Epilogue

The Epilogue to Order of Seasons

Life Moves Forward

Heroes Age and Change

Conflict May Always Be Inevitable,

But Throughout Time We Find Moments of Peace

 

 

 

 

10 Years Later

 

 

 

 

Two Friends Stand Together

Pain Can Break Many Things, but Time Heals All Bonds

 

 

 

 

“…and that concludes our lesson of the Vacuo Uprising from seven years ago. Any questions?” As Evan looked around the classroom, he saw one of his students holding up her hand. “Yes Violet?”
            “Professor Hahn, is it true that you used to date the great Professor Curtis?”  The class giggled at this, Evan simply rolled his eyes.
            “Yes, yes.  I have dated people.  And I’m sure you have and will go through a lot of breakups in your lifetime.  Now if we can get back to the lesson please?  Now then, do you have a question Ciera?”

            “Professor Hahn, why exactly did the Order attempt to disrupt the Oasis Restoration Movement in Vacuo? The textbooks say it’s due to the amount of Dust mining opportunities, but the Schnee Dust Company had already started taking steps back from illegal Dust fracking activities after Ms. Schnee took over the business.”

            “You are correct. The Schnee Dust Company did indeed pull out of Vacuo to avoid environmental damage to the oasis” Evan said picking up a paintbrush from his desk. “But you see, Ms. Schnee was still out and about in the world, serving the Kingdoms as a Huntress. The Vacuo Uprising took place about two years before the Atlesian Revolution, and as a result, it created some controversy surrounding the Order and the company.” As he said this, he started creating a large portrait showcasing Weiss and her friends fighting back against Order soldiers. “The Schnee Dust Company is one of the largest companies to vocally give their disapproval of the Order despite the Order having had their hand in several different business dealings even before the Battle of Vytal. As a result….” But before he could finish, the class bell sounded and the students started filing out. “My apologies. I didn’t realize that class was almost over.” With a wave of his hand, his artwork faded and evaporated in an instant. “I will make a video later tonight and post it on the class page if people are interested in learning more.” He started collecting his things and started heading for the door. Walking out into the hallway, he was surprised to see Christy standing there.

            “I thought you were going to be escorting Team BLCK on a mission to Mountain Glenn?” Evan said shocked.

            “You sound annoyed to see me.” Christy said jokingly, punching him in the shoulder. Evan smiled, then returned the favor to Christy, both of them with big smiles on their faces.

            “So what exactly happened?” Evan asked as they started walking back to their offices.

            “Well, I finished my lecture on the Great War quicker than I thought I would, so I let my class out early. I was getting my stuff ready for the mission to Mountain Glenn, when Professor Ozpin came up to me and said that Dr. Oobleck had some studies he wanted to conduct in that general area, and asked if I would hand the mission off to him.”

            “Why’s that? You’re both history professors. What’s the difference?” Christy sighed then explained,

            “Ozpin still trusts Oobleck a bit more than he does me. I mean, I can’t blame the guy. He’s been around forever and we’ve only worked with him for about three years.”

            “Has it really already been that long since Ozpin offered us the job?”

            “It really is crazy. I never expected this kind of job. Especially not after the whole fiasco of the Atlesian Revolution.”

            “Well, at least Weiss is able to keep things in check up there.”

            “I just hope she can keep it together” Christy said stopping to take a drink of water. “Running a company and a combat school is hard enough. I think I even saw Pyrrha with some stress lines the last time we talked, and she’s just the head of a combat school!”

            “Ozpin pretty much runs a school, a Kingdom, and a secret circle that keeps the entire world safe, so we don’t have much to complain about.”

            “Well, you’re not wrong.” The two of them laughed, reached their offices.  “Would you like a cup of tea?” Evan offered.
            “Sure.” Christy said opening the door to her office.  “Let me put my stuff away real quick.”  Christy then dropped her books off in her office.  Evan started putting his stuff on his desk while Christy started making a pot of tea.

            “Oh yeah,” Christy said as she put the kettle on the little mini stove, “put on your calendar that we’re meeting up with everybody at the beach on Patch in two months.”

            “Really? That’s awesome! Did Ruby finally convince Miles and Blake to take a break from their constant fighting?”

            “Actually, they weren’t the ones who were the most difficult to pin down….

 

 

 

 

Three Forged by Fire

Family Struggles Only Made Them Stronger

Now Travel the World in Defense of the Greater Good

 

 

 

 

            “Okay.” Pyrrha said as she wrote down the information in her notepad. “Thanks for the Dust supply Weiss. I’ll get Jaune in touch with the finance people here at Haven to get your company the compensation.”

