Omniscient POV
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Something finer than the best set of Dust stuck out like a sore thumb.
Tension.
The Haven students marched with purpose, and anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in their crosshairs were nipped by their biting hostility, the Beacon students especially.
In other words, they were out for blood, and nothing would satisfy them more than getting their hands on a certain blonde whose face was plastered on every news feed in existence.
Passing them by with his eyes glued to his scroll was Cooper, contemplating whether or not he should call Ruby.
He hasn't seen or spoken to her since their training session, and despite his burning urge to give her a ring, the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her in case she wanted to be alone.
Unbeknownst to him, the very same girl stuck on his mind was right there behind him.
Ruby tapped his arm.
Cooper's face slacked. "Perfect timing, love. I was just thinking about you."
Smiling, she showed him the back of her hand. He returned a perplexed look until the hint hit him, and he gave her hand an audible peck.
Ruby covered her silent giggle and jogged off, motioning him to follow.
"Wait." He hurried after her. "Where you going?"
Not only did the chase go all across campus, she egged him on at every turn, making a wide range of elaborate gestures ranging from the charming to down right mocking, and the excitement for what could possibly be in store for Cooper at the finish line fueled him the whole way through.
Eventually, they reached the Beacon cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest behind the academy, the very same spot where the first years were launched from at the start of their initiation.
Ruby stopped at the edge.
"Finally." Cooper panted and waved his cap at himself. "You really know how to play hard to get."
An empty stare was all he got.
"So, why'd you bring me here?" He wiped the beads of sweat on his face. "Have something in mind?"
Ruby leaned closer, and when she blinked, silver eyes flickered to white and brown, her entire body glowed pink, and someone else entirely appeared in her place.
Neo.
Cooper's tail spiked.
Springing forward, she delivered a spinning kick that knocked him out cold.
-----
On his way to Amity Colosseum, Stiofan came to a dead stop on the avenue.
Horror swallowed his heart and adrenaline peaked to levels well beyond what was considered possible at the unbelievable sight standing before him.
The White Fang.
They put a stranglehold on the avenue and completely sealed it off, preventing anyone from being able to access the docks, and those who tried ended up as another addition to the growing stacks of Atlesian soldiers, civilians, and students laying at their feet, piled like dirty laundry.
Buckets of every possible theory and idea were dumped out of his brain, leaving him scrambling to find the correct answers, yet it was futile. None of them could explain how the White Fang managed to slip past Atlesian defenses and enter Beacon completely unnoticed.
Wait.
Cooper sent Stiofan a brief message yesterday about Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, and a team here at Beacon. He meant to speak to him about it for clarification, but after the event that transpired, it slipped his mind entirely. Was this the consequences of such a fatal error?
The White Fang soldiers immediately stopped what they were doing and charged Stiofan, wielding enough weapons to start a war.
Stiofan shoved his shock aside and easily incapacitated a few of them despite being unarmed.
The soldiers with firearms put him in their crosshairs, forcing him to retreat. Erupting from the ground, a brick wall blocked his path. Stiofan skidded to a stop, flabbergasted. More walls emerged, boxing him in on all sides, and he spun in search of any way out.
"Got him!"
A White Fang soldier tackled Stiofan to the ground and more piled on until they slapped a pair of handcuffs on him.
"What's the meaning of this?" Stiofan spat contempt at each soldier present. "Why're you here? Tell me, White Fang!"
However, before he could lash out further, the walls, the bodies, and the White Fang all vanished in an instant, replaced by the undeniable image of startled onlookers and soldiers donning the uniforms of the Atlas military.
Stiofan's surprise could only be described as a dagger of disbelief stabbed and twisted deep into his gut.
All the soldiers surrounding Stiofan tilted their heads and looked at each other.
"Did he say White Fang?" said a soldier.
Another soldier spun a finger next to his head. "This guy's nuts."
Passing them by, Emerald smirked and entered an airbus set for the Colosseum.
"Stiofan Ua Binn." A soldier hauled him up. "You're coming with us."
Not far from Beacon grounds, a military camp occupied an open field.
A home away from home type of a place where Atlesian soldiers could kick back and relax after so many boring hours of patrolling the city and academy.
Held captive within the confines of a tent with his handcuffs secured to a wooden table, Stiofan could do nothing other than wallow in the supposed crimes he committed.
He refused to believe it, yet the video evidence recorded on the helmet cams of the soldiers proved otherwise.
Things weren't looking so good to say the least.
A soldier pushed past the curtain and entered the tent.
"Well, kid, good news is that we just finished speaking to the SDC." He took a seat across the table. "Now all we gotta do is sit here and wait for the bad news to come."
Stiofan's lifeless gaze remained glued to the table.
"Let me tell you right now, Jacques Schnee was pretty pissed when we told him about the stunt you pulled, so your chances to come out of this unscathed are slim to none." The soldier showed his scroll. "My best guess is that you can kiss whatever you had going goodbye."
Those very words seared away the hopes and wishes Stiofan had for the rest of his stay at Beacon.
