On the Other Side.

Part IV: Re-Penny-tance.

When Penny reached the Lighthouse, she took a moment to ponder the contrary ray of darkness it emitted. And the raincoat-wearing specter that was dutifully wiping down the windows with a dirty rag and a spray bottle that appeared to spray out dirt. She must have been pondering for a long time, because the specter moved on to carve intricate patterns of cracks into the windows, chip some paint off, replace some good nails with rusty ones, and hammer a few strategically placed dents in the drainpipe. And after what Penny estimated had been a five-hundred-and-thirty hour day, the Sun was finally touching the horizon. Finally, she heard a creaky voice speak up, "Hey! Are you going to stare all day, or are you going to knock?!" Penny tilted her head back down and stared at the door. It had developed a rudimentary face. "You have the most absurdly long attention span of any mortal I've ever seen. It's insane!" proclaimed the door.

"Oh. My apologies. I had not realized you were sentient," said Penny, bowing to the door. "Could you tell me, why does that person appear to be performing reverse-maintenance on the lighthouse? And why is the lighthouse casting out a ray of darkness?"

"How should I know? I'm just a door. What the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper do have nothing to do with my job. Look, you wanna meet the person waiting for you, or what?"

"What's what?" asked Penny, having never heard that expression before.

"What?" asked the door.

"What is what?" repeated Penny, mistaking the door's question for an answer.

"I heard you the first time you said it. What?" repeated the door.

"The first time I said what?" asked Penny.

"What about it?!" cried out the door.

"What about what?" asked Penny.

"I don't freaking know, you're the one who brought what up!"

"Nothing. What's up with you?" asked Penny.

"ARRRGHHH!" screamed the door, flying open to reveal the void beyond. A strong gust of wind suddenly kicked up and blasted Penny into the lighthouse, and the door slammed shut behind her.

"What a rude door," said Penny, feeling slightly put-off. She turned around to admonish the door, but found that a completely different, more modern, and decidedly faceless door had taken its place. "Are you sentient as well?" she asked, just to be polite. When it didn't reply, she tentatively knocked on it. It was metal.

A moment passed, and Penny had just lifted her fist to knock again when a muffled voice said, "Come in."

Penny pushed the door open and stepped into what she immediately recognized as a locker room from the Amity Coliseum. She also immediately recognized the room's sole occupant. "Oh…" said Penny.

"Of course…" said Pyrrha, her eyes wide and a tear already leaking from her left eye.

"It's you," they both said.

Penny was shocked for a moment, and suddenly felt a powerful surge of conflicting emotions rise up. As a robot with an Aura, soul, and everything, she had felt emotions before. But they had never been this…raw. This painful. Suddenly, she was reliving her final moments; the stunned surprise when her swords flew back at her, followed by heart-clenching fear when her strings caught on her, followed by anger and sorrow when she realized she was shutting down, followed by even greater fear at the very last second, when she found herself wondering; what if something went wrong? What if they couldn't bring her back? What if her internal memory device was damaged? Was this the end?

Back then, she had been helpless. By the time she had realized what was happening, there was nothing she could do about it. This time, on the other hand…

Penny didn't know what she had done until after she had grabbed Pyrrha and slammed her into the wall. "You killed me!" she screamed in Pyrrha's face, and slammed her against the wall again to illustrate her feelings on that matter. "Why?! Why would you do that to me?" Pyrrha opened her mouth, but Penny abruptly decided that she didn't care what the other girl's excuse was; it was Penny Payback Time. The former gynoid drew her fist back and slammed it into Pyrrha's open mouth as hard as she could, and then she did it again, and again, and again, and again.

She lost track of how much time she had spent slugging Pyrrha in the face, and given the screwy nature of time in this world who knows how long it was. Eventually, however, her haze of rage cleared enough for her to notice that her attacks weren't really doing anything but creating an impressively sizable dent in the wall behind her human punching bag.

