After the opening, Team FLME climb out of the pit in Evernight. As Fred reaches up, a hand drops down in front of him. He glances up to see Solomon there. He offers Fred a smile and Fred takes his hand and gives him a light smile back. Solomon pulls Fred up and gets him to his feet once out of the pit. FLME walks past a few troopers as SSMR escorts them out of the main area. A few troopers pat Fred's shoulders, some cheer as he walks out. He stops with the rest of his team once they come face to face with RBIE, Mason, Evie and Theodore.
Fred: Well?
Theodore: What...happened down there?
Fred: What needed to be done. Two relics are destroyed. Three of the four gods are dead. It's over.
Oscar walks in with RWBY and VILE at his sides. He stops and looks up to Fred.
Fred: I...I cant hear him. Feel him. Any of them.
Oscar: I...I can't hear Ozpin either. I...
Fred walks up to Oscar and places a hand on his shoulder. Oscar and Fred look at one another. Fred just simply nods and walks past him, brushing past Team VILE. Eadwulf pats Fred on the back as he passes by. Ember walks behind Fred and gives a smile to his friends on VILE as the four members of FLME head off to a nearby cruiser that had just landed.
Mason steps up and looks around the battlefield. He turns to a few troopers behind him.
Mason: Round up the wounded. Get them onto the medical shuttles. Same with the dead if you can. I want to account for our losses. (He turns to Evernight Castle) And bring that thing down. We're done here.
Mason begins to walk away as the troopers quickly move to act on their orders. A few Manta begin bombing runs, taking out Grimm left and right. Stier, Bika and Mustang's bodies are found and sealed up in body bags as are countless other soldiers. Glynda walks beside two stretchers, one for Port and another for Oobleck. Not dead, but very injured. A few bullheads land down as well, being used to transport the wounded and dead out of Evernight quickly.
Inside the bridge of the Snorri, Theo pats the console of his command post before rolling out with his wheel chair. He leaves the ship and gets onboard the last BIC cruiser. The remaining seven ships of the attack force link up together. May gets off a call with her parents as they, Ghira, Kali and Lune sail off back to Menagerie together.
Teams FLME and VILE are on the bridge with Isaac, Sienna and Theodore. They all look out to the large structure beyond them. Theodore takes a deep breath and waves his hand to his weapons officer.
Theodore: Bring it down.
The officer nods and fires off rockets as the other ships do the same thing. After what feels a few minutes, the tower and castle finally collapse. The last of Dr. Volt and Watts' inventions are destroyed. The catacombs under the structure break down and fall apart. The grave marked, "SHADOW AND LUNA OMBRE" is buried in rubble as the castle falls with Salem and her forces. Inside the lead Atlas ship, Winter stands beside Elsa as they stare at the remains of the Staff of Creation.
With the tower in ruins, a few more missiles are fired off just to clear the path. Theo nods and the ships divert course back to their respective kingdoms. Oscar watches as the last remnants of Ozma are destroyed.
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The small Mistral ship lands just outside of Amber Square. A few citizens look up in awe and some in shock as Mason and Evie step off of the ship with Isaac in tow. They get a few distasteful looks as they continue forward through the town. Azula is sitting on a barrel on the edge of their street. She looks a little surprised as they walk down the street towards their home. However, as they approach, the doors open to an older couple.
Mason and Evie are both in shock and look at one another. Evie knees give out as she sinks down onto her knees. Mason goes down with her to support her. A man from next door walks out from his office and flashes a badge in front of Mason. It is an Ignis PI badge. Mason's eyes widen and the man smiles at him.
The trio walk with the man into Ignis PI Headquarters. The staff there gasp and some clap as their leader walks through their halls once more. They move to Mason's old office and on the door is the sign reading "INTERN CHIEF OF STAFF MICHAEL REDDING". The man opens the door and Redding is sitting at the desk, a cigar in his mouth. He looks up and his jaw almost drops as he sees Mason. With no hesitation, he stands up, puts the cigar out and takes his plate off of the desk. He gestures to the desk and nods at Mason.
Redding: Welcome back, Chief.
Mason gives a sigh of relief as he drops some tension in his shoulders. The man from before walks back over with a folder and gives it to Evie. She opens it and relief washes over her as well.
Mason, Evie and Isaac, now joined by Roz, walk into a storage facility and open a locker. Both Ignis' gasp and look to be in near tears as all their personal belongings are inside the locker. Photo albums, some furniture, weapons, files, everything. The two of them hold one another as Isaac and Roz smile behind them.
