“You dont understand what I’ve been through!” Cinder broke her bow in half and rushed at Pyrrha, small flames starting to come from her eyes as she slammed her blades against Pyrrha’s shield. “I have had to fight my way to survive! Once I have your half of the maiden’s power, then no one will *ever* hold me back again!” 

“There’s a better way!” Pyrrha used her semblance to push Cinder back, panting as she recalled her shield with her prosthetic. “There is always a better way. Come with us. We can help you-” 

“Lies!” Cinder  caused the ground beneath Pyrrha to explode, her hand outstretched. “You… elite always think you’re better than everyone else! Taking anything that doesnt belong to you!” She walked closer, her hands setting her blades ablaze. “And I refuse to listen to you any longer!” 

Pyrrha closed her eyes as she watched Cinder lunge at her, unable to get herself off the ground to block the strike. She flinched as she heard metal strike metal, slowly opening her eyes to see Yang blocking the strike. 

Yang pushed Cinder back a step, wincing a bit as electricity ran through her body from the gash that Cinder left in her prosthetic. “The others are on the way.” 

Pyrrha nodded and got up, grabbing her shield and flinging it at Cinder. She recalled it after Cinder dodged, bringing it lower and smashing it into the ground, watching it ricochet off and slam into Cinder’s back. 

Cinder grunted as she was knocked forward, bringing her swords up as she faced Yang and Pyrrha. She grinned as she pieced together a plan, immediately rushing at Yang. Metal clashed against metal as sparks flew from the flames that engulfed her swords. Each strike caused the flames to grow hotter. 

Yang kept up  with Cinder’s assault, blocking each strike while Pyrrha launched a flurry of attacks from the side. Within moments, she was pushed back, her eyes widening as she realized exactly what Cinder was planning. “W-wait! Pyrrha!” 

Pyrrha turned to face her friend, gasping as she felt an arrow plunge into her chest. Her body shook as her legs gave out, looking up to Cinder. 

Cinder grinned, pulling the arrow out of Pyrrha’s chest and letting it dissipate as she felt the rest of the fall maiden’s power start to flow into her. She placed a hand on Pyrrha’s forehead, her voice going soft. “You once asked me if I believe in destiny. This power *is* my destiny.” 

Yang could only watch in horror as she saw Pyrrha’s body light up in a flash of light and disappear as ash in the wind.

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Penny watched as her body fought Winter, trapped in her own mind. She felt the gentle pull of Ruby tug at her hand, keeping her still as she watched. 

“They’re just lying to you,” said Ruby, pulling Penny to her. “I am the only one that you need.:” 

“But Winter… is my friend.” Penny felt herself give into Ruby’s pulls, her mind slowly starting to slip away from her body. “I cannot-” 

“Its okay that you dont believe me.” Ruby smiled and kissed Penny’s neck. “Although, would a friend try to kill you? Or perhaps would a friend try to listen to you? Maybe even support your ideas? You know how to save this kingdom. All you have to do is bring the relic to Salem-” 

Penny frowned, freeing herself of Ruby. “You are not Ruby.” 

The visage of Ruby grinned, grabbing Penny’s arm. “Arent I? I’m here for you. Just like I always am-” 

“Enough!” Penny shouted as her aura flared up in a flash of green. 

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Penny’s body seized up as she felt glyphs along her arms and legs, holding her still and out of reach of Winter. Her red eyes faded to green as she went limp. “I… I’m sorry…” 

Winter slowly approached Penny, her eyes still glowing a bright blue as wisps of flame and ice flickered at the edge. “Penny? Are you okay?” 

Penny shook her head. “I… I do not think so. I could not stop myself…” 

“I know, and we’ll figure out how to fix you.” Winter let the glyphs go, catching Penny as she fell. “Let’s get you to your father-” 

Penny hesitated for a moment as she watched Winter pull out her scroll, her whole body trembling as she read the message: Pyrrha was gone and Cinder was here.

Pyrrha hesitated for a moment as she looked around Ironwood’s office and heard Jaune calling her name.

Jaune took hold of Pyrrha’s hand. “Pyrrha? Are you okay? Ironwood asked you a question.”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. C-can you please repeat the question?”

Ironwood nodded and walked over to Pyrrha. “I was asking if you were okay. I know the transfer to give you the maiden powers would have some… complications, and I’m aware you were taken back to Argus for a time to recover from what happened at Beacon.”