The soldier placed a thermos on the table, propping his scroll against it in a way that they could both see the previews and promotions advertising the tournament.
"Here, this should do the trick." The soldier got comfy. "Enjoy it while it lasts."
Without much else to do, Stiofan did as told and watched on, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see a damn thing.
-----
Flashing red lights and a siren blared throughout one of the Atlesian airships.
Fresh wet smears and puddles stained the floors and walls, and skipping past the bodies of soldiers gathered in the corridors was Neo, twirling her parasol all the while navigating her way around the ship.
Cooper stirred awake.
Hands bound by handcuffs around the pole he leaned against, he lurched at the dead soldiers surrounding him, and the food in him was nearly sucker punched out onto the literal bloody floor.
"Darn, machine. Where's the off switch here?"
Just ahead, a silhouette fiddled with a control module before ultimately resorting to violence.
The siren went quiet, and the lights came back on.
A lump caught in Cooper's throat.
Roman Torchwick dusted his jacket and gave himself a pat on the back for finally getting things in working order.
"When in doubt, give it a few whacks." He chuckled and pulled out a cigar. "Always gets the job done if I do say so myself."
Entering the command center, Neo grinned at the fact that the raccoon was finally awake, and she tapped the pole he was stuck to with her parasol, ringing it loud and clear.
"Will you look at that." Roman's face twisted in delight. "Nice of you to finally join us, Stripes. I was honestly worried that you were going to hibernate throughout the whole thing."
Cooper sneered. "You really messed up this time, Roman."
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there." He feigned innocence and acted as if none of this was his fault. "It was already like this when I got here. Not my fault these people can't clean up after themselves. Isn't that right, Neo?"
Neo happily nodded.
"Say, I got an idea." He typed away at the panel. "Since we're here, why don't we find ourselves something to do? I hear the best stuff comes on around this time."
A monitor on the wall flashed on, displaying the live broadcast of Amity Colosseum.
"Now, trust me when I say. . ." Roman lit his cigar and blew out a big puff of smoke. "You don't want to miss this."
-----
Amity Colosseum buzzed.
Ruby jumped in her seat, sputtering gibberish and popcorn flakes onto Alexander, as the competitors lined up front and center in the arena.
Directly on the opposite side of the arena to them, Emerald entered her seat, and like the jewel of her name sticking out from a pile of rocks, Ruby caught a glimpse of her bright green hair and leaned forward, squinting as hard as she could.
Alexander glanced at Ruby.
"Is that Emerald?" she said to herself. "But I thought she left."
Alexander followed her line of sight and knitted his brow.
The thing Cooper mentioned about Mercury and Emerald repeated itself in her ears, and a bad feeling knotted Ruby's stomach, leading her to go and confront Emerald.
However, her distinctive red cloak was a neon sign drawing Emerald's attention, and she scooted to the edge of her seat.
Ruby ducked into the nearest gate leading outside the arena, but Emerald was already typing on her scroll.
Alexander pulled Ruby aside.
"Rose." He pressed his loaded pupils right between her eyes. "Talk."
Like a child caught red handed, she whimpered and confessed her suspicions.
Alexander remembered the message he got from Cooper yesterday, and considering the circumstances, it was really strange that Emerald was here acting like nothing happened at all.
"I'll help," he said.
Ruby smiled and gave a firm nod.
"We need to catch her by surprise." She locked onto a red service door leading to the backstage area. "And I think I know just the trick."
They went inside, following the long tunnel to the other side so they could get behind Emerald, but just as they were about to reach the exit, Mercury was there, leaning on the wall next to the doors.
"Mercury?" Ruby made sure she was seeing things correctly. "But you're hurt, how are you still here? What's going on?"
Mercury pushed off the wall.
"Fine," Ruby reached behind her for her weapon, "if you're not going to tell us—"
Her breath caught when she grasped nothing but air.
Crescent Rose was in her locker.
Alexander stepped forward, transforming his backpack into a shield and his beanie into a helmet.
The untamed energy of the Colosseum rattled the tunnel walls.
"Now it's time to begin the randomization process!" said Oobleck.
"Our first contender is Penny Polendina from Atlas!" said Port. "And her opponent will be Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"
Ruby's eyes shot wide. "No!"
"Ooh, polarity versus metal." Mercury sucked his teeth. "That could be bad."
"Wait, how do—"
"Oh, I know." His eyebrows shot up, and a sinister ring sharpened his grin. "We all know."
"Rose," Alexander said without taking his eyes off Mercury, "what's the problem?"
"I'll tell you later." Ruby got ready for a fight. "First, we stop them."
In the arena itself, Pyrrha brandished her weapons, and eight swords tied to wires floated out of Penny's backpack.
"Salutations, Pyrrha Nikos." She saluted with the utmost enthusiasm. "It's an honour to finally meet you. I hope you have as much fun as I do."
Pyrrha nodded in kind and prepared herself.
The commentators counted down, and the buzzer went off.