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Inside what appears to be an old laboratory, Lavenza grabs a few wrenches together and a welder. Sitting on a table is Damson, a new tail being constructed for him. Flames burst down and quickly Lavenza and Damson get ready for a fight only to see Cinder land down instead. Lavenza releases a sigh and glances over to Damson before working on his tail some more.
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March, April, Lune, Kali and Ghira pull back into Kua Kawa's main port. Faunus along the shore launch fireworks and cry out in joy as their fleet returns home safely. Upon landing, Lune is already in a pub, sharing stories with the rest of those nearby his table. He jumps up onto the table and leans down, spreading his arms out to describe the scene.
At a far off booth, March chuckles and smiles as he glances over across from him at the Belladonnas. Beside him is April. He raises his glass up and the three of them join him in cheers. Their glasses all clink together before March and Ghira start to down their own drinks.
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Back in Atlas, a small ceremony is being held for the heroes of the war. Bazaar stands in the crowd with Teams SSMR and WIOW. He smiles softly as the newly elected Atlesian councilman, Councilman Aguanieve walks up to both Winter, Elsa and Penny, presenting them each with a medal. Once Elsa receives her, she smiles warmly down at it, taking it in her hand softly.
She looks out to the crowd and is surprised once she sees her family standing up front near Bazaar. Her father, Ghiaccio Inverno, gives her a salute. She nods, her smile only widening. She gives a slight salute back to him. Aguanieve steps up to a podium and gestures to the three women. The crowds cheer as the three of them look at one another, smiles on their faces.
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Violet walks down the hall inside Shade Academy. She opens the door to a room filled with heavy guards as Apatite Eclairage stands there with Theodore and Sienna. Violet walks up and on the other side of the glass is the Plague Doctor.
Violet: So...what have we been able to figure out?
Sienna: Adrian Calcifer. Wanted in all 4 kingdoms for assault, battery, blackmail, sabotage and obviously, murder.
Violet: Is...is that it?
Apatite: Sadly yes. No known family is alive or even in any kingdom file or record. And without his hat, seems his semblance is all but moot.
Violet nodded along as Theo and Apatite looked at the assassin.
Violet: Any motivation?
Apatite shock his head no.
Violet: You mean not yet?
Sienna: We mean no. He has to say a single word to us at all. No matter what we do and how we go about it. Beyond torture. But...I dont think any of us are willing to go down that line of thinking.
Violet nods and looks back at the Plague Doctor. She takes a step back before turning away and checking on her scroll. Her father glances over to her.
Apatite: Violet?
Violet: I dont care what happens to him. I'm a huntress. Not a judge. Not a professor. Not a commander. And not a politician. I have a team to take care of. If you dont mind.
Theodore simply nodded as Violet walked out of the room.
Apatite: Violet...
She stops and turns around to face her father.
Apatite: Bring the team home for dinner. Nero misses the boys.
Violet cracked a smile and gave her father a nod and a two-finger salute as she walked out of the room. Apatite turned back to see The Plague Doctor, still with a neutral expression on his face, looking cold and distant as usual.
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Slowly, a ship lands in the middle of Examninum Fields, nearby the old Guardian Temple. A tribe of nomads, gathers around the entrance to the temple, seemingly ready to defend themselves. From the crowd, Chief Anialwch steps out. And from the ship, Llew walks out and up to the chief. The two of them bow to one another as back on the ship, Violet watches with a smile on her face.
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In North Vacuo, by the Green Mountains, another ship lands and from it steps out Ing and Eadwulf. The town in front of them looks abandoned and utterly destroyed. There is a large tower in the middle, reading "MIR ORPHANAGE". Ing glances down as he grabs some containers of burn dust in his hand. Eadwulf places his hand on his shoulder.
Eadwulf: You sure?
Ing: ...Yeah. Time to move on. Starting fresh for real this time. We hit yours after?
Eadwulf: ...Not sure how that will turn out.
Ing: At least visit your mom?
Eadwulf: She would want me away from that place. Maybe more...coastal.
Ing: Moving in to the upstate?
Eadwulf: Trying it out.
Ing: Gotcha. Well...if you're ready?
Eadwulf nods and Ing hands him half of the burn dust. The two throw the dust into the town and Ing quickly shoots one. It explodes and sets off a chain reaction as the town burns to the ground. Both Ing and Eadwulf stand there, watching the decayed town of Mir be destroyed. Eadwulf places his arm around Ing's shoulder as they watch it all burn.
