Sans and Amber are beginning to cross the bridge, and are now walking carefully. It is said that if you fall into the water, your soul will leave the body, and the fears will haunt you, as your body dies away from the separation. It is also claimed that if your fears defeat you, than you are forever cursed. As Sans and Amber venture onward, he than senses something.
Sans: "Hold it, Amber."
Amber than stopped from Sans' gesture.
"What is it now, Sans?"
She spoke to Sans, concerned. Sans glared at what he is about to see now.
"Our fears...they are coming."
As if on cue, a number of figures than began to appear from the fog. Suddenly, the Fearful Copies of Cinder and the enemies they had faced are here, clearly seen by the powerful couple. Amber than began to use her Fall Maiden powers, but Sans than stopped her, before speaking out to her, calmly.
"If you are going to use it, do not use fire or lighting. It will only make us very disadvantageous."
Amber sighed, but had nodded. Sans and Amber than began to right against the copies. The Cinder copy than tried to use her own powers to kill Amber. But Amber made a icy spike to shoot at her. This made the copy shatter like glass. She than faced another copy of Cinder, that tried to attack her from behind, but Amber decided to quicken this, but going into the air, and does this attack again.
She launched at the Cinder Copy, as well as the other copies that have been appearing at their maximum number. All of the copies shattered like tiny pieces of glass. Amber floats down really softly, before huffing from their sight of them resembling Cinder.
Sans is simply standing still from their sight. All of them resemble Grimm version of people that had rejected is existence when it was the past. So Sans' solution, make a shockwave to send them to oblivion.
Turns out it can be used when in the real world, after practicing in dreams. After they were taken care of, Sans than came back with Amber, as he spoke out.
"Well...shall we continue onward?"
Amber nodded. But before they do, a voice spoke out...one that Sans has never heard in a year.
"I think not, Sans."
Sans looked at the god before him. A figure than starts to come out of the fog. When Sans sees who it is, he is shocked at the person seen.
"...No."
He said, recognizing who it is. While it was in the shadows when in the lab, he recognized the eyes and the body appearance. The entity than smiled scarily and speaks to him.
"...Yes, Sans Gaster. It is me...the one who killed your father. But I go by many other names: The False Creator...The False God...of you can call me...
...Claire."
Back with Ruby and Co...
the group moves outside. Weiss is seen using Myrtenaster to weld a metal ball to a makeshift trailer hitch attached to Bumblebee. Weiss, Blake, Yang, Qrow and Oscar's pupils appear to be dilated, while Ruby's are their usual size.
Weiss: There.
Oscar and Blake can be seen sitting on the porch steps.
Oscar: Can we just go back to bed?
Blake: If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?
Oscar: You wanna make it?
Blake: Not really.
Ruby and Qrow push the flatbed trailer behind Bumblebee. Once it's in position, Ruby walks up to Yang.
Ruby: You guys got the bike ready?
Yang just gestures to it.
Qrow: Well, it's done now. So let's hook this thing up and--"
Qrow rests his foot on the side of the trailer, and the tire on the opposite side goes flat. He groans in frustration before checking on the tire.
Maria: "You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?"
Frustrated, Qrow just walks over to a nearby fence post and sits on the ground. Yang also sits on the ground by the well.
Yang: "I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas."
Ruby: "haaaaa...It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare."
Yang: "It's not just that, it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters... haaaaa...I'm so tired..."
Blake: "Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by."
Ruby:"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for."
Oscar: "We signed up to try and save the world, not just... delay the inevitable."
Pyrrha and Summer said nothing. Their eyes are black and dilated from the supposed hopelessness of the entire situation here. May is that as well, but his holding onto Papyrus.
Weiss: "Last night, I...I couldn't stop thinking - why are we even going to Atlas?"
She said, while putting a hand on her arm. Everyone shares troubled looks.
Ruby: "Weiss, we have to."
But Yang than spoke out to them, while standing ups
Yang: "Why? Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"
Ruby and Penny, along with Papyrus and Mecha, are worried. But Kage looked down, pricing things right here.
Ruby: "What? The Grimm might--"
Yang: "They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now."
Ruby detaches the Relic of Knowledge from her belt, glancing at it before looking up at her teammates, who appear to all have dazed looks as if they were in a trance. Ruby stares at the Relic one more time before walking over to the well.
Ruby: "I am... really..."
