Chapter Text
Ruins of Atlas and Mantle
Former Kingdom of Atlas
June 22, 87 AGW; Five years post Salem’s Defeat
Private Jett Stahl of the Atlas Reclamation Force let out a dejected sigh of boredom as he and his squad worked to sift through the ruins of his once-home city of Atlas. Jett knew he shouldn’t be bored right now. He was working for a good cause after all: the reclamation of the territory of the former Kingdom of Atlas, as well as the continent of Solitas as a whole, from the Grimm. But after breathing in the dust of the ruined city for the millionth time that day, he was starting to get a bit ticked off.
I signed up to fight the Grimm and retake my homeland. Fight the good fight against the forces of evil, like Dad did. “Do your part! Retake the homeland! Reclaim the glory of Atlas!” they said. Yeah right. I haven’t even seen a single Grimm all deployment. Two fucking years spent in this campaign, since the very beginning, and I’ve yet to see one Grimm, let alone fire my weapon. Oh sure, every other unit gets all the action and glory; fighting Grimm, saving the day, being heroes, while I’m stuck guarding logistical depots and sifting through the wreckage of my former home. I wanted to be a hero too, for crying out loud. Just like Dad was when he gave his life for Atlas. I just wanted to reclaim the home Mom and I were forced to abandon. But no, I’m just stuck here, wasting my deployment away, combing through two ruined cities for-
“Private Stahl! Stop daydreaming and get back to work for Brother’s sake!”
Jett winced at the voice of his NCO, Sergeant Roy Grau. He hated being on Sarge's shit list, so he immediately resumed his work. “Yes sir. Sorry sir.”
Sergeant Grau didn’t say anything in response, but he didn’t need to for Jett to know how he felt. The not-so-subtle snickering from his squadmates over his reprimand told Jett all he needed to know. He never liked being the butt of a joke; it irked him to no end. But Jett wisely chose to ignore the snickers from his team and continued with his work. He knew he’d be risking a fight or a reprimand, or both, if he chose to confront them.
Gods damn this. How did Dad ever get through this shit? Because right now, I’d rather be a Grimm’s chew toy than my squad’s laughing stock. All I wanted was a chance to do something good during this deployment. But no, can’t ever have-
Jett’s self-pitying thoughts were quickly interrupted when he saw something peculiar under the rubble. It…it looked like an arm. A human or faunus arm. With zero hesitation, Jett quickly moved over and started to lift the rubble to expose the arm underneath. For his efforts, he was awarded the sight of a corpse…an unusual corpse.
It was a dead female. She looked somewhere in the 17-20 age range if Jett guessed correctly. Her hair was long and orange, her skin was a light white color and her face bore cute freckles on her cheeks. She wore an off-white blouse and a long green skirt with black and green striped hems, a black abdominal region, and green straps. For her accessories, she was wearing two bows, one metal and one fabric, a black ribbon, a pair of black cuffed gloves, and two low-heeled boots. Her eyes were open in death; their emptiness bore deep into Jett’s mind. All in all, the normal corpse of a normal, adorable girl.
That was until Jett noticed the metal bits and wires.
Her right arm and left leg were detached, and yet instead of the remains of flesh and bone Jett expected, there were metal plates and torn electrical wiring. Pieces of synthetic skin were ripped off her face, exposing the metal plating lining her head beneath. Her legs weren’t normal ones, but instead were long black pieces of metal that sort of resembled stockings from a distance, kinda like the prosthetics Jett remembered his Mom having.
All in all, this girl…she wasn’t normal. And this just went above Jett’s pay grade.
“Uhh…Sarge? You need to see this!”
Sergeant Grau, along with the rest of Jett’s squad rushed over to Jett’s position. Jett heard Sergeant Grau gasp in shock.
“Holy shit…I can’t believe it.”
Another member of Jett’s squad spoke up. “You know her, Sarge?”
“I know of her, Private White,” Sergeant Grau answered, “That’s Penny Polendina, the Protector of Mantle…or what’s left of her.”
A third member scoffed. “Some “Protector of Mantle” she was. Maybe if she did her fucking job correctly, there wouldn’t be an Atlas Reclamation Force. Serves-”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Corporal Coral,” Sergeant Grau ordered in a tone that seemed far too harsh, even for him, “She did far more for Remnant than this entire Reclamation Force combined. You’re in the presence of a legend. A Hero of Remnant. Show some fucking respect.”
Corporal Coral backed up and sighed in a defeated, yet apathetic tone. “Sir yes sir.”
Sergeant Grau leveled a serious look towards Jett, “Private Stahl, prepare Miss Polendina’s body for transit.”
Jett nodded obediently, “Yes sir.”
