Student-Teacher Conversations
Yang knocked on the door to Professor Goodwitch's office, even as she poked her head around it. "You asked to see me, Professor?"
Professor Goodwitch looked up from whatever it was that she'd been working on. "Yes, come in, Miss Xiao Long."
Yang walked in, closing the door softly behind her, and strode inside the small, slightly overcrowded room. Although she had been in here more than once, it didn't stop her feeling just a little bit nervous every time she came in here, whether it was rational to feel that way or not. She stopped in front of Professor Goodwitch's desk. "Professor, if this is about what happened in the kitchen-"
"It is not, Miss Xiao Long," Professor Goodwitch said, looking up at her. "Although, don't let that stop you from explaining yourself."
"Oh, it's nothing for someone like you to concern yourself with, Professor," Yang assured her, with a touch of feigned laughter in her voice. "Nora had just a new recipe idea that got a little out of hand."
"I thought that Mister Ren was the only cook in Team Iron."
"Ren would probably be happier if he was," Yang muttered. Nora's enthusiasm for the culinary arts far outstripped her actual skill in the kitchen. As an artist with batter, she had few equals, but in terms of producing something edible… not so much.
Professor Goodwitch stared at her for a moment. Then she let out the slightest hint of a chuckle before looking down at the mass of paperwork cluttering up her desk. "Please, sit down, Miss Xiao Long," Professor Goodwitch said kindly, gesturing with one hand to the chair in front of her desk. "I won't keep you from lunch very long."
"Thanks, Professor," Yang said, taking the chair. She crossed her legs, one boot resting upon her knee. "And it's fine. Professor, can I ask you a question?"
Professor Goodwitch leaned back in her chair. "Of course, Miss Xiao Long, although I can't guarantee you an answer."
"What's going to happen to Team Bluebell, or whatever we ought to call them now?" Yang asked. "Without Blake, they're down to three people and…" she sought for a tactful way to put it, "not the most talented three people."
Professor Goodwitch made a wordless sound that Yang took to be confirmation that the Combat Instructor agreed with her about the place in the rankings occupied by Lyra, Bon Bon, and Sky. "May I ask your interest in this, Miss Xiao Long?"
"Dove's worried about them," Yang explained.
"Ah," Professor Goodwitch said. "Unfortunately, I cannot set Mister Bronzewing's mind completely at ease, since no decision has been made regarding Team Bluebell at this time, but you may inform him that I have no intention of assigning the three of them a field mission in their current state."
"I'll tell him that, Professor; thank you," Yang replied, She was somewhat of the mind that, it being the case that the three of them couldn't manage without Blake, perhaps Beacon wasn't the place for them… but that really wasn't her place to say, and so, she kept it to herself. Who was she to put a limit on the dreams of others?
She waited to hear why Professor Goodwitch had asked to see her.
"You fought very well today," Professor Goodwitch informed her.
Yang grinned. "Thanks, Professor, but that guy wasn't so tough." He hadn't been a pushover, but he hadn't really pushed her either. "I, uh, know that I probably shouldn't ask you for favours-"
Professor Goodwitch smiled. "But you aren't going to let a little thing like that stop you, Miss Xiao Long?"
Yang chuckled. "It's not like I'm asking for permission to cut class or anything, Professor. I was just wondering if you could hook me up against Rainbow Dash sometime this semester."
Professor Goodwitch's eyebrows rose. "You want to fight Miss Dash?"
"It might not exactly be the spirit of the Vytal Festival, but I wouldn't mind wiping that cocky smile off her face," Yang admitted.
A little titter of laughter escaped from Professor Goodwitch's lips. "It would certainly serve to puncture a little of General Ironwood's pomposity," she acknowledged. "Although, if you were defeated… I would rather not give the general an excuse to be even more pleased with himself than he is already."
"I can only promise to do my best, Professor," Yang said. "Do you think I can take her?"
Professor Goodwitch stared at her for a moment. "Just as you shouldn't ask me for favours, I shouldn't play favourites… but I'll see that you get your chance, if that's what you want."
"It is," Yang declared, because what was the point of being here if she wasn't going to test her skills against the best of the best?
"Very well," Professor Goodwitch acknowledged. "However, it may have to wait, because the reason I asked you to come and see me, Miss Xiao Long, is that I have a mission that I'd like to offer to Team Iron."
Yang's mouth opened a little. "Already?"
"You were told that they might come at any time."
"Yeah, but I didn't think that meant 'second day of the semester,'" Yang replied. "Although I suppose any time does mean any time. But…"
"'But,' Miss Xiao Long?"
"Why us, Professor, why Team Iron?" Yang asked. "To be honest… I kind of thought that you'd be giving Team Sapphire first pick of any first-year missions."