            “That won’t be necessary Pyrrha.” Weiss said on the video monitor. “Consider us even for you and your friends standing with me during the Atlesian Revolution.”

            “Weiss, really. You’ve been too kind to all of us. You don’t have to do this, we would be more than happy to pay.”

            “I’ve already sent the shipment and I’ve got it all paid for from my personal bank account. I hope this helps your school move forward Pyrrha. Excited to see you at Patch in a few months!” With that said, Weiss signed, off, leaving Pyrrha alone in her office at the top of Haven tower. She looked out and saw an airship land on the docks nearby and a smile formed on her face. Before she could even stand up, Jaune rushed in almost out of breath.

            “Pyrrha! It’s…friends…. the three of them…. barging in…it’s…” Pyrrha laughed at her husband’s grand attempts to keep his composure despite being short of breath. She stood up and placed her hand on his shoulder.

            “I just saw them land Jaune. Why don’t you go down and bring them up?” Jaune nodded his head and started running for the elevator.

            “And take your time please? You know they are incredibly patient.”

 

 

 

 

The elevator doors opened and Jaune walked in with Jacob, Ty and Brooklyn in tow. Pyrrha minimized all her file windows and walked over to greet them.

            “It’s been too long.” She said with a smile as she gave Jacob a hug.

            “Likewise.” Jacob said returning the gesture. Pyrrha then went around and gave both Ty and Brooklyn hugs as well, then they all went over and stood around her desk.

            “So what brings you to Haven if you don’t mind me asking?” Pyrrha said as she sat down. “Usually, you three are so busy with your regular duties as Huntsmen that you rarely come into the city.”

            “We were in the area and thought we would stop by and say hello!” Brooklyn said as she placed her Scroll on the table. “I mean, it’s like you said, it’s been so long.” There was a bit of an awkward pause before Pyrrha sighed and stood up.

            “Jacob, are you sure there isn’t something you aren’t telling me?”

            “It’s just as Brooklyn said.” Jacob said sheepishly. “In the area, thought we’d say hi! Is it wrong for cousins to say hi to one another?” Pyrrha sighed again, then looked straight at Ty.

            “Ty? Tell me the truth please.” Ty rolled his eyes and exhaled,

            “All right, since you two chuckleheads won’t tell her I will.” He then opened up his Scroll and pushed a few buttons causing a mug shot and a police report to pop up. “We’ve been trying to figure out where the Council of Four for the Order makes their base of operations, and we believe that Dr. Watts here can give us an idea of where to look.”

            “What connection does he have with the Order?” Jaune asked walking towards the picture of Dr. Watts.

            “As far as we know, Dr. Watts doesn’t have any connections with the Order as far as alliances go.” Jacob said pulling up different files on Dr. Watts. “But he was apart of Salem’s council years ago, and as a result, worked with Tyrian, one of the new leaders of the Order. We think that through Dr. Watts, we can find Tyrian and the rest of the Order.”

            “I see. And what do you need my help with?” Pyrrha said as she started looking over the police report.

            “His last known location was here in Mistral.” Brooklyn said pulling up a map on her phone. “As far as we can tell, this part of the world has strong ties with the Dark Realm, so it makes sense why they would meet here. And according to some of our sources, he’s still here, just hiding away until he shrivels up and dies or something of that nature.”

            “We need access to some of the public records and household listings.” Jacob said leaning forward on Pyrrha’s desk. “We can’t access this on our own. Not even our medals from the Battle of Vytal are enough to get what we need. We need your seal of approval as Headmistress of Haven Academy.” Pyrrha sighed, then tapped a few icons on her desk and pulled up some official documents, then swiped them over onto Brooklyn’s Scroll.

            “There you go,” she said. “With that, you should be given access to whatever you need. Good luck to you all.” Brooklyn picked up her Scroll, then sent the information to both Ty and Jacob.

            “Thanks Pyrrha.” Jacob said giving her the warriors bow. “We should be on our way.” They turned to leave, but then Jaune spoke up.

            “You sure you guys don’t want to get dinner together?”

            “We have to find them Jaune.” Ty said pressing the button to call for the elevator. “If we are going to get this done, we have to do it now.”

            “But you said that he was just lying around just waiting to die, right? You should come over to our place tonight! I’m sure the kids would love to see you guys again!”

            “We really should get going.” Jacob said walking into the elevator as the doors opened. But before they could close, Pyrrha, caught the door using her polarity and walked into the elevator with them.

            “You guys are meeting us on Patch in two months, right?”