Jett soon began the harrowing work of collecting any detached pieces of Penny’s torn body to store in a body bag at once. Jett knew all about the Heroes of Remnant. Legendary huntsmen and huntresses who fought in the terrible war against the Grimm Queen Salem. Everyone in Remnant knew their names and owed them their lives. For Jett, it was an honor to be near one of his heroes…and a shame that he needed to deal with her corpse.
As Jett performed his grim task, he soon began to observe a light green light emitting from Penny’s chest. It…called to him, somehow; it begged Jett to find and release it. Despite his better judgment, Jett found himself compelled to investigate the source of the light. It seemed to be emanating from Penny’s chest region, so he began to remove the clothing and metal plating from that region to uncover the light, something which caught the attention and ire of his squadmates.
“What the hell?”
“What is he doing?”
“Jett’s lost it.”
“He’s desecrating her corpse.”
“Private Stahl! Cease your actions immedi-”
The words and complaints of his squad were silenced when Jett uncovered what he was looking for. There, in the middle of damaged wires, dead circuits, and metal plating…sat a metal core, glowing with a faint green light. Despite the damage surrounding it, it alone stood defiantly and proudly, mostly unscathed. A small beacon of hope in a desolate land.
Jett knew exactly what it was. His mother’s work with military robotics taught him everything there is to know about their bits and pieces. So he quickly identified what the core was and what it signified…and by the looks of things his squad did too.
“Is that-”
“Oh my gods.”
“Her memory core…that's what this has to be. It’s…it’s still functional! She can be rebuilt!” Jett exclaimed.
Sergeant Grau wasted no time and immediately reached for his radio to contact command about Jett’s discovery.
“Lighthouse, come in. This is Tombstone 1-1.”
“Tombstone 1-1, this is Lighthouse. Send traffic.”
“I need an immediate secure link to General Schnee. We have a situation.”
Jett smiled to himself. Looks like he managed to do some real good after all.
Research and Engineering Lab 20-A
Department of Experimental Technological Research Headquarters, New Mantle
Reborn Kingdom of Atlas
October 20, 87 AGW
[Initializing Reboot]
[Memory Core: Online]
[Aura Generators: Online]
[Power Generators: Online]
[Audio Receptors: 20% Online]
“...systems seem nominal…”
[Limb Servos: Online]
[Thrusters: Online]
[Audio Receptors: 40% Online]
“-thing looks green across the board…”
“Good. Continue-”
[Floating Array Weapon System: Online]
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[UNKNOWN ENERGY SOURCE DETECTED]
“...rgy readings are spiking!”
“Generators are going critical!”
"Recommend we stop..."
“...inue the activation.”
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[ENERGY LEVELS EXCEEDING MAXIMUM SAFETY LIMITS]
[Audio Receptors: 80% Online]
“We’ll kill her if we keep…”
“...kill her if we stop now. So we keep going, gods damn it. That’s an order!”
"Brothers save her."
[WARNING]
[WARN-]
[Energy levels returning to nominal levels]
[Winter Maiden Powers: Online]
[Audio Receptors: Online]
[Optics: Online]
[All Systems: Online]
[Reboot Complete. Waking Sequence: Complete]
Penny awoke with a gasp as she shot up from the laboratory workbench she was lying on. Waking up after a shutdown had always been a rough experience for her, considering the sensory overload she would always experience upon reboot. But this time, it was far worse than ever. Bright lights clouded her vision, and voices both elated and concerned pounded her eardrums. The power of the Winter Maiden burned coldly against her Aura. The feeling of the technician’s holding her to calm her only further raised her discomfort.
“Easy, Miss Polendina.”
“You’re alright. Everything is fine now.”
“You’re gonna be ok-”
“Would you damn idiots give the poor girl some space?”
Penny focused on the last voice and looked at its speaker. It was an older female technician, probably around her mid to late 40s. She had short purple hair, lightly tanned skin, and small brown eyes covered with thin glasses. She wore a lab coat with the emblem of Atlas emblazoned on its left shoulder. Judging from the authoritative tone she spoke with and how all the other technicians seemed to defer to her judgment, Penny assumed she was their leader. The woman turned to Penny and spoke in a softer, more caring tone.
“Miss Polendina. I’m Doctor Valencia. Just focus on the sound of my voice. Take your time. Restabilize your emotions and thoughts. Think about something nice. Whatever it takes to get readjusted to the living world.”
Think about something nice. Penny thought to herself. Yeah, I can do that.
Her thoughts immediately jumped to the nicest girl she knew.
…Ruby…
Ruby Rose. The most important girl she knew. Her first real friend. Strong. Brave. Kind. Cheerful. Beautiful. These were words she used to describe her to anyone who’d listen. Her first friend....her first love. That one was a surprise to her when she first defined the feeling. She felt so strange. Her mechanical body felt so warm and fuzzy, and her Aura bounced with joy. She never felt such feelings before. It almost terrified her. One long and awkward conversation with her father about her sexuality and feelings later, and she knew what to call it: love.
