Next commissioned chapter. This one has alt Ruby and alt Yang.
Also, some people have been suggesting alternate counterparts to show up. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, please remember that this is a commissioned work and I'm not taking requests from anyone besides the commissioner. If you have your own fic ideas - whether they be alternates dropping in like this fic or another story entirely - then please commission me at storylover543 gmail . com
There was a feeling of both nervousness and excitement that fell over teams RWBY and JNR as they settled in for lunch. At the advice of General Ironwood, they'd decided to stay in their dorm rooms - team RWBY's, in this case - to try and minimize any panic or chaos. They were also barred from undertaking any missions, which annoyed more than a few of them even though they understood the reason why. The last thing they needed was switching in the middle of a Grimm fight.
It didn't stop Yang from feeling stir-crazy, though. She'd spent months just sitting on her ass after Beacon and even now she still felt the urge to go out and do something. Staying cooped up in a room and playing on her scroll was driving her up the wall.
"Would you stop that?" Weiss suddenly snapped at her.
"What?" Yang turned to the former heiress and raised a brow.
"Stop tapping your feet. It's giving me a headache."
"Sorry." Yang leaned back on her bed and sighed. A part of her wanted to snap back at Weiss, but she knew why she was so on edge. As Huntresses, they were trained to expect the unexpected. A regular old Beowolf pack could have been hiding something nastier and an unprepared Huntsman was a dead one. Brute force and Aura wouldn't be enough forever. She learned that the hard way.
Which was why some of them found this so nerve-wracking. They could be switched at any moment of any day with their pants down; possibly literally. They'd even agreed to start sleeping in shifts starting tonight so they'd get some kind of warning. Which sucked. Today was supposed to be a good day. Uncle Qrow went back to Patch to drag Dad over here and both she and Ruby were excited to see him again. Now they had to deal with this instead.
Not everyone was as anxious, however.
Yang shifted her gaze and turned to Nora. The Valkyrie was bouncing her seat, plate empty and her lips curled up in an excited grin. She'd been practically vibrating ever since she and the rest of team NPR showed up. Besides Penny (and Yang herself, to a certain extent), she'd been the most excited about their new status quo. And hey, Yang kind of got it - seeing alternate dimension versions of you sounded hecking cool - but they couldn't ignore how dangerous it could be.
"Ooh, who do you think's going to be switched next?" Nora asked them all, "Maybe Ruby and Yang? Or Jaune again? What if it's me and Ren?!"
"Please stop treating this like it's a fun adventure." Blake sighed.
"Oh, come on! Don't tell me none of you are excited?! These are whole new universes we're talking about here! Anything and anyone could show up!"
"It wasn't a fun time, Nora," Jaune said, "I nearly had a heart attack when Torchwick and that Mercury guy showed up. I thought I was going to have to fight them by myself and then they suddenly start talking about how they got reservations at 'our favorite club' and then Mercury starts ranting about his daddy issues." Jaune shuddered, "I think I preferred it when they were just bad guys."
"I wonder what happened to that other Jaune..." Ruby mumbled.
"Hey, you did your best," Yang said quickly, "You told him that Neo was a crazy psychopath no matter what dimension she was in. If he doesn't wise up then it's his own fault."
"I still can't believe there's a world out there where I married Neo." Jaune shuddered. Ren touched his shoulder in male solidarity, "I mean she's cute and all, but she's absolutely crazy!"
"Some people are into that," Blake said. Everyone turned to look at her and her cat ears wilted (cute), "What? It's true!"
"Speaking from experience there, Blake?" Weiss raised a brow.
"N-No!"
"I only hope it's not dangerous," Ren said, stopping Nora from following up on Weiss' question, "Despite the previous situation, Jaune ended up in a public area. I hate to consider the idea of being switched with a counterpart fighting a wyvern or leviathan."
All of them, even Nora, shuddered at that. As much experience as they all had now, the idea of fighting those things gave them nightmares. Even Ruby with her super special Grimm destroying eyes would have a tough go of it.
...
"So...we heard something interesting from your counterpart, Jaune," Weiss said, giving the knight an almost teasing look, "What was that about faking your transcripts to get into Beacon?"
Weiss leveled a playful glare at him and Yang laughed at the five-foot-nothing former heiress still left her fellow blonde stuttering. Thankfully for him, he didn't have to stay in the hot seat for long. The hum of energy filled the air and when Yang looked to the source she found both Ren and Nora covered in a field of green energy. Instinct told her to prepare for a fight before she remembered that it wasn't a guarantee.
Nora looked down at her hands and groaned, "Oh, come on! I wanted to meet them!"
"Focus, Nora. Let us prepare for whatever may happen," Ren said.
The humming reached a fever pitch and Yang looked away just in time to avoid the bright flash. She only turned her eyes for a few seconds before Ruby shouted, "Ah! What the fuck was that?" Immediately, Yang felt that something was wrong. Ruby didn't curse. Period. The one time she did, she felt so bad that she had to wash her mouth out with cookies. Okay, so that was just an excuse to gorge on sugar, but the point still stood.