Professor Goodwitch's expression was inscrutable. "And why is that, Miss Xiao Long?"
"Well, they're…" Yang sought for a way to say 'they're better than us' that didn't sound self-pitying. "They're the ones everyone seems to be watching."
"I have been watching you, Miss Xiao Long, and not just in sparring and leadership class," Professor Goodwitch informed her. She hesitated for a moment. "There is a an old Valish proverb: anyone can spend gold, but it takes skill to spin it from straw?"
Yang frowned. "My team isn't straw, Professor."
"Indeed not, Miss Xiao Long; your team is Iron," Professor Goodwitch agreed. "But nevertheless… you are a more impressive leader than Miss Shimmer." Once more she paused. "You are correct; there are many eyes upon Team Sapphire. Wouldn't you like to show them they've been looking in the wrong place?"
Yang felt the grin spread across her face. "You bet I would, Professor. So what's the mission?"
Ruby gasped. "You're going on a mission already?"
"Yep," Yang agreed, as she sat down at the dining table. She looked down said table to where Ren, Nora, and Dove sat in a row beside her. "You guys don't mind that I accepted it without talking to you first, do you?"
"You're our leader," Nora said.
"Indeed, and we trust your judgement," Ren agreed.
"Besides, if Professor Goodwitch had wanted us to make the decision together, she could have asked all of us into her office," Dove said. "Clearly, she wanted you to decide on our behalf. You would have looked a little ridiculous asking her to hold on while you found us for our opinion."
"I guess so," Yang acknowledged. "I did feel as though I had to say yes or no right there."
"And you said yes, so get on with it and tell us what the mission is already!" Nora cried.
Yang laughed. "We are going to be spending a week on the luxurious outskirts of Vale, joining a huntsman, a platoon from the Defence Forces, and some contractors while they do some work on the Green Line."
"'Some work'?" Sunset repeated. "That's a little nebulous, isn't it?"
Yang shrugged. "I guess we don't really need to know exactly what they're doing. We're not building a wall – or fixing a wall or whatever – we're just protecting the workers while they get on with… whatever it is."
Pyrrha's brow furrowed slightly. "Some might say it is a little late to be repairing the outer defences."
"You might be right, but… better late than never, I suppose," Yang replied.
"Any obstacle that can be placed in the path of the grimm is worthwhile," Ren declared.
"So, if it's only on the outskirts of Vale, are you guys going to fly out to the site from Beacon each day?" Jaune asked.
Yang shook her head. "Nah, the contractors get to go home at night, but we have to stick around in case any grimm try to… tear down the walls, I suppose, and to make sure that we're there when the first workers arrive, probably. So we'll be camping out at the site. Pack your sleeping bags, everyone."
"This is gonna be great!" Nora cried. "Camping out under the stars, it'll be just like old times, don't you think, Ren?"
"Not quite like old times," Ren murmured. "We won't be alone, for a start."
"No, I guess not."
"I've never actually been camping," Dove admitted.
"Really?" Ruby demanded. "Never?"
"I grew up in the countryside; I never needed to go away from home to reach nature," Dove explained.
"Yeah, but Yang and I grew up out in the countryside, and Dad used to take us camping sometimes," Ruby replied. "Yang, remember that fishing trip when I was five?"
"I remember that we didn't catch anything."
"Yeah, but we had fun, right?"
Yang grinned. "Yeah, we did have a lot of fun."
"I'm not sure this trip will be fun," Dove murmured.
"Maybe not, but it is important," Ruby reminded him.
"I just can't believe that you four got offered a field mission before us," Sunset complained.
"Our turn will come," Pyrrha assured her.
"I know, but it's the principle of the thing."
"What principle?" inquired Jaune.
"It's a sign of teacher confidence, and what are you looking so insufferably smug about?" Sunset demanded.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Yang said, looking away so that the smirk on her face was less visible to Sunset.
"You'd know all about insufferable smugness, I suppose," Nora said.
Sunset's eyes narrowed, and she glowered at Nora. Nora didn't seem to care. Indeed, judging by her smile, she positively relished Sunset's irritation.
"So when do you leave?" Ruby asked.
"Tomorrow," Yang replied.
"Don't leave without saying goodbye, okay?" Ruby demanded.
Yang reached across the table and ruffled Ruby's hair. "I wouldn't dream of it," she assured her sister.
Ruby squirmed under her sister's hand. "Good luck out there," she said.
"Indeed," Pyrrha agreed. "Good fortune attend you all."
“Winter,” Weiss said. “Thank you for coming to see me.”
“Why would I stay away?” Winter asked as she marched, hands clasped behind her back, across the courtyard. Weiss waited for her under the shadow of the huntsman statue that dominated the space. Winter stopped, back straight, and looked up at the heroic huntsman elevated above. “A rather vain thing, I’ve always thought.”