            “Well, yeah. I mean, we were kind of forced to by Yang and Nathan.” Ty rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. “I swear, she dislocated my shoulder with that last punch!”

            “Look, you three have been running all over Remnant keeping the world safe. We can’t thank you enough for that. But you should take some time to rest. You just got here. Jaune and I could get the guest beds ready for you all in no time flat. Plus, tonight is pancake night!”

            “Pancakes for dinner?” Brooklyn said with a confused look.

            “It’s Nora and Ren’s recipe!” Jaune said excitedly. “We did it when we were still a team back in Beacon, but our kids love it so much we kind of made it a monthly tradition to have pancakes for dinner. Come on! It’ll be fun!” The three of them pondered this for a minute, then Jacob sighed.

            “We’ll be hanging out in the town square. We need to restock some of our supplies, so we’ll get that done while you two finish up here. Just send us a text when you guys are leaving. We know where you live.” Pyrrha smiled when she heard this, and released the doors.

            “That sounds lovely.” She said with a smile as the doors closed and the elevator descended down the tower. She then looked at Jaune and gave him a smirk.

            “Are you sure there’s enough ingredients to accommodate three more people?”

            “Hey!” Jaune said defensively. “Feeding those five kids is tough enough! I made sure that we had more than enough ingredients in case Xia decides that she wants to try and break Nora’s record in a single sitting!” They both smiled and laughed, and gave each other a quick kiss and held each other for a few minutes.

            “I can’t wait to see everybody in a few months.” Pyrrha said with a sigh.

            “Me neither.”

 

 

 

 

Tragedy Broke Them

Reality Hurt Them

But Together They Found Strength

A Rhythm That Nobody Could Break

 

 

 

 

Nathan sat calmly in his chair looking out the window as the clouds rolled over the forests of Patch. It was a rare peaceful day. That all changed when he heard an explosion from the other room. He quickly jumped up and ran over to see his daughter running around the house with his wife’s shotgun arm.

            “YANG?! HONEY?! GET DOWN HERE PLEASE?!” Nathan yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran over and grabbed the arm from the little girl. “Bad Ember! You know you aren’t supposed to play with mom’s combat arm!” Yang ran into the room with worry on her face.

            “What happened? What’s going on?”

            “Ember got a hold of your combat arm again.” Nathan said picking up the now crying little girl. “I thought you said you put it in the lock box upstairs in our room?”

            “I did! I even made sure to use the lock with the passcode on it this time!” The two of them went upstairs and were surprised to realize that the box was still completely locked up.

            “How in the heavens did you do that kiddo?” Nathan asked Ember.

            “Well, I just reached into the box and pulled out the arm.” Ember was clearly still a little shaken up by the shouting, so Yang ruffled her hair a little bit.

            “It’s okay hot stuff! Could you show mommy and daddy how you did it?”

            “Are you sure I won’t get in trouble?” Ember said with clear signs of fear in her voice.

            “Ember,” Nathan said with a smile. “While we seriously need to work on you remembering things we told you before about your mother’s arm, we both want to see how you got her arm out of that box. To us, this seems almost impossible to accomplish! So here.” Nathan then took Yang’s combat arm and gave it to Ember. “Just put it back the same way you took it out!” Ember then took the arm, leaned over to the box, and then what happened next astonished the both of them. The arm phased through the box, as well as a small portion of Ember’s arm, and then a second later, she pulled her hand out, and the arm dropped down in the box with a thud. Nathan and Yang looked at each other shocked. Not sure how to react.

            “Am I in trouble?” Ember said with a few tears in her eyes. Nathan and Yang looked at her and laughed.

            “You aren’t in trouble sweetie!” Nathan said holding her up in the air. “Your mother and I couldn’t be more proud of you!”

            “You’re going to be a great Huntress someday kiddo!” Yang said giving Ember a wink.

            “You really think so?” Ember said as her face started to light up.

            “Definitely!” Nathan said. “Your eighth birthday is coming up soon! Which means we can get started on training you! I’m so excited!”

            “Are you sure I can do everything you say I can?” Ember said once again. “I mean, you and mom are heroes! How can I ever live up to that?” Nathan smiled, then put down Ember and got on one knee so he could be face to face with her.

            “Ember Raven Grover, you were named after two of the greatest people to ever walk the world of Remnant. They both had struggles, and they had doubts as well. But they never stopped moving forward despite the fact that sometimes the world didn’t give them any recognition. That necklace you wear?” as he said this, he pointed at the silver necklace around Ember’s neck. “The woman who gave me that necklace inspired me to never give up. And now that has been passed down to you.”

            “Mom? Why is dad getting all preachy again?” They both laughed, and then Yang picked her up with her cyborg arm.

