A/N:
My new plan for writing fanfictions is to put out a one-shot in between each chaptered story to act as a filler since I'm not writing as often as I used. This gives me a chance to explore more styles of writing to improve my main stories and gives you the reader more variety of stories to read.
That's all I'm going to say about that, so onto the story at hand. This is, in no way, a happy-go-luck story. This is going to dark as fuck. And for those of you wondering if this is the story about Summer, it isn't. That's coming out a bit later.
Let's get this over with.
July 4, 2017
It had been many years since the war had begun with the Fall of Beacon. At first, it seemed like the other three kingdoms could hold their own, but after what happened in Mistral, with the headmaster working with the enemy, everyone soon came to realization that anyone was vulnerable. Morale fell dramatically as battle after battle was lost. After about a year of fighting, soldiers began to abandon their comrades, either just walking away or joining the winning team. As whole battalions of hundreds of soldiers were disbanded in just a matter of days, it soon became the responsibility of the remaining hunters and huntresses to win this war, but it wasn't enough. After a surprise attack in Vacuo killed nearly a quarter of the remaining hunters and huntresses, many began to call it quits and, just like the soldiers, either just left or joined the enemy. By the second year, both Vale and Mistral had fallen and Vacuo was on the brink of destruction. Only Atlas remained, for the most part, untouched. Since it was the mecha of most technological and military advances, they could hold their own, at least, that's what everyone thought. Soon, Vacuo fell, meaning all sights were set on Atlas, and it wasn't long until they started losing ground. Bit by bit, mile by mile, the frontline was pushed back. Ironwood tried to boost morale and fighting spirit, and it seemed to work, but not for very long. After news of the third maiden's power, Winter, falling into the wrong hand, everyone realized this was a losing battle. Soon, the frontline was being pushed back nearly 5 miles a day. Ironwood tried to make one last stand but it was of no use. Within a month of the third maiden's powers falling into Salem's hands, the fourth maiden's powers were captured and Atlas fell. Just like that, all of Remnant had fallen. There were no more kingdoms, no more academies, no more opponents.
And as Ruby lay on the hard, cold ground in the nearly pitch black room, she could only cry. Cry for the towns she couldn't save from the Grimm. Cry for the people she failed to protect. Cry, for all the friends she had lost. She remembered watching Adam decapitate Blake in Mistral, Weiss being executed on live TV after staying to help with the final stand in Atlas, and being forced to watch as Cinder killed her entire family, with Yang being last. The most she thought of it, the more she cried. But crying didn't do anything. Crying couldn't bring them back, nothing could. But it was all she could do, cry.
Soon, footsteps coming from down the hall caught her attention. She sat up and sniffled, trying to mask the fact she had been crying for the last couple of hours. The footsteps came closer and soon they were right outside the door. The sound of keys jingling was the next thing she heard and soon, the door opened, light pouring through. Ruby quickly covered her eyes, not wanting to be blinded by the sudden intrusion of light. After no hearing anything for a couple of seconds, Ruby slowly turned her head to see who had unlocked the door.
Standing in the doorway was a woman wearing a long, elegant full body dress with black lacing both at the neck and the base and a large emblem on the right side. Her long black hair covered her right eye which seemed to have a large scar around it. She had a playful smirk on her face and was holding what seemed to be a collar of some sort. Standing in the doorway was the woman that killed her entire family, Cinder Fall.
"Aww, was the little doggie crying?" She spoke with a playful, almost mocking tone of voice.
Anger grew inside Ruby as she realized who was. She tried to attack the woman, but as she ran to tackle her, she was suddenly yanked back by her neck and thrown to the ground, face first. Cinder let out a small chuckle which quickly grew to a heavy laugh as Ruby struggled to stand up, her head still spinning. She reached for her neck and discovered that she was wearing a metal collar around her neck connected to a large, heavy duty metal chain embedded in the wall behind her. She tried to pull on the chain but it didn't budge.
