Ruby Schnee

"Pride huh..."

Her steps were careful. Even if she knew the floor was there, she didnt know the rules of this place... what if it suddenly disappeared??

"Why do I keep seeing an alternate version of myself?"

She was in her brains subconscious... but she wasn't in control of her brain at the moment. Rory was.

Shouldn't she be seeing a version of him?

"Shouldn't I think I'm him?" It didn't make any sense...

Not yet anyway.

Her feet carried her in a random direction... or was it random? Perhaps when there's nothing to see... direction is meaningless? Perhaps there was only one choice in which way she could go... anywhere.

"I think therefore I am... but why can i think?"

What force allowed her to push onwards... why could she feel a soul that shouldn't be there... why did she have a body in this place?

"Shouldn't Rory have full control of me?"

She stopped.

There was something in the distance...

Now that she could see something else... the void had direction, purpose. There was an 'up' now that there was something to move towards.

The shape in the distance... the figure... it looked almost like a person.

She didn't walk anymore, she ran.

"If I'm in the subconscious, there should be a connection to the concious brain in here... or at least a connection to the soul-"

"Wait..." Her running slowed to a walk, then her movement stopped completely. "...How do I know that..?"

Was it... Rory's memories? Sure while she experienced them she was him so... did that mean she had access to all of his knowledge?

"No that isn't right... I can't recall how to make weapons like he could..."

Perhaps she had read it somewhere...?

"Not that either genius." She let out another scream and whipped around to look at the smug prick that was her Dragon reflection.

"You!"

"Me."

"Why. Do. You. Keep. Doing that??"

"I show up when you need me."

"Then why aren't you always here?? I don't know what I'm doing!"

"I don't know anymore then you do Ruby."

"No! Enough mind games!" She stamped her foot with a frown and eyed down the half Dragon. "You're not telling me something."

"If you want to know what I know... you have to trust me."

"Fine! Whatever! Just... tell me."

"I can't tell you." She held out her hand. "Its something you have to experience yourself." Ruby eyed the offered hand nervously... but slowly reached out and took it.

Her reflection disappeared and she was left feeling... different. One look at her hand showed she had entered her half form...

The figure was still in the distance... she could still run to it... but...

Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Why did I transform...?"

"If she represents something i reject... then merging with her logically would make me resemble her."

"Oh great. Now she's in my head-" No... she wasn't.

That wasn't the other her... that was just... her.

"... How do I know that though...?" She was stuck between not knowing... yet knowing.

An experience she had been through before.

She felt a headache grow in her 'head' and she moved her hands up to hold it.

"Not again... dammit..." Changing back to her base form would just make it worse like last time... but she knew what could make it feel better.

So begrudgingly, she transformed completely.

Her form spread out in the void, her wings fully outstretched and her glowing Silver eyes glancing at the nothingness that surrounded her.

This was the second time she had transformed fully without a specific goal in mind... but that last time had been interrupted.

She took a moment to just... exist.

Her tail flowed through the void behind her... she didn't need to be told how to control it, rather she just could. Like controlling any limb really.

Her body felt strong like this. It was such an odd feeling to just... know you're powerful. Her limbs each stretched as she felt the ground heave beneath her... the voids floor felt weaker then before... was that because of her added weight or another reason?

Her wings did a small flap as she looked over them, stretching them out and flexing the claws attached to them. The 'arms' were quite useful, and she found herself naturally using them like they were just human arms. But... there was a problem.

"Huh... that's weird... my wing should be missing."

Why should it be missing though...? She didn't know why it was weird that her left wing was still attached to her and yet-

"Why does it matter?" Is knowing 'why?' more important then just knowing?

She let out a sigh... she knew what this was...

"This is the effects of the Dragons Pride... I know that... just try to ignore it... this is just a weakness-"

"Wait... why do Dragons have a drawback...?" She tilted her head and the claws of her wings rested on her shoulders. "We're meant to be the strongest creatures... even more powerful then Angel's and Demons... why do we have a downside to transforming...?" The only logical answer was...

They didn't.

"If the Pride isn't meant to be a weakness... then what is it meant to do...?"

Her reflection had known more then her... without knowing more then her...

If the Pride and overconfidence granted by the Dragon was a boon and not a curse... then... perhaps the issue was her not letting it work?

