Ruby 'flew' over the snowy forest as fast as she could push herself to go. She didn't want anyone following her. She didn't need footsteps to track her location. All she needed was some space.
She hated herself for screaming at them. Did you see the look on Ben's face when she pushed him away? The hurt in his eye-
Why was she focused on him!? Even during her breakdowns, could she not focus on her own mental health?
Ruby yelled, before she landed on the ground. She ran over to a tree and started to hyperventilate. Her heart raced as she tried to distance herself from this whole situation. The forest provided a refuge of sorts, a place where she could escape the turmoil of her own emotions.
Ruby's breaths came in ragged gasps as she clung to the tree, tears streaming down her face. She had always been so good at bottling up her emotions, putting on a brave face. Never before had she snapped like that. She was feeling this wide mix of emotions including anger, sadness, and even a small, sick hint of joy to have that garbage out in the open. It was all so alien to her.
The cold air stung her cheeks as she continued to breathe heavily. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, smudging dirt and snow across her face. Ruby slumped down against the tree, and threw up her hood. Ruby just wasn't checked in right now.
She tried to focus on the beauty of the snowy forest around her. The world was so serene and untouched, she could get lost in the peacefulness. She wanted to get lost in the peacefulness, but she couldn't.
Even here, a thought gnawed at her, one of unfairness that just worsened with every passing second. How was it that everything in nature seemed to follow its course effortlessly, while she constantly battled with her own thoughts and feelings? The river knew to reach the sea, the rain nourished the flowers, and the seasons changed without hesitation.
Everywhere she looked, she saw this perfect union.
She wanted it.
She needed it.
Ruby didn't feel cold as the winter storm around her got worse.
In the distance, she could hear the soft whispers of the wind through the trees and the muffled hush of the falling snow. It was as if nature itself was trying to soothe her, offering its silent support.
All it did was help Ruby drift off to sleep.
To call Ben 'catatonic' after Ruby's explosive breakdown was a bit of an exaggeration. He hadn't moved from where he was ever since she left, even as the snow continued to fall. Some of the other Outcasts had tried to move him, Yang trying the hardest, but he just wouldn't budge. Max had provided him with a blanket to keep him warm, but honestly, he was barely registering the cold.
Weiss, Blake, Yang and Max wanted to go after Ruby, but the storm outside was preventing them from going anywhere.
"Damn it! How could she just run off like that?!" Yang frowned, as she angrily paced around the room.
"She was…holding onto all of that for a while," Emerald pointed out.
"Yeah. We noticed." Yang frowned, not appreciating being told the obvious right now.
"We didn't do enough for her." Blake frowned. "An intervention sounded so extreme at the moment, but...I wish we could've done more to help her vent."
"Maybe she didn't feel like she could." Weiss theorized.
"What? She knows us. She trusts us! She's done the same for us a dozen times." Yang countered.
"Yeah, but Ruby has always been the one to get us through the hard times. We say things like 'We believe in you', 'We can count on you' all the time. I know we mean well, but… " Weiss trailed off.
"Maybe we've unintentionally placed too much on her shoulders." Blake sighed. "Too much for her to even consider her own feelings. Maybe Ruby felt like she needed to be strong for us, even when she couldn't be strong for herself."
"And she was doing that for so long..." Max rubbed his eyes, "I'm sorry. I feel like my presence here made things worse."
Yang wanted to lie, comfort Max a little. But she felt like there was some truth to that statement.
"My comforting words aren't enough to pick her up." Max admitted. "This isn't a 'lost a soccer game' situation. This is so much bigger than anything we've dealt with prior."
Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Max fell into a contemplative silence, each of them grappling with their own sense of responsibility and guilt. The Outcasts had always been a tight-knit team, and Ruby had been at the heart of that camaraderie.
The world just felt so empty without her presence.
Several minutes passed before Yang suddenly stood back up. The blonde looked out the window and her eyes went wide at what she saw. "Guys?" She called out, her voice carrying an obvious tinge of worry.
"What?" Weiss asked.
"Where's Ben?"
The group looked to the window to see the blanket Max had given him, left on the ground, and a pair of footprints leading into the woods.
Ben had gone to follow Ruby.
Ben trudged through the snow, mind rife with conflict. I can't magically fix her problems. I can't shoulder every burden she has. I can't make life better-
But I can be there for her.
Just please.
PLEASE.
Let me try...
Ruby woke up a few hours later. The storm had let up, but not vanished entirely. Ruby didn't feel refreshed. In fact, she just felt more exhausted. Her body felt heavy...
Is this a drawback to my Berserker? Ruby wondered. Or...am I that weak?
"Ruby?"
Ruby lifted up her head, to see Little, sitting on her knee.
"...oh." Ruby grumbled. "You." She didn't realize Little was still with her.
"Are you...okay?" Little asked. "Why did you shout at everyone like that?"
Ruby didn't answer.
"I... I don't know, Little," Ruby finally replied, her voice heavy with fatigue. "I just... I lost control. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."
"I know." Little said. "That's why I'm asking. Why?"
