The Fall

There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered

Where the wolves and the soulless will rise

In the time of our final moments

Every dream dies

Ruby spun, narrowly avoiding the Beowolf's claw as it sailed past her. She twisted Crescent Rose around her body with the spin's momentum, and lodged the curving blade firmly in the back of the Grimm's neck. Before the light could even leave its eyes, Ruby pulled the trigger, freeing her weapon and sending herself backward, out of range of the rolling Boarbatusk that had been aiming for her. It plowed through the Beowolf's body, crushing it into black mist.

As she flew backward, she sensed another enemy behind, preparing to attack her the instant she got in range. She planted her scythe in the ground, killing her momentum. The Ursa behind her let out a low, confused growl and lowered its paw. It's mistake. Ruby yanked her weapon from the earth and fired simultaneously, pelting toward the now off-guard Grimm. It still managed a clumsy swing when she got closer, but Ruby easily sidestepped it. She leaped over the Ursa's shoulder, hooking Crescent Rose under its chin as she did so. She pulled the trigger, and the beast's head soared off after her as its body crashed to the concrete.

She glanced downward, seeing a group of the white-masked monsters preparing to gut her on landing. She grit her teeth. Only one thing to do. Ruby angled her weapon slightly upward and blasted herself directly toward the center of the crowd. She got there before they were ready for her, which gave her a mere few seconds of advantage. It was all she needed.

Her scythe was already in motion whenever her feet hit the ground, flashing around her in a circle, slashing the front wave to pieces. The horizontal attack immediately transitioned into a vertical one as Ruby twirled Crescent Rose in front of and behind her.

She kept moving forward, never letting her momentum die, her uncle Qrow's words resonating in her head as they always did.

"Never slow down! Never stop! The secret to a scythe is constant movement. It's why we use such broad, sweeping attacks. It lets us transfer our momentum to the weapon, and to take the weapon's momentum as our own. It is neither simple nor easy. But if you can master it, lass…well then, I doubt there's a creature alive that could touch you."

The Grimm fell all around her, some missing limbs and others with deep gashes on their torsos and chests. A Beowolf leapt at her from behind with a snarl. Ruby, without looking, swung her scythe underneath her arm. The blade caught it under the chin and split its head cleanly in half. She continued the arc, bringing her weapon down viciously on another Grimm charging from the front. Crescent Rose pierced straight through its body and embedded itself in the ground while the body dissipated around it. Seeing her weapon temporarily disabled, two Ursi lumbered forward, one to either side.

The one on the right was leading a bit. Him first. She shifted her weight, and as the Grimm reached her, jaws open wide and intent on crushing her skull, she ducked under the shaft of her weapon. She felt the wind from the Ursa's attack, but she paid it no mind. She couldn't afford to; she had to time the next move perfectly or it end very badly for her. As the other monster neared her, she tightened her grip on the metal handle and leaped.

Ruby used Crescent Rose as a pivot bar, and as she swung upward, she kicked out with both feet in quick succession, and was rewarded by feeling her toes connect with the underside of the left Ursa's chin. Its head snapped back, and it fell over backward as it juked awkwardly to try and get away from her. When Ruby was perfectly vertical, she bent her elbows and threw herself up and off of Crescent Rose. Her momentum carried her directly over the first Ursa, right where she wanted to be. She straightened her legs with as much force as she could muster as she came down on the bear's head. Both of her heels slammed solidly into the white mask, and Ruby crushed its head harshly into the concrete of the landing docks.

The blow made her legs feel numb as the impact shook its way up her spine. She glanced down at her opponent, realizing with a small amount of surprise that maybe Yang's strength training had been more effective then she had given it credit for at first. There were cracks spider-webbing across the Ursa's mask, radiating outward from her feet. Several shards had broken off and embedded themselves in the creature's skull. The crimson eyes were growing dim, and black mist was beginning to seep from its broken jaw. Holy hell, I'll need to remember to have Yang give me more of that training.

Ruby dove forward into a roll, yanking Crescent Rose from the ground as she did so. She came out of her somersault onto her knees, slashing in a wide arc, and cleaving through three Beowolves and a Boarbatusk who hadn't been fast enough to move out of her range. She spun to her feet as she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Turning to confront it, she found herself face-to-face with half of a King Taijitu. The other half, unfortunately for her, was already mid-charge. Ruby bent her legs and prepared to jump over it, but they trembled with the effort, and she couldn't feel any strength in them. The impact from earlier had been even more fierce than she had realized, and had left her legs weak. They'd recover, but not quickly enough to avoid this attack.

