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We needed to establish why the fight occurred in the first place.
The bad guys wanted to get the good guys out of the way. The good guys were just gonna get in the way of things, and they’ve done a pretty good job at being a thorn in their side.
They wanted to send in every special fighter (those people doing nothing at Salem's HQ). They were to get the relic, get the spring maiden, maybe get some training in while they kick ass, and get the hell out of there before help arrives.

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We can look at this entire event from a character POV or a writer POV. These are two different ways of thinking, a meta and non-meta way.

Let's see the character side first: ,If you were a villain you would want to make everything easy on yourself. You know where the good guys live, so send stuff to their house and try to kill them while they sleep or something.
From a writer’s POV, this fight never needed to happen. You would see the inconvenience for the animators & editors. Instead of seeing the importance of the fight, it seems like they saw this as an opportunity to get interactions between heroes and villains.
It seems to me that the writers are actually very worried that some information isn't getting across to us, which is why they insist on writing so many talk scenes. They really want us to know what's happening... and they want to keep setting things up, and reminding us of different things. However, there are times to talk and there are times to fight.

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Let's start by getting one important thing out of the way. I need to have the good guys win in all cases, because I can’t change the output of the entire story. I have no idea what Volume 6 is gonna be like, so I don't know if a happy ending is appropriate to leave off on.
For all intents and purposes, the white fang and everyone else will be defeated regardless. This is simply me trying to explain how we can spice it up a little and make it interesting.

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The intended setup includes Qrow, Oscar, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, and Ren on the good side, and they're going up against Mercury, Emerald, Cinder, Vernal, Raven, Lionheart and Hazel.
You may be asking, Dan are you forgetting about the white fang?
Honestly, I’m not gonna change anything from the white fang situation because there’s not much to change because not much happened, therefore there’s no much to improve upon. If you have nothing to begin with, in my opinion – you can’t change that.
Therefore, I’m going to keep it the same, just without all the standing around. Let’s say that Adam and his elite dudes are all told that there will be no opposition there, and they’re really surprised when they see a group of faunus mercenaries come out of nowhere.
Instead of testing their strength, they run.
That’s it. You’re clearly outnumbered and surrounded, you’re gonna run. I'm not expanding on anything else after that.

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All the protagonists are in their beds. We get some shots of them sleeping in their beds, maybe on the couches, and on the floor in some cases.
Qrow is out back drinking when he sees a few birds fly by, and stares at them. He puts the cap back on his drink and walks back inside.
As he shuts the door, we hear a voice "Hello Qrow, drinking again?"
Instead of freaking out, we recognize the voice as Raven's. He doesn't make a scene, as everyone's sleeping. He simply stares at her, almost as if he doesn't care.
Qrow: I already told you everything I know about Salem. Now leave."
Remember - Raven and Qrow spoke in that bar in Volume 4.
Raven chuckles and says "Not even a hello back?"
Qrow: If you think I'm going to humor your little charade, you're wrong.
Raven: Fine. So boring... I'm here because I need your help.
Qrow raises an eyebrow.
Qrow: I didn't realize you were the type of person to admit they're not strong enough to deal with everything themselves.
Raven: Qrow, this is... serious.
Qrow looks concerned, putting his hands in his pockets to look like he's keeping his cool.
Raven looks around, almost as if she feels she's being watched.
Raven: Lionheart isn't who you think he is... he's working with Salem, he always has been.

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Let's stop right here. You caught me. I'm not having Raven betray the good guys. Why? Because she's been against Salem since the start of her journey as the Spring maiden. She's been trying to get the relic, and Salem MUST have known that. You think that any service to Salem is going to redeem you from that? Raven's too powerful to keep close to you. She can't be trusted.
So, naturally, Raven feels the same way about Salem, and secretly breaks her agreement with Cinder. She wants the relic for herself, remember that. She can't get that if she works with Salem.
In this alternate timeline, Raven joins no one's side. She doesn't want to be on Salem's shit list for fighting against her, because fighting and possibly killing the fall maiden and her friends is a lot worse than just not showing up and keeping your end of the deal. However, we still need to make sure that Vernal dies somehow, and we need to make sure that Raven opens the vault.
We'll get to this later.
Basically, what happens, is that Qrow and Lionheart are going to be the ones to fight each other. Except, here, Qrow just beats the shit out of him with fisticuffs because he doesn't want to actually *kill* Lionheart.
So, before Qrow goes to investigate where Lionheart is, Raven flies away. She knows when she'll be needed. She just tells him to get to the vault, and she'll be come.
So, with that, in the dead of night, he goes to where Lionheart is and confronts him.
Somehow, by searching around, tearing apart his office when he suspects Lionheart is lying about something due to hesitation, he finds that little hentai orb thing that's lying around.
Quickly, he kills it with his sword.
Salem sees the signal lost thing in her magical orb, and decides it's finally time to just go in and strike.
Raven is sitting, as a bird, on a branch, overlooking the house where everyone is staying in. She looks through the window to see Yang sleeping. The Raven's head tilts to the side a little bit as we zoom in on its sad eyes.