"...I needed to let them know how I felt. And it just all slipped out." Ruby answered. "I get what they wanted to do, but...they shouldn't dance around the problem like that."
"It's okay!" Little chirped. "I can guide us back. You shouldn't run off though. You all need to stick together if you wanna go home. "
"Why did you come with me?"
Little looked confused. "I promised, didn't I?" They asked.
Ruby closed her eyes. "Do you know how to break one?"
"No." Little admitted. Ruby then picked up the mouse, and gently set them down.
"Please. I don't want to shout anymore today." Ruby frowned, as she tore off a piece of her cloak to give to Little, to help them stay warm. "If you stay with me, you're going to end up dead too."
"But..." Little interjected. But Ruby said no more. She turned around, leaving Little alone.
"Go home." Ruby demanded, voice firm. Little watched Ruby march away, their ears flopping down in sadness.
"Ruby..." Little sighed.
Now truly alone, Ruby trudged along, crossing from the white forests of Swan Lake to an acre made entirely of paper, the leaves of the trees shaped and folded like a form of natural origami. She would've found it fascinating once, but she didn't even register it. But what did register was the sound of glass reforming, as if someone took the sound of shattering and played it in reverse. Ruby looked down and saw Neo's invitation tucked into her belt.
She really wasn't going to give up, was she?
She was going to keep threatening people, threatening the people she cared about, even if she had blown up at them. Neo didn't know she'd left, so her little clones would just go after Ben and everyone else. She said she wouldn't face Neo...but she didn't really have a choice. This was the best she could do as an apology.
She slipped the envelope out of her belt and looked at the "address." Written across the back of the invite were two words, "Broken Marshes." Max would probably know where that was, but he wasn't here to tell her anything. Those words just meant nothing to her. But then, as if the Ever After itself chose to guide her way, the very sunlight of the acre dimmed to a point where she could still make out all the shapes of the nearby trees, but light would cut through it easily.
So, when a spotlight suddenly clicked to life and provided Ruby a path, there was really no other way she could go. The light clicked off as soon as she reached it, but another turned on just as quickly, letting the Huntress follow the light.
Eventually, she crossed across the Origami Acre's bridge, a wooden construction decorated with paper streamers and lamps, and into the Broken Marshes. The bridge leading into the marshes was an arching, metal construct that had once been gleaming and pristine, but time had ravaged it quite spectacularly. What might have been shining steel with gold accent was now rusted over into a dark red with gold replaced with an ominous purple.
As for the Marshes themselves, much like how the Garden was in eternal twilight, this acre was permanently overcast. Dark purple storm clouds filled the sky, letting a drizzle of rain drip down onto the purple ground. The muddy acre was not entirely barren, sporting patches of tall grass and seemingly rotting trees with moss hanging from the branches.
Where there was no vegetation or flat land, there was, oddly enough, rubble. Drainage pipes jutted out from the bottom of hills and cliffs, dripping some thick and viscous purple liquid into puddles of water, no doubt tainting them. Gears and cogs were as common as pebbles and piles of wooden rubble, perhaps the remnants of destroyed houses, were thrown around haphazardly as if a hurricane had torn through mere days ago.
Ruby's boots splatted against the slick ground as she continued on, taking note of her guiding spotlights. She nearly brushed against a patch of violet grass, sharpened to a knife's edge that could easily cut through fabric and flesh with ease, but her spotlights guided her away from the hazard. Eventually, four new spotlights turned on, shining into the sky as if announcing a red carpet event. Ruby's silver eyes narrowed as soon as the rays of light cut through the gloomy sky.
Neo always was a fan of theatrics.
Knowing the former criminal, that was the biggest announcement of "Here I am!" Ruby'd ever seen. The other spotlights had stopped shining down from above, now that her path was clear. Ruby pulled her hood up and marched on, pulling Crescent Rose off her back and holding the rifle at the ready.
She didn't even notice the bright blue butterfly, so out of place in these dreary environs, flutter off a nearby tree branch to follow her.
Eventually, Ruby would reach the source of the spotlights, the only standing sign of civilization in the entire acre. It was an ornate, high-class mansion with a disturbingly cheery pink color scheme. Strings of lights were wrapped around each of the front pillars, lined the top of the roof, even one of its forward faces, and even draped down like a curtain, attaching to the railing of a balcony above the main entrance.
Flanking the door were two large knights made of...candy? Ruby raised a brow at that strange aesthetic choice, but moved closer. As she got closer to the estate, she leaned in to inspect one of the pillars and noted that it too was made of candy, pink dyed chocolate.
"Miss Rose?" one of the candy knights asked in a low voice, getting only a nod back, "The Duchess will be happy to entertain you. Please, come in."
The knights grabbed the two large ring-shaped door knockers and politely opened the way. Ruby sighed and marched in, the doors slamming shut behind her. Despite light powering out of the windows from the outside, the interior of the manor was jet black, not a single source of light to illuminate her path forward. Ruby could've sworn that she'd bump into something along the way, but found her progress eerily unimpeded. But then the spotlights return. A single beam of light shined down on Ruby from above, revealing her to be in what seemed to be an expansive rotunda.
