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"So… we got another one, huh?"
"Yyyyyyye-P."
"You holding up okay? I mean, these are other versions of you-"
"Yang, you can't expect me to know what to do in this situation, can you? Name one person on Earth who's gotten to meet an alternate version of themselves. I'll go ask how they handled it."
"That would be a no bueno. Don't worry sis, I'm here for ya."
"Truly I am filled with confidence…"
"Pbtbtbtbtbt~"
Conversation died down as the sisters awaited their order at the Wet Dog Pizza and Arcade, arguably the best place in town for a late-night meal. And depending on who you talked to, it wasn't a fair argument. Yang sat atop the motorcycle arcade cabinet, absently rocking back and forth to the onscreen demo but mostly paying attention to Ruby, who was leaning against the wall next to the door. No one else was in the place aside from the kitchen staff and the blue-haired young man who took their order.
After a long pause, Yang said, "At least the boy was cute… Garnet, was it?"
"I thought I was the one with a bad memory?"
"I'm just trying to conversate."
"I could've walked here myself, ya know."
"And carried 6 pizzas home by yourself? Hell no, sis. From now on the only traveling you do after dark is to work and back."
"Yaaaaang…"
"Last time you were on your own you almost got knocked into the canal."
"By a freak, once-in-a-lifetime accident involving an alternate reality version of myself. How often do you think that's gonna happen?!"
Yang bit her lip to stop the reply she wanted to say, thereby ending their talk. Ruby sighed and closed her eyes again, trying to remain patient as she chewed on what she'd just learned.
There was yet another Ruby in the house, bringing the total to 6, or if you counted Ruby herself then 7. Monsters had attacked the town today and wrecked a few cars. Weiss was grumpier than usual after they all got home, all but kicking the redhead out of the house for a few minutes. Everything was a mess. And to think, less than a week ago her biggest complaint was that Cardin the Idiot had forgotten his cleaning duties again.
A smiling face broke the somber mood as Neptune hauled out their food. "Sorry for the wait, ladies. Everything's finally done."
"What was the holdup?" said Yang.
Neptune sighed, "Uh… Sun decided to try and spin the dough this time. Up in the air. For some reason. Lost about 3 pies worth before he finally gave it up and made 'em like normal."
Ruby smirked, "Which one of you guys threatened his life this time?"
Neptune lifted a finger, "That would be Sage; Scar got the night off. Aight you two, don't eat it all at once!"
Yang scoffed, "Who exactly do you think we are~?"
One blue eyebrow flew high, "Do you really want me to answer that?"
Ruby gave her sister a bap on the shoulder, grabbed the pizzas and backed out the door as Yang shouted a greeting to Sun, the chef extraordinaire. The last thing Ruby heard before they got outside was a loud whoop from inside. Honestly that guy…
"I'll get the door," said Yang as she stepped up to the bumbler. "Man, I wonder what an alternate universe version of those guys might look like?"
"Alright Blake," said Ruby as she loaded the grub into the backseat. "Let's just get back home already, I don't wanna think about-hooOOOLY CRAP."
The Wet Dog had vanished. In its place was a low building with a giant sombrero built into the roof and a neon sign above the door reading El Pizza Banditos. Inside, a crew of young women took a few orders before one of them saw Ruby and Yang outside and pointed. Panic spread through the crowd…
…Just as the air shimmered, revealing the good ol' Wet Dog right where it had always been.
Yang's voice cut into the silence, "Tell me you just saw that."
"I just saw that," said Ruby. "Wow, that was… that was like the gas station yesterday."
Yang quickly got into the car and buckled her seat belt. "I think you're right… we'd better get home before there isn't a home to get back to."
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"I must say, that is quite curious." The person called Ruby Raspberry mused while the rest of the room listened. "I'm familiar with many deities and religions, but this 'Zoh' character you speak of resembles none of them."
Ruby nodded, recalling the bizarre circumstances that she'd been involved in just a day before. She had no experience with any sort of religion, but even she could tell her 'mirror image' was full of crap.
It had been a long day for everyone in different ways. Weiss had managed to convince her folks to cover the rent for the next month so they could deal with what she called 'surprise visitors' …though she'd be the first to admit that doing so likely drained away a few years of her life. Yang finally got some work done on the bumbler, but she also had to endure Blake's excited chattering about the new topic on everyone's minds right now. By comparison, Ruby's day off of work had been painfully boring.
Small wonder Weiss demanded she and Yang make a trip out to the Wet Dog and pick up some grub for everybody.
