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Her mission was over.
Not complete… just over.
It was a bittersweet feeling; both because she could rest easy knowing she'd done her best to protect her friends, but mostly from the taste of happiness she'd been given suddenly being taken away. She'd been given a new, fully human body, but barely had any time to enjoy it. Time was not on her side.
Fate, however, seemed to be looking out for her.
Even though she hadn't been prepared for it, the power of the Winter Maiden had passed to her. She had been granted a gift of extraordinary powers and used them to preform her duties with even more zeal than before. The world needed her. All of her friends needed her.
But in the end, it was the woman with the white hair who needed her the most. In her final moments, this woman, who had devoted her time and energy, and even risked her life for her, this woman was given her gift. It was to her that the power was granted. She would have to defend the world now, but there was no doubt she'd be much better at it.
Penny's only regret was that she never… she never…
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The same old ceiling was there when she opened her eyes again. Same as always. No futuristic world of energized dust and a city that floated in the sky, just… her old trailer. Penny sat up and sighed deeply. This dream was worse than the others.
Because there was every indication it would be the last one.
She looked at her meager bookshelf, packed to the limit with as many tomes as she could get her hands on. Fantasy and sci-fi were the dominant genres, but romance and mystery weren't far behind. Worlds within worlds, places she often went to escape the humdrum life of Pelican Town. To escape her mother.
Yet these dreams were more, much more. They were so vivid, so… alive. They were more like memories, like a life she'd lived in the past. And having read all of her books at least twice, Penny could definitely say they were nothing like what she'd seen written. The emotions were too real. Too close.
Faces drifted before her eyes even now… several important people with white hair and blue eyes, but far younger than Granny… people in military uniforms unlike anything in these parts… and a young girl with silver eyes. A girl whose face always made Penny's heart skip a beat. But she could never be sure why.
Were these dreams actual reflections of a past life?
Or was she just going crazy?
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"A little of both, I'd say," Maru said with a grin.
Penny huffed with annoyance. "I'm being serious. These dreams can't be entirely from my mind, can they? What do you really think?"
Maru quit laughing and crossed her arms, clearly thinking. She ran a finger through her dark bangs and said, "I think I'm not the right person to ask about this. You should find a shrink or something, a person whose opinion might actually help."
"Your opinion is the only one I care about right now."
"Aww…" Maru wrapped an arm around Penny's shoulder and pulled her close. Penny didn't resist.
The pair of girls sat at their usual spot in Pelican Town, the park bench in front of the Stardrop Saloon. The sun was just starting to go down, but the day was still really nice. According to the weatherman, they weren't due any rain for about 4 days. The beginning of Spring was always so lovely.
"If you want my real thoughts," Maru paused, then sat back upright, "I think your dreams might have something to do with regrets."
Penny raised one eyebrow, "Regrets?"
"The way you made it sound, right before the end you were wanting to do one last thing. Do you think you ever did it?"
Penny returned to the visions and tried to think, to recall everyone's faces again. Few if any came with names, but all came with emotions – love, anger, joy, the whole mix. Only a few came with any form of pain, and one in particular still made her wince. That girl with silver eyes.
Maru said, "Judging by your face, I'd say that's a 'no.'"
"I just… I wish I could remember more."
"And that might be the problem."
"…?"
"You haven't moved on yet."
"…!"
Maru adjusted her glasses, then looked up into the blue sky. Her gaze was thoughtful. "Let's say these are memories of your past life. If that's the case, we can safely assume reincarnation is possible, which leads to the conclusion that most people, or even all people, get reincarnated into another life after they die."
Penny nodded, somehow able to follow her logic.
"How many other people do you know who dream of what came before?"
"No one."
"How many people would you guess… and just a wild guess… die with strong regrets?"
"…Probably not too many. I know George and Evelyn won't be around much longer, but I can't imagine they'd have too many regrets when they pass on."
"Exactly." Maru turned and put a hand on Penny's head, lightly ruffling her ginger hair. "You're a good kid, Pen. I know if you had the power to do so, you'd go back to that old life and solve whatever problems were left behind. You'd do whatever you could to ease the regrets of the old you, even a little."
Penny looked away, staring instead at the various flowers of the park that were just starting to bloom.
"The fact you're remembering them means you haven't let them go yet. I know it won't help the people you left behind, but… it might be a good starting point."
For some reason, Penny's throat was becoming tight.
A lot of these memories, assuming that's what they really were, still lingered in her head over these last few weeks. Meeting the silver-eyed girl for the first time in a city by the sea, fighting a bunch of people in a giant floating arena, defending a city from creatures that make rock crabs look like squeaky toys… and laying down her life to give her friends a better chance. She remembered it all, and the thought of losing all that… was terrifying. She didn't want to let it go.
Maru sensed her distress and moved quickly, wrapping her friend in a tight hug. "Hey hey hey, it's alright. I'm right here… shhh it's alright…"
Penny waited on the tears to fall, but they never did. Maru, her best friend, offered just enough warmth and comfort to help her hold them back. She returned the hug, leaning into the embrace and understanding that this… this was real. Not a dream, not a memory, but real.
This was her life, boring and mundane as it was. The fantastical world of her dreams would never be anything more. She had to accept that. Even now, it was getting easier.
"Th-th-thanks," said Penny. She gently pushed away from Maru and sighed again, patting herself on the cheeks. "I'm alright now."
"You're sure?"
"Mmhmm."
"If you say so." Maru checked her watch and said, "I'd better get going soon. Mom's gonna want my help."
"Doing what?"
"Getting that old farmhouse cleaned up. You know, the one out west?"
Penny blinked. "Is someone moving in?"
"That's what Mayor Lewis said. He's there right now, and even dragged Clint along to help. Apparently whoever it is should be arriving by bus tomorrow morning."
"So soon?!" Penny almost stood up in surprise. A new resident of Pelican Town was a big deal, but nobody had bothered to tell her until now.
Maru scratched the back of her head and gave an awkward chuckle, "I, uh, I guess I forgot to mention it. Now if you're sure you're alright, I'll see you later."
Penny smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Get out of here."
Maru finally walked off, leaving Penny alone with her thoughts. And her emotions. One more time, Penny pulled up the faces of the people she'd left behind. One more time, she remembered the ones she loved.
Her one regret… was that she never got to say goodbye.
"Farewell… Friend Ruby…" The tears finally fell. Nobody was around to see them. "I hope you guys are doing okay."
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Author's Note: I feel an explanation is in order.
First of all, I have not and likely never will completely get over Penny's death in volume 8 of RWBY. In time the sting may fade, but it's gonna take a long time. After I first saw that moment, I was pretty shaken and fell into a legitimate depression… and oddly enough, Stardew Valley was one of the few things that helped me begin my recovery. So imagine my surprise when I play the game for the first time and see a very familiar face sitting beneath a tree, just reading a book like nothing happened. It didn't take much imagination to form a connection, and the idea for this little one-shot was born.
In a way, writing this was a bit of therapy for myself. I still haven't fully let this go, but one day I hope I can. Otherwise I'll never move on.
=^..^=