            “I don’t know. He never was this preachy back when we first met. Heck, he wasn’t even this preachy when he proposed to me! He just gave me the ring, I said yes, and we just went from there! Heck, he hardly talked at all that first night after we got married.” Yang said this with a wink directly at Nathan.

            “Well, there was so much ‘bang’ that we didn’t need to talk.” They both laughed, leaving Ember looking at them awkwardly.

            “You two are dirty…..”

 

 

 

 

Haunted by Decisions of the Past

Distraught, They Ran and Fought

But Together, Their Shadows Melded

Conquering Their Fears and Moving Forward

Into A Brand New Dawn

 

 

 

 

As they got off the boat, they noticed that a few Grimm had managed to sneak onto the docks and were causing a bit of a ruckus. They drew their weapons and were about to attack, when a few nearby sailors ran over and defeated the Grimm with relative ease. They both sighed and put their blades away.

            “Honestly, I’m surprised to see that the Grimm reached Menagerie despite the efforts by the Atlesian military.”  Miles said as he walked towards the mainland.  “I thought the Grimm were mostly stuck around Atlas given some of the negative emotions still smoldering after the Revolution a few years ago.”

            “I’m surprised that there are so many people around to take care of it now!” Blake said as she linked her arm with his. “Last time I was here, I had to take out a whole horde of Grimm by myself until help arrived.”
            “Was that before or after we worked with your old man to build the CCT tower here on Menagerie?”
            “After.  It happened while you were helping out with the new government in Atlas and I was supposed to be here preparing for our wedding.  My parents managed to rally the local militia to help out, but it was still a mess dealing with all those Grimm.”

            “Sounds like it. It does help though that the Grimm don’t really have anyone to give them any sense of direction.”

            “Speaking of which, any word on the actions that the Order seem to be taking in Mantle?”

            “It’s all just rumors according to Ty when I talked to him last. I think they’re in Mistral right now looking for some loose ends that one of the new leaders forgot to tie up to get some answers.”

            “That sounds like a good idea. I just wish we could find the last pieces of the White Fang so I can finally put that whole mess behind me.” Blake said this clearly upset, her head was lowered a bit as they walked down one of the streets. Miles then wrapped his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

            “It is behind you. Our job now is to hope that Qrow and the others can clean up the last few pieces that are mostly insignificant at this point. Sienna Kahn is pretty much out of followers. Ever since Velvet started the White Faun organization, things have been really looking up for Faunus rights.” Blake smiled, and wrapped her arm around Miles’ waist.

            “You’re right. Besides, today should be a happy day! I mean, I just can’t wait to tell my parents!”

            “I just hope your dad doesn’t tear me limb from limb when he finds out.” Blake laughed as Miles adjusted his collar nervously. They reached their destination, and the two of them smiled, and knocked on the door together. After a minute of awkward silence, they were about to knock on the door again, but then the door swung open and Blake’s father stood in the doorway, towering over the two of them.

            “Hey you two! I haven’t seen you since the ceremony!” he said excitedly. Before they had a chance to say anything, he already had them trapped in a bear hug and pulled them into the house. “You should have told us you were coming!”

            “Well, we knew how much you like surprises!” Blake said trying to breathe through the crushing arms of her father. He finally released them both, and then ran into the other room

            “Kali! Blake and Miles are here!” A second later, Kali walked into the room with a huge smile on your face.

            “You two are just in time! I just put a kettle on! Would you two like a cup of tea?”

            “That’s very kind.” Miles said. “Thank you.”

 

 

 

 

            “As far as we know, it means that the White Fang is grasping at straws now.” Miles said taking a sip of tea from his cup. “They’ve devolved from a serious terrorist group into more of a group of bandits. Most of their strongest members jumped ship and joined the Order following the stunt that Sienna Kahn pulled in Vacuo during the uprising. But the few that are as delusional as Kahn herself is remained, and that’s the big issue going on right now in the Kingdoms.

            “I see.” Ghira said placing his cup on a coaster. “So what does this mean for Ren and Nora out in the villages?”

            “As of right now, they’re coordinating with Professor Ozpin and Professor Port to try and put together a team of Huntsmen and Huntresses to track them down.” Blake said adding a few cubes of sugar to her tea. “Miles and I were supposed to lead the mission, but after some recent events, we decided to step down. We asked that Qrow would take over the mission.”

            “Wait, recent events?” Kali leaned forward, kind of confused. “What happened? You didn’t get injured, did you?”