Pyrrha’s hand instinctively went to her prosthetic, gently running over the engravings on the side. A few of her memories of what happened that day at Beacon were fuzzy, but she remembered the pain she felt as Cinder’s arrow hit her shoulder, shattering the bone. The heat she felt as her arm burned from the flames. The anger she harbored as she tore the rest of the tower down…

“I’m fine, really. I’m just coming to terms that Ruby is with Salem. I know that’s what Qrow told us but to see it…”

“It’s alright, she had us all fooled. Me as well.” Ironwood put a hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder, giving her a sad smile. “But I’m glad you’re here. Now that we know Salem is starting to make her move, we need to prepare. And the first thing we need to do is bring Ruby in dead or alive-”

“We cant just kill her,” said Yang. “She’s still my sister. There has to be some sort of good in her.”

“And if there is, then you can bring her in alive.” Ironwood pulled away from Pyrrha and went to his table, pressing a button on his scroll as it opened up and pulled up a couple of holographic feeds from around Mantle. “However, I’m not entirely sure we’ll be able to get Ruby to surrender without a fight. And right now, we need to focus on Mantle. Riots have been appearing ever since the kingdom’s borders have closed. And right now, getting Amity back up and running isnt easy with riots stopping us from getting supplies out to the mine.” He pressed another button on his scroll, bringing up the plans for Amity Arena.

Jaune nodded, looking over the plans. “And we’re what, making Amity into a communications tower?”

“That is exactly the plan.” Winter stepped up next to Ironwood, looking over the group. “If we can re-establish cross kingdom communications, we can then start rebuilding relations with the other kingdoms and tell them about Salem.”

“W-wait, you cant be serious,” replied Weiss. “If we tell everyone about her, there’ll be mass panic.”

Ironwood nodded, letting the table shut down and start to drop. “I’m prepared for that already. I’ll dispatch my fleet so once we tell everyone-”

“No, you dont understand.” Oscar finally spoke up, taking a deep breath as he walked up to Ironwood. “Salem… is immortal. We cant kill her and Ozpin never had a plan to defeat her. If we tell everyone about Salem, grimm are going to swarm the kingdoms. And even if we do stop the initial rush of grimm, what then? Even if we gather all of the hunters across Remnant, we still wont be able to defeat her. Stall her, maybe, but we have to come up with a plan first.”

Ironwood hesitated for a moment as he listened to Oscar, panic flashing in his eyes before he composed himself and started walking to his desk. “Then… all of this is for nothing.”

“Not completely.” Qrow took a swig from his flask, letting out a sigh. “We’ll figure something out. We just need time before we tell everyone about her.”

Ironwood nodded, looking back at the papers on his desk, running through all the plans he had, tearing up any that had to deal with Amity. “In that case, I’ll start thinking of a new plan of action. For now, I need you all to help the Ace-ops keep Mantle under control by any means necessary. “

The group started heading out of Ironwood’s office, no longer sure of what they could do. After learning the truth about Salem and Ozpin, everything they were up against seemed bigger.

Blake was the first to speak once everyone reached the entrance hall. “Did we really have to tell Ironwood about Salem?”

Jaune sighed, pausing as he walked. “I… I dont know. Maybe we shouldnt have, but he has the right to know. Besides, we’d be like Ozpin if we kept the secret from him, right?”

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Ironwood’s arm started to shake as he processed everything Qrow and the other students told him. For the first time, he felt helpless, powerless, like he was playing a different game from Salem. “She’s always one step ahead…”

Winter sighed and walked over to Ironwood, slowly reaching to him. “We’ll figure out a plan-”

Ironwood stood up, throwing the papers off his desk. “I’m going to call an emergency meeting with the council. I need you to secure the maiden’s power.”

“But sir-”

“That’s an order, Specialist Schnee. Am I clear?”

The mother nodded and took her children’s hands to lead them off to the safe zone. 

Pyrrha sighed and put her hand to her ear, clicking a button for her communicator. “Sector 6 is all clear.” 

Fiona’s voice came over the communicator, sounding relieved. “You and Yang should head over to Sector 8. Robyn and May are in a bit of trouble with the surge of grimm from all the panic.” 

“We’ll be right over.” 

Yang sighed and stretched her shoulder out a bit. “Where to next?” 

“Sector 8.” Pyrrha took a moment to put her weapon away, pausing as she did. “Do you… think Ironwood is doing the right thing?” 

“You mean putting the kingdom under martial law? Honestly, I’m not sure, but what else can we do?” Yang got onto the hover bike they were lent from Pietro, letting out a heavy sigh. “Salem’s immortal, she has her agents here already and Ruby’s one of them, not to mention that none of us have a plan and Ozpin… he was never planning on telling any of us any of this.” 

