Fallen Idol (New)
Fallen Idol
Ruby didn’t say anything as the lift carried her and Penny up to see Professor Ozpin.
To see the second person who had betrayed her trust tonight.
It was arguably even worse, because while Ruby had believed that Sunset would do something like what she had done, to find out that Professor Ozpin had known all about it and done nothing was … it had not been something Ruby had seen coming.
Professor Ozpin was … Professor Ozpin. The man who had saved Vale after the fall of Mountain Glenn, defeating the great grimm horde that had swept down upon the city, breaking its back at Ozpin’s Stand. The man who led the battle to defend the world from Salem. The man who had mentored her mother, who had inspired her to come to Beacon and then helped her — and her father, and her uncle — to become great huntsmen, protectors of the weak and the innocent.
The man who had trusted her to take her mother’s place in the fight against Salem, the fight of life against death, the fight to protect all mankind.
He had trusted her, and she had trusted him as well. She had trusted him to do the right thing, to be the model of a huntsman, to make the choices that had to be made for the sake of Remnant and humanity.
And Professor Ozpin had shown himself willing and able to make those choices in the past. Even when Ruby had been glad that those choices had not, in fact, had to be made, like when Sunset had found a way to save Pyrrha and Amber both, nevertheless, Professor Ozpin had been willing, in the absence of any better options, to make the hard choice.
Ruby admired him for that. She could understand why Pyrrha and Jaune didn’t, because as much as it might be necessary to sacrifice for the greater good … well, it was sometimes necessary to kill a cow so you could eat hamburgers, but you didn’t expect the cow itself to be happy about it, did you?
Not that Ruby was saying that Pyrrha was a cow, just that … forget that. Ruby was glad that she hadn’t said that out loud.
The point was that, while Ozpin could be persuaded that there were better ways, he ultimately didn’t hesitate to take the hard path. He wasn’t swayed by sentiment or sentimentality; he was strong, as a huntsman sometimes needed to be strong in all the hardest possible ways.
Ruby had thought he was, anyway.
Apparently, it was not so.
That disappointed her more than what Sunset had done. What Sunset had done was worse, but Sunset could at least plead in mitigation that her behaviour was entirely consistent with her character.
Sunset was … Sunset was like the snake that the farmer’s wife rescued from out of the hot sun and nursed back to health, only to get bitten on the breast by way of thanks.
“You knew I was a snake when you took me in.”
Yes, yes, they had all known what Sunset was. They had all known that Sunset was someone unscrupulous, someone who fundamentally didn’t care about anyone outside of a close — widening gradually over time, sure, but still close — circle of people who she deigned to…
'Deigned' wasn’t the right word. It made it sound like Sunset was condescending — okay, she condescended to Ruby plenty, but not in the same way — to give them her affection. That wasn’t right, and as much as Ruby was judging Sunset pretty harshly at the moment, she wasn’t going to malign her by pretending that Sunset’s affection for them had been false, had been a pretence, had been something burdensome or bothersome to her that she had endured.
Sunset’s feelings had been real. So real that they had driven her to do something terrible.
And they had known that. They should have known that — they should have been able to see that coming — because Sunset had never hidden who and what she was.
That was why Ruby had found it so easy to believe that Sunset had done what she was accused of, even in the face of denials from First Councillor Emerald and Professor Ozpin.
Professor Ozpin…
She had expected better from Professor Ozpin. He was no viper but a huntsman, and a noble huntsman at that.
Or at least, Ruby had thought he was.
Apart from anything else, if he had been willing to excuse Sunset’s actions, then … how could the same man willing to ask Pyrrha to sacrifice her life or her soul for the greater good be willing to turn a blind eye to Sunset’s blatant disregard for the same?
It just … it didn’t make any sense to her, and because it didn’t make any sense to her, it was starting to rankle with Ruby as the elevator made its way up to the top of the tower.
Yes, make the hard choice if absolutely necessary. Yes, ask Pyrrha to make a sacrifice — it was a hard thing to ask, it had been a hard thing to sit still for, and Ruby had had a very hard time indeed sitting still for it; she’d had to… she wasn’t exactly proud of how she’d acted back then; putting her hood up like that felt, in hindsight, a little bit like turning a blind eye to what was going on, when she ought to have faced it and tried to make Penny understand the necessity of what was happening, but, whatever, it hadn’t actually been necessary—
Because of Sunset.
Which wouldn’t have—
Sometimes, peace must be bought with blood that is red like roses.
But not their blood. Never the ones we swore to protect. Never.
Yes, it was good that Amber was alive, and Pyrrha was alive, but if it meant that the price was Sunset being allowed to carry on at Beacon, even after what she had…
Ruby shook her head. She was getting off track. That wasn’t the point. Sunset was … dealt with now, for good or for bad. She was—
“Ruby?” Penny asked, putting a hand on Ruby’s arm. “Are you okay? You were shaking your head there.”
“I know,” Ruby murmured. “I know I was, I just…”
Penny cocked her head to one side. “Just what?”
“I can’t understand why Professor Ozpin would be willing to ask Pyrrha to give her life for the good of humanity,” Ruby said, “but at the same time, when he found out that Sunset had put humanity — or Vale, at least — at risk just to save our lives … he was okay with that. It doesn’t make any sense to me. Surely, someone who could see that the first was necessary, even if it was hard and sad, could also see that the second was wrong. Wholly, totally wrong. How could the same person make those two decisions?”
Penny was silent for a moment. “In my experience, people are often very complicated and do things that don’t always match up with the way they acted before.”
“In your experience?” Ruby repeated.
“I’ve had a little experience by now,” Penny said. “I wasn’t assembled yesterday!”
Ruby couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. “No. No, you weren’t, were you?” She sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe that’s all it is, but I—”
“You wish that there was a reason?” Penny asked.
“I don’t know,” Ruby replied. “I don’t think there’s anything that Professor Ozpin could say that would make me think he did the right thing … but then, if I think that, then what am I doing here, going to see him? Maybe that’s all I’m going to see him for, so that there’ll be some sort of reason that will explain why it was necessary to cover up what Sunset did, why he had to cover it up. Some reason that will … let me keep believing in him.”
“And stopping panic in Vale,” Penny suggested. “That isn’t a good enough reason?”
“It’s a good reason for not throwing Sunset in jail, I guess,” Ruby admitted. “But to not even kick her out of Beacon, to let her keep leading this team? No, it’s not a good enough reason. Not for me.”
“I see,” Penny murmured. She hesitated for a second. “What … what will you do if Professor Ozpin doesn’t make you team leader?”
“I guess I can’t do anything but put up with it,” Ruby replied. “But … maybe he will make the wrong choice — he’s made the wrong choice before, or we wouldn’t be here — but … I hope that he’ll make the right decision.”
“Which is you,” Penny said.
