Hello, everyone from my two favorite fandoms!

I honestly can't believe there's not more crossover content between RWBY and She-Ra. It's astonishing. I am going to fix that to the best of my ability.

Anyways, this story takes place chronologically immediately after volume 7's ending for RWBY, and immediately after season 3, episode 4 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Basically series wide spoilers for both shows, you've been warned. Obviously, this story will still be going on when the new RWBY volume debuts, so when that happens, they will probably go a different direction, this story will make its own canon.

Anyways, trigger warning in this chapter for violence and implied references to child abuse. I don't own RWBY or She-Ra


"Forget about them! Pull the switch!" Catra's voice echoed.

"Catra, please, don't do this!" Adora pleaded, struggling against her bonds. Her hair whipped about, due to the force cascading through the room. Her sword hovered in place, arcs of lightning coursing on and off. Catra glanced back to see Adora, desperately begging for her to see reason, for once. That was all it took. "No!"

Adora felt the static energy become more powerful by the thousandfold, as her vision distorted and twisted. It felt like she was falling, through an ebony abyss. The very concept of time became foreign, as if she has been falling for days endlessly, and yet at the same time, only seconds.

And then, nothing.

The first thing that she processed as she came to was cold. Wind whipped at her, and air seemed nonexistent, but different from the vacuum she had felt moments prior. She became aware that she was lying on her stomach, and the cold began to become clear distinguished as snow, however, no snow she had ever seen. She had seen the white, snowy fields of the Kingdom of Snows, where one of her closer friends, the young princess Frosta hailed from. This snow, on the other hand, tasted like the air smelled in the Fright Zone, and was a dull grey color.

She found the strength to push herself off of the ground, blinking, as she coughed for air. Her hearing was beginning to come back to her, immediately getting filled with the noise of screaming and panic. Around her were buildings, the likes of which she had never even imagined. Each as tall as the tower in Bright Moon seemed to be, but made of small bricks maroon and grey in color. People ran past her, wearing strange fashions she didn't recognize.

She got to her feet, using the support of a nearby building, and attempted to gain any degree of understanding of her surroundings. Above her, snowflakes breezed through the air, stinging her skin. Above them, she saw clouds rumbling, flashes of lightning deep scarlet in tone threatening to blast down and shatter her world around her.

But the worst of it all, was the ear-splitting screech that hammered into her ears moments later. She turned to face the source, and felt herself turn pale upon seeing whatever beast was causing it; it flew through the air, coated in feathers that were as dark as the night sky, its skull showing on the exterior of its head, and soulless crimson eyes staring down at those who ran, desperately, searching for shelter. It must have been the size of two tanks, side by side, and the talons hanging from under it seemed razor-sharp.

Adora looked for somewhere to use as shelter, but was left with nothing obvious in this strange hellscape. She looked around where she had appeared, frantically, hoping to find her sword, but once again, was left with nothing.

She didn't have time to curse her situation, unfortunately, as a different beast whipped around the corner, and began charging down her alleyway. This creature was significantly smaller, a feline monstrosity with enormous fangs baring down from its mouth. Adora stepped back, alarmed, and this only seemed to pique the interest of the beast.

"Nice... kitty?" Adora tried, nervously. The beast responded by racing, at a breakneck speed, towards her. "Okay, mean kitty!"

Adora dove to the side, letting it leap to where she had been, and she charged onto the main road, knowing that without her sword, she was powerless against it.

"Hey," Adora panted, running next to one of the others, scrambling from these monstrosities. "What are those things?"

"Are you insane? Run!" the citizen yelled, and quickly scurried off. Adora had been about to follow, to desperately attempt to obtain answers, when she heard the screech, once again. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the massive zombie-like raven closing in, once more. Her eyes went wide, her legs turning to jelly. She had fought monsters before, but that had been as She-Ra, and those had been monsters she had learned about. These things, they were unlike anything she'd even heard of. They almost reminded her of Shadow Weaver, with their ghastly aura, which reeked of death.

Is it... coming for me? Specifically?

As everyone around her scrambled, and she stared up in terror, the giant bird descended upon her, and its talons stretched out, to snatch her up and fly off, no doubt with a meal secured...

And then, right before it could grab her, she felt someone grab her by the shoulder and yank.

The street left her behind as she was moved, at rapid speeds, towards a nearby building. She glanced around to see who had grabbed her, and came face to face with a woman, likely around her own age. Her hair was ginger-orange, with neon blue highlights, and most of it was in two conical buns, though her bangs framed her face. Her eyes were a dull green, and around her neck was a white collar with a bronze bell. She wore a white cropped jacket with salmon pink inner detail, and a blue sports top underneath. She couldn't take in any more details before she was shoved into the building.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" the woman asked, her voice almost shrill. "You almost got grabbed by that Nevermore!"

"Nevermore?" Adora asked, befuddled. "What is that? What is any of this? Who are you?"

"Well, I don't have a lot of time, but I'm Neon, you can trust me, I'm a huntress," the woman said with a smile.

"A what?" Adora asked, if anything even more confused.

"A... huntress... you know," Neon said. "We protect everyone from the Grimm?"

"The what?" Adora scoffed, climbing back to her feet.

"Oookay," Neon said. "Do you know where you are?"

"No, last thing I knew I was in the Fright Zone, and I've never heard of any of this! Where are we?"

"Well, we're in Mantle," Neon said. "I've never heard of a Fright Zone. Is there any chance you hit your head?"

Neon attempted to examine Adora's head, which Adora resisted, backing off.

"My head's fine!" Adora objected. "I just don't understand where I am."

"Okay, I'm going to try to get you to a safe zone," Neon said. "We've been trying to set up evac zones, that way we can get you up to Atlas."

"Up to what?" Adora scoffed.

"Atlas... the big floating city, about half a mile above us?" Neon asked.

"There's a floating city above us?" Adora gasped.

"You didn't see it?" Neon asked.

"I was a little busy running from those monsters," Adora said.

"Grimm," Neon corrected.

"Uh... right, Grimm," Adora said. "Look, you said you protect people, right? You're a warrior?"

"You could say that," Neon said.

"I can probably help fight all of these things off, but I need a sword," Adora said. "Would you know where I could get one?"

"A weapon, that's easy, any of the huntsmen zones probably have spares," Neon said. "Confiscated, retrieved, all sorts. A sword specifically may be harder. I'll try to get you there."

"Thanks," Adora said. Neon nodded, pulling out a pair of vibrant blue nunchucks. Adora felt her heart sink. "Wait... you fight with those? Those look like a toy."

"What did you expect me to fight with?" Neon scoffed. "Let's get going."


Oscar plummeted towards the ground, straining himself to find control of the magic stored within Ozpin's memories. Atlas fell away above, the skies surrounding exploding with the crimson and ebony swirls of energy.

In the last margins of time available, he finally grasped the knowledge he needed once more, and he screamed out as he pushed the energy to his fingertips, and outward. The emerald-tinted dome of protection materialized around him. He felt gravity shudder around him, trying not to lose his lunch as his momentum came to a stop.

"That power," he said, as he rose to his feet, the dome fading away. "These memories. You're back, aren't you? You saved me."

Actually, Ozpin said, from inside his head. You saved us. Oscar, I-

"Stop," Oscar said, abruptly cutting him off. "All I want to know, is how we save Atlas next."

That's an incredibly complex question, Ozpin said.

"I don't care," Oscar said. "You told me some time ago that I need to get out and do what is right. Here I am, ready to do what it takes, so tell me what to do!"

Salem isn't far away, Ozpin said. The sky, the clouds, I know that magic. She means to take the relic from Atlas.