Having never felt physical pain or exhaustion in life, it never occurred to Penny that her arm ought to feel tired by now, or that her knuckles should be sore. But she definitely realized that Pyrrha seemed completely unaffected by her vicious assault; no blood or bruises or anything. Penny unexpectedly froze, fist hanging in the air while her other hand still held Pyrrha's shoulder in a vise-grip.

The two redheads stared at each other mutely for a long, tense moment. Anger continued to burn in Penny's cyan eyes, though it was giving way to puzzlement, and Pyrrha's bright greens swam with guilt and remorse. At length, Penny asked, "You…didn't feel any of those, did you?"

Pyrrha shook her head sadly. "I know it doesn't help, but I wish they had hurt. I deserve to suffer for what I did to you, I truly believe that…but it wasn't my fault–"

"The hell it wasn't!" Penny shouted, practically spitting in her face, "It most certainly wasn't a stiff breeze that made my swords rebound at me, that made my strings rip me to pieces!"

"Yes, I killed you, Penny," Pyrrha admitted, her tone heartbroken, tears spilling from her eyes, "But I didn't mean to. I was tricked–"

"Tricked?!" Penny screamed hysterically. Impulsively, she grabbed Pyrrha and lifted her bodily overhead and threw her into the lockers. Penny stomped over to her, fully intending to commit further violence, when suddenly a stray thought broke free from the rational part of her mind and pierced her crimson veil of rage.

Her eyes widened and she stumbled to a stop. She stared down at Pyrrha in shock, as if just noticing her all over again, but this time her mouth fell open in an expression of utter horror. "Pyrrha," she said softly, "Why are you here?"

Pyrrha picked herself back up off the floor and gave Penny a sad smile. "Well…why are you here?" she asked rhetorically.

"I…oh, Pyrrha," Penny said sadly. She was surprised by her own change of heart. She hadn't met Pyrrha before their match, but Ruby had told her about her. By Ruby's account, she was a good person and a wonderful friend. Regardless of how Penny felt about the girl that had ended her, if both of them were here it meant that Ruby, Penny's very best friend, had lost two good friends in one day.

Penny couldn't help but feel a terrible weight of sympathetic grief for her friend. And now that she realized that Pyrrha was dead as well…well, she didn't feel like she could hold a grudge against her anymore. She recalled a book on philosophy she had read back home, in her father's lab, that said that aside from being the end of one's life, death was also supposed to be the end of one's suffering. If both of them were dead, Penny figured, then there was no need for them to go on suffering. Still, there was one question Penny needed answered.

"What…exactly…did you mean, when you said you were 'tricked' into killing me?" Penny asked.

Pyrrha looked aside for a moment, took a deep breath, and locked eyes with Penny once more. This time, her eyes were determined. "To begin with, I was…under a lot of stress, before our match. Professor Ozpin, and Ironwood and Goodwitch; they let me in on something secret, and asked me to make a choice. But it was an impos–no, a very difficult choice, and…well, it was kind of driving me crazy, just a little. My Semblance was reacting to my agitated mental state, I think; becoming harder for me to control precisely. It was getting worse during our match–I almost warped my weapons, in fact–and when you prepared your last attack…" Pyrrha seemed to falter, and for a second Penny thought she could actually feel the pain in Pyrrha's voice.

But she shoved it aside and asked sternly, "How were you tricked, Pyrrha Nikos?"

"…your swords…I know this won't make any sense, but they…they seemed to multiply, right before my eyes," Pyrrha said, sitting down on a bench so quickly that Penny wondered if she had felt her knees about to give out. "At first it was the normal amount, but the next thing I knew I was staring at a solid wall of blades, and they were all coming at me, and I panicked. I panicked, and I just…I just pushed them back. I…didn't mean to hurt you, Penny. It was just…just blind panic and horrible luck. But, for what it's worth…I am so, so sorry that you died, Penny." Pyrrha let her head droop, tears spilling once more.

'My swords…multiplied?' Penny thought to herself. 'That's impossible…but somehow I don't believe that she's lying. So then…somehow, she really was tricked into killing me. But how, and why? Was it the person who tricked her that also…sent her here?' Penny felt a wave of misery and self-loathing wash over her, and this time she knew that it really was Pyrrha's feelings she was feeling.