“I know but… was that really a bad thing?” Pyrrha got onto her own hoverbike, her grip tightening around the handle bars. “Considering how Ironwood reacted after we told him, I think Ozpin had a point in not telling us.” 

“Point or no point, what can we do? And if telling Ironwood now keeps us from being like Ozpin-” 

Pyrrha zoned out as Yang spoke, her vision quickly changing once again to a small village, grimm attacking. She could feel the anger boil up inside of her as the air around her swirled, fire shooting from her hands as lightning struck each grimm. But even that wasnt enough, the village falling to the grimm, leaving a small girl crying in the ruins before feeling a sword pierce her back. 

“Pyrrha? Are you okay?” asked Yang.

Pyrrha blinked a couple times as she came to, nodding slowly. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” 

“You sure? You didnt move for fifteen minutes. I was worried that maybe something happened.” 

“I… its nothing.”

“You sure?” 

“I’m sure-” Pyrrha stopped, feeling a pull in her chest. She looked behind her, putting her hand onto her spear and getting off the hoverbike. “Yang, go.” 

“Pyrrha? What’s going-” 

“Cinder’s here and you need to leave, now.” Pyrrha moved her shield to block an incoming arrow, glaring as she looked for Cinder. “Dont argue, go now! Get the others and I’ll hold her off!” 

Yang sighed, hesitating for a moment before she watched Pyrrha block another couple arrows with inhuman speed. “I’ll be right back!” 

Pyrrha held her ground as Yang rushed off, holding her shield up. “Cinder! I know you’re there!” 

“You can feel the pull too, cant you? The way the maiden power halves draw themselves to each other.” Cinder smirked as she walked into view, her bow to her side and she pulled another arrow from the quiver on her back. “And now, its time I finally get to take back what belongs to me.” 

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Ruby rushed around Mantle, making note of every one of Ironwood’s soldiers. Part of her was thankful that he never wisened up to Salem’s activities, but as she watched the mechanical soldiers turn on the citizens they were supposed to be protecting, she couldnt help but feel the same kind of anxiety she did at Beacon. 

Ruby quickly started looking for an airship to get up to Atlas, still needing to make sure the shields could never go up. If Ironwood had his way-

“Ruby! Stop right there!” 

Ruby froze in place as she heard Weiss’s voice behind her. Glyphs already formed at her feet to keep her from moving. “Weiss…” 

Weiss glared at Ruby, keeping her rapier pointed at her former team leader. “Why?” 

“Why what?” 

“Why would you work with Salem?” 

Ruby let out a sigh. “If you knew the truth about Ozma and Salem, you’d know that Ozma cant be trusted. That he lied about everything.” 

“We know the truth.” Weiss started walking closer to Ruby, watching Blake from the corner of her eye and nodding to her. “We know what happened between Ozma and Salem, but we also know what Salem is really planning.” 

“Salem is going to bring about a new order to the world! One where no one has to suffer-” 

Blake dropped down in front of Ruby, pulling out her own weapon. “She’s going to destroy Remnant, Ruby. She doesnt want anyone to no longer suffer, she wants to finally end the curse that’s been placed on her. Come with us and we can use the lamp to show you.” 

“You… you’re lying!” Ruby reached back to her scythe, gripping the shaft. “She’s going to do the world a favor-” 

“Do you really believe that?” Weiss placed a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, pressing her rapier into her back. “Where’s the Ruby we got to know? The one who wanted to help others?” 

Blake moved closer, keeping an eye on Ruby. “You once told me that you wanted to be a huntress to make the world a better place. That even though life isnt a fairytale, that we could at least try to make things right. Do you no longer believe that?” 

Ruby took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. She could hear the truth in Weiss’s words, but she still couldnt believe it. Salem would never want to destroy humanity. She only wanted to help it… “I’m sorry.” In a swift motion, she pulled her scythe off her back, the blade slicing Weiss’s cheek and pushing her back, giving her time to leave the glyphs that held her still. 

Weiss pulled back, holding her cheek with her hand as she activated her aura to heal. “Blake! Now!” 

Blake rushed towards Ruby, using her shadow clones to distract her while she threw her sword around, trying to wrap Ruby in the ribbon. 

Ruby used her semblance to rush away from Blake, pulling back for a moment. “I cant let you stop this.” 

“And you need to see the truth-” Weiss was cut off as Yang called out from her scroll. 