"We both know we can't allow that," Oscar said. "She's already gotten the lamp."

I wouldn't be so sure. Neopolitan has rarely devoted herself to serve interests other than, ultimately, her own.

"Either way," Oscar sighed.

Salem cannot be killed. The only way to prevent her from accomplishing her goal is to remove the winter maiden from the equation. She cannot stay in Atlas.

"Is she just here for the relic?" Oscar asked.

No, Ozpin sighed. She wants power, of all sorts. She wants to control the world, as a deity, and she will start with crippling the most advanced kingdom in the world. Cutting the head off of the snake, in a manner of speaking. Even if she cannot reach the relic, she can devastate the kingdom of Atlas. If she does so, this will make the second kingdom overrun by Grimm. She is dividing and conquering.

"So what do we do?" Oscar asked, frustrated.

We need to regroup. This is a fight we cannot win without unity. James, Qrow, we need to put aside our differences to stop this enemy.

"I just tried to accomplish that," Oscar snapped. "James isn't exactly interested in unity anymore."

James has made some grave mistakes, and if we cannot bring him to his senses, this battle will be even more one-sided.

Oscar opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted, when he saw a rather bizarre cloud of energy materializing, about a hundred feet away. It was blue, and swirling, with sparks flying from inside.

"What is that?" Oscar asked, taking a cautious step towards it.

I cannot say. I have never seen this before, Ozpin said.

As Oscar walked towards the anomaly, it began to shrink back, and before long, it had vanished as if it was never there. It did, however, leave behind a single remnant. A blue sword, thick and ornate sat, stabbed into the snow, gleaming as Oscar reached it.

"It's... a sword," Oscar said.

Yes, and not one I've ever seen, Ozpin said.

"Could it have any relation to the Relic of Destruction, in Vacuo?" Oscar asked.

No, Ozpin said. The sword of destruction is still secure in Shade Academy, and it looks nothing alike this weapon. It also doesn't appear to be a huntsman weapon, the craftsmanship is unlike anything I've ever seen. It looks to be made by a culture not known to Remnant.

"What are you saying?" Oscar asked, lifting the sword from the snow, examining it closer.

The portal we saw, I believe it leads to another world, which this weapon is native to, Ozpin said.

"How is that possible?" Oscar asked.

I'm afraid this is one area where I know nothing of use, Ozpin said.

"Then, I think we should hang onto this until we can find some answers," Oscar said. "Who would know how to help us find out?"

No one that I'm aware of. No one in Remnant has ever made significant progress to reach another world, Ozpin said.

Oscar sighed, turning the weapon over.

It also resonates magic, this weapon is immensely powerful.

"So, could we use it to protect Atlas?" Oscar asked.

Unlikely. From what I can tell, this magic imprints upon a specific person. To anyone else, it is simply a sword, and an unwieldy one at that.

"Wonderful," Oscar snapped. "Any chance that person also came through somewhere?"

It is very possible, Ozpin said.

"Then that's our goal. We need to find out who can use this and hope they are willing to work with us," Oscar said.

That is a very specific goal, I would advise against it. We don't even know if they've come here. For all we know, it was only the sword. And if they did come, and they are just as malevolent as our opponent, we could be potentially worsening the situation.

"It's better than trying to persuade the man who just shot me to work with me," Oscar snapped, as he began trudging towards Mantle.

Then I will not oppose you. I just hope you're right, Ozpin said.

"Yeah," Oscar said. "So do I."


"Never miss a beat, never miss a beat!" Neon muttered, as she bashed her way through small Grimm, her nunchucks freezing them solid with the first hit, and shattering them with the second.

"What's even in those?" Adora scoffed, using a conduit as a makeshift staff to fight off another sabertooth Grimm.

"Dust, obviously," Neon said. Adora raised an eyebrow, as she knocked back her opponent.

"Does nothing here make sense?" Adora muttered to herself, driving the conduit through the skull of the beast. As if to answer her question, the sabertooth disintegrated as it fell limp, breaking apart and floating away as black smoke. "It's like the Crimson Wastes."

"Alright, that's the biggest opening we're gonna get," Neon said. "Let's move!"

Adora sighed, charging after her, down the streets towards an intersection, where several soldiers fired strange rifles into the air, attempting to shoot down more of the flying Grimm.

"Flynt!" Neon called, and a man helping to fight off the creatures, wearing a fedora and a suit, holding himself similar to Bow, turned to face Neon, and gave a nod. In his hands, much to Adora's shock, was a trumpet, which he was using to fight off these creatures. Each note sent a deafening wave of energy out to stun and drive off his target, giving the nearby soldiers time to focus it down. Adora and Neon beelined for this intersection, with Flynt giving them cover.

"Neon, who's this?" Flynt asked.

"She's... well... who are you?" Neon asked. "I guess I forgot to ask."

"My name's Adora," she said.

"That's a strange name," Flynt said. Adora narrowed her eyes, irritably.

"Yeah, strange is kinda the whole thing with her," Neon said. "She might need medical attention, she's been acting... weird."

"How so?" Flynt asked.

"I told you, I'm fine," Adora said. "I just don't know where I am, or how I got here, or what any of this is."

"She didn't know what Grimm are," Neon said. "Or Atlas, or Mantle, or dust."

Flynt turned to Adora, alarmed. Adora shrugged.

"Wait, where are you from?" Flynt asked.

"Well, most recently, the Fright Zone," Adora said. "But I'm assuming no one here knows what that is, Neon didn't."

"Never heard of it," Flynt said.

"Surprise, surprise," Adora sighed.

"Well, humor me," Flynt said. "Let the paramedics take a look. They clear you, I'll believe you're okay."

"Fine," Adora said. "Who are those?"

"The... ones in medic outfits?" Neon explained, pointing to a group of people, who were wearing white outfits with large red crosses on them.

"Right... medics," Adora said. "Makes sense."

Adora walked over to them, befuddled.

"Are you alright?" one of them asked.

"I think I am, but those two think I hit my head," Adora said.

"Alright, I'll give you a quick check," he said. He grabbed a small flashlight and looked in her eyes, and she winced, looking away, blinded.

"Are you trying to blind me?" she spat, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm just checking your pupils," the medic said.

"Okay..." Adora said, looking back up. She tried her best to keep still as he performed his strange tests, having her follow his finger with her eyes. He checked her ears, and seemed satisfied with the result.

"Aside from some confusion, you seem fine to me. No evidence of a concussion," the medic said.

"Thank you," Adora said, and hurried back over to Flynt and Neon.

"Did they clear you?" Neon asked.

"I... he said I was okay," Adora said.

"Okay," Flynt said.

"But she seems really out of it," Neon said, turning to Flynt.

"Priorities," Flynt said. "We'll find out what she's talking about once we're done fighting for our lives."

"On that note, is there any chance my sword is here?" Adora asked. "It's blue, it's wide, has an ornate gem in the handle?"

"I haven't seen it," Flynt said. "But if you're in a condition to fight, there's a few spare weapons over by that truck, take your pick."

Adora hurried over to look at the options. She saw several weapons that didn't seem useful to her, built strangely. They all had complex mechanisms built into them, that looked remotely similar to the Horde's laser weapons. She eventually found a sword with a barrel built into the handle, and went with it.

"Why do all of these weapons have cannons in them?" Adora scoffed, giving it a wave to test the balance.

"They're huntsmen weapons," Neon said. "Almost all huntsmen weapons have both a melee and a gun mode. Have you really never heard of huntsmen?"

"I haven't," Adora said.

