3rd Person POV

While Weiss wanders the halls thinking about what Winter just told her...

*screech*

Weiss gasps and runs to the front door and opens it. When she steps outside, a huge cloud of snow, gets blown up by the arrival of Swoop's new Dinobot form. Swoop lands and starts letting Brains, Maria and Pietro down from his neck. Weiss' vision refocuses and she sees the elderly people coming down to the ground.

Weiss: Maria. Dr. Polendina. Are you all okay?

Brains: A little shook from being shot at, but thanks for asking.

Weiss: What happened?

Pietro: Cinder Fall attacked us at Amity, thankfully, your boy was around to fend her off.

Swoop then transforms back into his human form and actually collapsed to his knees in exhaustion.

Swoop: Don't forget basically lifting Amity Colosseum into the air all by myself.

Weiss: Swoop!

Weiss eagerly runs up to Swoop and wraps him in a tight hug, which he happily accepted and returned.

Weiss: I'm so glad you're okay.

Swoop: Eh, it was nothing a Schnee couldn't handle.

Weiss: Oh. I'm so proud of you.

Snarl: Swoop!

Snarl ran up to the pair and Weiss opened up her arms to let Snarl join the family hug, which lasted several minutes.

Penny: Dad!

The view changed to Penny hugging her dad and Blake and Yang come out and happily greet everyone.

Meanwhile, Jaune is wandering the halls when he hears a voice behind him.

Pyrrha: Jaune?

Jaune turns around and looks at Pyrrha still holding, a now sleeping, Slash, he cracked a small smile but that almost immediately fades when he starts thinking about how she might still be feeling about splitting up the teams.

Jaune: Pyrrha, I... I'm sorry for not siding with you, or deciding to go with you.

Pyrrha: Jaune, *he looks at her* I was not upset or angry about your decision.

Pyrrha walked up to Jaune and took his hand in hers. This caused Jaune to look up at her again, and she had a affectionate smile on her lips.

Pyrrha: Disagreements happen, and we shouldn't let ourselves feel bad about what others might think of us when our decisions and opinions don't line up. But I didn't stop loving you, did you?

Jaune understands and grows his small smile again.

Jaune: Never.

Pyrrha then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. The two stay like this until they hear Slash waking up.

Slash: *yawns*

Pyrrha: Well, good morning, princess.

Slash: *waking up* Good morning.

Ren: Guys?

The trio look and see Ren and Nora at the corner of the hallway.

Jaune: Ren?

Nora: Weiss needs to tell us all something in the dining room.

Pyrrha set Slash back down in the bedroom the other kids are sleeping in to allow them some rest before joining everyone else, minus Ruby, in the dining hall.

Weiss has told everyone what happened to Ironwood and how Winter is now in charge.

Jaune: Seriously?

The view pans to Weiss sitting at the dining room table.

Weiss: Would I make this kind of stuff up?

The view pans to Yang and Blake sitting next to each other at the table.

Yang: What about our situation?

The view then pulls away and shows most of the group sitting at the table.

Weiss: Winter said she's dropping all charges against us and the Dinobots. But because Salem is now here, Martial Law is still in effect.

Pyrrha: Okay, that we can deal with.

Nora: So, what do we do from here?

Weiss: Well, obviously, Winter's gonna need us all on the front lines to fight off Salem. The military can handle them until we get there to even the odds.

Ren: One thing's still bugging me.

Jaune: What is it, Ren?

Ren: We were attacked by Decepticons out in the Tundra, that allowed that Grimm to escape with Oscar.

Blake: We were attacked by Decepticons too. What might this mean?

Penny: I thought the Decepticons were defeated?

Bumblebee: There are some that escaped, like Starscream and Shockwave, and are still fiercely loyal to the Decepticon cause. Maybe that's what's happened here?

Yang: I don't know, but I'm still getting a bad feeling about this whole Decepticon thing.

Blake: Then maybe we should end Salem's threat quickly before we think about the 'Cons.

Jaune: Ratchet, how close are you to finishing... what did you call that?

Ratchet: In simple terms, a Fusion Chamber, and it's almost done. By the time we are ready to mobilize it'll be ready.

Yang: Okay, which means we'll have to run Grimlock through it while enroute.

Suddenly, the lights cut out, and Weiss groans.

Weiss: Great, power failure.

Yang: There's a circuit breaker on the premises, right?

Weiss: Yes, there's a small building that houses the controls for the electrics and heating for the Manor.

Yang: Blake and I will go check it out.

Ratchet: Bumblebee and Wheeljack, I will need help moving the fusion chamber onto The Jackhammer.