“Yes,” Ruby said flatly. “Yes, it is.” She looked at Penny. “I suppose that I shouldn’t say that out loud, I suppose that makes me look grasping or ambitious or whatever, but I am the only choice. Jaune doesn’t have the experience, and Pyrrha … Pyrrha couldn’t make the hard decisions. She might have condemned Sunset, just about, but when put in Sunset’s place … she’d make the same bad choices that Sunset made.”
Penny frowned at that. “Pyrrha was willing to risk everything to become—”
“And Sunset was willing to die facing Adam,” Ruby reminded her. “Sunset was never … never a coward when it came to her own life, her own safety. She could risk that just fine, just like Pyrrha could risk her own life fighting Cinder in that stupid duel. It was other people’s lives they couldn’t stand to risk. Do you really think that Pyrrha has it in her to let Jaune die, even if it’s for the sake of the whole world?”
Penny blinked. “No. No, I don’t think that she would. I don’t … think that she could.”
She didn’t elaborate on whether that was a good thing or not, and Ruby didn’t ask her to. She didn’t need Penny to agree with her, and she didn’t want to fight with her about it either. She just wanted to get her point across.
“I’m the only one who can lead this team the way it should be led,” she declared. “With unwavering commitment.”
“So…” Penny began. “So there’s no one that you would … no one for who—?”
“No,” Ruby said, before Penny could finish. “No one.” She looked at Penny. “Does that bother you?”
“No,” Penny said softly. “It makes me … I admire you, but at the same time, I also feel a little sorry for you.”
Ruby frowned. “You don’t need to feel sorry for me, Penny,” she said. “Not one little bit.”
“Okay,” Penny murmured. “Is there anything that Professor Ozpin could say that would convince you he’d done the right thing?”
“He could…” Now, it was Ruby’s turn to trail off, as an obvious answer failed to spring to the forefront of her mind. “I guess if he told me that he thought that there’d be a massive grimm attack if he did anything, then I suppose I’d have to accept that. Because…”
“Because what?” Penny asked.
“Because if it’s sometimes necessary to sacrifice lives for the greater good, for the cause, for humanity, then … then I guess it has to be sometimes necessary to sacrifice principles as well,” Ruby said. “I mean … you can’t say that you’ll give your life for the sake of the people, but you won’t give up your pride or your honour or whatever else you want to call it. If you let people die because saving them would make you feel bad, make you cross a line, then you’re just as selfish as Sunset was. I’m not saying that anyone should be like Olivia, leading her knights to their death because she was too proud to call for help, no, that’s not what I’m saying.
“What I’m saying is that if Professor Ozpin thought that punishing Sunset, even just the way that I’ve done, would cost lives, then he would have a moral obligation not to do it, and … I’d have to admit that I was wrong.”
“But Sunset did save lives,” Penny pointed out. “She saved Pyrrha.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Ruby said. “I’m not talking about other, random, unconnected things that Sunset did in the future, but that Professor Ozpin had no way of knowing that she would do or could do. He didn’t know that she could save Amber the way she did. I’m talking about clear cut choices like the one Sunset faced: because she did something, people died. If Professor Ozpin knew that if he did something, then people would die, and so, he chose to do nothing, then that would be an explanation I would have to accept. Or else I’d be sacrificing my own principles. Does all of this make sense? I … I’m not good with words.”
“I think it makes sense,” Penny replied. “It’s all about saving as many people as possible, isn’t it?”
“Yes, exactly,” Ruby said, “while also respecting their choices, and their right to make their own choices, because I wouldn’t want to tell anyone what to do just to keep them safe.” Unlike some people. “Nobody should be able to do that.”
Penny was silent for a moment. “I stand by what I said: people are very complicated.”
“I guess we are,” Ruby agreed. “But for good reasons, hopefully.”
The elevator slowed to a stop.
Ruby took a deep breath. “I guess this is it, huh?”
Penny smiled. “It’ll be alright,” she said.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because … because I believe in you, I suppose,” Penny said. “And because things have a way of working out while my friends are around.”
Ruby smiled a little. “Thanks for being here, Penny.”
The doors to the lift opened, and Ruby stepped out, with Penny not even a step behind her. Professor Ozpin’s office was dark, lit only by the green lights seeping down from the top of the tower above, but even that little light was enough that Ruby could see that Professor Ozpin was not alone up here. Uncle Qrow was with him, and Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood too.
And they were all looking at her, and at Penny.
"Miss Rose, Miss Polendina, what an unexpected pleasure," said Professor Ozpin, kindly — or at least, he was trying to be kind. Trying to sound kind and friendly, although that wasn’t necessarily the same as actually being kind and friendly. "Is there something I can do for you?"
You can tell me why you kept what Sunset did a secret. Ruby glanced at Uncle Qrow. “Um, Professor … I was hoping that I could have a word with you … in private.”
“'In private'?” Uncle Qrow repeated. “You got something to say that you can’t say in front of me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Qrow,” Professor Goodwitch said. “Although I do question what it is that couldn’t wait until morning. We are in the middle of a meeting, Miss Rose.”
“I can see that, Professor, and I’m sorry,” Ruby said. “But it … it really is urgent.” She swallowed. “I’d rather talk to Professor Ozpin by himself, but I’ll say it in front of everyone if I have to. I’m not leaving without talking to you.”
Professor Goodwitch pushed her glasses up her nose. “That is not for you to decide, Miss Rose.”
“What will you do about it, Glynda?” asked Professor Ozpin. “Bundle her back into the elevator with your semblance?”
He sounded amused, like he was about to chuckle. Then he looked into Ruby’s eyes. Or at least, that’s what Ruby thought he was doing. It was a little hard to tell because, with it being so dark in here and Ruby on the other side of the room from him, she was having a hard time making out Professor Ozpin’s eyes, but she definitely thought that he was looking into hers.
She felt like he was looking into her eyes, and through her eyes, piercing her soul.
“This is about Miss Shimmer,” he said calmly. “Is it not?”
Qrow frowned. “Ruby?”
Ruby took a step forward, and then another. “Sunset told me everything,” she declared. “She admitted to everything. Including … including that you knew about it.”
The only sound in the office was the ever-grinding clock.
Professor Goodwitch folded her arms; the rustling of her blouse, the fabric of her sleeves was the first sound besides in the clock in the office after Ruby had spoken. “So,” she said quietly, “it was true.” She turned her gaze sharply upon Professor Ozpin. “And you knew about it.”
“After the fact,” Professor Ozpin replied. “But yes, I knew.”
“And you defended her,” Ruby declared. “You kept the truth from all of us, and even when the truth came out, you still acted like it couldn’t possibly be true—”
“I spoke the truth in the police station, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin said. “I said that Miss Shimmer was imperfect, but that she was—”
“‘A credit to Beacon Academy,’” Ruby said, almost spitting out the words, the false words, the awful words. “Are you really going to say that you didn’t think that was a lie? How … how could you even say something like that without choking on it?”
“Because I believe it, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin.
So few words, such simple words, and yet at the same time … awful words. Words that struck Ruby harder than any physical blow, harder than the swipe of a ursa’s paws, harder than a gunshot.
