it continued absorb him, leaving the ex-Hunter screaming in agony as the glow ripped him to bits and pulled his chunks inside the Summoning Key, entrapping him inside the device.

The entire guild hall stared in awe.

"What happened..?" Sun asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Dempsey added.

"Well, let's hope that's the end of it!" Ohm grinned.

Suddenly, a sinister laugh enveloped the Guild.

"What the..?" Erza gasped as she raised her weapon.

"Now isn't the time for your pranks, Evan!" Terroriser yelled.

"That isn't me!!" Vanoss gaped.

The Summoning Key broke apart again, unleashing another golden glow as a human form materialized from it.

"Is... Is that..?" Twilight shuddered.

"The Shadowman." Monty scowled.

The glow dissipated, revealing an aging man with a dark suit and a semi-long white beard.

"Ah, Dr. Monty. I never thought I'd have the displeasure of seeing you again." The Shadowman scowled.

"Now you listen here! If you lay a finger on my children, I'll teach you a lesson myself!" Makarov threatened.

Alex grinned.

'I thought the old man was above idle threats.' Alex thought.

The Shadowman smirked in reply.

"Ah, Mortals. They do not understand the sheer insignificance of their existence. Right, Monty?"

"You couldn't possibly have planned this all alone..!It was Salem, wasn't it..?" Monty scowled.

"Indeed. Now... Now we have reached the absolute..." The Shadowman continued, raising his hand and breaking the door open.

The Shadowman floated out the door before turning back.

"Now run, hide, or... More preferably, die." The Shadowman stared back and raised his hands..

*Outside of Magnolia Town; 2:59 PM*

Watts felt the ground shake as the city seemed to break apart, it was as though an earthquake shook through the town.

The sky blackened, turning the land dark as night. For an unknown reason, a blue sun appeared in the skies, illuminating the area.

"Looks like the right signal. Tell your boss." The figure said, revealing himself.

"Right then. Let's hope you are worth what we paid for, Primis Crux."

The figure stepped out, revealing scarred features that looked very much like his younger cousin's, his chin was more defined, his eyes were a deep orange color, and his hair had shown signs of greying.

"Trust me. I'll succeed where my cousin had failed. Speaking of, let's invite him.." Primis smiled.

"Your Cousin has proven too weak for our mission, Primis!" Watts declared.

"I don't care. If you want me to stay, you'll allow him to come with." Primis demanded.

Watts scoffed.

"Fine. But you two had better be worth every cent."

*Magnolia Town; 3:00 PM*

Zombies rose from the ground, screeching as they turned the corner towards the Guild Hall.

Grimm fell from portals, tearing up buildings and zombies alike while Apothicons and Nevermores flew side by side, eclipsing the blue sun that lit up the now devastated town.

The Shadowman watched over the chaos closely, as Salem joined him.

Raising his hand, the Shadowman spoke.

"I've been watching.. I have seen each and every one of your misdeeds.. I know who you are.."

Alex, Yang, Cade, Auburn, Ruby, and Sun stood in front of the guild, weapons raised.

The Fairy Tail guild stood at their sides, itching for a fight.

"But.. Questions remain... Why do you do the things that you do? Do you not see the futility in your tiny, insignificant existence? You are all but fragments of a bigger universe.." Salem added.

Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen stood behind them, loading their weapons. Vanoss and his crew, too, grabbed their wonder weapons.

"Your sins only serve as an invitation... An invitation to an evil beyond your imagination.." The Shadowman explained as Zombies and Beowolves crowded around the Guild Hall.

"But we'll lead the way.. We'll show you the path.." Salem added.

Kat grabbed her sniper, ready for the worst.

Twilight and the other Elements reared back, readying for a charge.

"Only through us, the Shadowman and the Grimm Queen, can you find your salvation.." The Shadowman finished, unleashing the horde upon the occupants of the Guild Hall.

The group charged at the demons, ushering in a cataclysmic battle.

Cinder stared at the chaos from one of the remaining buildings, with Tyrian at her side.

"Now then.. Shall we begin?" Cinder asked as Tyrian cackled in the background.

Four shadowy shapes landed on the ground past the building, all of them looking strangely familiar.

Dr. Monty watched the carnage unfold, and sighed.

"I'll do everything I can to help, but I can only do so from the sidelines. Alexander, Yang, your daughter will be safer with me. Hopefully I can lead all of you to a solution.. Good luck.. All of you."

Author's Notes:

And with that, a 10-part saga unfolds!

Ultimus and his older Cousin, Primis, are aligned with Salem and her plans.

The Apothicon and the Grimm have been unleashed upon the world of Fairy Tail, and all hell has broken loose.

Who will live to see tomorrow? Who will fall?

Find out in the next chapter of 'Blood Red Shadows 2: The Crimson Shade'!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 40: The Shadow Wars: Part 1 of 10

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 3:04*

A decent-sized pile of dead... Well, dead-er zombies lay strewn across the street leading to the Guild Hall, as well as a fair amount of black smoke as Grimm evaporated.

Thankful for the few moments of rest, everyone gathered inside the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, with some repairing the windows.

"Okay... I think that's the last of them, at least for now." Dempsey muttered.

"About f**kin' time. Let's crowd in here and try to come up with a plan." Alex said.

While several Guild Members still boarding the windows, The Origins Crew and Vanoss' Team met up with Alex's family.

"So, any ideas?" Yang asked.

"Well, first things first, we need Juggernog. Moo almost died like 13 times." Wildcat smirked.

"F**k off, Tyler." Moo scowled.

"I agree on zat notion.. We should be supplied with something." Richtofen assented.

"Also, we need to know where we can find the weapons and ammunition. These things do not come cheap." Nikolai added, raising his KRM.

"Okay... Let me think of something... Hey, can we get a map of the town!?" Alex demanded.

Mirajane ran over, keeping a magic pen handy.

"I can take care of that for you... Hold on.." Mira began drawing an outline of the town in thin air, being sure to add landmarks as she went along.

"What's she doing..?" Dempsey asked.

"The Magic Pen. It's kinda self-explanatory." Cade replied.

Once Mira finished her drawing, she turned back with a smile.

"Done!" Mirajane grinned with satisfaction.

"Twilight! Ruby! Can you come here?" Yang asked.

Ruby and Twilight zipped over towards the group.

"Yeah?!" Ruby cheerfully grinned.

"We're trying to find where the perks would probably be, can you two try and figure out where they are?" Yang asked.

"It's pretty much guesswork! To find the perks, we'd need to map out the area... Make safe routes..." Twilight explained.

"Couldn't we just ask Dr. Monty?" Auburn asked.

"... I suppose that is possible..." Richtofen figured.

"Right you are, Edward.. Give me a sec.." Monty's voice emanated though the air as various colored dots appeared on the map that Mira drew.

"Juggernog, Stamen-Up, and Double Tap should be towards the church in the center of town. Unfortunately, that's also where most of the Grimm and the Zombies happen to be. The Box should be at that glowing green beacon in the sky. And Pack-A-Punch..." Richtofen peered at the map.

"Inside that Apothicon..." Twilight shuddered.

"Wait a minute..! That light is at my apartment!" Lucy gasped.

"Keeping that in mind... How are we going to stop Calvin Calamari?" Vanoss wondered.

"Who..?" Richtofen asked, obviously confused.

"He's talking about the bastard that took off with that f**king golden ball of death!" Alex groaned..

"I have a question... Given that we probably have a bunch of other people on our asses, what do we do about them?" Yang asked.

"We'll split up into groups. Odds are, they'll know who to go after." Cade figured.

"Let's think.. How many of us are able to fight?" Mirajane asked.

"Well, we're 5 people... 7 if you count Ruby and Sun." Alex figured.

"There's 12 of us.. If you guys come with us, it'll be 16." Terroriser decided.

"Make that 22... We're coming with!" Twilight demanded.

"We could split you guys into 4 groups of... 7.. That way, we'll have one extra!" Ruby decided.

"Auburn, Cade. We'll deal with Cinder together." Alex demanded.

"You've already defeated your Cinder... Let us deal with ours.." Auburn demanded.

"You'll die!" Yang gaped.

"We've trained just as hard as you! And besides, You know how far we've come." Cade smirked.

Alex looked at his son, then slightly grinned.

"Cade.. Auburn.. Oreonna.. The three of you combined stood against impossible odds before.. Do me proud, and kill her." Alex ordered.

Yang, bewildered, looked back at Alex in anger.

"You're letting them go?!" Are you nuts?!" Yang seethed.

Alex held Yang's shoulder.

"You know what I've seen from them, and you heard what Karos said.." Alex stated.

As the three ran out, Alex turned to face Natsu and Happy.

"Follow them. If she's too much for them to handle, get them back here as soon as you can." Alex ordered.

Natsu stepped backwards, eyes widened.

"You want Happy and I to help? Even after what happened..?" He asked.

"... Of course, if you'd like to step in... Well... Guess I can't stop you.." Alex smirked.

Natsu nodded, and promptly had Happy fly him off

"Okay.. Vanoss, I'll need you, Wildcat, and Delirious to fight your way to Juggernog. Twilight and Applebloom, you go with them. Scootaloo, once they're able to get to Juggernog, or if you need backup, fly back here as soon as possible." Alex ordered.

"You got it! Weenie Boys Alpha, roll out!" Vanoss shouted as the six ran out the door.

"Okay. Lucy, You tneed to head back to your place and clear a path for the Box. Gray, Lui, Nogla, and Mini, You guys keep them covered should the worst happen. Fluttershy, you follow along and fly back if they need help, or if they've reached the Box." Alex added.

"Got it covered! Fluttershy promised.

"Weenie Boys Be-" Lui began.

Lucy promptly slapped him across the face.

"LIKE HELL I'M LETTING YOU NAME THE GROUP!"

"And... Juvia... Follow Gray." Alex smirked.

"Wait what?" Gray looked up.

"Oh, brother." Lucy deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, Alexander! Thank you for allowing me to tend to my beloved Gray!! But don't you know how dangerous it is to let two love rivals be in the same group?" Juvia dreamily inquired.

"Um.. Sure. Now, hurry up! Time's of the essence!" Alex demanded.

The group ran off, leaving Alex with a slight grin.

"I am such an asshole." He mused.

"Ve meet ze strangest people.." Richtofen gaped, staring at the chaos before him.

"Meh.. You get used to it after a while." Sun shrugged.

"Besides, Doctor.. We've dealt with everything from plant monsters and soulless machinery to.. Eh... Squid monsters.." Nikolai added.

"Speaking of weird shit, I'm putting you four in charge of figuring out how the f**k we're going to cut this out. I'll have FourZer0, Ohm, Droidd, and... Moo coming, too." Alex stated.

"So, what you're saying is you want us to do what we've been doing for eight years?" Dempsey asked.

"Yeah, that's... Wait, eight years?" Alex blinked.

"Da. On and off.." Nikolai answered.

"... Well good luck... Anyways..." Ruby grinned.

"Terroriser and Basically, I'm pairing you with Pinkie, Sweetie Belle, Sun, and... Ruby." Alex decided.

Ruby hugged Sun quickly before regaining her composure and facing Alex.

"What's the plan?" Ruby asked.

"I'll have you guys cut a path to some of the other hard-to-reach necessities. I'll warn you, this isn't going to be a cakewalk, so I'll have Gajeel and Erza helping you out. Being that one of them is the strongest female S-Class wizard and the other left me with a scar the size of that Apothicon!" Alex scowled.

"Hey! I saved your ass when Laxus had you and that fire-breathing punk on the ropes!" Gajeel retorted.

Alex shuddered. He remembered that incident well.

Laxus had essentially pitted the guild in a tournament against itself, leaving Yang and Auburn encased in stone for most of that time. Alex had gone to attack him in revenge, but despite Mystogan softening him up, he and Natsu still had trouble dealing with him.

Alex's weakness in particular, despite being around equal in power output to Laxus, was his apparent lack in necessary strength and speed, hence why he doubled the weight in his clothing to 700 pounds.

"Just.. Just go." Alex shook his head.

Team 4 ran out the door, leaving him and the rest of the guild inside.

"Alright.. Yang and I... Wait... Oh, motherf**ker!!!" Alex kicked a table, causing it to fly out the window.

He sent out all of his best to do other tasks, leaving only him and Yang for the last task.

"What?!" Yang turned to him, worried

"It's literally only the two of us DEALING WITH THE LAST TASK!!!" Alex screamed, flipping a table.

"Heh.. Don't be so sure." A certain white unicorn smirked.

Alex turned to face the familiar mare, wearing her trademark red shades.

"Vinyl.. Are you sure you want to deal with this?" Alex asked.

Vinyl grinned, putting on her latest Scratchbolt exosuit; the Mark 23 Heavyweight.

"This thing should help me keep up.. At least, I hope so." Vinyl shrugged.

Alex blinked in shock.

"If you're sure..." Alex nodded.

"I'll go, too. Keep in mind, I've been dealing with the Eye's powers for six months." Kat stated.

Kat stood up to face Alex and Yang, with a slight grin on her face.

"You really look like you've wanted a good fight. I like that." Yang smiled.

"Now that you mention it, Sekhmet's spirit has been bugging me to get out and fight." Kat nodded.

"I'll go!" Wendy Marvell, the youngest Dragonslayer, shouted.

"Wendy..?" Alex asked.

"I can fight too! Remember how I helped Natsu and Gajeel fight Faust?" Wendy asked.

"I don't think he was there." Carla commented, having now entered the room.

"I... What are you talking about..?" Alex asked.

"Oh... Right.. You were encased in Lacrima the whole time.." Wendy sheepishly recalled..

Alex shrugged.

"Well, keeping in mind you're pretty much on-par with Natsu and Gajeel..."

"What?!"

"... You can come to, is all I'm saying." Alex deadpanned.

"Awesome!" Wendy cheered.

"Okay. The rest of you are gonna have to keep the Guild Hall 'mess-free. Build barriers, kill any and all Grimm and Apothicons that scurry over here. Got it?" Alex asked.

"Got it!" The guild shouted as Alex and his group ran out the door.

*Location Unknown; October 22, 2019; 3:10 PM*

The Shadowman entered the small round table where Salem now stood. On the table with her, a map Magnolia Town, several dark enchantments in place around it.

"Welcome to my Domain, Harbinger. Have a seat." She greeted.

The Shadowman eventually lowered himself into the seat, watching the map Salem placed white interest.

"May I ask what that map is, Miss Salem?" He asked.

Salem grinned, activating one of her enchantments, causing a simulation of the battlefield to appear.

"As of now, my followers are allowing countless Grimm from my Domain to pass through portals I've set up around the town, just as your Apothicons are using their energies to pull the undead from other universes into this one. My... 'Disciples', if you will." Salem explained.

The Shadowman smiled with the slightest hint of glee as Salem continued to elaborate.

"Go on."

"Our enemies number at... Say... 40 or 45. My 3 Disciples; Cinder, Dr. Watts, and Tyrian, have scattered amongst the town, particularly at certain areas.

"Their purpose is to block the paths for what our enemies need most: power through Dr. Monty's infernal Perks, weaponry via the Magic Box, and the clues they need to find us." Salem continued.

"And if they do manage to get past your Disciples?" The Shadowman asked.

"Doctor Watts has engineered unique experiments over the past few months. Part human, Part Grimm 'Arbiters'. All four of which designed and conditioned to take orders from me alone, and to lead my Grimm in battle." Salem explained.

"And..?" The Shadowman inquired.

"Cinder made a point of wanting assistance from another Inquisitor. Since he alone was too weak for what we needed, we hired his mercenary cousin as well. The cousin himself has completed over 87 combat missions over the past 12 years, all of them successful." Salem smiled.

Satisfied with their assets, the Shadowman tipped his hat to the Grimm Queen.

But even so, one question was left on his mind.

"All of this in mind, what are our plans?" The Shadowman wondered.

"It is simple. As we speak, our enemies are making their first moves. Six groups have mobilized from the Guild Hall since our initial assault. We shall do the same." Salem grinned wickedly, eyes glowing an ominous red color.

Author's Notes:

Let The Shadow Wars commence!

Both sides are making their first moves, and everything is on the line!

I won't say much else to spoil this mini-saga, but I am going to say this: the ending to this 10-part saga is probably going to be the most intense to date!

Be sure to leave a comment!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 41: The Shadow Wars: Part 2 of 10

*Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 3:14 PM*

"Hey, Delirious! You have the most points, so open this door!" Vanoss shouted.

The 'Weenie Boys Alpha' group had been tasked with getting as many doors open as possible, with an end-goal of reaching Juggernog. This meant breaking down every door in the city, searching for anything useful, and writing down anything that stood out.

Wildcat stood back, knowing full well what could happen with this situation.

"Diiiiiie!!!!" Delirious charged, barreling down the cobblestone street.

Delirious swiftly turned, kicking the door down and checking the inside of the building for zombies. Upon closer inspection inside the building, it was a store, one of the few magic shops in Magnolia Town.

"There aren't any zombies or those creepy Grimm motherf**kers!" Delirious yelled from inside.

Vanoss and Wildcat stepped inside first, with Twilight, Applebloom, and Scootaloo not far behind.

"Hey, Twilight? You feel anything standing out?" Wildcat asked, thumbing through the shelves of the disheveled shop.

"It's weird.. I feel a magic energy, but I can't quite find it." Twilight mused.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find something. Wildcat, can you watch the door for us and let us know if anything's happening?" Vanoss asked.

"Alright.. But you're on door duty next time, you owl bitch!" Wildcat groaned as he trudged to the front of the store, Pack-A-Punched M1927 in tow.

"I found a f**kin' teddy!" Delirious shouted suddenly.

Vanoss ran over, eyeing the Teddy Bear with interest.

"What's the use of a teddy bear at a time like this?!" Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you might not get it.. Teddy Bears are Easter Eggs in the Zombies games. If you find three of them, a badass song starts playing." Vanoss explained.