A pity she could never muster up the courage to tell her…
Penny’s thoughts and feelings began to calm down. The laboratory lights didn’t seem as bright as they were. The voices of everyone around her didn’t pound as much as they used to. Even the Winter Maiden powers started to feel normal once again. She turned to Doctor Valencia.
“I’m better now, Doctor. Thank you.”
Doctor Valencia smiled warmly. “That’s good. Now…this is gonna sound bad, but it’s been a few years since the last time your body was online. Sorry about the wait to reboot you, but we had a lot of work to do to get you back in operational shape. Your body took a lot of damage from the fall of Atlas and from that nasty virus Watts implanted in you.”
Penny was shocked.
A few years? Oh no. Is everyone okay? Is Ruby okay? I hope she's okay. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if she wasn't. I love her too much.
If Doctor Valencia noticed Penny’s worries, she didn’t say anything as she continued. “Now tell me, what’s the last thing you remember before waking up? Don’t worry if you believe it’s classified. Trust me, the entire world knows about Salem, the Maidens, and the Relics now.”
That was surprising to Penny, but she supposed Ruby’s message plus whatever happened when she was offline would explain that. So Penny pushed aside her surprise and thought to herself before speaking up. “Well…I remember using the power of the Winter Maiden to open the Vault underneath Atlas for Team RWBY…that’s it.”
Doctor Valencia frowned, then sighed. “Yeah…I expected as much.” She then offered her hand to Penny. “Come with me. I’ll take you to someone who can explain everything.”
Penny took it.
Director Winter Schnee’s Office
Mantle Academy, New Mantle
Reborn Kingdom of Atlas
October 20, 87 AGW
Penny sat silently as she took in all the words Winter spoke to her.
Seeing Winter again was a very pleasant surprise for Penny. She had always viewed the elder Schnee as a dear friend, so of course she just had to give her a big ol’ hug. Winter hugged her back very tightly…a bit too uncharacteristically tight; perhaps that should have been the first sign that something was amiss. Her second clue was when Winter stated she was now the Director of the newly constructed Mantle Academy. She just had to know what was going on. So, Winter told her…about everything.
About Penny’s rebirth as a real human girl. About the evacuation from Atlas and its subsequent fall. About Cinder’s ambush of the evacuation…
About Penny’s second death…About her sacrifice to keep the powers of the Winter Maiden out of Cinder’s hands…
About the defense of Vacuo and the securing of the last two relics. About the final assault on Salem and her followers. About their victory over the immortal queen of the Grimm.
And finally, about how it's been five years since her death.
The entire revelation stunned Penny into silence. Dying once during the Vytal Festival was already traumatic. But finding out she had died again, and how she forced one of her friends to do it…that was almost too much to bear.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that, Penny,” Winter said soothingly, “But, it's all in the past now. Rather than focus on what was, we should be focusing on what can be. You’re alive again, and nothing will ever change that again.”
Penny supposed Winter was right. Salem and her forces were dead. The centuries-long shadow war that plagued Remnant was finally over. Humanity and the Faunus were finally making great strides in defeating the Grimm and making sure they stayed defeated. For the first time in a long time, there was hope for a better world. Penny knew Winter wouldn’t pretend things were alright when they weren't really, so she believed her.
That didn’t mean Penny didn’t have questions of her own.
“If…” Penny started slightly weakly. “...if I gave you the Winter Maiden powers, how do I have them again?”
Winter smiled slightly. “That’s something we don’t fully understand ourselves. Usually, the transfer of a Maiden’s power from one woman to another is a permanent process, mostly due to the previous Maiden’s death. However, you’re a special case. You’re the first Maiden to return from death. So, it’s likely the Maiden powers saw you as their rightful owner and returned itself to you. Considering Doctor Valencia’s report, it was a not-so-pleasant experience for you. It certainly wasn’t one for me.”
Penny became worried. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean or want to cause you any pain or discomfort.”
Winter reassured her. “Don’t worry. No harm done. Besides, I never really liked the powers anyway. You are a far more worthy Maiden in my eyes.”
Penny smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
A moment of silence passed, and then Penny asked Winter her second, far more serious question. “My father…he told Ruby...that his Aura wasn’t enough to bring me back a third time. So…how am I alive?”
Winter became quiet; a sad look crept onto her face. Then…she spoke. “It wasn’t. Not on its own. Fortunately for you, Jaune Arc used his semblance to boost Pietro’s Aura to a high enough level to perform the procedure…”
Penny thought this news would have been great, but Winter’s sad tone told her there was a string attached to that statement. What Winter said next horrified her.