Of course, now they had yet another lookalike to both feed and bring up to speed on the whole multiverse deal; Ruby tried to remember everything while the others ate a late supper, though thankfully both Weiss and the boy Garnet were able to get that ball rolling while the sisters were out. Even now they were willing to fill in the parts that had slipped away from Ruby's shoddy memory.
This new Ruby took the story far better than the others. "Have you been able to contact Zoh since the incident?"
"I, uh…" Ruby scratched the back of her head, "I actually haven't even tried. I got no idea how."
One tattooed arm bent to place the hand beneath the chin. "Hmm… common sense would dictate that you should repeat the circumstances that brought her here in the first place… however, based on your description of her personality, I suspect such a plan would not be successful."
"She did strike me as kinda stubborn."
Yang piped up from the kitchen, "Almost like she's a mirror image or something.~"
Ruby barked, "Go choke on a hot dog!"
"In any case," the newcomer cut in before they could start bickering, "Our first priority should be to reinforce the integrity of this dimension. I've seen for myself that various parts of the fabric of space-time are becoming… thin, so to speak. Other realities are bleeding through."
"Yeah… we saw that ourselves."
"That is only the beginning, I assure you."
"So what is all of it? Other portals?"
"Not exactly, although I suspect there have been some brief openings through which the Creatures of Grimm passed into this realm. No, at this time they are simply weak points that might be torn asunder if acted upon by an outside force."
A pause, followed by Weiss' voice, "…And what would happen if it did tear?"
"No mortal mind can know the answer to that," said the person who was most likely a girl. "The most likely outcome would be pure destruction, enough to wipe this town off the proverbial map."
A few gulps could be heard from the kitchen, but no one spoke.
"However, I have a plan… among the many magical topics I have studied, one of my best was the art of Runes. I assume you all have seen my arms?" The person held up their arms and one leg for the room to see.
Ruby blinked, "Those are runes?"
"Indeed. I… uh… I have little talent for casting magic at range, but with these equipped I have no need for such trifles. You see, I store my magical energy, my mana, within the ink itself and-"
"If I may cut in-" said Brandywine out of nowhere, "You mentioned that time was of the essence, did you not?"
"I did."
The older version of Ruby wiped her greasy fingers with a napkin and said, "Perhaps you would be so kind as to save your explanations for tomorrow? If you have a plan to stabilize this… dimension… would it not be wise to enact it as soon as possible?"
The person who called themselves Ruby Raspberry gave a wide smile, "Yes, of course you are right dear woman. Forgive my impertinence. I will set about my task at once! Would one of you ladies be so kind as so direct me to your back garden? That is as good a place as any."
This time Weiss spoke up, "What are you planning to do out there? Uh, the short version if you please."
"Merely to place a rune and charge it with my spare mana," said Ruby Raspberry. "My intent is to better stabilize the integrity of this realm through its application, thereby reducing the chances of the Creatures of Grimm returning. The rune will be invisible to normal eyes upon its completion, worry not."
"As long as the Homeowner's Association doesn't raise a stink…" Weiss sighed as she grabbed another slice and stood up to go unlock the back door.
"Um…" Ruby raised a hand as the newest doppelganger made their way towards the back. "Do you have any other name we can use? There's already, like, 3 other Rubys in here."
"Hmm… perhaps there is one. In my youth I was known for running around without restraint, imagining I was traveling at speeds faster than light. My friends at that time referred to me as ZoomZoom. Will that suffice?"
All eating noises came to a complete stop.
Ruby chuckled, "That's as good as anything they've come up with. Alright ZoomZoom, it's nice to meet you."
"The honor is mine, dear sister," said ZoomZoom with a deep bow. They finally turned and made for the back door, passing a table full of stunned silver eyes, a few of whom were holding back laughter.
"I'll go with her," said R2 suddenly as she scooted out of her chair and stood. "I need some air."
ZoomZoom smiled, "That would be most helpful – while I construct the rune, I will be all but helpless. Having another set of eyes to watch the surroundings will be appreciated."
R2 directed a glare at the oblivious Rube. "Nice to know somebody gives a fuck. Shall we?" The pair of Rubys went outside without another word.
The room was quiet for a beat. Garnet finally leaned over and said to Rube, "Did something happen between you two?"
Rube E. Roze merely shrugged.
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"My name is Penny."
The creature before her didn't respond right away, but the look in her silver eyes made it clear she understood the words. Penny was no expert in reading the finer details of body language, but even she could tell this dog-person was nervous. And that made sense; anyone would be nervous in a brand new environment.