"Don't bother." Cinder said, still trying to recover from her laughing fit. "It's embedded almost a foot into the wall. Not even your little pal, what's-her-face, Nora could pull it out."
Nora. She remembered her, Jaune, and Ren getting separated on their way to Atlas and never hearing from them again. Everyone presumed they were dead but Ruby kept believing that they were alive, as a way to cope with the otherwise hopeless world around her. But I guess it didn't matter anymore.
Cinder wiped the tears from her eyes after laughing so hard before speaking again. "Alright, that was a pretty funny gag Ruby, now come here." Cinder took a step forwards and pat her legs as a way to beckon Ruby towards her. However, Ruby stayed put, staring Cinder down and giving her the evil eye.
Cinder's face quickly changed to a more serious expression. "I said, come here!" Suddenly, Cinder reached over and grabbed Ruby by the collar. She pulled her up off the ground before throwing her to the ground, face first. As Ruby tried to stand back up, Cinder kneed her in the back of the head, forcing her face back down and into the hard-concrete floor once again. Upon impact, Ruby had bitten her bottom lip pretty hard and she soon began to bleed. Blood trickled from the cut, down the side of her face and onto the floor.
Cinder leaned over from where she was kneeling down and saw the blood coming from Ruby's face. "Oh, look what you did? You're bleeding! Is this really how you want to start your new life?" Cinder asked as she fiddle with what sounded like keys.
New life? Ruby thought to herself, what could that mean? As Ruby pondered this, she heard and felt the heave metal collar loosen and fall to the floor with a loud clank. She relaxed a little upon realizing the collar was taken off, but it was short lived.
Ruby soon heard the sound of leather sliding against itself and then the sound of a clasp latching onto something. The pressure was taken off of Ruby's head as Cinder rose to her feet. Ruby quickly reached for her neck and touched what felt like a leather collar, a think one like dogs have.
"Oh, it's so cute!" Cinder exclaimed. "Here, take a look for yourself." Cinder pulled out a small mirror and held it in front of Ruby. Sure enough, there was a rose red dog collar with a metal piece that read "Ruby" with her emblem on either side, painted it white. Attached to the back of the collar was a leash, also colored a rose red. "I had it specially made for you since you are my little pet now."
Ruby couldn't comprehend what was going on. First, she was chained to a wall in a dark room now she has a dog collar around her neck and Cinder is calling her, her pet.
"C-C-Cinder…" Ruby began
"Ah, ah, ah. I don't remember telling you to speak. You're my little pet doggie now and dogs only respond to commands lie sit or speak. So, unless I tell you to do something, don't do it. Now come on, Salem says you need your "shots"." Cinder began to walk away but Ruby stayed put.
Cinder sighed. "Remember what I just said. It also works the other way around. If I tell you to do something, do it. Now let's go!" Cinder yanked on the leash she was holding and that's Ruby found out about the collars main feature.
Embedded into the inside of the collar were small, thumbtack sized spikes that would poke neck in the neck if she didn't obey. They were long enough to penetrate the skin but not long enough to cause any real damage besides light bleeding. There was one in the front can would poke her in the jugular, one in the back to poke her spine, and two more on either side to form a diamond.
Cinder yanked the collar again and Ruby could really feel the spikes this time so she began to stand to follow Cinder. Suddenly, a punch to the back of the head brought her back to the floor. She whimpered in pain, wondering what she had done wrong.
"Dogs don't walk on all their hind legs silly, they walk on all fours." Cinder said calmly. This sent a chill down Ruby's spine. She is actually treating my like I'm a dog, not a real person. Ruby began to whimper again, realizing this was her fate. Cinder heard her. "Quite!" She said in a loud voice before yanking on the lease a third time, the small spikes really digging into Ruby's skin this time. Ruby rose up off the floor, this time only raising to her hands and knees. "Good girl." Cinder said and began to walk once more, with her pet closely behind her.