See, I'm having Raven SHOW that she's changing her character rather than just having it suddenly changed in a few dialogue scenes.
If the writers intend for her to just be a *little* good by the end of it, I'm going to have her show her weak side - the good side, through subtle que's and behaviors.
This is when we see Hazel come up and GRAB her.
He then throws her to the ground, turning her into a human again.
She picks herself up and draws her sword.
Raven: What was that for?!
Hazel: You sold us out.
Raven: What are you talking about?
Hazel: Well, I see you fly into that house, you stop for a while, then you and Qrow both leave, and *now* Qrow has found out about Lionheart secretly working with Salem. I'm not stupid, I know you told him.
Raven: So, what, are you going to try to kill me?
Hazel: No. I don't wish to fight you unless you wish to strike first.
Raven, who has this big ego, sees this as a "You're not worth it" and it's belittling. We can see this in her sudden frustration and anger.
Hazel: However, there's someone who *really * can't afford this night to go wrong, and I've brought him with me.
Adam shows up. Hazel apparently has him on speed dial and told him about the whole thing.
Now, I don't know if Adam and Raven know each other, but let's assume they don't. She recognizes him as white fang. He needs no introduction.
Adam: Here's how this is going to go, and you'll get one chance and maybe we'll forgive you about this little slipup. Make the portal and bring Hazel's friends here now, or we'll have to make you.
She refuses, and this is where we get the bayonetta sequence. Adam vs Raven, as they're thrown off the cliffside of the school and they fight in midair.
Even though Adam isn't a maiden or anything powerful, we've seen him kick ass before, and we're going to see him kick Raven's ass just as much as she kicks his. It ends up in a draw, where Adam has his sword at her throat. She's bleeding, aura broken, and doesn't want to show her maiden powers in front of all the bystanders everywhere watching this horrific show of violence.
Two policemen show up, and Adam shoots them instantly. This gets him impatient, as more may be on the way.
Let's assume that Raven doesn't see this as a setback. She can fly up there to the vault quicker than everyone else can get back up there on foot or by elevator. She does as he says, and he lets her fly off.
Everyone comes through, "Where the hell are we?"
Adam: It wasn't easy getting you here, but let's just say that our client isn't going to be helping us any longer. We need to take the elevator up to the school. Then, we go our seperate ways.
Ok, so with that they go.
Raven goes up and warns everyone in the house about the impending danger. So, they all gear up.
Ozpin asks Oscar to ask Raven to portal him to Qrow. She does so.
The villains are taking this huge cargo-elevator thing on the side of the mountain. Remember how it was in avatar the last airbender where they were just earthbending up the side of the building? That's how this elevator is. Or like that one half life elevator.
So on this elevator, we have Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder. Raven lets them know there are 3 people, so the good guys say they should send 3.
The problem is, though, how are they going to fight a maiden? Jaune tells them what he saw in beacon's vault during volume 3, and reminds them all that he killed Ozpin and Pyrrha directly, two of the greatest fighters they knew.
So, they decide to just send everyone. Jaune, Weiss, Yang, Nora, Ren, and Ruby.
Raven tells them about the white fang being here, too. Someone named Adam.
Yang gets sorta like a PTSD moment and insists she goes with Oscar.
Oscar wants to meet up with Qrow and tell him something about the relic. Yang wants to get up to the school to stop the white fang alone, because she knows it's going to be a small force instead of an army like at beacon. Raven, however, is gonna sit this out until they make it to the vault. She doesn't want to be seen fighting alongside Qrow.
Adam is honorable, and probably will see his victory over Raven as something to not brag about. He understands her importance, and doesn't want Salem to kick her out of the group just yet, so for all intents and purposes - Raven still hasn't been comprimised by anyone except Hazel.
Raven needs to find Hazel and kill him before he squeals, but he's gone. Nowhere to be found.
Hazel is out of the fight.