"That sounds mighty creepy.." Applebloom shuddered.

"I think I found that source of magic energy!" Twilight realized, trotting over to one of the back rooms.

"What?" Vanoss took off running behind Twilight.

Twilight bucked open the door, looking inside.

Vanoss' eyes lit up as he looked at the back room while Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion.

A red gum ball machine stood at the wall, with what appeared to be a metallic lion at the top as it's dispenser.

"A gumball machine?!" Twilight groaned.

"No, wait! This is Gobblegum!" Vanoss grinned.

"Gobble- what?" Twilight asked, bewildered.

"GOBBLEGUM?! GIMME THAT SHIT!" Delirious charged past Twilight, leaving her completely frustrated and confused.

"What's Gobblegum?" Scootaloo asked.

"They're like the Perks, but they're much more varied in what they do.." Vanoss explained as a glowing orange gumball popped out of the machine.

"What'd you get?" Delirious asked.

"Crate Power. That'll be useful." Vanoss replied neutrally.

"What does that do?" Twilight asked.

"If I buy a gun from the Mystery Box, it'll be pack-a-punched for free." Vanoss answered.

"Oh!! I got the Fire Sale one!!" Delirious shouted.

"Nice!!" Vanoss cheered.

"Fire sale..?" Applebloom wondered.

"Every Box Location's going to have a box, and they all only cost 10 points! It lasts like 30 seconds, but I have three!" Delirious explained.

"We'd better let the Guild know. Scootaloo?" Twilight trotted towards the teenaged filly, giving her the message via her magic.

"You can count on me, Twilight!" Scootaloo promised, flying off into the distance.

"Hold on.. I think I see something on the other end of the... OH SHIT!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!!" Wildcat suddenly screamed in panic.

Vanoss, Delirious, and Twilight ran out of the building, only to find a large horde of Grimm chasing them, led by...

"Who the f**k is that?!" Vanoss gaped.

"DIIIE!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Delirious cackled, firing his Pack-A-Punched Dingo indiscriminately amongst the horde of advancing Grimm.

The figure jumped down, dodging the deadly bullets at a horrifyingly fast pace before charging at them.

"Oh, shit!!" Vanoss ducked, avoiding the figure's fang-like blade.

"We gotta go!!" Wildcat urged, avoiding an Ursa's claws and shooting it in the head.

"I'll teleport us out! Get over here!!" Twilight yelled through the chaos.

The figure then leaped at Twilight, grabbing her by the horn.

"I don't think so."

The figure, a young woman with a deathly white complexion with a vein-like black pattern on her cheeks, piercing red eyes and a face otherwise concealed in a Grimm-like face mask. The armor she was wearing seemed... Oddly familiar.

"That... Isn 't who I think it is... Is it..?" Vanoss backed away, weapon raised as Twilight struggled to squirm free.

The figure only glared at them, scowling at them with an expression of cold, bitter hatred.

"I figured you would recognize me, even with my improvements." The woman glared.

Twilight's eyes widened in realization and horror.

"P-Pyrrha..?"

Pyrrha's expression contorted in anger as she slowly tightened her grip on Twilight's horn.

Twilight screamed in agony as Pyrrha's grip left large cracks on her horn. Pyrrha grinned in satisfaction as she threw Twilight to the curb.

"How the hell..?" Vanoss wondered, terrified, how and what happened to the ex-huntress.

"I don't see the point of telling my origins to the dead, but very well. It all started when this body was taken from-" Pyrrha began coldly.

Twilight's horn suddenly glowed in bright purple light, before it turned orange and grew in intensity.

"What in the..?" Pyrrha gaped, suddenly surprised.

Twilight's horn exploded with magical energy, eclipsing the Grimm-corrupted huntress. With the little time they were given, Vanoss and Wildcat grabbed Twilight, and proceeded to run with Delirious and Applebloom back to the Guild Hall.

"After them!!" Pyrrha ordered angrily, pointing her sword towards the group.

*Meanwhile; Alex's group*

"Where the hell is Ultimus?" Alex asked.

"Why the hell would that asshole be here?" Yang wondered.

"I humiliated his ass in Cairo. If I know the kinda one-track mind Ultimus has, he knows the best time to attack would be now." Alex explained.

"You've.. Thought things through.." Kat observed.

"I've had time to think about this crap.. But stay on guard... Who knows what else might rear it's ugly head?" Alex warned, his weapon ready.

"Clever thinking, Captain." A voice mocked.

"Who the hell?!" Vinyl reared back.

Two figures soon landed in front of their path. One of them, of course, was Ultimus.

"God dammit, Ultimus." Alex shook his head.

"What's the matter, Saigo? Upset that you and your friends might actually die this time? Angry that your luck has finally run out?" Ultimus grinned.

Alex narrowed his eyes.

'Ultimus has definitely gotten stronger since Cairo, no doubt about that... As for that man with him... His energy is even more potent.. No matter what, I'd better stay on the offense as long as I can.. Don't want to risk another 'Battle of Fairy Tail' situation on my hands.' Alex thought.

"Anyways, Ulty. Who's your friend?" Yang lightheartedly inquired.

Ultimus scowled at Yang, even growling a little bit as he reached for his weapon.

"Don't let your anger get the better of you, Ultimus. As for you five, my name is Primis." Primis introduced.

"P-Primis..?" Wendy gaped, backing away.

Primis only grinned at the girl's fear.

"Now, there's the reaction I'm looking for. But I will say this. Practically running away with your tails between your legs won't be enough to save you. Make no mistake, I will show no mercy." Primis grinned.

Alex glared at the stronger of the two.

"Yang, you mind if I take on Primis while you deal with Ultimus?" Alex asked.

"Meh, what the hell?" Yang replied.

Primis himself studied Alex as well.

'Hm.. Definitely strong enough to give Ultimus a real challenge, this man. And he hasn't even transformed yet.' Primis figured.

"As for these other three?" Ultimus asked.

"You guys, out!" Alex shouted.

"Hahahah... Don't think you'll get off so easy!"

A familiar girl landed in front of Kat and the others, carrying a large war hammer with a horn replacing it's head. A similar complexion and mask to Pyrrha's, but this girl was clearly much different.

"It... Can't be..!" Yang recoiled, knowing full well the girl was.

Nora Valkyrie..

Alex's eyes widened as he came to the same realization that Yang had.

Kat stepped towards the corrupted huntress before them.

"I'll deal with her. The rest of you should step in if you feel like we need help." Kat explained, placing her three fingers on the claw mark on her hand, sliding them along as she transformed, gaining the glowing amber aura , the light-claws, and the shimmering outline of a tail.

"So, Ms. Valkyrie.. I should make it very clear that I will claw your eyes out if you take another step." Kat smirked.

"Ooh! Legs to break! I LOVE IT!!" Nora gleefully, yet sadistically cheered.

Alex glared at Primis, raising his weapon as Alex immediately turned Enlightened.

"Now then, Primis. We have other business to attend to." Alex scowled.

Primis merely grinned back, not even bothering to draw the Crux Family Sword from it's scabbard on his back.

"I agree." Primis leaped at Alex as the two began their fight.

Ultimate immediately transformed to his Corrupted Warrior, seething with rage.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" Ultimus charged after them, only to be knocked to the side by Yang.

"I don't think so!" Yang interrupted as she transformed to her own Enlightened Form as well.

"Don't start fights you can't win, XIAO LONG!!!" Ultimus threatened.

"Come on, Ulty! All I ever see out of you is 'kill Saigo ' this and 'kill Saigo' that! I want a good, clean fight as much as you do!" Yang grinned.

Vinyl and Wendy scrambled to the top of one of the buildings, where they would be able to get a full view of whatever transpired.

"What's the plan, kiddo?" Vinyl asked.

"I'll use my magic to help them in their fight.. I need you to keep the Grimm and the Zombies away!" Wendy decided.

"... Wow, you've actually got a pretty good handle on things for your age.." Vinyl shrugged as she leapt off the building and trotted towards the end of the street.

*Meanwhile; Cade's Group*

"She's gotta be around here somewhere..!" Cade figured, weapon raised as he went across the street.

"Hey! Open some doors on the way, will ya? There might be stuff that can help us!" Oreonna yelled, her speech muffled as she chewed something.

"Is that gum?" Cade asked.

"Yeah.. I got it from this gumball machine in the alley." Oreonna replied.

"... God dammit." Cade scowled. He needed that Gobblegum!

"Not to sound rude, but we have bigger problems." Auburn said with the slightest edge of urgency.

A man was grinning down at them from the top of a nearby building, alongside another Grimm version of...

"Wait a second... Lie Ren?!" Cade backed away.

"Ehehehahaha!!! So, you're the little brats causing Cinder so much trouble!!" He jumped down, with the corrupted Ren not far behind.

Cade shook his head, appearing dissatisfied.

"We're just looking for Cinder. We don't have time for either of you." Cade scowled.

"Is that so?" A familiar voice scowled, lowering herself from the skies.

Cade, Oreonna, and Auburn raised their weapons.

"Oh, don't worry. You won't have to fight this fool." Cinder raised her bow, pointing it at Tyrian.

"What is this..? WHAT IS THIS?!" Tyrian screamed in anger.

"Ah yes, Tyrian. Salem sends her regards." Cinder grinned as she released the arrow, letting it fly through the air and slice through Tyrian's throat.

Tyrian spat blood, glaring up at Cinder hatefully.

"Oh, you still haven't died yet.. It'd be a shame to leave you like this. Ren?" Cinder smiled as the Corrupted huntsman charged up to Tyrian and began tearing him limb from limb.

Cade and Oreonna seemed genuinely horrified at the gory spectacle before them, as Auburn carried the uninterested stare she always seemed to have.

"She's... She's pure evil..!" Cade gaped.

"I... I don't know if we can really take her on.." Oreonna confessed.

"Then I guess Alex had the right idea!"

The future warriors looked up, finding Natsu landing to their side as Happy flew down with him.

"N-Natsu?!" Oreonna gasped.

Auburn turned to look at the Fire Dragonslayer, gaze unwavering.

"Father must have sent you, right?" Auburn asked.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy grinned.

Cinder grinned slightly, curious about this new foe.

"Oh.. So you're the famous Salamander I've heard so much about." Cinder asked.

Natsu's expression suddenly hardened.

"And you're Cinder Fall. Alex kinda explained everything a little while back." Natsu scowled.

Cinder laughed slightly.

"Oh, who else but him? I'll be honest with you, Natsu of Fairy Tail. I haven't had a good fight since my timeline's version of Alexander died, so I'll be expecting a decent fight. Don't disappoint me." Cinder scowled.

"I'm all fired up now! You guys better back me up!" Natsu grinned.

"Eh.. I'll take care of Ren. Speaking of, I like the new look!" Oreonna smiled at Ren, who only scowled back at her.

"You're honestly worse than Nora." Ren shook his head as he raised his weapons.

Oreonna suddenly charged at Ren, while Natsu, Happy, Cade, and Auburn ran after Cinder.

With a grin, she separated her bow into twin swords.

"Finally., a real fight..!" Cinder sighed as she charged after them.

*The House, The Aether; October 22, 2019; 3:26 PM*

"Alright... That should be everything.." Monty grinned, satisfied.

"Brilliant as always, Dr. Monty.. Hold on.." Dr. Maxis nodded, turning to face his daughter, Samantha.

"Samantha, I need you and the others to take care of Auburn for us until her parents come. Can you do that for me?" Maxis asked.

"Okay..! C'mon, Auburn!" Samantha grabbed the seemingly uninterested toddler by the arm and ran upstairs with her.

Dr. Monty's expression suddenly grew restless.

"Something wrong, Monty?" Maxis wondered.

"This... 'Earthland'... Continues to perplex me... I've made a system as of late for your assets. Two wall weapons, a Gobblegum machine, and quick revive in the first room... But for some reason, I couldn't get any of those things inside the Guild Hall!" Monty shrugged, perplexed.

"And why would that be?" Maxis wondered.

"Hmm... It's likely something is fiddling around with the residual Divinium wavelength pattern, keeping me from adding changes.." Monty figured.

"The Shadowman, perhaps?" Dr. Maxis asked.

"And that's the weird part! The Shadowman is with Salem right now, and all they're good for is directing the undead and the Grimm! Besides, he's usually given me some leeway..!" Dr. Monty shrugged, clearly exasperated.

".. What could that possibly mean..?" Maxis inquired.

"The only explanation I can find.. Is some third entry is blocking my intervention with the Guild Hall.." Monty answered.

"A third? But.. Who has that kind of power?" Maxis asked.

Author's Notes:

Alright, the combatants are set and the real show's about to begin!

Will our heroes survive against the Crux Family, Cinder Fall and the corrupted Team JNPR? And who is the third entity?

Well.. You'll just have to wait and see..

-The Destoyer

Chapter 42: The Shadow Wars: Part 3 of 10

*Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 3:30 PM*

Richtofen's squadron had been mostly swamped with undead and Grimm, but having gotten through most of them, they were left alone to try and find anything important.

"Okay... Let's see... Zombies are out of the way.. Let's get searching.." Dempsey cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, hell yeah.." Moo grinned, flipping a table.

"What's that gonna do for us?" Fourzer0 asked.

"You never know with these... 'Easter Eggs'.." Nikolai muttered.

"Let's see what we got, amigos!" Droidd looked through the shelves of the small bookstore.

Ohm flipped through the books, and once he was unable to find anything, he simply chucked it aside.

"I have found something.." Takeo called.

Ohm and Moo immediately ran over to investigate, curious.

"What... Is it..?" Ohm wondered.

The object Takeo held was a spherical magenta crystal that shimmered slightly in the blue light of the Apothicon Sun. If one looked closely, they would see mere flickers of images.

"Let me have a look at that, Takeo.." Richtofen asked, taking the object.

"So.. Do you have any idea what it is?" Droidd asked.

".. This object is unique to this world.. I believe Dr. Monty called it a lacrima." Richtofen explained, looking at it from all angles.

"Something is moving inside!" Nikolai noticed.

"Hey... I think you're right..." Dempsey looked closer.

Dempsey looked at the object, reaching out to touch it when suddenly it glowed bright magenta and a sort of hologram appeared on the ground.

The hologram took place in a sort of laboratory, much unlike most of Magnolia, let alone Fiore.

A tall, middle-aged man stood facing them, a grim expression on his face.

"Hello.. If anyone finds this Lacrima, please understand.. I only sought the truth.. I never intended for it all to fall apart.!!" He urgently began.

"... What is this..?" Nikolai wondered.

"My name is Dr. Vladimir Kravinoff.. I'm a scientist from Earth on an expeditionary mission to Fiore after I received reports of a dimensional traveller in 2016.. I set out to study the very nature of what connects the individual universes making up the web of reality.. Instead, everything deteriorated.." Dr. Kravinoff explained.

"How could things go wrong? All that happened three years ago was the Inquisitor War!" Moo wondered.

"My fellow researchers came across the hostile Dark Guild, the Red Dawn.. The Guild Master, Lucien Sombra, demanded that I assist him in finding the traveller, or die... So I began using his wizards as test subjects.. Exposing them all to the cosmic radiation that each universe gave off... Most of them... Didn't make it..." Dr. Kravinoff continued.

"This is almost worse than the research undertaken at Division 9." Takeo somberly sighed.

"The Red Dawn... Where have I heard that before..?" Moo wondered.

"Those who did survive.. Weren't all there.. Most of the survivors went insane... Talking about the vastness of the universe itself.. Events of histories in other universes, and what I can only assume are future events... The most talked-about being an apocalyptic battle taking place somewhere in Fiore itself... The survivors didn't need me to keep exposing them to radiation to kill them... Most of them ended up taking their own lives.."

"Gee.. that doesn't sound familiar." Dempsey sarcastically rolled his eyes.

"There was finally one survivor left.. The Guild Master himself.. He insisted he receive more cosmic radiation to become an unstoppable god ... Instead, he ended up becoming... A monster. Some kind of... Horse monster... The shadow magic he used fused with his very being... I had no other option but to cast him inside the portal I was using... Wherever he ended up, I still carry the guilt.." Kravinoff sighed.

"Wait... Sombra..? Didn't Twilight mention him once or twice?" Droidd asked.

"Oh, shit." Moo groaned.

"And then... Out of test subjects... I exposed myself... And I didn't like what I saw. But even then, I was too late.. A rock of some kind burst out of the machine, and turned my fellow colleagues into... Monsters.. The undead... I had no choice but to seal my entire facility underground... I don't know how long I have left, but I---" The lacrima cut off, leaving the eight men stunned.

"Well, that was... Something.." Droidd figured.

".. Agreed.. It is best we continue." Richtofen urged, prepared to step out the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?!" A voice demanded from the doorway.

The eight men stood up, guns raised.

"Who is this..?" Takeo asked.

"Good point.. Who is he?!" Fourzer0 asked.

The man had a large, dark moustache and steadily greying hair, and wore a contemptful frown.

"My name is Dr. Watts, an ally of Salem. Make no mistake, you belligerent fools. I am only here to kill you, and I have no intention of failure." Watts scowled.

Richtofen smirked, raising his Wunderwaffe.

"Another doctor..? Well then, it should do you well to know something about me, 'Dr. Watts'." Richtofen began.

"And what is that?"

Richtofen's confident grin turned into an angered scowl as he raised his Zap Guns.

"I RENOUNCED MY HIPPOCRATIC OATH!!!"

Richtofen fired an intense flurry of bolts from his zap guns, as the others began to fire as well.

"Get that sum bitch!!" Ohm yelled.

"FOR THE MOTHERLAND!!" Nikolai screamed.

Watts merely continued to dodge every shot fired, and by the time everyone had to reload, Watts stood unscathed.