With a sigh, Penny knelt down and pulled Pyrrha into a tight hug. "It's okay, Pyrrha. If you were tricked, then I guess it wasn't your fault after all…I forgive you." Pyrrha gave a startled gasp, right next to Penny's ear, and then she hugged the ginger-haired girl back as tightly as she could. She started sobbing into Penny's shoulder, and for the first time ever Penny felt hot moisture well up in her eyes and spill out as her spirit shared the pain Pyrrha was releasing. "I'm sorry that you died, too," she added, her voice cracking; another first for her.

"Thank you," Pyrrha gasped weakly when she was finally able to control her breathing again. She pulled back from Penny and started wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Thank you so much. Even though Ruby and Jaune and that Fisherman Spirit all told me that I wasn't responsible…I guess I still felt guilty, anyways. I still do, more than a little, but–"

"No," Penny said bluntly, standing and pulling Pyrrha up to her feet effortlessly. "You are most absolutely not permitted to feel guilt over my premature termination any longer, Friend Pyrrha." Penny smiled brightly in the face of Pyrrha's utterly befuddled expression. "I get the feeling that you've already beaten yourself up enough over it. I wouldn't want to be the cause of pain for anyone good enough to be counted among Ruby's best friends."

"R-really? Ruby told you I w-was one of her b-best friends?" asked a completely bemused Pyrrha.

Penny nodded firmly. "Ruby always spoke most highly both of your potential as a Huntress and your value as a friend. She told me you were honorable and just, and one of the most sincere and selfless people she had ever had the privilege of meeting. She had great admiration for you, and she told me that she hoped to be as good a fighter as you someday. Didn't you know?" Penny asked.

Pyrrha laughed and blushed, "I…don't really like to toot my horn so much…honestly, I admired her as well. I've never met anyone quite like Ruby. She's…a very special person, with a very special soul. I can tell that she'll do incredible things, someday."

"I concur," said Penny. A troubled thought crossed her mind, and she frowned. "Pyrrha…how did you die?" she asked.

Pyrrha's face fell, and she sighed and said, "It's…kind of a long story. I guess to start, I'd have to tell you what Ozpin and the others told me…after all, we're on the Other Side, so there's really no need to keep it a secret anymore."

And so Pyrrha told the tale. She told Penny about the Maidens, about Amber, about the very difficult choice she had been presented and what saying 'yes' might have meant for her. She told her about Jaune's attempt to comfort her and her hysterical reaction, feeling that Penny deserved to know what Pyrrha had meant when she said she had been 'stressed', and elaborated further on the anxiety she had felt leading up to their fateful match.

Then she explained what had happened after Penny's death; Cinder's broadcast, the Grimm and White Fang attack on Beacon and the Amity Coliseum, how General Ironwood's Knights had gone out of control, and how Ruby had gone off on her own to take back Ironwood's ship while Teams JNPR, CFVY, SSSN, ABRN, and Flynt Coal and Neon Katt from Team FNKI had all gone to Beacon to fight the good fight.

Then, speaking as quickly as she could to avoid having yet another emotional breakdown, Pyrrha explained how she and Jaune had followed Ozpin down to the Vault so she could receive the Fall Maiden's powers, how Cinder had interrupted by killing Amber and taking the power for herself, and how Ozpin had told her and Jaune to go get help, but that shortly after getting back out of the building they had seen Cinder going for the CCT tower.

She told Penny about the gigantic freaking Grimm Dragon and her decision to go after Cinder alone, as well as why she had. She glossed over the details of her parting ways with Jaune, though. Somehow, she just wasn't keen on talking about that part. Then, trying her hardest not to get too emotional about it (she broke down crying and had to stop and recompose herself halfway through, anyways) she had described her battle with Cinder.

"And then…she fired an arrow into my heart and…incinerated me," Pyrrha finally finished, feeling completely emotionally drained. She didn't even bother rubbing the moisture off her cheeks this time. If pain were still a thing on this side, she was sure her cheeks would be raw by now.