Sunset, a credit to Beacon Academy. Selfish Sunset, callous and careless Sunset, vile Sunset, a credit to Beacon Academy? It would have been laughable if it hadn’t been for the fact that the person saying it was supposed to know, better than anyone else, who was and was not a credit to Beacon.
“How…?” Ruby’s voice, when it came, was quiet, barely louder than a whisper. She sounded childlike, even to her own ears, a child looking for reassurance that it was just thunder outside, and not the growling of the grimm. “How can you say that? After what she did, how can you say that? How can you think that, how can you believe that? Is that … is that what a huntress is to you: someone who lets people die, who puts them in harm’s way to save—?”
“Her friends,” Professor Ozpin said, softly but firmly. “I very much hope that you were going to say ‘her friends,’ Miss Rose. Let us not traduce Miss Shimmer by claiming that she acted to save her own skin.”
“I know why she did it,” Ruby declared. “I know why Sunset did what she did; that’s how I knew that she’d done it even before she said anything. But the fact that she did it to save me and Pyrrha and Jaune and Blake and Rainbow Dash, it doesn’t … maybe it makes her a little bit of a better person than if she’d done it because she was scared to die herself, but it doesn’t make her good! It doesn’t make her a huntress, and it doesn’t make her a credit to Beacon. How could you say that?!”
She yelled those last few words, those words that galloped out of her mouth without pause or hesitation.
“Answer me,” Ruby said, her voice halfway between a plea and a demand. “Please.”
Again, there was a moment of quiet in the office. General Ironwood was stiff, rigid, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes on Ruby. Qrow was looking somewhere else, his hands thrust into his pockets, studying the wall. Professor Goodwitch still had her arms folded and still looked at Professor Ozpin.
Professor Ozpin looked at her. Straight at her. At least, he was kind enough to do that.
“Has Crescent Rose ever misfired, Miss Rose?” Professor Ozpin asked.
“No, never,” Ruby replied. “I made it too well for that.”
“Then you are very fortunate, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin said. “I, on the other hand, have chosen the wrong analogy.” He paused for a moment. “So let us dispense with the analogy. Miss Shimmer has made mistakes. I do not condone every decision that she has made since arriving at Beacon. But should I throw her away because of a single mistake, should I cast aside a weapon because it has misfired once?”
“Sunset isn’t a weapon,” Penny said. “She’s a person.”
“I think we’re back on the analogy, Penny,” General Ironwood murmured.
“And the answer is yes,” Ruby declared. “Yes, if the weapon misfiring kills people, then throw it away! If Sunset makes a mistake that is so big, that is that big, then throw her away too!”
“What of forgiveness, Miss Rose?”
“What about justice?” Ruby demanded. “Does everyone just get to get away with it, whatever they’ve done, because they say they’re sorry? Murderers and thieves, Torchwick and Cinder, they can all just say they’re sorry and skip merrily on their way?” She took a moment to catch her breath and bowed her head. “I … I understand that … Sunset said that the First Councillor found out before you did. That’s why the accusations didn’t mention you.”
“Indeed,” Professor Ozpin replied. “It was the First Councillor and the former First Councillor who first discovered the truth, after Miss Shimmer confessed to them—”
“Why would she do that?” asked Qrow. “She could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she’d kept it to herself.”
“And no doubt, she would have kept it to herself, if she had been truly uncaring to the cost of what she had done,” Professor Ozpin said. “If she truly given no thought to the possibility that she had made a mistake. But she was not so careless, nor was she so confident in the righteousness of her decision, and so, the guilt weighed upon her. And guilt has a habit of finding expression.”
“Sunset said that she thought that she could save Councillor Aris’ career if she came out with the truth,” Ruby explained. “She thought that people wouldn’t blame Councillor Novo if they knew that it was all her fault.”
“If only politics were that simple,” General Ironwood murmured.
“The former First Councillor, and the current First Councillor, knew better,” said Professor Ozpin. “They knew that Councillor Aris’ position was untenable, and so … and yet, they made a rather generous decision in the circumstances, not to let Miss Shimmer hurl herself onto the bonfire of Miz Aris’ career but to keep her secret.”
“And you approve of that?” asked Professor Goodwitch. “Don’t you think that Miss Shimmer ought to have been punished for her actions? Or, as Miss Rose says, is any criminal to walk free upon the merest expression of remorse?”
“Whatever you — or Miss Rose, or anyone else — might think of Miss Shimmer, she is a hero to the people of Vale,” Professor Ozpin said. “Taking that away, doing worse than that, revealing that the hero had in fact been—”
“The villain the whole time?” Ruby suggested.
Professor Ozpin did not reply to that, but simply said, “It would have caused outcry in the city. It could have caused panic that would have drawn more grimm down upon the city, it could even have worsened the backlash against the faunus in Vale — something I am sure that Councillor Emerald considered very carefully. He certainly did not act out of love for Miss Shimmer. They came to an arrangement whereby he would give Miss Shimmer certain dangerous assignments, hoping that grimm or bandits or some other peril in the world would deliver to Miss Shimmer the justice that Miss Rose seems to wish to exact on her.”
“This isn’t about—” Ruby stopped. “That … that was why she went away, wasn’t it? You said she was on a mission for you, and when she came back—”
“Correct, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin said. “That was a mission for the First Councillor.”
Ruby frowned. “But then … there were never any others? Sunset never left again, or was she gone and then back, and I—”
“No, Miss Rose, there were no others,” Professor Ozpin. “I had never approved of what Councillor Emerald had asked of Miss Shimmer, and after the first time … I determined to put a stop to it. I told Councillor Emerald no more.”
“So you knew by then, at least,” Professor Goodwitch said.
Professor Ozpin nodded. “I found out shortly before Miss Shimmer left on her mission for the First Councillor.”
“And you didn’t do anything?” Ruby asked. “You let her stay here at Beacon, continue leading Team Sapphire, keep … you didn’t do anything? Because she was sorry?”
“Because I know what it is to be burdened by mistakes that one can never undo,” Professor Ozpin replied. “And because I know I am inclined towards, if not forgiveness, then at the very least towards mercy, the quality of which is, thankfully, not yet strained.”
“That doesn’t mean—” Ruby began, before biting the words back until she had marshalled them a little better. “I understand that you didn’t want to cause a panic, risk another grimm attack. I suppose … I suppose there was a risk of that, and avoiding that … it’s worth almost anything, any … sacrifice.” Except for the fact that it doesn’t seem to have been much of a sacrifice for you, but never mind that. Let that go. If that … I can’t think like that; that’s too much, a step too far. Not everything needs to be a hard choice.
Ruby went on, “But you could have thrown her out of Beacon and told us the truth. We would have kept the secret, but we also wouldn’t have had to…” She trailed off, fearing to seem too angry and emotional.
Professor Ozpin leaned forward a little. “Would not have had to what, Miss Rose?”