"Okay, so that trigger there will fire it. You'll have to point it to do that," Flynt said. Adora nodded, and begun fighting off the Grimm, as well as she could manage. She tried out the gun mechanism, and found it surprisingly useful, the few times she managed to land a hit with it. She still mainly stuck to the blade form, helping Neon fight off the Grimm that got close.

"You really know your way around a sword," Neon said, bashing aside a smaller sabertooth.

"I've trained a lot," Adora said. "I'd be able to do a lot more with my sword, but this will work for now."

"Good," Neon said. "Because it looks like this is just going to get worse and worse."

"Are attacks like this normal?" Adora asked, hacking into her target.

"Not like this," Neon said. "Usually the kingdom cities are safe. I'm not going to lie, I've only ever seen it get like this once."

"Did it end up okay?" Adora asked. Neon sighed.

"No, it didn't," Neon said.

"What happened?" Adora asked.

"The kingdom got overrun, and it fell. It's practically a ruin now," Neon said. "About a year ago, now."

Adora bisected the sabertooth she had been fighting, and the gunfire quieted.

"We're between waves!" one of the soldiers shouted. "Restock on ammo, and try to get a signal to air support! We need to evac these civilians, and we've got wounded."

"Yes, sir!" another said, picking up a radio.

Neon turned to face Adora, catching her breath.

"You've got a scratch," Neon said, pointing out a shallow cut Adora had gotten on her arm. "Is your aura already down?"

"My what?" Adora asked.

"You... don't know what aura is?" Neon asked. Adora shook her head.

"You said you were a fighter," Flynt said. "What protected you from getting hurt?"

"Armor," Adora said. "And being quick."

"Well, quick won't always cut it with the Grimm," Flynt said. "And it doesn't look like you've got armor available."

Adora readied herself to respond, when she felt something, tugging at her mind. She felt it, her sword was here. She didn't know where, but it was somewhere in this bizarre place.

"It's here," Adora said. "My sword, it's here!"

"Where?" Neon asked, looking around.

"I don't know," Adora said. "But it's nearby, probably within ten miles."

"Alright, new info from command!" one of the soldiers said. "They're sending a transport. Also, we've got a secondary objective. If we see any of those huntsmen from Beacon that came through, they're to be arrested immediately. They've gone rogue."

"Wait, what?" Neon yelped, dashing over to him. "I know those huntsmen, they'd never do something like that!"

"Orders come from Ironwood himself," the soldier said.

"I can't believe it," Flynt said. "They always seemed so focused on helping people."

"Alright, well, good luck with all of that," Adora said. "But if my sword is here, I need to find it."

"Hang on, how are you planning on doing that?" Flynt asked, readying himself for the next wave.

"I don't know," Adora said. "Sometimes I can feel the sword, I'm connected to it."

"That... doesn't make any sense," Neon said.

"Hey, I'm not any more used to your aura and dust and all of this, but I know what I'm talking about," Adora said. "I can find it."

"Okay, even if you knew exactly where it was," Flynt said. "You'd have to make it through a horde of Grimm."

"Get on the transport when it gets here," Neon said. "We can see if people have found this sword, you'll get killed out there alone!"

Adora closed her eyes, trying to reach out, mentally, to the sword. Despite her best attempts to focus through the chaos, its location remained a mystery to her.

"I... what if I lose it because I don't try?" Adora asked.

"You don't even have an aura," Flynt said. Roaring and screeching cut them both off, and they begrudgingly readied themselves for the next wave.

"I have to try," Adora said. "I could make a huge difference here, if I had it."

"What's so important about this weapon?" Neon asked, bringing her nunchucks down on an attacking sabertooth.

"I need it to become She-Ra," Adora said.

"Okay, now I have no clue what you're talking about," Neon said. Adora grunted, as she got knocked back. She cleaved forward, retaking her space aggressively.

"You're kidding, right? You've never heard of She-Ra?" Adora asked.

"Are you absolutely sure you're not concussed?" Neon asked, knocking another sabyr aside.

"Okay, well, the sword lets me fight a lot better, and turn into a strong eight foot tall warrior," Adora said.

"That's insane," Neon scoffed. "Alright, fine, assuming you can do all of that, there's still a mountain of Grimm between you and that sword, and you don't know where it is."

"I know," Adora grunted, as she was pushed onto the ropes. "I just feel powerless without it."

"You'll get killed trying to find it without help, just come with us," Neon pleaded.

"Okay!" Adora sighed. "I'll trust you."

"Good," Neon said, kicking the sabyr that was charging Adora to the side, and bludgeoning it away. "Extraction should be here soon, we've just gotta hold out as long as we can."


"What the hell do you mean, gone?" Yang snapped.

"I mean what I said," Jaune said as the transport flew through the air. "It's all... gone. Neopolitan took the lamp. And Oscar... ran off. Without warning."

"We can't just leave him," Ruby said.

"Oh, you're right," Calavera called from the cockpit. "Let's waltz back into Atlas, I'm sure they'll greet us with open arms."

"I may be able to find him," Penny offered.

"Ironwood wants to use the relic, and that will doom everyone in Mantle," Weiss said. "You're the new winter maiden, if you go back, he could use you do do that."

"Or risk Cinder having a chance of getting to you," Ruby said. "You just narrowly escaped her before."

"We can try to reach him on his scroll," Blake said, pulling out her own. "We can't just leave him behind."

"If the signal can make it through all of the chaos," Pietro Pollendina sighed. "There's going to be a lot of air traffic on what little signal space there is left."

Blake dialed, and waited, as the call attempted. Everyone watched, in silence, for several seconds, until the call ended without a response.

"We'll keep trying," Ruby said. "We're not abandoning him."

"So where are we going?" Maria Calavera asked.

"Salem is here," Ruby said. "If we leave, Atlas, Mantle, it'll all be destroyed."

"I'm not saying you're wrong," Nora sighed. "But... what can we do? You saw the forces she's bringing. How do we fight that?"

"We don't," Ren said quietly. "We already lost the battle. Just like Beacon."

"No," Jaune snapped. "I won't let that happen again."

"Then what's the plan?" Blake asked.

"Maybe we should leave," Weiss said.

"What?" Yang scoffed.

"Penny's the winter maiden, and that's what Salem wants, right?" Weiss asked. "She's here for the relic, more than anything else. So we need to get Penny as far away from Salem as possible."

"I hate to abandon Mantle, but that's not wrong," Blake said. "Both Ironwood and Salem will cause devastation if unchecked, and without Penny, neither of them can."

"But she'll kill everyone," Penny said. "Are we really going to just leave?"

"In chess, sometimes you have to make sacrifices to win the game," Pietro sighed. "I don't like it either, but the devastation will be worse if we stay."

"We're not exactly the hinging factor," Ren said. "You all assume we'd make enough of a difference by staying. Salem can't be killed. And she's bringing in a force several times larger than the one she used to take Vale. Not to mention, she herself is leading the attack. We have no way of stopping her."

"We at least need to save everyone we came here with," Yang said. "Qrow and Oscar are still here. I won't leave without them."

"Then we need to find out where they are," Blake said. "I tried to reach Qrow while we were leaving, and couldn't get ahold of him. I even tried Robyn, and couldn't get her either."

"So we need to lay low and get information," Nora said.

"Somewhere still close enough to get a signal," Pietro added.

"I'll see what I can find," Calavera sighed.


Oscar panted, another Grimm reduced to smoke around him, as he struggled to recharge his aura.

Oscar, I don't believe this is the best way to accomplish our goal. Your aura is still weak from James, and you don't know where to begin this search, Ozpin said.

"I just have to get somewhere with a signal connection," Oscar said. "I can get on a huntsman network and post a notice, and if anyone has seen someone looking for the sword, they can get back to us."