With the angle of the light, Ruby wasn't the only thing being illuminated. Hung on the high-class wall was a painting, a portrait of a family of three. A little girl with brown hair styled into pigtails, wearing a brown dress with matching cuffs and a white collar and a pair of simple black shoes. A black ribbon was placed neatly in the center of her collar, two matching ribbons tied in her hair. The girl stood in front of who were, no doubt, her parents. Her father was a tall man with slicked back brown hair clad in a black business suit with a matching tie and her mother, maybe a few inches shorter than her husband, was clad in a fancy dress while wearing her light brown hair in a bun.
Instead of seeming proud of their daughter, they seemed...controlling. The mother had one hand on the girl's shoulder, the father rested his hand atop her head, while both parents clasped their other hands in front of the girl. She was more of a protected possession than a child to them, apparently.
Four more spotlights clicked to life, revealing four more portraits. The one right next to the family portrait showed the same family after some time had passed, apparently during a birthday. The little girl had grown up and she was now surrounded by countless presents, wrapped in white and adorned with pink ribbons. Her parents were farther in the back, their backs turned to their daughter. Spoiling her with gifts and forgetting about her was clearly their parenting strategy.
On another wall, there was a portrait of a familiar girl standing amidst the ruined streets of Vale shortly after the Battle of Beacon came to a close, pillars of smoke and fresh rubble evident in the image, along with that scarily familiar petrified Wyvern atop Beacon Tower. And right next to it, a tearful reunion. The same brightly colored girl, disguised as she was, hugged a sobbing Albedo somewhere in Mistral.
But the biggest painting was the one in the middle. The girl's parents were now dead on the floor, their legs being the only visible parts of them in the painting. They were just a footnote. But the main thing to take away from the painting were two people. Posing as if they had just finished a grand drama performance, Roman and Neo stood atop a rooftop somewhere in downtown Vale.
"Took up art, huh?" Ruby muttered as she looked up at the painting of Roman and Neo. But then Roman's eye moved and locked onto her.
"Hello Red!" Roman suddenly greeted from within the painting, making Ruby jump back on instinct, "Been a hot minute, hasn't it? More like a couple'a years as I'm told! How's the hero gig treatin' you? Because I gotta admit...you don't look so good. You sleeping well?"
"Where. Is. Neo?" Ruby asked, regaining her composure.
"Yeesh, no manners. And after everyone came out to see you!" Roman clapped his hands and the lights turned on, illuminating the rotunda completely. A large, triangular table had been set up, with saucers and tea cups placed before each of the occupied seats.
Nine chairs were occupied while three were still awaiting their occupants. Two were obviously reserved for the criminal duo of Neo and Roman, the former being at the head of the table while the latter was seated just to her right. Ruby's seat was right across the table from Neo's, seating her in such a spot that everyone's eyes would be on her. But that wasn't the worst part of this. All the other "guests" for Neo's little tea party were people Ruby knew, the sight of them stunning her.
"Now, gonna be honest, I suggested you just look at the guests," Roman said, having jumped out of the painting and popping up next to Ruby, making her jump, "BUT, our hostess insisted I do announcements. I am her 'royal adviser', after all."
"What...what are you talking abou-" Ruby stammered.
"Ah ah ah, announcements first," Roman cut her off before unfurling a parchment and moving off to the side, "At the behest of her Royal Majesty, the Duchess of Desserts, Neopolitan, I welcome you all to her newly minted Rosefall Tea Party. So glad you could all attend! Joining us from the far flung north, we have a delegation of the mighty Kingdom of Atlas! Said delegation includes the man himself, the Iron Savior, General James Ironwood!"
"A pleasure to be here, advisor," Ironwood greeted with a nod. His attire was mostly the same as his final days in command, the dark blue collared shirt and red tie. He still wore a white long-sleeved jacket over the shirt, but this one seemed to be unzipped, exposing the dark blue shirt. Over that, he wore his massive white coat, the sleeves of the coat dangling behind him as if they were his own cape.
"And an honor to receive you, general. His second-in-command, the Royalty of the Rime, Winter Schnee!" Roman announced.
Winter only responded with a polite smirk and a nod. She was seated on Ironwood's immediate left and her outfit was something unlike anything the elder Schnee sibling had ever worn. Her attire, while keeping in line with the red, white and blue color scheme of the Atlesian military, was much older fashioned. Along with her own white shoulder cape with a crimson interior and blue accents, her outfit seemed to resemble something more along the lines of a British soldier during the American Revolution.
"And two of his best soldiers, members of the Praetorian Ferrum, Clover Ebi and Harriet Bree!" Roman announced. On Ironwood's left were both of the Ace-Ops, clad in their usual combat outfits.
"I hear that Mr. Ebi's Semblance is 'good luck.' Pardon my curiosity, but-" Roman inquired.
