It was a sensational afternoon at Beacon. A lone, lazy cloud waltzed through the spectacularly blue skies, the brilliant sun crawling to rest after a long day. Amity Colosseum, preparing for the singles round, hung heavily in the sky. Penny stepped off the Bullhead, joy dancing in her heart. She had gotten permission to spend the day before her fight in the singles round of the Vytal Tournament at the fairgrounds without a guard escort. Well, she managed to persuade Ciel that Ruby was an approved guardian, but she didn't see the need to argue such semantics. After all, Mr. Ironwood did mention that he approved of Ruby. So what if he didn't say it for this particular reason? For the briefest moment, Penny froze in her tracks on the airship docks. She should return to the ship, it was the right thing to do.
But that would mean missing out on spending the day with Ruby and Weiss. She hadn't gotten much of a chance to spend time with her dear friends during the tournament. Mr. Ironwood decided spending time in the exchange student dorms posed too much danger to her, meaning she had to spend nights on his flagship. On quiet nights, the muffled laughter filled the skies. She was thrilled to learn a new intensity of an emotion, but loneliness was not something she ever wanted to experience again. Those lonely days in Atlas felt completely different from these nights. She felt trapped. People who wanted to spend time with her were just out of reach, but close enough for her to hear what she was missing. The joy of seeing the sly smile on Weiss or the feeling of Ruby's warm embrace was all that got her through those nights. She couldn't pass up a day with them. How could she put them through the same experience? Mr. Ironwood did always say she was born to save the world. Weiss and Ruby were a part of the world, therefore, it was her duty to save them.
Confident in her logic, she resumed her journey to the fairgrounds. The brisk fall weather had driven many students to seek the warmth of Beacon. Dozens of tables were available for use, but she knew Weiss. The heiress would have sought a more private location than these tables readily visible from Beacon. She could spend the day searching for them, but she decided it was more prudent to simply call them. No sense in wasting time today. She removed her scroll from her pocket, digging through her list of numbers labeled 'Friends' for Ruby. It didn't take long; there were only three of them.
Ruby picked up after only one ring. "Penny! Hi! How are you?"
The sound of her best friend's voice always brought a smile to her face. "Salutations, Friend Ruby! I'm spectacular! And how are you?"
In the background, the muffled voice of Weiss rang out. "Ruby, you're going to answer that now? We're busy. You can talk to her after we're done."
"Sorry Weiss. I'm gonna have to talk to you later, Weiss looks like she might explode. We're behind the noodle shop."
"Wonderful! I will be there in a moment." Ruby hung up, eager to return to whatever she and Weiss were doing.
With a new found spring in her step, Penny bounded to the noodle shop, her heart racing faster and faster with each step. It was a bit worrisome to the synthetic huntress, but the sensation had become directly correlated with the thought of seeing Ruby and Weiss. She had run diagnostics on herself the last two times this had happened, but nothing was wrong. With Blake's help, she came to the conclusion it had to be the feeling of friendship. What else could it be?
Whatever the sensation was, she rather liked it. It was electrifying. The world felt sharper, brighter around them. The murmuring of voices, the cry of gulls in the sky, felt louder. The grass, the trees, the tents were brighter, more vivid. The world was alive and vibrant and at last, she felt she was a part of it. The smell of grilled fish wafted from the noodle shop, beckoning her, guiding her across the fair.
Behind the shop stood a fully enclosed tent. She strode to the entrance, throwing open the curtains. "Salutat-" The word died on her lips at the sight before her. Two figures sat at a table leaning forward, a red and a white combat skirt were the only articles of closing visible. The rest of the two people were covered beneath a scarlet cloak, muffled voices echoing from the cloak.
"Ow. Ruby, stop. Just do what I tell you. Turn. Good, stay just like that."
"Okay, just do it already. It's hot in here."
In an instant, the warmth was gone. Colors fled from the world, sharp pain pierced her body. It felt like her body was being torn limb from limb. They were together, just like one of Blake's books. That made her the third person, the one standing in the way of happiness. She was the unfeeling monster in the story, the one destined to hurt her friends. She made her choice. If she was to be their monster, she had to run. Run until she couldn't hurt them anymore. She was born to protect the world. If that meant she had to carry this burden, so be it.
She ran. Pain and heartache gave her wings, tirelessly carrying her across the fairgrounds. She ran as fast as could, not caring where she ended up. She could always connect to the Atlas systems and wait for retrieval if she got lost. The only thing that mattered was protecting their happiness.
Her flight ended at Beacon's cliffs. She slowed her pace to a walk, ever mindful of the stabbing pain in her heart. It was akin to the pain of loneliness but far more severe. Was this another emotion? How can anyone function with these fluctuating emotional states? She needed time to analyze this new feeling.
She sat on the edge of the cliff, allowing her legs to dangle over the abyss. The pale blue sky was mesmerizing, all thoughts of Ruby and Weiss fleeing from her mind. Her heart calmed, the world returning to normal. A single, daring seagull landed next to her, softly cooing comfortingly. "Salutations, little bird. How are you?"
The seagull cooed questioningly.