Ruby could do nothing as she was paraded around like a show dog. She wore just a dirty black t-shirt and some black panties as her knees began to become scrapped up. The palms of her hands were also becoming red and were beginning to hurt. Cinder walked Ruby down multiple hallways and down multiple sidewalks, all of which seemed somewhat familiar to Ruby, but she couldn't quite figure out why. It wasn't until they turned one corner that Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, suddenly realizing where they were.
Right in front of her, down a long sideways, was the partially, reconstructed, Beacon Tower. "N...n...no…" Ruby said to herself. Cinder noticed that Ruby had stopped. "Why have you stopped…oh. That thing. I guess a welcome back is in order. Salem told me to meet her here when I finally got you. So, come along now, we can't keep her waiting." Cinder gave the lease a couple of light tugs to get Ruby moving, which she quickly starting as to avoid more of the spike being driven into her neck.
As the two headed towards Beacon tower, Cinder began to talk to cover up the silence.
"Ahhh, the memories. Don't you remember all the good times you had here?" Cinder aske Ruby. Ruby remained silent, remembering now to speak unless commanded to.
"Ah, that's a good girl. You're learning. You can speak, but only until we get to Salem. I don't want to seem like I'm crazy talking to myself." Cinder said in an unusually cheerful voice.
"Th…thank you." Ruby said, nervous and anxious.
"Don't worry Ruby. I'm not going to hit you right now. I just want a causal conversation." Cinder said, trying to calm Ruby down.
"Alright." Ruby said while nodding.
"Good. Oh look, it's were Qrow and Winter had their little fight. You know, when I first learned about him being here, I was kinda nervous because if he saw us, well then, our whole plan would have gone down the drain." Cinder said.
Ruby just nodded, her eyes beginning to tear up slightly upon hearing her Uncle's name again.
They continued on, soon passing the statue in front of the main entrance to Beacon. This once mighty statue was now falling apart, bits and pieces missing from it.
"I always find this statue a bit ironic. You were always taught to kill the Grimm, but never the real enemy, fellow people. If they had just taught you to kill those wanting to harm the once you love, then maybe the war might have had a different outcome." Cinder said in a mocking tone. Ruby once again said nothing, still trying to find her face.
Once again, they continued on, soon reaching the large meeting and assembly hall.
"Oh look, this is where you formed at little team of yours, team RWBY with you as their faithful and fearless leader. And look what happened, they all died," Cinder placed a finger under Ruby's chin and raised it so Ruby's eyes could meet hers. There were tears streaming down her face and her eyes were all red, "because of you."
Cinder removed her hand from underneath Ruby's chin and chuckled to herself and Ruby tried to stop crying. After a couple of second, Cinder spoke
"Alright, I forbid you from speaking from here on out, is that understood?" Cinder asked. Ruby just nodded her head in agreement. "Alright then, let's go." Cinder began walking and yanked the collar as hard as she could to get Ruby moving. The quick movement caused the spikes to slide up Ruby's neck, causing her to bleed a bit more. They made their way to the elevator that would take them to the top of the tower, to the headmaster's office. Once the elevator arrived at the bottom floor, they both entered and Cinder ordered Ruby to sit. Ruby sat just like a dog would as to not upset her new master. Cinder smiled, realizing that breaking Ruby would be easier than she once thought.
The elevator soon slowed before coming to a complete stop. A dinging noise came from the elevator as the doors opened. There, Ruby saw Salem sitting where Ozpin would sit. The room was almost completely repaired, aside from some of the windows still being boarded up. On the side of the desk closest to the elevator was two chairs. Cinder walked Ruby over to one of the chairs and sat down. Ruby sat down next to Cinder on the floor.
Salem looked at Ruby, then at Cinder, then back to Ruby, and finally back to Cinder.
"Cinder?" Salem asked.
"Yes?" Cinder responded.
"From now on, if I'm ever meeting with you, Ruby is to be treated like a human being, not an animal. Am I clear?" Salem said in a demanding voice.