"The rumors you've heard are true. But they don't really work on naturally unlucky things like black cats and crows," Clover shrugged, "Can't really be helped. But at least I got my own lucky rabbit here to help."
"S-sir," Harriet stammered.
"A shame there's limits. Hopefully that luck never runs out! Next, we have the representative of Mantle. Now, unfortunately, I'm told the originally invited guest couldn't make it, so she sent someone else in her stead. May I introduce the newest arrival to any form of party, the Lady in Waiting, Eunice Polendina!" Roman declared.
"Salu-tations, Mr. Torchwick!" Eunice greeted with a salute. She was an exact copy of Penny, just with the Omnitrix logo on her bow instead of a power symbol. It was just like how she was when Ambrosius had separated her and Penny. Her outfit might not have been the fanciest, but it certainly struck a chord with Ruby. Eunice was wearing Penny's outfit from the dance, the very same dance where Ben had confessed his love. It was a short, light green dress with short sleeves, a narrow black detail around her waist, and a pair of light green heels.
"Salutations to you as well, Miss Polendina. So sorry that your sister couldn't make it. I do hope she recovers," Roman bowed.
"As do I! Nasty virus has her sadly bedridden," Eunice frowned.
"Speediest of recoveries to her! Next on the list, we have the Headmaster of Haven Academy and the Bravest Lion of the Land, Leonardo Lionheart!" Roman announced. The seemingly revived Headmaster was fidgeting with his tail in his hand before his name was announced. He quickly straightened up and cleared his throat upon hearing his name.
"Greetings, everyone. Apologies if I seem a bit...distracted. There's a pressing matter I must tend to when we're done here. A betrayal from one of my closest friends," Leo apologized.
"No worries. Betrayals can be incredibly devastating, especially when they're from someone you thought you could trust," Roman sighed and shook his head before getting that trademark grin back, "And now, our three most important guests! The representatives of the Outcasts!"
"W-what...?" Ruby stammered.
"Firstly, we have the Princess-in-Exile and veteran of the Incursean War, Ceres Alexandra North!"
"A bit flowery, but I'll take it," Ceres waved in greeting. She was clad in a fancy navy blue suit with gold accents and decorated with a simple pin on the right side of her chest that was her personal emblem, a modified version of the Archimedian Empire's crest.
"And of course, how can we forget, the brother and sister duo of Kevin and Kylie Levin-Dombrowski!" Roman announced with pride, finally rolling up the guest list. The two of them were clad in the same outfits they wore when they had their double date with Min and Weiss, a green and black dress ensemble and a classic black suit.
"Nice to see ya, Rubes!" Kylie happily waved.
"Sup?" Kevin smirked.
"N-no...no, this...this can't be real," Ruby denied, knowing that close to half of the people here-Ironwood, Clover, Eunice, and Lionheart specifically-were dead. But apparently her refusal was quite a comedic thing to say as the assembled guests burst out into hysterical laughter.
"Not real? You've been following a talking cat through a fairy tale wonderland and you're saying this isn't real? Just like how you said I died and yet, here I am! Reality's gettin' fuzzier by the minute ain't it, kid?" Roman taunted.
"You did die! I saw it!" Ruby countered.
"Suuuure you did. But I'm right here. Ya know, when I told Neo about this place and she figured out what it was? What it really was? She got right back into the swing of things! She tried to deny it and say she was a 'good guy' now. But we all know that the only reason she turned was because I wasn't there. She's always wanted to run away. Run away from her parents, run away from the law, run away from that madwoman Cinder, you name it! One final job and then me and her would vanish from Vale, make a new empire out back in Mistral! But we all know how Beacon ended...don't we?"
Ruby's eyes flared. "Is that seriously what this is all about? You still blame me for what happened to Torchwick?! HE GOT EATEN! BY A NEVERMORE! If you're looking for an apology, you've wasted your time!"
Neo's doubles briefly flickered out of reality, along with the manor. Roman turned to look behind him, at where Neo would be but was seemingly hidden, angry.
"You hear that? She still lies," the kingpin sighed, "Lies are just like birds...they taste great, but always escape. They say everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story..."
The guests stood up and grouped behind Roman. Their eyes flashed with Neo's pink and brown eye colors and their lips curled into devious smiles.
"I knew what I was. And deep down, I think you know what you are too..." Roman grinned as he took out a multi-colored leaf from his pocket, turning it over in his hand.
Ruby grit her teeth. "So this is what you want? For me to ascend? Throw myself away?"
"Come now. You don't deserve to die, Red. You deserve to be broken down!" Roman jeered. "Torn apart… wiped from existence."
Neo revealed herself, seemingly appearing from thin air, though it was quite clear that she had kept herself with her Semblance, the shower of pixels was enough evidence for that. The self-appointed Duchess approached her old friend with a teacup, placing it on the table in front of him, and letting Roman drop it in. The liquid inside, what seemed to just be a normal cup of tea, turned a sickly rainbow color and began to bubble. The group of clones behind the somehow revived criminal let out a sinister laugh.
"I'm gonna enjoy…" Roman smirked.