“Cinder is here! Pyrrha needs help!” 

Weiss hesitated for a moment before looking towards Blake. “We need to help Pyrrha.” 

“But Ruby-” 

“Ruby can wait. Cinder is after Pyrrha and we need to get there now!” 

Blake sighed and looked towards Ruby before putting her weapon away and using her shadow clones to rush out to Pyrrha. 

Ruby took a deep breath and put her scythe on her back. “If Cinder’s here, then Salem wont be  far behind. Are you sure you’re ready?” 

Weiss shook her head, putting her rapier away. “Probably not, but that wont stop me.” She created a path of glyphs and started running to Pyrrha, using the glyphs to speed herself up. 

So in the sleeper agent Ruby AU… how much does Yang know, if she knows anything about it at all?

Is she also a sleeper?@dudeblade

“Get off me!”

“Not until you admit defeat!”

Ruby tried to get out of Cinder’s grip, struggling to do so. After a few moments, she managed to see how close Cinder’s arm was to her face, letting her lick her.

Cinder shoved Ruby away, wiping her arm. “Ruby! That’s gross!”

“I told you to get off-” Ruby was quickly interrupted by a blunt arrow hitting her in the chest. She fell back and groaned as the arrow dissipated into dust.

Cinder walked over and put a foot on Ruby’s chest, smirking. “I win.”

“That’s enough.” Salem wandered into the room, her eyes going straight to Ruby. “Ruby has another lesson with Watts.”

Cinder nodded and started walking off while Ruby stood up and put a hand on her chest. Even with a blunt arrow, it still hurt. She looked over to Salem, a hopeful smile on her face. “I get to see my mother after, right?”

Salem turned and started leaving the room. “We’ll see.” She kept walking into another room, watching Summer appear from the shadows in front of her. “After today’s lesson, you’re taking Ruby somewhere else.”

Summer hesitated for a moment. “I… what do you mean? She hasnt done anything wrong, has she?”

“No, she hasnt. However, its about time for us to move onto the next phase of our plan and your daughter is going to be a big part of that.”

Summer sighed and looked down to the ground. “I’m… not going to see her again after that, am I?”

“You shouldnt, no.” Salem placed a hand on Summer’s shoulder, almost as if she was trying to comfort her. “But her lessons are over today. Now will be the perfect time to bring her back to your old team and start getting her close to Ozpin. And I already have a few others manipulating events to get her noticed.”

“I… I shouldnt be using her like this. Not to destroy Oz.”

“You are using her as she needs to be. She’s just a weapon, just like you were. And once we’re finished, she’ll be able to be whoever she wants in my new world.”

Summer nodded and went to start packing Ruby’s things. “I’ll take her to my old team tonight then. Knowing Qrow, she’ll end up on Oz’s watch list anyway.”

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Yang glared at Raven with red eyes as she knocked the teapot off the table. “What the hell do you mean Ruby isnt who I think she is? I grew up with her!”

“Or did you grow up with who you were to think she was?” Raven gently sat down her cup, looking up at her daughter. “Ruby isnt who you think she is.”

“I think I would know who my own sister is!”

“But can you really say that? She isnt even your sister.”

Yang felt those words sting in her heart. Sure, Ruby wasnt her biological sister, but adopted sister still counted. “She is-”

“She’s an agent of Salem.”

Those words made Yang quiet. Sure, she was just learning who Salem was, but hearing from Raven that Ruby could possibly be in league with her… “No, she isnt.”

“And unfortunately, it's the truth.” Raven leaned back a bit, motioning for Yang to sit down. “Did you ever stop to think why she was found near Patch and no one claimed to know who she was or where she came from? Or why she seemed to have no problem with making sure Ozpin took notice of her? She was meant to get close to him.”

“So what… she just… pretended to be lost?”

Raven shrugged, reaching back for an old dairy. “That, I wouldnt know. But what I do know is that her mother is still alive and very much helping Salem.”

Yang eyed the old book that Raven had in her hands. “What’s that?”

“This-” Raven placed the diary down onto the table where the teapot had been. “-was Summer’s diary up until a few years ago. And in it is everything you need to know about that girl you claim to be your sister. It holds the truth on everything that’s going on, and I want you to have it.”

Yang slowly reached for the book, pausing for a moment as her fingers brushed against the spine. “How do I know this isnt a trick?”

“You came to me for answers, and I’m providing all of them for you. And if you still have doubts, then I can take you to Summer to learn more.”