            “No, no. Far from it.” Blake said sounding anxious. She started blushing extremely hard, then Miles placed his hand on her hands. She looked up at him, and saw his reassuring yet nervous smile. She couldn’t help but chuckle. She then took a deep breath, but didn’t let go of Miles’ hand. Their rings made a small ting sound in the process.

            “Mom, dad, something wonderful has happened.”

 

 

 

 

In the Beginning, they were but Children

Simply Dreaming of a World Where They Could Help

Each of Them Opposites of the Other

One Lived in Fear, the Other in Love

But Together, They Bring Out the Best in One Another

And Move Forward Not As Children, But As Heroes and Partners.

 

 

 

 

As the airship landed, Ruby and Natalie stepped out and walked into the main lobby. They were then greeted by a woman in a white outfit and nurse’s hat.

            “Welcome” the lady said bowing in the traditional fashion. “I trust your trip was a pleasant one?”

            “About as normal as we expect just about every trip on airships these days.” Natalie said cracking her neck. “So how does this work? Is there like a room full of kids and I just pick them out or something?”

            “Natalie, we went over this.” Ruby whispered in her ear.  “We were given a brochure of the kids we want to meet and potentially adopt.”

            “Oh yeah. Well then, who are we meeting today?!”
            “A few children.” The nurse said.  “Please wait here, I’ll get some paperwork prepared for you.”  The nurse then turned and entered the building, leaving Natalie and Ruby alone together.
            “I'm glad we found the time for this.”  Natalie said.  “These assignments have been getting pretty darn crazy.”
            “You know, I'd meant to ask you Natls,”  Ruby asked looking up at the sky, “Why are you so intent on adoption?  According to Weiss, Atlas has some tech that can allow us to conceive together.”
            “The thought of having a spawn with our genetics did seem kind of fun, but I always think back to when Nathan and I had to fend for ourselves after Aequo was destroyed.  Or how Ember grew up from what little she told me living in the orphanage.  I just believe I can do more good helping one who needs a family.  It almost keeps Ember's legacy alive, you know?”  
             "Yeah, I think I do."  The two of them smiled as the nurse returned and handed Natalie a document which she filled out. The nurse then directed them to a room where there was a table with five kids playing around. Three girls and two boys. The moment the two of them entered the room, the children’s faces lit up. They ran over, said hi to the newcomers, and they all began having a fun time together.

 

 

 

 

The older kids were completely enthralled by Natalie’s weapons.  But Natalie was busy playing peek-a-boo with one of the younger kids using her invisibility semblance.  After a few more minutes, she said goodbye to the kids and headed back into the hallway.

            “AHHHH!” Natalie exclaimed in excitement. “I just want to hug and squeeze them all!”

            “I know how you feel.”  Ruby said.  “But remember: we only have so much money to pay the agency with. Even with the yearly grants we get from the World Council for everything we’ve done.”

            “I know I know. It’s just so hard to pick one out though.”

            “Well, out of all of them, who would you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
            “Well, if I had to pick…..”

 

 

 

 

There was a knock on the door, and Arri sprang up and opened it up excitedly.

            “Yes?” She asked trying to contain her joy.

            “Hey Arri!” Natalie said with a smile. “How would you like to come home and live with us?” Arri tried to hide how excited she was, but it was clear that she couldn’t contain it. She threw herself into the arms of her new mothers, and cried tears of happiness. And then she jumped back, and said,

            “Can I ask one favor though?”

            “What’s that?” Natalie asked. Arri then took her by the hand and led them down the hallway towards the infant wing, with Ruby following close behind. Turning into one of the rooms, she then led them to a crib where a baby girl sat there, completely wrapped perfectly in her cloth. Her skin was a bright white, and her eyes a deep red.

            “Can you adopt her as well please?” Arri said as she looked at her new mother with puppy dog eyes. Ruby and Natalie were a bit confused.

            “Why do you want us to adopt this baby out of all the other children here?” Ruby asked getting down on one knee.

            “I don’t know” Arri said. “I just feel like she deserves a happy family and I feel like a big sister to her. I can’t really explain it. It’s something about her eyes. They just make me feel happy inside.” Ruby and Natalie looked at each other, a little concerned.

            “Do we even have enough money to handle an eight year old and a baby?” Ruby asked concerned.

            “Well, maybe I could convince Ozpin to increase the amount of the yearly grant, and plus, if they both go to Beacon, then we would save a fortune on tuition. Heck, I think Ozpin told me that he wouldn’t even charge us admission at all if any kids of our teams enrolled at his school.”