"Are you feeling better? Father says you merely had a bad fall, so the worst you'll have to deal with is bruising." Penny glanced at the glass of water next to her bed, untouched but not unwanted. "I'm sure you're hungry too, but… well, I don't want to assume what you can and cannot eat-"
"I'm fine," the creature finally spoke. "I don't really… feel like eating right now."
Penny barely held back her glee at holding a conversation. "O-Okay. Um… what do I call you? What are you, anyway?"
The dog-like head of this feminine creature turned to regard Penny, then aimed at the bedroom door where Father had passed through not half an hour ago. "I could ask you the same question. I've never seen anyone like you two before. So… hairless."
Penny blinked at that, then took another look at the dog-person. Her entire body was covered in a fine rust colored fur. She was, by all accounts that mattered, a 'furry.' And based on her reaction to the question, it was safe to assume she'd never seen a human before; compared to her, Penny must've resembled a hairless cat (and not in a cute way).
"We humans are fairly common around here," said Penny with a scratch of her arm. "I'm sure this must be… weird for you."
"That's one word for it," said the creature.
"Do you at least have a name?"
"… … …Ruby."
"…!" At this Penny very nearly squeaked. Not only was this dog-human hybrid able to form normal words with a canine mouth, she also had the exact same name and silver eyes as that recent high school grad from a few doors away? How many coincidences can one bookworm handle?!
"Penny? Something wrong?"
"O-Oh, um… n-no, not really…" In a desperate move to give herself time to think, Penny took a moment to clean her glasses with part of her shirt. It wasn't quite enough time. "So, uh… I think Father won't mind if you spend one night with us, b-but…"
"But no more?" said Canine Ruby with one eyebrow raised. "I'm not surprised. My family back home would be no different if we found a peach like you in our backyard."
"P-Peach?"
"Would you rather I refer to you as a naked molerat?"
"N-N-No! I, uh… peach is fine, I guess." Why in the world was her face getting hot?! "So, I… um… I mean… I have a neighbor with… um, who has the same name as you…"
"Oh?"
"And also the, uh… the same color eyes. Silver. I've only spoken with her a few times but they always stood out to me."
At this the dog-person sat up a little straighter. "Now that is unexpected. I was under the impression that my eyes were unique."
"Th-They are quite… n-nice…"
"Why thank you, Penny," Ruby the Canine gave a toothy smile that finally helped Penny's nerves relax. She then reached over and used her odd paws that were almost hands to grab the glass of water and take a drink. "I think I'd like to go meet this 'Ruby' you mentioned. But first… I believe I'll take you up on your previous offer; you wouldn't happen to have any mushrooms lying around, would you?"
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"I wish to leave."
Garnet snapped out of his daydream at those words. Foxy, the Ruby with Faunus ears, was on her feet and heading for the front door. "And go where?" he said after her.
"It matters not," Foxy replied. "I cannot stay here."
"I still think we need to stick together here," Garnet quickly said. He stood up and continued, "None of us know if we even can get home, never mind when or where a chance might show up. I'd never forgive myself if we found a way out of here and had to leave you behind-"
"Sir Garnet," Foxy turned and looked him full in the eyes, "Make no mistake, I deeply appreciate the alliance we shared against a common foe, but that foe is vanquished. Our alliance is at an end. No matter how many of us share the same face, it does not change the fact that I am alone. Fear not, I will remain close by."
Something about the way she spoke made Garnet slightly uneasy. "I'm okay with you putting a little distance between us, but I'm… kinda responsible for everybody right now. How far do you-"
"Sir Garnet…"
Foxy took several slow steps to close the distance between them. By this point everyone left in the house was paying attention to the encounter – most of the remaining Rubys were still in the kitchen quietly conversing amongst themselves, the native Ruby of this world and her housemates were in the living room where Garnet had been seated and thinking, but now everyone was quiet as the formerly flamboyant member of the group suddenly fell quiet.
"…I do not wish for you to know my whereabouts." Foxy's voice had fallen into a lower tone that made Garnet's skin break out in goosebumps. And she continued smiling. "If you would forgive my indiscretion, I will no longer hide my true feelings – I do not like you. Any of you."
Garnet swallowed hard. This was… unexpected.
Up until now, Foxy had been the one member of this ragtag group Garnet almost felt some kind of a bond with. None of the others had known what a Grimm was aside from her, putting them on similar levels in his mind. He assumed Foxy had been trained at a Huntsman Academy same as him, but now he saw how silly that kind of thinking was. He never bothered to ask about what kind of a world she had come from.