Yang sighed, still unsure if she could trust her mother. As far as Qrow and her dad had told her, Summer had died years ago after disappearing. Just a missing teammate they couldnt seem to get over. But now, if what Raven was saying was true… “Just… get me to Qrow. I’ll figure this one out on my own.”

“Is everything okay, Ruby?” asked Penny.

Ruby nodded, giving a smile to Penny. “Everything’s fine.” She quickly reached for Penny’s hand, giving a gentle squeeze. “I guess I’m just not used to how busy an academy can be. Beacon was big but Atlas… Atlas just seems to be busy.”

“You will get used to it. But follow me, the General’s office isnt much farther.”

Ruby stayed close to Penny, her eyes wandering around as they made their way through the main hall. She frowned a little when she noticed this was Atlas’ attempt to show off how they thought of their kingdom. But to her, it only showed that Atlas cared about one thing: themselves. “You know, after Beacon was attacked, I was worried I had lost you forever.”

Penny paused for a moment as she walked, smiling a bit. “I still remember that day you found out the truth about me. It is… one of the special memories I try to keep close. And… I was worried about you too after I was told what happened when I was rebuilt. No one really knew if you were still alive or not, and… I am glad I never gave up hope.”

Ruby blushed a little, continuing to walk to a nearby elevator to get to Ironwood’s office. “I’m glad you’re back, Pen. It makes me feel better that I have a friend here that can help me.”

Penny started walking with Ruby, keeping close to her. “Of course. And maybe, while you are here, we can start becoming better friends.”

“Better friends, huh?”

Penny nodded, beaming with a smile. “Speaking of friends, where are the rest of your team? I thought you would be with them.”

Ruby let out a sigh as she entered the elevator and let Penny press the right button to get to Ironwood’s office. “I’m… not sure how they are. After Beacon fell, Weiss was brought back to Atlas by her father, Blake ran away and Yang… she wasnt doing all that great when I left.”

Penny looked at Ruby, slightly confused. “You travelled all on your own?”

Ruby nodded, pulling out her scroll and running through the faces of her friends. “I did. Jaune… he was heartbroken when Pyrrha died. And Ren and Nora… I havent seen them since Beacon fell. I’m not even sure what their fate was.” She hated the idea of lying to Penny about her friends, or at least about Jaune, Ren, and Nora. But she needed Penny on her side if her plan was going to work.

“Oh, I am… I am sorry.”

“It’s fine. It was nice to be alone for a bit. You know, clear my head, find out a few things about myself… just… being able to get a little perspective.”

The elevator stopped at the top of Atlas Academy, opening up to yet another entryway. Penny walked Ruby to Ironwood’s office, stepping to the side. “Here is the General’s office.”

Ruby smiled and gave a small thank you to Penny before walking in, taking a deep breath. “General Ironwood, I have news-”

“You will need to wait,” said Ironwood as he looked away from Winter. “Specialist Schnee and I have something we need to discuss.”

Winter paused for a moment and looked over to Ruby. “I think we should hear her out, General. She did attend Beacon, and the fact that she made it here even after closing our borders might give us a bit more insight on where we have any failings in our security.”

The General stood up and looked over Ruby. “Now that she mentions it, how did you make it to Atlas. You’re far from home, arent you Ruby?”

“I am.” Ruby walked closer to Ironwood’s desk, mentally running over the speech she practiced for him. “I managed to get a little help from someone who was returning to Atlas, but that’s not why I’m here. I dont think your kingdom is as safe as you think.”

Ironwood frowned at Ruby. “And what makes you think that?”

“I think the person, or people that attacked Beacon might already be here, just like they might be at the other two academies.”

Ironwood paused for a moment, one hand twitching slightly as he started looking over a few papers on his desk. “And what makes you so sure of that?”

Ruby shrugged. “Its just a guess. When Cinder attacked Beacon, she made herself seem like a student. Even the Haven kids considered her as one of her own. Wouldnt it be safe to say that she might have other agents already embedded into the other schools as well?”

Winter leaned over to Ironwood, whispering to him. “She has a point, sir. Maybe we can let her in on what is really-”

“No. That’s not possible. I would know-”

“Would you though?” Ruby sighed and started walking out. “What I mean is that if you are sure that there’s no double agent in the school, that’s fine. But I was hoping that maybe I could help you find out if there really is a spy here.”

Ironwood nodded and sighed. “You… have a point. After what happened at Beacon, we really cant be too careful. And if you’re right, then I dont think Cinder is the one behind all of this.”

Ruby paused for a moment before slowly turning around, feigning a bit of confusion. “She’s not?”