            “That seems a bit too generous.” Ruby said pacing back and forth a bit. “I mean, he already hurt the school’s finances a ton with enrolling both of us and your brother without having to pay tuition. Imagine what happens if Ember and some of the Arc kids decide to enroll at Beacon at the same time.” Natalie nodded in agreement, then walked over to look at the baby once again. Looking closer, she saw something in her eyes that made her remember something. A person who stood tall and seemed larger than life, yet stood next to Ozpin like they were family.

            “We're adopting her.” Natalie said picking up the baby.

            “Are you sure?” Ruby asked scratching her head. “We planned on only one kid. We don’t even have a baby crib yet!”

            “I could call your sister. I don’t think she’s going to need the one she has now since Ember is too old for it.”

            “Actually,” Ruby said walking forward, “Yang called me the other day. She’s pregnant again. She’s waiting to surprise Nathan and Ember on Ember’s birthday.”

            “Sheesh. Are they trying to top Jaune and Pyrrha with a kid count?”

            “I doubt it. But anyways, if you think that adopting the baby is a good idea in your heart of hearts, I'm with you.” Ruby said with a smile.
            “Thank you so much Ruby!” Natalie said with a huge grin on her face. “That sound good Arri?” They both looked down to see that Arri was asleep, having gotten bored with waiting for her to decide. They both laughed, picked up Arri, and walked to the front desk.

            “This is going to be tough at first,” Ruby said, “But if I know everything you and I have been through, I feel like we can accomplish anything together.” Natalie smiled, holding Ruby's hand with her free arm and opening the door with the other while still carrying the child.

            “I know. We’ve been doing it for ten years now.” They reached the front desk, and the clerk was surprised to see them carrying the baby in their arms.

            “Are you adding another child to your adoption?” she asked pulling up a screen and started calculating a total.

            “I am.” Natalie said. “We would like to adopt Arri, and….” Realizing that she didn’t even know the baby’s name yet, Natalie checked the name on the paper attached to the back of the baby.

            “We would like to adopt Hera.”

 

 

 

 

Time Continues to Move Forward

Not Slowing Down For Anyone.

Things Keep Changing

But the Reuniting of Friends and Family

Can Remind Us of How Beautiful and Important

Friends Can Be

 

 

 

 

Two Months Later

 

 

 

 

Nathan got up from his couch when he heard a knock on the door. Walking over, he saw Ember phasing through the ceiling and making a beeline for the door as well.

            “Aunt Natalie and Aunt Ruby are here!” she yelled excitedly. Throwing open the door, she immediately jumped up and gave Ruby a hug.

            “Oof!” Ruby exclaimed taking a few steps back. “You’ve gotten bigger since I saw you last kiddo!” She set Ember down, and walked in to give Nathan a hug. Ember was about to full on tackle Natalie as well, but then realized that she was holding a baby in one hand, and the hand of a girl who looked about the same age as Ember in the other.

            “Hey kiddo!” Natalie said letting go of the other girl’s hand to give her a hug. “How’s life on Patch?!”

            “It’s fun, but kind of boring also. I mean, I got to visit Uncle Ozpin in Vale a while ago, but I want to see the rest of the world!”

            “I want to see the world too!” Ember looked over to get a better look at the girl who spoke up. Looking closer at her, she had green eyes, and was wearing a small flower in her hair.

            “Who are you?” Ember asked tilting her head to the side in confusion.

            “I’m Arri!” she exclaimed extending her hand for a handshake. “According to my parents, you’re my cousin Ember!”

            “Cousin?” Ember took a second to process this; confusion was all over her face. “Daddy? What’s a cousin?”

            “It’s somebody who’s the child of an aunt or uncle and is related to you.” Nathan yelled from the other room.

            “I don’t really get it.” Ember said scratching her head.

            “It’s okay, I don’t understand it either!” Arri said smiling and placing her hands behind her back. “So until we do, want to be friends?” Ember pondered this for a second, but then Yang placed her hand on Ember’s shoulder.

            “Go for it kiddo!” she said with a smile. “You might be surprised how awesome having a friend can be!” Ember was a bit hesitant, but then shrugged her shoulders and ran outside and over to the small play fort that Nathan and Yang had built for her as a child.

            “Come on!” Ember said calling out to Arri. “This place is awesome!” Arri ran over and joined Ember, leaving the adults to catch up and say hi.

            “Man! You’re starting to get a pretty serious bump sis!” Ruby said placing her hand on Yang’s baby bump. “Did the doctors give you an estimate of when the baby is coming?”

            “They said in about six months, so Nathan and I have been getting ready for that. Speaking of babies, how’s life with the little one here!” Yang said pinching Hera’s cheek.