Ruby yanked her scythe up, barely managing to get it in between herself and the Grimm. Still, the force of strike knocked her off her feet and sent her flying backward. She hit the stonework and tumbled end over end a few times before managing to regain her feet. Crescent Rose converted back into rifle form as she slid to a stop, and Ruby squeezed off three quick shots at the Taijitu still pursuing her. The first only winged it, but the next one slammed into the black head's neck, and the last one tore through the flesh on the right side of its face, leaving it with a horrible, lopsided grin.

The monster hissed in pain and recoiled, both heads pulling back and watching her as they swayed lightly. The rest of the Grimm, too, seemed to be holding, just watching her for some reason. She didn't lower her guard, but Ruby wasn't gonna pass up an opportunity to regain her breath. They had knocked her back toward the entrance to Beacon's grounds. It was perfect for her, since she knew that she couldn't be attacked from behind that way. After all, she hadn't let a single Grimm through. Never taking her eyes off the enemy force, she exhaled slowly, bringing her heartrate down. She was far from tired yet, and with strength returning to her shell-shocked legs, she still had plenty of fight left in her. Uncle Qrow had trained her rigorously in order to be able to battle for hours, should the need arise. Provided she wasn't forced to use her Aura, she felt she could definitely hold out until Yang returned with reinforcements. Her sister should have been reaching the other battlefield soon.

Ruby ejected Crescent Rose's clipped and slipped in a fresh one. I won't let a single one through.

Not a single one.

"I warned you not to underestimate her," Roman said as his eyes following the crimson tornado Ruby had become.

Cinder sent him a brief glare before turning back to the fight. "I figured that was just because you were a coward."

"My being a coward is the only reason I'm not in prison right now. I know when to cut and run. Which is something we'll probably have to do soon." Roman crossed his arms. "The yellow one's most likely already reached her friends at the front of the school." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did you even let her go?"

"It seemed like fun. Didn't know this one was gonna be such a hassle though." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I sent reinforcements to help out with the battle over there. We don't need so many here if she's the only opponent. She'll wear out eventually, and then we'll just sweep the rest from behind like we originally planned."

A breathy sigh greeted her words. "That's all well and good in theory, but tell me," he motioned toward the young woman who opposed them, now loading a fresh clip into her weapon, "does she look tired at all?"

Cinder pursed her lips. "Well then," she said as a smile crept over her face, "I'll guess we'll just have to make her tired." She held out a hand, and a flame burst to life above it.

Ruby launched herself toward the Grimm with a yank on the trigger. King Taijitu first.

Almost as if hearing her thoughts, the snake Grimm attacked, its white head lashing out, fangs gleaming dangerously. Ruby shifted her grip, holding Crescent Rose behind her and low to the ground. Neatly sidestepping the attack from the Grimm, she came face-to-glowing eye socket as it passed her by. She could swear that crimson orb grew just the tiniest bit wider as it realized what was about to happen.

Ruby fired, sending herself into the air and her scythe through the Taijitu's neck. The white head crashed to the ground as its black counterpart hissed in anger and lashed out at her. Ruby exhaled, and brought her weapon around in a vertical slash at the last moment. The blade pierced straight up through the roof of the snake's mouth and out the top of its head. She pulled Crescent Rose from the corpse and let gravity pull her back toward the earth.

An Ursa was waiting for her, claws already in motion to hit her when she touched down. Rather than dodge it, Ruby decided to use its own power against it. She begin to spin in the direction the attack, bringing her weapon's shaft to bear as a guard. The gigantic paw struck the metal, but the force only added to her rotation. Her feet hit the ground, her torso already twisting. The scythe whipped around in a blur, and the Ursa fell in two halves.

She twirled Crescent Rose above her head, picking out one particular Beowolf who really looked like he wanted cut in half. She grinned lightly as she swung down. Just before her attack could connect though, Ruby's aura flared.

Shi-

The space around her exploded violently, vaporizing the closest Grimm.

"Oh dear," Ruby heard a voice as she reappeared not far from the blast, fire-blackened rose petals trailing in the air behind her, "I was hoping that had been fast enough. You really are quick on your feet, aren't you? Though, not quite quick enough, it seems."