__________________________________________________________
5 MONTHS AFTER THE WAR...
A fade out to Fred, sitting on a park bench, looking out over a cliff. Across from him is Beacon Academy, slowly being rebuilt. Corpses of Grimm are being moved, already petrified by a few workers and huntsmen. Fred takes a deep breath and looks down at his hand. He lights it on fire and examines it a little to see how it burns. However, he puts it out once he hears foot steps behind him. He glances back and smiles a little as Leia walks up to him.
Leia: Figured I find you here.
Fred: You know me. (He chuckles) You didnt have to do this.
Leia: It was my grandfather's dying wish. The funds are in his name. I didnt have a choice.
Fred: (Sighs) Fair enough. So, what's up with you?
Leia: Was about to ask you the same thing.
The two of them go silent as Leia sits down on a rock opposite the bench. She smiles a bit and takes out a small card.
Leia: You know...Theo never gave us our official licenses.
Fred: Yeah...the war kept him busy. Heard he's walking finally.
Leia: Yeah well...Glynda got these made.
Fred looks over as Leia hands him the card. On it is Fred's official huntsmen license registered from Beacon Academy. He huffs but smiles regardless.
Fred: It's weird. I wanted to be a huntsman...just to find an excuse to die. That was my plan since I was six. Then when I learned Onyx killed my parents...it was to end him. Now...I have no idea what I have to do next. Twenty-one years old...and I have no idea what to do from here.
Leia: Well...there is that PhD you always talked about getting from Oobleck?
Fred and Leia laugh a little. The two of them slowly calm down as they both look out towards Beacon.
Fred: What about you?
Leia: Well...company falls directly to my control. Still going to be doing some weapon manufacturing for huntsmen but...thinking of a new field. Taking that research on creation. I'm thinking space is the next bet.
Fred: Really?
Leia: It's not like the gods are coming back any time soon. And I've got to use this genius brain for something. Cant just be business business business you know?
Fred: Yeah. I hear that.
Silence again consumes the two of them.
Fred: There are still the last few temples.
Leia: That's a good thesis paper.
Fred: You really want me to get that PhD, dont you?
Leia: I would like to be one of multiple doctors thank you very much.
Fred cant help but laugh at the statement. He eventually slows down and rubs his chin a little. A smile is present on his face. Leia, however, takes on a somber look.
Leia: You know...Ember is-
Fred: Moving back to Mistral. May's going with him. I know.
Leia: And I take it you arent going either?
Fred shakes his head.
Fred: I...my home has been destroyed more times than I can count. At this point, it wont be home anymore to me. So, I'm not really sure what to do.
Leia: Well, two in Mistral, two in Vale...sounds pretty alright to me. Keeping in contact and all that.
Fred shrugs and chuckles a little to himself again.
Fred: Do need my masters if I go for a PhD.
Leia: There you go.
Leia playfully hits Fred's arm. He laughs a little again.
Fred: They leave later today.
Leia: Yeah. I was going to see them off.
Fred: So was I.
Leia: Good. Same page then.
Leia looks past Fred and smiles. She stands up and dusts herself off.
Leia: I'll see you there.
Fred raises an eyebrow as she walks off. Leia walks back to the path and Violet is standing there. She smiles at her friend and gives a nod.
Leia: He's all yours.
Leia walks off as Violet makes her way on over. Fred glances back, smiling softly at her. She does the same to him. She silently sits down beside him as the two of them look out to Beacon on the horizon. She slowly leans her head down on his shoulder. Fred smiles a little wider now and softly places his head on top of hers.
Violet: So...
Fred: So...
Violet: What's the plan, Hotshot?
Fred: Go see my brother off. After that, not really sure myself.
Violet nods a little. Fred sits up, moving his head from hers.
Fred: What about you?
Violet shrugs.
Violet: I think the team is somewhat breaking up.
Fred: Really?
Violet: Eadwulf's staying in Vale. Llew has sworn herself to her tribe once more as an official protector. Ing...Ing's moving on from the past. He doesnt want to be in Vacuo any longer. I think he's going up to Atlas. Train with Elsa for a little while.
Fred: Damn. Well...Ember and May are both heading off to Mistral. Leia is staying in Vale.
Violet: Where do you think Eadwulf is staying?
Fred chuckles a little to himself. The two let the silence return. Violet takes a deep breath and smiles a bit.