            “It’s been going good!” Natalie said patting Hera’s head. “She’s been an absolute angel! We haven’t really had any incidents involving diapers or crying with her whatsoever! It’s like she’s older than she really is!”

            “So when is everybody else getting in?” Ruby asked walking into the kitchen and grabbing a glass of water for herself and then pouring one for Natalie.

            “The Arc’s and the three stooges are arriving via a private airship in a little bit.” Nathan said as he grabbed a cooler from the pantry and started filling it with different cold food items. “Weiss is taking her private airship to pick up Beanie, Evan, Christy, and Ren and Nora. Miles and Blake are coming in on a ferry from Menagerie.”

            “It seems like those two have been spending a lot of time on that island.” Natalie said. “I thought for sure they would be the ones to lead the charge on the attack that lead to the destruction of the White Fang.”

            “Yeah, Uncle Qrow told me it was for good reason, but he wouldn’t tell me what reason.” Ruby said placing her used glass in the dishwasher.

            “Maybe they’ll tell us today?” Yang said adjusting one of the loose screws on her cyborg arm. “Man, I hate this older model, but it works great for the beach.”

 

 

 

 

Nathan shielded his eyes as the airship kicked up a large cloud of dust next to the house. Once it cleared, the doors opened and out walked the entire Arc family and the three warriors. Nathan walked up and gave them all hugs.

            “Great to see you guys again!” he said with excitement. “How’s life?!”

            “About as well as it could be.” Jacob said grabbing a pack of drinks from the airship cargo hold. “Where’s everybody else?”

            “They all went down to the beach already. The kids were getting a bit antsy, so the parents headed down with them and got things set up.”

            “I’m excited to meet the children that Natalie and Ruby adopted!” Pyrrha said as she used her magnetism to pick up a grill. “I’m sure the kids will all love them!”

            “Well, let’s get going!” Nathan led the way to the beach. When they arrived, everybody was excited, the kids started playing together, and hugs were shared all around. While this was going on, another airship landed back on the edge of the forest right by the beach. The doors slid open, and out stepped Beanie and everybody else.

            “Hey guys!” Beanie said walking forward and giving people handshakes. “Long time no see!” Evan and Christy were the next two to get off the airship, after that Weiss, then Ren and Nora followed.

            “We even managed to pick up a few extra people as well!” Nora said excitedly. “Their ferry got into port early!” Everybody then turned to see Miles stepping off the airship. Then Blake got off the airship, with Miles offering her a hand down. But then, everybody’s collective jaws dropped when they realized Blake was clearly pregnant.

            “What?!” Natalie exclaimed trying to contain her excitement. Everybody started crowding around the two of them and bombarded them with either questions or stomach rubs.

            “How far along are you Blake?” Christy asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

            “About three months now.” Blake said placing a hand on her stomach. “Miles and I have been going back and forth between our home in Vale and my parent’s home in Menagerie to try and get ready for the child.”

            “You should have told us!” Natalie said excitedly. “We would have loved to help you out with this!”

            “You two were busy with your own children, as are Pyyrha and Jaune, Nathan and Yang are getting ready for another child of their own, Christy is busy with her classes, much like Evan, and we hardly ever see Ty, Jacob or Brooklyn these days.” Miles said wrapping his arm around Blake. “So, since I don’t have any family to go back to for advice about this, we decided that Blake’s family would be the best solution.” Nathan was clearly holding back from making some random joke at the expense of Miles and Blake, so Miles spun around and grabbed Nathan by the shirt and exclaimed,

            “Unless the next words out of your mouth are ‘congratulations’ or ‘I’m happy for you’, I will send you flying out five miles into the ocean.” Nathan then backed off, smiling sheepishly.

            “Congrats Watson! I guess you and Blake finally got past the awkwardness and got busy!”

            “Can I throw him out to sea for that one?” Miles asked Blake leaning over next to her ear.

            “I say let him live for now.” She said with a smirk. “He oversteps his bounds, then you can toss him out to sea.” After everybody finished gawking over Blake and Miles’ future child, they all settled down and had an amazing day. The kids played in the water, some of the adults joined them, while others stayed on the beach and enjoyed good food and company. As the day went on, the kids started to tire out. All the parents took their kids back to Nathan and Yang’s house and helped put them to bed or at least a temporary bed in case their families would leave after the night. Everybody else just stayed out on the beach and shared stories and recounted old memories underneath the stars. Natalie looked up and smiled. She didn’t know what the future had in store, but she was excited nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

Time Has Passed

Warriors Have Aged

And While They Still Protect the World

Soon it will be Time to Give Way

To the Next Generation

 

 

 

 

17 Years Later

 

 

 

 

Hera was a bit slow to get up. She rolled out of bed and opened up the blinds and let in the sunlight. She got dressed, and walked downstairs. Pouring a bowl of cereal, her older sister Arri walked in and joined her.