“It doesn’t matter, Professor,” Ruby replied. “The point is that you could have sent her away.”
“Yes,” Professor Ozpin agreed. “I could have. I could have told her that she was no longer welcome at this school. But I did not. Because, as I have said, I am a great believer in mercy, and because I am…” He paused. “You know what I am, you all know what I am, and yet, I find that I am struggling to find words to express it without sounding inappropriate. I am responsible for a great many lives, in Vale and beyond, not only as the headmaster of this academy but … as the leader of this group.”
“Yes, Professor, you are,” Ruby whispered. Which is why you especially should have appreciated the magnitude of what Sunset did.
“And as such, I must take the broadest view, the longest view, the…” again, Professor Ozpin hesitated.
“Professor?” Penny asked.
Professor Ozpin’s eyes flickered from Ruby to Penny. “Yes, Miss Polendina?”
“Why is it that you couldn’t let Sunset go, or let Sunset … why did Sunset get mercy, but you weren’t going to show any to Pyrrha?” asked Penny.
Professor Ozpin closed his eyes. “That is a very good question, Miss Polendina.”
“What’s the answer?” asked Penny, without malice.
Professor Ozpin chuckled. “The answer is that I must balance at all times the greatest possible good for the greatest possible number,” he said. “Miss Nikos … to have lost Miss Nikos would have been a great shame, a tragedy even, but it would not have been nearly so much as the tragedy of letting the full power of the Fall Maiden pass into the hands of Miss Fall. I had to weigh the loss of Miss Nikos’ one life against the potential loss of life that could come if Salem gained control of the powers of one of the four maidens — or worse, the Relic of Choice. By the same token, I had to weigh the lives that Miss Shimmer might yet go on to save as part of Team Sapphire, in the course of her duties, against … well, that is the point, isn’t it? Against what? No punishment that I could inflict on Miss Shimmer would bring back Mister Lark or the people of Vale who tragically perished during the Breach, but punishing Miss Shimmer, banishing her from the school, from her team, might cause further death and devastation thanks to Miss Shimmer’s absence.”
Penny cringed a little. “Um … Professor—”
“So you let her go because of the lives that she might save?” Ruby demanded.
“Including the lives of you and your teammates, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin reminded her.
Ruby ignored that. That hadn’t justified what Sunset had done, and it didn’t justify what Professor Ozpin had not done either. “What about the lives that Sunset might have taken if she’d been put in that same situation again and made that same choice again?”
“In my judgement, Miss Shimmer would not make that choice again,” Professor Ozpin replied. “By contrast, considering that Miss Shimmer saved Amber, and Miss Nikos, I think that my judgement that it was more prudent, as well as more charitable, to leave Miss Shimmer where she is has been vindicated by events.”
“Professor—” Penny murmured.
“I don’t buy that, Professor, not for one moment,” Ruby insisted, taking another step forward. “You’re arguing from things that have happened but which you had no way of knowing would happen; it’s no better than Sunset saying that she didn’t think Vale would fall when she made her choice down in that tunnel; just because Vale didn’t fall doesn’t make it okay, and just because Sunset did a couple of good things—”
“Miss Rose,” General Ironwood said firmly, “you’ve made your point. You’re on the verge of making it repeatedly. If you were addressing me, you would stand on the threshold of Disrespect.”
Ruby swallowed. That might be the first crack of ice beneath her feet, but she was fast approaching the point where she was past caring. “What Sunset did was wrong—”
“Yeah,” Uncle Qrow said. “Yeah, it was. But truth is, out in the real world, out in the field, we don’t always have the luxury of keeping our consciences spotlessly clean. Especially not in this fight.”
Ruby blinked. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that when you fight in the shadows, you’re going to end up getting dirty,” Qrow declared. He walked towards her. “Now, I’ve never worked with anyone who put a whole city in danger before — unless you count Raven — but I—” He glanced at Professor Ozpin. “Can I tell her about my little trip?”
Professor Ozpin hesitated for a moment, before he nodded silently.
“Thanks,” Qrow muttered. He returned his attention to Ruby. “I’m off to Mistral in the morning, on some business for Oz; your teammates can tell you why, it’s based on what we learned from that Cinder girl. The point is, when I get to Mistral, my contacts aren’t fancy old blood types with mansions up at the top of the hill, they’re a bunch of lowlifes; huntsmen, sure, but they moonlight as enforces for the criminal gangs; some of them are just straight up crooks themselves.”
Ruby licked her lips. “Are any of them … murderers?”
Uncle Qrow took his flask out of his pocket and took a swig from it. “They’ve killed, at least some of them have. I never asked why or whatever. Some things, it’s better not to know if you have to work with someone.”
“Why?” Ruby asked. “Why do you have to work with them?”
“Because I’m not just a fighter; I’m a spy,” Uncle Qrow said. “This job isn’t always fighting Salem’s agents, it’s not always being the shining hero taking out the bad guys; sometimes, it’s keeping my ears open, hearing things on the wind, gathering rumours and whispers and putting the pieces together. Sometimes, it’s paying attention to who's been flashing their money around in the criminal underworld, who's trying to buy dust — or hire people to steal it. To do my job, I need to deal with the same kind of shady people that our enemies do, because I guarantee that they aren’t holding their noses at the thought of getting their consciences dirty like that. And when it comes to someone like your friend—”
“She’s not my friend,” Ruby said firmly.
Qrow winced. “Sorry, but when it comes to someone like her … suppose that Salem got hold of her? Then what would she do?”
“Sunset wouldn’t do that,” Penny declared. “Sunset would never, that’s not … Sunset made a mistake, but that’s not who she is.”
“Seems like she’s made who she is pretty clear,” Qrow said harshly. “But that’s my point: sometimes, for the sake of the mission, for the sake of protecting the world, for the sake of everyone who gets to sleep sound in their bed at night, we have to deal with, or even work with, people we find disgusting.”
Ruby couldn’t help but notice that that didn’t really line up with anything that Professor Ozpin had said. Although, even if Professor Ozpin had said it, she wasn’t sure how much she would have liked to hear it. It certainly wasn’t something that anyone had mentioned to her before she went to Beacon.
“You’ve never talked about that sort of thing before,” she said softly.
“Of course not!” Qrow exclaimed. “I just told you it was disgusting. You think I want you thinking about me like that? I don’t really want to think about myself like that, and I didn’t want you having to think about yourself like that, but … if you’re going to be a part of this, then at some point you and Yang will have to learn — and accept — that you don’t get to wear shining armour for very long in this circle. Sooner or later, you’ll have to blacken it up for the sake of the mission.
“It doesn’t make what Sunset did okay, but it does make Oz’s decision … I get it. It might not seem like the right call, but that’s how it has to be sometimes. We’re defending the world here; we don’t get the luxury of scruples about how we do it.”
That struck home, given that it was what Ruby herself had thought on the way up here: you couldn’t be willing to sacrifice lives for the sake of the cause, but not be willing to sacrifice principles.