Have you forgotten that you are currently wanted by the Atlesian military? Ozpin asked, incredulously.

"Do you have a better idea?" Oscar asked. "We have no concrete plan, no logical way of getting through this, so I'm doing what I can with the lead I have!"

After a few seconds in which Ozpin didn't respond, Oscar sighed, and charged further towards the city, exhausted. He hurried over to an alleyway, and ducked behind a dumpster.

"Come on, please," Oscar said, as his scroll searched for a signal. He felt a wave of relief as the signal came back affirmative.

He noticed that a missed call had been attempted. He took a mental note, and hurried onto an official huntsman channel.

"I have an important message," Oscar said into the scroll. "If anyone has seen someone looking for a foreign weapon, I've found it."

He sighed with relief, lowering the scroll.

"Now, we wait," Oscar said.

If no one responds, what if your backup plan? Ozpin asked. Oscar looked around, taking in his surroundings.

"If this ends up being a dead end, I need to get back in touch with Ironwood. I don't like it, but it's our only plan, so I'll try. You're sure he's our best lead?"

I said he was a lead, not our best lead. Qrow is also essential, as are the rest of our companions. Divided, we are powerless. Our only chance is as a united force.

"Alright, I'll try to get ahold of them," Oscar said, opening his scroll back up. He was interrupted, however, by a response to his message.

"This is huntress Neon Katt," a voice said. "I can't believe she was actually right. I have someone here looking for a blue, unique sword that isn't of huntsman fashion, does it fit that description?"

"Yes, it does," Oscar said. "I can transmit my location."

"Please do," Neon said. "We've just been picked up by a transport, I'll transmit an ETA as soon as I have one."


Ruby watched Calavera steer the airship, towards an abandoned overpass she could land under.

"Our first step is to find Qrow and Oscar," Yang said. "After that, we need to get out of here with Penny. I hate to say it, but protecting her has to be our priority."

"I won't let another maiden get hurt under my watch," Jaune assured Penny. "I promise."

"Thank you," Penny said. "Where are we going next?"

"Well, our options are Vacuo or Mistral," Blake said. "Or Menagerie."

"I disagree," Penny said. "Amity Colosseum, while not finished, could still work, in theory. Maybe we should still try to use it."

"Salem only made the progress she did because global communication was destroyed," Jaune nodded.

"I could possibly get it up and running, if I had enough time," Pietro said. "I'd need assistance, and it won't be nearly as smooth of communication as it would be under Ironwood's work. His resources are essential to taking the project all the way."

"Could you get it moving again?" Nora asked. "Because then we could move it to somewhere away from Salem's reach, and keep working on it there."

"Possibly," Pietro said.

"Then that's our plan," Ruby said. "Get Qrow and Oscar, and then get the Colosseum functional enough to move."

Nora nodded, rising back from her seat.

"What... is that?" Weiss asked, staring out one of the view-ports. Everyone hurried to her side, glancing through, to see a swirling mass in a nearby snow field.

"It looks kinda like mom's portals," Yang said. "But different."

"Is there someone inside?" Blake asked, leaning forward. They all watched with shock as someone fell, unconscious, from the portal, landing in the field.

"Maria, take us over there!" Ruby urged. "We need to help them!"


"Someone found it?" Adora asked, eagerly, from her seat.

"Yup," Neon said. "He's transmitting coordinates, and a small transport is going to meet us at our LZ to take us down to him. It won't be long."

The airship violently shook, as it rose to the floating city above. Adora nervously watched flying Grimm battle some of the heavier armed ships, at a constant struggle for dominance of the air. She took deep breaths to keep her calm, as the airship finally landed, and she hurried off.

"Flynt and I are coming with, and we've got a small squad to help us get there safely," Neon said.

"I really appreciate this," Adora said.

"Once we get that sword, it's right back to Atlas," Flynt said as they all hurried to the smaller ship.

"Okay," Adora nodded. "Fair enough."

"While we're flying, I want to understand," Neon said, as they stepped on and the door slid shut behind them. "I just don't get how you could have come from somewhere with no aura, no Grimm, no huntsmen."

"I've been trying to figure that out," Adora said. "And I think I might have some idea. If you've never heard of the Fright Zone or princesses, and I've never heard of... all of this stuff that's common here... I think somehow I'm not on Etheria anymore."

Adora watched their reactions, which confirmed her suspicions, as they shared a puzzled look.

"On... what?" Flynt asked, scratching his hair underneath his hat.

"Etheria. The planet I've spent my life on. I only even found out there were other planets recently. What's this one called?" Adora asked.

"Wait, there are other planets, with people?" Flynt asked.

"Apparently," Neon said. "We call it Remnant."

"Remnant?" Adora asked. "Weird name."

"Coming from someone who says she's from Thoria," Neon scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Etheria," Adora corrected. "So you all didn't know about other planets either?"

"Obviously we knew there are other planets, we just didn't know they were inhabited," Flynt said. "So how did you get here?"

"Someone was making a portal," Adora said. "Despite the smartest people I've ever met telling us it would be dangerous, even catastrophic, to use the portal, it got opened."

"How catastrophic?" Flynt asked, raising an eyebrow as he cleaned his trumpet.

"Uhh... I'm not good at the science side of it, but like... at best, thousands of deaths. At worst, complete planetary destruction. She said that it would also mess up time and space. So, I'm assuming this is what she meant. I was one of the closest people to the portal when it went off, and I got pulled to another planet," Adora said. She grimaced with worry at the thought of where her friends might have ended up. Even Catra, despite having been the one to open the portal in the first place, Adora couldn't find it in her heart to wish her malice.

"Are... you okay?" Neon asked, watching Adora's face slowly drift to discomfort and worry.

"I had a lot of good friends on Etheria," Adora said. "Who even knows what happened to them? They could have been destroyed, they could have ended up on other planets, and if they're even still alive, who knows if I'll ever see them again?"

Neon and Flynt exchanged a look of sympathy, and they both got up from their seats, moving over to sit on both sides of the grieving blonde.

"Remember the kingdom that got overrun?" Neon asked. "It's called Vale. It's largely a dangerous ruin now, especially the training academy there, Beacon. Flynt and I were there, and so were Kobalt and Ivori, the other members of our team. We were there for this festival that would happen every other year, a combat tournament. Someone used the tournament to stir chaos, and kill a lot of people, and no one knew what was going on. We were fighting, then we were on an airship back to safety and we knew nothing about the condition of anyone we cared about. We found out later which people made it and who didn't. I know it's not easy. I know this must be really intimidating, especially given that you know nothing about this place."

"I just hope that I can find someone from Etheria. Anyone," Adora sighed. She thought to herself that even Shadow Weaver would be a comforting presence, if nothing else, than as evidence that there may be more here.

"I'll make sure we're keeping an eye out for people that know nothing about Grimm and aura," Flynt said. "If anyone shows up, we'll make sure you know."

Adora smiled, looking up at the Huntsman.

"Thank you, Flynt," Adora said. "So, these... Grimm. If I'm going to be fighting them, I have a few questions about them."

"Ask away," Neon said.

"Why do they just... vanish... when they die?" Adora asked.

"No clue," Flynt said. "No one knows, but it's kept anyone from doing any real research on them."

"Where do they come from?" Adora asked.

"We might not be as much help as you'd hoped," Neon sighed. "No one knows where they're from. They've been here as long as we have, and they've always had one goal in mind. Destroy us."

"Wait, that's all they care about?" Adora asked.

"They don't need to eat, or sleep," Flynt said. "And they go out of their way to kill us and destroy our creations."