Penny was crying as well, though she seemed much calmer about it. She was now seated on the bench next to Pyrrha, a hopefully-comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder. "That's so horrible," she said in a very small voice, "Pyrrha…you were so brave. The way you died was simply awful…but, all things considered…I think I envy you," she admitted. "I think you had a better death than I. At least your death wasn't the result of blind panic and terrible luck," Penny added, trying to smile.

"Well, in a way, I think it might have been. The thought of that woman getting away with all that power certainly made me want to panic," said Pyrrha.

"Hey, do you think that Amber person is somewhere around here?" Penny asked.

"She is. I've already met her. She decided to stay and wander around for a while before going Onwards. I think I'll return to Remnant for another go…what about you?" Pyrrha asked, turning to face her new friend. Thinking on that, Pyrrha almost wanted to laugh at the sheer strangeness of their relationship at this point. First, strangers with a mutual friend, then opponents in the ring, then unwitting-killer and victim, and now…friends.

The thought made Pyrrha feel warm inside, wearing away more of the jagged ache she had been feeling since the match. To her surprise, she realized that that particular wound was almost completely gone. 'I guess it's true, what Mother always said. A little forgiveness really does go a long way,' she mused.

"Hmm. I have not yet made a decision," Penny said in an amusingly decisive-sounding tone. "I'll have to think on it carefully."

"Well, I'm in no hurry…if you wouldn't mind the company of a familiar face, I suppose I could hang around until you decide…if you don't mind," Pyrrha offered tentatively.

Penny beamed at her, "I think that sounds like a sensational idea, Friend Pyrrha!" Then Penny's expression darkened, and she asked, "Do you think any more of our friends might have…fallen…in the battle?"

"I hope not. The Fisherman said no one else that we knew was on their way here, but given how strangely time flows here the battle could still be raging. Or all of our friends could be well into their old age by now, who knows?" said Pyrrha with a shrug.

The two girls sat there in companionable silence for a time, and they both privately hoped and prayed for their friends' safety. Then, without warning, Penny stood up. "We've been here a while. I think we should be moving on, now. What do you say, Pyrrha?"

"I think that sounds grand. I prefer moving over brooding any day," said Pyrrha as she stood up.

And so the two friends made their way to the door and together, shoulder to shoulder, they set back out into the great wide yonder that was the Other Side. Who knows what strange and wonderful adventures might await them? Only time would tell.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." –Pyrrha Nikos.

A/N: DONE! Except not quite yet. Yeah, I got another Stroke of Brilliance a while back, so there's going to be one more chapter. Part V will focus on…well, you'll see. I give mad thanks to my reviewers: Emperor Sunny, trickstercast, kirby163, 1228248, and three anonymous Guests. You guys are gold.

But anyways, yeah, this chapter took so long to write. Way longer than the other three. I knew I wanted it to end with Penny and Pyrrha teaming up to explore the afterlife together as Dos Compadres, but there was the sticking point of, you know, Pyrrha being the one who (physically) killed Penny. I know Penny's a nice girl and all, but still, she feels anger just like everybody else, so I didn't think it'd be very realistic for her to get all buddy-buddy with Pyrrha too quickly. So, yeah. I'm not all that good at writing confrontations that don't end in a fight to the death…or at least end in what starts as a fight to the death, so I hope I didn't mess it up. Did I make Penny too harsh? Too quick to forgive? Did I mess up Pyrrha's explanation? Please leave a review so that I know how I did, please! You don't have to go into a detailed critique if you don't want to, but at the very least tell me how well this chapter worked out overall. And if you do leave a review, let me know if you'd be interested in reading some more Pyrrha/Penny post-mortem friendship craziness. I have a few ideas, but whether or not I implement them depends on whether or not I think they'll get an audience.

So anyways, tune in next time (it's going to take a little longer than a week, but hopefully not TOO much longer) for the long-overdue conclusion of On The Other Side. Same RWBY time, same RWBY channel. Stay phenomenal, everyone.