She just hadn’t considered that the principle she might be called upon to sacrifice was ‘don’t work with people who cause the deaths of innocent people.’
She was beginning to see the appeal to taking a firm stand and declaring that, no, your principles were worth more than anything else, even the world.
But then that led to Sunset’s choice down in the tunnel: my friends are my principles, and I won’t give them up.
The other way around, rather: my principles are my friends, and I’ll let Vale burn for their sake.
Ruby didn’t want to be the same as Sunset. She wasn’t the same as Sunset; she was capable of making sacrifices if required.
But this sacrifice? This felt … surely, there had to be limits?
Uncle Qrow having made his opinions firmly known — and while Ruby didn’t altogether like them, she could understand how he came by them … she wondered how many of his principles he had sacrificed for the sake of this battle and what it had cost him to do it?
How much had he been keeping from them? How many scars had he been hiding?
She would have given him a hug except … it didn’t really seem appropriate in the circumstances.
But he had made his opinions clear, and so Ruby looked to Professor Goodwitch, who had given some indications that she was more on Ruby’s side.
Professor Goodwitch spoke with a slight sigh in her voice. “I’m sorry that you had to experience this, Miss— Ruby. Betrayal, as we are all learning tonight, as some of us have learned before, is a very bitter wound. I fear the sting of it will not leave you for some time.” She paused. “You’re being very brave.”
“Thank you, Professor,” Ruby said softly. “I don’t think getting upset would really help anybody right now.”
Professor Goodwitch smiled. “Nor will keeping everything inside until you can’t contain it anymore. Just remember that my door is always open if you need to talk.”
“About anything?” Ruby asked.
“Anything you wish,” Professor Goodwitch replied. “It will all stay between us.”
“I appreciate that, Professor,” Ruby said.
“But if you are expecting … I must tell you that Qrow has the right of it,” Professor Goodwitch. “I am privileged by my position to be able to escape what your uncle has to deal with, but I am not blind to the fact that this is a desperate battle in which we are engaged.”
“So doesn’t that mean that we need to be sure that everyone who's fighting it with us is of the right quality?” Ruby asked. “I know that we might need to use … informers, or whatever, who aren’t the best or the nicest people, but on our side? Fighting at our side? Leading us into battle?”
Professor Goodwitch hesitated for a moment. “Miss Shimmer … would not have been my choice, by any means, to be a part of this struggle, but ultimately, the decision belongs to Professor Ozpin. After a certain point, we must cease to question that decision and simply abide by it. As we all must, I’m afraid, abide by the presence of Sunset Shimmer.”
“But she’s gone,” Penny blurted out.
The room fell as quiet as it had done when Ruby had first revealed that she knew the truth about what Sunset had done — and about Professor Ozpin’s knowledge of the same.
Professor Ozpin half rose to his feet, his hands resting upon the glass surface of his desk. “'Gone'?” he repeated. “Gone where?”
“I don’t know,” Ruby said. “And I don’t care. You might be willing to just turn a blind eye to what she did, but I couldn’t. I sent her away.”
Qrow groaned. “Ruby—”
“You had no authority to do that, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin said, his voice sharpening.
“Maybe not,” Ruby admitted. “But I had the right. I had the right that was on my side. Someone like that … work with her if you want to, but she doesn’t belong at Beacon Academy, amongst huntresses.” She looked at Qrow. “Maybe I will have to get dirty in order to do my job, in order to protect people, to keep the world safe, but I don’t have to like it, and I don’t have to welcome it, and I don’t have to go to school with it either. And I … I won’t!” She returned her attention to Professor Ozpin. “I won’t share a room with her, I won’t share a school with her. If Sunset comes back to Beacon, I’m gone. I can’t swallow that, I won’t. Not at … Beacon isn’t the war against Salem. Beacon isn’t in the shadows. Beacon … Beacon should be shining, like its name. It might be necessary to fight Salem in the dark, but darkness has no place here at this school.”
She was aware that he might choose Sunset over her. Honestly, a part of Ruby expected that he would pick Sunset over her, and if he did … then she would leave, just as she had said she would. She would leave, and ask Iona Rockshow if she still had a place in her organisation for an academy drop-out, but one whose heart, whose soul, whose principles were still the same as when Miss Rockshow had made her that offer in the Lord Mayor’s Palace.
She hoped that it wouldn’t come to that, but she was prepared for the fact that it might.
Professor Ozpin glanced downwards. “Very well, Miss Rose,” he murmured. “Miss Shimmer is … dismissed, from the school, at least.”
Ruby’s eyes widened a little. It … he had chosen her? He had chosen her?
“Thank you, Professor,” she whispered.
“Please don’t thank me, Miss Rose; I take no joy in this at all,” Professor Ozpin muttered. “But it seems that the matter has been taken out of my hands.” He paused. “You should be thankful that, as I have said, I am a great believer in mercy.” He looked away from her, towards Professor Goodwitch. “Glynda, in the morning, will you please find Miss Shimmer — I expect courtesy to lead her to call upon Lady Nikos, so I suggest you start there — and tell her that, if it is at all convenient for her, I should very much like to retain her services in the great enterprise in which we are engaged. Tell her that some means to assist her in living can be found and please tell her how sorry I am that things have come to this.”
“Of course, Professor,” Professor Goodwitch said stiffly. “It will be as you say.”
Ruby said nothing. She was in doubt that, as well as giving order to Professor Goodwitch, Professor Ozpin had also been speaking for her … benefit, for want of a better word. He had been letting her know that, although he was willing to go along with her up to a point, he didn’t like it, and he was also reminding her that, at the end of the day, he was in charge, and she wasn’t, and he was going to follow his own judgement as to who was fit to serve him in his battle against Salem, not hers.
She supposed she couldn’t complain about that … at all, really. She didn’t like it, but Uncle Qrow had just made clear that he had to work with people who he didn’t really like having to work with, people who made him feel dirty, who stained him with their own sins. He’d made clear to her that that was the price of keeping the world safe, and a heavy price, for all that the scars it left weren’t visible. Professor Ozpin thought that Sunset had a lot to offer, he’d thought that it was worth keeping her at Beacon, and he thought that, at the very least, it was worth keeping her in the fight against Salem.
Maybe he was even right about the last part; Sunset was skilled, she was smart; if you trusted her, then Ruby could see why you would want her around.
Ruby didn’t — couldn’t — trust her anymore, but as Professor Ozpin had just reminded her, she wasn’t the boss.
Ruby had been willing to insist that Sunset didn’t belong at Beacon, and Professor Ozpin had given her that, even though he didn’t agree with her; she couldn’t now insist that he cut all ties with her, not least because…
Well, not least because Professor Ozpin might actually be right. Maybe lives would be saved by Sunset in future. Maybe.
And if she continued to press the subject, if she continued to insist that Sunset had no place amongst them at all, then it would be her that was crossing the line, putting her principles ahead of the greater good.