Ironwood shook his head. “I cant tell you everything right now, but Cinder is only a pawn to who’s really attacking the Academies. And if you’re right that there is a spy here and now, then we should find them before they cause any trouble.”

Ruby smiled a bit and nodded. “Then tell me what you want me to do.”

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Arthur Watts sighed as he walked around Mantle, hacking into the cameras as he walked past them and keeping an eye on his scroll. He was sure that by now, Ruby would be making her way to Atlas Academy to start talking to Ironwood, giving him an extra way into the Atlas Network assuming talks with Jacques dont go as planned. He smirked once a new message popped up on his scroll, two words giving him all he needed to know: “I’m in.”

“Feeling nervous, are you?” asked Watts, keeping the airship steady as he entered the storm. 

“Everything we did was a complete failure-” 

“Everything you did. Tyrian and I were successful.” Watts turned on the radio, pulling up a short broadcast playing in Mantle. 

“Along with the grimm rampaging through the streets, Robyn Hill was attacked by a faunus. The Happy Huntresses say she is in stable condition, but authorities are still on the lookout for a scorpion faunus while citizens are being evacuated-” 

Watts turned the radio off, giving Ruby a smug grin. “Its a shame you failed. All that hard work only to be stopped by a few teenagers-” 

“How was I supposed to know they were going to be here so soon?” Ruby slumped into her seat, already dreading whatever Salem was going to tell her. “Besides, my mission wasnt a complete failure, just… unfinished.” 

“Unfinished and failure are the same thing.” Watts let out a sigh, already regretting the idea that he was planning on helping the younger girl. “You have to be able to learn from them. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Cinder, who’s greatest success still ended up being a colossal failure.” 

Ruby nodded and looked out the window, watching as Watts flew the airship into the storm, the black and red clouds illuminating as electricity formed in each of them. She couldnt help but feel guilt building in the pit of her stomach as she started to feel torn about what she was doing to her old teammates and following Salem. On the one hand, she believed that Salem was right. She had seen how the world seemed to be divided, the pain that others felt as they lost loved ones for no reason, that humanity needed Salem to be united. But on the other, she saw what her team could do when she was at Beacon. How hunters and huntresses seemed to allow for a better world, even if it was in small steps. 

Ruby’s focus went back to the front of the airship as she watched Salem’s whale come into view. The nervousness she felt nearly tripled as she realized she was that much closer to Salem and that much closer to having to tell her that she failed on her mission. She felt her hand instinctively grip her seat tightly, causing her knuckles to go white. 

Watts grinned in amusement as he piloted the airship to the side of the whale, getting ready to land on one of the built in platforms. “Dont look so nervous. Its only your first mission. And so what if it ended in a complete failure? I’m sure you’ll get other chances to prove your worth to her. Assuming she still needs you at the end of this.” 

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Ruby sighed as she patched herself up after combat training, making sure each cut was bandaged properly. “You know I’m not any good at this.” 

”You dont have to be good, you can only not fail.” Summer checked over Ruby’s wounds, bandaging where she couldnt reach. “In a real fight, you might not get so lucky about someone stopping after your aura breaks. But more than that, Salem will not take failure well once you start your mission.”

“I know. And when will I get to start my mission?” 

“Sooner than you think.” 

Ruby nodded, not quite accepting Summer’s answer, but not arguing against it either. She still couldnt wrap her mind around needing to learn to fight at a young age, only ten years old. And even then, fighting against Cinder felt unnecessary for training. If she had to train, why couldnt she train against her mother? Although, it’d help her to know what she was training for.

Summer let out a sigh and pulled Ruby into a hug. “I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark like this, my petal, but unfortunately, it's not for me to say what your part in all of this will be. Salem will let you know once she’s ready to send you out. But for now, you need to learn how to fight and survive because the world is a cruel place. There are men out there who would like to use you for what you’ll be able to do.” 

“As you keep saying, mom.” Ruby finished bandaging herself up, feeling a bit better after her aura had healed a few of the smaller wounds. She stood up and stretched, picking up the swords she was training with after. “I just want to understand why we’re doing this. I’ll only fail if I dont know what the goal is.” 

“In due time, my petal. For now, go rest. You’ll have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.” 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Watts. Ruby. I do hope you come back with good news.” 

Ruby walked closer to Salem before kneeling down, keeping her eyes to the ground. She let Watts speak first, trying to go over how she was going to spin her mission results. 