The hostility in her gaze implied it was nowhere near as idyllic as he first assumed.
"If… If that's what you want, then I won't stop you." Garnet tried to keep his voice steady at this unexpected turn of events. "Would you at least agree to let one of us know where you'll be? Maybe Rube? She can contact you with one of her drones if something happens…"
Foxy's silver eyes narrowed dangerously. "Human… You test my patience. I would advise against that." Garnet watched out of the corner of his vision as Foxy's hand edged closer to her sword. "My path is my own. As is my freedom."
Garnet's heartbeat started speeding up. Was she getting ready to fight…?
Just before he could open his mouth to accede to her demands, another voice broke in. Blake said in a cheery voice that did not at all belong in their conversation, "Hey, uh… if you need allies, I can help!"
Garnet and Foxy both turned to find Blake wearing a pair of fake cat ears, grinning like an idiot and holding up her balled hands in a pose meant to emulate cat paws. It was a look that made Garnet want to curl into a ball and bury himself. Ugh… Noire, his teammate from back home, would have run himself through with his sword before making a face like that.
Yang stood next to Blake and sighed, gesturing to her head, "What in God's name are you doing?"
"Well I was working on my makeup for the convention before you guys got all serious out here-"
"This is hardly the time or place to go full weeb, kitten."
Blake dropped her fake smile and snarled at Yang, "I was just trying to-"
~ssSSHNG!
The sentence was cut off at the sound of a blade being drawn. That combined with the sudden movement of Foxy sent Blake tumbling backwards with a shrill meep!
Foxy's sword, the Rose of Anima, was leveled at Blake's trembling face. The silver eyes behind it were no longer smiling.
Blake's fake cat ears now sat in two pieces on the floor, along with a few strands of ebony black hair. A single drop of blood ran down Blake's face as the realization set it. Chair scrapes and worried voices echoed from the kitchen as the other Rubys all reacted to the sudden attack, though none of them moved to help.
Foxy's voice suddenly took on a deep growl, "Mock me again, human… and I shall remove your true ears as well."
Garnet had seen enough; with a single motion he drew and unfolded Crescent Rose with a series of metallic clunks, aimed it at the back of his ally and said, "That's enough Foxy… STAND DOWN."
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Author's Note: I'm still here! And my quest to recapture the joy of fanfic writing continues! I've been updating one or two of my other projects now that I'm on the way out of my pit of depression, and there's a good chance that trend will continue (thanks in large part to my editor The Layman for sticking with me). I still have a long way to go, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
Anywho, shall we have another bio?
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NAME: Ruby "Foxglove" Rose
AGE: 17
RACE: Faunus (fox ears)
GENDER: Female
RECIPE: 50% Ruby Rose (RWBY), 30% Alejandro Murrieta (The Mask of Zorro), 15% Elizabeth Swan (Pirates of the Caribbean), 5% Fa Mulan (Mulan)
SUMMARY: Foxy is a troubled young woman from a world where slavery is not only commonplace, it's considered the norm – that is, slavery of Faunus. This Ruby was brought up to believe that humans are naturally superior to Faunus and are somehow divinely mandated to rule over them. Of course, it didn't take long for her to break free of this mindset and begin her quest to free her race and end the tyranny of the humans. She eagerly joined up with the White Fang, a small band of freedom fighters, and quickly set about to cause her unique brand of mischief. This turned out to be easier said than done as the majority of Faunus in this world have accepted their place in it, most refusing to be freed and even turning against the White Fang and everything Foxy stands for.
Personality wise, this Ruby is bombastic and holds nothing back. The only thing she loves more than bringing misery to humans is making damn sure they know exactly who was responsible for ruining their day. Granted, this attitude gets on the nerves of her good friend Weiss, another fox Faunus but with a great floofy tail that Foxy is absolutely totally not jealous of no matter who you ask or how many times you catch her staring at it or petting it or sniffing it okay don't get the wrong idea it's just a phase please calm down…
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Well nobody said these guys had to be all sunshine and rainbows, did they? People from different walks of life may look similar on the outside, but it doesn't take much digging before you discover just how different they truly are – for this story, I wanted bouncing happy-go-lucky Foxy to have a much darker backstory than the others, one that rears its ugly head early and causes a bit of tension in the group. Don't worry, she'll calm down soon enough… maybe when a certain doggo steps into the picture?
Hope you stick around!
=^..^=