Even fully transformed, it wasn't a one-hundred percent effective boost. She wasn't fully prideful and overconfident... even like this she knew that would be wrong. And small parts of her were working to course correct as much as possible.

But what if that was a mistake?

If the Dragon truly is the most powerful creature...

Why fight it's effects...?

"I feel like I'm on the edge here..." Transforming this time, she felt more in control then before. Less of the Prides influence... This was likely a lesser version of how Weiss felt... but...

If she gave in, if she tipped the scale the other way... It would all hit her at once. She would have done the opposite that she'd been told to do.

"This is risky... but what's the worst that could happen? I get more stuck? I'm already alone in a void."

She closed her eyes...

Took a deep breath...

And let it all go.

Pyrrha Nikos

The correct option... who was the bigger threat...?

Rory as he was now was weaker then Weiss, but he might have some hidden tricks still.

This faunas though... While his power was hidden... the weapon he wielded was more then enough of a reason for Pyrrha to be cautious.

"Any damage dealt by that weapon can't be healed..."

It inflicted a curse afterall...

"Even if he's weaker then Rory... just having that blade makes him the bigger threat."

She couldn't be gentle. He was going after Weiss with the intent to kill.

"What is your name?" She eyed down the red haired man.

"Adam Tauras."

"I am Pyrrha Nikos, and I apologise Adam." She couldnt hold back anymore.

He sheathed his sword as she readied her spear.

Her soul burned as she opened the valve, Conquests mana flowed into her soul and she dashed to the faunas, intending to kill him in a single blow. Her spear moved straight for his heart and-

"I was right."

He deflected her blade and stepped into her space in the same breath, the instant he was past her guard he drew his blade in a sweeping strike.

Pyrrha kicked the ground beneath her and rocketed herself above the strike, she practically flipped over him and readied to block his next strike... but it didn't come. He kept advancing straight towards Weiss instead of following up on Pyrrha.

Before she landed, her spear left her hand in a throw and the faunas was forced to turn and deflect it again.

"Weiss! You need to move!" She charged Adam and grabbed her spear as she ran, it shortened into a sword as she moved and Adam stowed his blade again...

"So that's how he fights."

His movements were quick to say the least. She didn't let up in her strikes for a single moment, yet his speed didn't fail him once. He stowed the blade between each deflection, each parry, each swing.

"Is he simply that much faster then me... or is there a trick??"

He wasn't using his speed to try and kill her... why?

Her eyes widened as she heard an approach from behind, with a twirl she struck her other opponent.

Rory managed to block the blade with his one remaining claw, to Pyrrhas surprise. She wasn't holding back, so she expected the sword to go straight through his scales...

Yet it stopped dead against his natural armour.

"I expected more from Conquest!" His yell was full of already decided triumph as he begun to swing constantly, attempting to swipe or simply scratch at her... Adam wasn't helping...?

She was stuck between them... why wasn't he-

"Weiss!"

She leaped back and turned in an attempt to spot the Queen, Adam was gone and her eyes widened in panic as she quickly glanced around before blocking another swing from the Dragon.

"You... shouldn't be this strong!" Her teeth were gritted as his claw pressed against her sword, the weight carried behind his blow still being pressed into her.

"And you should be stronger. How pathetic that one of the Harbingers wields a common tier weapon." His smirk was full of what could only be described as evil. He was enjoying this...

A loud noise interrupted there exchange of strength, and Pyrrha managed to throw him off of her before glancing behind her... Weiss's Summon was back!

The large Knight towered over the battlefield. The weight behind its movements causing stone to crush as it charged at a much smaller opponent.

Despite the difference in size, the Summon was now engaged in a sword fight with Adam.

"So long as I don't have to concentrate on that... I might be able to-"

She blinked.

Something had just... shifted.

Pyrrha returned her eyes to stare at Rory and he had felt it too... at least, she could guess he had. His hand was on his face and he was staring at the ground with horror.

"What just... happened...?" This was something only they had experienced, the rest of the battle around them continued uninterrupted.

Pyrrha could... see his soul now. It wasn't hidden. She could guess he wasn't revealing it on purpose so... why?

"...you bitch... you're awake..." His words were dripping with venom and it was incredibly odd to hear Ruby talk like that. But the words weren't directed at her.

Pyrrha readied her sword in front of her again and... she froze as she saw it.

The blade... the makeup of her weapon.

"This really is poorly made..."