"Impressive weaponry, Dr. Richtofen. But I am leagues ahead of any weapon of yours."

*Meanwhile*

"Come on! It's this way!" Lucy yelled, running through the streets alongside Nogla and Mini as they were being chased by a horde of zombies and Beowolves.

"Where the f**k is Gray and Juvia?!" Mini yelled, shooting at zombies.

"I DON'T FOCKIN' KNOW, MAN! WHAT, ARE THEY GETTIN FOCKIN' SANDWICHES OR SOMETHIN'?!!" Nogla shouted back.

"Hurry! They're gaining on us!!" Lucy yelled, running away from the undead as fast as she could.

"Wait.. Aren't you a wizard or some shit?! Can't you find a spell or something to help us?!" Mini wondered.

Lucy immediately came to the realization.

"Oh..." She blinked.

She reached for her Celestial Spirits, grabbing one particular key that she figured could be of use.

"Open, Gate of The Archer! Sagittarius!!"

A brilliant golden glow appeared beside Lucy, immediately taking form of a.. Man wearing a horse costume.

"Oh, what the f**k?!" Mini threw his hands in the air.

"Howdy-doo, M'lady!" Sagittarius greeted.

Nogla shook his head.

"Oh, that's it. Good luck, f**kers!" Nogla reached for his Apothicon Sword and leaped into the fray.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, F**KCHEESE?!" Mini immediately started shooting, trying to provide cover fire.

"Sagittarius, we need to thin out that crowd, but don't shoot Mini or Nogla!" Lucy pointed towards the horde.

"Not a problem." Sagittarius immediately reached for several arrows, nocking them in and glaring at the crowd.

Wave upon wave of arrows struck their targets, killing the monstrous Grimm by the row.

"WHERE THE F**K WAS THAT SHIT WHEN WE NEEDED IT?!" Nogla yelled in surprise.

"GET 'EM!!!" Vanoss shouted.

"Wait, VANOSS?!" Nogla looked up.

Vanoss, Delirious, and Wildcat immediately ran to help, shooting their upgraded MGs into the throng of undead.

"DIIIE, BITCHES!! Ahahahaha!!!" Delirious cackled.

Between Nogla's attacks, and the support of Sagittarius, Mini, Vanoss, Delirious, and Wildcat, there were only a few zombies left, which Sagittarius shot in mere seconds.

"Alright.. Good job, team.." Vanoss panted.

"I think we got what we needed. Thank you, Sagittarius!" Lucy grinned thankfully.

"It's no trouble, m'lady!" The Celestial Spirit replied as he receded into his key.

"Anyways, what the f**k was that shit with the horse man." Wildcat asked.

"I'm a Celestial Wizard, I can summon spirits with these keys." Lucy explained.

"Well, thank Christ you guys showed up. Where're the others?" Mini asked.

"The Kids had to get Twilight back to the Guild Hall. We ran over here because.." Vanoss began to explain.

"I WILL MOUNT YOUR HEADS OVER SALEM'S FIREPLACE!!!" Grimm Pyrrha yelled.

"... That. We ran away because of that." Wildcat said.

"...Oh, shit." Nogla deadpanned.

*Meanwhile*

"RAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Alex leaped towards Primis, sword raised as he slashed from either side.

Primis merely dodged every attack, unfazed by the assault.

"Hm.. I've dealt with your kind before." Primis rushed towards Alex and flicked his forehead.

The sheer power behind it caused Alex to fly up into the air as Primis jumped, punching his gut and causing Alex to power down instantly to base form.

'F**k.. I can't even block at this point.!!' Alex winced.

Primis grabbed Alex's neck, throwing him back down to the beach.

Before Alex even had time to stand up, Primis landed, slamming his boot onto Alex's chest.

Primis calmly kicked Alex towards the ocean, leaving Alex gasping for breath.

"Heh heh.. You can scarcely stand, much less fight. I had better kill that brat who was with you and let Ultimus finish you off." Primis declared.

Alex struggled to stand up, and was coughing blood at this point, red pools of mist forming in the clear blue of the water as the waves lapped against Alex's metal arms.

"Don't... Even think.. A-About it..!" Alex scowled, forcing himself to power up to his Evolved State.

Alex's hair first changed from it's usual dark blonde color to a shimmering light blue at the roots, while a purple color luminated the ends, as his skin had changed into the form's signature whitish-purple color. His eyes were mostly white, save for his pupils, now purple.

"Interesting.. You combined your own innate abilities, your soul, and the odd magic signature I detected. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed." Primis stated manner-of-factly.

Alex smirked.

"I'll tell you something too. Not a lot of people can stand up to even my Enlightened Form that easy, let alone in their Base Form." Alex replied.

"Well then, if you're going to power up, then I shall as well." Primis smiled.

"What?!" Alex stood back.

Primis bent his knees as a sphere of dark blue power rushed around him, causing his hair to stand on end and his irises to change from orange to blue as well. His muscles suddenly burst outwards, increasing his size and causing electricity to lash at the ground in front of him.

A brilliant beacon of dark blue power erupted into the sky above, almost mirroring the light that the Apothicon Sun produced.

'This is insane! He's much stronger than I could've prepared for!!' Alex thought grimly.

The light from Primis' Transformation flickered out, leaving behind a 7-foot tall behemoth with shimmering blue hair, glowing white eyes, and a burning red mark on his forehead.

"Normally, I'd say 'prepare to die', but by the look on your face, it seems you've already taken care of that."

*Meanwhile*

"CINDER!!!" Cade roared, shooting at the Maiden as he leaped over her.

Cinder swung her blades, intending to hack Cade in two, only to be interrupted by Auburn's axe.

With a quick strum, Auburn blew Cinder several feet backwards.

"Happy! Now!" Cade yelled, shooting Cinder twice more before the flying blue cat zipped past him and head-butted Cinder.

Stunned, she charged towards Cade with both of her swords raised above her head.

Cade blocked the swords with his sickle and sharply pulled them away, enabling him to convert Conductor to it's short sword form and hacked her in the side.

"Auburn!"

Cade flew out of the way, making room for Auburn to knock her back further.

"Alright, kid. You ready?!" Natsu asked, practically itching to fight Cinder.

Cade reared his arms backwards, a ball of electricity forming between his hands as Natsu puffed up his cheeks, readying a spell.

"Auburn! Take him!" Oreonna yelled, smacking Grimm Ren across the face, blowing him into Auburn's path as she played a few more chords, blowing Ren away and forcing Cinder backwards.

"GOD SHOCKER-..!!"

"FIRE DRAGON.!!!"

Cinder's eyes widened, Cade wondering whether it was out of surprise or fear.

"That's not good!!" Grimm Ren gaped in horror.

"TIMES TWO!!!"

"..ROAR!!!"

The enormous bolt of lightning combined with the arc of flame, immediately clashing with the two, forming a large explosion that decimated that section of town outwards.

'Woah.!!! When did Cade get this strong?!' Oreonna thought.

'Cade's been stubbornly determined to recover from that incident against that 'Vanoss' lookalike from Trinity Raven at the Tower of Heaven. Seems he's gotten past whatever was keeping him back.' Auburn figured.

When the smoke cleared, Grimm Ren was battered and unconscious, leaving behind only Cinder.

"How is she not dead yet?! I threw almost everything I had!" Natsu scowled.

Cinder glared at Natsu as he leaped towards her, punching her repeatedly until he had her backed into a wall.

"I'M NOT GIVING UP THAT EASY, YOU CRAZY LADY!! PUT 'EM UP!!!" Natsu yelled as he continued pummeling her.

Cinder merely grinned wickedly, leaving Natsu completely off guard when she finally countered.

She placed her hand on Natsu's chest, and blew him out of the way with a powerful burst of energy.

The Fire Dragonslayer landed hard in front of Cade, leaving the others shocked.

"Natsu!" Happy worriedly prodded his side.

Cinder laughed to herself, suddenly as close to joyful as someone like Cinder could ever be.

"You... Five... Have been truly impressive. Allow me to reward all of you for your hard work." Cinder grinned.

"Oh, shit.." Cade deadpanned.

This wasn't good.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0VhMCBiWKAI

Cinder suddenly began glowing orange, the color outlining her entire body before the color blue erupted forth, basically pushing the layer of orange out as the multi-layered aura began to uncontrollably rise upwards like a roaring fire.

"What the hell?!" Oreonna leaped backwards, eyes widened and ears flat in horror.

"What?! I never sensed this! What's happening?!" Cade stared in horror at Cinder's ensuing transformation.

The color green usurped the space immediately around her her body as her power continued to skyrocket. the orange, blue, and now green aura continued to pulsate as radiant as the sun.

"Wait.. You guys said that Cinder's got all the Maiden's powers, right?" Natsu asked.

Auburn glared, still stunned by the sight as the color purple erupted from Cinder's body, completing the multi-tiered aura.

"Oh, no..." Happy stepped away in fear as the colors from Cinder's Aura began to combine.

The individual colors molded together as Cinder's skin changed from it's usual color to a silver color. Her hair grew several inches and changed from ash grey to orange, purple, green, and blue while her eyes began to glow. The glow itself was multi-layered as well, with Cinder's actual eyes now glowing white.

Even her weapons began to change, fusing together into a double-sided blade, looking similar to a cross between a European sword and a katana.

"C-Cinder's... Transformed?!" Cade fearfully gasped.

"This form... Glorious, is it not?" Cinder confidently asked.

"What the hell is that?!" Natsu demanded.

Cinder huffed.

"Very well. While Cade and that pathetic Alicorn were busy running away with their tails between their legs, I took it upon myself to advance my power as the All-Season Maiden. What you see before you is the god-like power Remnant's legendary wizards are able to bestow.." Cinder declared.

"Does it really matter?" Auburn demanded.

"Auburn..!" Oreonna winced.

"Do you doubt my godlike powers, girl? Or have you simply gone crazy from fear?" Cinder asked.

"Sis, what the hell are you doing?" Cade asked worriedly.

Auburn turned to face her half-brother, looking him in the eye with out saying a word.

"Holy crap, you're serious.." Cade backed away.

Auburn glared at Cinder, raising her axe to her side.

"Is this what you wanted? Is this...what you were looking for?"

She took another step, promoting Cinder to glare at her.

"Was everything you've ripped away from us, everything you've done to us really worth it?" Auburn asked, the normally emotionless girl practically choked out her words at this point.

"Trying to appeal my emotions... Always such a futile choice of last words. Spare my time and just die like your parents."

Auburn actually scowled at Cinder before regaining her composure.

"Auburn.." Oreonna gaped.

Auburn held her guitar, turning all of the dials to their highest setting before looking back at the Maiden.

"I guess I have no choice now.. I hoped it wouldn't have to be like this, Fall. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Author's Notes:

Say what you will about Dragonball Super, the soundtrack is really good, in my opinion, at least.

Advertising aside, things are only heating up from here on out.

Between an Enlightened Primis, Grimm JNPR, and Full-Powered Cinder Fall, the fight scenes are going to be especially intense.

And don't forget about the Easter Egg as The Origins Crew investigates Magnolia Town for more information on Dr. Kravinoff and the Red Dawn's connection to the Battle.

Feel free to comment what you think about the story so far and I'll (probably) reply!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 43: The Shadow Wars: Part 4 of 10

*Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019: 3:45 PM*

Auburn silently exhaled as an orange light began to radiate around her.

"Is she doing what I think she's doing?" Cade asked.

Auburn grinned at Cade's surprise as she looked back at Oreonna, who smiled proudly at her younger partner.

"Knock 'em dead, Auburn!" Oreonna cheered.

The orange glow suddenly burst, becoming more static as her hair began to stand on end and turn a yellow-ish orange. Her skin began to change as well, gradually shifting to a soft golden tone as her eyes began radiating red light.

"My my, it seems you've grown a bit stronger than your little brother.. Tell you what, I'll entertain you.. For a moment." Cinder condescendingly taunted.

Auburn's expression didn't waver as her aura burst yet again, completing the transformation.

"Don't act so conceited." Auburn reached for her guitar, leaping at Cinder.

Cade was soon to follow, unsheathing his sword and fighting alongside his half-sister.

"ALRIGHT!! I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!!!" Natsu screamed as he joined them in battle.

Grimm Ren managed to pull himself up as he glared at Oreonna and Happy.

"I'll kill you yet..." He scowled.

"What is up with this guy?!" Happy asked.

"I'm with you there, Happy." Oreonna shook her head as well.

"CATCH MEEEEEEE!!!"

"Wait.. Is that..?"

Yang crashed into Grimm Ren, knocking him out yet again as she pulled herself up.

"Landing was a bit rough... Oh, hey Oreo!" Yang smiled.

"Wait.. Weren't you with Alex?" Happy asked.

"Hey, he might be my fiancé-"

"Husband." Oreonna corrected.

"... Okay, sure... Point is my life doesn't always have to revolve around him, you know." Yang insisted.

"But wasn't someone attacking you two?" Oreonna asked.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU RECKLESS FOOL!!!" Ultimus yelled.

"Ah, crap." Happy groaned.

Ultimus turned to face Yang, only casting an uninterested scowl at the others before him.

"My quarrel is with Saigo and his bloodline. Back out while you still can, or end up dead like this clown here." Ultimus threatened.

"No!!" Happy yelled, standing between Ultimus and Yang.

"Happy..!" Oreonna worriedly led him back.

"I don't know what's going on here, but Yang and Oreonna are members of Fairy Tail! Their fight is ours too!!" Happy declared.

"Happy, this is crazy! I won't let another friend die trying to protect someone else.. Ultimus'll kill you!" Oreonna defended.

"Y'know what. Let him fight, Oreo." Yang smiled.

"Yang, you're insane! You... Oh, right..." Oreonna realized.

"Yeah. I still got a second form. And I'm not dead yet, so I'd say if I can keep up with Ulty of all people, we could kick his ass no problem!" Yang smiled.

Ultimus grinned.

"You idiots. You don't realize my true power!" Ultimus declared.

"And here we go." Yang shook her head.

"I've been training alongside my cousin for months now! And I've ascended beyond this pathetic Corrupted Warrior form before you! Let me show you what real power is-!" Ultimus declared.

Yang instantly leaped at him, punching Ultimus in the stomach, forcing him to power down to his Cursed Warrior form.

"Yeah, Ulty? I've heard that whole spiel like, 8 times already, and at least two of them were from you. I don't think you really know what power is. My semblance is literally getting stronger from every hit, so I've been building up my Aura ever since we've started. Sure, you can charge up, but it takes way, way too long. What, did you think I'd just stand there?" Yang grinned.

Ultimus scowled angrily, gasping for breath.

"And, now that I think about it, you really have no reason to really be all pissed off at Alex in the first place! Sure, your parents were killed by his family, I get that, but Alex really didn't have much to do with it. At least Alex went after Cinder because she actually did kill his parents and screwed him out of having a somewhat normal life at least twice, and the only reason she really did was because she had backup from the Inquisitors, and all of that goes back to Alpha wanting revenge for something Alex didn't really do." Yang explained.

"You really...insist on...speaking to me...in such a manner..?" Ultimus seethed in fury.

"Point is, you're honestly fighting us because of some 'Hatfield-McCoy' BS, and it's getting kind of sad at this point. So just power down, go home, and try to do something more meaningful with your life instead of training year-round for more stupid shit." Yang scathingly replied.

"Ouch.." Oreonna winced.

"Still has kind of a good point.." Happy admitted.

Ultimus growled angrily before finally sighing, and powering down all the way to base form.

"Just get it over with and kill me already." Ultimate demanded solemnly.

"...What?" Yang asked.

"You said it yourself. My motives are pointless. My words are empty, and my actions are based off of little reason. Finish me off, Xiao Long." Ultimus demanded.

Yang grabbed his shoulder.

"I don't think you were listening, Ulty. I said go home and do something worth your time, not have me kill you. Besides, I think thing's are heated enough with this whole 'Apothicon' shit. Or, you could help us out with this. Just saying." Yang shrugged.

"... Fine, I'll help you." Ultimus dismissively shook his head.

"That was... Easy..." Oreonna figured.

"See, maybe this time around, he'll do better. Make some friends, find some hobbies, and probably even join Fairy Tail!" Yang grinned.

"Let's not be so irrational, Xiao Long!" Ultimus scowled.

"... Aaand he blew it." Happy grinned.

"Still progress, though." Yang shrugged.

Kat was thrown into the building in front of them, as the Grimm Arbiters Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha arrived, picking up the now conscious Ren.

"Welp. We're boned." Oreonna figured.

"These... Grimm Arbiters...are stronger than they were in their original bodies..."

"Hey, Kat!" Yang smiled.

Kat's eyes widened at the sight.

"Greetings, Yang. And... I recall meeting you once, Ultimus." Kat noticed.

"Hmph! Don't waste your breath speaking to me, Anderson!" Ultimus scowled.

"Yang!" Ruby yelled as Erza, Gajeel, Twilight, and Sun ran onto the scene.

"Ruby?! What are you doing here?! And where are the others?!" Yang demanded.

"They're still unlocking the area. We had to divert the Arbiters' course." Erza replied.

"It won't work." Ultimus stated.

"What?!" Twilight gasped.

"Excuse me, Crux?" Kat turned to face him.

"Salem and the Shadow Man treat this area like a chess board. Being alone means losing your life. That's why the undead and the Grimm move so strategically. I'd give those fools about 5 minutes left to live." Ultimus replied.

"You mean that they're somehow controlling everything that happens?!" Ruby gasped.

"I was afraid of this..! I'll have to strategize.. Think up battle plans..." Twilight worried.

"Ruby... What do we do..?" Sun asked.

"I'd say it's simple enough. We play their stupid game.. And we win. By any means necessary." Gajeel decided.

Ultimus grinned at the Iron Dragonslayer.

"I like the way you think." He admitted.

"Alright.. Let's get 'em!!" Happy declared as everyone got ready.