Everyone behind him seemed to grow more...fuzzy. "Watching you break." The other guests completed, their voices speaking in an eerie chorus.
Ruby stood her ground, ready to fight. Her eyes darted from figure to figure, waiting to see who would make the first move. She suddenly saw Roman raise up his cane, the tip of it flipping up to form the crosshair of his flare gun. The red reaper swerved and took aim at this ghost, but he didn't fire. Instead, Neo rushed in from the side and shoved the rifle aside with her parasol. She smacked Ruby in the face with the handle of her umbrella to disorient her before Roman fired off a shot from the Melodic Cudgel that launched Ruby back.
Ben was following behind Ruby by a good distance, trying his damndest to figure out where she went. He only had best guesses and hunches to work with, but he was going to use every single one. He had to find her. He was so stupid. He shouldn't have so readily split away from her again! He should've put his foot down with Yang earlier! Give her some space, sure, but they needed to talk with her. From what she yelled at him, Ruby desperately needed it and he failed to support her until the worst happened.
Nice going there, 'hero,' Ben chastized himself, 'But you can still fix this, you can still BE THERE for her. You just need to find her. Ben didn't even care about the wintery storm that was blowing through Swan Lake right now. It was just a distraction. You would think that he could go Fasttrack and speed through the storm or turn into Stinkfly and simply fly ahead, both of them being faster than going on foot. But when you're as focused as Ben was right now, you sometimes tend to forget the simplest solutions.
I don't need you in my head. Ben frowned at the voice.
Oh, I think you do. The voice shot back. Come on, savior. Go swoop in, save the girl from danger, from herself! You're her partner aren't you? Prove you're worthy of that!
Don't call me a savior! I'm NOT! I didn't put on this watch to BE a savior! I put it to help those who need it!
So you wear the Omnitrix...to be a Hunter? Protect those who can't protect themselves? That right? the voice seemed to smirk.
Protect... Ben repeated, That...that's it.
And now you're getting it.
I don't wear this watch to be a savior...I wear it to be a protector... Ben resolved.
A protector. That makes more sense, given who you are. Don't you think? the voice asked.
You're -agreeing- with me now? I thought you were trying to always keep me DOWN.
You're agreeing with yourself here, Ben. I'm not the voice from before.
Ben stopped trudging. "I'm...just talking to myself?"
Listen. You're being too rough with yourself. His mind rationalized. You've been on a downward spiral...and you can't be there for Ruby if you keep resisting your own issues.
"But then...ok, wait, why did you start off so...?" Ben asked.
Confrontational? That whole 'prove your worthy' bit? I'd say tough love. It was the spark you needed to realize what it is you're trying to be.
"And all those times you jabbed at me? That was just tough love too?"
That wasn't me. That was something else. Ben...I know you're smarter than this. When the jabs stopped coming, what ELSE had seemingly disappeared?
Ben rubbed his head. "I dunno. Mercury? Maybe he just...got to me."
No, the jabs didn't stop because of him. That voice went away recently. Who hasn't been with you since the Garden?
Ben's eyes widened.
"That fucking..." Ben's pace started to pick up.
Now you got it.
"But why?! How?! They were with me and Emerald since that fight with the guards!"
And they were also apparently with RWBY for their entire journey...and if I was a gambling mental construct, I'd put good money that they got to Neo too.
"So it's not really Neo doing this! They're playing her!" Ben said as he pushed aside some tree branches, the bridge to the Origami Acre coming into view.
Exactly. But as to the why, I have no idea. Always were something of a chatterbox, weren't they?
Ben's eyes gained more color. "No, no, they were asking so many questions to gauge how much of a threat we were. They're targeting Ruby because she's at her lowest and therefore the easiest to pick off."
Their species are predators at heart. But I feel like there was another reason behind the questions...I just don't know -what.- That's the real issue with 'em, too many riddles, too many carefully chosen words to tell what was true and what wasn't.
"For all we know, nothing they said was true! It could've ALL been made up!" Ben realized as he dashed across into the land of the Paper Pleasers, "Shit...where did she go from here?"
Ben's run soon found him in a small village of tiny origami characters. They were adorable, but Ben didn't have time to focus on that.
"HEY!" Ben yelled, jogging over to a green and red pair of origami people. "Hey, have you seen a girl in a red cloak cut through here!? I need to know! It's urgent!"
"O-oh! Uh...red cloak?" the green one asked, turning to their partner, "Didn't you see something like that earlier?"
"I did! It looked like, whatever they were, they were following a little blue butterfly. Seemed awfully lonesome too," the red one recalled.
"Which way did she go?" Ben asked.
"Well...if she kept going the way she did," the red origami star pointed off towards the horizon, "She should be arriving at the Broken Marshes, though I don't know why anyone would be going there."
"Why, what's so bad about it?"
"What's so bad?" the green star repeated, "That's the home of," they looked around before leaning in and whispering the name, "The Jabberwalker."
"The Jabber-" Ben repeated, remembering how all the clones Neo had sent after them were aliens combined with that thing and his eyes went wide.