Yang looked back and blinked dumbly at the sight that greeted her. Instead of an alternate version of Ren and Nora as expected, it was her and Ruby. The differences were clear even at a glance. Her counterpart wore a red and white battle dress, complete with a combat skirt. Her hair was cut to just a few inches below her neck and meticulously curled, looking far neater than Yang's own natural locks. And of course, there was her weapon. Instead of Ember Celica, there was an ornate scimitar sheathed on her right hip.
But the other Ruby was the one who really got her attention. Her hair was blonde, for one thing, and she was dressed about as far from the gothic style her own little sister favored. Instead of boots, corsets, and combat skirts, the other Ruby wore a plain black dress shirt with a red vest on top, equally red shorts, and black sandals. She also had vambraces on both her hands, neither of which looked like they had any sort of tech like Ember Celica.
She looked like she was cosplaying as Dad.
"Oh my, what happened?" The other Yang muttered as she looked around. Hearing herself sound so prim and polite was just...wrong. Not bad, but she left all that polite stuff to Weiss queen for a reason.
"I dunno, but when I find who did this I'm gonna shove my hand right up their..." The other Ruby trailed off as she finally realized that they weren't alone. Her eyes settled on each of them in turn before they finally lingered on the Ruby from this dimension. The other Yang too was struck silent, gasping quietly and raising a hand to cover her mouth when she saw her.
A heavy and awkward silence settled over the group with no one willing to cut through the quiet first. They'd expected a switch to occur, but not like this. The last time Jaune and Neo had switched 1:1 with their alternates, but now Ren and Nora were gone and there was a Ruby and Yang in their place. Didn't those sci-fi movies Ruby loved to watch say something about how the selves should never meet?
"...Either I'm seeing things or there's two of us," the other Ruby said.
"I see them too, dear sister." Dear sister? Oh god, she really did sound like Weiss! "Perhaps this an illusion cast by those Grimm?"
"Since when did Nevermores do anything besides peck your guts out?" the other Ruby snorted. Nevermore? She hoped Ren and Nora were alright, "Alright, fuckers, someone better start explaining before I start throwing punches."
They did. It was somewhat easier now that they knew what was happening. The other Yang was quick to accept the whole thing while the other Ruby..."
"Bullshit," she snorted, arms crossed with an annoyed expression, "An alternate dimension? Seriously? That sounds like something straight of that crappy porno books Blake loves to read about."
"Hey!" Blake defended instinctively. Yang had to hold back from laughing.
"Don't be rude, Ruby," the other Yang chided.
"What? It's true!" She threw her hands up, "They really expect us to believe any of this crap?" Wow, she had a mouth on her, didn't she? Yang didn't know if she should feel proud or disturbed, "We've been through a lot of shit the past couple of years, Yang, but I'm calling bullshit on us ending up in an alternate dimension because of some 'temporal device' or whatever the hell reason they wanna give."
"This isn't easy for us either," Weiss said with a frown, "We've spent the last night preparing ourselves for whoever may arrive. I suppose it's lucky that you two aren't hostile. The fact that that you two mentioned fighting a Nevermore at least makes me think you're still on the way to being Huntresses."
"We are, indeed." The other Yang nodded, "We're both in our third year at Beacon."
"Beacon?" Ruby's eyes widened, "Wait, so that means Beacon didn't fall?"
"The what fell?" The other Ruby looked at her counterpart like she had a second head. Despite the attempt to look casual, there was definitely some alarm in those big silver eyes.
"That's...a long story." Blake winced. All of them had bad memories of that day and Yang had some of the worst. She clenched her mechanical right hand and looked at her counterpart's arm. Still whole without a hint of injury, "I'm not sure if you both know this, but the Grimm aren't as mindless as you think. There's someone behind them pulling the stri-"
"You're talking about Salem, aren't you?" the other Ruby interrupted. The heavy silence was all the answer she needed, "Huh...not a lot of people know about her. So either you're part of the headmaster's secret society or you're her minions. And considering you haven't tried to kill us yet, I guess I can give you all the benefit of the doubt about the whole alternate dimension thing. Especially you." She looked to this dimension's Ruby, "Those silver eyes real?"
"O-Of course they are! Is your hair real?" Ruby shot back. It was a really weak comeback, but Yang didn't say anything.
"Dyed it since I was ten. Think it looks better this way," the other Ruby shrugged, "Mom didn't like it at first, but it helps me remember dad so-"
"Wait, hold up?" Yang cut in, "What do you mean 'remember dad' and how your mom didn't like it? Did...Did something happen to Dad?"
"He died on a mission when we were young," the other Yang said, lips curled in a small frown. The other Ruby clicked her tongue and looked away, "Mom and Uncle Qrow have been taking care of us ever since."
"Okay, that's...different." Yang let out a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling while Ruby suddenly had an uncomfortable expression. A world where dad died but mom lived. It wasn't any weirder than a story where Jaune and Neo got married.