Yang transformed quickly to her Inflamed state, her red aura flaring with violent power.

Ruby's eyes glowed a bright silver as her hair stood upwards and turned a few shades lighter.

And finally, Ultimus's normally green aura gained a bluish tint as his skin turned a light aqua. His hair turned green at the roots and shimmering blue on top as his aura burst outwards.

"Let me show these weak-willed brats the power of the Evolved Zealot!!!" Ultimus declared.

"Requip!!" Erza shouted, equipping her Heaven's Wheel armor.

"Iron Dragon's sword!!!" Gajeel shouted, his arm transforming into a chainsaw-like sword.

Twilight sighed, allowing the foreign magic of Earth-Land infuse with her very being.

"One to another, another to one, the spirits of our worlds immortal, ignite the flame of Friendship, no matter our toil! " Twilight concentrated as her coat turned to a brighter shade of purple and her eyes began to glow pure white.

As they charged off to face the Arbiters, another battle roared above them as Cade, Auburn, and Natsu attacked Cinder.

All of Magnolia, it seemed, was erupted in a state of battle.

Could anyone be able to stop it?

*Meanwhile*

'What the hell is this prick?!' Alex thought as he kept getting pummeled by Primis.

Speaking of, Primis had Alex by the neck and threw him into Mt. Hakobe, leaving him battered and stunned as Primis readied his next attack.

"PREPARE TO DIE, WALKER!!! ION CANNON!!!"

Primis fired a beam of whitish blue plasma, leaving Alex with mere milliseconds to dodge and blowing up that part of the mountain.

Alex leapt in to punch Primis in the stomach, with little effect.

"WHAT THE F**K IS UP WITH YOU?!" Alex demanded.

Primis grinned wickedly as he grabbed Alex's arm and flung him into the ocean.

Landing with a powerful splash, Alex was given little relief when Primis flew in and power-stomped him to the ocean floor, parting the water long enough for Primis to float away and see Alex swept into the ocean's current.

After waiting for about 3 seconds, Primis grabbed Alex by the neck again, throwing him onto the beach with a resounding crash and a small cloud of sand and dust.

"I doubt you understand this form in it's entirety. I'll spare you an explanation and just say this: you, your family, even Ultimus all rely on outside forces as a crutch to reach your Enlightened states and beyond. The absorption of Equestrian magic, in the case of your loved ones. You never use your own energy to advance your powers." Primis explained as Alex forced himself to stand.

"...And what the hell's up with you?" Alex coughed.

"A combination of certain Adenien bloodlines, combined with intense physical training resulted in this form before you. You met the first requirement, being your warrior elite father and your spiritually gifted mother. I can tell you were able to at least train yourself to the level of defeating a few key Inquisitors. But you used the latent powers of the Prometheus Charge to grant you your Enlightened form." Primis continued.

"Then how was Yang able to get it?" Alex asked.

"Simple. You used the Prometheus Charge to modify Ms. Xiao Long's genetic code. Your own DNA, at least in part, is infused with her being entirely. Meaning that now she can pass on the proper genes." Primis said.

"Well then... Time to finish this.." Alex ran up towards Primis, rapidly punching him as much as he could.

"Perish." Primis raised his hand, blowing Alex into a building.

"Dammit... He's way too powerful..." Alex coughed.

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!!!!"

"WUB-A-DUB DUB, MOTHERF**KER!!!"

Primis was suddenly launched into the ocean by two attacks.

"W-Wendy?! Vinyl?!" Alex gaped.

"Come on.. We can't let you die!" Vinyl urged.

"Preaching to the choir.. He'll come after you guys.." Alex warned.

"That isn't the case!" Wendy smiled.

"W-What?" Alex coughed.

Wendy raised her hands as a real flow enveloped him, and he suddenly found himself not in any pain, and his wounds healed.

"What the?!" Alex wondered.

"Sky Dragon Healing Magic.. You should be able to hang in there a little while longer, at least." Wendy explained.

"Y'know.. That would've been really nice a couple minutes ago..." Alex grinned.

"Also, is that the best form you have?" Vinyl asked.

"No, actually." Alex replied.

"I'd power up if I were you.. I'll hold him off!!" Vinyl reached for her Dubstep Cannon as Alex charged to his Enlightened Berserker.

"This is the most my body can handle at any given time.. Thanks, you two..." Alex nodded.

"Wait there.!!" Wendy held out her hands.

"I can't hold him forever!!" Vinyl winced, raising the power on the weapon's dial to eleven.

"Ile Armor.. Ile Arms.. Ile Vernier!" Wendy chanted as she casted the spells on all three of them.

Alex's red-violet Aura suddenly gained an inner blue layer, as he forced out his energy.

"I remember someone telling me not to do this, but here goes nothing..!" Alex grunted, forcing a yellow Aura between the purple and blue

"OVERCHARGE!!!" Alex roared, charging at Primis and punching him as hard as he could.

Primis skidded backwards, facing Alex as an equal.

"Hold on.!! Terroriser and Basically need our help!" Wendy suddenly shouted.

"We did what we could.. Good luck, Lex!" Vinyl waved, running away with Wendy.

Primis charged after them, only to have Alex kick him back, preventing him from going after them.

"Finally.. You roughly equal my fighting power at this point.. Don't disappoint me." Primis demanded.

Alex merely glared at Primis, watching as Vinyl and Wendy retreated.

"We're just getting started, Primis!" Alex declared, charging after his opponent in a brilliant clash.

*The Aether; October 22, 2019; 3:52 PM*

"So far, our allies are making stable progress to the perks and Pack-a-Punch... But they're throwing around a lot of power.. It's almost astounding.." Dr. Monty observed.

"Captain Walker and his allies, I feel, created the perfect storm for the end of that Ancient Evil.. Intriguing that all we needed to do was to bridge a few dimensions..." Dr. Maxis agreed.

"True, but it's this kind of interference that allowed for things like this to happen in the first place.. I can name a few other examples... That incident with Dr. Kravinoff, or even the great Schism that resulted in the Inheritors and the Chronicai finally sealing such connections in the past." Monty stated.

"Do you think the citizens of Magnolia will recover?" Dr. Maxis wondered.

"Ludwig, I've seen another outcome where these events never happened, and even then, the Apothicons were stopped, and, dare I say... I think we found yet another Catalyst Point." Dr. Monty replied.

Dr. Maxis sighed wearily.

"I feel is is best we move on, Dr. Monty.." Maxis said.

"I agree, Doctor." Monty nodded.

"Anyways, I've got a bit more information on this third entity." Maxis stated.

"Thank Me. What is it?" Dr. Monty asked.

"It seems to originate from an Island roughly hundreds of kilometers from Fiore... 'Tenrou Island'." Dr. Maxis explained.

"I'll look into this myself, Dr. Maxis... You take care of the kids.." Dr. Monty solemnly told him.

"I do suppose I need a small break.." Maxis replied, walking out of the room.

Dr. Monty, now alone, looked upon the screen at Maxis' findings...

"Tenrou Island, eh..?" Dr. Monty grinned curiously.

Indeed, the Island seemed to radiate with power, almost as if some form of powerful spirit was hidden deep within.

"Who are you..?" Dr. Monty mused to himself.

Author's Notes:

The ultimate clash of good and evil continues as Ultimus joins the heroes' side, Twilight gains a new magic form, and Alex uses the dangerous Overcharged Berserker, along with a bit of extra help from Wendy and Vinyl!

The next chapter marks the end of the mini-arc. After that, it focuses more on the "Easter Egg", and the final battle with Salem and the Shadowman!

On another note, I got Adobe CC a little while back, so I might try making some stuff for my profile, and some art for the 'Blood Red Shadows' cast is pretty likely to come out as well.. Possibly.. depends on how good I think stuff looks, just saying..

More on that later.. Happy reading!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 44: The Shadow Wars: Part 5 of 10

*Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 3:56 PM*

Alex instantly ran up to Primis, punching him in the face with no hesitation as the mercenary flew to the skies.

"You think ANOTHER power-up is going to save you now, SAIGO?!!" Primis yelled.

"We both know I'm far ahead of your Pure Enlightened form now, you bastard!"

Alex flew at Primis, kicking him in the gut, blowing him through several buildings as Alex started to punch Primis repeatedly until seemingly teleporting away.

"What the?!" Primis gasped.

Alex appeared right in front of him, slamming a knee into his face before rearing back and kneeing his jaw a second time.

Alex decided to take every opportunity he had to beat down Primis as badly as he could, lest Primis power up to a higher form before his energy gave out.

Alex charged again, punching Primis to the skies.

Given an instant, Primis punched Alex in the face as hard as he could.

Alex merely blinked, not even budging.

"You... What are you?!" Primis angrily demanded.

"I'll give you a simple explanation, I'm just some kid from Oregon." Alex answered facetiously.

"SILENCE!!!" Primis tried to punch Alex in the chest again, only to be swatted to the ground like a bug.

Before Primis could hit the ground, Alex roundhouse kicked him through several buildings before crashing onto the Kardia Cathedral.

Given a minute to recover, Primis skidded to a halt on top of the Cathedral, only watching in terror as Alex flipped in midair, kicking Primis again in the jaw as Alex flipped back onto his feet, all in a matter of a couple seconds.

"How the hell did you reach such a level?!" Primis demanded.

"Oh, now you're scared to lose, I thought you were made of sterner stuff." Alex scowled contrmptfully.

"YOU DOUBT MY POWER?!" Primis scowled, charging an attack.

Alex suddenly felt... Weak... He couldn't describe feeling so drained before.

'No..I have to try...' Alex thought, raising his hands to block.

"SAY GOODBYE, EMPHAS!!! GENESIS PULSE CANNON!!!!" Primis shot a beam of pure blue energy from his hands, forcing Alex to block as much as he could.

Even through his sheer will, Alex couldn't help but feel so... frail... Between the sheer pressure in his chest that caused him silent agony, and the nausea that suddenly overpowered him.

Alex was being forced back to the edge of the building as his ailments suddenly became overwhelming...

A sudden burst of lightning blew out of his collarbone, followed by a heavy jet of blood as Alex instantly powered down out of sheer loss of energy.

"AAGH!!!" Alex tossed the beam to the side, placing his hand on his clavicle.

"T-The hell....?" Alex weakly coughed as blood continued to steadily pool out his collarbone.

"Ah, yes.. I see now... You overused your 'Overcharge' technique. The problem with Overcharge is that it puts a heavy strain on your heart and all your blood vessels. Combining such a foolish technique with that high a level on the Enlightened Warrior scale is suicide. Most of your energy, and your blood, is flooding out your body as we speak." Primis glared.

"Y-Y-You... Bastard.." Alex reached for his sword, changing it to it's SCAR form and began shooting Primis.

The bullets merely bounced off Primis as he inched steadily towards him, powering down as he did.

"There's no use wasting such a form on someone at your state, Saigo. You're done." Primis raised his sword as Alex weakly changed his gun to the sword in defense.

Alex raised his sword to block one of Primis' attacks, and swung as Primis raised his own sword.

"I'm... I'm not going down yet...!" Alex angrily declared, charging past Primis and hacking him in the heel.

Primis quickly retaliated, kicking him into the cathedral, wounded beyond repair.

"You know.. This is almost too easy..!" Primis declared raising his sword.

Alex stood up, placing one hand on his wound as he dropped his sword.

Primis grinned, raising his fist and rearing back for one final punch, his fist bursting with electric light.

"DIE!!!"

With his other hand, Alex blocked Primis' fist, and quickly changed to his Enlightened Warrior form

A purplish glow surrounded Alex's hand as he expelled a sudden burst of magic power, breaking Primis' wrist in the process.

Primis recoiled in agony, grabbing the affected wrist.

"SON OF A BITCH, MY MURDERING HAND!!"'

Alex charged up the last of his energy, keeping his hand firmly placed on his clavicle, waiting for Primis' next move.

"You bastard.!! YOU'RE FINISHED!!!" Primis roared, charging at Alex at full tilt.

Alex grinned weakly, pulling his hand off of his wound.

A massive burst of lightning shot out of his collarbone, spearing Primis in the chest as he went in for a killing blow.

Primis collapsed on the floor in front of him, blood pouring out of his chest. Alex had made a direct hit at his heart.

"D...D...Dammit..." Primis coughed, breathing his last as he expired on the ground.

Alex himself panted, at this point having no energy remaining..

'I guess that's why Karos told me not to combine the Overcharge and the Enlightened Berserker... I gotta get back to the Guild Hall..' Alex thought, dragging his marred body out of the cathedral, only to be met by a horde of zombies.

"Oh, F**k off..!" Alex grabbed his Static Fate, shooting at the undead horde as he struggled to reach the Guild Hall..

*Meanwhile*

Cade and Auburn charged at Cinder from either side, weapons raised as the flew through the skies.

Cinder formed glass from the clouds of ash, flinging the grey shards at the two as the dodged each attack. A piece of glass scraped against Auburn's cheek as she ducked underneath and uppercut from underneath her.

As Cinder was hacked upward, Cade swept in from the side and kicked her to the ground.

Cinder stopped herself in midair, pulling back several arrows and shooting at Cade.

Auburn dashed from behind, slamming Cinder with her Abadeer's Flame, bashing her into the mountains.

"You two can't last forever, not against me." Cinder declared.

Cade and Auburn charged in at once, attacking Cinder with a barrage of slashes, punches, kicks, and shots.

Finding an opportunity, Cinder grabbed Auburn by the neck, kicking her away, leaving just Cade to contend with.

Cade ducked to avoid Cinder's left sword, blocking the right with his sickle and shooting her in the chest with Conductor as Auburn blew Cinder away with a complex guitar riff.

Cinder again stopped herself. Instead charging towards the ground, where Yang, Ruby, Ultimus, Kat, and the others fought against the Grimm Arbiters.

"Search the town. Find the Guild Hall." Cinder demanded as the four Arbiters ran to search.

"Cinder!" Ruby exclaimed.

Gajeel scoffed dismissively.

"So she's the one who gave Walker's family all this trouble." The Iron Dragonslayer scowled.

"Why are you doing this? Have you no heart?!" Erza demanded.

"Sigma, withdraw your forces immediately! Look around you! You and your damned Coven have gone too far this time! A neutral world will suffer because of that sociopath and her blind distaste towards Humanity!" Ultimus ordered.

Cinder closed her eyes and grinned.

"Salem's goals are much more than what you perceive. Destroying humanity is only just the beginning. And once I help Salem with killing you all, then I will be a godde--" Cinder smiled.

"Goomba, F**k you!"

Yang sped towards Cinder, punching her through several buildings.

"Anyone else feel like that was too easy?" Oreonna asked.

Cinder stalked out of the crumbling buildings, several arrows strung and directed at Cade.

"Oh, crap!

"Wait, what?" Cade's eyes widened as Yang shoved him to the ground, out of harm's way.

Yang was then hit with a barrage of arrows, most of them directed at her chest.

"Mom..!" Auburn ran to help Yang, who was lying on the ground.

"Heh.. So bold and arrogant, that one.." Cinder mused.

"Are you alright, Yang?!" Erza asked, worried.

"I.. I've had worse..." Yang grinned confidently as she powered down.

Cade's eyes never left Cinder, staring at her enraged.

"Erza. Oreonna. Get Mom out of here. The rest of you get back to the Guild Hall.." Cade ordered, his aura flaring out of control.

"COME ON, CADE!! WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!!" Natsu yelled.

"I SAID GO, NOW!!!" Cade shouted.

Everyone stared at Cade, appalled as they ran back to the guild hall.

Cinder merely laughed.

"How gutless of you to shoo away any chance of survival.. You're an entertaining one, so I'll give you ONE chance to leave."

"And I'm giving you no chance. This is for Flurry Heart." Cade roared as his Aura changed from lavender to dark blue.

"WHAT?!" Cinder stood in awe as Cade's energy skyrocketed, and his skin changed to blue and his body gained a muscular tone.

Cade's hair turned to flame as a black circle enveloped his body, exploding before reappearing, and exploding again, each time with greater intensity.

*Meanwhile*

"I'm getting sick of all these Zombies.." Alex muttered as he dragged his bloody body through the streets.

Suddenly, Alex felt a dark energy... A very familiar energy.

"Okay, what the hell am I sensing..? Is that..?" Alex pondered as he suddenly remembered.

'AAAAHH!!! I'LL SHOW YOU DISSAPOINTMENT!!" An old, cracked, yet malicious voice heartened to him from within his mind as he remembered the Blood Red Night, just under 3 years before.

"Alpha?! Wait, he's dead... That has to be Cade..! But... Alpha was just Enlightened during our fight... Unless.." Alex gasped, realizing just how far out of his depth he was three years ago.

"I WENT AND FOUGHT AN EVOLVED WARRIOR WHEN I WAS STILL A KID!!" Alex screamed.

*Meanwhile*

Cade continued screaming as Cinder stared on with interest.

"Intriguing... He's at the exact level as Alpha was..!" Cinder gasped.

The trace amounts of purple in Cade's eyes was now replaced by a deep red color, accompanied by shiny blue skin, and practically flaming hair that smoldered in the breeze.

"Cinder. I won't let you destroy my friends. Not again. Your little cleaning crew has to go." Cade scowled as he teleported away, and sounds of thunder, flames, and screams of terror filled the area.

Cade quickly teleported back, the heads of the Arbiters Jaune Arc, Nora Valkryie, Lie Ren, and Pyrrha Nikos in his hands, and dumped them on the ground. With a resounding stomp, Cade obliterated Jaune's skull.

"What?! But those Arbiters..! They were all at least twice as strong as they were before I killed them..!" Cinder gasped.

Cade grinned, unsheathing his weapons.

"Time to die." Cade scowled, charging in at the Maiden as the two clashed weapons.