Weiss looked around and up. “The statue?”
“Indeed.”
Weiss frowned. “I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“It makes a great many assumptions, don’t you think?” Winter asked. “How many students at this school do you believe deserve to called ‘hero’?”
“Few enough, I suppose,” Weiss conceded, “but I think it’s supposed to be an ideal to strive for, not something to inflate our egos.”
Winter snorted. “No single huntsman, however skilled, can hope to triumph alone. We are all individual pieces of an engine so much greater than ourselves; this school shouldn’t allow its students to forget that.”
“It’s just a statue,” Weiss replied. “For the rest… I think that having to be on teams with some… dubious characters reinforces that lesson very well.”
“You don’t like your teammates?”
“Flash is fine,” Weiss said quickly.
“But he’s the only one,” Winter observed.
“I didn’t drag you down here at night to talk about my teammates,” Weiss said quickly.
“No, but as I’m here – and will be in Vale for some time – I’m here to talk, if you need to,” Winter insisted. “But if not that, then what? Your message to me was rather cryptic.”
Weiss clasped her hands together in front of her, playing with her fingers. “Winter,” she said, “what do you know about the conditions in the mines or the refineries?”
“Not much, I admit,” Winter replied. “Perhaps if I’d gone to work for our father instead of attending Atlas, he would have started grooming me to take over the business by now. Or perhaps not.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Do I regret choosing to become an officer and a specialist instead of standing behind Father at interminable social functions?” Winter demanded. “Not for a moment. Weiss, what is this about?”
“Do you know… do you know if, in the mines, or anywhere else, faunus are ever punished by being branded?” Weiss asked.
“'Branded'?” Winter repeated. “You mean burned?”
“With the letters SDC, yes,” Weiss said softly.
“Weiss,” Winter murmured. “What makes you ask that?”
“One of my… fellow students,” Weiss said, “claims that she saw such a brand upon the face of a White Fang terrorist that she – and the Atlesian student, Rainbow Dash – encountered. Winter, have we been creating the monsters who prey upon us?”
“We are not responsible for the actions of the White Fang, no matter how overzealous the SDC may be in enforcing discipline,” Winter declared. She turned away from Weiss. “Thank you for telling me this. I had no idea that the company was going so far.”
“What shall we do?”
“'Do'? What do you expect to do?” Winter demanded. “Do you think that you can investigate practices in the mines from Beacon? Bring down the SDC by yourself?”
“Then what?” Weiss replied. “Should I do nothing?”
“That is all that you can do and all that you should do. For now,” Winter said. “You are not responsible for this, and you have no duty to put an end to it. Later, when Father steps down and you take over the company, then you will have the power to change the company, perhaps to change Remnant itself, but until then, your focus should be upon your studies and yourself.”
“But…” Weiss hesitated. What Winter was saying made sense, but it was a cold kind of sense, and being cold was unpleasant to accept. “It’s a hard thing to just ignore. Does anyone deserve to be treated like that?”
“No,” Winter agreed. “And I understand; I will even concede that it speaks well to your nature. But nevertheless, I urge you to put it out of your mind. You have told me; that is all you can do.”
“And what about you?” Weiss asked. “What will you do?” Will you do anything?
“I’m not sure yet,” Winter admitted.
“But you will-”
“Yes,” Winter said, cutting her off. “I am not sure what precisely, yet; I would speak to the General but I am loath to add to his burdens at this time, but trust me, Weiss, I will not simply let this lie.”
“I do trust you, Winter,” Weiss said. “Do you think… do you think that Father knows about this?” As much as she was aware of their father’s faults, there was a part of her - a substantial part, at that - that would rather believe that it was merely the work of some rogue subordinate within the company.
“I have… no idea,” Winter admitted. “But I will find out. I promise you that.”
Ciel marched into General Ironwood's office aboard the Valiant, her boots slamming into the metal floor with an echo. "Cadet Ciel Soleil reporting as ordered, sir!"
"At ease, Soleil," General Ironwood ordered her, not rising from his seat behind his desk. When Ciel had done so, spacing her feet apart and clasping her hands behind her back, the General continued. "Any thoughts on why I asked to see you? Alone?"
"I couldn't say, sir," Ciel said. Nor did she think it was her business to speculate. General Ironwood would tell her what he wanted from her in his own good time. She had been ordered to report, and so, she had reported. Anything else was just idle speculation, made no less idle by the fact that she had engaged in it regardless.
"I want to talk to you about last semester," General Ironwood declared. "And the Belladonna incident."
"I see, sir," Ciel said quietly.
General Ironwood stared into her eyes for a moment. "Let me preface everything else by saying that you performed admirably at the docks when the battle was joined."