Her pupils than became dilated.
"tired..."
Ruby starts to have the same dazed look on her face as she holds Relic out above the pitch-black darkness of the well. However, instead of dropping it immediately, Ruby hesitates for a bit before composing herself. As she began to drop it in the well, she than remembered something...a memory...of Sans, when he still hated her.
Memory...
"How can you give a damn about me, if you are always going to hurt me for a selfish reason you do not and will never understand?!"
Memory ends...
Ruby began to realize what she is doing, and stops the Relic from falling. Yang, who believed it bury it in the well, began to step towards her sister.
"Here, Ruby. If you can't do it., I will."
But Ruby, with her eyes hidden and head lowered, shadowed, than spoke out, quietly.
"...wrong..."
Yang heard it slightly, and began to speak more emotionlessly.
"Why do you mean by..."
Before she could finish, Ruby suddenly shouted out at the top of her lungs.
"you...aLL...ARE...WRONG!!!"
She than swings the Relic into Yang's cheek, hurting her really badly. Everyone was snapped out of that emotionless and hopeless demeanor, as they are all shocked at what they had seen Ruby just do to Yang. Yang than held onto her cheek, as she looked at Ruby in really great surprise. Ruby breathed heavily, before shouting.
"You all...are acting Idiotic! You all are giving up hope, because we have no way to get to Atlas? How stupid are you all?! How can we be called hunters and huntresses if we are all going to act the way we are now?! When I was with Sans, he told me that, no matter the circumstances, he will not give up on a situation that may seem hopeless. Sans, he doesn't care what amount of pain he's in, or how difficult the challenge is, or how much he has to do to put a stop to the problem! He care about getting through in the end for us!! And that is what I will do!! I am not going to give up in this type of thing! I'll keep on going in this sort of thing, and start to fight back! I will do it...for Sans himself!"
Everyone was surprised at what she had said, but Papyrus, Penny, and Mecha smiled genuinely. Summer looked up and smiled, along with May and Pyrrha. Yang looked down, rather guilty at what she had said, along with Weiss and Blake. Kage than coughed his mouth, as he spoke to everyone.
"I think I know the reason everyone is acting the way they are acting now. It is underground, beneath us."
Everyone looked at Kage in suprised. He than spoke out.
"Go down into the well. You will find the reason why this is all happening."
Everyone looked at each other, but Ruby and WBY agreed."
Later...inside of underground caverns...
Team RWBY hop down into the well together, into a vast underground waterway system. Ruby and Yang take out their Scrolls and turn on their flashlights.
Yang: Maybe the current carried it away.
Team RWBY proceed forward cautiously. Weiss notices more tunnel openings along the path.
Back above ground, Oscar works on fixing the tire while Maria continues to read. She turns a page, and the words "I did it! I found my solution" are visible.
Back underground, Team RWBY continue sloshing through the waterway.
Ruby: "Oh, come on, where is it?"
Blake than spoke out loud.
Blake: "Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?"
Ruby, returning to being nervous, speaks.
Ruby: "Okay..."
Ruby and Yang turn off their flashlights, and Ruby pulls out Crescent Rose and proceeds forward with caution.
Back above ground...
Back above, Maria continues to read, with the words "The huntsman pointed them out to me the other day." visible on the page. Maria narrows her eyes, reading more intently.
Underground again...
Underground, Team RWBY continue their search.
Blake: There.
Blake sole, pointing up ahead. Ruby looks to the direction Blake is pointing toward and notices the red glow of some strange stuff coming from a tunnel along the path. Ruby runs forward by herself.
Back above ground...
Above ground, Maria turns a page, revealing an illustration of a humanoid-looking Grimm with its name on the adjacent page: "The Apathy". Maria gasps.
Underground...Again...
Underground, Ruby arrives at the tunnel, and finds the source at the wall of the tunnel. She runs over and checks it out.
Ruby: "Guys, I--"
Ruby then looks up behind the way, adopting a horrified expression on her face.
Multiple humanoid-looking Grimm of different sizes are bunched together. They turn their heads toward Ruby, reaching their arms out to her. Ruby lets out a terrified scream, and her teammates snap out of their trance-like states, their pupils returning to normal.
Yang: "Ruby?!"
Ruby backs away and runs out of the tunnel. Yang, Weiss and Blake see her run out and approach her.