She had used the same weapon for years without questioning it. Afferall, training first with a poor magic weapon made sense, you don't want to become dependent on it.

This one though? It held only a few enchantments and the most important one was simply the shape shifting from spear to sword. If magic weapons weren't properly made, they could actually disrupt the conversion of strength into force. Essentially being weighed down against the latent mana in the air.

It would be like swinging through water.

"So that's why I can hit harder without it-"

Why did she know this?

Just looking at the weapon shouldnt be telling her this... she had looked at it a million times!

What had changed...?

Her eyes returned to Rory, and she searched up and down his body. He was undergoing something strange as well. It was like he was sick, his body seemed to want to naturally cave in on itself.

"That might not last... I should take advantage of it while i can-"

She spotted something... a bump in the scales around his arms... no... it was like they had formed around something.

"A magic item... but..."

It was strange. She got the impression that it didn't have the Shifter Enchantment... then how was he using it? How strong was it?

Was that thing why he was so much stronger now? After narrowing her eyes, she focused harder on it.

"A Titans Bracelet... it raises his durability and strength... but how do I know that-"

There was only one way she could know that...

But she didn't have a Silver Affinity-

"Ruby..." The name left her mouth with realisation and she couldnt help but smile. "...Why is it that my friends are the ones that keep getting 'conquered' by me..." She let out a gentle sigh as she readied her sword one more time.

"That Bracelet. I only need to hit it once through his scales."

Then this would be over.

"Thank you... Your Highness." Her words were barely a whisper but it was still enough for Rory to turn his head back up to look at her.

His eyes widened in confusion as she bridged the gap between them in a breath, his body moving to react, but Pyrrha had purposefully moved to be out of easy access to his remaining wing.

Being transformed, and simply having magic, both increased the power of one's body. However, you can increase this further with three methods.

The first was with Magic items like the Titans Bracelet, though it wasn't used very often thanks to usually requiring a Shifter Enchantment.

Next was simply pouring mana into your body. This method is highly inefficient, and spells from the Enhancement magic branch were seen as the obvious superior option to this.

But those spells were incredibly difficult to concentrate on while in battle, unless you had an Affinity for them.

Pyrrha using mana to boost her body now was still inefficient, and usually she never would... but in this situation, she only needed to get the one hit in to change the tide of the battle.

A hit that she would not let him dodge.

Her blade moved too fast and his wing and arms too slow. The weapon sunk through his scales and the bracelet crumbled from his body as it was broken, his scales reforming underneath from where it had been. Pyrrha pulled back from her attack to change her sword to a spear.

With a stab through the claw on his wing as it came down to attack her, she confirmed he was weaker now.

She spun while holding the spear closer to the blade, using the momentum to slam the handle into his head.

"If Ruby can help me as she is now...-"

While he recovered she leaped towards him, sending her knee straight into his face before grabbing his head in her hand as she sailed past, and slamming him into the ground as she landed.

"Then that must mean she has enough agency to wake up!"

He didn't even groan in pain or cough as he collided with the ground. His eyes glazed over and shut as the scales disappeared from Ruby's body, her horns, wing, and tail following suit.

Pyrrha crouched next to her and rolled the girl over, pressing a hand to her back and feeling for where her wings emerged from...

"Good... it seems the injury only keeps on the limb itself..." She was fine so long as she remained in her base form, and if Ruby woke up, Pyrrha would heal it herself.

A glance over at the large summon showed it was still fighting Adam... Pyrrha hesitated to help.

"If Rory wakes up... he might have time to heal and fly away..."

Or fly away as rose petals...

She turned her eyes down to the sleeping girl and sighed.

"I know what you'd want me to do..." Surely Weiss would disagree though...

"I can't just sit here... I have to at least try and help-"

Pyrrha felt a pulse of mana course through the air and with a turn she watched the summoned knight fall to the ground in two halves. But that wasn't where her attention was focused...

Adam was using his Secondary mana pool now... and she knew exactly what his title was.

"Famine..." She grabbed her spear and dashed towards them immediately.

Ruby Schnee

Her steps were light, but filled with purpose.

She was walking towards a destination, and her posture was as if she owned the very void she moved through... which perhaps she did. This was her subconscious afterall.

She had long since changed back to her base form. There wasn't a need to be ready for a fight or anything like that in here... there were no threats after all.

