Rose I.C.-0n (RWBY/Murder Drones/Internecion Cube Crossover)

S3E8: Destiny

"I'm sorry, but she left us with no choice."

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"But she'd never do something like this!" Ruby cried out in anger at the towering man before him. The rest of team BWRY had their head lowered, with them having slipped into the acceptance stage of grief while Ruby was still stuck in anger. And... Probably will be in for quite a while.

This was taking place in team BWRY's down room. Following Penny stabbing Mercury in the foot, she was ordered to be returned to Atlas and examined to find out what caused this incident. Given she's a robot, they weren't exactly going to stop at open surgery. Fortunately, Ruby didn't know about that fact, which was the only thing keeping her from mutilating the man she found standing before her, that being one General Ironwood.

"Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise."

"Sir..." Weiss spoke up, her tone soft and timid. "I have to agree with Ruby for once, and I think the rest of this team, in saying that Penny truly wouldn't do something like this willingly."

"Y-Yeah!" Yang backed up, her voice slightly shaken despite her confident tone.

Ironwood sighed. "Penny is one of the kindest souls in Remnant, and we all know that she'd never attack her opponent while their Aura is that low like she did.... Under normal circumstances, anyway." He said, giving a glimpse of happiness to the eyes of Weiss, Yang and Blake, whilst also slightly cooling Ruby's mood. "What I believe and hope this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. You can miss certain details, like a red flicker of Aura, especially in a fog of dust like Penny found herself in."

The group couldn't find any words for the situation. Usually, Ruby would retort with something snarky, especially when protecting her best friend. But now... For once, she understood the importance of silence.

"The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter." Ironwood continued after a few seconds. "The world saw Penny attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that... She is disqualified."

The air somehow fell quieter than silence. So much so, that the door shutting behind Ironwood as he left was akin to the sound of a flash bang. And yet, none of the team seemed affected.

Ruby facepalmed herself with both hands before groaning into them, walking over to her bunk and jumping up to lay down. Seeing the state Ruby was in, the three remaining members of BWRY decided to leave her to herself and walk outside. Out there, Jaune walked out of his own dorm to meet the gang.

"... What's going on? Is Ruby okay?" The boy asked apprehensively, with the rest of JNPR behind him.

"She's doing the best she can..." Blake answered in a semi-defeated tone.

"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family." Weiss said. "So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened."

"If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask." Ren assured the girls.

Yang looked down at her hands for a moment before turning her head back to her dorm room door. She then looked back at team JNPR with a determined expression, mainly looking at Pyrrha. "All right then. If that's the case... Pyrrha?"

"Hm?" The Spartan asked, having lost track of the conversation. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts at the moment, unable to focus on anything else very well.

"Make sure to give Ruby one hell of a fight when you face her!" Yang pumped her fist into the air, with Weiss following up with a more mellow addition.

"She really needs one right now. I think she'd really appreciate it."