Yang: "What is it?"
The rest of the team notice the skeletal Grimm slowly trudging out of the tunnel. Ruby takes out Crescent Rose and fires multiple rounds at them. One of the Grimm lets out an ear-piercing scream, causing Team RWBY to struggle to stand.
Yang: "What is this...?"
Blake: "My weapon... feels heavy..."
Maria: "Run!"
From behind, Team RWBY notice Maria appear.
Maria: "Now!"
Maria turns around and runs. Team RWBY watch the Grimm start to move toward them.
Ruby: "Go, go!"
Team RWBY turn around and run, catching up with Maria. They see daylight coming from the well, but more of the Grimm appear and block their path. Another ear-piercing scream is heard, affecting the five women. Ruby notices another tunnel entrance next to her.
Ruby: "This way!"
Team RWBY and Maria run into the tunnel. They continue to run through the complex underground passages while avoiding more of the Grimm's kind along the way. They then make their way to an underground room. However, Team RWBY and Maria notice a much larger group of the Grimm at one end of the room. They make a run toward the other way, but one of the Grimm lets out another scream, causing Team RWBY and Maria to collapse on all fours.
Yang: "I can't... do this... I can't..."
Maria gets back up, using her cane to support herself before collapsing again. On her fall, she feels a set of stairs in front of her.
Maria: "An exit. An exit!"
Ruby looks up and notices the stairs leading up to the cellar door. Ruby crawls forward to Weiss.
Ruby: "Come on!"
Ruby then hears a weapon drop behind her and notices Blake collapse to the ground, while the Grimm continue to inch toward her.
Ruby: "Blake... get... up!"
But Blake, in a trance, spoke out.
Blake: "It's fine..."
Blake starts get her dazed look from before. More Grimm emerge from the entrance Team RWBY and Maria came from. Ruby looks on in horror and in her desperation, crawls and attempts to reach out towards Blake, who continues to lie down motionless. The Grimm reach their hands down to the cat Faunus...
Ruby: "BLAAAAAKE!!!"
Upon yelling out her friend's name, Ruby's eyes start to glow brightly, causing the Grimm to back away in pain. Blake gasps and snaps out of her trance, her eyes back to normal. Ruby helps her up while Weiss, Yang and Maria also get back up.
Ruby: "I've got her!"
Maria: "What just happened?"
Weiss runs up the stairs and tries to get the doors open, but they do not budge.
Weiss: "They're locked!"
Yang: "Out of my way!"
Yang runs up the stairs. The Grimm recover from their incapacitation, and another scream is let out. Team RWBY and Maria collapse once again. Yang is than reaching for the cellar door, but is beginning to collapse as well.
Yang: "No... No...!"
As the Grimm inch closer, Maria crawls toward Ruby, only able to see the world in shades of cyan.
Maria: "Ruby... what color are your eyes?"
Ruby: "They're... silver..."
Maria lets out a gasp of excitement.
Maria: "You have a family? Friends?"
Ruby: "What?"
Ruby looks up to see the Grimm getting closer, but Maria lays her head down and covers her ears. From Ruby's perspective, Maria's next words sound slightly muffled.
Maria: "Don't think about them. Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way they make you feel. Focus!"
Taking Maria's advice, Ruby closes her eyes and concentrates. While Maria speaks, Weiss tries to budge the doors open, and Yang reaches out in desperation before falling under a trance, her eyes even more blank than before.
Back at the Fear's battle.
Sans is horrified to see the being that killed Gaster. But it got more creepy, when Claire had spoken out.
"Sans....we meet yet again."
Sans snarled at the entity before him, hating this being, for what it has done to him.
"I should have known that you are still alive, lady."
Claire giggled a creepy one. She than looked at Sans.
"Oh...but Sans. Do you honestly think that I could be destoryed easily. Because you should realize one thing...I am barely killable."
He snarled, but she than spoke on.
"When your other self began to resonate, I was well aware of what was about to happen. So I tried to kill Gaster, so succeed in making sure that you will never go in this path. "
She spoke more, as Sans' right eye began to glow Turquoise again.
Sans snarled at her, but she laughs, and speaks out to him.
"So now...I'll have to do this...THE HARD WAY."
As she spoke, the fog around he began to shift to her presence, and later covering her up. Than, they heard a roar, while Sans and Amber are covering their eyes, they smelled something...rotting meat, with metal. When they saw what was in front of them...it was a very horrific sight.