"And they've just been here, as long as you've been on the planet?" Adora asked.

"All of recorded history," Flynt nodded.

"That's... unnerving," Adora said.

"You should also know, they can sense any negative emotion," Neon said. "Anger, fear, sadness, they're attracted to it, like moths to a light."

"That's why they kept finding me, even when they couldn't see me," Adora said, eyes going wide with realization. "I was scared and confused."

"That'll do it," Flynt said. "So when you fight them, you need to keep a level head, as much as you can. Otherwise, you'll just draw in reinforcements for them."

"I'll do my best," Adora said. "It's hard not to feel unnerved fighting something like that."

"Yeah," Neon said. "Let's just say there's a reason Huntsmen and Huntresses have to go through so much training."

"We're getting close," the pilot called back. Adora nodded, getting ready to stand as the ship landed. As she rose to her feet, the pilot and copilot, and a few lightly armed soldiers, stepped out, readying their weapons.

"Are there Grimm around?" Adora asked.

"No," one of the soldiers said. "The boy who found the weapon has been identified as Oscar Pine."

"Wait," Neon said, recognizing the name.

"There's a warrant out for his arrest," the pilot said.

"We're arresting him?" Flynt asked.

"Those are the orders," the soldier said. Neon sighed, grabbing her nunchucks.

"I don't like this," Neon said.

"General's orders," Flynt sighed.

"Wait," Adora said, confused. "What did he do?"

"According to the warrant, treason," the soldier said. The door opened, and Adora turned.

"We'll still get your sword," Neon said. "But we gotta do our jobs, too."

The group stepped out of the airship, and Adora became much more cautious of the people around her. She hadn't immediately noticed it, but there was a bit of a similarity with how the Horde's soldiers acted that put her on edge.

Standing, leaned, against the wall, was a boy roughly the same height as Glimmer, with messy black hair and a green jacket, seemingly custom tailored.

"That's close enough," Oscar said, holding up a hand as the soldiers began to take position. "I know there's a warrant out for me right now, and I wasn't dumb enough to come here with the sword."

"This sword," Adora said, pushing past Neon and Flynt. "What did it look like?"

"It was light blue, with a golden handle. The handle had a gem in the center," Oscar said.

"That's it," Adora said. "That's my sword."

"And I'd be happy to return it to your hands," Oscar said. "But I can't afford to get recaptured. I've hidden the sword somewhere, and I'm willing to take you to it, but only you."

"You know we can't let you walk away," one of the soldiers said.

"Oscar, this doesn't have to be painful," Neon sighed. "I really don't wanna fight you."

"The feeling is mutual," Oscar said.

"What happened?" Neon asked.

"How could you commit treason?" Flynt asked.

"Ironwood was about to declare martial law. The only thing I did was oppose that. I'm trying to save Atlas, and Mantle, but I can't do that from a jail cell," Oscar said, resting his hands on the cane with a strange handle, which had a lever and gear mechanism on it.

"We have our orders," one of the soldiers said. "You won't talk us out of this, kid. Surrender and come back up to Atlas, and you can tell it to the General himself."

"The last time I saw him, he shot me," Oscar said. "Have you heard anything that's happened? Salem is here. This Grimm attack is only going to get worse."

"I'm sorry, Adora," Flynt sighed. "Protocol dictates we perform the arrest as quickly as possible."

"I need that sword," Adora said.

"Am I really your priority right now?" Oscar scoffed. "Mantle is burning, Atlas is under attack, nowhere will be safe! Did you sign up to protect people, or to arrest teenagers?"

Neon and Flynt looked to each other, considering his words.

"Hands on your head," the soldier said, stepping forward. "We will use force if needed."

"No," Adora interrupted. She stepped in between the soldier and Oscar. "If he doesn't show me where my sword is, I won't be able to help fight."

"Stand down," the soldier said.

"She is Huntress equivalent," Flynt said. "Retrieving her weapon should be a priority."

"What?" the soldier scoffed. Flynt pulled the soldier aside, and quietly argued with him. After a moment, they turned back around.

"Oscar, show Adora where her weapon is," Flynt said. "And then, make sure she makes it back okay. If she makes it back with her weapon, we may be able to work something out."

The soldier crossed his arms, annoyed.

"Thank you," Oscar said. "You said your name was Adora?"

Adora and Oscar began to walk off, turning a corner.

"Yeah," she said. "Where did you find it?"

"Outside the city," Oscar said. "It materialized, from a strange portal. I take it that both you and your weapon aren't of Remnant."

She stopped, shocked.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"There isn't a sword like that on Remnant. Its energy, its design, every part of it stands out. And I can't help but notice you don't seem like you fit in here, either," Oscar said.

"I'm from Etheria," she said. "A different planet. A portal was opened, and pulled me through. I don't know what happened to my world after that, just that the destruction the portal caused was devastating."

"I'd like to offer you a choice," Oscar said. "When you get your weapon back, you can go back and return to Atlas, with Flynt and Neon. You'll likely be caught behind their rules, and held back by their goals. Atlas' leader is currently attempting to take the city into the atmosphere. His goal is to abandon the world, to save himself and a rather small portion of the world, mostly elite members. If you return, you will either have to aid this goal, or be arrested. Or, you can come with me. I'm hoping to protect as many people as I can. Your friends will not be safe if they end up in Mantle. They, like you, will be confused and scared."

"Why do you want me helping you specifically so much?" Adora asked.

"Well, that is an incredibly complex question, which I cannot answer in full detail here, it would take too long. So, in summary, I know that you're probably immensely powerful if you can wield that sword effectively. I need your help. I can't protect Atlas on my own. Everyone here will die unless we all do our part to stop this attack."

Adora was reminded once more of the Fright Zone, of how much the soldiers reminded her of the Horde.

"I don't trust them. I've seen similar armies before," she said. "Okay, I'll give this a chance. But we need to keep an eye out for people from Etheria. I don't mind helping you protect this place, I can't stand by while so many innocent people get hurt."

"Thank you," Oscar said. "And when we have the time, I will explain everything I can. For now, what you need to know, is that the creatures of Grimm are being led by a woman named Salem, and she is not only incredibly dangerous, but she cannot be killed."

"How can someone just... not be killed?" Adora asked, as the two of them turned under a bridge. Oscar walked over to a dumpster, and began to push it to the side.

"That takes some explaining that I cannot provide yet," he said.

Adora watched as the dumpster slid, and her sword gleamed as it rested on the ground.

She picked it up with a smile, relief flooding her as it rested in her hand once more.

"I thought for a moment I'd never see it again," she said.

She heard footsteps behind her, and the two of them spun to face the source.

Flynt, Neon, and the soldiers blocked off the way out, stepping forward.

"She got the stupid sword back," the soldier sighed. "Can I do my job now?"

"I should have known," Oscar said, turning his cane, as if to use as a weapon.

"Sorry," Flynt said. "Orders are orders."

"Wait," Adora said, once again stepping in front of Oscar. "He isn't a threat to anyone. He got my sword back."

"Stand down," the soldier snapped. "I'm getting sick of saying it. If you continue to aid him, you'll be treated as hostile."

Adora sighed, tightening her grip on her sword. She raised it, feeling its magic flow through her veins.

"For the honor of Greyskull!" she called, and a blinding light shone from the blade, as she felt herself change. She grew about two feet in height, her clothes changing to a brilliant white and golden armor set. Her hair lengthened, flowing freely behind her, and a metallic headpiece materialized around her head. Strength coursed through her, several times stronger than she was normally.

The light faded, and the Atlas forces watched in disbelief as the giantess She-Ra towered before them.