"Thank you, sir; credit accrues to the entire unit."
"It does," General Ironwood agreed, "but as a part of that unit, some of the credit accrues to you."
"As you say, sir," Ciel replied.
General Ironwood rose to his feet. "There are times," he declared, "when I feel as though I owe you an apology. I can't believe this is what you imagined of your first year at Atlas."
"Permission to speak freely, sir?"
General Ironwood's frown was almost imperceptible. "Granted."
"I was somewhat dreading the beginning of my first year at Atlas, sir."
"Really?"
"You can hardly be unaware, sir, that I am… not the most sociable of people," Ciel confessed. There were many reasons why she excelled in Etiquette, but amongst them was the fact that it was much easier to memorize the rules and codes of manners that governed interactions in a formal setting than it was to deal with people in all of their informal unpredictability. "The prospect of spending four years with a randomly selected trio of my peers was not altogether to my liking. This present assignment is unorthodox, to be sure, but not unwelcome."
General Ironwood chuckled. "Do you believe in destiny, Soleil?"
"No, sir."
"No?"
"The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves, sir," Ciel declared. "We make our own fortune, good or ill."
"A valid viewpoint," General Ironwood acknowledged. "And yet, when I needed people I could trust to take care of Penny, there right in front of me were you and Rainbow Dash, both proven and reliable, and both available. Some might call that fate."
"Others might call it providence, sir," Ciel said. The Lady provides to the children of the North.
"Indeed," General Ironwood said. He paused. "How are your injuries?"
"They do not affect my performance, sir."
General Ironwood nodded. "But how do they feel?"
Ciel paused for a moment. "I… sometimes suffer some discomfort, when sitting or lying down."
"Dash hasn't mentioned it."
"A fact of which I am very proud, sir," Ciel replied. Dash thought that a team leader should know her teammates better than their mothers did, but Ciel wouldn't have let her mother know about this either.
General Ironwood said, "Have you considered medication?"
"I would rather not, sir," Ciel said. One heard so many horror stories these days, she would rather not take the risk for the sake of what was moderate discomfort at worst.
"Very well," General Ironwood said. "As you point out, it isn't affecting your performance academically or in battle. However, I do still need to talk to you about the Belladonna incident."
"Of course, sir."
General Ironwood affixed her with his gaze. "When Rainbow Dash informed you that Miss Belladonna was a White Fang agent, she ordered you to arm yourself and secure Twilight, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"And she ordered you to shoot Miss Belladonna on sight, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you agree with those orders?"
"Yes, sir."
"Why?" General Ironwood demanded.
"Because Blake Belladonna was a White Fang agent, sir," Ciel declared. "I had already been informed by Rainbow Dash that, as she was being led into detention, Chrysalis had vowed revenge on Twilight; the possibility that Blake Belladonna would seek to accomplish that revenge could not be discounted."
"Not even after Professor Ozpin vouched for her personally?"
"After that… the credibility of the threat diminished, sir," Ciel admitted.
"And yet you went out looking for her, with the intent to engage her if you found her, perhaps even to kill her," General Ironwood said.
"Yes, sir."
"Why?"
"Because those were my team leader's orders, sir."
"And you didn't question the validity of those orders?"
"A good soldier goes where she's sent and does what she's told, sir," Ciel replied.
"Even if she has doubts about them?"
"I had my doubts about remaining in Vale and attending Beacon, sir," Ciel answered, "but I obeyed the orders of my team leader."
"And mine," General Ironwood reminded her.
"Yes, sir," Ciel said. "But, if I may again speak freely, sir, if every order is to be examined by those charged with carrying it out on ethical, legal, or practical grounds, then I fail to see how the military can continue to function. There are times when we must not think but only obey and trust that those who command us, though they may not have told us all, know what they're doing and have in mind a larger purpose."
"And if the orders you obey do turn out to be unethical or illegal?"
"Then it will be a black thing for the conscience of them who gave the order, sir, but it will not trouble my own," Ciel declared.
General Ironwood was silent for a moment. "Your sense of duty is greatly to be admired," he said, "and you would have an excellent point – if the orders had come from me or from another senior officer. But they didn't."
Ciel swallowed. "No, sir."
"Dash didn't clear her actions with me or anyone senior to herself in the chain of command. And you knew that."
"Yes, sir."
"But you obeyed her anyway?"
"I… am sorry, sir," Ciel said quietly. "Although I am not sure what I should have done instead."
"Insisted that Dash report in to me," General Ironwood told her. "You're correct that loyalty is important. It might even be the most important virtue in our military. But by being loyal to Dash, you were disloyal to me and to the principles that Atlas stands for, not to mention putting Dash herself at risk of a court martial. Do you understand that?"
