*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.