Cinder's smile faded and she sighed. "Yes, madam." Cinder said.
"Good." Salem turned to Ruby. "Ruby, please take a seat." Ruby obliged and stood up and walked over to the empty chair. "Oh, and take all the damn stuff off of her." Cinder reluctantly unclasped the leash while Ruby reached for the buckle of the collar. "But keep the collar on. I like it." Salem said with a smile. Ruby's hands stopped where they were and then flopped down into her lap.
"So, what do you think? I tried to make it as original as possible." Salem asked, jestering to the room around them.
"It looks nice." Cinder replied, looking around.
"What do you think Ruby?" Salem asked. Ruby looked around a bit, never really raising her head from where she was looking at her lap.
"It…it reminds me of better times…" Ruby said softly.
Salem looked back at Cinder. "Not much of a talker." She said.
"She just needs to get, acclimated to her new life." Cinder replied.
"Speaking of her new life, you remember why I brought you here right?" Salem asked Cinder.
"You said she needed her shots." Cinder said, a confused tone in her voice.
"That's right. All dogs need their shots and whatnot. Flea, tick, heartworm, neutering." Salem said, directing her voice to Ruby, who head shot up and her eyes widening. The look of pure fear in her eyes.
"I'm just joking. Unless, you want her neutered." Salem now turned her attention to Cinder. Cinder turned her head to meet Ruby's head which was shaking back and forth ever so slightly.
"No thanks. I want some puppies in a few years." Cinder said with a smile.
"Very well then. Let's begin with the shots. Since it's difficult for a human to contract fleas and as long as you aren't going into the woods, ticks shouldn't really be a problem, I guess the only shot she needs is heartworm." Salem turned to Ruby. "Ruby, you are going to feel a like pinch."
Suddenly, it felt as if someone has just stabbed her in the chest with a searing hot blade. She glanced down to see part of a metal stinger embedded in her chest, right where her heart was. She noticed the stinger was attached to a tail. She followed the tail which soon led to a body, crouching down on the chair above her. Soon, she saw the terrifying face of Tyrian, the man that almost killed Qrow way before everyone went to shit.
"Hello, Rose." He said in a crazy voice before yanking his stinger out from Ruby's chest. Even with the stinger removed, it was still hard to breathe. It felt as if someone had just closed off her airway. Ruby began gasping for air but she couldn't inhale. Ruby slammed her hand down on the table in an attempt to keep her from falling. She turned to Cinder, who looked just as frightened. She turned to Salem, who just sat there, straight-faced as ever. The look of help me was clearly spread across her face and Salem read it like a book.
Suddenly, Salem pulled out a syringe of a light blue liquid and stabbed Ruby in the back of the neck with it, injecting it immediately. All of a sudden, it felt as if someone had removed a boulder from her throat as it cleared up and Ruby took the biggest inhale of her life. The rush of fresh air into her lungs cause her to become light-headed and her muscles became weak. Then, the arm holding her up on the desk gave out and her collapsed on the floor.
Cinder turned to Salem, her eyes red with anger. "What did you do to her?!" She yelled.
"I injected her with Tyrain's poison." Salem replied calmly.
"But that will kill her!" Cinder said, still very excited.
"Not with this." Salem handed Cinder another syringe filled with the blue liquid. "It's an antidote of sorts. Inject it into her neck once a week and it will counter-attack the fatal effects of his poison while keeping her aura at bay."
"What do you mean at bay?" Cinder asked.
"Well, there is enough poison in her system to kill a normal human being. But because she is a huntress, her aura is working to protect her. Because there is so much poison, all of her aura is working to keep her alive. This means that her aura is weaker meaning she is more vulnerable to hits, she can't use her semblance, and she won't be able to use that pesky little silver eye power she has." Salem explained
"So, what does this do?" Cinder asked, referring to the blue substance in the syringe.