Violet: I'm getting out of Vacuo too. My time in Vale was cut short. Same with Mistral. Never even been to Atlas. So, who knows where I'd be? And with you casing down that PhD, who knows where you are going to end up.
Fred: How many people did she tell?
Violet: I was right behind you guys for a majority of the conversation.
Fred: Oh...you could have joined in?
Violet: I did. Just late.
Fred sighs a little out of annoyance. He stands up and walks over to the ledge of the cliff and looks down. His head tilts up and smiles as he sees Beacon once more.
Fred: I hear Patch is nice.
Violet: Really?
Fred: I mean...I went to Signal. So, spent about 4 years there on my own with Ember.
Violet: Right yeah. Forgot you had told me that.
Fred: Yeah...good place to start a family.
Violet's head perks up as Fred glances back at her with a smile. The two of them have some blushes on their faces. Fred clears his throat a little and glances to his scroll.
Fred: Speaking of, I need to see mine off. He takes off in an hour.
Fred walks past Violet but stops himself beside her. He glances down at Violet.
Fred: Wait for me? Would ya?
Violet: (Smirks) Like you had to ask, Hotshot.
Fred smiles a little and takes off walking down the path from Violet. The blush is still present on her face as she turns back to look at Beacon once more.
__________________________________________________________
Inside Vale's port, Ember is standing beside May. May has her hair grown out a little bit as Ember begins to truly let his beard shine. Along with a mullet. A call from the PA system rings out.
PA system: Passengers departing for Mistral East Port please board now. Your ship will be departing in 10 minutes.
Ember and May stand up and smile at one another. Leia stands up beside them as does Fred.
Fred: Alright. You sure you have everything?
Ember: My man. You asked this when we got into the car here. And when we got through security. And-
Fred: I'm just being precautions.
May: We have everything, Fred. But thank you.
Fred nods and looks at Ember. Ember smirks and raises a hand up. Fred grabs it and together, the two of them hug one another. Fred pulls his brother in tightly as Ember pats his back.
Ember: Hey. We'll see each other soon. After all, my birthday is coming up.
Fred: Right, right. That's like...what...three months?
Ember pulls away from Fred, his eyebrow raised.
Ember: Fred...your birthday was 3 weeks ago. It's almost June.
Fred: Oh...
Leia and May laugh a little and Fred rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.
May: Take care of this idiot for us.
Leia: Oh no. That's Violet's job now.
Fred: Oh come on.
Leia, May and Ember all laugh with one another. Fred cant help but not drop the smile that is on his face. Fred glances down to May and she gives him a warm smile.
Fred: Take care of the idiot for me.
May: That was the plan from the start, yeah.
Fred chuckles a little. The two of them embrace, hugging each other tightly once more. They step back and glance at one another again. Fred places his hands on their shoulders, just nodding along. Ember pats his hand and offers a fist bump again.
Ember: Till the end of the line?
Fred: And beyond.
Fred fist bumps his brother. Leia steps up and hugs them both at the same time. Quickly, they each hug back eagerly.
Ember: Thanks for being a damn good teammate.
May: Thanks for being my friend.
Leia: It is a pleasure.
The three separate and smile once again at one another. Ember turns to Fred and nods once.
Ember: Boss.
Fred: I'm not really your boss anymore.
Ember: Yeah...but you've always have been.
Fred smiles and nods again. Ember grabs their bags and May grabs hers as well.
PA system: The Ship for Mistral East will depart in 5 minutes. All passengers, this is your final warning.
Ember: We gotta get going.
May: Yeah.
The four teammates look at one another again. Ember smirks and nods, walking away first. May waves and turns to join him. Leia sighs as she watches them board the ship and the doors close. She turns around to walk away. Fred, meanwhile, still stands there. He looks at the port, hands shoved in his pockets. His arms shake a little. Leia walks back over and places a hand softly on his right arm. He turns back to her and she smiles up at him.
Leia: Come on, Boss. We gotta get going.
Fred: ...Yeah.
Fred and Leia turn and walk out of the terminal. The two of them get outside the port and Fred is the first to glance back and upward. He sees their ship, flying up and making a B-line straight to Mistral. He takes a deep breath, arms shaking.
Leia: Hey...it's ok. We'll see them again.
Fred: I know...just...just hurts...
Leia: Yeah. I know the feeling.
Leia starts to walk away, slowly dragging Fred with her. He caves and turns back with her. The two of them walk down the street together back towards Leia's car.
Slow pan up to the setting sun on the horizon as the ship flies off towards Mistral.
Scene fades to Black.