Sunset was gone from Beacon; that was the main thing. Let her do what she could, where she could; Ruby just hoped that their paths didn’t cross again.
“But … who is going to lead Team Sapphire?” asked Penny.
Professor Ozpin sat down again. He looked at Ruby.
Ruby’s back straightened.
Professor Ozpin glanced at General Ironwood. “James, I know that this is irregular, but may I please borrow Miss Polendina to make up the numbers on Team … Team Sapphire, as we shall continue to call it for now? I wouldn’t ask, but Miss Polendina is transferring to Beacon anyway, so—”
“It’s fine,” General Ironwood assured him. “It’s not as though I haven’t been stealing Belladonna for a while now. Turnabout is fair play, after all.”
“Thank you, James,” Professor Ozpin said. He paused for a moment. “Miss Polendina, welcome to Team Sapphire. I would like you to take the lead for now.”
“Penny?!” Ruby cried.
“Me?” Penny exclaimed. “You … you want … this isn’t very funny Professor Ozpin!”
Professor Ozpin didn’t even blink. “And what makes you think that I am joking, Miss Polendina?”
“Because I can’t be the leader!” Penny cried. “I … I don’t know how.”
“Very few people do, when they begin to lead,” Professor Ozpin told her. “But this is, after all, a place of learning.” He smiled. “And you have shown a willingness to learn, Miss Polendina, to grow, to change; if you had not, you would not be transferring to Beacon at all. But you are, and you have, and that is one of the most important qualities for a leader to possess.”
Penny hesitated for a second. “What are some of the other important qualities for a leader to possess?”
“A sense of connection to your teammates, which I know you possess,” Professor Ozpin replied, “and a willingness to help them; that last remains to be seen, but I have hope.”
“Congratulations, Penny,” General Ironwood said, offering her a slight bow from the waist.
“Um, thank you, General,” Penny murmured, curtsying a little to him in return. “I … I don’t know if I’m ready for this, but I’ll try my best! I promise, I’ll do my very best; I won’t give you reason to regret this.”
“Thank you, Miss Polendina, I am sure that I shall not,” Professor Ozpin said. “Was there anything else, Miss Rose?”
Is this my punishment? Are you doing this to spite me? Is this because you didn’t like what I did? “No, Professor,” Ruby said, in a dull voice. “That’s all. Thank you.” She could not stop — she might not have wished to stop — the bitterness creeping into her voice.
“Then I wish you good night, Miss Rose,” Professor Ozpin said. “Miss Polendina.”
“Goodnight, Professor,” Penny said. “Goodnight, everyone.”
“Goodnight,” Ruby muttered, as she turned to go, letting Penny follow behind her — leader or not — as she walked with slow, heavy, trudging steps back towards the elevator.
As she made her way into the lift, her thoughts were not in Professor Ozpin’s office. Nor were they in the elevator itself as it began to grind its way downwards, carrying her and Penny—
Her new team leader, Penny.
Down towards the ground.
Ruby’s thoughts were all in her own mind, moving as fast as her semblance.
Penny, the team leader. Penny, the team leader. Penny, who was still just a kid really, Penny who barely understood anything, Penny who was still figuring out the world, Penny who didn’t really understand what it took to be a good huntress, Penny—
Penny her friend.
Penny who had been here for her, who was literally right here for her.
Penny who hadn’t asked for this.
Penny who didn’t deserve to be the target of Ruby’s ire.
Perhaps it’s time to admit that I did want to be the leader.
Okay. I wanted to be the leader.
I wanted to show that I was right. I wanted to show that I could do a better job than Sunset, that my way, the right way, was … well, that it was the right way.
I wanted to show that the right way was also the righteous one.
I wanted to show that I could do it, just like my mom did.
Except Professor Ozpin already told me that he thought that making Mom the team leader was a mistake, and he wished he’d given the job to somebody else, so I guess it was always unlikely that he was going to give it to me.
But still … why Penny?
Penny had been looking away from Ruby, shoulders hunched a little bit, hands clasped together, looking as though she were trying to appear inconspicuous. Her green eyes flickered towards Ruby, as she noticed Ruby looking at her. “Ruby?” she asked. “Is … is everything okay? I didn’t know that he was going to—”
“You don’t have to apologise, Penny,” Ruby assured her. “In fact, I’m the one who should be apologising to you.”
Penny looked at her, blinking. “Apologise to me? But why?”
“For not doing this sooner,” Ruby said, as she pulled Penny into a hug. “Congratulations, Penny. This is going to be great, I know it.”
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I didn't expect Penny to be assigned team leader, that's a big responsibility wow. I'm glad ruby is chosing to be supportive right now, Penny really needs it.
I wonder how the others will react, and also what would be the name of the team now?
Anyways, nice chapter! Congratulations Penny Polendina ;)
Well, not quite the dressing down from Ozpin that I was expecting, but at least Qrow gave her the harsh reality that not everything is sunshine and (pardon the pun) roses.
But Ozpin did get a little miffed that Ruby banished Sunset (even if he did give Ruby almost what she wanted and dismissed Sunset)
I was kinda expecting Ozpin to segue into why he made Sunset leader and not Ruby after denying Ruby leadership, because the fact that Ruby's missing the point that a leader is responsible for their teammates and making sure they live to fight another day, something Bon Bon failed at when she failed to account for Sky, which was Dove's point I guess.
So... with no Sunset and Penny as leader, what's the team now? PARP? purple?
Honestly, Penny is a wonderful choice for team leader. Yes, she's inexperienced, but if there was ever a time to learn it would be at Beacon.
We also get to see a bit of where Ruby's righteousness comes from in Qrow. Yes, he has come to to accept the dirtiness that comes with being a spy, but the fact that despite the fact that Sunset's actions are the reason his niece is still alive and were performed to save her life he still treats the situation the same as if it was Raven.
We also see one of Ruby's great weaknesses; She lacks the introspection to consider that her zealous path is wrong. Even more so, she believes she is following in her mother's footprints, but when Raven herself outright says that Summer was a compassionate person and Ruby lacks that. However... there was a bit of a wake up call as Ruby literally caught herself being spiteful towards Penny for being made leader... and stopping that shit early.
Oh Ruby. Ozpin straight up told you why Penny was team leader instead of you, and in doing so told you the qualities you need to improve on. You weren't willing to change, and you weren't willing to help your team.
WOW! Congratulations, Penny! The newest member of Team SAPR! What a great development for all the progress her character has made in this beautiful story! I can’t wait to see what new directions this takes her! Especially post-Volume 3!
I’m pleased at the progress Ruby herself is making. Her ideals are finally being tested, albeit easy and philosophically instead of on the battlefield. As a result, Ruby is at least, trying not to let herself become a callous monster. That’s an important step for her, especially with what she has now learned from Uncle Qrow. She is still Ruby Rose, who always still had many of the right ideas of what it means to be a huntress. Even if she is wrong on a few others.