"What's...What's Mom like? Back in your home?" Ruby asked softly.
"Just like any mom. Lots of rules and looking out for us no matter how old we get." the other Ruby laughed under her breath, "She was so worried when me and Yang decided to be Huntresses. She moved us to Vale after Dad died 'cause she wanted to avoid us following in their footsteps."
"She supported us in the end, however," the other Yang continued, "I suppose she figured out that once we were set on our paths best thing they could do was prepare us for anything, though I assume the headmaster scouting Ruby out to join two years early helped with that. Even then, she was rather cross when she understood that the headmaster was trying to induct us into his circle."
"What about you? What's...dad like in this place?"
"The worst puns and dad jokes you can ever think of." Ruby groaned. The other Yang giggled while the other Ruby smiled wryly, "He didn't move us anywhere after Mom died and he always told us that he'd support us."
"When we told him we were planning to be Huntresses he put us through the wringer." Yang said, "Well, mostly me, actually. Uncle Qrow was the one who trained Ruby 'cause she really liked his scythe and I liked hitting things with my hands."
"That I can agree on." The other Ruby nodded, "Weapons can break and maintenance is a bitch. Better if you can use your own hands and feet."
"I'm guessing by your knowledge that you were all also inducted to the headmaster's circle?" the other Yang asked.
"It wasn't as neat as what you guys went through from the sounds of it, but yeah, pretty much," Yang replied.
"Guess some things don't change..." Jaune muttered. He'd been unusually quiet in the corner and the sudden lull gave the other Ruby a chance to finally pay attention to him. She looked him up and down, furrowed brows suddenly making way for...approval? Uh-oh,
"Well now, I don't recognize you." She grinned and walked over to him, leaving the knight to look helpless as a girl who was almost a foot shorter than him suddenly slammed her right hand on the wall next to his head, "Come around here often hot stuff?"
"Uh..." Jaune trailed off.
"Hey, stop that!" Ruby cried, getting in between the two and pushing her counterpart off, "Jaune's my bestie, so no...whatever that is you're thinking!"
"Jaune, huh? Rolls off the tongue. I can- wait, you say Jaune?" The other Ruby peered at his face through narrowed eyes, "Hold on, I think I recognize you now. Your last name Arc?"
"Yeah...?"
"Heh, no wonder I didn't recognize you at first." She laughed, "The Jaune I remember's the nursing assistant back at Beacon. Never ever saw him in anything besides that clinical uniform and shitty haircut."
"Hey, it wasn't that bad! ...Right?" Ruby awkwardly tried to say she preferred his old hairstyle while the rest of them kept quiet, "...You guys suck."
"He's not on a team at Beacon?" Weiss asked.
"Nah, I think I'd remember if I saw this tall glass of milk around." Yang coughed to hide back her sudden guffaw. 'Tall glass of milk'? She really was still Ruby no matter how different she looked, "If you mean our sister team, then he's definitely not in there. Pyrrha's the leader of that group of weirdos."
"Does it include Ren and Nora?" Jaune asked, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that he wasn't a Huntsmen in that world. Then again, this was his second time finding that out.
"Yeah. Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, and that weirdo Penny." Ruby winced at her counterpart referring to the robot girl so bluntly, "Team PPRN. Supposed to be Team Prawn, but I'm pretty sure everyone would call them Team Porn if they weren't scared of Pyrrha knocking their teeth in."
"Please don't be so crude." The other Yang sighed.
"Well, I don't care how different your Jaune is! Stop flirting with this one! It's weird!" Ruby shouted.
"Why? You two going out or something?" The other Ruby raised a brow in challenge.
"No, but-"
"Then that's the end of that conversation." The other Ruby pushed her aside, "I'm not hearing a no from tall, blonde, and hunky over here, so..."
"Well-"
"Don't do it, Jaune!" Ruby turned around and looked up at her best friend with a patented puppy dog pout, "She's me from another dimension! It'll make things weird when she goes back!"
"Hey, I'm a person, not just 'you from another dimension," the other Ruby snapped, "And if you really wanna settle this then we can go one-on-one. I'm still itching for a fight since we got snatched here right before I caved that Nevermore's skull in. You win and I'll do anything you say. I win and I get to have Mr. Muscles over here before we get sent back. Seems fair, right?
"Is no one gonna ask for my opinion?" Jaune cut in.
"Still not hearing a no," the other Ruby quipped.
"I'm just trying to catch up. Usually, people take these things kinda slow."
"You guys just told us we're going back in a few hours. Ain't got time for that. Either I'm getting seven minutes in the closet with you or I'm fighting someone. Either way, it'll get my blood boiling."
"Hey, stop ignoring me!" Ruby made sure there was enough space before she pulled out Crescent Rose with a wide flourish, "If you wanna fight then we can fight."
"That's your weapon?" The other Ruby looked at the black and red sniper-scythe with a look of disbelief, "Holy crap, how much time do you have to spend every day just making sure that glorified shop project works?"