Cade hacked and slashed his blades along with Cinder's as the two rose to the skies and began putting more and more power behind their punches until the sky was alight with the full power of the seasons and of thunder.

Cinder moved in to kill Cade immediately, aiming both of her swords at his head.

Cade blocked them all with his Sickle, nonchalantly kicking her away as a yellow Aura enveloped his dark blue one.

"OVERCHARGE!!!" Cade roared, speeding towards Cinder and head butting her to the ground.

"I WILL NOT BE BESTED BY A FAILURE SUCH AS YOURSELF!!!" Cinder yelled.

"If I am such a failure, then why haven't you killed me yet?" Cade smugly asked.

Cinder growled, stringing every last arrow she had and shooting them all at Cade.

Cade easily dodged several, grabbing three and teleporting away.

Cinder looked behind her to find Cade, and slashed at him with her swords as Cade dodged each and every strike.

Cade ducked, stabbing Cinder with one of her arrows.

"This one's for Flurry Heart." Cade asserted.

"I AM YOUR GODDESS, YOU INSOLENT LITTLE MITE!!!" Cinder hacked at Cade, who merely slapped one out of her hand, stabbing her with a second arrow.

"This is for my parents, and their parents before them." Cade kicked the second arrow further inside of her, punching her in the stomach and slashing for her neck, only cutting off some of her hair.

"LISTEN TO WHEN YOUR GODDESS SPEAKS, PEST!!!" Cinder demanded, hacking off The tattered red cloak that belonged to his timeline's Ruby.

"This last one is for thinking you could get away with destroying us twice." Cade scowled, jamming the last arrow into Cinder's back.

"YOU ARE A FOOL TO THINK YOU OF ALL PEOPLE CAN KILL ME!!!" Cinder shouted, purely enraged.

Cade floated backwards, listening intently.

"I AM STRONGER!! I AM MORE POWERFUL IN EVERY WAY!!! I AM YOUR GODDESS!!! NOW BOW!!!!" Cinder yelled angrily, abandoning her swords, flying towards Cade with surprising speed.

Cade ducked under Cinder, punching her stomach so hard that every ounce of lightning and flame came pouring out of his attack, and Cade powered down moments after Cinder herself.

"Maybe so, but I've beaten you. Your power is fading just like mine is. And unlike you, I'm modest about it." Cade smirked.

Cinder scowled angrily, panting and heaving as she silently tugged at one of the arrows embedded in her chest.

"I'll kill you yet.." Cinder angrily puffed.

"Come on, I know you at least have one more in you." Cade taunted.

Cinder's four Auras returned, and she flew at him with every ounce of power she still had.

"WATCH YOUR TONGUE!!!" Cinder yelled as Cade spun around, kicking her in the face and into the woods outside Magnolia.

"We'll let nature take it's course. See how your posturing fares with the wolves." Cade scowled as he returned to ground level.

Alex stood outside of the Kardia Cathedral, dragging something with him.

"Cade..!" Alex yelled, pulling the Crux Family Sword behind him.

"Dad..! You're hurt!" Cade gaped.

Alex shrugged.

"Please, even Wintergreen gave more of a fight than Primis!" Alex sarcastically replied.

"Very funny. I dealt with Cinder." Cade told him.

"I saw. I sensed you got past Enlightened." Alex nodded.

"So, what happened? What's with that hole?" Cade asked.

"Apparently this is the reason you don't combine Enlightened Berserker with Overcharge." Alex answered.

"Oh, shit.. Primis was that strong?" Cade gasped.

"Yep.. He even said some stuff that I think I should look into.. What happened with Cinder?" Alex asked.

"I wasn't strong enough to kill her. I weakened her and kicked her into the forest. Let's see how that plays out." Cade decided.

"Sure.." Alex shrugged.

Suddenly, Richtofen charged out, shooting at who Alex assumed was one of Salem's followers.

"TAKE ZAT!!" Richtofen yelled.

"Cade..?" Alex asked as Cade nodded, shooting the assailant through the head.

"Thanks, Cade.." Dempsey nodded, walking out with Nikolai and Takeo.

"Where are the others?" Alex asked.

"They are at the guild hall. They ran to tell everyone about what we have discovered.." Takeo replied.

"Alright.. Let's meet up there." Alex shrugged, walking back with the ex-Group 935 test subjects and doctor.

"Is this thing on..? Hello, all! I see you've gotten past your enemies! While that's all well and good, there are still a number of problems. Firstly, The Shadowman know now that you've gotten past his Grunts, so now he'll send in the heavy artillery, odds are. Second, there's still an invasion to worry about resolving, but we'll get past all that in say... 5 chapters? 6?" Dr. Monty asked.

"Chapters? Is this some sick storybook?!" Nikolai wondered.

"More like a shitty fanfiction written by some bored kid." Dempsey scoffed.

"One more thing: there's some third entity messing with my outlines for the board preventing me from doing anything to the Guild Hall itself. It seems to be originating from Fiore itself. If you can try... I dunno, F**king talking to it, hopefully it'll make things easier for all of us... Or harder... Just saying.." Dr. Monty added.

"Third entity..? I wonder if Master Makarov knows anything about it.." Cade figured.

"If anyone, am I right?" Alex replied.

*Meanwhile*

Cinder dragged her bloodied body through the forests, dragging one of her swords behind her.

"Cinder Fall. It's time we've met again." Someone called to her.

"Who said that?!" Cinder demanded.

A young woman, roughly 20 years old, with dark hair and red eyes walked out of the brush, carrying with her a large, red-bladed katana-like sword.

"Who are you..?" Cinder gaped.

The woman laughed.

"Surely, you'd remember me?" She stated.

Cinder pondered before smiling in realization.

"It's about time we met again, Corvus. What brings you here?" Cinder asked.

The woman silently grinned herself.

"I have it, Fall." The woman, Corvus, said.

"Ozpin's Artifact? How..?" Cinder asked.

"Let me worry about that. If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself." Corvus answered.

"About myself..?" Cinder asked as the woman suddenly stabbed her through the chest.

"Look at me.. Look me in the eyes." Corvus demanded, holding Cinder's face close to her's with one hand, and twisting the blade deeper with the other.

"Y-Y-You... L... Lied... T-T-To m...m-me..." Cinder gasped, a multicolored light floating from her to the woman as she slowly expired.

Corvus dropped Cinder's corpse to the ground, stepping on the body's neck.

"And with that...Phase one is complete.." Corvus sighed, slashing at the space around her, forming a portal that she walked through.

Author's Notes:

Hey, everyone!

Sorry I couldn't get this chapter out sooner! I was busy with a lot of busywork and art, so I had to write in my free time.

So, Cinder, Primis, and the Grimmified JNPR are all dead now. And I guess including the rest of the Coven. Leaving just the "Easter Egg" and the final boss between the Shadowman and Salem vs... Everyone else..

I'll try to have the next chapter out within a week. If not, I'll post as soon as I can!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 45: The Shadow Wars: Part 6 of 10

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 4:00 PM*

Alex had dragged himself through the streets near the Guild Hall, with Cade, Dempsey, and Nikolai not far behind. Yang was patrolling the area when she saw the group and walked up to them.

"Alex!" Yang instantly ran to Alex's side upon noticing the gushing wound on his clavicle.

"I'm fine.." Alex replied, voice tight with pain as he kept his hand on his collarbone.

"Fine?! You're bleeding like crazy!" Yang shot back, wrapping the wound with her scarf.

"Speaking of, I don't remember seeing those before!" Alex retorted, pointing to Yang's arrow wounds.

"Yeah.. I had Auburn pull 'em out." Yang answered.

"I think we have other problems to worry about. Where's Makarov?" Cade asked.

"Gramps is inside with the others. They're trying to strategize how to deal with whatever's left." Yang told him.

"Thank god. Listen, Tak and Richtofen are still out looking for anything we can use. Nikolai and I went back to ask those idiots to help us out." Dempsey explained.

"We should hurry. I don't think we can stay out any longer." Nikolai told them.

Yang took the four inside the Guild Hall, with everyone mostly safe and sound.

Ruby immediately ran up to her sister.

"Yang!! Alex!! You made it!!!" She cheered.

"You're back!" Twilight grinned.

"Thank Celestia.." Scootaloo sighed with relief.

"HELL YEAH! I knew you guys would make it back!!" Natsu cheered.

"Eyy!" Wildcat cheered from the bar stool in between Vanoss' and Cana's.

"Hm.. Knew you'd pull through." Kat smiled .

Alex sighed in relief.

"That makes most of my friends still alive.. Where's Auburn?" Alex asked.

"She's with Oreo and Wendy clearing a path to Electric Cherry. They're pretty much done, I think." Ohm answered.

"Nice..!" Yang smiled.

Fluttershy flew up to Alex, examining the wound.

"I should have a doctor look at this.. What happened?" Fluttershy asked, trying to stay calm despite the growing pool of blood on Alex's chest and Yang's Scarf.

"I was at Enlightened Berserker and used Overcharge. Really f**ked myself over." Alex replied.

Yang promptly smacked Alex.

"What the hell?! You know that might've killed you!!" Yang shouted.

Natsu punched him immediately after.

"YEAH MAN!! THE HELL'S UP WITH YOU?! I'M NOT LOSING A SPARRING PARTNER!!" Natsu yelled.

"That's your reason?!" Lucy screamed.

"Look, Primis was f**king strong. I would've died if I didn't go all the way!" Alex retorted.

"So.. You've killed Primis. Huh, Saigo?" Ultimus questioned from the corner.

Alex scowled.

"Ultimus."

"Dad, calm down! He's with Fairy Tail, now!" Cade grabbed Alex's shoulder.

Alex shook his head, still glaring at Ultimus.

"You know, I was a bit surprised when they let goddamn Gajeel in the guild, but I figured at least then Makarov had his reasons. But now, I guess the guild just lets in anybody, these days." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Watch your tongue, Saigo. I'm only with this pitiful excuse of a guild until this 'Apothicon' mess blows over. Besides, I've given up on trying to kill you." Ultimus retorted.

Alex shoved Ultimus into the wall.

"Call Fairy Tail pitiful again, I dare you." Alex threatened with a death glare.

Dempsey reached for his gun.

"What are you doing?!" Yang demanded.

"I've seem how this shit goes down before, and that's without the lightning and shit." Dempsey replied.

Kat walked over and between the two, Amber glow surrounding her as she pointed a light-claw at Alex.

"You. Take your 'dead family and friends' issue elsewhere. That was years ago, and here you are, still whining about it as though you're a child." Kat told Alex in a harsh tone.

"You. Are you aware of just what an alliance is? Have some respect for those around you." Kat glared as she powered down and blinked.

"When did I get over here.?" Kat wondered, utterly confused, as the entire room stared at her in shock.

"Daaaamn, son!" Wildcat gaped.

"They just got f**kin rekt!" Nogla added.

"That was harsh.." Nikolai added.

Alex stood, blank faced, in surprise at what he was just told. Ultimus merely shook his head.

"Speak to an Adenienite Elite in such a manner again, and I toss this 'alliance' out the window." Ultimus threatened, storming off.

Alex went and sat down next to Vanoss at the bar.

"Damn.. You wanna talk to him..?" Dempsey asked Yang.

"Meh. I'll let him sort this mess out himself. He's not a 6 year old." Yang replied.

"That does beg the question.. What the hell is up with that girl, anyways?" Dempsey wondered, referring to Kat.

"No idea. Might just be tired of all this fighting." Yang reasoned.

*Meanwhile*

Kat went outside to the pool area. Though the pool itself had long since been drained, it was still a relatively quiet place.

Kat traced a finger along the left claw mark, then the right, and finally the one in the middle as they all glowed a brilliant amber.

A lioness materialized out of the orange glow, materializing in front of Kat.

"You summoned me, Katherine?" The lioness asked.

"What the hell, Sekhmet?!" Kat demanded.

"I did only what I must, girl. Both your friend and his rival are acting like children." Sekhmet replied evenly and callously.

"Did you have to?!"

"As a god, I expect the highest standard, even of my, our, subordinates. It's about time those two fools learned their lesson. Be thankful I let them take the easy way." Sekhmet explained.

"And what would've been the hard way?!" Kat demanded.

"I've killed for less, Katherine. Lucky for the Adenienites, I've grown fond of their need for perfection. It's necessary for their survival, isn't it?" Sekhmet asked.

"I guess it has.. That's no reason to go off on them like that."

"Them, Katherine, or him? I understand you care for Alexander, but I was only acting as their judge for their benefit." Sekhmet inquired.

"I... Don't follow.." Kat stated

"See through my perspective, Katherine. Alexander is strong and talented with his abilities, but he is being held back by his own self-pity." Sekhmet began.

"What do you mean, self pity?" Kat asked.

"Alexander surrounds himself with family and friends during the calms and storms of life. Not a bad thing of itself, but he's grown too dependent on them. If what you know is true about him, this stems because of his trials in the past. He is unable to cope without someone by his side, coddling him. This will hold him back until he learns that there are some things one must do alone. Only then will he be able to grow to greater heights." Sekhmet explained.

"What about Ultimus? I get that he's a prick, but.." Kat wondered.

"Where Alexander's sin is codependency, Ultimus' is pride. The way he carries himself implies that he goes through life thinking he and his family is the most powerful. Knowing his blood rival was alive and well was enough to intervene. This only worsened after his initial defeat at the hands of Alexander, and Ultimus was humiliated into attacking again. Ultimus' ego is his driving force, and until he learns that he is not as strong as his competition, he will not put actual effort into improvement."

"I think I get it.." Kat nodded.

"I'm glad you understand. Now to deal with the threat at hand." Sekhmet nodded, materializing back into Kat's hand, the three claw marks glowing as the goddess receded into her hostess.

"Now, where's my phone..?" Kat muttered, thumbing through her purse until she found her Scroll, calling the SCP headquarters.

The phone rang about five times until someone picked up.

"Director?" Dr. Christian, Kat's medical advisor, answered.

"Dr. Christian? Why did you pick up? I thought Ava would've answered." Kat stated, referring to her secretary.

"You didn't hear? Almost the entire Facility was wiped out yesterday! Most of the SCP's are out causing chaos or they were killed in the assault!" Dr. Christian asked incredulously.

"What?!"

"The Chaos Insurgency attacked yesterday, along with the assistance of an unknown Huntsman. The two mercenaries you hired managed to lock down most of the Keter Class Containments before much else could've gone wrong, but they were killed before The NAF Enforcer Corps could arrive." Dr. Christian explained.

"What happened with the Enforcers?! I though we had a hotline!" Kat exclaimed.

"The call only came in when about half the facility was overtaken. I was hoping you'd call sooner, to help us decide the next course of action." Dr. Christian stated.

"I'd help if I could, but I've got bigger problems in Magnolia, A 'Summoning Key' was opened and now the entire city's a cesspool of death and destruction."

"There must be something you can suggest!" Dr. Christian pleaded.

Kat thought for a moment, then replied to Dr. Christian's request.

"Contact the Original Foundation and tell them we need assistance rounding the Escapees back up. Contact the Enforcers and tell them I need help in Fiore." Kat ordered.

"I'll get to it, but the Enforcers are busy dealing with the local threats." Dr. Christian replied.

"Dammit..." Kat sighed.

Her friends were in danger and they were Fiore's last line of defense! Magnolia itself was already doomed the second the Apothicons tore the city apart, but they had to make sure that their infuence didn't spread!

"Wait.. Dr. Christian.. What's the current status of the Silver Ocelot organization?" Kat asked.

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 4:20 PM*

"Is this everyone?" Alex demanded.

Yang, Ruby, Twilight, Vanoss, Richtofen, and Makarov sat inside one of the infirmaries in the Guild Hall. They'd gathered some of the chairs around in a circle and asked for at least 10 minutes of privacy.

"I think so.." Ruby shrugged.

"Ja.. I think ve should move this along." Richtofen urged.

"So.. First things first.. That 'Dr. Monty' guy Richtofen's always talking about mentioned a third spirit blocking Monty from helping us. If nothing else, I think you might know something, Master Makarov.." Yang stated.

Makarov sighed, shaking his head.

"I know exactly what is causing this 'Dr. Monty' his disruptions.."

"Then you can talk to... It...?" Vanoss asked.

Makarov scowled.

"The cause of these disruptions is a secret kept by all the Fairy Tail Guild Masters.. The last guild master told me, as I shall tell whomever I choose to lead Fairy Tail when I pass.." Makarov began.

"Master Makarov, please understand. The lives of my friends.. Your Guild... All of them are at stake.. Surely, you can make an exception?" Twilight pleaded.

Makarov began to explain.

"The source of these 'disruptions' is a magic stronger than the Three Great Fairy Magics. A magic known as 'Fairy Heart'. And it is Fairy Tail's ultimate weapon." Makarov explained.

"Ein Weapon?!" Richtofen shouted.

"You had a 'Weapon' this entire time?! There are f**king squid monsters floating around the sky, I've been chased down by 3 f**kin' Margwas at once and you had a weapon?!" Vanoss threw his hands up in frustration.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Makarov demanded.

Vanoss immediately ceased his tirade, and sat back down in the chair.

"Just what kind of weapon are we dealing with?" Alex asked.

"Fairy Heart technically isn't a weapon, but she holds the key to ending this siege." Makarov corrected.

"You just called your weapon a 'she'." Yang noted.

"Meh, I don't mind.. I call Blood Rose a 'she' once in a while too, and she's a classy lady." Ruby smiled mischievously. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

"Wait.. When did you change Crescent Rose's name?" Yang asked.

"As soon as I got it to that Pack-a-Thing!" Ruby answered

"You've Pack-a-Punched zat glorious piece of machinery?!" Richtofen grinned.

"I AM TRYING TO TELL YOU CHILDREN HOW TO CLEAN YOUR OWN MESS AND HERE YOU ARE, CHATTERING LIKE-" Makarov stormed.