Ozpin saw that, thanks to Ruby’s determination to prove she was right (as she just now admitted to herself), Sunset no longer has the full trust and loyalty of her team. Forcing them to work with Sunset at this point would be counterproductive and petty. Furthermore, I noticed that he was trying to teach Ruby the greater morality of the principle. Explaining that Sunset’s magic and Equestrian expertise are desperately needed for the siren would show Ruby why she was wrong from a practical standpoint, not a fundamental one. Such a thing would allow Ruby to retain more of her overzealous ideals. Qrow understood this as well, and so sought to give Ruby a new perspective to life as a huntress in general.
Whew, I love the casual slap that Ozpin layed down on Ruby. She has no place being a leader with her the world is black and white way of thinking. She gets put in charge and they die the first time Salem decides to use hostages.
One of the things I find deliciously ironic about this story (and a contrast I enjoy) is how different RWBY Ruby is from SAPR Ruby. (And, to be clear, I only really remember seasons 1-5 and didn't watch past 6, so maybe she gets insufferable, but I didn't see it).
Both Rubys appear very similar, but RWBY Ruby is a simple soul in a virtuous sense. As a simple soul, she is not distracted by or caught up in the excuses, justifications, and BS that people might apply to a situation. She simply seeks to find the right thing and do the right thing because it is the right thing. She has both mercy and compassion, and knows when to hold firm and when to be gentle. She wants to honor her mother, but is not obsessed with a glorious and heroic death. Season 1-5 Ruby wants to be a good person, simple as, and is both humble and straightforward. She doesn't think she's particularly special or the "only pure" huntress. She wants to be good, and, by her example, explicitly and innocently expects the same as others, seeing the best in them and inspiring them without meaning to. She holds high moral standards, but also understands that even she can't ever live fully up to them, so all must strive, and all will fail at times, and then must strive again.
SAPR Ruby, by contrast is a simplistic soul. She thinks she's simple and thus free from corruption, but the truth is that she's unable to conceive of nuance.
Moral principles are, ultimately, very simple. The nuance of how to apply them in any given situation, however, gets complicated. It's why I can say "human life is sacred" but also "if a man is coming in to my house to murder me, I have the right to use violence to defend myself, even to the point of lethal force if I have no other realistic options." Simple principle, but nuance exists.
A simple soul understands that nuance exists and is willing to learn. A simple soul tends towards humility.
A simplistic soul does not accept nuance. This person holds to what this person thinks is right and would seek to damn anyone who cannot adhere exactly to that view. A simplistic soul tends towards arrogance, and a puritanical sense that "only I see the truth." It's sometimes the start of a villain arc, frankly.
It is my belief that RWBY Ruby, had she learned the truth about Sunset, would have initially been horrified and aggrieved, and probably angry. But she also would have talked to Sunset (eventually at least) and asked "why?" and she would have pressed on this. Then she would have asked if she'd do it again? She would have asked in fairly brutal but necessary ways. "Would you sacrifice the housewife, the baker, the clown, the schoolgirl for me? Would you condemn little kids to be eaten for me? For me, who signed up for this?" She would have pushed hard. And Sunset would have said, "No, I wouldn't." Ruby would know that punishing Sunset wouldn't bring anyone back, and that now Sunset would finally act like a Huntress, or at least could with guidance. Ruby then, I suspect, would say - in effect - "I believe you. I forgive you. But I can't trust you anymore. As far as the public knows, you'll remain our leader. But we're going to ask Ozpin to privately appoint a new leader. Assuming you're both okay with this, Jaune and Pyhrra, because I'm not going to just assume that." And, ironically, that Ruby probably would have become leader.
SAPR Ruby's most unsettling moments to me were A) when she declared she would be the new leader, and B) when she was angry Penny was made leader (though in the latter case at least she realized she was being childish and congratulated Penny while apologizing). SAPR Ruby is arrogant, simplistic, and, in her own way, incredibly dangerous.
RWBY Ruby was the perfect choice for team leader (at least for the duration of the show I cared to watch). SAPR Ruby, despite outward similarities, is absolutely not. RWBY Ruby was pure of heart. SAPR Ruby only thinks she is.
And that's part of what I enjoy here. This version of Ruby is a fascinating contrast, someone who could be a true hero, and has many heroic traits, though it's hard to say someone has courage or self sacrificial virtue if she doesn't value her own life. I think RWBY Ruby had something to lose, had fears, and didn't want to die; she just put others before herself in simple virtue. I don't think the same can be said of SAPR Ruby. She is arrogant, puritanical, and not half so virtuous as she thinks she is. I don't like her personally. And that's part of what works about her. She's almost a through-the-mirror-darkly version of Ruby, one who is not a villain, but also isn't a hero.
The fact is, hard moral lines do need to be drawn, people should have high standards (recognizing in humility that we'll never quite reach them in this life, but must strive as best we can), and moral principles are, again, simple at their root. But mercy and nuance are essential qualities, and SAPR Ruby lacks them both. Loathe though I am to agree with Raven on anything, she was right to say that SAPR Ruby had her mother's high moral standards, but lacked mercy and compassion.
She makes for an excellent cautionary tale.
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Ruby is trying to stop her resentment towards Penny, but I don't feel that it is going to be over so quickly. The thing is, this resentment over Penny being made team leader comes from Ruby's certainty that she is the only one who is in the right.
For now Ruby can force herself to stay friendly with Penny, but whenever Penny does something that Ruby wouldn't do (and that is going to happen more and more) then her resentment is going to grow until it overcomes everything else. Treating the symptoms alone doesn't work, the rot will win out eventually.
These last few chapters have been intense. Love the foreshadowing from when Rainbow was hoping Penny would get on team sapr. Even saying sunset would have to go for it to happen.
I was hoping jaune would have been made leader. He was even good witch's choice.
It's time for Team Paper! (PAPR!)
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I have a Bachelor’s in Film Studies & Story Design, and your comparison of RWBY Ruby and SAPR Ruby is magnificent! Absolutely brilliant insight!
And you’re correct. Ruby refused to get off her high horse and chose to deny the actual horse a second chance. She didn’t take her in and try to make her into a better huntress. And because of that, Beacon has lost Sunset and Amber chooses to fulfill her deal with Salem.
Welp, Ruby demanded Sunset's head, and Proffesor Ozpin's apology, then she has the gal to demand(expect) leadership, thankfully Ozpin gave her the middle finger cassually on the spot, he didn't even though hard, he was like "hey Penny, Ruby here has been a cunt, wanna be leader to put her in her place? thanks", Team Saphire is officially over, again, so lets see what comes next.
I do like how, despite dismissing her from Beacon, Ozpin still lets Sunset know he still needs her, and by stating his regrets, he'll still have her loyalty.
Beacon may have lost Sunset, but with her loyalty to Ozpin and her friends, Ozpin still has Sunset.
But if her team isn't willing to work with Sunset, who would? Rainbow for sure, Blake possibly.
But if Oz is going to have Sunset hunt for Sonata, she might need willing backup.