The silence that came after the comment was so thick that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone in the room, sans poor Jaune who was still caught in the middle of the two, stepped back as a malevolent aura seemed to emanate from her normally cheerful little sister. To her credit, the other Ruby didn't look intimidated in the least and continued to stare her counterpart down.
"You take that back! Crescent Rose is a work of art!"
"I'm sure it is, which is why I wouldn't take it with me fighting Grimm. I'd put it up on a wall."
"Heathen!"
"Look, we gonna spar or not? Cause we're wasting time with all this trash talk."
"Fine! You really wanna fight? Let's go! There's a training arena we can use outside."
"Sounds good to me. Just make sure not to waste too many clips. I don't wanna feel guilty about you running out later."
"Clips?! They're called magazines!"
"Whatever."
"I don't wanna hear that from someone wearing stupid cargo shorts!"
The look of nonchalance on the other Ruby's face was replaced by anger, "You take that back! Cargo shorts are sweet and awesome! Better than whatever the heck you're wearing!"
The rest of them could only sigh as the two continued to bicker. None of this was going to end well.
All of them made their way to the arena. Thankfully, it was empty, so they didn't have to explain why exactly there were doubles of them walking around. Their counterparts - who they'd decided to call Rose and Yin while they were here - took the time to look around the various sights. From what Yin told her, they'd never been to Atlas or Vacuo in all the time they spent at Beacon. Made sense since they wouldn't need to go traveling around Remnant.
"Is she always like this?" Yang asked Yin as they watched their two sisters prepare themselves. True to her word, Rose had no weapons and just adjusted the vambraces on her hands.
"Long as I could remember." Yin sighed fondly, "Ruby's always worn her heart on her sleeve. It's gotten her into trouble over the years, but it also makes her a good leader. When our Blake was cutting herself away from us due to her guilt, she sat her down and pretty much told her off in front of Weiss and I for not trusting her team and that if she needed help all she had to do was ask."
"Sounds familiar." Yang chuckled at the memories of a tired Blake following a laser pointer, "But I actually meant how she acted with Jaune."
"Oh...yes." Yin sighed again. This time it was far less fond, "Ruby has...very specific tastes in men. 'Tall, blonde, muscle-y dorks', to use her words. Honestly, I think it's rather odd given what our dad was like, but every time I point it out she'll claim not to see the resemblance or act like I'm the one making it weird. I gave up on trying to warn her years ago."
"Heh, sounds rough." Yang hummed sympathetically. Seemed like Rose had daddy issues. Yang couldn't relate. Sure, she had her deal with Raven for a while, but now she was moving on and understood that Summer was her real mom. Wherever Raven was, Yang didn't care anymore. She had her real family here. Dad, Uncle Qrow, Ruby, the rest of her friends, and...and Blake.
Blake, her wonderful partner. The mysterious figure with a dark secret and a hard past who...left Yang when she needed her the most. But it was okay now! They'd made up, Yang didn't hold a grudge, and now they were on their way to being...something. She wasn't like Raven at all. Not even a little. So what if they were both aloof dark-haired swordswomen who both used katanas? Yang didn't even notice.
...
Fuck.
"Is something wrong?" Yin asked worriedly.
"Y-Yup, totally fine!" Yang forced a grin.
The fight between the two Roses was enough to keep her mind off of her unwanted revelation. The two of them were fast, but Ruby was definitely the faster of the two, easily using her Semblance to speed around the battlefield and keeping her distance so she could fire off rounds in quick succession.
Not that Rose was any slouch either. While she wasn't as fast as Ruby with her Semblance, her defense was practically ironclad. What bullets she didn't dodge she deflected with her wrists. Yang caught streaks of red petals dropping from her wrists with every block and whistled. She was using her Semblance to speed up individual limbs instead of her entire body.
Ruby couldn't play keep away forever and eventually Rose got close enough to punch her right in the jaw. Ruby's eyes widened and she activated Petal Burst again, splitting herself into three clusters and moving past Rose in multiple directions before converging again right behind her. Rose's surprise was brief and she quickly turned around with a rose-petal-stained kick aimed at Ruby's midsection that her little sister barely managed to block. The impact was enough to send the reaper skidding along the ground.
"Nice trick," Rose smirked.
"You too." Ruby panted, grip on Crescent Rose tightening "Never thought about using Petal Burst for just my limbs like that."
"Your body's the best weapon you can have." Rose put her hands up again, "Come on!"
The fight continued for another minute until Rose finally got close enough to grab Ruby before she could speed away. Instead of grabbing her opponent, however, she grabbed Crescent Rose's haft. Ruby gasped like she'd just been stabbed without her Aura up and the two Roses had a brief tug of war, each trying to pull the scythe away from the other.
It was obviously not a fight Ruby was going to win. As deceptively strong as her little sis could be, she was more of a speedster than a bruiser. Rose was definitely the latter, judging by her fighting style. Her arms bulged as she pulled back and slowly but surely pried the scythe loose from her mirror.