“Tyrian and I ran a successful mission,” replied Watts, slowly looking up at Salem. “He will be on his way back shortly, but together, he and I managed to sow chaos in the streets.”

Salem nodded, accepting the results. Her gaze focused on Ruby, looking over the girl. “And you, Ruby? How did your mission fare?” 

“I… I failed to cause a divide between the general and Mantle.” Ruby let out a sigh, trying to compose herself as she let the rest of her words out. “I did not expect for my old… teammates to show up when they did. I also deviated from the plan a bit, trying to divide things my own way. And I failed. I’m sorry, my Queen.” 

Salem stood up and walked over to Ruby, her heels clacking on the stone like surface. “Ruby, stand.” 

Ruby nodded and obeyed, slowly getting up and keeping her head down. She was utterly terrified about Salem’s reaction, not quite wanting to hear what she thought. 

Salem put a finger under Ruby’s chin and lifted her head. “You’ll look at me when I speak to you. I do not tolerate failure. Especially when you decide to no longer stick to the original plan I gave you.” She pulled her hand away from Ruby and slowly turned away to go back to her throne. “However, this was your first, real mission. I may have given you something a bit too challenging to complete on your own. I hope that you learn from your failure.” 

“I… I understand, my Queen,” Ruby responded, slowly kneeling again out of shame. 

Salem sat down and let out a sigh. “When I give you a task, I expect you to complete it exactly as I have ordered. You may be more valuable than a pawn to me, that doesnt mean you’re a player in this game. For now, I want you both to wait for Cinder and Tyrian to rejoin us-” 

“Cinder’s still alive?” interrupted Watts. 

Salem placed a hand on her throne, allowing a bit of magic to pulse through the whale to show Cinder in Mantle, just having ended her fight with Pyrrha and making her way back to Atlas Academy. “She is still alive and well, following through with her own task, no doubt in order to get back in my good graces.” 

Ruby watched in horror as Pyrrha died on screen, her emotions from the fall of Beacon starting to rush back up to the surface. She knew she shouldnt feel this way, after all Pyrrha was the enemy. But watching her die, watching any of her old friends get hurt… it all felt… wrong. 

“Cinder has failed us at Haven and Ozma is making his way up to Atlas. Tyrian will be joining you and Ruby.” 

Watts faced the Seer, kneeling down in front of it. “We’ll make sure Atlas is prepared for your arrival.” 

“Do not fail me as Cinder has.” 

Watts watched the seer as it made it’s way back into the case, going lifeless once more.

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Ruby flopped onto the bed she was provided, letting out a sigh as she tried to relax. For the last month, she had been helping out Ironwood and the Ace-ops with policing Mantle, slowly pushing tensions to the limits. Between the Happy Huntresses defying Ironwood’s laws and the grimm attacks becoming more frequent, it wasnt hard for Ruby to start pushing things in her favor. She even managed to convince Ironwood to enact a curfew on Mantle while sending them on a goose chase for Salem’s spy.

Ruby checked her scroll as it chimed, seeing a text from Watts. She smirked a bit, deleting the message. “Of course Cinder screwed up.” A knock on the door made her flinch as she started sitting up. “Come in.” 

Penny slowly opened the door, smiling a bit. “Ruby, I was hoping you would come with me on my next patrol of Mantle.” 

“Ironwood still has you on grimm watch?” 

Penny nodded, sitting down next to Ruby. “But I dont mind. Mantle is still part of the kingdom and by helping them, I am doing my part in keeping Atlas safe.” 

Ruby sighed, standing up and walking to the window, looking out onto Atlas. “But what if it’s not enough? You see how Mantle treats you: they treat you like an Atlas soldier. A desperate attempt to keep Mantle safe while Ironwood neglects them.” 

“But he is not neglecting them. You know he is trying to get Amity Arena back up and running as a communications tower.” 

“We know that, but the rest of them dont.” 

Penny paused for a moment, thinking everything over. “Do… do you not think this is for the best? If we can fix cross kingdom communications-” 

“-we’ll be able to start helping Mistral and Vacuo, maybe even clear the grimm from Beacon, I know.” Ruby shook her head and went back to her bed, sitting down again. “That’s… not the issue. Even though it’s been almost a year since Beacon fell, the other kingdoms still blame Atlas for the soldiers turning on everyone. Even those in Mantle we protect attack Ironwood’s soldiers to keep them from turning again. I dont think fixing the communications will make things better. Why else would he have you and only you defend Mantle? Someone he knows he has control over?” 