"I do now, sir," Ciel murmured. "Once again, I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," General Ironwood said. "You're a good soldier, Soleil. I just want to make sure you take the right lesson from all this."
"Yes, sir. I will, sir."
"That's all," General Ironwood said. "Dismissed."
Twilight walked into the General's office to find General Ironwood himself looking out of the window. It was getting dark outside, but the night sky was illuminated by the lights of the fleet, the cruisers and carriers glowing in the darkness as their lights gleamed out like beacons.
Twilight scuffed her feet upon the floor. She wasn't sure what she ought to do with her hands, so she fussed with the hem of her skirt while she waited for General Ironwood to turn around.
He didn't. Instead, he spoke while he still had his back to her. "I understand Applejack came to see you just before the start of semester?"
"Uh, yes," Twilight said, caught off guard by the subject. "All of our friends did. It was great of them, to come all the way to Vale just to pay us a visit." She paused. "If they'd told us what they were planning beforehand, I probably would have told them not to come. But I'm glad they did."
"You would have told them not to?" General Ironwood asked. "Because of the danger?"
"The grimm… they seem to be getting bolder," Twilight murmured. "The grimm… and the White Fang… normally, I'd say there were no coincidences… but how can it be anything else?"
General Ironwood sighed. She couldn't see his face, but from what Twilight could make out of his reflection in the window, he seemed melancholy. Or perhaps "worried" would be a better word. It was an uncomfortable sight. Twilight supposed that he had reason to be concerned: he was the commander of a great fleet, the lives of men and women resting upon his shoulders, not to mention the security of Vale and affairs back home in Atlas, all without getting into the danger posed by the White Fang. Yes, when she thought about it rationally, Twilight could see that General Ironwood had reason indeed to be concerned, but at the same time, to actually see it upon his face… it made her uncomfortable. It had made her concerned. It made her… a little afraid. She didn't want to know that General Ironwood felt the weight of his lofty position and his responsibilities, weighty though those responsibilities were. She wanted to know that everything was fine and that the General was full of confidence, so that she – that all of them – should be confident too.
It was selfish, but it was how she felt.
General Ironwood might as well have been able to sense her thoughts and feelings, because when he turned around to face her, all care and concern had vanished from his face, and in its place was dauntless and unyielding resolve. "You're right, of course," he said. "How can it be anything but a coincidence? Don't worry too much about the grimm, Twilight; patrols have increased on the airship routes, and those increased resources are making travel between the kingdoms as easy as ever. Your friends made it back to Atlas safe and sound, didn't they?"
"Yes, they did. Most of them."
"Ah, yes," General Ironwood said. "Applejack has gone into the wilds, hasn't she?"
"Yes, General," Twilight replied. "She's taking care of our friend Fluttershy while she studies some of the fauna native to Vale."
General Ironwood nodded. "Don't worry about them either. Applejack is a fine student; she knows how to take care of herself and others."
"I know," Twilight agreed. "And, as much as it's not without risk… this is Fluttershy's dream. I wouldn't take it away from her, even if I could, just because of a little danger."
General Ironwood did not reply to that, instead changing the subject by asking, "How have you found Beacon?"
"The facilities are… a little primitive compared to Atlas," Twilight admitted. "I don't think it's as well-funded."
"I've never sought to pry into Ozpin's financials, but it wouldn't surprise me," General Ironwood concurred. "The Kingdom of Vale is not as wealthy as Atlas, so it probably couldn't afford to endow its Academy even if it wished to do so. On the other hand, it could also be that Ozpin prefers a more traditional approach."
"That sounds like the sort of attitude I'd expect from Haven rather than Beacon," Twilight pointed out.
"Respect for tradition is not confined to Mistral, even if it is carried to excess there," General Ironwood reminded her. "But how have you found it here?"
"We've been fortunate in how welcoming so many people have been," Twilight said. "For all that it isn't Atlas, Beacon has never felt unfriendly, still less hostile."
"I'm glad to hear it. And Penny?"
"Bringing her here was the best decision we could have made," Twilight declared. "She has the chance to make her own friends, to find out for herself who she is. That… General, does it ever bother you that Penny is essentially a slave?"
"Penny is a soldier," General Ironwood corrected her.
"A soldier can quit," Twilight pointed out.
"Actually, they can't, not at whim," General Ironwood said.
"Perhaps not, but the fact is that if Rainbow Dash wanted to drop out of Atlas and become… a professional soccer player or something, then you couldn't stop her," Twilight said. "Would Penny be allowed to drop out?"
General Ironwood was silent for a moment before he said, "Does Penny want to drop out?"
"No, but that's not the point," Twilight said. "The point is that she couldn't even if she wanted to."