Ruby scowled and activated her Semblance. The two of them sped around the room as a red blob, zipping from one direction to another, before they collided straight at the right side wall. Yang hissed sympathetically as both Ruby and Rose were forced back into a solid state and crashed at a fair distance away from one another with Crescent Rose between them.
The two got up and looked at one another and then at the fallen scythe before they scrambled for it. Ruby was faster, but Rose was closer. Her little sister was inches away from grasping the hilt when Rose kicked it away to the side and tackled her to the floor, "No more speeding around." Rose grunted and, with a quick grab, twisted Ruby's right arm and pinned it against her back. Aura ensured there was no damage, but it would still hurt, "Say Uncle!"
"N-Never!" Ruby squeaked as Rose raised the pinned limb higher, "You disrespected my baby! I'll never give up!"
Yang didn't know how to feel at the sight before her. She'd always wanted Ruby to get better at unarmed combat, but her little sis insisted that all she needed was Crescent Rose no matter how much Yang warned her. Which was why she felt torn seeing a version of her little sister who could kick butt with her bare hands...and was proving it by metaphorically spanking her actual little sister. She was both proud and tempted to fight for Ruby's honor.
"Say Uncle!"
"I'm not gonna- ow, ow, ow! Fine! Qrow, Qrow, Qrow, Qrow!"
"...Good enough!" Rose let her go and breathed out in smug satisfaction. The two of them got up with Ruby rubbing her sore right arm and glaring at her counterpart, who was sporting a shit-eating grin, "Man, are you sure you're supposed to be a version of me? Can't imagine being so reliant on a weapon."
"Like you're on to talk." Ruby rolled her eyes, "Practically every Huntsman uses a weapon. What's the point of using your fists when you can use a blade or a gun?"
"It's all about knowing exactly what you have. When I'm out in the field I know exactly what I can do and I don't have to worry about something breaking or jamming or running out of ammo."
"Ruby was always impatient," Yin said, soft enough that only Yang could hear, "Mom tried to teach her about weapon maintenance, but she always snuck out and preferred watching Dad's old training movies. I'd catch her staying up early into the morning just practicing the forms and moves he recorded. I suppose it was part of her way of remembering him."
"Huh..." She couldn't say they were much different. Ruby wore a cloak because of Mom and she never let anyone outside of the family touch her hair because Mom was the one who always took care of it, "And you? How do you..."
"Remember Dad? Nothing so grand as dyeing my hair or adopting his fighting style, but I pay my respects in my own way. If you don't mind, I'd rather keep it to myself."
"Yeah, I get that." Yang nodded. She didn't tell anyone but Ruby the reason she was so sensitive about her hair. A lot of people probably just thought she was vain about it, "Speaking of hair, what do you do with yours? It looks amazing." Not that her own golden locks were anything to sneeze at, but she had to admit, her counterpart had style. Not a style she'd use, sure, but style nonetheless.
"I spoil myself with some spa treatments now and then." Yin laughed, "It's one of the things Weiss and I - my Weiss - love to do on the weekends."
"Weiss, huh? You two sound close."
"She's my best friend and partner." Yin smiled fondly, "I suppose it's because we have similar mannerisms. She found it easier to relate to me rather than Blake or especially Ruby."
"She's your partner? Not Blake?" She and Weiss were close, especially after what happened in Raven's camp, but not as close as Yang was to Blake or as Weiss was to Ruby. Being partners created a special sort of bond.
"No. Blake and I trust each other, of course, but we aren't that close." Yin trailed her eyes to the catsuited catgirl (heh) still looking at the two Rubys arguing, "It's her and Ruby who have a more intimate relationship back home."
"Huh. Cool."
"A question of my own, if I may?" Yang nodded. Geez, this girl was stiff, "I didn't want to ask in front of everyone, but your arm..."
"Oh...yeah." She looked down at her right hand and flexed her fingers. By the wonders of Atlas technology, the metal limb could move just as good - if not better - than her old hand. That didn't mean it was flawless, though. There were touch and feedback sensors, there had to be so she didn't crush things by accident, but they weren't as strong as her old arm. Sometimes it was a blessing - the arm could get smashed without her going into shock from the pain - but at other times she felt numb even when she was touching her friends."
"If this is uncomfortable then-"
"No, it's...it's fine." Yang clenched her right hand, "I was a hothead back at Beacon. Always thought about rushing ahead and bulldozing my way through a problem. One time I rushed too far trying to fight this asshole and..." She shrugged, trying to keep her expression neutral, "It was...definitely hard those first few months after, but Dad pulled me through it. Without him, I'd still be moping at home and probably getting a beer gut."
"The one who hurt you. Are they gone?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"What about you? No rivals or enemies back home?" Yang asked lightly.
"Nothing so dramatic." Yin laughed, "I had some disagreements with people, certainly, but never to the point where we'd take it outside the sparring ring. We've had our encounters with groups like the White Fang and Salem's cabal too, though that's not really personal. To them, I'm just another Huntress that needs to be stopped. I believe Ruby's the one they really care about."