"I will only say this once," She-Ra said, her voice echoing out. "Leave Oscar alone."

Neon and Flynt both looked slightly hurt, the soldiers on the other hand were unreadable, due to the helmets that covered their faces.

"Open fire," the commander said, and bullets went flying.

She-Ra leapt forward, bringing her blade down in the rifle of the first soldier. Several shots glanced off her armor, but she did feel a grazing shot to her left arm. She roared out in anger, as the pain of the wound stabbed into her thoughts.

She kicked back the soldier who had fired the shot, and ripped the gun from the last soldier's hands, throwing it violently to the wall of the underpass, where it clattered to the ground. The soldiers stepped back, and Neon and Flynt took their place.

"Adora, please," Neon said. "After all we did for you, just come back with us."

"I appreciate what you did for me," She-Ra said. "But I'm not going back to Atlas. I need to protect my friends, and the innocent people here."

Flynt sighed, readying his trumpet. Oscar hurried to She-Ra's side, cane in hand.

"We can't just let you go," Flynt said.

"That's your choice," She-Ra said.

Paying no heed to her words, Neon flew forward, propelled by her roller skates, and boosted by Flynt's trumpet. She-Ra readied her sword, regretfully.


She could still hear the pleading echoing through her head. Adora, desperately begging her not to use the portal. She could still feel the way it set her heart on fire, the rage that consumed her. Adora. Selfish Adora.

She had left the Fright Zone with no regrets. Left her without any regrets at all. Just walked out, after years of friendship, and betrayed everything they had stood for, and for what? Some loser with a bow, and a princess of all people? Left her with nothing, with no one. Sure, there were other trainees around their level, but they all hated her. And then there was Shadow Weaver. Always manipulative, always controlling, always twisting everything she did for her own agenda. She had even been stupid enough to actually believe Shadow Weaver cared about her.

Just for Shadow Weaver to throw her aside, to use her and then just... discard her... like she always did.

Where was that concern from Adora then? When she had no one, when everything was falling apart, Adora was off playing princess in Bright Moon.

Spite has always been such a hard emotion to overcome. After all of that, after being abandoned and thrown aside, suddenly she had power. Suddenly, it was Adora, begging her not to hurt her stupid kingdom, her precious princesses, as if any of that mattered.

She didn't even care what would happen to herself when she threw the lever, she just wanted Adora to know how she had felt. She wanted her to know what betrayal feels like.

And once the lever was pulled, it crossed her mind that she may have caused herself just as much pain. She felt herself sucked in, and space and time distort around her. It was like the air was violently sucked from her lungs, as she was pulled and pushed in every direction at once, through an inch wide tube, through an endless void, through a chasm as agonizingly hot as the coldest winters, and as debilitatingly freezing as the sun itself.

And then, she was being shaken awake.

She sat up with a start, breathing once more. She had breathed in snow, and she was coughing violently. Her arms hurt. Her legs hurt.

She had never, in her life, been so cold.

"Her aura isn't protecting her," a voice said. Her vision began to return, and she faintly made out a few figures in front of her. The first one visible was a shorter girl, with black hair, the tips dyed a deep crimson. Her eyes shone out a silvery color, and she was clothed in black and red garb.

By her side was a woman, only slightly taller, with skin so pale she could blend into the snow. Her hair was even paler, if that was possible, and her eyes were an icy blue. A scar ran over one of her eyelids, and she wore a blue and white outfit that seemed like something Frosta might have worn to a royalty event.

The third was a significantly taller woman, with jet black hair, cropped at her shoulders. She had ears similar to her own, and wore a long jacket, probably the most adequate clothing for the environment of the four women before her. Her skin was also darker than that of any of the teammates surrounding her, matching Catra's own skin tone.

The last was easily the tallest, with flowing golden blonde hair, and violet eyes. Her first reaction to seeing her was anger, until she realized that this woman was not, in fact, She-Ra. One of her arms appeared to be mechanical, painted to a grey and yellow pattern. She was dressed almost entirely in leather, form her jacket to the chaps on her legs.

"Here," the second woman said, the same one who had spoken before. She unsheathed a rapier, and ran her finger along the blade. The blade began to glow orange, and then she held it out, near her, but not touching her.

Catra felt the air around her warm somewhat, enough to bring her back a semblance of coherence.

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked.

"I'm fine," Catra said, fighting the shivers that obscured her voice. She forced herself to her feet, the blonde immediately offering a hand to help.

"Come on, it'll be warmer this way," the woman with the rapier said, urging her over to a strange vehicle nearby.

"I'm Ruby," the woman in red said, as they walked back to the ship. "This is Weiss, Blake, and Yang."

She pointed as she spoke, first to the woman with white hair, then to the other cat-reminiscent woman, then to the blonde with the mechanical arm.

"Great," Catra shivered, as Weiss opened the door to the vehicle. Several more people waited inside, much to Catra's irritation. A tall, blonde man with a set of armor leaned against the wall, a shorter brutish woman with ginger hair sitting beside him. A reserved man, wearing a green outfit, sat almost meditative beside her. To the other side, a girl about Catra's height, with long, flowing orange locks and the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. Next, an older lady standing next to the controls of the vehicle, who was so short that it would have taken two of her to match Catra's height. Her eyes were covered by some sort of mechanical device, almost like robotic glasses, in a way. Finally, a larger man sat on a chair with four robotic legs, resembling something Entrapta probably would have made out of boredom one day.

"I didn't catch your name," Blake said, as they all stepped into the warmth of the ship. Catra sat on the floor, annoyed.

"It's Catra," she sighed. Blake plopped down next to her, as the older woman sat back at the ship's controls and began to flip switches, the engines humming to life. Catra looked around, taking in the strange outfits being worn by these people, and the bizarre weapons they carried. Her mind began to put together the evidence. Strange tech. Weird vehicles. Names that were foreign to the types of names she was used to. The creatures that flew around outside of the windows of the vehicle.

"Where are you from?" the tall blonde man asked. "You don't seem Atlesian."

"I'm not," Catra said. "I'm not from anywhere near here."

After all, the portal had been the last thing before ending up here. It made sense. She was on a different planet. What planet this was was unknown to her, but evidently Etheria was immeasurably far from her.

Not that she cared. There was nothing there for her. Maybe in this world, she could start new and make a life for herself.

She would finally be free from it all. The Horde. The war. The princesses.

Catra had probably destroyed it all.

So why didn't she feel like celebrating?

"Then... where are you from?" Ruby asked. Catra narrowed her eyes, attempting to gauge whether they knew about other planets.

"Somewhere where we haven't heard of 'Atlesians'."

"Wait, like a distant village?" Weiss contemplated.

"Even they usually have scrolls," Blake shook her head. "Atlas is such a prominent kingdom, I doubt anyone on Remnant could not know about them. Unless you're from somewhere really far out."

"You could say that," she said. "Remnant... is that the name of this planet?"

Many of the warriors around her looked around, confused.

"Yes, it is," the man in the odd chair said.

"I didn't hear any of your names, other than those four," Catra said, standing up. She buried her concerns about Etheria, deciding to make the most of this opportunity.

"Oh," Ruby said. "The tall blonde is Jaune. Next to him are Ren and Nora. She's Penny, then there's Pietro, but a lot of us call him Dr. Polendina. And the pilot is Maria Calavera."

"Why are so many of your names colors?" Catra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a tradition we've had for almost a hundred years," Jaune said.

"Are you... from a different planet?" Nora asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," Catra said. "I think it's gone now, though. It was torn apart."

"What could do that to a whole planet?" Yang asked, eyebrows raised in alarm.