It's begun. Team RNJR plus Weiss are going to stop the bad guys on the elevator.
Sun and Blake aren't shown yet, but they'll be in the familiar courtyard scene with Adam and his white fang elites. This is where Yang and Blake finally meet, and they actually fight Adam two on one.
Adam gets away.
And no, Blake doesn't one shot him like in the actual show. This time, she doesn't win. Through a lengthy fight, which is him seemingly toying around with her and Yang, he sees he and his men are surrounded, and it's revealed that the bombs are defused. They run.
Meanwhile... Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury are all going up the elevator to the school. Also, you may be asking, wouldn't they want Vernal there too? Well, I actually forgot to write Vernal in the script before because she was that boring. Raven didn't tell them there'd be two maidens, which is what breaks their cohesion when they meet. Weiss goes "Holy shit that's the maiden"
and they go "So we're up against two maidens, what do we do?" they fight.
There's a fight as they slide down the slope, all looking badass. As they reach the elevator, they all jump up and meet their opponents at an angle, initiating battle in mid-jump.
They all land, and the opponents are picked. Cinder looks pissed at the *sight* of Ruby. She goes for her, but Weiss backs her up.
Honestly, the rest shouldn't just be 1v1's. They should be a nice old 3v3.
You have a 2v3 and a 2v1. Easy to animate, right? Maybe if you're Monty, but Monty isn't here anymore. So the first thing we need to do is get them OFF this elevator. It's such a small place to fight on.
Just as they think they're about to fight, the elevator crashes at the top. They're now at a small neighborhood which is next to a forest.
The 3v3 fight will be happening in the neighborhood. The 2v1 fight will be happening in the forest.
Why, you ask? Because I want this forest to be burned down. Weiss burned down a forest in Volume 1, and Cinder uses fire a lot, so we're going to really see the progression of this fight through fire and flames, and eventually burnt down trees and ashes.

I'm not gonna go into details of the fights, because that would take way too long. Let's just say that we need some Monty style shit up in here. Get to work.
When the fight is done, we have the same output. The bad guys all lose, and Vernal is killed.
How? Becuase Cinder thinks she's going to lose. She goes over to Vernal, running away like a pussy, and finds out that Vernal's aura is broken. This is where we really see her greed - She goes over to her and siphens her energy through her arm, betraying her as everyone looks in horror.
When she thinks the maiden's power is in her, she laughs... but then realizes she's been fooled. WHERE IS THE MAIDEN'S POWER?
No reveal that Raven is the spring maiden yet, boys and girls! This leaves us at a "wtf" moment for quite a few minutes.
This distraction allows JAUNE to cut off her grimm arm.
BAM. YOU WANNA KNOW WHHY? JAUNE NEEDED THAT CHARACTER BOOST. THAT DEVELOPMENT TO SAY HEY FUCK YOU CINDER YOU KILLED MY GIRLFRIEND.
Then, it ends the same way. Emerald sees Cinder is beaten, and she and Mercury definitely can't take on everyone else... so she does the whole Salem hallucination thing again.

So the good guys won the fight against Cinder's crew AND the white fang. Now, how do we end this?
We go back to Raven. She opens the vault, and tells them take the relic for now. Ozpin tells Qrow to take it to Atlas, and Raven overhears this... so she's just like "Fine. Let him do what he wants. I have a portal to you, anyway, so I can just come in whenever if I feel like you're gonna betray me."
MAYBE she even knows WHY Ozpin wants to take it to Atlas? Who knows.

Also, I forgot this before, but in our shitty timeline they have this terrible scene where Weiss is stabbed. This is another way of the writers saying “These guys are a threat, don’t think that just cause we’re a really upbeat show that we won’t have the bad guys do some really powerful things!”
I would’ve had someone like… Nora get stabbed during her fight. You don’t really think of her that much and you maybe would think the writers don’t either? We already explored her past, and she didn’t contribute much else. The only reason she’s there is because she’s a fan favorite.
Make them THINK we're going to kill another fan favorite for a second, maybe even knock out Ren as he's distracted by seeing this horrific scene and put the good guys at a disadvantage, but they WORK their way to the top - maybe even giving Jaune some time to shine.
OR you could go for the whole... Ren sees this happen to Nora, and instead of being distracted, he uses this to go all apeshit like he did in Volume 4's finale.

RT, please hire me.