"I figured you'd get used to this kinda chatter, Master Makarov." Alex stated.

"The stakes weren't as high as they are now!" Makarov stated.

"Are we gonna ignore the fact that Ruby probably does terrible things at night with her scythe?" Vanoss asked.

Alex cringed at the mere thought.

"If there's Ruby x Scythe fanfiction out there after this chapter is posted, I'm quitting FIMfiction." Destoyer muttered to himself, shaking his head in disgust as he writes this chapter.

"THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!!" Makarov shouted again.

Everyone then shut up and listened to Makarov again.

"Anyways... Fairy Heart is actually our First Guild Master encased in Lacrima underneath the original Fairy Tail Guild Hall." Makarov finished.

"Oooooooo..." A female voice emanated from the halls outside.

"Who was that?" Yang asked.

"That better not be the Masturbating Fisherman.." Vanoss shook his head, grabbing his sawed-off shotgun.

"Maaaaakarov.... I am the ghost of Fairy Tail's paaaast..." The voice said again.

"Oh, god dammit." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Heh.. Ghosts aren't real-" Twilight scoffed.

"BOO!" Mavis suddenly appeared in front of Twilight.

"AAAAAHHH!!!" Twilight screamed in terror, firing magic bolts all over the room.

Alex dodged the magic bolts, and looked at the 'ghost' before them, a young woman with wavy blonde hair, green eyes, and wing-like ornaments around her ears..

"So... Who's this..?" Vanoss asked.

"This is Mavis Vermillion.. Fairy Tail's first Guild Master... Wait... How can you all see her?!" Makarov demanded.

"I think that's besides the point." Alex stated.

"Mirajane." Yang told Makarov.

"Who are you talking to?" Richtofen asked.

"Wait.. So Richtofen can't see the little blonde girl, but we all can?" Ruby asked.

"Who, Miss Xiao Long?" Richtofen asked.

"Actually, Mrs. Xiao Long-Walker, and no." Yang corrected.

"By the way.. Congratulations, you two!" Mavis smiled.

"Oh, thank you.." Alex grinned slightly.

"Anyway.. I think Richtofen and Mavis need to chat.." Ruby stated.

"Wunderbar! Where is she?" Richtofen asked.

"Can he not see me?" Mavis asked.

"Um.. Turn around.." Vanoss told him.

Richtofen turned around to face Mavis... Almost.

"Close enough.." Yang shrugged.

"Anyways.. I hear you've been disrupting my friend's attempts to help us..you aren't letting in certain... necessities.." Richtofen explained.

"Ask him if he's talking about those weird magic signatures trying to enter the guild hall.." Mavis whispered to Makarov.

"Mavis is asking if this is related to the magic signatures.." Makarov asked on Mavis' behalf.

"Ja.. If you could just let Dr. Monty move his devices inside ze guild hall, zat would be great.." Richtofen pleaded.

"Tell him sure... I like his funny accent." Mavis smiled.

"She says yes... And she likes your funny accent.." Makarov told him.

"Don't tell him I said that.!!" Mavis' eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Ach, great.. another little girl." Richtofen dismissively walked away.

Mavis began tearing up.

"First Master!!" Makarov shouted.

"I'm not crying..! I'm not!!" Mavis sobbed.

"Alex! Comfort the First Master!" Makarov ordered.

"WHAT?!" Alex shot back.

"Laxus isn't here, and you two are uncannily similar.. So comfort the First Master with all your might!' Makarov demanded.

"I resent that!" Alex shouted, kneeling down next to Mavis.

"Well.. That happened.. What next?" Vanoss asked.

"Okay, that should take care of your 'Perk' problem..! I'm moving every single perk at my disposal over to the Guild Hall! There's a catch, though.. You can only take three.. Well, best of luck!" Monty announced.

"God dammit!" Vanoss shouted.

"We wait until the First Master is ready, and we arrange a plan with her help.." Makarov stated.

"How's Mavis gonna help? I'm not being mean or anything.." Ruby asked.

"Let's just say they called her the 'Fairy Tactician' in her time.." Makarov grinned.

"Until then, shouldn't we give them some space?" Yang grinned.

"Don't even think about ditching me here!" Alex indignantly whisper-yelled.

Everyone, of course, left the room by that point.

Alex scoffed.

"F**kin' assholes.." Alex shook his head, and turned his attention to the First Master.

Author's Notes:

No. Seriously. If there is Ruby x Crescent Rose fanfiction out there. I quit on Fimfiction.

Anyways, enjoy!

-The Destoyer

Chapter 46: The Shadow Wars: Part 7 of 10

*Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia Town, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 4:26 PM*

Alex and Mavis stepped out to the Main Room of the Guild Hall, where all of the perks, the Gobblegum machine, and the Mystery Box had been relocated.

"Look who's here!" Yang grinned as everyone else turned in surprise to see the pair, including Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen.

"That's who was preventing Dr. Monty's assistance from reaching the Guild Hall?" Richtofen asked.

"It doesn't seem unlikely.." Nikolai shrugged, referring to Samantha.

"Hello, Alex. Who is that next to you?" Erza asked.

"WHAT'S A LITTLE GIRL DOING IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?!" Natsu shouted, obviously concerned.

"Clam it, Natsu!" Gray scolded.

"SHUT UP, GRAY!!" Natsu retorted.

"They're hopeless.." Lucy sighed.

"Are you going to pay attention, you two? Or are you just going to bicker until one of those Apothicons tears it's way through here?" Ultimus demanded scathingly.

"My name is Mavis Vermillion. Fairy Tail's first Guild Master." Mavis introduced.

Needless to say, the entirety of the guild started screaming.

"STOP SCREAMING!!" Yang shouted over everyone.

After a few moments, the guild silenced.

"First Master is a brilliant tactician. She may well be the key to Fairy Tail's survival in these dark times. Do we have a plan, First Master?" Makarov asked.

"What sort of enemy are we dealing with?" Mavis asked.

Richtofen cleared his throat.

"Ze Apothicons. Ze ancient evil that has been plaguing my universe, and now yours as well, for untold millennia. These monsters are capable of raising the undead and causing untold destruction upon entire universes. They are led by ze Shadow Man, often considered the one and only, original Harbinger of Doom." Richtofen explained.

"If that's not bad enough, The Shadow Man is also using the Grimm to his advantage. The Grimm themselves are also a literal f**king horror show themselves, to the point where they could tear down entire kingdoms with just three people helping from the sidelines." Alex explained.

"O-Oh.." Mavis' smile gradually faded.

"But.. Think of it this way..! We have... 20 or so Battle-fit Mages, 14 zombie-killing super soldiers, 5 Grimm-Hunting warriors, 6 magical ponies capable of defeating the likes of gods, and... Whatever Alex, Ultimus, and Cade are.." Kat quickly tried to regain Mavis' confidence.

"Keep in mind, we've also got access to all the perks and weapons now, thankfully." Dempsey added.

"Don't you mean 'tank-fully'?" Yang joked.

Most of the people in the room groaned at Yang's terrible pun.

"Can we just go through one mission without a single pun?!" Cade begged.

"Hmmm.... Nope." Yang smirked.

"... Moving on." Makarov shrugged.

"Anyways, what can we use to our advantage?" Mavis asked.

"The perks? Well.... Uh... Y'know what? Here." Wildcat decided, handing Mavis a pamphlet.

"Why are you giving her the pamphlet?!" Terroriser groaned in annoyance.

"How else is she gonna know about all the perks? It's not like they're native to this universe!" Wildcat defended.

"No one reads the pamphlet!" Moo rolled his eyes.

"Why did you even make the pamphlet when I had a little coloring book prepared?!" Basically added.

"Or we could've just use Mini's forehead as a billboard!" Nogla insisted.

"F**k off, Nogla!" Mini retorted.

"Oh, come on! We know Evan could've just made an educational animation with the Source Film-whatever!" Delirious added.

"For your information, Delirious, I don't have my shit with me!" Vanoss shouted.

"Can we just show her a Zombies tutorial and hope she gets it?" Fourzer0 shrugged.

"I don't care, I'm using the box." Ohm decided.

"I-I could make a stage play with the guys at Cockatoos.." Droidd said in a low voice.

"I'd use the pamphlet, just saying.." Lui stated.

"WILL EVERYONE SHUT UP FOR TWO SECONDS ABOUT THE STUPID PAMPHLET?!" Wildcat shouted.

Ruby pulled out her scroll, set a timer, and by that point, two seconds had passed.

"Aww.." Ruby pouted.

"It's okay, Rubes. You did your best." Sun smiled.

"Okay.. I get it.." Mavis nodded.

"See?! The pamphlet was okay!" Wildcat yelled.

"Alright... Moo? Did you find anything of importance?" Alex asked.

"Well... We found an audio recording.. Kat, you remember the Red Dawn guild?" Moo asked.

"Oh, god.. They're not here, are they?!" Kat asked, shaking with fear.

"Oh, no, they're all dead. Except for their Guild Master, who's apparently King Sombra." Ohm stated, grabbing his Death Machine.

"Wait.. The Red Dawn?! That Dark Guild that mysteriously disappeared?!" Erza gasped.

"It seems that they tampered with forces beyond their control, under the research of a 'Dr. Kravinoff'." Takeo explained.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gray asked.

"Dr. Kravinoff found a 115 Meteorite in his experiments and was forced to seal his facility underground." Nikolai explained.

"My beloved Gray found something that might help this quest!" Juvia declared.

"Oh, yeah.. Gray found this while we were searching for the box.." Lucy stated, handing a Lacrima to Richtofen.

"A lacrima?" Alex pondered.

Everyone watched as another recording soon appeared from the Lacrima.

"H-Hello... My name is Andrew Davis... One of Dr. Kravinoff's research assistants.. Dr. Kravinoff stated that while a great danger is trapped underneath Magnolia Town, he didn't want his research completely gone.. He hired an independent guild to clear out a section of the underground ruins, and downloaded his mind onto a computer containing all of his research. I don't know what Dr. Kravinoff is doing, but I'm hoping it's for the greater good. The entrance to said facility is hidden near Magnolia Station. To anyone willing to find Kravinoff's research... Good luck.." The recording stopped, leaving everyone watching dumbfounded.

"We need to push to the Station, but we'll need everyone if we're going to pull off even getting a small group inside.." Alex decided.

"The Station is completely infested. It's suicide." Gajeel stated.

"What choice do we have?!" Natsu demanded.

"You know... Normally we would have trouble with this, but thankfully, I called for someone, and they're coming to help us!" Kat declared.

"F**kin' A, kiddo." Dempsey grinned.

"ALL RIGHT!!" The room was in a uproar of cheers as Airships landed outside the Guild Hall.

"These are Adenien Class V Battleships!" Ultimus stated.

A combined unit of Faunus of the Silver Ocelots and Adenien Ryders poured out of the ship, armed and fighting off all the Undead outside.

"Guess who's back?!" An armored, white haired cat Faunus grinned, opening the door.

"Liss?!" Cade gasped.

"Cade? Auburn? You guys are in Fairy Tail now?" Liss asked, curious.

"You know her?" Erza asked.

"She's the leader of a.. What exactly are the Silver Ocelots again?" Alex asked.

"The Silver Ocelots are Remnant's premier Paramilitary group." Liss proudly declared.

Another figure entered the room alongside Liss, carrying a machine gun.

"Hello Saigo, Ultimus." The man, a 7-foot tall cyborg with a mostly mechanical face, greeted.

"Who are you?" Alex asked.

The man grinned.

"My name is Protá. Protá Krete, Current Leader of the Adenien Ryder Corps, and son of the Supreme Leader." Protá introduced.

"Hm.. What's your business here?" Ultimus scowled.

"I was called to assist because an extra-dimensional threat is currently plaguing the town. Along with Agent Kitmai, I was called by the Supreme Leader to contain the conflict." Protá explained.

"You're all here to help?!" Lucy smiled.

"Seems like it.. Hello, Dr. Richtofen." Liss smiled.

"Agent." Richtofen greeted.

"You two know each other?" Yang asked.

"We had overlapping goals during my research after sat whole mess with ze Giant Robots." Richtofen explained.

"Anyways, what's the plan?" Alex asked.

"Okay.. I need three Groups, Groups A and B are going to be pretty big. I need all of Fairy Tail in Group A, and the Ponies, Huntsmen, and Mr. Fong's men in Group B. Dr. Richtofen's Group C will be able to go into the Ruins and find anything that could help. Alex, you and your family will stand by unless Richtofen needs the help. Ultimus and Kat, I need you co-leading the Ryders and the Silver Ocelots respectively." Mavis decided.

"Listen up! The Ryders will be co-led by Ultimus, and the Ocelots are being led by Kat! I need all of Fairy Tail in one group, and Huntsmen, Ponies, and Weenie Boys in the other! Richtofen, I need you to go into the Ruins and call Yang and I if you need help!" Alex explained for everyone who couldn't hear Mavis.

"Everyone needs Jugg and Speed Cola! Use that third slot for anything! Buy a Gobblegum, too!" Vanoss added as everyone rushed towards the machines.

"WOO HOO!! LET'S PARTY!!" Pinkie cheered.

"Magic in the form of a drink? How does Dr. Monty make these?" Twilight wondered.

Alex, taking a swig of the Juggernog, gagged as he swallowed, coughing it all back up.

"Heh.. Looks like someone didn't quite get biology." Ultimus smirked.

"The hell you talking about?" Alex asked.

"Adenienites can't drink, Emphas. Our bodies treat alcohol essentially like poison." Ultimus explained.

"Oh, you're kidding me! That would've been useful a long time ago!" Alex groaned.

Alex had once challenged Cana to a drinking contest for Yang, in which the loser had to select a job chosen by the winner. The job she had chosen for him had left him scarred for life since.

Dr. Monty suddenly appeared, carrying with him a mini-fridge.

"Hello! Terribly sorry about all that, I didn't realize you had backup, much less Adenienite backup! Here.. This should be potable for you guys." Dr. Monty apologized, placing the Juggernog mini-fridge

onto the bar.

Dr. Monty then teleported and reappeared, each time carrying a variety of different Adenienite-friendly perks.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't make a non-alcoholic Deadshot.. Oh, well.. Not my most popular anyways." Dr. Monty shrugged, teleporting out the room.

Alex grabbed Juggernog, Speed Cola, and Electric Cherry. Collecting his things, he sat down next to Yang and Auburn.

"Hey, Alex!" Yang smiled.

"Heya.. So, we've got help now.." Alex smirked.

"Heck yeah! We might actually win this! Cheers!" Yang raised her Juggernog and cheered with Alex, the bottles making a resounding 'klink'! as the two took a swig.

"Wait, no, don't smash the-" Mirajane winced as everyone reflexively smashed their bottles on the ground.

"NO!! EVERYBODY SMASHES THEM! WHY CAN'T YOU GUYS JUST DRINK THE REST OF IT LIKE THIS NICE GENTLEMAN HERE?!" Dr. Monty reappeared, gesturing to Alex.

"Hey." Alex waved awkwardly.

"Well.. I've said my piece, good luck, all!" Dr. Monty waved, teleporting away again.

"First Master?" Auburn began.

Mavis directed her attention to Auburn.

"Yes?"

"What are your plans for us once we're ready?" Auburn asked.

"I'm still working on it.. Where are most of the zombies and Grimm?" Mavis asked.

"A large group has taken up each route, meaning we can't get to the Station without encountering heavy resistance." Auburn explained.

Mavis sat in thought for a few moments.

"How many per street?" Mavis asked.

"Mostly Ursai and Margwas, unfortunately.." Auburn sighed.

"Hmm... So this 'Shadowman' really doesn't want us at that station.." Mavis figured.

"Wait..! If we have jets now, then why can't we just fly over them to the station?" Vanoss asked.

"Air superiority. Those Apothicons in the sky are going to keep us at ground level. I'm not even sure how the Ryders and the Ocelots got in." Cade replied.

"Hold on.. We could trap one Apothicon like in Revelations, why can't we hold off three?" Wildcat wondered.

"Might I suggest something?" Protá asked.

"We'll take what we can get." Alex shrugged.

"The dark energies the Apothicons have are similar to the Grimm, and according to Remnant legend, a silver-eyed warrior could paralyze Grimm with fear, yes?" Protá wondered.

"How did you-?" Ruby gasped.

"- If that is the case, surely such a warrior can keep the Apothicons at bay while we fly to the station, correct?" Protá wondered, turning to face Ruby.

"S-Sure!" Ruby smiled.

"That's my sis!" Yang cheered, hugging Ruby.

"We need troop transport vehicles at our location ASAP! Extra fighters should be able to flank them!" Liss shouted into the radio.

"Wait! We need Pack-A-Punch!" Dempsey demanded.

Ruby turned back and smiled at Dempsey.

"No problem." Ruby confidently smiled.

"Damn, Ruby's in the zone..!" Sun grinned.

Ruby stepped outside, glaring up at the three Apothicons as she began to glow with a silver light.

"That's so awesome!!" Scootaloo gasped in awe.

"Who knew humans could do stuff like this?!" Sweetie Belle agreed.

"What kind of Magic Power is that?!" Natsu wondered.

Yang smirked at Natsu.

"Let's just say things are looking... Grimm.. For those things."

"OH COME ON!!"

Ruby's hair began to stand on end, turning a light gray as her eyes began to glow.

"SILVER SHINE!!" Ruby shouted as a wave of bright light burst out of her eyes.

The silvery energy flowed up from Ruby's eyes all the way to the three Apothicons, their inhuman screeches filling the air.

"Woah!!" Vanoss gasped, covering his eyes.

"I don't believe it..! How can a child do that much damage to such monstrosities?!" Ultimus gasped.

"Wait..! It is slowing them down, but it is not stopping them.!!" Richtofen gasped with terror.