"A portal. One we were warned was dangerous," Catra said. "Someone decided to use it anyway."

"Why would someone do that?" Ren asked.

"She wasn't usually rational. Her name was She-Ra," Catra said. "It wouldn't be the first time she did something like that. Hopefully it'll be the last."

"Is that portal the one you came through?" Weiss asked.

"I think so," Catra said. Guilt began to claw at her mind, but she pushed it away to the best of her ability.

"We may need to teach you a few things, otherwise you'll not be safe here," Blake said. "Were there Grimm where you're from?"

Catra stared blankly.

"I guess not," Yang said.

"They're destructive, evil creatures that want nothing more than to see every living thing dead. They can sense negative emotion," Blake explained.

Catra listened intently as they explained the monsters of the world, and went on to explain aura, semblance, dust, and more of the important things she would have to know. She kept track of all of it, so that she could get the best start on Remnant.


The medallion rested in his hands, the blood coating it now beginning to dry. He could feel Robyn's hand on his shoulder, attempting to give him whatever comfort she could.

He hadn't ever wanted to kill Clover. He just wanted to subdue him, so that he could get back to the kids that needed his help.

His throat was raw from screaming. It had all just exploded from him, his anger, his mourning. He could never have something decent, could he? Summer, the best friend he ever could have asked for... gone. Ozpin, the leader he would've followed until the bitter end... a liar and manipulator, just like Raven. Lionheart, who was supposed to have his back... a traitor. Ironwood, the friendly face he had finally begun to trust... succumbing to violent paranoia. And now, the first person he had allowed himself to have feelings for, in an eternity... killed with Qrow's own weapon.

Was it his semblance? Or was it just him? Or both?

For how important hope was to hold onto, he felt powerless to prevent it from slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

He wished there was a drink within reach. Forget the effort he had made. If this was what he had to look forward to, why not numb it all away?

He was forced to his feet as the ship landed, marched towards the holding cells in Atlas. It felt bizarre, all of the chaos and violence around him, and still, they were focusing on arrests.

"Put them in the cells by Schnee and Watts," one of the guards said. "Their weapons can go in lockup."

"Got it. Get moving," one of the soldiers spat, shoving them along. Qrow moved, not bothering to resist anymore.

"At least they got one of them," a voice said from beside him. Qrow looked over to see Harriet, and the rest of the Ace Ops. Marrow was rubbing his arms, which had minor ropeburn from the bolos they had evidently been caught in.

"Where's Clover?" Elm asked. She immediately faltered, however, as Clover's lifeless body was carried away in a body bag.

"He can't be...," Marrow gasped.

"That's not..." Vine began, and one of the soldiers nodded.

"Who did this?" Harriet snapped, storming over to Qrow and Robyn.

"This was Tyrion Callows' work," Robyn said.

"Keep telling yourself that," one of the soldiers said. "His blood was all over Branwen's weapon.

"What?" Elm spat, joining Harriet's side, followed by Vine and Marrow.

"All evidence points to him," another soldier said, gesturing to Qrow.

"After he trusted you?" Marrow snapped. Harriet's fist flew into Qrow's face, knocking off the older Huntsman's balance.

"Double the search for the rest of them," Harriet snapped to the soldiers. "I'm authorizing lethal force."

"Hey," Qrow said, finally speaking for the first time since he was first cuffed. "They didn't do anything to justify this. If you've got a problem, put the blame where it belongs."

"Shut up," Harriet said through gritted teeth. "Ace Ops, ready up. We're going hunting, and this time, I expect the best from all of you."

Qrow was powerless as he was marched off to the cells. Each cell was rather tall, and spacious. Hardlight dust spread over each one, preventing the captives inside from leaving. As Qrow walked in, he saw Watts smugly grinning at him, half of his face beaten and torn from Ironwood's fight. In the next cell, a still indignant Jacques Schnee shouting about his arrest being unlawful. Robyn was put in the next cell, and he was thrown into the next.


Oscar was quickly taking a beating, his aura having been withered by the fights on the way here. Neon was much faster than him, and significantly more skilled. If he had been rested, he may have stood a chance, but as the battle unfolded, he was exhausted.

Flynt, on the other hand, was outclassed by She-Ra's abilities now that she was, once more, armed. Her sword would transform to whatever melee weapon she needed, first a shield to prevent him from blasting her away with his trumpet, then a staff to non lethally destabilize him.

Oscar fought as defensively as possible, trying to hold back her nunchucks as she pushed him back. Finally, his aura shattered under the pressure of her attacks. He winced as he stumbled back, and attempted to raise his cane to stop the blow to his head, but failed to do so, and the world around him went dark.

She-Ra was in a supreme advantage due to Flynt's lack of a melee weapon, and it didn't take long for her to wear down his aura, and knock him off of his feet. She kicked his weapon away, before turning to defend from Neon, who had tried to get the jump on her.

Her shield prevented Neon's flurry of blows from doing anything significant, and then she shifted it into a spear form to keep Neon at a distance. After several well timed jabs, Neon's aura finally gave away, and She-Ra used a similar maneuver to trip her as she used on Flynt, and pointed the spear at Neon's form as she tried to get back up.

"We're leaving," She-Ra said. "I appreciate all you've done for me, but this is my choice."

Neon panted on the ground, before finally nodding in defeat. She-Ra stepped back, allowing the two to retrieve their weapons. She slung Oscar over her shoulder, making sure to grab his cane, and began to run off in the opposite direction, before reinforcement soldiers arrived.

She ran several blocks, doing her best to keep her mind clear and avoid any Grimm activity. Unfortunately, she couldn't completely prevent herself from her worries of her friends, and did have to fight off the occasional monster, not that it was nearly as difficult while armed. She simply set Oscar down and charged in, swooping him back up afterwards. Finally, she got to an abandoned building, and set him down on the ground, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Oscar," she said, gently shaking him.


"So, you're all Hunters and Huntresses," Catra said slowly.

"Huntsmen, not Hunters. Common misconception," Ren said. Catra nodded.

"You all have a unique protective field called aura, and it gives you unique powers you use to fight the Grimm," Catra said.

"Yes," Weiss said.

"Everyone has this aura?" Catra asked.

"Everyone potentially has it," Nora explained. "Most haven't unlocked it, so to the extent of their knowledge they might as well not have one."

"Do you have to be born on Remnant to have one?" Catra asked. Many of the warriors looked to each other, unsure.

"We don't know, to be honest," Ren said. "Until you showed up, we didn't know there were people from anywhere else. From what I understand, however, anyone with a soul should be able to manifest an aura."

"On Etheria we never had anything like that," Catra said.

"It is possible that your world simply never accomplished the practice," Weiss said. "It could also be specific to Remnant."

"If I could use an aura, how would I do that?" Catra asked.

"Well, it takes immense amounts of concentration at first," Jaune said. "And training. And for a while, it's exhausting to keep up. It's like carrying around a massive weight, but with your mind."

"And the more you use it, the easier it gets, until it just happens without you needing to think about it," Yang added.

"If you want to try to use your own aura, if you do have one," Ren explained. "I would recommend starting with meditation. It takes focus, and meditation is the method most use to first gain this focus."

"Great," Catra said.

"It was a pain in the ass for me, too," Yang said. "Honestly, it's really boring, but essential to make it as competent in combat."

"Alright, so if I am able to get this aura working, I would also have a unique power, right?" Catra asked.

"Yes, your semblance," Ruby said. "But it won't just immediately happen when you have aura, usually it takes immense stress to unlock it. My semblance lets me... well, I thought it made me fast, but I think it's more complicated than that now. Weiss' lets her make glyphs that have a whole bunch of uses, Blake can make shadow clones, and Yang can store energy from the hits she takes in a fight, and then add it to her own strength."