Wheeljack: We got your back, Doc.

The Bots head outside, while Yang and Blake head to the small building on the edge of the estate. Blake turns on the flashlight on her scroll, while Yang works on the controls.

Yang: So Sludge unlocked a new form?

Blake: Yeah, five Decepticons combined into one.

Yang: It didn't call itself Infernocus, did it?

Blake: No. Bruticus.

Yang: Wow. So, the 'Con that attacked us is still out there.

Blake: There's a lot we still don't know about what Salem has planned for the relics once she has them.

Yang: When Grimlock gets better, we'll figure something out. We always do.

Blake: Yeah. You know, I'm really scared for Ruby.

Yang looks up at Blake.

Yang: What do you mean?

Blake: I mean looking at where she is now with Grimlock in the condition he's in. Ruby's tough, but if she loses Grimlock, It scares me to think what might happen to her.

Yang: Honestly... I'd feel the same way if Slag was in Grimlock's place, we all would if that happened to any of them. But, I'd like to think I'm happy that I still have you and the rest of our friends to help me work through it. We just need to do the same for Ruby.

Blake: Yeah.

Yang finds the switch for the electricity and flips it to the "On" position.

Yang: *exhale* Got it.

The lights in the room come back on and Yang straightens up and looks at Blake.

Yang: That oughta do it.

Blake then turns to Yang, but then notices something outside and grows a terrified expression, and her cat ears fold back, this confuses Yang.

Yang: What?

The Hound's silohuette can be seen via a flash of lightning through the window behind Yang.

Back inside, Weiss suddenly gets a call on her scroll, she answers and hears the frantic breathing of Blake on the other end of the call.

Weiss: Yang! Blake!

Blake: Weiss! There's a Grimm that-- Look out!

Yang: Hyah! *fires Ember Celica* It's that Hound that kidnapped Oscar in the Tundra!

Jaune heard the transmission too, and grew a slightly worried expression.

Pyrrha: What do we do?

Jaune: *reassured tone* Let's put an end to this thing, once and for all.

Jaune draws his sword and deploys his shield, he sees Nora trying to get up and grab her hammer.

Jaune: If you want to help, Nora. Keep Ruby and Grimlock safe here.

Nora nods before the group heads out of the room.

Back outside, Yang is thrown outside through the window and rolls across the ground. She recovers too late to see The Hound charging for her and is tackled again, this time The Hound pins her to the ground. Blake then used her Kusirigama form of Gambol Shroud to hook The Hound's raised right paw and pulls hard. This allows Yang to pry herself free and kick at the Grimm's chin as she recovers in midair. Both Yang and Balke then stand side by side as The Hound recovers.

The Hound: Take. The. Girl.

Yang and Blake look at each other worringly.

Blake: Which one is it after?

Yang: I have no idea.

The Hound charges again but before it can connect, one of Jaunes deployable Hard-Light shields activates in front of the pair, causing the Grimm to bounce off it.

Jaune: Ready for round 2, ugly?!

The Hound recovers and howls before sniffing around, it gaze then focuses on the Manor. Yang notices and manages to put the pieces together.

Yang: It's not here for us! It's after--

The Hound growls loudly before flying towards the Manor.

Inside Weiss' room, Ruby had fallen asleep next to Grimlock when she heard a beeping coming from her pocket. She pulls out her Scroll and see's Yang's picture on it with the text "Calling..." under it. She answers it.

Ruby: *yawns* Yang?

Yang: Ruby! Ruby, can you hear me?!

Ruby: *stretches* Yeah, yeah. What is it?

Yang: There's a Grimm inside the house, I think it's looking for you! Get out of there!

Ruby then heard something coming from beyond the closed door, she quickly covers Grimlock with the blanket. The view then snaps back to the now slowly opening door and the Hound's nose poking through the doorway. The Hound slowly creeps into the room and the camera pans to Ruby hiding behind the nightstand.

The Hound pokes around the bed and sniffs the top, it feels a body underneath and pulls the blanket back to find a restless Grimlock in the middle of another nightmare. Ruby peeks her head out and silently prays that Grimlock's nightmare stops, but it doesn't and Grimlock accidently punches the Hound. The Hound was about to retaliate, but Ruby instinctively used her Semblance and scooped up The Hound and smashed through the window back outside. Both crash landed on the ground outside, Ruby recovered and drew her weapon.

Ruby: You want me? Here I am.

Ruby powers up her silver eyed powers and unleashes it upon the Hound before it can make it's attack, sending it flying backwards across the snow. Ruby breaths a sigh of relief before using her Semblance again to get back to the bedroom where Nora had just entered the room.