"Girls, get your elements..!" Twilight whispered.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and the CMC ran out alongside Ruby, watching as the Apothicons began to fly towards them.

"Alex..!" Yang gasped.

"Oh, shit!" Alex shook, readying an attack.

"Quick, girls..! We need to fight back before those things kill us all!" Twilight urged.

"We'll do it together, Twi! Three... Two.. One..! " Ruby charged another attack as The elements began to shine brightly.

"Will that work?!" Nikolai gaped.

"Just in case, Everyone get your defensive spells ready!" Malaria urged.

"HARMONIAL SILVER SHINE!!!" Ruby yelled as the combined energy of the Elements and the Silver Eyed Warrior's powers took their toll on the Apothicons, as all three fell in front of them, with one coughing out a familiar machine before passing.

"Pack-A-Punch!" Vanoss cheered as everyone piled in to upgrade their weapons.

"Alright. Wonder Weapons are of utmost importance! Upgrade those first!" Takeo advised.

"Wait, can we Pack-A-Punch the Bows?" Wildcat asked.

"HOLY SHIT! WE CAN!" Lui cheered.

"Guys! Try going for Dead Wire when you Pack-A-Punch! Alex and his other thunder buddies need that shit!" Terroriser shouted.

"Reminds me.. I forgot my Gobblegum.." Alex shrugged, placing a Jewel inside the coin slot.

Alex picked up the Gobblegum in his two fingers, looking at the little emblem.

"Nice! You got Pop Shocks! Whenever you melee, you shock all the zombies!" Vanoss told him.

"Well, at least it'll let me save up some energy." Alex figured as Yang carried her Gauntlet and Arm and upgraded them both.

"Nice! 'Celestial Detonator'!" Yang cheered, placing the weapon on her wrist with the recovered arm, with now had a cosmic blue and red finish.

Alex put his weapon, the 'Static Fate', inside and waited for the upgrade to finish.

The scimitar floated out of the machine with a similar color, carrying the weapon and reading the weapon name out loud.

"'Agartha's Thunder'." Alex noted, converting the weapon to it's Battle Rifle form.

"Hey, Alex? You wonder what that one sign on the Pack-A-Punch is implying there?" Yang asked, pointing to the one sign on the machine with the Ray Guns. One of the ray guns had the barrel drooping downwards.

"Real mature." Alex shook his head.

"Alright! That about covers everything! The transports are here!" Liss shouted as four Troop Transports landed in front of the Guild Hall.

The masses charged into the transports as the jets circled around, with Alex, Yang, Cade, Auburn, Ruby, Sun, The Elements, and Vanoss' crew in one, all 24 watching Fairy Tail, the Ryders, and the Ocelots get inside their own transports from their window as it closed, shrouding the interior in darkness until a red light flickered on above them.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Ruby smiled.

"Yeah.. Ain't it just." Alex sighed.

"Well, whatever happens, at least we're all together." Fluttershy said, voice shaking nervously.

The group suddenly felt lighter as the Transport shifted upwards.

*Meanwhile*

Makarov watched from inside the Guild Hall as the transports took off. Silently praying that his 'children' would all survive the endeavor.

"I understand how you feel, Makarov." Mavis suddenly said.

Makarov sighed.

"It never gets easy. But The Guild is strong enough to overcome such a challenge. And from what I've seen with Natsu, Gray, and all the rest, they can end this disaster." Makarov admitted.

"And what if they don't?" Mavis wondered.

"First Master?" Makarov asked curiously.

"Fairy Tail was always strong in the face of opposition. Against other guilds, monsters, and even itself. But our opponent is a force of evil that Earth-Land has not seen until today. Lucky for us, a true tactician always has a contingency plan!" Mavis explained.

*Meanwhile*

"We are still the victors here, I assure you." The Shadowman promised.

Salem slammed her fist down on the table.

"With all due respect, Harbinger, my Arbiters, my followers, are all dead..! For my sake, even three of your Leviathans were killed!" Salem shook her head.

"Relax, Lady Salem. I have my own plans." The Shadowman promised.

"Plans?" Salem demanded.

"Indeed. You remember that fool, Lucien Sombra?" The Shadowman asked.

Author's Notes:

Reinforcements have arrived, and the pieces have been rearranged! Mavis and the combined might of Salem and the Shadowman decide to play their own trump cards, but what could they be planning?

Tune in next time on Blood Red Shadows II!

-The Destoyer

P.S: I might actually invest time doing art and stuffs. Maybe even a comic of some of the highlights of the BRS Series, if that's your thing. \_(ツ)_/

Chapter 47: The Shadow Wars: Part 8 of 10

*Magnolia Station, Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 4:45 PM*

The trapdoor of the Adenien Class V Transport Vehicle opened to reveal the shattered urban area around Magnolia Station, where buildings had crumbled and blood had been splattered indiscriminately amongst the ground.

Within a few moments, the four transports had landed near the station, an army now 100 strong had marched out over the ground.

Fairy Tail was among the first faction to step out onto the cracked cobblestone that once lined the street.

"Oh no..." Lucy gasped, having been one of the first to actually run out of the Transport.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy rolled out onto the ground due to motion sickness, Natsu in particular looking relatively close to vomiting.

"It seems not even children were spared.." Erza sighed, voice shaking when she looked inside one of the war-torn buildings.

"We'll make those squid bastards pay for what they did..!" Gajeel scowled.

Kat and Liss, along with the Silver Ocelots, ran out next, quickly joining Fairy Tail.

"I doubt there'll be any survivors. Tell the others to set a perimeter." Kat ordered.

"How big?" Liss asked.

"As much as we can get. Richtofen and the others need some space." Kat replied.

Ultimus, Protá, and the Adenien Ryders ran alongside the Ocelots, the four now at a sort of strategy meeting.

"That's the least of our problems. Those monsters will be charging at our doorstep any second!" Ultimus scowled.

"Ultimus, now is not the time to show fear. I recall Grimm being attracted to such emotions. We must stand bravely." Protá chided.

"You don't know what I've seen! Cinder has spent more than a few months planning such an attack! And now that her superiors know we've defeated her and her associates, they'll come after us at full force!" Ultimus shouted.

"Oh yeah? So will we." Gray interrupted.

"BRING IT ON, YOU BASTARDS!!" Natsu shouted, effectively rallying Fairy Tail to battle.

"Protá, I'd advise you tell the transports to head back. Keep the fighters in the air in case the attack is too much for our ground forces to handle!" Ultimus demanded.

"Already sent the order. Ultimus, don't you have your own men?" Protá asked.

"Your father already forbid my use of my Militia for conflicts of interest." Ultimus sullenly explained.

"This is much more than a simple conflict of interest. The Supreme Leader will understand." Protá promised.

"Ocelots! Help the Ryders barricade Lavender Street! Fairy Tail's already bordering Violet Road, and we'll have The Elements of Harmony assist Vanoss' squad with defending Rose Way!" Liss commanded as everyone immediately mobilized to their designated main road.

Alex, Ruby, Yang, Cade, Auburn, Oreonna, and Sun ran out next, searching for a street to border while Richtofen and the others ran, searching for anything that could lead them to the Passageway into Dr. Kravinoff's lab.

"Ruby, Sun, You guys deal with Rose Way. Cade, Auburn, and Oreonna, help Fairy Tail with blocking off Violet Road. Yang and I'll worry about Lavender Street! Richtofen!"

The doctor looked back at Alex, who smirked at the four.

"Good luck down there!" Alex nodded, running next to Yang as the three groups stood past the main roads.

"Danke, Alexander." Richtofen silently thanked him.

"We gotta go, Doc!" Dempsey shouted.

"Hurry, Richtofen!" Nikolai urged.

"Here they come!!" Vanoss shouted, as a massive horde of Zombies, Grimm, Parasites, and Margwas swarmed through the streets.

"Open fire!" The Ryders shouted.

Bullets, magic, and electricity collided with the hordes, eliminating only a few as their adversaries continued the charge.

*Meanwhile*

"Come on..! Where ze hell is this 'secret entrance'?!" Richtofen seethed.

"Dammit! Not in this bush!" Dempsey cursed, kicking over the aforementioned shrub.

"Wait, Doctor? You remember Division 9? How they had that elevator?" Nikolai asked.

"Ja... Ein secret entry in ze wall? Could it be possible?" Richtofen wondered.

"Doubtful. But Dr. Kravinoff does want someone to discover his research." Takeo figured.

"We must hurry..! We have no idea how long our allies will hold!" Richtofen shouted.

"Doc! I don't know how important this might be, but look at this!" Dempsey yelled, showing Richtofen a piece of string hidden underneath a bush.

Richtofen pulled on the piece of string, and a trapdoor was revealed, pushing away some of the dirt.

"That may well be it, Dempsey!" Richtofen cheered, climbing inside while the others followed soon after.

*Meanwhile*

"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!!!" Vanoss yelled, dual wielding upgraded Desert Eagles while the others sent a torrent of gunfire into the ever-advancing horde of monstrosities.

"Die!!!" Delirious laughed maniacally as he ripped apart a Margwa's head with his PPSh.

Mini and Nogla fought side-to-side, blowing apart Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps with their Breccis and Haymakers.

It seemed hopeless for those at Rose Way, as their horde seemed to be the largest.

"Evan.. I don't think we can last that much longer!" Wildcat shouted.

"Twilight!! If you have anything that can help us, DO IT NOW!!" Vanoss screamed.

Twilght concentrated on a powerful spell.

'I've been saving this one since before the Battle of Atlas... This is easily my most devastating spell, but... It's so unstable.. I might not be able to control it.' Twilight worried.

"Oh, dear.!! We need help! We're being overrun!!" Fluttershy shouted in mortal terror.

Erza, Natsu, and Ultimus gaped in horror at what was happening at Rose Way, as the undead and soulless continued pressing their charge towards Vanoss' crew.

Suddenly, air sirens began to blare overhead.

"Oh, f**k.." Vanoss gasped, now actually shaking.

Behind the Apothicons, wave upon wave of Panzer Soldats, large tank-like exo-suite containing zombies, crashed behind, charging through and burning everything in their path.

"We'll buy you guys time to reload! Hurry!!" Natsu ordered.

Vanoss' crew, and the Elements, fell back as Natsu inhaled the flames, spewing them back out to little effect.

"WHAT?!" Natsu gasped. Normally, even Gajeel's Iron Dragon Scales would be at least cracked, but it seemed these Panzers didn't even budge.

"I'll take care of them! You two get the hell back!" Ultimus roared, powering up all the way to his Evolved Zealot form, charging a powerful attack.

"IN THE NAME OF THE CRUX FAMILY, AND THE ADENIEN RYDER CORPS!! I COMMAND YOU TO DIE!!! HYPER DEVASTATION WAVE!!!" Ultimus shouted, firing wave upon wave of electricity, managing to clear out several of the advancing cybernetic atrocities.

Twilight's horn glowed a brilliant rose color, having Earth Land's energy stored within her horn, and her magic energy at 101%. She was literally about to explode!

"C-Can't... Hold... Much... Longer..!" She winced, as the magic burned away at her horn and sapped the rest of her energy.

Vanoss backed away, noticing Twilight's spell reaching an uncontrollable maximum.

"Guys.. This might be it.. Twilight's about to blow, and the Apothicons are about ready to rip us to bits.." Droidd sighed.

"W-We can help! We have to-!" Pinkie insisted.

"Listen, you horse f**ks! We can't hold out forever! Those things just keep coming!" Vanoss shouted.

"Dammit, Evan! I'm not gonna die getting eaten by f**kin' zombies!" Wildcat yelled back.

"Look.. Droidd's right.. We won't be able to hold out for this long.. Our best hope is that.. Everyone else can keep up, Richtofen can find whatever he's looking for, and someone, I don't give a shit who, but someone, has to kill those two motherf**kers in charge! And f**k it! Dying in a magic explosion sounds a million times better!" Fourzer0 suggested.

"What, do we just carry Twilight like some kinda f**king battering ram into the massive horde of Zombies?" Basically asked.

"I DON'T CARE!!! JUST GET ME AWAY FROM THE OTHERS!!" Twilight shouted in anger, barely able to control the magic blast that would surely devastate the street.

"Well, how bout it?" Mini asked, grabbing Twilight by her front right hoof.

The Vanossgaming Crew stared at one another in shock. Twilight was clearly about to die, and by the looks of it, so would everyone else..

"This is literally the worst idea ever, but count my pig ass in!" Wildcat smirked, grabbing Twilight'a back left hoof.

"I'm in." FourZer0 insisted, Grabbing Twilight's back hoof.

"We can't just leave!" Scootaloo insisted.

"Y-Yeah..! We won't lose Princess Twilight like we lost our sisters!" Applebloom added.

Vanoss knelt down, looking Applebloom in the eye.

"The best thing for you kids to do, is run like hell. Call someone, and hopefully, the explosion will wipe out only a few of us and most of them. Go! Now!" Vanoss shouted.

"We need covering fire!" Ohm shouted, grabbing Twilight's other hoof.

"Oh, shit.. I'll do it." Terroriser smiled, grabbing his Upgraded M60.

Twilight, Ohm, Fourzer0, Wildcat, and Mini ran towards the newly arrived horde, charging down the street as Twilight readied her spell.

The others could only watch and cover as they ran down, faster and faster as Twilight's horn began to glow brighter and brighter.

"OOOOHH F******K!!!!" They all collectively screamed.

Twilight' shorn reached to practically a singularity as all the magic stored within her body suddenly absorbed itself into a pea-sized little ball, slowly expanding until it would make contact with something, anything.

The pea-sized ball of condensed magic energy made it's way down the street, colliding with the nearest Margwa as they continued running towards the advancing crowd.

And when the magic ball hit, boy, did it hit.

The ball grew to enormous size, with Fluttershy, Nogla, Basically, and Droidd getting caught in the ball and simply evaporating.

The massive sphere eventually exploded, knocking down almost every building in the immediate radius, eliminating scores of Apothicons, Grimm, and anyone unlucky enough to just so happen to be in the explosion.

"Holy shit!" Cade gasped, staring at the explosion.

Vanoss, Delirious, Pinkie, Terroriser, Lui, Moo, and the CMC hit the back wall of the Magnolia Station building, mostly unscathed, saved for a few burns and scratches.

"H-H-Holy shit.." Delirious gasped, shaking and hyperventilating.

"I-I-Is Twi..?" Applebloom gasped before passing out.

"God... Dammit.." Terroriser coughed.

Alex ran over to check on Vanoss and the other survivors.

"Evan! Evan, wake the hell up!" Alex shook him.

"I'm fine.." Vanoss coughed.

"What the hell just happened?!" Yang demanded.

"T-Twilight used a spell... It went out of control.. Ohm, Fourzero, Wildcat, and Mini ran her into the horde.." Moo explained.

"What?!" Cade gasped, how could this happen? At least 9 people just died in front of him.

"Oh, no..." Ruby gasped in shock, beginning to cry.

"I-I'm the only one left... I-I'm the last Element..." Pinkie sobbed, her usually poofy hair deflating to a straighter hairstyle.

Oreonna coughed as the dust blew out over the Station, racked with disbelief and horror.

"This isn't much better than the old timeline..!" Auburn coughed.

"No.." Erza winced, being reminded of what happened at the Tower Of Heaven, and the loss of her childhood friend, Simon.

"God damn.." Kat gasped.

"The Silver Ocelots will never forget the sacrifices Princess Twilight and her friends took to preserve the lives of this world. I swear." Liss raised her right hand.

"Nor will the Adenien Ryders. Their bravery shall not be forgotten." Protá swore.

The screeches of the undead once again filled the air.

"This isn't over." Ultimus scowled.

The Ryders, Ocelots, Fairy Tail, everyone, came to the same conclusion.

After the explosion, there was no plan, there were no choke points.

There was only one objective left.

Kill them all.

Natsu growled, seething with rage.

"I'll.. I'LL MAKE SURE THOSE CREEPS PAY FOR WHAT THEY DID!!!" Natsu roared, blowing a massive torrent of flame at the hordes, continuing to advance on them.

"Attack!!" Kat shouted, letting the Spirit of Sekhmet overtake her once more.

Ruby's hair stood straight on end, growing to a shade of pure white as her eyes glowed with a brilliant light.

"YOU MONSTERS!!!!!" Ruby shouted, silver light pouring out her eyes as she repeatedly blew apart dozens of Beowolves.

Yang went directly to her Enlightened Berserker, blowing apart the ensuing horde in front of them.

Alex stared in horror at what had happened. He just lost nine more of his friends, and several others might very well follow.

"ALEX, HURRY UP!!" Yang shouted.

"Father! There will be time to grieve later!" Auburn added.

"There's no time!" Cade yelled.

Alex sighed. They were right.

As he walked towards them, joining his comrades in battle, he was left to wonder about the circumstances this apocalyptic battle would transpire.

'How many more of us are going to die before the day is over?' Alex solemnly thought.

*1 Minute before*

"Doc! We got undead in here!" Dempsey shouted, killing the zombie with his Colt .45.

"Verdammt! We'll have to fight our way down there!" Richtofen scowled.

The four walked cautiously down the stairs gunning down any zombies they could.

There are four doors here, check all of them!" Richtofen ordered.

"Da. Let us continue." Nikolai nodded, blowing apart the door to his left.

Takeo, Richtofen, and Dempsey all took their own doors, stalking through and killing their way through their own routes.

Eventually, the four met back in one central room, with several zombies blocking the path.

"Dammit! Open fire!" Dempsey shouted.

Suddenly, a large earthquake shook the inside, causing rocks to fall down and kill the zombies in front.

"What the hell?!" Richtofen demanded as he fell to the ground.

It seemed as though the ground had collapsed in on itself, rocks and debris now littered the room, leaving the four heroes stunned.

"The hell just happened? Everyone okay?" Dempsey asked.