General Ironwood clasped his hands together behind his back. "You're right," he admitted. "Penny can't quit. She's the product of millions of lien's worth of cutting edge research and development funded by the Kingdom of Atlas, and the Kingdom of Atlas will have its money's worth. The Doctors Polendina were well aware of that when they pitched their idea."
"But Penny wasn't aware of that," Twilight said softly.
"No," Ironwood agreed. "And that is why I'm glad that she's making friends, forming bonds that will motivate her to keep fighting. It's manipulative, but I hope that she'll be driven to protect those ties so strongly that she'll never notice that she doesn't actually have a say in the matter."
"You're right, sir, that is manipulative," Twilight said. Even if Rainbow Dash said pretty much the same thing, it sounded much better when she said it.
"I wish I had the luxury of always being kind, Twilight, but I don't," General Ironwood informed her. "Tell me about what happened with Belladonna last semester."
Ah. So we're getting to the point, now. "What do you want to know, General?" she asked.
"How did you feel when you found out about Miss Belladonna's past?"
"I… I was scared," Twilight admitted. "After what happened at the Wedding, with Chrysalis… the thought that there'd been another White Fang agent right under my nose, so close to me, so close to Penny… I felt like an idiot."
"Did you agree with what Rainbow Dash decided to do about it?"
Twilight was silent for a moment. "Rainbow… did what she thought was right."
"That's not what I asked."
"No, it isn't," Twilight admitted. "But I won't betray my friend by criticising them behind their back."
"Dash’s punishment has already been meted out, and I won’t stack more upon her for the same incident," General Ironwood assured her. "You aren’t being punished at all, for that matter. I just want to understand what drove you to act the way you did."
"Oh," Twilight murmured. "Well… I wasn't out on the streets, looking for Blake. I had my drones out, but I was still at Beacon, safe, guarded by Flash Sentry of Beacon's Team Wisteria. And I suppose that being at Beacon, not being outside, not having a lot to do other than check on my drones… it gave me a chance to think about things, to talk to Weiss about things, to realise that if Blake had been our enemy, then she probably would have hidden it better or attacked when she was discovered or… or something other than she did." Twilight bowed her head. "Should I have made Rainbow see that, too?"
"You should have come to me," General Ironwood informed her. "Dash's decision to secure you was prudent in the circumstances, but once you were secure, I should have been your first call. If you'd even called me once you started to have doubts, I would have called Dash off."
"General, if you'd done that, there's a good chance Blake, and perhaps others, would have died at the docks."
"The fact that things worked out in the end doesn't justify the steps that led there," General Ironwood declared sternly. "Next time you're in a situation like this, request orders from higher up."
"I… I hope that we won't ever be in a situation like that again, General," Twilight said with a slight smile.
General Ironwood smiled too. "So do I, Twilight. So do I."
“Good evening, General Ironwood!” Penny cried cheerily, offering the General a wave as cheery as her voice as she strode into his office.
General Ironwood sighed. “Penny, we’re both on duty, and this isn’t a social visit.”
Penny’s eyes widened. She tried to remember what it was that she was supposed to do. Right! That was it! She slammed her foot down onto the floor so hard she made a dent. “Reporting for duty, General!” she cried. Her smile remained in place as she asked, “Did I do it right?”
“Not exactly, but close enough for now,” General Ironwood muttered. “Don’t worry; you’ll get it eventually.” He walked around his desk until he was standing right in front of her, looking down. “How’s school?”
“Excellent!” Penny yelled. “Some of the teachers here are a little strange, but Professor Port’s stories are so much fun, even though I don’t really understand what he’s trying to tell me, and Doctor Oobleck talks so fast that it’s like a game to try and keep up with him. I’m a little disappointed that Professor Goodwitch won’t let me fight Pyrrha, but Rainbow Dash says that I just have to be patient, and my turn will come. And I’ve made so many wonderful friends here like Ruby and Pyrrha and I… I love it here,” she said. Impulsively, she flung her arms around General Ironwood and embraced him as tightly as her arms allowed. “Thank you, General Ironwood, for letting me stay here.”
She felt the General’s hand upon the top of her head, at first patting it and then gently stroking her hair until he reached her bow. “That’ll do, Penny,” General Ironwood said, his voice showing no sign of the discomfort that people sometimes expressed with Penny’s demonstrations of affection. “That’ll do.”
Penny released him and took a step back. “I won’t forget this, General.”
“I didn’t allow you to remain at Beacon in hopes of earning your gratitude, Penny,” General Ironwood informed her. “I did it because I thought it was best for you, and judging from what I’ve been told, I believe that I was right.” He paused. “Your father was not so happy about it, but I believe he’ll come around by the time the year ends.”
Penny let out a little squeak of alarm. “What… what did he say?”