She changed her mind, Ben's inner voice spoke his thoughts.
Ben didn't have time to say thanks. He slapped the Omnitrix down, and morphed into Fasttrack. Ben was ZOOMING through the woods, mind running fast. ShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShit-
Just as Ben could see the acre in the distance, something slammed into him. A long spindly limb had reached out and arm barred him hard.
"Halting...iMpedIng...stopping..." a Jawbreaker growled, looking down at Ben. This one was different from the other Jawbreakers though. Instead of obvious alien aspects that would pop out at him, like the visage of Wildmutt or the rounded form of Gravattack, this Jawbreaker was more...human. Barrel chested, the arms and legs still spindly but possessing more muscle than the old Jabber Mercury accidentally freed from the pyramid. The strangest bit though were the spikes jutting out of its shoulders and back. They were almost like fins, each one sporting a different color.
"I really don't have time for one of your new toys, Neo!" Ben said before trying to race around it.
One of the spikes glowed with a green light before the Jawbreaker's masked maw snapped open and shot out a vine to wrap around Ben's ankle like a frog's tongue. It pulled him back towards it with incredible speed so that the Jawbreaker could get in a swing. Right before it could though, Ben used Fasttrack's speed to vibrate his hand fast enough to cut through it. As the Jawbreaker's claw came down, Ben rolled out of the way and right under its legs. He tried to sweep the Breaker's legs out from under it, but it was much faster than the other clones. It leapt out of the way and growled, saliva dripping from its maw as the vine slithered back into its throat.
"What the hell did she use for this one?" Ben wondered aloud.
"I'm...Doing...w-what...WhAt she...Would have DONE!" the Jawbreaker said, almost speaking normally, "I'M! DOING! WHAT! GRETCHEN! WOULD'VE! DONE!"
"HAZEL?! You made a Jabber-clone of Hazel?!"
"GRETCHENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" The Jawbreaker yelled. Ben winced.
Jesus. Poor guy...I know he's an illusion, but it looks like Neo just recreated a Hound. Ben thought. Unless...
Ben's fists started to vibrate. "Somehow, I feel like the Cat's behind this."
"ALL! YOUR! FAULT!" the Hazel-Jabber roared before four of its spikes began to glow with a dark orange light. The clone slammed its fists into the ground and shot out a barrage of spikes from the earth. Not exactly a threat when it came to Fasttrack, though. He raced around the spikes and landed a speedy jab to the monster's jaw.
The monster's jaw suddenly reinforced with dust, blocking the brunt of the attack. The creature growled, as the crystals started to glow with a dangerous light. The Jabber unleashed a torrent of flames from its mouth, causing Ben to retreat.
"Neo's Semblance got a massive upgrade." Ben frowned. "Her illusions can take more hits, and can adapt..."
"YOUR...BLOOD. NOT ON. MY HANDS. ON. HIS!" the clone growled as spikes shifted to a light blue glow. The masked jaw snapped open as a cone of freezing energy fired out at Ben.
Ben grunted. I don't need speed. I need to figure out how this guy ticks.
Ben smirked. How lucky of me to unlock an alien that's nothing BUT defense.
"NOT! ON MY! HANDS!" the monster repeated. It turned to him and fired off another beam of freezing energy. This one actually hit, covering Ben in a prison of icy crystals. The masked jaw snapped shut and the Jabberwalker stalked closer, tilting its head at the sheer size of the prison. Fasttrack was the size of a normal-
The prison suddenly shattered apart as Shellhead broke free from the prison and spun towards the monster like a boulder.
Defense was the best offense here. The Hazelwalker started to scream, throwing out random Dust effects to try and wear Ben down. But the attacks shattered against his hide.
Okay, now that I got a moment to breathe, to think. Ben thought.
The Hazelwalker imbued its claws with fire, ice, lightning but to Ben they were just dull thuds against his armor. He had all the time he needed to think of a counter. He'd never actually fought Hazel, but he'd heard about what he was capable of from Kylie and Kevin. He didn't have a weapon, using his own pain nullifying Semblance so he could inject raw Dust into his body. This thing couldn't have had a Semblance but it did have a replica of Hazel's Dust.
Dust's his source of energy. And he's got unlimited amounts of it. Ben thought, as the Hazelwalker continued tirelessly attacking. And no real mental plans. What to do, what to do...
No real plans. Just need to outthink out. It's probably good with each of its Dust types, smart enough to use them right...but not smart enough to deal with a certain little cloning alien, Ben finally realized, Tire it out with Ditto then hopefully get a heavy hitter like Ripjaws or Ultraviolent!
Ben lifted his head up, smacking the Hazelwalker away. The creature stumbled backwards, before Ben took this opening to transform. Ditto took his place, and immediately started to split apart.
"Alright! No funny business! Get to work!" The lead Ditto worked, motioning for the clones to disperse.
The Hazelwalker shook its head and looked to the various clones swarming around it. It tilted its head, confused about the new opponent. It hissed before spikes on its back began to glow with crimson light, flames flickering at the corners of its mouth.
"BURN!" the clone roared, firing out a barrage of fireballs at every Ditto clone it could see, but the Dittos were incredibly synchronized. When a fireball tore through the air, the Dittos easily managed to run or dodge out of the way.
The Dittos frowned. "Dude! Don't set a paper forest on FIRE!" One of the Dittos yelled, dodging another attack.
Keep it up, keep it up... Ben frowned. Give me another opening!
The Jabber just roared, skittering forward and expelling a stream of fire from its mouth. One of the Dittos got a little tired of just dodged and managed to pick up one of the cogs that littered the Marshes' side of the bridge. With a strong arm, he chucked it at the back of the Hazelwalker's head, the metal piece slamming into the beast with a loud thunk.
The beast screeched, before zooming over to the clone on all fours.
"Oh, shit-!" Ben yelled, as the creature prepared to slash him-
Ruby was dodging countless projectiles being fired at her from Neo's clones. The Ironwood duplicate had drawn his normal pistols, firing off round after round, while Leonardo used Stalwart to launch balls of compressed earth and fire, thanks to the replicated Dust in his shield, even Kylie had joined in, firing off shots from the cloned True Rebel.
"You think you're special hm?" Neo-Lionheart asked as he fired, "My name used to actually fit you know. I was strong, courageous, the bravest Faunus in that corrupt and racist cesspit of a Kingdom. And yet I still broke under the pressure of Ozpin's never-ending crusade! And you think you can out last me? A headmaster?! Don't kid yourself! Why do you think you're brave enough?!"
One of the orbs of flaming rock raced towards the red reaper as the replicated Faunus asked his question. Ruby quickly spun her scythe in front of her and slashed through the boulder. The two halves of the flaming sphere raced behind her and left scorch-marks on the fancy walls. But then came the bullets from True Rebel.
"You were always so positive, so 'happy,' Ruby. Did you just not see some of my issues? Or did you just not care? Weiss was a great listener, but even she couldn't fix everything. Her asshat of a father made sure she only ever got to really interact with the 1%. I could've used your support, Ruby, I really could've. But you never got to me. Not a single time!" Neo-Kylie taunted as the bullets flew, "Why weren't you there for me?!"
Even with all the projectiles, bullets and boulders alike, flying her way, it was easy enough for Ruby to dodge through the flurry of shots. She even brought Crescent Rose in front of her and spun it before her, letting the bullets bounce off. The impressive display was quickly interrupted when a fishing hook wrapped around her ankle. Neo-Clover smirked and pulled Ruby to the ground hard, the floor actually cracking upon impact. Before Ruby could even stagger to her feet, the ghost of the Ace-Ops fisherman yanked her up. His line retracted and he raced in, striking her with a few accurate thrusts from the rod. It looked less like Clover's fighting and more like Weiss's or Neo's usual moves. Ruby parried and deflected the various strikes.
"Ironwood was our best chance at saving Atlas. He had such a short amount of time to make a strategy against an immortal witch. Your plan was what? Send out a call for help and pray? It was based on nothing but hope and goodwill, not a single solid fact to back it up! His plan might not have been perfect, but he, at least, had a solid plan. So why, in the name of the Brothers', did you betray him?!" Neo-Clover demanded to know.
He didn't give Ruby the chance to answer, though. The recreated Kingfisher's line extended out and, with an agile jump from its wielder, tied around Ruby's ankle. Neo-Clover smirked and, with a massive shout of exertion, threw her into the chandelier that hung from the ceiling. She desperately clung to the shaft of her scythe for dear life, her weapon serving as a hook to keep her from falling.
Neo-Ironwood didn't waste a second and took aim at the chandelier above, firing off a shot, severing the chain and forcing Ruby and the light fixture to fall. The fall itself would've hurt, but her Aura would've tanked a good portion of the damage. Neo-Kevin decided to negate that and make it hurt more as he transformed. Dragonforce flew into the air and grabbed Ruby in a headlock before plummeting down with her.
"Like Kylie said, you're always so goddamn supportive, but when we first met, what did you do? You fought me, tried to take me down! It's your fault that I had the AntiTrix merged with me! It was YOUR fucking plan that got Doppler killed! Have you ever even stopped to think about what your plans could end up doing, who you could end up hurting?!" the clone roared into Ruby's ear, "Why did you HURT ME?!"
The giant hybrid slammed into the ground like a meteor, cracking the floor even further and sending dust flying into the air. A storm of rose petals emerged from the impact crater, Ruby having escaped the headlock. She spun around midair to try and take a shot at one of the clones, but several green crystalline swords flew her way, forcing her to dodge again. But she was too slow this time. One of the blades knocked Crescent Rose out of her hand and sent it clattering to the ground.
"No!" Ruby yelled, racing to pick it back up, only to be cut off by more of the same crystal blades. Ruby's eyes went wide as she saw her reflection stare back at her from the surface of Eunice's swords.
"I had just gotten a life of my own," Neo-Eunice began, her eyes filled with tears, "I didn't need to be connected to Penny anymore, I could be my own person. But I had that chance taken away from me. Do you have any idea what that's like? How Penny must feel, knowing that a sister she never knew she had until recently, was killed so soon after her real 'birth?' All because you failed to save me? Why? Why didn't you save me?"
"That...that's not what-" Ruby was cut off when Neo-Harriet rushed in and punched Ruby in the side, making her instinctively grab her side in pain before more punches came crashing into her. Neo-Harriet was using the circular construction of the rotunda to her advantage, using to gain more and more speed, putting more and more power behind each punch.
"All you had to do," Neo-Harriet said between hits, "was follow orders. But no, you couldn't do that. You could never do that. You always had to follow your own rules, do things your way. Either everyone's happy or no one is. That's the mindset you had! The general's plan was at least reasonable, logical, but you had to go for the fairy tale gold standard didn't you?! Why do you always follow your own rules?!"
Ruby struggled to defend herself and recover her weapon, she tried to respond to their accusations. "I never meant to hurt any of you!" Ruby panted, blocking a few more blows from Neo-Harriet while searching for an opening.
"ALL YOU DO IS HURT!" Neo-Kylie yelled, firing her gun at Ruby. "You leave places in ashes! You break all sense of logic with your presence! And the worst part!? You think you're right!"
Neo-Clover, having leapt up to cling to the chandelier and watch from above, shouted down. "But what's 'right' to you might not be right for everyone else! You've always been reckless, Ruby, and it's cost us dearly!"
"How many more? HM?! How many more people are going to die because of YOU and your so-called 'plans?' How do you even know if anyone reached Vacuo?! You DON'T! For all we know, anyone and everyone who walked through that portal is dead. ALBEDO COULD BE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! So why the hell do you keep trying to save everyone when it isn't POSSIBLE?!" Neo-Ironwood yelled before tossing her to the floor in front of Roman's feet. Crescent Rose was so close now.
"Because...because..." Ruby gasped, trying to weakly crawl towards her beloved scythe.
"Because that's what Hunters do, right? And a spectacular job you've done so far! Vale's in ruins, Mistral's got a power vacuum, Mantle's abandoned, Atlas is fucking GONE, and Vacuo's right in Salim's line of sight! She will march on that little desert oasis and she will! Get! the RELIC! SHE! IS GOING! TO WIN!" Roman took his cane and began beating poor Ruby with it, continuing his rant between each cracking strike.
All the while, someone watched from above. Little, despite being told to go home, outright refused the order and sneakily followed Ruby into the mansion. The poor mouse was holding their ears in shock and horror, forced to watch as Roman's cane came down again and again. Ruby curled in one herself, trying to shield herself from the damage, but Roman was far too effective at using the Melodic Cudgel.
"How many more lives do you have to ruin before you realize the Outcasts were never cut out for this?" Neo-Harriet asked, joining Roman on the beating, stomping on Ruby.
"No...No..." Ruby muttered, her silver eyes flashing with dim light before she managed to grab hold of the weapon, "NO!" And then she slashed out at what she believed to be Neo-Harriet. Her blade struck true, slicing through her enemy's chest. Terrifyingly though, blood now stained her weapon's curved edge and her silver eyes widened in sheer horror as she looked at how she just cut through.
Ben was standing there, eyes wide, mouth agape as if he was trying to take in a breath but the air just wouldn't reach his lungs. Crimson began to pour from the wound in his stomach as his white shirt began to turn red with fresh blood.
"Ruby?" Ben rasped before his eyes went dull and he fell backwards, blood pooling beneath him. Ruby's world just shattered. She dropped Crescent Rose and fell to her knees as Roman and Neo walked up behind her, the latter having a smug look of victory while Roman wiped a fake tear away from his eye. The other clones had all gathered around Ruby now, each one wearing expressions of shock, disgust and horror. And then they changed.
Winter became Weiss.
Ironwood became Yang.
Leonardo became Blake.
Harriet became Min.
Eunice became Penny.
Clover became Qrow.
Kylie, Kevin, and Ceres all remained the same.
Weiss was disgusted; Yang was in shock; Blake was horrified; Penny had both of her hands over her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks; Min held onto Kevin, unable to look at the grisly scene; Kevin looked ready to beat Ruby even more; Kylie began sobbing; and Ceres just balled her hand into a fist, shaking with rage and sorrow.
"I didn't... I didn't mean to..." Ruby stammered, her voice filled with anguish, unable to find the right words to express her remorse.
"But you did." Roman jeered, stepping forward. For an extra bit of cruelty, he slammed his foot down on Ben's face. "I heard what you screamed at him...god, that was a fun moment."
As she knelt beside the faux Ben's lifeless body, her trembling hands reached out to touch Ben's face. Neo looked on and her smug smirk started to falter. She felt a tug in her heart, one that made her start to feel hollow. She…she was crossing a line here.
"I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." Ruby whispered, her voice barely audible as she cradled Ben's lifeless form. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she felt utterly helpless.
Neo's eyes flashed as her real emotions started to show. This was all too real.