Ruby felt a stinging in her left arm, and bit back at a curse at what she saw. Her sleeve was scorched away from her elbow down. The skin beneath was raw and red, and she could see blisters forming in a few places. She turned to glare silver daggers at Cinder, who just smirked in response.

"What? I never said that we wouldn't fight too." The witch formed another fireball and hurled it at Ruby. Prepared for it this time, she easily cut through it. Her eyes widened in surprise, though, when something smashed into the stonework at her feet and exploded. She was thrown backward, crashing into the ground hard enough that she was sure she was going to have plenty of new bruises.

"Oh, don't forget about me, Red." Roman remarked with a little wave, cane still extended.

Ruby climbed unsteadily to her feet, gritting her teeth. She had been fairly sure she could hold off the Grimm. But the Grimm combined with both Cinder and Roman was a bad formula. She was no doubt going to have to use her Semblance to stay alive, which meant her Aura was going to drain fast. She wouldn't have long, but she could do it. She spun Crescent Rose and planted the tip in the stonework.

Cinder's smile twitched. "You're still planning to fight, aren't you?" Ruby's eyes hardened. "Fine, fight then. I'll show you that it's pointless. I'm going to kill you, just like I did your friend at the festival last year."

Ruby's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

Cinder's smile grew wider. "Oh, didn't they tell you? That chatty little redhead? I killed her!"

"You're…you're lying…" Ruby's voice shook.

"Seems she was a weapon created for the sole purpose of defeating me. She tried to challenge me before our attack. It didn't end well for her." Cinder cackled as Ruby's face fell. "Didn't you ever wonder why she just vanished after the individual matches? Why you never heard from her or saw her again? I incinerated her!"

Ruby's knees felt weak, her stomach sick. "Penny," she whispered, as the young girl's smiling face filled her head. "No, Penny."

"She kept spouting some nonsense about protecting her friends!" Cinder laughed, and Ruby felt something inside of her snap. "It was so pathetic-"

"Shut up!" Ruby roared. She yanked Crescent Rose from the ground and vanished.

Cinder barely had time to jump backward as Ruby appeared in front of her, scythe already cutting through the air with a wicked speed. The older woman landed a short distance away and narrowed golden eyes at her. "Damn brat," she hissed.

"I'll kill you!" Ruby spat, leaping at her again.

"I think that's as close as you get."

Ruby sensed rather than felt the claws speeding toward her back, and ducked. The Beowolf stumbled, off-balance, and she moved to kill it. A faint whistling sound made her glance up though. A smirking Roman and a glowing projectile aimed right at her head greeted her. She activated her semblance again, dodging backward, out of the blast radius. She seethed at Cinder as the fire witch grinned and beckoned with a single finger.

Ruby let a scream so harsh and full of rage that it felt like her vocal cords were splitting, and charged forward.

Weiss plunged Myrtenaster into the dirt beneath her feet, summoning a spine of vicious ice spikes to sprout from the ground. The Deathstalker she had been aiming for was lifted into the air, claws snapping angrily as the ice pierced the underside of its abdomen. Blake flashed into view, cutting through its arms so its hands fell uselessly to the ground. The Grimm roared at her and its stinger burst into motion. Blake backflipped out of range, but Weiss didn't miss the opportunity, and with a flick of her wrist created a glyph on the back of the Deathstalker's head, right behind its eyes.

As the golden tip passed over, she motioned downward, and the glyph changed from light blue to black. The gravity suddenly reversed, the Deathstalker's tail plunged downward and straight into its own head, splitting through its bone armor like it was tissue paper. The monster gave a strangled death cry that petered off as its eyes grew dim. Blake appeared by her side as Weiss pulled her sword from the ground. The faunus had been flitting about the battlefield, helping wherever she could, and it showed. Her clothes were tattered, and she had fresh cuts and bruises every time Weiss saw her.

"Where did they all come from?" Weiss seethed. She observed the battlefield, and what she saw crushed any hope she might have had in her chest. Grimm were everywhere. The force they were fighting had seemed to double their numbers with absolutely no warning. Their attacks became more relentless, and for every enemy the students of Beacon felled, two more rose to take its place. On top of that, among the new forces to arrive was a slew of more powerful Grimm. King Taijitu and Deathstalkers now roamed the battlefield, tearing through the students as if they were no more than a passing annoyance. They had made their presence known by slaughtering all four member of Team STAR.