Nora: Ruby, are you okay?

Ruby: Yeah, just had to--

Suddenly, a sound from outside draws both girl's attention back to the broken window.

The Hound: Take. The. Girl.

The Hound slowly climbs back into the room and reveals a frightening secret.

There is a person inside the Grimm, this was a Faunus with reddish brown hair, wolf ears, and silver eyes.

The Hound: Take. The. Girl.

Ruby is terrified at first, but when the Hound tries to charge,--

Ruby: *flinches away* Grim!

-it is stopped just beyond Ruby. She looks down and see Grimlock holding the Grimm by the leg, and his eyes are red. Grimlock throws the Hound out and gets out of bed and goes after it.

Ruby: Grimlock!

Nora: Ruby! It's not safe!

Nora manages to pull Ruby out of the room and into the hallway.

Ruby: Grimlock needs our help!

Nora ignores her as they make it to lobby area, where the rest of the Dinokids are looking around confused.

Slam: *confused grunt* ?

Nora: We need--

The Hound is suddenly thrown through the main window and lands on the ground. Nora pulls Ruby and the kids off to the side and draws her hammer. The Hound growls before noticing Ruby and going after her again, but before it can, Grimlock's Dinobot form smashes through the house and snaps his jaws onto the Hound and easily tears it apart with one chomp. Ruby didn't lose her terrified expression because Grimlock's situation was now dire, but Sludge didn't seem to notice and was happy for Grimlock.

Sludge: Yay! Go Grimlock!

Grimlock's red eyes then look to Sludge and he tries to snap his jaws at him. Ruby was quick to use her Semblance on everyone and got them outside where the rest of the group was just coming up to the house.

Weiss: What's going--

Grimlock suddenly smashes through the house and roars at our heroes, Ruby made the gut decision to get in front of everyone and yells.

Ruby: Grimlock! Stop!

Grimlock had already lunged forward when he saw Ruby and broke back to reality, he tried to turn away but one of his teeth catches Ruby's face and she screams as she falls to the ground. Grimlock transformed back into his human form and after puking up some more blood, he looked at Ruby as she recovered.

Grimlock: M-Mom?

Ruby looks at Grimlock and he sees she has lost her left eye.

At first everyone is shocked, but Grimlock looked at Ruby, horrified by what he did.

Grimlock: *scared* No....

Grimlock looks at his hands and starts slowly backing away. Ruby works through the pain and looks at Grimlock's horrified face and reaches out her hand.

Ruby: Grim?

Grimlock: No. Too dangerous.

Grimlock closed his eyes trying to hold back tears before turning around and running away.

Ruby: Grimlock!

At the Jackhammer, Wheeljack and Bumblebee just got Ratchet's Fusion Chamber onboard, when they hear Ruby in the distance.

Ruby: Grimlock, come back!

The three Autobots look and see Grimlock running towards them.

Ratchet: No! Stop him!

All three tried to restrain him, but Grimlock simply tossed them aside and boarded the Jackhammer, closed the hatch and took off before anyone could catch up.

Ruby: Grimlock!

Yang: Come on, we can follow him in the Manta!

The humans run to the Manta climbed in, Ratchet managed to latch onto the bottom of the Manta as Maria took off. Ruby sits crying while Pietro bandages her missing eye.

Ratchet: I've patched into the Jackhammer's communications.

Ruby was quick to pull herself together and approached the cockpit.

Grimlock starts to set the Jackhammer's hyperdrive system when Ruby's voice comes over the radio.

Ruby: Grimlock! Please, come back. We can figure this out. I need you. Please.

Grimlock: Grimlock... can never return.

Suddenly, Grimlock started losing control of himself again and roared in agony, unable to steer the ship, the Jackhammer nosedives towards somewhere on the edge of the city.

Maria: The Jackhammer!

Ratchet: The Fusion Chamber!

Ruby: Grimlock!

Penny is quick to grab Ruby, open the side hatch and quickly fly them both to the crash site.

Ratchet: You must get him into the Fusion Chamber! It's his only chance!

Penny reaches the crash site within seconds and both she and Ruby start looking through the wreckage.

Ruby: Grimlock!

Penny moves a piece of debris and finds the Fusion Chamber, she quickly checks it over to make sure it isn't damaged. Ruby starts looking beyond the wreckage, but finally her eyes land on the body of--

Ruby: Grimlock!

Ruby rushes to Grimlock, collapsing to her knees as she gets close, Grimlock wearily opens his eyes and raises his hand, stopping Ruby.

Grimlock: *weakly* No, Ruby. Too dangerous.

Ruby: You're not dangerous.