Penny went silent, understanding exactly where Ruby was coming from. Ironwood never fully treated her as her own person, always referring to her as a tool while everyone else referred to her as a weapon. “He… he does not control me.” 

“And how sure are you about that? What I said before I still stand by: squishy guts or not, you’re still a real girl. But… you’re also still an android in the eyes of those who want to see you that way. As far as Ironwood is concerned, you’re just a tool that he can call upon whenever he feels like it.A weapon that he can throw against the grimm over and over and over again because they cant tell the difference. And you’ve said it yourself that you were rebuilt. If you were destroyed again, you could be rebuilt over and over and over again. Ironwood has nothing to lose as long as your core can be reclaimed.” 

Penny hesitated for a moment, her moving to her chest as Ruby’s words circled her mind. And as much as she hated it, she knew Ruby had a point: as long as Ironwood only saw her as a tool, she was at his beck and call. “Then… what should I do?” 

“That’s always the question, isnt it? What should any of us really do? I’ll never tell you what to do, but for now, I think it’s best if you try to figure out what you-” 

Ruby’s and Penny’s scrolls both went off, Harriet coming over the speakers. “We have an airship that will not identify that’s heading down into Mantle!” 

Ruby sighed and pulled her hair back, quickly grabbing her scythe. “Guess we’ll have to continue this conversation later.” 

Tyrian grinned as he looked at the group, pointing his finger to each one, starting with the red head and moving around. “Oh, you see, the goddess is not interested in you, or you. You though, oh I’m interested in you, but no, you see, the goddess is interested… in you.” His finger stopped at Ruby as he started to laugh. 

Ruby paused for a moment as her friends looked in her direction. “M-me?” 

“Oh yes! The goddess wants you to come back home and rejoin the flock!” 

Jaune drew his shield and stepped in front of Ruby, glaring at Tyrian. “I dont know what you’re talking about, but I refuse to let you take her.” 

Tyrian let out a hysterical laugh. “Oh, I’m not going to take her! She’s going to take herself right back to the goddess!” 

Ruby gripped her scythe tighter as she stepped up with Jaune, Nora, and Ren. “I dont know what you’re talking about, but I’m not leaving my friends!” 

“Then awaken, bloodstone.” 

Ruby’s eyes glassed over for a moment as memories that were locked away resurfaced. Memories of her time growing up with Salem before being sent out to the world, only to be found by the man who raised her along with his daughter. Her missions resurfaced to the front of her mind, her knuckles going white as she tightened her grip further on her scythe. Everything had become clear again and she needed to get back to Salem. With a quick strike, she slammed her scythe into Nora’s back. 

Nora’s aura flickered as she was sent forward to the ground, groaning from the impact. Normally she could take a larger hit if she was prepared, but this one seemed to come out of nowhere. 

Jaune slowly turned around as he saw Ruby glaring at them. “Ruby?” 

Ruby put her scythe away and started walking towards Tyrian, kneeling down in front of him. “I’m… sorry for my earlier behavior. I’ll go to our queen now.” 

Tyrian nodded and smiled, taking Ruby’s hand. “Now, my little rose, lets get you back-” 

“You are not going to take her away!” Jaune lunged at Tyrian with his sword out, only to be blocked by Ruby’s scythe. 

Ruby smirked as she looked at Jaune, using her semblance to get behind him and slamming her foot into his side. She watched him drop before putting her scythe away. “Everything you knew about me was a lie. Such a shame that you’re a waste of a pretty face.” 

Jaune looked up at Ruby, just before seeing the bottom of her boot before blacking out..

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Jaune slowly woke up, seeing Ren, Nora, and Ruby’s uncle Qrow standing over him. “Ruby’s-” 

“Your friends filled me in on what happened.” Qrow sighed and sat down. “Its time for you three to go home. This isnt your fight.” 

“Like hell we are!” exclaimed Nora. “Ruby’s our friend! We arent going to let her-” 

“From what you described, I’m not sure you can snap her out.” Qrow stood up and started gathering food for a fire. “Besides, there are things you arent aware of yet about her. 

Jaune sat up, glaring at Qrow. “We know enough to know that’s not her. She would never hurt her friends like this unless she wasnt herself.” 

Qrow stopped for a moment. “That’s… not exactly true. Honestly, I think she’s herself right now.” 

Ren looked at Qrow curiously. “What do you mean? She’s kind and helpful-” 

“And her mother used to be one of Salem’s inner circle.” 

The three students looked at Qrow curiously, not quite sure they understood what he meant. Jaune was the first to speak up. “Who’s Salem?”