Amber shuddered at the sight of the being, but Sans was not afraid of it. In fact, he's more angrier. He cannot wait to make the person pay for what she has done to him. Sans than launches himself at the one that killed his father. But the entity than fired a blast of Magic from it's mouth at Sans, who than used his wings to shield himself completely, as well as shield Amber to. The entity than began to laugh, as it began to swipe its claws at them.
Sans and Amber began to fly in the air, as Sans charged at Claire again, with Amber preparing an attack. Sans than used the Gaster Abyss Blaster to try and kill it. But it merely shrugged off the attack that it was hit with here. She than used it's claws and stabbed the ground itself. Spikes than began to appear, and both Amber and Sans had to get away, fast. Sans went to different directions, and Amber simply made a shield made entirely of wind. Sans than flies upwards, as Amber prepares an attack, and fires a ball of flame towards the Flase Creator itself. But it barely felt it. One of the Cables detached, and electrocuted the metal part of the arm. It than tried to attack Amber again. Amber, however, used the power of water to insulate it, thereby saving herself and Sans.
Sans than used everything he has. He used his Abyss Shards and Abyss Gaster Blasters to destroy his Father's killer. But it did not work. Even the Abyss Chains, which is said to destroy anything related to something that's evil, even that did not work. Sans than tried to charge at her, but the False Creator than used its clawed hand and hits Sans really painfully.
"GAAAHHH!!"
He was than sent down onto the wooden bridge. Amber than summed a Fireball, and blasted it in the face, which made it stagger. Amber than lowers herself next to her beloved, checking him. As she looks at him, she than spoke out to Sans through the use of Telepathy.
'Sans...think about the people that you care for.'
Sans, not understanding this, questions.
'What do you mean, Amber?'
Amber than spoke out to Sans, as the False Creator recovers.
'Do not simply think about the being who has killed your Father and the one that has ruined you. Focus on the thoughts of them. All of your friends...your families...loved ones...memories that given you happiness. Focus!'
Sans than closed his eyes, trying to concentrate.
Between both...
But as Sans and Ruby are concentrating, both Maria and Amber began to speak out.
Maria...
Maria: "Life... is beautiful. It is precious. And it must...'
Amber...
'Both Friends...and Families...They are precious...and it must...'
Both Amber and Maria
""...be protected.""
At these words being spoken, suddenly, both Sans' and Ruby's eyes are open, with Sans' eye both shining Turqoise, and Ruby's a silver
Back with Ruby and Co.
Ruby sits up and her eyes glow brightly once more, driving the Grimm back and disintegrating them all. Maria and Ruby stare in awe while Weiss, Blake and Yang recover. Yang crawls up the stairs and punches the doors open with her powerful weapon while firing from its gun. Team RWBY and Maria run out and find themselves in the basement that Ruby and Weiss discovered the day before.
Blake: "We're back in the house?"
Team RWBY then look at the bar and see Qrow leaning on the counter, passed out. Ruby than runs over and shakes her uncle, waking him
Ruby: "Uncle Qrow, get up!"
Qrow, drunk from the alcohol, slurred.
Qrow: "Hey! Get off me! What are you doing here?"
Maria: "We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!"
Maria runs out of the room, with Blake and Yang following her. Weiss looks back towards the basement entrance.
Weiss: "Not yet..."
Outside, Oscar has replaced the tire for the trailer and is filling it up with air. The noise from the air machine muffles the sound of people crying out his name.
Yang: "Oscar! Oscar!"
Maria: "Oscar!"
Oscar looks behind him to see Yang, Blake and Maria run out of the house.
Yang: "Oscar! We have to go, now!"
Oscar looks at them bewildered. Summer and the others, seeing them panic, rushes to help them all out. Penny than joins in too.
Back inside, Weiss grabs a few of the alcoholic bottles from the shelves and throws them towards the basement, shattering them. Qrow, still drunk, speaks.
Qrow: "Hey... Hey! What are you doing?!"
As more of the Grimm slowly start to come out from the basement, Weiss uses Myrtenaster and a glyph to send fire toward the cellar doors. Using the spilled alcohol, she sets the Grimm on fire.
Weiss: "Now we can leave!"
Weiss helps Ruby grab Qrow's arms as they drag him out of the room.