Penny: Ruby!

Ruby looks at Penny and the Fusion Chamber, she turns back to Grimlock and tries to pick him up as she speaks.

Ruby: We have to get you in Ratchet's machine.

Ruby manages to get Grimlock over to the Fusion Chamber and lays him inside, she closes the chamber and pulls on the activation handle. Intially, the handle doesn't move, but the beeping from the energy gauge dropping spurs Ruby to pull harder until she finally pulls the handle down. The Fusion Chamber turns on and Ruby returns to watch Grimlock from behind the glass on his left side.

Ruby: Grimlock. You're going to be okay now. *quietly* Please be okay.

Grimlock weakly opens his eyes and looks at Ruby, he then raises his open left hand and puts his hand against the glass, mirroring Ruby's right hand.

Grimlock: Grimlock, sorry. *exhales*

Ruby: Grimlock.

Ruby's eye started to fill with tears, and if Penny had any tears they would be falling now too, because she looked devastated.

The Manta lands nearby and Ratchet unlatches himself from it as the rest of the group get off the Manta.

Ratchet: Hurry! Before-- *sees Grimlock not responding* Oh! No.

Ruby turns and runs up to Ratchet.

Ruby: Ratchet! Ratchet it's not working!

Ruby pulls on Ratchet's finger as they both approach the Fusion Chamber. The others stay back a little to let them work, everyone has worried or sad expressions.

Weiss: *sadly* Oh no.

Ratchet looks at Grimlock then checks the machine, when he realizes what's happened, he closes his eyes and turns back to Ruby and says...

Ratchet: ... We're, too late.

Ruby: *saddened gasp*

The Dinokids all, one by one, start breaking down crying. The adults too followed suit as they each tend to their kids and hold them tight. Penny turned to Pietro and she immediately went to hug him as she kept her devastated expression. Ratchet reluctantly pulled the handle on the machine into the off position in defeat. The Fusion Chamber opens and he gently picks up Grimlock's body and actually hugs him as he says.

Ratchet: I'm so sorry my friend.

Ruby: No!

Ruby suddenly used her Semblance and grabbed Grimlock from him and materialized back on the ground, she craddled Grimlock as she sat down and began to hold him as she cried.

Ratchet: Ruby, there's nothing you can do.... He's gone.

Yang manages to pull herself together and approaches Ruby.

Yang: Oh, sis. Come here.

Ruby: No!

Yang recoiled back, but didn't say anything. Ruby continued crying for several seconds, before forcing herself to stop and say.

Ruby: Grimlock..... I'm so sorry. *sniffles* I kept saying how I needed you.... but you needed me more.

Ruby looked at her rose pin on her cape, she took it off and placed it on Grimlock's chest.

Ruby: You're my family, Grimlock. *hugs his body* And I'll always love you.

Ruby begins crying again. The rest of the humans hold their kids trying to be a comfort to them, but they couldn't keep they're emotions in check either. As Ruby continues crying in the background, the camera focuses on the Fusion Chamber and the gauge that measures Grimlock's energy levels. Suddenly, the lowest bar lights up, then the next level and the next one, numbers start climbing steadily. Grimlock's eyelids flicker slightly, he then manages to raise his right hand and cover Ruby's left hand and her rose pin, Ruby feels this and stops crying. She looks at Grimlock's moved hand, and gasps slightly, before looking at Grimlock's face.

Grimlock: *opens eyes* Grimlock not bad. *happy* Grimlock king!

Ruby: *overjoyed* Grimlock! *laughes in joy*

The gauge on the Fusion Chamber climbs higher and higher until it reaches beyond 100% and flashes while beeping loudly that fusion is complete.

Sludge/Penny: Grimlock!

Everyone rushes forward towards the pair, relieved and overwhelmed with happiness at the miracle before them. Pietro stands next to Ratchet and asks.

Pietro: How is that possible?

Ratchet: It's not. *shrugs*

Grimlock looked up at Ruby and asked.

Grimlock: Grimlock, okay now?

Ruby: *smiles* No more nightmares.

Yang: Grimlock! Oh, you little...

Everyone gathers around and joins in a much needed group hug as the camera zooms out. And while, we are elated that Grimlock is all better, the threat of Salem and the Decepticons still linger in the distance.

(A/N): Cut! *sniffles* I know, that was a lot. Great work though everyone, really sold it on that one. Take your lunch, reapply makeup and all that jazz.

Hey! All you realky wild readers out there! Did you cry? I most certainky did! This was a great chapter to write, hope you all enjoyed it. Have a great rest of your day/night and I'll see y'all next time. PEACE OUT!!!