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She felt the ground beneath her boots rumble, a thunderous boom from outside silencing everyone in the room. Ruby’s shoulders tensed, sparing a stray but reciprocated glance in Blake’s direction, before sprinting to the entrance of the Schnee Manor.
Smoke filled her senses almost immediately. Despite having to narrow her eyes, nothing could hide the jutting pieces of rock—the crater —that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago. Ruby’s stomach twisted and her mouth went dry, a sense of dread capturing her lungs, but her legs wouldn’t stop.
She couldn't stop.
Vaguely aware of the hurried footsteps behind her, Ruby slid to the edge of the hole and peered in. Time seemed to freeze as her heart dropped in one nauseating motion.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Everything hurt. Everything felt wrong.
Her eyes stayed out of focus, blurring her vision of the world around her, but nothing she did could fix it. Her body wouldn't listen to her. Panic overwhelmed her systems, a familiar scene with a girl in golden armor flashed in her mind, the same feeling from that day overtaking her.
She remembered the sensation well; she wouldn't ever forget how little control she felt in that split second between utter pain and dead silence.
Penny knew that her battered legs wanted to stand, despite her cries to just lay down for a moment, they defied her will and struggled. Her arms rebelled against her too, making it easier to come to a stand. The gears in her knees were barely keeping it together; she knew how weak she was right now. Red alerts, detailing her current condition, blended into the crimson coating over her eyes. Please, she tried once again, please stop.
The Vault, it repeated like a broken record. Go to the Vault.
Whirring to life, her rockets sputtered uselessly. Dead. The little voice in her head continued with its orders, unbothered.
“Penny!” Sparks—proof of the damage done to her—danced over her face, shock gripping her tightly. She’d desperately fought against the commanding voice to redirect her fall and it had worked. “Penny, what happened?” she heard her dear friend ask, as though she were speaking through water, but worry clearly soaked her words.
The Vault.
That pretty blob of red tried to reach out, but it made her step back, completely disregarding the aching in her chest.
Go to the Vault.
I do not want to. I won’t.
Ruby hesitantly spoke up again, “Penny?”
It was smart, that tiny voice. Even if it only said the same four words, it carried something terrifyingly competent within it. She could name the moment it knew what was causing her newfound defiance.
Despite putting everything she had within herself into stopping it, Floating Array—an incomplete set of swords—was called out and readied.
This couldn’t be happening.
It was all happening too fast.
With a burst of petals, Ruby had scooped Blake and Weiss away from the unexpected attack. From Penny. Luckily, it’d been slow enough that she’d seen it coming from a mile away, though she hadn’t wanted to believe it was happening in the first place.
And Penny chased after them, her blank face and dull crimson eyes struck a flood of both fear and concern in her.
For the most part, they’ve been playing an endless game, just the five of them—May having joined them soon after weapons were drawn—and Ruby couldn't bear to change that anytime soon. She couldn't risk hurting her. Not when Penny was already so injured, the green liquid dripping from her legs and leaving trails on the concrete beneath her more than proving Ruby’s point.
Going on the defense was their best plan.
“Any other bright ideas?” May shouted, narrowly dodging a swipe from Penny. She shifted on her feet to swiftly block another, pushing back to create an exit. An ice wall materialized just in time to protect her from another attack. “You’ll have to excuse me for not believing she’ll have a sudden change of heart in the next few minutes.”
Ruby gripped Crescent Rose tighter. “She’s tired, she can't keep this up forever,” she reasoned under her breath, panting slightly. She threw out a louder response, “Penny’s hurt enough as is, we just need to hold on a little longer!”
But she’s hyper aware of the tremble in her muscles, the sweat rolling down her temple, the heavy breathing from all parties minus one. None of them have gotten a second of sleep. They were exhausted and at any moment they could easily slip up, small or big. Auras were low, however, any mistake was a big one at this point. It’d been one of the first lessons she learned ever since Beacon.
And Penny? Penny wasn't holding back.
Ruby shoved that thought away, hiding it in the deepest parts of her mind; she would never hurt them like that.
Yet here she was, flying swords and all.
No. It’s not her.
Ruby flinched at the sound of her partner’s shriek. Her attention instantly switched onto Weiss, from her place next to May, as the girl ducked under two swords aimed for her neck. Black ribbons circled around the winter maiden’s wrists, tugging them away from the Schnee and back to Blake and Ruby.
Once again, pleading silvers connected with empty crimsons.
“Are we absolutely positive that this is Penny?” Weiss voiced breathily, now that she had time to do so, doubt coloring her tone. “The Ace-Ops stole one of her swords, maybe it’s connected?”
It was a good question. Ruby could scream, an increasing fury bubbling under her skin, but she held it in. The Ace-Ops stole Penny’s sword, that must have been it. She should’ve stopped them, she should’ve chased them down and taken it back by force, she should’ve done something before this.
Before she was forced to fight her friend.
Guilt threatened to drown her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Blake’s semblance caught her attention with a flare of fire dust, but Penny had always been so smart—she always learned quickly and adapted even faster than that—but Blake didn’t know that. Blake was tired. The others wouldn’t make it in time.
Before Floating Array tore apart her teammate’s aura, Ruby used up what little remained of her own to take Penny high up into the sky. The last view she’d see before darkness filled her senses was that of the shattered moon, taunting her in all its beauty on that inky canvas of a sky.
It was broken, yet it still did its job.
They were falling. Penny knew that much.
Bitter winds that promised to leave small cuts, along with flying, became very much like old friends to her recently. She knew them well. But in her trapped state, they felt mild and somewhat alien to her. Recognizable, yet not the same.
She hated it.
Through her hazy mind, Penny realized her rockets weren’t on. The Maiden powers, for some reason, refused to work under these circumstances. Logically, she shouldn’t be flying—no, falling—right now. Satisfaction ran through her when she figured out that the little voice in her head was just as confused.
That is, until a singular rose petal floated past her line of sight.
An icy horror spiked into her core, eyes widening as they flickered from red to green. The picture in front of her finally cleared, Penny could count the stars she admired every night and she could feel the full blast of the air against her back as she fell. This body was hers.
Go to the Vault.
No. Vibrant flames flared brightly from her face. I will not.
The wind welcomed her back eagerly.
Warmth cradled her, surrounding her like a gentle cocoon. Ruby exhaled quietly, the tightness in her body loosening, absentmindedly searching for more comfort in the arms holding her. Her hands found purchase, but she stilled at the cold and sticky surface. Her eyelids flew open, fear grasping at her suddenly.
A tiny, apologetic smile, accompanied by bright and beautifully neon eyes, met her on the other side.
Ruby carefully sank deeper into Penny’s arms, wrapping her sore arms around the other girl’s stomach. Hot tears stained her cheeks, along with another green liquid she refused to think about, but she could've sworn the breeze moved to wipe her face. It didn't matter though, what did matter was already in front of her.
She cried longer and harder than she’s done in a long time.
And Penny silently kept them hovering in midair until she was ready, the crackling of magic fire bringing her closer to a calm.
“I love you,” she mumbled into the silence between them.
The response was immediate and soft, “I love you too.”