The body she currently had was fake. It was just an illusion conjured up by her consciousness in order to help her better function in here. But that also meant her clothes were fake as well, and with enough effort she had managed to change what she was wearing.

Probably one of her favourite outfits, one of the sets of winter clothing Weiss had bought her.

Only her cloak was missing, but she was confident she'd regain that soon.

Ruby was going to get out of here after all.

She could quite literally see the exit.

That figure she had noticed earlier... it wasn't so much an object as it was a shadow.

She had spotted a shadow in a Void... ironic.

The light it was clutching in both hands was probably the reason why she could see it.

That same glowing Light... it was the one that had shown her Rory's memories previously.

Her footsteps stopped just in front of the hunched over figure. It was shaped like a person... but a certain person in particular.

"Hello Rory." It didn't even look up at her. He just kept staring into the light that he was clutching in his hands. "I'm guessing that's the last memory. Am I supposed to fight it out of your hold?"

That got his attention. His face slowly looked up at her... and she watched his features slowly spread over his body.

His most common outfit from the school. Composed of simple blues and browns, all in all inexpensive.

His hair was wilder then her own, but the same colour. He had more spikes in it then her, Rory looked like he brushed his hair even less then Ruby did.

The features of his face were just as soft as her own, complete with his Silver eyes that seemed to glow in this void.

"...Ruby..." His voice was tired to describe it in a word. He had given up. This was a different Rory to the one that had taken her over... and Ruby knew why.

"Rory isn't really here. He's dead. He has been for a long time. You're the remnant of who he used to be, stuffed into a curse with the personality he had when he died and his memories."

"Knowing all this is so weird."

"...what?" His face held so much confusion... Ruby didn't care.

"You didn't figure it out... I wonder how many Dragons have..." She turned away and looked out at the void... it had a strange peacefulness to it now. "You never merged with the Dragon completely."

"What are you talking about??" He quickly stood and she raised an eyebrow... funnily enough he was taller then her. If Ruby had to guess... Eirwen would actually be taller then her as well.

"She and Weiss don't look as similar as I thought."

"What-"

"Nevermind. What's important is that you were transformed when you died."

"Y-yeah... how did you-"

"I guessed." She turned back to him now. "Your personality was altered because you didn't accept the power... the Rory that's doing all of this to me... it's the altered personality of a long dead person." It wasn't real... hell it wasn't real twice over.

"I... w-why are you telling me this?"

"I'm bragging. To put it simply... I'm happy." She gave him a small smile and held her hand up in front of her face.

"The Dragons affected your personality..."

"Yes and no. It has for now... but only because I'm letting it."

Dragons gave a great many benefits to those who became one.

The most important parts that people always point to... the largest natural Primary mana pool you can obtain, a bonus to an Affinity you already have, and a free title.

Of course, a Dragons physical power isn't to be ignored either. Scales that were more durable then any metal, wings that could carry you through the air faster then you would expect... and a gigantic form to befit your strength.

But the part no one ever talked about? The part everyone ignored when they spoke about Dragons being the embodiment of Power and Pride?

The Pride part.

A massive boost in both confidence and ego. The ability to step around all of your insecurities and questions about 'am I right?'.

The ability to simply know you're right at will.

It didn't actually give you any information you didn't already have, rather, it just let you accept things you didn't believe.

But... like all of a Dragons powers... it's technically magic.

If you get in the way of it achieving its result...

"Then it never can."

Ruby had stepped out of its way... and allowed it to settle with all of her other abilities.

When she had, a brand of sorts had appeared on her soul... weirdly it was unrelated. The second she felt the proper Pride activate inside of her, she accepted all of the things she had been stressing about.

She knew Pyrrha was stronger then her.

She knew Yang and Blake saw her as a daughter. She knew Weiss loved her more then anything, she knew that her want to have children was her own.

And she knew what she wanted to do.

She could freely activate or deactivate the Pride at will. No matter what form she was in.

When using magic... when needing to know the result before you do something...

Simply being able to 'know' is quite the powerful ability.

"In a way... I have to thank you Rory. You didn't mean to... but you gave me the chance I needed, and using it... I'm going to wake up from this nightmare." With this final step... with this final gift from the Rose Dragon...

Ruby was going to get her body back.

"I can finally stand by her side properly."

Because at the end of the day...?

That's what Ruby wanted.