"I-I don't know. I should be happy for them. It's wonderful they found happiness. But it hurts. It hurts so much. Am... am I jealous of them? I... it's best for everyone if I leave. Blake's stories always end in heartbreak for the happy couple if someone like me stays near them. I can't let that happen." The huntress gazed into the abyss stretching out before her. Her joy was not worth causing pain. She was little more than a weapon, a tool to cause death and destruction to the Grimm. Perhaps Mr. Schnee was right; friends were a weakness. A single moment was enough to steal the strength from her limbs. She needed to be strong to save the world. They'd be happier without her. She could still hear them crying out her name, a reminder of happy days.
"May we join you?" A soft voice asked, almost musical in its measured tone.
Weiss was here? But she was supposed to be with Ruby, not chasing the obstacle to her happiness. She opened her mouth, ready to send them away. But she couldn't choke the words past the lump in her throat. She couldn't send away her friends, no matter what.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, the scent of strawberries strong in the air. Once more, fresh pangs of pain raked at her body. "Are you alright? We heard you, but then you were gone. What happened? We were so worried about you."
"I'm fine. ...hic. I wanted some fresh air. ...hic." Penny offered her best friend a beaming smile as if none of the day's revelations weighed down her heart. She felt Weiss sit on the cliff on her left side. There was no way to avoid a scene.
"Penny, are you sure?" Ruby stared into emerald eyes, the deceit as clear as the skies above.
Silver trapped emerald eyes until Penny surrendered to those soulful eyes. She was never gifted at lying. "I-I'm so sorry. I wanted you to be happy. I never wanted to get in the way of your love. I'm sorry." Her shoulders slumped, leaning into Ruby's strong frame.
"Ahem. Our love?" Weiss asked, disbelief clear in her voice. "Where did you get that ridiculous notion?"
"I saw you in the tent. I could hear you talking."
"No. No. No. We are not - we're friends. I - no," Weiss sputtered, surprise stealing her ability to complete sentences.
"But I've been studying relationships. Blake has been wonderful, allowing me to borrow books. You act like the characters in her stories."
The heiress pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "Blake's books? What you been reading?"
Ruby stiffened at the mention of Blake's books. "You, um, read those? They are complete filth, you shouldn't be reading them."
"But, they help me understand relationships. Whenever two people fall in love, the third person in the story will inevitably try to separate them for their own purposes. I don't want to do that. You're my friends. Your happiness means too much to me. But I'm not a real person. I can handle the pain."
"PENNY POLENDINA! Don't ever say that," Weiss shouted, startling the two wrapped in a hug. "Don't you ever let anyone, anyone, define you like that." Weiss's eyes burned with rage, staring out over the water. "Your life is yours and yours alone," she added softly, barely above a whisper.
Penny slipped from her friend's arms to wrap Weiss in a comforting hug. The heiress stiffened, before leaning into the hug. "Are you alright?" whispered the robot.
The heiress sighed, replying, "It's nothing, just an old memory."
Taking advantage of the distraction, Ruby reached into her bag, removing a small box. She held box out, catching her partner's attention for approval. Weiss's eyes widened slightly, then she nodded. "Penny, here," said Ruby.
She handed Penny the small box. It was about the size of a necklace box, wrapped in shining white, a large slightly crushed red box adorned the top. The bow cast a faint blush on the wrapping paper. With shaking hands, Penny pulled the lid off the box. A gleaming copper circular locket rested within the box. She lifted the locket from the box, mindful of the watchful eyes of her friends. A single rose engraved in the heart of a snowflake adorned the lid. Within the locket was a picture from almost a month ago, the three friends wrapped in Ruby's cloak as crimson leaves swirled around them. "Thank you," Penny choked out. Her eyes felt heavy, overflowing with joy. No one had ever given her something without being ordered.
"Turn it over," Weiss said, her voice husky with barely concealed emotions. Penny carefully turned the locket over, revealing an engraving proclaiming, 'Friends Forever, No Matter the Distance.' "That's what we were working on. Ruby's cloak is fire resistant."
"O-oh."
"It's true, you know. No matter what the future has for us, we will always be your friends. Nothing can change that." Ruby leaned into Penny, wrapping both Penny and Weiss into a tight embrace.
Weiss glanced at her leader in surprise. "That's surprisingly deep from you."
"It's, um, from a book I read," Ruby sheepishly replied.
"All I ever see you read is fairy stories and school books. They have nothing like that in them." The spark of realization danced in Weiss's eyes. "Wait… Did you read Blake's books?"
The leader's eyes darted around, desperately seeking a safe harbor. "No?"
"RUBY!"
Chuckling at the antics of her friends, Penny allowed her mind to race. All she had to do was win the tournament. Once she accomplished that, she could request a transfer to Beacon to learn to lead a team. She had to learn how to lead individuals if she were to fulfill her destiny. Atlas students would follow orders due to her relationship with Mr. Ironwood. Beacon was the best place for that. She could spend more time with Ruby and Weiss, learn more about why she reacted the way she did around them. Her life would be her own. But first, Amity Colosseum awaited. Amity and destiny.
A/N: This was written in tribute to /r/RWBY's Pennybot.