"So meditation is the key to starting all of this, right?" Catra asked. Ren nodded. "How do I go about that?"

"I can help you with it once we land, but it will take a quieter, calmer atmosphere than this one," Ren said.

"You won't be waiting long," Maria said. "We're setting down now. You have all been fighting for hours, you need some rest."

"But-" Ruby began.

"We're going to be here for some time from the looks of it," Maria said. "If our best fighters are running on fumes, we're as good as dead."

"But Oscar and Qrow-" Yang began.

"Can wait. You're not going to find them like this," Pietro cut in.

"Besides, I can keep watch," Penny offered with a smile. "I don't get tired like any of you do."

Catra raised an eyebrow.

"Why? More weird soul magic?" Catra asked. Blake and Ren both cringed, and Blake quickly cut in.

"It's not magic, magic is a whole different can of worms," Blake said.

"And it's not semblance or aura," Penny said. "I'm a robot, so I don't need to sleep."

Catra froze in her steps, taken aback.

"You don't look like a robot to me," Catra said, only able to think back to the bots Entrapta had made.

"That's because I was made to be the first synthetic person," Penny explained. "Unlike other robots, I have a soul, aura, and emotions."

"I see," Catra said. She fought against her thoughts of how Entrapta would love to have a conversation with Penny. She would never get that chance, especially after Catra had betrayed her... She didn't have a choice, she did what had to be done.

"That's not a problem, is it?" Ruby asked, a hint of stern protectiveness in her voice.

"No," Catra said. "Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts."

The ship came to a stop, and the engines died over the course of a few seconds.

"We're still staying in the ship," Jaune said. "It's too cold out there to be in any way safe to rest now that the heating grid is offline."

"I really came through at a weird time," Catra said. "Is it always like this?"

"Not this bad," Yang said, solemnly. "Over the past year and a half, though, it hasn't been great."

"What fucked everything up so bad?" Catra asked.

"That's... a loaded question," Blake said. "We can explain, but first we should get some rest."

"I'll show you what I can," Ren said, sitting next to her.

"Will I have to sit criss cross like that?" Catra asked, irked.

"No," Ren said. "You should find whatever position is the most comfortable for you, you need to be as relaxed as possible. Almost as if you were trying to sleep."


Oscar finally felt the world come back to him, lying on the uncomfortable floor of a damaged building. Adora was knelt over him, her form returning to how she had looked before brandishing the sword.

"Oscar?" she asked, still gently nudging him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Oscar grunted, sitting up. He rubbed his head uncomfortably, wincing at the bruise from Neon's finishing blow. He immediately focused on recharging his aura, so that he could heal.

"We're safe, for now," she said. "I got us away from them. I need to know, you said you had answers. What can you tell me?"

Oscar sighed, getting ready to explain.

I will not take control without permission again, Ozpin said from inside his mind. But if you would prefer, I could explain.

"No," Oscar said. "Not after last time. You fought me for control. That's not okay."

Adora cocked her head, confused.

"Umm..." she said.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure this is very confusing. In fact, I probably look... unstable," Oscar said. "I can explain, but it might not seem any more believable."

"I'm here for answers, whatever they are," Adora said.

"Okay," Oscar said. "A long, long time ago, a man named Ozma rescued a woman named Salem from a tower."

"Salem, I think one of the soldiers mentioned her," Adora said.

"That would make sense," Oscar said. "Ozma and Salem fell in love, for the time being. Eventually, Ozma was taken by a plague. Salem tried to force the gods of this world to bring him back, and it only led to a war against them. They wiped the planet of all life, save for her, who they cursed to be immortal until she learned to value life and death. This world used to have magic, and now she is one of the only ones that still holds it. Thousands of years passed, and eventually people evolved again, and populated the world. This is when Ozma reincarnated, for the first time, something the gods had offered to him as a means of stopping Salem."

"I'm familiar with reincarnation," Adora said. "My powers work in a similar way."

"Good, then this won't seem as odd," Oscar said. "For hundreds, even a thousand years, Ozma reincarnated into different forms, trying to find a way to defeat Salem. Salem controls the Grimm, and wants to use them combined with her own power to be the true goddess of Remnant. I'm Ozma's newest reincarnation, although I'm not him... yet. I'm still my own person, and will gradually merge with him, and become another part of him."

"Okay," Adora said, nodding. "Makes sense."

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting such a calm reaction," he said.

"Well, I'm the current She-Ra, the reincarnation of a warrior throughout history that has served as a protector, and her power is kept in a crystal in this sword, making me a princess. I'm used to confusing," Adora said. After a moment of silent processing, Oscar nodded.

"Fair enough. I wish I had answers for you about the world you're from, but I don't," Oscar said. "I have the knowledge that Ozma can give me, from inside my head. But, neither of us know much about other worlds."

"I know how I got here, at least," Adora said. "I just want to know if anyone else made it."

"If anyone did, we'll find them," Oscar said. "I promise. All I ask in return is that you help us fight Salem."

"Absolutely," Adora said. "I just don't know what I can do to help."

"You're from a different world, with different magic and technology. If anyone may hold the key to bypassing the rules of Remnant, it would be you," Oscar said. "We can help each other accomplish our goals."

"Alright," Adora said. "Where do we start, then?"

"We need to regroup. I was working with several Huntsmen, they're wanted just like me. If I can find them, we can approach this issue as a team," Oscar said.

"How do we find them?" Adora asked.

"Well, that's the thing. Our calls will be monitored, even with all the chaos. We need to be careful. They tried to get ahold of me, but I was out of the signal range. We can give it another try, but we need to be ready to be ambushed when we do."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Adora said. Oscar nodded, and pulled out his scroll.


Ironwood stormed through the halls of Atlas.

His kingdom. His city. His army.

Salem was going to wipe it all away, and for no other reason than to prove that she can.

Everyone had betrayed him.

Ozpin. Oscar. Robyn. Jacques. RWBY. Qrow.

Mania crept at his skull as he moved, struggling to cling to any small piece of sanity.

The winter maiden, gone. Salem's operatives in his city.

He was at the biggest disadvantage he's ever been in.

Deep breaths. He pulled out his scroll, contacting his Ace Operatives.

"Status update," he said.

"It's looking bad, sir," Harriet said. "Clover's KIA."

Ironwood froze, that mania from before creeping further.

"What?" he asked, frozen.

"Branwen killed him," Harriet said. "We're trying to find the fugitives."

"Do everything you can. They have the winter maiden," Ironwood said. "I need every weapon we have pointed at Salem. She may not be killable, but her Grimm are. Every single weapon, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Harriet said, and disconnected. He sighed, struggling with all of his being to hold on.

What irony, then, that the hallway light up a strange blue color, the source just around a corner.

Was this it? Was this James' sanity, finally leaving him?

He stumbled towards the source, gripping his pistol, intent on finding out. When he came around the corner, however, he saw the most peculiar thing.

Rising off of the ground was a man, with grey skin. His eyes glowed a luminescent red, and his breathing was deep, angry, and gravelly. His ears were pointed, and long. His teeth stretched into fangs, like something from a fairy tale. He wore the strangest outfit, like an armored spandex suit, grey and black with a red emblem.

"Identify yourself, who the hell are you?" Ironwood demanded, pointing the barrel at the strange figure.

Hordak growled, backing away.


Alrighty, got a pretty decent first chapter length out, this is the intended chapter length for each one.

I love feedback, please let me know what you've liked, what you didn't like, etc.