Mercury dashed over, Alexander stood his ground, and Ruby activated her Semblance, spiralling through the air in a red blur.
Leaping, Mercury kicked Ruby back down at Alexander, bouncing her off his shield. Alexander checked to see if she was okay, but Mercury rushed in and kicked the center of his shield.
Ruby groaned and tried to get up.
Alexander slashed. Mercury ducked under and smirked at Ruby. Twirling like a tornado, he kicked the edge of Tereo and shot off a bullet, shoving the shield wide to the side.
It gonged off Ruby's face, knocking her out cold.
"Ooh." Mercury leaped back and sucked his teeth. "Someone ring the bell."
Alexander scowled and shouted at Ruby to wake up to no avail.
Mercury kicked Alexander's leg, dropping him a peg. Alexander leaned on his shield and slashed back. Mercury air cartwheeled over it, grabbed Tereo, and cranked the shield out of the way. His arm twisted at an awkward angle, and more importantly, left him vulnerable.
The second his feet hit the ground, Mercury spun and planted his heel into Alexander's chest, shooting him down the hall.
At the height of the battle in the arena, Pyrrha and Penny raged on, yet neither of them put a scratch on the other or attained any significant advantage.
Pyrrha miraculously evaded an onslaught of blades and lasers in what was Penny's best string of combinations so far, and after Pyrrha landed a well placed counter attack, Penny recovered in an instant, rocketed herself into the air, and meteored at her opponent's feet.
Regardless of Akouo's block, Pyrrha was blown away. She rolled upright. Penny's swords swooped in and batted both her shield and sword away. Pyrrha used her Semblance to retrieve them, but Penny intercepted, swatting them away again with her own swords before they returned to her.
Emerald kept a close eye on Pyrrha and activated her Semblance.
The entire world saw Penny raise her eight swords above her. However, to Pyrrha, the swords multiplied, increasing in number until there was enough to make a literal wall with them.
Back at the tunnel, Ruby's senses finally returned, and she snapped wide awake in time to witness Mercury punt Alexander's helmet clean off.
Alexander and Ruby locked eyes.
Getting to her feet, she went to help, but the way he looked at her, the determination burning in his eyes, stopped her from getting any closer.
She shifted forward.
He jerked his chin at the door.
Her breath hitched, lips clamped tight until they went white, and with fists clenched and teeth gritted, she spared him a glance of good luck and rushed to the door.
Penny's swords surged forward.
Left with no other choice than to prevent the flood of blades from mincing her to shreds, Pyrrha unleashed the full power of her Semblance, reflecting the swords.
Penny's entire body froze, and the wires connected to her swords wrapped around her body.
Horror pried Pyrrha's face wide open.
The wires crunched Penny like a tin can and ripped her apart.
Ruby bolted over to the stands in time to witness Penny's lifeless body fall in pieces. All the strength in her legs broke, and she tumbled to her knees, tears swiftly pouring rivers down her face.
"N-no." She could barely muster the voice to speak. "Penny?"
The entire world watched in complete shock, unable to believe what happened in front of their very eyes, and every single Grimm nearby knew it. They all howled in delight, stampeding their way to Beacon Academy and the city of Vale.
Emerald walked out, and Mercury ran off once the screaming started.
Alexander gave chase but stopped when he came across Ruby.
The commentators lurched up.
Port punched the desk. "NO!"
"Broadcast, what are you doing?!" Oobleck spat into the microphone. "Kill the feed!"
"Something's wrong!" said the operator. "We don't have control of the cameras! We can't even kill the feed!"
Oobleck's glasses slid down his nose. "How is that possible?"
A red screen with the chess piece of a black queen appeared on every monitor across the world.
On a rooftop overlooking the Beacon Tower plaza, Cinder stared at Amity Colosseum and spoke in her scroll.
"This is not a tragedy," she said.
From the dormitory, half-dressed and cuddled up in Weiss' bed, Roderick and Yang shared a worried look.
"This was not an accident," Cinder continued. "This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men."
Up in the luxury box, Reynold jutted his head to the side.
Laurence grinned and retrieved his gear.
"Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."
Ironwood hurried to the commentator booth.
"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One's nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil." Amusement strummed her tongue. "What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference."
In his office at the top of Beacon Tower, Ozpin left his desk and grabbed his cane.
"And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students?" She gave her fingernails a quick blow. "First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."
Weiss and Blake sat perturbed at a food stand in the fairgrounds.
"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets." Cinder chuckled. "Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces."
Atlesian soldiers patrolling the academy's borders got into a firefight with the horde of Grimm swarming for the city.
Alarms blared in the Atlesian campsite, and the soldiers scrambled into action faster than they could comprehend, leaving Stiofan trapped and alone in the tent.
"Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong." Cinder indulged in the sweet fear brewing in the night air. "But I know the existence of peace is fragile. The leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves." She touched her chest and showed false sympathy. "As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is. . . equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: when the first shots are fired. . . who do you think you can trust?"
The feed cut, and the nightmare began.