“Unfortunately, the procedure was too demanding for both of them. But they didn’t care. They pushed on, and gave you your life back….at the cost of theirs.”
It was truly fortunate Penny’s body didn’t come equipped with tear ducts. Otherwise, she would have flooded the room with her grief.
Atlas National Cemetery
New Mantle
Reborn Kingdom of Atlas
October 22, 87 AGW
Father would have loved his grave if he could see it. Penny thought to herself somberly.
The final resting place of Pietro Polendina was a modest one. A decent headstone sat at the head of the grave site. The site sat at the top of a hill, which gave visitors a nice view of the rebuilding city below. A dozen beautiful flowers are planted atop. But there was nothing else. No grand statues. No armed guards. No crowds of tourists. No music. Just a normal resting place. A bit too modest for a Hero of Remnant, some might say. But Penny knew her father well. He wouldn’t have wanted anything grand or opulent, especially not for a grave site. She slowly approached Pietro’s grave.
“Father…I…I came to say goodbye. I…I miss you. I wish I could have said goodbye in person. I wish you didn’t have to die for me to live again. I just want to hug you again. To talk robotics with you for hours again. I want to hear your voice and see your eyes. I never wanted to make you go through the pain of losing me again."
Penny paused to prevent herself from falling further into her grief.
"Why, father? Why did you have to give your life for mine? Why did Jaune? You two had lives to live. I didn't, but I accepted that. You didn't have to give your lives for mine. I didn't want that!"
Penny paused again before her anger could take over. She knew she shouldn't be angry at her father or Jaune. Had the situation been reversed, she knew she would have done the same.
"I wish I could see you again, one last time. Just to say goodbye. But…I know that’s not possible. I…I love you, father. You gave up your life so I could live mine. And that’s what I’m going to do. Thank you…and goodbye.”
The silence was the answer to Penny’s speech. She didn't expect anything else...at least, that's what she told herself.
Penny walked away from Pietro’s grave. She needed to visit Jaune next. But that wouldn't be simple. He was buried in Vale, per his family’s request. As such, she’d have to travel there next to pay her respects to him. And she would. But first, she had an important pit stop to make. She needed to head to Patch Island.
It was time she confessed her feelings.
Villa Rosa
Patch
Kingdom of Vale
October 24, 87 AGW
Penny slowly walked up the pathway to Ruby’s new home. She had never been in Patch before. Had the Vytal Festival gone off without a hitch all those years ago, she would have asked Ruby for a chance to visit. The island is beautiful. Vibrant plantlife. A large, yet cozy town. Beautiful beaches. Calm and soothing weather. It was a paradise. Sure, there was the occasional Grimm here and there, but when wasn’t there one? That didn’t take away from the beauty of Ruby’s home island.
I only wish I could have been alive to see sooner.
Penny approached Ruby’s home and took in its beauty. It was a large, sprawling, two-story home built in the style of old Valean architecture. A picture-perfect home that many would kill to have. Penny could even spot the traces of a pool in the back. It was perfect.
I never took Ruby to be a girl into such opulence. But I guess the home was probably Weiss’s idea.
It took some digging (and by digging, she meant asking Winter), but Penny soon learned that Ruby and Weiss lived together on Patch in a single home. Penny had asked if the two were roommates, but Winter was being uncharacteristically evasive with the answer. Either way, she supposed it didn’t matter. She would just ask the two of them soon enough.
Penny walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell once. She patiently waited for an answer. After a minute, she rang it again. She heard familiar voices on the other side of the door.
“Alright, alright. We’re coming.”
“Don’t be rude, you dolt.”
“Well excuse me if they interrupted our cuddle time, Weissy .”
“Oh just open the door already.”
“Okay, I’m go…ing…”
Ruby’s voice trailed off as she opened the door and saw Penny. Penny immediately took in the appearances of Ruby and Weiss. They both looked older and different
Weiss was mostly the same. She had gained a large new scar that ran across her right cheek, its jagged edges disrupting the smooth skin surrounding it. Yet she still looked as lovely and graceful as ever. It was Ruby who looked the most different. She had a series of smaller scars on her face, yet those paled in comparison to her biggest change. She…she was wearing an eye patch on her left eye. Given the nature of her silver eyes, Penny didn’t need to wonder why it was lost. Nor did she delude herself in thinking those were the only new scars both women likely had.
They’ve been hurt so badly, and yet…they’re still as beautiful as the last time I saw them.
Penny would have said something, but she didn't. Her eyes were drawn towards two twin objects sitting on the ring fingers of Ruby and Weiss. Two twin metallic objects, colored a beautiful red and white, with an emblem of a rose and snowflake etched on. Even without her body's onboard databases, Penny knew them for what they were and what they signified.
Wedding bands. They’re…they’re...married. Ruby's married...but not to me.
“...Penny?”