"Think of it like steroids for her aura. After about a week of constantly fighting the poison, it becomes so weak that it can no longer fight and within a day's time, she won't be able to move and by the next morning, she will be dead. So, give this to her every 5 -7 days if you want to keep her alive. I had given you about 3 months' stock already and will ship more when I get some."
Salem and Cinder both turned to look at Ruby, who at this point was on her hands and knees, coughing up blood. "As you for and her, I'm leaving Beacon to you two. You have the whole ground to yourself. I won't recommend heading into Vale since it's now just completely overrun. Goodbye for now. I will talk to you soon. Come along Tyrian."
Salem began to leave but soon stopped. "Oh yes, one more thing. Here's the room I would highly recommend you keep Ruby in. It's already decorated." Salem handed Cinder a piece of paper with a building and room number on it. Cinder instantly recognized the numbers and became very excited once again. Cinder grabbed her leash and walked over to Ruby. By this point, she had stopped coughing up blood but was still struggling to gain a steady balance. Cinder clasped the lease to the metal loop on the collar and began to pull on it, eager to get moving. This time, because of her weaken aura, the once tiny stabs felt like someone driving a knife into her neck, each and every time it happened. This made Ruby even more terrified of the collar and of Cinder. Now all she wanted to do was please her to make sure she wouldn't have to use it.
As Cinder walked at an increased pace to their destination, Ruby tried her hardest to keep up with Cinder, even though her arms and legs felt as if they would give up at any moment. Then, right as they were about to, they arrived at their destination.
"We're here!" Cinder said cheerfully. Once again, the area around seemed very familiar but Ruby couldn't quite remember why. "I think you'll love your new home, Ruby." Cinder opened the door to the room and upon seeing what lied inside, Ruby remembered why it seemed so familiar. It was her dorm back when she used to attend Beacon. And everything was exactly the same. The beds still placed precariously on top of one another, the curtain with the tear down at an angle, everything was the same. But there was also a few changed as well. The big one being the bathroom no longer existed. Instead, another wall replaced it. Next, there was a large metal pole in the middle of the room with a long chain that had another metal collar at the end. Finally, there was two bowl by the door, one labeled food and the other labeled water.
"See, I guess Salem decided that you should spend the remainder of your days in this room to remind you of all of those you failed to protect. Your friends, your family, everyone you know and love is now dead, and it's your fault." Cinder said with spite. Ruby was crying at this point. "Silence!" She yelled, slapped Ruby on the top of her head, causing Ruby's arms to legs to finally give out. "You are nothing but a dog now. You will act like a dog, you will move like a dog, you will eat like a dog, you will even go to the bathroom like a dog. And since your bathroom is no longer here, that means you can only go during walks. So, don't you dare trying and go in here because if I find you went in here and I have to clean it up, you will be beaten like a dog. Do I make myself clear?!" Cinder yelled. Ruby nodded quietly, not showing her face. Soon, Ruby felt the leather collar being removed and replaced by the bulkier, heavier metal collar. Ruby dared not to move as Cinder messed with the collar. Finally, after locking the collar in place, Cinder made for the door.
"I'm headed off to bed. It would be wise if you did the same bitch." And with that, Cinder slammed and locked the door. Even after her footsteps faded out of ear shot, she dared not move. She instead laid on the floor, thinking about the event that transpired that day. She thought about what she had done to deserve this or why. She thought about what the people she loved would think of her now, afraid to move a muscle around someone who she once longed to kill. How she acted around Cinder and how to please her so she could avoid future beating.
She thought about how she was nothing more, than Cinder's Pet.
Author's Note:
This is probably as dark as I will go besides straight murder, which I have planned.
Yeah, I hope this one was a much as an interest to read as it was to write. I don't really have much to say about it but since it wasn't directly address in the story, Ruby is about 18 in this. That's really all there is to say.
So, Follow, Favorite and Review.
July 5, 2017
Words: 4.1k