"I feel like I will throw up.." Takeo grumbled.

"Our allies are in trouble.." Richtofen concluded.

"Then we should get going.! Now!" Nikolai demanded, dragging Takeo with him.

Dempsey tossed down a couple Trip Mines, and pulled the pin on a grenade.

"Get back!" Dempsey shouted, tossing the grenade and blowing apart the rocks, making the door visible.

The zombies behind them roared and screeched, trying to get past the rocks keeping them away.

"Hurry!" Nikolai shouted, blowing away zombies with his KRM.

"Get inside, now!" Richtofen ordered, tossing a Lil' Arnie behind him as the Origins Crew climbed inside the room.

"Holy shit.." Dempsey gaped.

"What... Is that?" Takeo wondered.

In front of them was a massive computer, connected to what looked like a massive server with several hard drives attached. Obviously all of Dr. Kravinoff's research.

"Should we activate it?" Nikolai asked.

"Ja... It seems like ze best course of action.." Richtofen concluded.

*Princess Celestia's Castle, Canterlot, Equestria; October 22, 2019; 4:55 PM*

"Your Highness!!"

Princess Celestia's looked behind her to see Princess Luna, Supreme Leader Krete of Adenien, and Qrow. The group in it's entirety looked deeply concerned.

"Is this about the Incident in Fiore?" Celestia asked.

"You and I both know it is, Celestia." Supreme Leader Krete stated.

"Tai told me everything as soon as I got to the Dimensional Gate. Said that some kind of demon was released." Qrow explained.

"Then why aren't you there, helping your children along with Taiyang?" Luna asked.

"Tai insisted on gathering as many Inheritors as he could find. I'm not there because I'll literally only make things worse." Qrow replied.

"I'm familiar with your Semblance, Mr. Branwen. Tell me, are you aware of what has just transpired?" Supreme Leader Krete asked.

"The explosion?" Qrow sighed.

"Explosion?" Celestia asked.

"Don't tell me you are so uninformed, Princess. Your student is dead, as well as 8 of her fellow warriors." Krete stated.

"Dead?!" Princess Luna gasped.

"It appears so. My son, Protá, is the current head of the Ryder Corps. He told me everything." Kreme stated.

Celestia shook, shocked that her student, who she had known so well, had suddenly died.

"How..?" Celestia asked.

"Twilight used some kinda spell. Does this look familiar to you?" Qrow asked, handing Celestia footage of the explosion.

"It seems she used a highly concentrated form of the Teleport spell. She intended to drive the Apothicons out into another dimension. She lost control, it appears." Luna elaborated.

"Then there's-!" Celestia gasped.

"I don't think so. The possibility of even one person in the blast radius surviving that spell is extremely low." Krete explained.

Celestia and Luna both faced each other, deeply shocked at what Krete and Qrow told them.

"Send the Royal Guard. All of them!" Luna demanded.

"Sister.. I believe there is a better way... You know what we have to do.." Celestia explained.

Luna sighed.

"The new Nightmare Forces are extremely volatile! Who knows what could happen!" Luna yelled.

"We have no other choice! Send them out." Celestia commanded.

*Outside Magnolia Station, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 4:58 PM*

Alex ducked underneath a Margwa, shooting at a Horde of undead, being careful not to attack with his sword. He figured he would save that for the Salem.

The Margwa grabbed Alex by the leg and raised him up, only to be dropped when Yang took out all the Margwa's heads with one hit.

"Here, get up!" Yang demanded, pulling Alex to a standing position.

"Transform, Saigo! Don't you want to avenge your friends?!" Ultimus demanded.

"I have to recharge! If I transform now, I'll pass out!" Alex yelled.

"Recharge, huh?" Vanoss grinned, grabbing a Wunderwaffe.

"Brilliant! Men! Raise your electric wonder weapons at Alex!" Protá commanded.

Alex raised his arms out.

"Let's do this!" Alex smirked.

"Delirious! Moo! Terroriser! Lui! Any of you guys have anything lightning related, now'd be a good time!" Vanoss shouted, shooting Alex with his Wunderwaffe.

"I got Electric Cherry!" Terroriser shouted, reloading his M60 as Moo and Delirious shot their Lightning Bows at Alex.

"Lightning Staff, bitches!!" Lui yelled, shooting Alex along with Vanoss.

Alex continued to raise his electric energy as Vanoss and his remaining friends continued to pelt him with lightning.

Before long, Alex reached his Evolved Warrior form.

"That's good! I think I have plenty in me!!" Alex shouted as Vanoss and friends returned to the defense.

Alex raised one finger, pointing it straight into a horde of Grimm, particularly at a Griffin leading the charge.

Merely shooting a tiny spark out his fingertip, The Grimm Griffin collapsed, and a massive arc of lightning spread to each of the others, causing most of them to explode.

"Woah, what?! That was Alex?!" Natsu gasped.

"I didn't know he was that charged up!" Gray added.

"Impressive.. Mind if I add to your power?" Erza said, transforming to her Lightning Empress armor.

"I'll take what I can get!" Alex grinned, charging up his power.

"LIGHTNING BEAM!!" Erza shot a massive bolt of Lightning at Alex, raising his energy up to further heights.

"This should be enough! Thanks, Erza!" Alex waved.

"You're welcome." Erza smiled.

"Wait for us!" Someone shouted.

"What the?!" Pinkie gasped.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, now appearing as spirits, surrounded by a dark fog, waved at the group.

"Dash?!" Yang gasped.

"The one and only!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"YAY!!! I GET MY FRIENDS BACK!!" Pinkie cheered.

"How are you guys here?!" Delirious asked.

"It's easy, my hockey-masked friend! Arabus did kinda absorb us, so when he died, we were pretty much released... So now, we're the new Nightmare Forces!" Applejack explained.

"And Cade? Remember what I told you to tell your sister?" Rarity asked.

"God dammit.. I told you guys I heard Rarity's ghost!" Cade shouted.

"I didn't think you were serious!" Oreonna indignantly retorted.

"What were you meaning to tell me?" Auburn asked in her monotone voice.

"Darling, Weiss' jacket and your otherwise yellow wardrobe clash! Without my glasses, it all looks like a green smudge!" Rarity explained.

"Explanations aside, why are you guys here?" Alex asked.

"Luna sent us to help you guys!" Rainbow explained.

"Great! 'Cause..." Vanoss began.

Gesturing towards the revived horde of Parasites and Ursai, Vanoss glared at the Nightmare Forces. The three quickly stared in shock.

"...We actually need it." Vanoss finished.

"Yeah! Let's get 'em!" Sun shouted.

"Spawn of Salem! Meet your end!!" Kat shouted, unleashing a barrage of light claws and flaming attacks.

"FIRE DRAGON TALON!!"

"ICE-MAKE LANCE!!"

"DANCE, MY BLADES!!"

"THUNDER CANNON!!"

A barrage of attacks from the Fairy Tail Wizards, Ultimus, and Kat, reduced the first wave to piles of ash skewered by ice slivers and swords.

"Auburn.. Let's finish off this next wave!" Cade grinned.

"Agreed. Oreonna, get behind us." Auburn nodded.

Cade and Auburn held their hands out, forming a condensed ball of fire and lightning that ripped apart the ground underneath.

"Whenever you're ready!" Cade shouted, pouring a vast amount of energy into the attack.

"Let's end this!" Oreonna shouted, playing an elaborate song with her viola, causing small flecks of the energy ball to fly off and incinerate the individual Parasites, waiting until a Deathstalker charged into sight.

"Now!"

Cade shot the ball of energy right into the Deathstalker's maw, blowing it and several other Grimm to pieces.

Yang and Ruby charged in, wiping out entire groups of Zombies with their attacks, before Ruby used her silver eye powers to freeze a Nevermore in place, with Yang leaping and punching it's stomach, blowing it to bits.

Alex, on the other hand, suck with the CMC and Wendy, who launched spells, apples, anything to keep them at bay. Alex shot down several Ursai, preferring to save his energy for fighting Salem and the Shadowman.

'Weird.. I should be able to power down, but I can't.. It's almost like I've charged up too much and this is my base form, for the time being.. I wonder if this means I can step up to a higher form than even Overcharged Berserker..' Alex thought.

*Meanwhile*

"Alright... Let's see if this works.." Richtofen pulled the switch on the power, and the computer gradually turned on.

"Hello, soldiers, I am Dr. Kravinoff. I wish to thank you for discovering my laboratory and my research, but there is more to worry about. I have been surveying the battle above, and it seems the worst is yet to come." Dr. Kravinoff began.

"What's going on here?! And why're you saying that when the whole city's up in flames?" Dempsey asked.

"It appears that Lucien Sombra is trying to reach Fiore, and letting him do so would be catastrophic. If Sombra does make it back, then my calculations show little chance of survival..." dr. Kravinoff answered.

"How can we prevent Sombra's arrival?" Richtofen asked.

"Ah, yes.. You must... Wait.. I'm detecting a vast amount of energy above, it is likely Sombra coming to take his revenge on the Traveller. Do not allow The Shadowman and Salem to reach Sombra. Take my research, Richtofen, and give it to The SCP Foundation or Dr. Monty. If you are unable to do so, destroy it all. Good luck." Dr. Kravinoff explained.

"Thank you, Machine." Takeo nodded, removing several hard drives and placing them into his pockets.

"Grab as many as you can und head to ze surface!" Richtofen ordered, grabbing another bunch of Hard Drives and running away.

"Stay back!" Dempsey commanded, wiping out a path with his Zeus Cannon.

"We must hurry! Who knows how long our allies have?!" Nikolai shouted.

"Come on, we're almost there!" Richtofen yelled, tossing a grenade behind him in case more zombies decided to show.

*Meanwhile*

"WUB A DUB DUB, YOU SQUID PUNKS!!" Vinyl yelled, unleashing a massive soundwave that blew the undead clear across the horizon.

"Woah!! You can do that?!" Sun cheered.

"Hell yeah!" Vinyl cheered.

"ALRIGHT, YOU SQUID PUNKS, BRING IT ON!" Nasty roared.

"Wait. What is that..?" Lucy asked.

A dark purple vortex suddenly appeared as everyone crowded around it. Except for the Silver Ocelots, who knew well what happened the last time they surrounded a portal.

A shadowy, royal-looking unicorn walked out as the portal closed behind him.

"Is that..? Sombra?!" Kat gasped in horror.

King Sombra glared at Kat with a furious scowl.

"Katherine.. You foul traitor.. We meet at last." Sombra greeted, obviously disgusted at the mere sight of her.

"Nein! He cannot be here!!" Richtofen shouted.

Sombra glared at the Origins Crew, causing spikes to rise from the ground, blocking their path.

"And why is that, Doctor?" Sombra dismissively asked.

"Because we have been waiting for you, King Sombra." Salem greeted.

Alex's eyes widened in shock as he looked behind him, seeing Salem and The Shadowman float down in front of them.

"You." Dempsey scowled.

Ruby growled angrily, leaping at Salem's throat.

"SALEM!!!!!" Ruby shouted, Blood Rose in scythe form, ready to tear Salem limb from limb.

Before Salem could look past to see her attacker, The Shadow Man teleported to Salem's right side, grabbing Ruby by the neck, causing her to power down and fall unconscious until he simply cast her aside.

"Ruby!" Yang immediately leapt to Ruby's aid, powering down.

Yang checked Ruby's pulse. She was definitely still alive.

"Still alive?" Yang gasped.

"I need her for later. But for right now, Sombra. Would you care to join us?" The Shadowman explained.

The entire crowd stared in awe at King Sombra, mostly glares.

"And why should I concern myself with the demands of you pests?" King Sombra asked, deeply dismissive.

"That is not your choice. Shadow Man, if you will?" Salem asked.

The Shadow Man cast a sadistic grin, as he transformed into tentacled, monstrous being with a sun-like symbol on his chest.

"With pleasure." The Shadow Man, now in his true form, cackled.

Author's Notes:

The Shadowman And Salem have arrived!

What does this mean for King Sombra? Will their combined power be too much for our heroes?

Find out next time on Blood Red Shadows 2!

Chapter 48: The Shadow Wars: Part 9 of 10

Magnolia Station, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 5:01 PM*

https://youtube.com/watch?v=c2Q7fuAc83k

The Shadow Man formed shields around himself, Salem, and King Sombra as he raised the three to roughly his level, and slowly pulled them closer to him.

"What the shit?!" Vanoss gasped.

"What are they doing?!" Gray wondered in horror.

As the three dark figures were pulled in towards each other, their shields fused into one as well. A dark, pale purple light began to shine from the shields as their once teal coloration darkened to an opaque black, shrouding them all in darkness.

"Oh, scheiße." Richtofen barely whispered, horrified and curious as to what was transpiring in front of them.

"It appears to be a form of fusion." Kat concluded.

"You mean to tell me that those monsters are combining?!" Protá demanded.

"It appears so, Protá. Tell your men to fall back." Ultimus ordered.

"Ultimus, we can't-!" Protá glared.

"If you don't your men will die with us! Tell them to fall back!" Ultimus ordered.

The shields suddenly glowed with a sinister red light, the bubble-like shield reforming to roughly the shape of a human being. Within, unholy screeching and growling could be heard within, from Salem, The Shadowman, and Sombra.

"Alex.." Yang gasped, actually shaking at what was occurring in front of her.

"Yang, if by some miracle we survive this, let's try to plan our wedding as soon as crazy shit doesn't happen anymore." Alex joked.

"Doc... You've always been the man with the plan, but... How in the wide world of f**k are we gonna stop this?!" Dempsey demanded.

"Dr. Monty will know.. He has to..!" Richtofen replied, rather pleadingly.

The screeching of all three voices seemed to overlap eachother, as wings, a horn, and piercing red eyes emerged on the figure's 'face'. Because the whole being's facial structure seemed to be resembling that of a skeletal goat.

Eventually, the black shield exploded in a blaze of dark purple light, revealing the creature that the Shadowman, Salem, and King Sombra had fused into.

Needless to say, the end product was horrifyingly surreal.

The fusion wore a pure black robe, with red detailing on the front, with a very familiar trinket on the life form's chest: The Summoning Key.

It's wings were like that of a pony's, yet skeletal, and we're likely there more or less for show rather than actual use, because it could float just fine on it's own.

The being's arms bore red and black vein-like tatooing, especially towards the wrists, and the hands were essentially horrifying, three-fingered, and carrying balls of pure black energy.

Finally, the creature's face was reminiscent of a unicorn pony's, yet it's teeth were sharp, it's complexion was not unlike Salem's, and it's mane was made up of tendrils of sorts.

Long story short, this... thing... Was essentially the stuff of nightmares, and it seemed it's power was limitless.

"This form is darkness incarnate. This form is true harmony. Go ahead, mortals. Run. Hide. Buy yourselves just a little more time.. It won't matter. Not to me. Not to your true god: Lilith!"

"Wait, wait, hold on! Aren't you fused from two men?" Vanoss asked.

"...Fine. I'll entertain your foolish question. I let that fool, The Shadowman, fuse me into this beautiful being, but make no mistake, I am Salem's true form!" Lilith replied.

"I was just thinking that Lilith was a girl's name, but whatever floats your boat. We all know what happened 2016, so I'm going to avoid that touchy subject-" Vanoss shrugged.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME?!" Lilith demanded, floating horrifyingly close to Vanoss.

"AW, HELL YEAH! BRING IT ON, CREEP!" Natsu yelled, leaping towards Lilith at full force.

Lilith merely blocked Natsu's punch, casting him aside relatively easily.

"YOU FOOL!!!" Lilith charged towards Natsu, a pulsating ball of dark purple energy spewing from it's fingertips.

Alex looked at Yang with a sad look in his eye.

"No." Yang shook her head.

"We both know I have to. Cade, Auburn, Oreonna, help Yang wake up Ruby. Give me a signal when she wakes up. Now hurry!" Alex commanded.

"Did you completely lose your mind?! Lilith'll kill ya!" Applejack pleaded.

"Like I have any other option! You three find some way, any way, you can to help me! Everyone with a gun, aim for that Summoning Key!" Alex ordered.

Protá and Ultimus walked towards Alex.

"SAIGO, ARE YOU COMPLETELY BRAIN DEAD?!" Ultimus demanded.

"Ultimus, get Kat! She's the only other person who can help us!" Alex replied.

"I'm not letting you fight Lilith yourselves!" Protá stated.

"Protá. I suggest you power up." Alex demanded.

"What you're suggesting is suicide!" Protá retorted.

"So that's it? We're just gonna let that thing kill us all?" Alex asked.

Protá glared at Alex, eventually transforming to his own Enlightened State.

"Katherine?" Protá summoned.

Kat ran towards the four Adenienites.

"This 'Lilith' is a pompous fool. I will help you destroy it." Kat told them.

"Great! Fairy Tail! If you have any powerful offensive spells, how's the time to use 'em!" Alex shouted.

"Alexander is right! Fall back to a safer position! We'll launch our spells at long-range!" Erza ordered.

"You heard the lady, MOVE!" Elfman yelled, retreating along with the rest of Fairy Tail.

"Okay... I was just powered up earlier.. Let's see how well they did..!" Alex shouted, charging all the way to Enlightened Berserker.

"I suggest we leave Alexander to charge his own energy. Let's go!" Kat ordered as she, Ultimus, and Protá flew into battle.

"Why do you persist? Do you not see how futile this is?" Lilith confidently went into a fighting stance.

"Lilith! I am the current hostess of the War Goddess, Sekhmet! Make no mistake, this is where you fall!" Kat charged, slashing at Lilith with her light claws.

"Ultimus! Get to it's left!" Protá ordered.

"Of course!" Ultimus nodded as the two Adenienite Warriors charged to Lilith's sides.

Both warriors charged an electric pulse, aiming for Lilith's side, only to have their attacks completely negated by Lilith's shields.