“He called me a great many things, ‘irresponsible’ being one of them,” General Ironwood said, and strangely, he didn’t seem very annoyed or offended by that. He almost sounded as though it amused him. “You mentioned Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos, but what about your teammates?”
“They take care of me,” Penny pouted. “Whether I want them to or not.”
“You may not thank me for this, Penny, but I chose Dash and Soleil precisely because I thought they might be… a little overprotective. You are… valuable to Atlas. You may chafe, but I’d rather have you taken too much care of than not enough. However, I have to say that there are times when I think that Dash has not taken enough care of you.”
“You’re talking about the docks, General?”
General Ironwood paused for a moment. “You told me that you felt like a failure, for not protecting Ruby from Adam Taurus. But that must have come after the battle, when you saw that she had been wounded. During the battle itself, when you were fighting, how did you feel?”
“I… I didn’t really think about it,” Penny admitted. “There was so much going on.”
“How much do you remember about the fighting?” General Ironwood asked.
“My ocular senses recorded everything, General,” Penny declared, “but… when I play back the events that occurred, it’s as though I don’t recognise them. I… I haven’t told Twilight about that; should I ask her to examine me?”
“There’s no need,” General Ironwood said. “What you’re describing is perfectly normal. When you look back at a battle in which you fought, some moments stand out to you with perfect clarity, and others, you barely recall, let alone understand. You don’t need to worry about it, and you don’t need to tell Twilight about it unless you want to.”
“No,” Penny said, keeping her voice from trembling. “I don’t want anyone to worry. Thank you, General.”
“No thanks are needed, Penny,” General Ironwood informed her, “but what about before the battle at the docks? What about when you were pursuing Miss Belladonna, what did you think about that?”
“Rainbow Dash said that Blake was dangerous.”
General Ironwood nodded. “And did you believe her?”
Penny went quiet for a moment. “I know that people can lie, sir. I didn’t know that Blake wasn’t one of them. But I didn’t want to believe it.”
“Why not? I understand you didn’t know Miss Belladonna.”
“No, I didn’t,” Penny replied, “but I didn’t want to believe that someone had been so close to hurting my friends and I hadn’t done anything about it.”
“Is that what you want?” General Ironwood asked. “To protect your friends?”
“It’s the thing I want the most.”
“Is there anything else that you want?”
“No,” Penny lied, and hiccupped as a consequence. “Yes, General, there is.”
“Go on,” General Ironwood said.
“I’d like… I think I’d like… to be famous,” Penny admitted.
General Ironwood looked surprised to hear it. Or at least she thought that was what it meant when his eyebrows rose. “'Famous'?” he repeated.
“I’ve watched all those videos of great fighters in tournaments, and so many of them look so happy to be standing in the ring with the whole crowd cheering them on. I think I’d like that too, General; Rainbow Dash told me it was really cool.”
“Yes, that is what Dash would say,” General Ironwood stated simply. “You are here for the Vytal Tournament, Penny. If you work hard, keep up your training, and apply yourself to your best endeavours, then it may happen to you. Certainly, a lot of people back home would be eager to see it happen too.”
“Yes, General.”
“That will be all,” General Ironwood said.
“Okay,” Penny said, but she didn’t leave, not just yet. “General Ironwood… did I do something wrong?”
“I’ll let Rainbow Dash explain to you what she did wrong,” General Ironwood said, “and what you did wrong by following her while she did it. Goodnight, Penny; that will be all.”
Blake didn't know exactly why General Ironwood had asked to see her in his office aboard his flagship... although it didn't take a genius to work out that it had something to do with the deal that, presumably, General Ironwood himself had signed off on to get her out of prison. But beyond that, she didn't know what, in particular, he wanted from her, and her curiosity about it was almost as great as the feeling of uneasy wariness that came to her when she looked up into the sky and saw the Atlesian ships overhead, their great cruisers and carriers holding station while smaller, nimbler, but no less deadly airships buzzed between and beyond them.
It wasn't just residual attitudes from her White Fang days, although Blake would be lying if she pretended that wasn't part of it. It was the strangeness of the fleet being here, and being strange, it also seemed wrong in ways that Blake wasn't sure she could completely articulate. The Valish skyline wasn't meant to be taken up with such an impressive display of Atlesian military might and technological prowess. The people of Vale weren't meant to be living under the guns of an Atlesian expeditionary force.
Just like they weren't meant to be living under the threat of the White Fang, with Adam's bloodstained, blood-hurt blade hanging over the city and the kingdom both like a butcher's cleaver about to descend upon the sweet little lamb.
The world was out of joint. The much-vaunted era of peace which Professor Goodwitch had spoken once seemed less peaceful now than it had upon that airship ride to Beacon when the year began.
Yet she had spoken true when she had told them all that it was their duty to uphold this peace. The world was out of joint, but perhaps she, Blake Belladonna, had been born to set it right.