"Because of her eyes."
"Yes." Yin sighed, "I despise the idea of her being targeted by madmen because of something she can't control. But of course, she takes it as a point of pride. All I can do is protect her as best I can."
"Well, that's what being a big sister's all about, right? No matter how old they get, you still remember them when they were crawling around with diapers." Especially her. She had to be Ruby's mom when dad shut down for a while and Uncle Qrow was too busy throwing himself into either a mission or a bottle. It wasn't something a kid was supposed to do. Probably why she was so eager to live a carefree life back at Beacon."
Gods. Beacon felt like a lifetime ago now.
"So...wanna spar too?" Yang asked, trying to move away from the sudden seriousness in the air, "I'm curious what you can do with that scimitar and I've been itching for a fight. We've been grounded in our rooms ever since this whole alternate dimension thing started."
"I suppose, though I'll never understand why you or Ruby find combat so enjoyable."
"Come on, you're training to be a Huntress! Don't you feel at least a bit excited in a fight?"
"I treat fighting like a necessity. Not something I enjoy, just a task that needs to be done."
"Gods, you're acting like a buzzkill." Yang slumped her shoulders exaggeratedly as they made their way to the arena. Ruby and Rose had stopped fighting in favor of Ruby trying to teach her counterpart about the exact differences between magazines and clips and why that was a very important distinction.
Yang popped Ember Celica and raised her hands while her mirror unsheathed the yellow and silver scimitar. Her stance was as regal as the rest of her, her left hand raised just under her chin while the right held the scimitar and pointed it down to the ground. It looked more like how Weiss carried herself than anything she would do.
The fight was less one-sided than the one between their younger sisters. Yin wasn't very aggressive and fought with slashes, pirouettes, and lots of nimble footwork. She deftly dodged most of Yang's punches, but what strikes that did hit, her counterpart had a hard time blocking. She struggled to defend against Yang's heavy blows and was left scrambling to stay on her feet so she couldn't follow up.
Yin's slashes were quick and powerful, damaging her Aura with every pass of the blade. Yang could feel her Semblance charging up from the damage and she resisted the urge to let it out all at once. Yin was the opposite. Her eyes were red and her hair burned with fire and yet she still kept up her somewhat defensive fighting style without taking advantage of the extra power she had.
The fight ended with a tie. Neither of them was going all out and she really did this mostly to see how her counterpart handled herself. A few minutes later and the two of them were standing across one another with both their Auras halved. Yang had worked up a decent sweat while Yin somehow managed to look as pristine as she did when she arrived. Geez, she even took that from Weiss.
"A good spar." Yin nodded.
"You too." Yang gave her a thumbs up, "Still, why didn't you press the advantage when your Semblance triggered?"
"Ah...I'm afraid I've never been very good at using my Semblance." She chuckled somewhat awkwardly, "My fighting style is defensive and focuses on dodging rather than blocking or taking hits. The instinct was already ingrained in me by the time I gained my Semblance, and at that point, it was a bit too late to restructure my fighting style to accommodate it."
"I guess, but it's better to take every advantage you can get, right? You can't dodge forever." Or rush ahead forever. She clenched her right hand again, "Just something to think about."
"I'll keep that in mind." Yin smiled, "Meeting you has been...interesting, to say the least."
"Same here. Never thought I'd be a proper lady like Weiss cream." Yang laughed.
"When mom took us to Vale she took a job as a personal tutor for aspiring Huntsmen. Many of them came from high class families and I just picked up some of the mannerisms. Weiss was rather surprised when she found out I came from such humble origins."
"Yeah, that sounds like her." Back when she was still a bit of a brat back at Beacon, at least.
The door to the arena opened and Penny rushed in excitedly, "Good morning, friends! Apologies for not being here sooner, there was a situation in Mantle that required my attention." She scanned the group and then lasered in on both Rose and Yin, "Oh, you must be the counterparts! And one of you is the counterpart of Friend Ruby! Sensational! It is a pleasure to meet you both!"
"Uh, yeah..." Rose took a not-so-subtle step behind Ruby.
"Penny, it's so good to soo you again. In a manner of speaking, I mean." Yin laughed.
"Hm, your tone and the alternate Ruby's actions indicate a difference in our relationship in your dimension. Am I correct?"
"We're not that close back home," Rose said bluntly. Ruby glared at her, "You're closer to Yang and your own team than you are to me. Especially Yang. When we bumped into you at Vale, Yang told Weiss that she had to apologize for crashing into 'our new friend'. You've been stuck to her ever since." She crossed her arms and looked her up and down, "You look...different."
"Oh! It's because I was destroyed at the Vytal Tournament and my father rebuilt me. Did that not happen in your dimension?"
"Destroyed? Rebuilt? What are you- wait, are you a fucking robot?! Is that why you were also so gods damned weird?!"
"Don't be rude!" Ruby chided.