            “How’d you sleep sis?” Arri asked as she got a pot of coffee going.

            “I slept fine.” Hera said eating a spoonful of cereal. “I just had another one of those weird dreams.”

            “The one with the dark woman?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Have you told Natalie or Ruby yet?” Arri asked as she got out some bread for toast.

            “Not yet.” Hera said taking another bite of cereal. “I think I’m going to wait until I get on a team before telling them. I mean, maybe I should talk to Uncle Ozpin. Sometimes I see him in my dreams.”

            “Do you see anybody else?”

            “Sometimes I see you.”

            “Me?” Arri almost dropped her mug when she heard this.

            “Well, not you exactly. I mean, the girl doesn’t look exactly like you, but you both have the same eyes. It’s a little weird.”

            “Well, whatever. Get ready to go. We still have to pick up Gray from our aunt and uncle’s place, and we have to pick up Aurora from the Watson’s place.”

            “Thanks for giving us a lift to orientation sis.” Hera said as she finished her cereal. “I know that right now isn’t the easiest of times for you. Did Beanie specify why he wanted Team BEAT (Bovia Brown, Ember Xiao Long, Arri Grover, Terra Violetta.) on this particular mission?”

            “He didn’t. But it doesn’t matter. I have more than enough time to take my little sister, our younger cousin, and our friend to their first day of school! Now go get ready! We don’t have all day!” Hera smiled, put her dishes away, and then ran off to her room and got dressed. They then got into their personal airship and headed to Patch and picked up Gray Grover, who was waiting for them at the doorstep of his house. After picking him up, they swung by the apartment complex where Aurora lived. Instead of waiting for them to land, she just jumped right into the airship from her bedroom window, her mother looking on with worry, but also some happiness.

            “Have a good first year at school honey!” Blake said waving goodbye to her daughter. Aurora returned the wave and took a seat next to Gray and Hera.

            “Hey guys!” Aurora said as she put on her seatbelt. “How’s life?!”

            “Well, apart from being scared out of my pants right now, I’m doing just great.” Gray said as he placed a cold towel on his forehead.

            “I’m doing all right.” Hera said giving Aurora a fist bump. “How’s Daniel doing?”

            “He’s doing his own thing. He told me the other day that he wants to go into filmmaking as a career instead of being a Huntsman.”

            “How did your parents react to that?”

            “Actually, they were both pretty cool about it. Mom said she was happy that we lived in a world where he could do whatever he wanted despite being a Faunus, and Dad was just happy that he was following his own path instead of the one everybody expected him to follow.”

            “Your parents are the coolest.” Hera said with a smile.

            “Please. Your parents helped win the Battle of Vytal! And your mom dealt the finishing blow!” Aurora said excitedly. “I think that gives you a leg up on my parents.”

            “Well, at least your parents don’t constantly make bad puns.” Gray said pulling out his Scroll and some ear buds. “I’m going to be so happy when I don’t have to deal with that for nine months.”

            “Hey kids!” Arri yelled from the cockpit. “We’re here!” The airship touched down right by the docks and the doors opened wide. Gray and Aurora got out right away, but Hera stayed behind to give her sister one last hug.

            “I love you sis.” Hera said with tears in her eyes.

            “You’ll do great.” Arri said. “I’ll probably see you around on campus from time to time. Just take care of yourself.”

            “Any suggestions going into my first year here?”

            “I know it isn’t the easiest thing in the world to pull off, but bunk beds really gives you a ton of free space in the room.” They both chuckled; Hera gave Arri one last hug and got off the airship. Hera watched as the airship took off and headed towards the Forest of Forever Fall. She then picked up her bags and joined her friends.

            “You guys ready?” Aurora said with a smile.

            “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Gray said tightly clutching his backpack.

            “This is the first step towards something truly special.” Hera said. The three of them took their first steps forward and headed straight for the amphitheater, ready for whatever lied before them.

 

 

 

 

Roll Credits

 

 

 

 

 

RWBY

Order of Seasons

 

 

 

 

The End

Author's Note

This is the ending for Order of Seasons, so please read/review/enjoy! And maybe even share it with some friends who may like this story!

Reviews

[Shep]

I count myself lucky to have read this story and i plan on sharing it with as many people that will listen to me to read this story. It was awesome and full of life and battle nearly every chapter I read. I look forward to you reading my work as well. Please be kind and return the love.