She was the daughter of Ghira Belladonna, former leader of the White Fang. And now, the organisation he had nurtured threatened to do much evil in the world. Blake felt it was not arrogance so much as a recognition of the truth to think that if she did not find a way, no one would.
This task had been appointed to her, and she took it upon herself and on her shoulders. It was... her destiny, and she chose it, embraced it as such.
But it seemed fate did not will that she should do so alone; it had appointed the Atlesians to be her companions, though they were not the ones she would have chosen.
Such thoughts preoccupied Blake as the airship carried her to General Ironwood's flagship and as a yeoman led her through the grey metallic corridors, up drab and rather dull elevators, and ushered her into the presence of the Atlesian General himself.
This was her second time in his presence, and it hadn't gotten any easier. This was General Ironwood, the enemy of the White Fang, the chief amongst their enemies. Rainbow Dash was probably right to say that he was no SDC stooge, and neither were his forces, but that didn't change the fact that they had done more damage to the White Fang than any other force or organisation in Remnant.
Her hands balled into fists by her side.
General Ironwood either didn't notice or didn't care. He sat calmly behind his desk, hands resting upon the plain metallic surface. There was, Blake noticed, very little upon the desk: a digital picture frame facing away from her, a folded up scroll. Nothing else.
General Ironwood said, "Thank you for coming, Miss Belladonna."
"Did I have a choice?" Blake asked.
"This is Vale; you always have a choice," General Ironwood replied cryptically. "But I'm glad you came. I'm glad you felt safe enough to come."
The jury was still out on that, but Blake saw no need to say so. "You wouldn't free me from prison just to lure me onto your ship so you could arrest me yourself."
"Indeed. But I am a little disappointed that I had to free you from prison in order to secure your cooperation," General Ironwood said. "You must realise that my forces can offer you far more assistance than Sunset Shimmer."
"I trust Sunset," Blake replied.
"And you can trust me," General Ironwood insisted. "We both want the same thing."
"I'm not sure what you want," Blake said softly.
General Ironwood rose to his feet, pushing his chair back as he walked to the window. The lights of his fleet burned bright above the greater multitude of beacons blazing in the city below.
"You and I both know that something is coming," General Ironwood declared. "The recent actions of the White Fang have been part of a campaign aimed at Vale. I don't know what they want or hope to accomplish, but whatever it is they're planning, Atlas will stop them." There was no doubt in his voice, no hesitation. He spoke with a certainty born of conviction. The way he spoke reminded Blake of her father, when he had been trying to convince his closest councillors to stick with him.
But her father had been lying when he spoke thus, or at least feigning the confidence he seemed to feel. Blake frowned. "Are you sure about that?"
General Ironwood turned to look at her. "The men and women I lead could accomplish anything, if properly led. I am privileged to command the finest army Remnant has ever seen. Well-armed, well-trained, and with something even more valuable than guns or training: a tradition of success. We're not accustomed to losing, Miss Belladonna, and I don't intend to start now."
"But you need my help?"
"I need your help to beat the White Fang quickly and with minimal damage or risk to Vale," General Ironwood corrected. "You know these people and how they think in ways that neither I nor anyone else under my command ever could. Of course, I realize that's why you don't trust me yet. I was your enemy until not too long ago. But I assure you that you and I are on the same side now and that I want the same things you do."
"I want to save lives," Blake said.
"So do I."
"I want to save lives on both sides," Blake declared. "I don't want to direct air strikes onto those whom I called 'comrade' until less than a year ago."
General Ironwood turned around so that he was facing her once more. "So you know where the White Fang are hiding?"
"If Adam's not stupid – and he's not – he'll have moved all his operations as soon as I left, in case I gave the locations away," Blake said.
"That would be the prudent move," General Ironwood acknowledged. "All the same, I'd like to check them out. Recon only, for now."
"'For now'?"
"If the White Fang are still there, you can't expect me to ignore it."
Blake's jaw clenched. "What are you doing here?" She demanded. "You could have just stayed in the north with your men and let Vale take care of itself. Why risk your forces so far from home?"
"Why did you leave Menagerie to join the White Fang, Miss Belladonna?" General Ironwood responded. "Why come so far from home?"
Blake looked down at the floor in embarrassment. "It was the right thing to do. The cause was too important to just do nothing."
General Ironwood nodded. "Exactly, Miss Belladonna. The preservation of the lives at stake is too important to just do nothing. Coming here was the right thing to do."
Blake looked into his eyes and found that she believed him. Or at least, she believed that he believed. "This isn't what I would have chosen," she admitted, "but now that I'm here, I'll do my best. I just hope we're not too late."
"So do I, Miss Belladonna," General Ironwood agreed, "and with your help, we won't be."