"Ahaha...Penny, your counterpart wanted to keep that secret. Only me and Pyrrha know about it." Yin smiled stiffly.
"Oh!" Penny gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, "I hope this does not sour your relationship with my counterpart!"
"Ugh...I guess not?" Rose rubbed the back of her head, "But does explain a whole lot of weird shit. Like the one time I saw her licking double AA batteries..."
"Speaking of" Yang cut in, "Penny, the ones who got switched were Ren and Nora even though the ones who came out are different versions of me and Rubes. I thought it was supposed to be 1:1?"
"Really? How odd. Perhaps it's another side-effect of the machine? I will have to consult father about this."
All of them kept talking till they decided to break off for lunch. So far this was going better than last time.
"May I join you?"
Weiss looked up and blinked at the sight of Yang's counterpart - Yin, she reminded herself - looking down at her with a polite smile and a tray carrying two cups, "Of course." Weiss smiled back. She'd gone to one of the out-of-the-way balconies on campus for some alone time, but she didn't mind the company. Especially since Yin had proven surprisingly ladylike, the last thing she expected from someone like Yang.
Weiss took a sip of the light brown coffee as Yin sat across from her on the table and hummed in approval, "Your favorite blend, right?" Yin asked.
"Yes. How did you..."
"My Weiss and I do these kinds of things in our free time." She took a sip of her own coffee, "Given the differences the Ruby and Yang of this dimension had I wasn't sure if you would have the same tastes, but I thought I'd try regardless."
"Well, the gesture is appreciated." Weiss laughed softly, "Are you and my counterpart close?"
"Partners and best friends." Yin smiled, "I'm sure she's worried about us right now. Ruby and I were hunting with her and Blake when we were taken here."
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Not that it was any of their fault - how were they supposed to know that Penny's upgrade would cause such a ruckus? - but it felt like the polite thing to say.
"Don't be. As odd as this situation is, it has been quite an experience meeting our counterparts." Yin looked out through the balcony towards Atlas, "We'll have quite a tale to tell when we return, that's for certain."
"You mentioned you're close to my counterpart. How is she doing? As both a huntress and an heiress, I mean."
"Balancing well on both fronts, I think. I heard about the fall of Beacon and how you renounced your position as heiress. I imagine that my Weiss would've done the same in your shoes, though I'm sure she's still determined to redeem her family name in any way she can. I'd like to help her with it if I can."
"That's...a lot closer than I imagined." Weiss blinked.
"As I said, we're friends and partners...and maybe one day, perhaps more than that." Weiss blinked again as the implication of Yin's words settled in and she flushed lightly. She hadn't thought of romance ever since her short-lived attempt with Neptune. After the Fall there had simply been too much for her to consider any intimate relationships with anyone, male or female.
"I...I see."
"We're training to be Huntresses. We take what happiness where we can." Weiss mulled over the words as they looked out to the view, silently enjoying each other's company.
"I'm surprised you're not with Jaune," Ruby started. Rose stopped her exercising and looked at her counterpart. She'd gone back to the gym to burn off some of the food she ate and Ruby followed. As much as her alternate dimension mirror somewhat annoyed her, she couldn't just leave her alone.
"He said no when I offered some personal sparring." Rose shrugged. She didn't seem put off in the least, "Figured I'd just kill some time before we get sent back."
"Right..." Ruby rubbed her right arm and looked down at the floor. Something was eating away at her and she had to ask, "You said that Beacon didn't fall back in your dimension. Could you tell me what you did?"
"Why are you so sure it was me? Not like my team's the only group of Huntsmen in Vale."
"Just a feeling. Could we compare notes?"
"First tell me why." She sat down at a nearby bench and stretched her arms above her head, "It already happened, right? Trust me, dwelling on what you 'could have done' just makes you feel shitty about yourself."
"Just...humor me, would you?" Ruby sat next to her.
"...Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."
The things they went through were actually a lot of the same thing. Weiss and Blake's argument, the docks, fighting with the White Fang, the Breach...it was pretty darn eerie just how close it was despite all the differences.
Except for the dance.
"So there was this crazy woman with a mask who broke into the CCT," Rose said, "I didn't even wanna go to the damn thing so I figured it was as good an excuse as any to ditch. Saw her when she was uploading this virus and then we got into a fight. She was strong and probably would've kicked my ass, but then I start thinking about how many people would get hurt if the CCT went down and I got pissed. My eyes lit up and when I could finally see again she was just this twitching mess on the floor and her arm was gone. The headmaster told me later that she was a freak that put a Grimm tick in her hand. Gross."
"You burned her with the Silver Eyes..." The first time she'd used her eyes was when...when Pyrrha died.
"Yeah. Mom told me about our special eyes when we were growing up. If I was going to spend my life fighting Grimm then I was gonna know how to laser beam them to death. Honestly, I didn't think it'd do anything to her except maybe give her a headache, but I guess I got lucky that she was crazy enough to put a fucking Grimm in her."