Qrow: "Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you?! What's..."
As Qrow looks up, he sees the Grimm on fire still walking towards them. Qrow looks on in shock as he is dragged out of the house by his niece and her friend.
Outside, everyone sits in the flatbed trailer while Yang starts up her motorcycle. She wastes no time driving away from the now burning house.
Back at the Bridge of Fear...
Sans is now clear of his rage towards his father's killer, who has now transformed to what is truly looks like completely. Even though he still wants to kill her, his rage is now lifted, and will do it for his remaining family and his friends too. He stands up from Amber's encouragement. As he begins transform, a Turqoise light than beams up at the sky. When it is gone...the Evo Cell form has returned again.
Now when he fired, it actually damaged the False Creator. She roared in pain, as she shouted out with rage.
"NO!! NO!!! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!!! YOU!!! I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH SALEM'S PLAN!!! YOUR HEADS WILL BE ON A SPIKE OF MY OWN THRONE, AND YOU, ALONG WITH YOUR FRIENDS WILL DIE!!! AND YOUR ABYSS BLOODLINE, ALONG WITH THE BLOOD OF EVOLUTION WILL PERISH!!!"
She roars and tries to squish him. But Sans flies and gets away from it. The False Creator than tried to use its cables and aimed at Sans. But Sans used his tendrils to block the attack, and even though it is a part of Sans, the tendrils insulated the power of the cables. He than use his magic to use his Abyss Crystals, and animate them, making the constructs and turn into golems. They respond to Sans' threat and attack the False God. Although they got smashed, despite being insanely durable, they are able to reduce Sans' enemy to a number of pieces. Sans and Amber than fired a blast of magical energy, with Amber's a fire, and Sans' the Gaster Abyss Blasters. When they hit, the False God that turn to smoke.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"
The False Deity than shrieked in utter pure agony. This was the first time it had felt such things. Before, it believed itself to be invincible. While it may have taken the attack from Papyrus' attacks, she pretended to be in pain, and made itself look like it died. But now...it was not hiding any form of lies. And now, when it changed back to normal...it felt fear...for the first time. As Sans goes to Claire, he summoned the Crystal Gladius.
Than, Claire begged for mercy, and tries to lie
"Wait. Please, I can bring your father back! Please, just say it to me!"
But Sans looked at her with Black Eyes, as he spoke out.
"Father cannot be brought back from the dead...and neither will you as well...Claire."
He aimed at the neck. And swung the blade, fast.
SHINK!
SPLATTER!
Claire's head was cut from her body, and she was melting into ooze of red and black goo. The False Creator...is destroyed. Sans had finally avenged his Father. As he looks, he saw something in front of him that took him surprised. The Fog is gone, and the other side is seen. There is a trail, and it has some golden linings.
Amber: "This must be it."
She spoke, as she walks to Sans. He than stood up, as he spoke out.
"Yes...it must be it."
He sounds happy, with confused Amber.
"Are you okay, Sans."
Sans nodded.
"Yes...I am okay...in fact....
"...I feel like I can rest again."
He spoke, as they couple fly to the trail seen.
Back with Ruby's Group again...
Yang continues driving Bumblebee down the snowy road with everyone sitting in the trailer being pulled behind her. Penny hugged Mecha, terrified at what they had seen here. Pyrrha was shaking along with May, who is hugging Papyrus.
Papyrus: "What...just happened there?"
Penny: "I don't know! It was so frightening that was!"
May: "It was very terrifying. It was like it was made of a sense of hopelessness.
Mecha: Well...at least we got out. We're lucky.
Maria than explains what the Grimm that they saw are.
Maria: "The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... always."
Oscar is reading the diary that he had found.
Oscar: "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired."
Maria: "The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked."
She than takes the book from Oscar.
"No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left."
Maria takes one more look at the final page of the diary, the last words written down being "I'm tired". She then closes the book and tosses it out into the snow, the cover having "VIII" on it, while the group continues to drive down the road.
Weiss: "I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up."
Upon hearing this, Yang stops driving.
Yang: "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."
Blake: "It's not your fault. It was those... things."
Maria: "I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."
Ruby than looked Thayer curious at Maria, before speaking out.
Ruby: "Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?""
Summer: "Yes...even I am curious at how you know."
Maria than smiled, and spoke out a shocking truth aloud.
Maria: "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes."