Penny Polendina was the friend that had yet to be fully acquainted with Ruby Rose. And yet, she gives Ruby happiness and gratefulness for being her friend, despite her abnormal nature. Nonetheless, Penny could not be more real to one's heart. Because of this, she gives Ruby additional strength to pursue every challenge. This chapter will cover the rescue of the kind and friendly Penny Polendina, by the quirky and vigilant Ruby Rose.

Chapter 1: A Whole Penny

Ruby Rose, the young leader of Team RWBY, is still feeling upset over her sister, Yang Xiao long. The actions of her sister lead to disqualification from unfair accusations of assault to another student. Allowing Yang to relax and collect herself, the team chooses to get some fresh air as they wait for the tournament to continue. Ruby chooses to go to the docks to get off of Beacon Academy and go to the Vytal Festival. There, she finds other students waiting as well.

Outside of the line to board the aircraft is Velvet Scarlatina. She catches Ruby's attention from the flashes of her camera. To greet her, Ruby steps out of the line to see what she is up to. Velvet notices her, and looks back.

Velvet: "Ruby, how you going?"

Ruby: "Hi Velvet! What are you up to?"

Velvet: "Oh, you know - just working on my photography. Do you wanna see?" Velvet holds her camera out for Ruby to look at her footage. The picture shows Sun Wukong with his weapons, covering half of his face. The other half of his face is cut off above the screen.

Ruby: "(awkwardly) That's… better." Ruby does not have the heart to tell Velvet that the picture is odd and incomplete (at least to her perception). Unorthodox, indeed, but bearing exceptional results of potential.

Knowing what had taken place with Yang, Velvet expresses her concern and opinion.

Velvet: "I'm sorry to hear about your sister. Is she going to be okay?"

Ruby: "Yeah, she's… fine. Heh, thanks." Velvet puts her camera away, giving Ruby her full attention.

Velvet: "I think it's just awful what people are saying about her. Yang's such a nice person."

Ruby: "Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." Hearing Velvet, Ruby scratches the back of her head. It is a nice change of pace for her to have someone outside of her circle of close friends express their support. Her heart becomes more at ease.

Velvet: "Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone."

Ruby: " Coco?" Ruby tilts her head, hearing how Velvet's fearless leader had such troubles.

Velvet: "Yeah. She swore she saw Yatsu (Yatsuhashi Daichi) with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields." With this news, Ruby begins to see similarities between both misfortunes. Not only those, but with Emerald and, or just Mercury around. "Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently."

Ruby: "Yeah… Or maybe something else is going on. This all seems too suspicious. Maybe I'll find something when I get back to the Colosse-." *flash* "What the-?!" Ruby sees Velvet working on her photography again. Only this time, on her up close.

Velvet: "Ooh! Sorry." Velvet walks off, continuing her hobby on different students.

Ruby watches as Velvet walks off. Then she looks up at the Amity Colosseum high in the sky.

Ruby: "Right…" Ruby then gets back in line to board the aircraft, now vigilant and ready to investigate.

(A Few Moments Later…)

Sunset gradually turns into nightfall as Ruby arrives to the Amity Colosseum, and makes her way to a seat within the crowd. Everybody cheers with excitement as they await the finals to continue. Ruby seems happy, enjoying the atmosphere of everyone's energy. But directly across from her, all the way on the other side of the audience, she finds an unexpected surprise.

Ruby: "Wait! Is that…?! Emerald's here?"

Though at a far distance, Ruby can tell that is the same light green haired girl who claimed to be away with her partner, Mercury. She can even see Emerald lean up from her seat and stare back out of suspicion. Ruby then leans back and looks away to neutralize her skepticism. But without taking any chances of something going wrong, Ruby gets up from her seat to advance in her investigation. She goes to the back entrance to make her way down to her. This way, she might find the answers… and will get all that she has coming.

(Meanwhile, With Mercury...)

Mercury: "Hahahaha. Aw man!" Within the hideout of Cinder's Faction, surrounded by quadcons, Mercury Black is sitting on a chair with his right prosthetic leg propped up on a table. While on his spare time, he chooses to read a comic book of X-Ray Vav. To his disturbance however, he receives a call from his scroll. With one hand holding the comic book, he answers his scroll with the other. "Hello."

Emerald: "(scroll) Mercury, we have a problem. Get up here to the Colosseum, now!"

Mercury: "Uh, Did you forget what the Boss-Lady said? I gotta lay low so that no one sees me on my feet…" Mercury then holds the scroll between his head and shoulder so that his hands are free. He uses them to set his book down and get back to working on his leg with a screwdriver. "...which, by the way, isn't done getting fixed. I told you, these things aren't exactly-."

Emerald: "You should've been done with that alr-! Ugh!

Mercury: "Em, relax. What's the big deal?"

Emerald: "Little Red is on to us." Mercury stops his work with his leg as he understands the risk at hand. "If she interrupts my concentration, this whole mission is blown!"

Mercury: "...Where is she now?"

Emerald: "She's making her way through the back hall. She's directly across the ring from me, so she'll be a while. Try to cut her off beforehand."

Mercury: "Roger." Mercury disregards the screwdriver, and pulls down his pant-leg for concealment. He gets out of his chair, and assembles his right weaponized boot. Then, he looks in the shadowy corner of the hideout. "Neo." Out of the shadows, Neopolitan steps out into the light, with a sinister grinning face. "We gotta get to the Colosseum. And fast."

Neopolitan walks up close to Mercury, and uses her semblance to teleport them to the Amity Colosseum. At that instant, they end up in the back hall, at one of the exits. There, Mercury stays out of sight from any possible wanderers.

Mercury: "Thanks, Neo. I should be good from here. You go on ahead and get ready to take care of the old man on the ship when it's time." Neopolitan nods her head, and walks away.

Mercury just stands by until the right moment of Ruby's approach comes.

(Meanwhile, With Ruby…)

Doctor Oobleck: "(announcement) Alright, it is now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!"

Because of the questions in mind, Ruby no longer concerns herself with the tournament in session. At least not entirely. Instead, her concern lies with wondering why Emerald is here, and not with Mercury.

The last time Mercury was seen, he had been injured by Yang, and he was escorted home to his family. That was all said to have went down, along with Emerald leaving with him. But what Ruby sees next appears otherwise. Walking out of another hall with an 'EXIT' sign above and facing her, is none other than Mercury himself. This raises even more confusion and worry for Ruby.

Ruby: "Mercury? What's he doing here too? I thought he left to Mystral!"

Professor Port: "(announcement) It looks like our first contender is… Penny Polendina from Atlas!"

Ruby: "I thought Yang broke his leg, but he's still standing! What are you doing?"

Professor Port: "(announcement) And her opponent will be… Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!" Mercury smirks, knowing full well of what has been set.

Ruby: "Why is he smiling? Did he make those matches? …Are he and... Emerald gonna do something to Penny and Pyrrha… like they might've did to Yang? ...Pyrrha… her semblance is… But Penny is made of…! (horrified) No!" Ruby connects the dots, and sees why Emerald and Mercury are present. For some reason, they plan to affect the tournament, and the life now at stake.

Mercury: "Ooh, Polarity vs Metal. That could be bad." Disgusted by this villainy, Ruby reaches for her back to grab Crescent Rose. But unfortunately, she forgets that her scythe is not on her person at this time. She now faces Mercury, defenseless, as he assembles his fighting stance.

Ruby: "Mercury… what are you doing? You were hurt! Why…?! Uh… What's going on? I've asked you already, but you won't answer me. Have you and Emerald been lying to us about everything this whole time?" Mercury remains silent, staring back at Ruby with his sinister grin. "Still not answering… Fine. If you're not going to tell me…" Ruby side-steps to the right, and Mercury mirrors her to stand in the way. She steps back to the left, and Mercury does as well, reestablishing his blockade. "...then I'll have to go through you!" Ruby narrows her eyes, and prepares for action, however possible.

Doctor Oobleck: "(announcement) Fighters are you ready?" The crowd cheers louder in excitement for the match that is about to start, unaware of what is to happen. "3! 2! 1! ...Begin!" At Doctor Oobleck's signal, both battles, in the hall and within the tournament, commence.

Mercury: "Show time." Mercury dashes forward in Ruby's space. He makes her struggle to get past him and sabotage their plan.

Without Crescent Rose, Ruby cannot even fight Mercury off. So instead, she has to get through him somehow. She does so by using her semblance of speed to burst onward.

Mercury, however, has the acquired skills, reflexes, and enough speed to catch Ruby at her full speed. With those abilities, Mercury is driven to kick her after jumping up from his right leg.

[Move]

Unfortunately for Mercury, however, his right leg malfunctions. It does lift him up in the air, but not as high as he had designated, putting him off balance. This causes him to hesitate to kick with his left, even while being the most functional. But still, Ruby gains the advantage.

While in mid-air, though not intentionally, Ruby's bursting rose petal form knocks Mercury down to the ground. And while still bursting, not losing any speed upon impact, she continues down the hall. Mercury watches as his target escapes while he lays on his back. He tries to get up, but falls back down with his right leg twitching as it malfunctions. But not his left leg.

Mercury: "Let's just keep this between us friends." After speaking to himself, and with one more trick down his pant-leg, Mercury manages to swiftly rotate his body in a windmill breakdance move. He uses the momentum to swing his legs a few times. At one point of his legs sticking out in Ruby's direction, using his good leg, he shoots a curved dust round that follows Ruby.

In her rose petal form, Ruby reaches only a few feet from the door. Before stopping to open it, Mercury's dust round hits her from behind. The shot breaks her balance and she diminishes into her original state. However, the momentum from her bursting previously, busts her through the door. On the other side, she slams into a wall, and then hits the ground.

Fortunately, due to her aura, the fired round from Mercury does not do too much harm to Ruby. Nor did her collison to the wall. It only slows her down, leaves her in pain as she gets back up, and makes her drops her scroll from behind. Should she need her weapon in the future, she'll need to borrow someone else's scroll. But with little hesitation, she continues on to the audience.

Within the crowd, Ruby looks out into the arena, and sees Penny and Pyrrha in combat. She also spots Emerald at the edge of her seat. Ruby has made it this far, and originally, she had planned on questioning Emerald on why she is still here. But ever since Mercury's interruption, his appearance as well may have given her a clue as to why he and Emerald are here. As bad as that reason may seem, it does not answer what she should do now, while the whole situation is now more dire.

Unsure of what Emerald is planning by just sitting down, squinting her eyes, Ruby decides to stay out of her sight, and go after the greater trouble at hand; Pyrrha's Polarity against Penny's metallic body.

Ruby runs down to the stage entrance and exits near the lower floor. If she could, she would just jump over the edge and zoom up to the arena. But due to the fight being in session, the forcefield that protects the audience from oncoming attacks is active. Nothing goes into the crowd, as well nothing goes out from the crowd.

At the entrance to the arena, two Atlas soldiers stand guard. No one is allowed to enter and interfere with the matches once they are in session. Ruby approaches them in a rush and make them more alert.

Soldier 1: "Excuse me, ma'am, we're gonna have to ask you to turn back around and take your seat."

Ruby: "No, sir, listen! My friends are in trouble! One of them is-!" Ruby gets cut off in her explanation by looking up at Pyrrha and Penny at the screen through the entrance.

They stop fighting for some odd reason. Penny, however, does look like she is about to attack with her wired swords up in the air. But what does seem strange is Pyrrha, stepping back, looking overwhelmed for some reason. Not that Ruby knows, but Pyrrha looks like she is about to be attacked by thousands of those swords.

Then, in this instant, memories cross within Ruby's thoughts.

(Yang: "I saw him attack me. So I attacked back." Yang punching Mercury in the leg.

Velvet: "She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields… Stress-induced hallucinations-."

Ruby escaping Mercury, seeing Emerald squint her eyes during the current battle.

Mercury: "-Polarity vs Metal. That could be bad." Pyrrha staring up above Penny in horror.)

With the pieces put together, assuming they fit, Ruby does know that this is the moment. This is what Emerald and Mercury set up and are waiting for. The terrible thing that they have conducted is about to happen now. Because of this and seeing Pyrrha at this instant, Ruby does not have time to try and explain what is happening.

Soldier 2: "Excuse me, ma'-."

Ruby briefly bursts into her rose petal form through the soldiers, and passes the entrance. The force pushes the soldiers aside to the ground. They get back up and advance for Ruby, now running towards the center.

Soldier 1: "Security Team! Security Team! We have a breach! I repeat: We have a breach! Suspect is enroute to the arena's center! Engage suspect immediately!" Given the command, soldiers from different sections of the arena's surroundings advance in Ruby's direction.

Soldier 2: "Ma'am, stand down, or we WILL shoot!" Ruby ignores the soldier shouting at her from afar behind her. "Stand down! Last warning!" Ruby continues to run. Her eyes start to water from both the collection of wind from her speed, and the sadness in desperation within. She runs, for not as her own life depends on it, but rather Penny's does.

The second soldier fires the first few shots at Ruby. His fires are followed by the rest of the soldiers that surround her from a few meters away. Seeing and hearing the rounds come her way, Ruby side-steps, skips, and dashes around the projectiles. Through the evasion, Ruby manages to appear right under the arena's center, levitating above.

Ruby bursts upward and lands at the edge of the ring. She looks forward and sees Penny, who thrusts her weapons at Pyrrha. Ruby also sees Pyrrha cross her arms to build up a lot of her semblance of Polarity against the weapons. To Ruby, it looks like Pyrrha is about to use too much force.

Weapons aside, this force should be enough to crush Penny's metallic structure, even with Penny's aura alone. She is about to die, and Ruby is going to witness it, first-hand; second first-hand to Pyrrha, by her hands. But with a moment, and a moment only, Ruby bursts in Penny's direction.

Ruby: "Penny!"

Pyrrha lashes her polarity force, and it pulls on Penny. She becomes unable to move or fully react. The wires pull her arms back as she gasps.

With Ruby bursting towards Penny, she grabs hold of her. By embracing her arms and body to her chest, the fatality is reduced as Ruby moves her out of Pyrrha's direction of defense-turned-assault. But even with Ruby's effort and intention, the wires wrap around Penny, and as well as now Ruby's, bodies.

Ruby: "Ahhahaah!" One of the wires wrap around their upper back and neck. Another wire wraps around their waist. And one of the swords swing at Ruby's back and shoulder, but without severe damage.

If Penny were alone in her wires' grasp, her arms would be severed if they were still sticking out, as well as possibly her head, and her upper and lower body would be separated. But with Ruby's biological aura, as well as her cell tissues' flexibility and durability, placed aside with Penny's generating aura, they both stay in one piece. In pain, but still remaining whole.

After the impact, Ruby and Penny hit the ground, near the edge, while tangled up. Pyrrha, no longer seeing a field of weapons in front of her, stands there frozen in shock. The whole crowd watches the arena in confusion, disgust, and worry. Even with what could have gone worse went to just bad and a close call, many negative emotions are felt from what took place. Regardless, all that mattered to Ruby was that Penny is okay, and she still has her friend.

Pyrrha: "Huh? Ruby? Ruby!" Pyrrha snaps out of her brief paralysis, and runs over to Penny and Ruby, who had came out of nowhere.

Ruby: "(heavy breathing) Penny… Are you okay?! *heavy breathing*"

Penny: "Yes. I'm fine… thanks to you, friend. Thank you!" Penny looks down at the dents in her arms and body. "...I guess I wasn't as combat ready as I thought I was."

Ruby: "Hehe. It's okay."

Pyrrha approaches Ruby and Penny, and drops to her knees. She starts to cry, feeling awful for her action.

Pyrrha: "Penny! Ruby! I- I'm so sorry!"

Ruby: "*sigh* Me too, but it wasn't your fault." Ruby smiles, and it leads to Pyrrha smiling back. But though Pyrrha is not to blame, someone else is.

(Meanwhile, With Mercury...)

With Ruby long out of his sight, Mercury continues limping on his good leg as fast as he can, like he has been, towards the door. He knows that his shot from earlier was not enough to stop Ruby from disturbing their nefarious plan. He would have told Emerald through his scroll that his target had escaped and was on her way. But against the slight chance that Emerald's concentration would be broken, as well as he succeeds and not upset her, nor Cinder, his stubbornness compels him to pursue.

To his misfortune, he exits the door, and while leaning on the wall for support, he sees what was against his hopes of succession. From a distance, and on the video screen, he sees Pyrrha helping to untangle Penny in her own wires with Ruby. She helps them up as one limps in pain and the other slightly twitches in malfunction. Just like his leg from before. Atlas military then come to ask questions and assist the two.

While the crowd gives out roars of disapproval, Mercury's scroll rings. He sees that it is Emerald, and also their boss, Cinder. Hesitant to answer, Mercury nervously answers.

Mercury: "...Hello?"

Cinder: "(scroll) What are you doing at the Vytal Festival?! I told you to stay out of sight!"

Mercury: "The girl was on to us. So I got in her way, and tried to stop her."

Cinder: "Yes. You TRIED to stop her! And how did that play out?" Out of guilt and shame, Mercury looks down at his right leg in an unorthodox position. "And how exactly DID she start to suspect something? Emerald…?!"

Emerald: "(scroll, sarcastic) Thanks a lot, Merc!"

Mercury: "Wha- What did I-?!"

Emerald: "I- I saw the girl, and she saw me. So I told Mercury to-."

Cinder: "How many times do I have to tell you kids: Don't think, obey!? If you'd have done that, then you would've kept yourself hidden in the crowd like I told you! Or perhaps, you shouldn't have used your semblance during the double round like I instructed! Maybe THAT'S what gave you away in the first place!" There is a short moment of silence, as Emerald and Mercury's guilt sinks in from Cinder's disappointment.

Mercury: "Look, Cinder, either way, the plan did go accordingly for the most part. I can see the android from all the way up here, and she's not exactly moving in pain like her friend who just got hurt alongside her. Even the crowd's starting to question if she's human."

Audience 1: "(whispers) ...Why is she moving like that?"

Audience 2: "...Is she like a robot, or something?"

Audience 3: "...I don't think that's a normal girl." The crowd judges Penny as she continues to twitch mechanically. The Atlas soldiers look around suspiciously as some of them escort Penny out, and the others lecture and interrogate Ruby.

Mercury: "They sound pretty distressed from what they saw. So that should attract the Grimm, right?"

Cinder: "*sigh* Fortunately, to our advantage, and the reduction of your PUNISHMENTS, the Grimm ARE on their way here. Enough to overwhelm security like we intended… We'll discuss this rogue act later. Both of you, get up here on the rooftop. (sinister) I have an announcement to make."

Emerald and Mercury: "Yes, ma'am!" Right then, Mercury sees Emerald walking toward him. They do not say anything to each other. Instead, Emerald just looks away from him in disgust, and places his right arm over her shoulders, helping him to leave with her. As they exit, Cinder gives out her announcement.

Here's an Omake just to warm you up, give you a laugh, and just for fun.

Chapter 1.3: Spare A Penny.

Mercury goes in to kick Ruby while she is bursting. However, his right leg malfunctions, causing his jump to put him off balance. This gives Ruby the advantage to burst passed him.

Ruby: "Meep! Meep!"

Ruby's burst knocks Mercury to the ground, as he watches her speed down the hall.

Mercury: "Oh, I'm gonna give you the boot…" Mercury starts doing his whirlwind breakdance move. "...that's also a gun." Using the right coordination, Mercury shoots an unWanted curved bullet for Ruby.

Ruby: "Red Streak, speeds by,

Ruby Rose

Too fast, for the naked eye

Ruby Ro-" The bullet hits her back, and it cancels her burst, and her balance. "Oh, I'm shot! Ow!"

Ruby crashes through the door, and slams into the wall, right before falling on her face. Slowly, she gets back up, and makes her way to the crowd.

Ruby: "Oww… My neck, my back. My neck and my back! Ow! That's no good… Oh, right! Penny! And Pyrrha! And…!" As Ruby looks around the crowd, and immediately, she sees… "...Emerald!" So, Ruby steps back a few feet, and faces forward, with her feet together. She then lifts her arms up in front of her, the way a gymnast would before performing.

With this said, I, the writer, will briefly leave the narration to Professor, or rather, Doctor Oobleck.

Doctor Oobleck: "(announcement, quietly) Ms. Rose readies herself for a multi-flip in between minor steps down the stairs near the audience…"

Professor Port: "Professor, what are you doing?"

Doctor Oobleck: "Doctor…! (announcement, quietly) She's going for a possible 1080 after a vertical landing and jump off of the Colosseum's protective forcefield…"

Professor Port: "Bartholomew, you're not making any sense. This isn't what's happening in the fight… Are you feeling okay?"

Doctor Oobleck: "(announcement, announcement) ...The last trick will be finalized by a fatal blow to Ms. Emerald Sustrai!"

Emerald: "Huh?"

Doctor Oobleck: "…And there she goes, three steps, and then she cartwheels to the top step's edge! She does a frontflip to the middle of the stairs, two frontflips at the end, and now three frontflips off of the end, and a vertical landing on the forcefield! She jumps off of it with a 1080! She twirls, she twirls upside down, she does a backflip! Emerald breaks her concentration on Pyrrha, and looks up at the fatal blow that awaits her."

Emerald: "Wait, when-?! How did know about-?! Uh oh!"

Doctor Oobleck: "Facing her target with her legs to the sky, and…!"

Ruby: "BANZAAAI!"

Emerald: "It is at this moment, that I realized, how messed up this girl truly is. *sigh*... Monty Oum, I repent for my sins…"

Doctor Oobleck: "Oh! And she downward kicks the back of her head down to the floor, and Ms. Rose sticks the landing! And the crowd cheers, as they see the avenging acrobatics performed by Ms. Ruby Rose! And- Oh! And the audience are throwing her roses! How fitting! How original!"

Thank you, Doctor. Now, to continue…

Penny sets her swords down after being ready to attack Pyrrha. They both look at the audience, and notice Ruby within the crowd. They also note Emerald unconscious on the ground. And they also note an old man who runs up to Emerald, looking down at her. At a distance, they can even hear him over the crowd.

Old Man(Shopkeep): "You got knocked the duck out, girl! Give me my doggone lien!" The Shopkeep takes back his wallet from Emerald's pocket. At some point, he had eventually found out that it was her who stole it upon their first encounter. "That payback's a mother-lover, ain't it?!" He waves it in her face. "Ya Scarlet-Eyed Witch!"

Pyrrha: "...Sooo… how were you doing that with your swords?"

Penny: "You're one of Ruby's friends too, right?"

Pyrrha: "Yes."

Penny: "...Can you keep a secret?"

Pyrrha: "Sure."

Penny: "...I'm a robot!"

Pyrrha: "Whaaa…!"

Penny: "Yeah!"

Pyrrha: "Do YOU wanna know something too?"

Penny: "Yes!"

Pyrrha: "I have magnetism."

Penny: "Whaaa…!"

Pyrrha: "Yeah… So, that would've been bad if I, you know, used too much against you… now that I think about it. Sorry."

Penny: "Yes. It would have been terrible… I think I will forfeit."

Pyrrha: "Are… Are you sure?"

Penny: "Yes I am. By my calculations, I would have more than likely lost, if not been destroyed in that regard. You win, Ms. Nikos. It is only fair for you, and safe for me."

Pyrrha: "Oh, okay then. Well thank you... Hey, I'll make it up to you later then."

Penny: "Oh yes! That would be wonderful! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes with Ruby and her friends! And talk about cute boys. Like that Jaune Arc fellow!"

Pyrrha: "Well, that sounds lov- Excuse me?"

Penny: "I am aware that he is human, but with his handsome face, and that armor of his, giving him that metallic build, he hardly seems any different for my taste! *sigh*" Penny then starts to walk to the edge while dazed in lovestruck.

Pyrrha's eye twitch, and she makes a fist to crack her knuckles. Even still, she holds on to her smile.

Pyrrha: "...So are you REALLY sure you wish to forfeit?"

Penny: "There are no strings on- Oh, I apologize. Were you saying something, Ms. Nikos?"

Pyrrha: "Nothing!"

And now, without further ado, I give you another Omake, of what I believe what REALLY should have went down (more or less, give or take), with the exception of the jokes. Inspired by Know Your Memes and Pinterest, with the consideration of RWBY Chibi 2.

Chapter 1.6: Make Some Cents

Ruby: "Mercury?"

Professor Port: "(announcement) It looks like our first contender is… Penny Polendina from Atlas!"

Ruby: "What are you doing?"

Professor Port: "(announcement) And her opponent will be… Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!" Mercury smirks, knowing full well of what has been set.

Ruby: "...No!"

Mercury: "Ooh, Polarity vs Metal. That could be bad." Disgusted by this villainy, Ruby reaches for her back to grab Crescent Rose. Fortunately, because of her previous suspicions and good leadership as a Huntress in training, she had brought her scythe, and wields it, now facing Mercury, as he assembles his fighting stance.

Doctor Oobleck: "(announcement) Fighters are you ready?" All four fighters at this moment prepare for combat. "3! 2! 1!... Begin!" At '1!', Ruby jumps up, about to strike down.

Mercury: "Show time." Mercury dashes forward in Ruby's approach. He blocks Ruby's attack with his foot as she lands. Though Mercury may be ignorant, he is strategic in most cases, and knows it is best to assure his prosthetic leg is fully operated and recovered beforehand. This prevents any malfunctions from happening, after Yang's attack.

Ruby slashes in numerous directions in Mercury's space. However, Mercury blocks them all with his feet, and does midair sideway twirls to dodge. He then starts kicking back, now putting Ruby on the defense. With one of his kicks, the barrel of his boot meets the barrel of Ruby's scythe. At the same time, upon impact, they both fire, sending them both back a few feet. While being thrown in the air, they flip backwards and catch their balances.

Ruby knows that the more they fight, the greater risk that Penny will be severely harmed. So she takes out her scroll to call for help. But Mercury refuses to give her the chance, and runs toward her. While dialing with one hand, Ruby has Crescent Rose's blade tip planted to the ground, and starts shooting. Mercury dodges, side to side, and stops to shoot her scroll out of her hand.

Mercury: "Let's just keep this between us friends." Mercury dashes back up to Ruby and continues to fight her further away from Penny and Pyrrha. Ruby swings at him, but he dodges downward, holds himself on one hand and leg, and kicks up into her gut. That leads to an axe kick to her face sideways, a forward kick sideway, and a back kick from his other leg. He then jumps up in the air to kick her head downward.

Ruby quickly looks up to see Mercury land on one foot first. And quickly, she trips him with her scythe, putting him in the air. While in the air, she catches him with her scythe's blade on his abdomen. She shoots to increase the slash and throw, forcing him into a wall behind her. With him now out of the way, Ruby puts her scythe in portable mode, and runs for the door to the crowd.

(A Few Moments Later…)

Ruby exits the door, but she sees that she is already too late. From a distance, she witnesses her friend Penny cut up in pieces, and her friend Pyrrha in paralysis. The horror makes her drop to her knees.

Ruby: "...Penny. *crying*"

Mercury steps out to hear the crowd in horror, and sees Ruby in tears. He smiles, and goes back through the door, knowing their plan succeeded.

Penny: "(faint distance) ...Don't worry!" Or so Mercury thought.

Ruby: "Wait, wha-?!" Ruby's tears start to dry up. Mercury then busts back out of the door.

Mercury: "Wait, wha-?!"

Emerald: "Wait, wha-?!"

Pyrrha: "Wait, wha-?!"

Audience: "Wait, wha-?!"

General Ironwood: "Uh-huh. Hehehehe." General Ironwood sits back with his arms folded, grinning and nodding his head in pride. "That's my girl!"

At the arena, Penny rocks her upper body back and forth to stand up on the stub where she was severed below. She wobbles a little bit to regain her balance. Her right arm is still intact.

Penny: "It's only-." Her right arm WAS still intact, for it falls off at the last minute. "...It's only a flesh wound!"

Pyrrha: "(crying) I'm sorry!"

Penny: "Aww! Please do not cry, Ms. Nikos! Really, I am fine. See?" Penny lifts up her stub of arms, and again, at the last minute, parts of her body split. This time, from her right shoulder to the left of her sides, followed by her head from her neck.

The whole crowd gasps in horror. Those up close can identify her as an android, and yet are still upset. A few people in the back, however, either faint, or throw up.

Penny: "Oh my. This is embarrassing. Could you perhaps give me a hand, please? I seem to have lost both of mine, among other things. Hehe."

Pyrrha: "...Huh? Oh! *sniff* Yes, o-of course." Using her semblance, Pyrrha pulls Penny together while lying down.

Penny: "Hahahaha! That tickles!"

General Ironwood: "(horrified) That's my girl! MY BABY!"

Soon after, Atlas military arrive to retrieve Penny.

(Meanwhile, With Ruby And Mercury…)

Ruby: "Penny!" Ruby smiles a gets up from her knees, and runs down the stairs within the crowd.

Mercury, however, stands there in amazement, eyes wide, and jaw dropped. While motionless, he manages to grab his scroll and call Emerald.

Mercury: "Uh… Em?"

Emerald: "(scroll) Yeeeah… I… don't know."

Mercury: "I mean, wow! Who would've thought that being cut up couldn't hurt a robot?"

Cinder: "(scroll) Anyone. Everyone would think to use lightning or electricity before anything else. And polarity should've been just enough."

Emerald: "Oh, hey Cinder!"

Mercury: "Yeah, I don't know… I thought the magnetism alone would crush her before her own weapons made her bite the dust. But it doesn't look like she'll be eating the dirt either."

Emerald: "Or hit the junkyard."

Mercury: "Yeah, not that either."

Cinder: "Well, either way, the mission is a success. You both stood your posts, and did your job as I ordered. Little Red got in the way, and you did the best you could, Mercury. The crowd seems very upset, and they now see her as one of Atlas' little mechanical puppets. And the Grimm are enroute, after what's been displayed. So, all is not at a loss."

Mercury: "I guess… But it's not as satisfying if no one's dead after that. Even if she is an android."

Emerald: "Let it go, Merc."

Mercury: "*sigh* Fine…" Mercury leaves in disappointment as Cinder begins her announcement.

Now, when I mentioned the integrity of the story, that also meant going along with their probabilities and improbabilities. Like, with the third omake, jokes aside, I do believe that Penny should have survived her fatal blow. Not just because she's a robot, but again, jokes aside, RWBY Chibi 2's decapitating of Penny. That, and because her wires killed her before Pyrrha's own Polarity. That's how Mercury emphasized the danger. Otherwise, maybe, MAYBE that couldn't have killed anyone. But due to the original story, it was strong enough to end her. So that's why what was more canon in my story is Ruby's actual rescue. It was more aligned with the original story, opposed to the omakes. Now, the wires might have been strong enough to kill both Ruby and Penny, but what would be the point of both of them having aura if not to sustain their lives? Or what would be the point of Penny being unique if not to generate aura, and be hardly any different from a human with life preserving aura? With this said, I have my faith in RoosterTeeth to give us the story we love more than our own twists. Whether it be to give Ruby strength, whether it be to inspire motivating songs in soundtracks, or whether it be the slight possibility that Penny is still capable of going through with her plan of attending Beacon Academy like she mentioned before and it results in her coming back to life some way somehow in some form later on (oddly specific, ain't it), I will embrace all that they have to offer in the RWBY franchise.Next time...

Roman: "As for me, I'll do what I do best. Lie. Steal. Cheat! And survive!"