"Yeah..."
"Hey." Rose punched her shoulder, "Don't beat yourself up, alright? The only reason I knew before you did and stopped that crazy bitch is because Mom was alive to tell me about these special eyes we've got. It wasn't because of something I did. If you wanna feel bad about something, focus on how shitty you are with your hands, not something you couldn't control.
"I just...I wish I could change things." Maybe if she'd used her Silver Eyes sooner Pyrrha would still be alive. Or maybe she could've stopped the Fall like Rose did.
"We all do."
Ruby didn't get a chance to say anything before the two of them heard footsteps. The two of them looked to the door to greet the new arrival and Ruby's eyes widened when she saw her dad walk through. Right, she'd forgotten he was coming here with Uncle Qrow. The whole alternate dimension thing had put it out of her mind.
"Da-
"Dad...?" Rose stood and walked towards him, eyes wide and breath unsteady. Ruby wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. He wasn't Rose's dad, not really, but could she say that she wouldn't do the same if she'd ended up in a world where her mom was alive? And so she kept quiet and watched as Rose stepped closer till she was just a few feet in front of him.
"Uh...Rubes? Is it just me or are there two of yo-" Dad grunted as Rose suddenly hugged him in a tackling embrace. All he could do was awkwardly hug her back and look to Ruby for answers.
"Dad, this is, uh...well, me from another dimension." Ruby cringed at the blank look he gave her. Rose was still hugging him, "It's a long story. Point is, me and the rest of our friends have been dealing with some pretty weird stuff, but she really is me from another dimension."
"Is Ozpin responsible for this?"
"Not this time. It's actually because of our friend Penny, but it's not really her fault! She was just trying to help us catch Neo." Speaking of Neo, they had her under 24-hour watch just in case she was switched too. Whoever was unlucky enough to switch with her would have to stay in a cell to make sure that Neo couldn't escape, "And Rose - we're calling her Rose - is from a world where..."
"Where you died," Rose sniffled. She finally looked up at Dad, "Fuck, sorry, I know this is super weird, but-"
"Hey, it's alright." He patted Rose's head and she closed her eyes, "So if I died then who took care of you two?"
"M-Mom and Uncle Qrow did, but I never forgot about you. Him. Fuck."
"Huh, so there's a world out there where Summer's alive. That's good to know." He smiled softly.
"Could we spar?" Rose asked suddenly, "I know that's a really weird thing to ask right now, but I just...I need this."
"Dad, please," Ruby added.
"I wasn't going to say no."
Ruby stood to the side and watched as the two fought. Unlike before, Rose kept a smile on her face and kept smiling even after her Aura went into the red and Dad had to stop the fight. At the end of it all, she was tired and coated in sweat, but she looked happier than Ruby had seen her since she arrived in this dimension. Ruby didn't understand, but she was glad for her all the same.
"Satisfied?" Dad asked.
"Yeah..." Rose nodded, "We don't have the time to really talk, and you're not actually my dad, but..." The crackling of energy filled the air and she looked around at the circular sphere that suddenly surrounded her, "Shit, I guess it's time to go back. Thanks for this, both of you. And good luck with whatever the hell this dimension throws at you! Kick its ass!"
Ruby looked away as the sphere exploded and when she turned her head again, her counterpart was replaced with Ren. Nora must've been where Yin was, "Hey, Ren." Ruby smiled. She suddenly felt bittersweet seeing her counterpart off, "Anything happen over there?"
"We were transported in the middle of a fight with a Nevermore, but apart from that, it was alright." He sighed, "The Weiss and Blake of that dimension calmed down when we explained ourselves and took us to Ms. Rose's home to await the switch. Speaking of..." He rummaged through his back pocket and pulled out a USB stick, which Ruby took, "Ms. Rose gave this to me. She said that she wanted to send a message to her alternate family. Messages for you, Yang, Mr. Xiao Long, and your Uncle."
"Yeah, that sounds like her." Dad chuckled, his smile similarly bittersweet despite just finding out the situation, "Qrow's not gonna believe this."
Ruby looked down at the red USB and held it tight. She'd watch it later with the rest of them. For now, they had to prepare for whoever could come next.
Done. I'll be making another commission for the same anon with a new premise: a version of Weiss that decided the SDC cannot be redeemed and thus plays the role of the perfect heiress in public while sabotaging the company from within. She's also pro-Faunus and leaks info to the more moderate White Fang factions about Faunus who are treated the worst.
Meanwhile, Jaune is her assigned bodyguard since the Arcs in this universe have a lineage of loyalty to the Schnees. He also has a dim view of the Faunus due to having had to defend Weiss from the more extremist White Fang factions. The story will be more of a bittersweet White Knight due to the disparate social positions the two have and the mutual feelings they can't act upon.
Besides that, the next chapter of this will have a Blake who never left the White Fang and a version of Yang that's still trying to redeem/save her despite that Blake going down a similar route to Adam. Some people have expressed interest in that, so hopefully you guys enjoy it.