Well, with Sunset out of prison, she can at least watch Pyrrha's matches this time around. The tournament doesn't seem to be rigged this time around, so I can't see Pyrrha dropping out like in the original
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Personally I’m rooting for PAPR= Team Paper.
Part of the point of making Sunset choose in the tunnel was to alienate her from her teammates and make her feel guilty. Ruby finishing what Cinder started with the detonator, good job.
Oh you little piece of shi…
And to think so highly of yourself…… Guys, remember when we condemned Weiss for the same exact mindset? Yeah, and Port called her a spoiled child, if I’m not mistaken
I mean, people in the comments pointed out multiple times, that doesn’t matter if you let the breach happen or not, the grimm would still get to Vale, be it because of the general closeness already (the horde in the end would have been separated from the city by what? A one stone wall? And there is still a lot of explosives there, you don’t magically get rid of those by stopping the train) or the fact there was no way a person like Cinder wouldn’t have a separate detonator
Silly Penny, Ruby doesn’t need friends, she needs corpses with glorified deaths
Take that!
And Fuck you too again, Qrow
I mean, nobody asked for limits, when Sunset was faced with a choice “either you and the most important people to you die, or a horde of monsters attacks the city” So, how does that shoe feels like, sweetie?
Glynda, don’t you dare encourage her!
And here it comes
You sound like a whiny child
That you are
AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
(But seriously, i can see where he is coming from, but she is too heavily influenced by Ruby)
Great chapter, but i was hoping for more impact on Ruby’s views. I understand that it is a gradual process to change someone’s mind, but this was so anticipated…. Feels a little unsatisfying i guess
I want to see her get punched.
Eat this, bitch!
Oh
P. S.
Just a silly thought, it just might be my hate of this Ruby talking, but
Does it seems that despite everyone’s thoughts in the story, out of all team SAPR it is Ruby and not Sunset, who is closest to “becoming another Raven” I mean she was willing to abandon their cause because of her principles (it is a bit of a stretch, but Raven did the same, its just their principles that are different)
And it is funny, how Qrow refuses to see details that point to that, but willing to go to good lengths to condemn Sunset
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I also felt pretty unsatisfied. I feel like Glynda was more of a hardass, but maybe that's from fanfction and the Mandela effect.
You would think Ironwood would have more to say considering Sunset saved his peoples lives. And efing Qrow talking shit when Sunset saved his niece's life, like he would have just let Ruby die down there.
Yeah, I just feels a little like the universe soft pitched Ruby on this one.
Can't wait for Ruby's bitterness to fester and for her to explode at Penny. That'll be fun.
Oof, that felt like a burn for both this story's Ruby AND the show's!
On a more serious note: I realized after thinking about it, the title of the chapter my not just refer to Ruby's view of Ozpin, or even her uncle, but also to Ruby losing some of her own 'idol' status in Penny's eyes. Perhaps not nearly so overtly as the former, but it was clear she wasn't really syncing with Ruby here this time around.
Ruby, I say this in the best possible way: You're an arrogant, self-righteous, holier-than-thou, simplistic little shit.
Lawful Stupid Ruby still has a lot more suffering to go through before she's going to change it seems. Well it seems it's going to start with the Robot Revolution.
Just replace "Penny" with "Ruby" and we see the root of the problem
Although what makes Penny a better choice Is the fact that she is willing to learn and grow, she is aware that she is not perfect (*ehem* Ruby *ehem*)
And she has the compassion that Ruby lacks
Through this arc we see, that Penny is confused with everyone's reactions. She understands that what Sunset did was a mistake, but she is not as cruel as Ruby is (I mean, it is hard to be as cruel as Ruby. It is funny, that it was Cinder, who orchestrated everything, but even she tried to shift the blame from Sunset to herself because she cares. Ruby though, she doesn't) And Penny understands that the situation is complicated. That is what is the most important thing, there are circumstances and nuances that shape people's choices and nothing is as black and white as Ruby sees it. In that sense a 1 year (or something, idk) old robot with a soul is more mature than Ruby is
So, Penny is a good choice, but as I said earlier, she might be too easily influenced by Ruby. However, her semblance does stop everyone from making Penny do something she doesn't want to, so I might just be underestimating her
Sorry for these long comments, it's just that I have so many thoughts with this arc, I can't contain myself)
Ir shows how great of a job you did with the characters, that it provokes so much from readers)
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There is the possibility that we could get more of Ironwood's thoughts in the future, considering we know Rainbow knew about this as since it happened. Either Dash's report kept to what she thought happened (or what Sunset said happened), or Dash lied in her report to cover up for Sunset.
Ironwood might think Dash too good of a soldier to even think of the latter.
Thankfully for Dash, Ruby was too focused on Sunset to notice Dash was subtly defending her to oust her as someone else who knew (something an observant Blake picked up on)
Lady Nikkos: “As an aspiring huntress, that moral high ground is your right, child. Just as it is my right as a mother to forbid entry of House Nikkos to the one who wishes the death of my daughter.”
Lady Nikkos will soon realize that it was not Jaune who was unworthy of Pyrrha.
We will soon be having Sunset ask Lady Nikkos for aid, potentially even a home, and she will not hesitate to grant it, for Sunset protected Pyrrha just as she vowed to her. Of course, Lady Nikkos will press for why Sunset is no longer at Beacon. She will ask if Pyrrha threw her out (Lady Nikkos will be having a conversation with her daughter about this mess for one reason or another). And then it will only be Sunset’s plea that will keep Lady Nikkos from going on the warpath for Ruby.
I suddenly recall how, someone in Jaune's’ home tried to frame her as unfaithful to Jaune, Pyrrha stated that in Mistral she would’ve been within her rights to demand a duel to the death. In the ways of Mistral, Ruby has not slandered a relationship, but she has spat on the one she owes her life to. She spits on Sunset’s decision to save Pyrrha’s life. Ozpin may be a believer in forgiveness… but Lady Nikkos is not.
Ok, here is the thing, i fully expect that Sunset will lead team SAPR in the future once again. BUT. I will not like Rwby from this point forward. Rwby here went from the middle of the list to the bottom. God i hate her now. You did good in writing this chapter. How you managed to transform Rwby into the most annoying and obnoxious little shit is.. honestly, amazing. I like this development.
Though i hope we will see some alone time with Sunset. Like, really alone, fighting with no one by her side and still coming out on top.
Scipio I don't know if I missed something in the previous chapters, but I just can't understand this Sunset made a mistake bandwagon everyone is on because if I'm not mistaken Sunset made the correct choice that saved the most lives or am I mistaken. I especially don't understand why nobody asks the very important question "What about the bomb?" It's not like it would just disappear just because you sacrificed yourselves. I would like your thoughts on this and why not a single person can see that it's not "Because of Sunset that 6 people died." but "Because of Sunset "only" 6 people died." Its driving me crazy that no one is even properly addressing this fact and instead hung up on the supposedly morality of the thing. I'd love your thoughts on this even if it's just wait and see.