"I don't know, but we've got to keep fighting. We don't know when Ruby and Yang will be back." With that pleasant reminder, Blake was gone again, nothing more than a deadly black shadow flitting through the fight.

"Right," Weiss murmured. "Keep fighting." The entire situation was beginning to blur together into a confusing mix of sounds and colors to Weiss, but it didn't take much to see that they were fighting a losing battle. It was only a matter of time. Still, Ruby had left her in charge, and she would not let her down. She spun her sword in an arc over her head, glowing points of light forming behind it. She motioned, and the projectiles shot forward, punching holes through a group of Beowolves and an Ursa bearing down on a first year team. Even if all chances of leading had gone out the window, at the very least, she reasoned internally, she could reduce the number of causalities for as long as she could.

The thumping of paws behind her drew her attention and she flicked her hand, creating a glyph wall at her back. It was followed quickly by a solid thump and snarl of pain. Weiss sprung gracefully backwards into the air, and struck the offending Beowolf through its neck as she landed. She spun and glided along the ground toward another group of Grimm. Myrtenaster pierced the leading Ursa through the chest, and she sent a wave of fire scorching out from the sword's tip, torching the Grimm gathered behind it.

Weiss took a moment to gather herself. She wasn't a stamina freak like Ruby or Yang, and all of her attacks used a little bit of her Aura, so battle was more tiresome for her than the rest of her team. It was why she generally filled a support position within her team. Her vision was swimming slightly, and she felt a tremble in her muscles. I won't be able to fight for much longer, she realized. She looked down at her weapon, giving the Dust chamber a spin. Several of the containers were already empty, and the rest were almost out. The white chamber was still full, but that only had one or two shots in it, to begin with.

One way or another, for Weiss it would all be over soon.

"Weiss!" Blake's panicked voice met her ears.

Maybe sooner rather than later, she thought as she turned and brought her sword about to guard. The Boarbatusk was already barreling toward her in a ball of sheer power, though, and it struck her before she could even think about dodging. Myrtenaster went flying from her grasp as she felt her arm break in several places. She was pitched backward and slammed into the dirt, head spinning from the impact. A rattling cough escaped her lungs, and her whole boy responded with a wave of pain. She felt a dribble of blood leak from the side of her mouth.

Get up, Weiss! she screamed at herself. Get up! You have to get up! You're not finished yet!

She managed to push herself up shakily on her good arm, only to be met with a Beowolf mid-pounce, jaws wide open. Before she even had a chance to process her impending death, she heard a whirring sound, like a machine spinning up. Something bright streaked across her vision, tearing the Beowolf to shreds in seconds, and Weiss' eyes widened as she looked around for the source. The whine of engines directed her to sky, where the intimidating bulk of a Bullhead hovered above the battlefield. The gun nestled underneath the nose of the vehicle was ablaze, deadly lead spitting from it at an incredible rate. Used, smoking shells poured from the machine gun to the ground beneath in a brass waterfall.

The Grimm howled in anguish as entire swathes of them were cut to pieces. Beowolves, Ursi, Boarbatusks, King Taijitus and Deathstalkers alike all fell before the onslaught.

"Weiss!" Blake's voice startled her from her daze. She turned to find her teammate running up to her, worry written all over her face. "Are you alright?"

Weiss tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it came out as more of grimace. "I'm alive. Arm's broken."

"I'm sorry, I looked away for an instant and-"

The white-haired girl held up a hand to cut her off. "Stop, Blake. It wasn't your fault. I got distracted and couldn't react in time."

"But-"

Weiss silenced her with a glare. "More importantly, where did that come from?" She motioned toward the Bullhead. "And who's piloting it? It can't be Ozpin, they would need more than one airship to get everyone back."

Blake glanced up. "I don't know. But whoever it is, they saved us." Her golden eyes shifted to the remaining forces of Grimm. "We might actually be able to win this now, too."

Her teammate nodded stiffly and retrieved Myrtenaster, holding it awkwardly with her right hand. She wasn't completely awful at using her offhand, but it still felt strange. "Gather up all of the students while the Bullhead's drawing their attention," she told Blake. "We'll need to be regrouped if we want to have a chance." Blake tilted her head and ran the other direction.

As the Bullhead continued to laying down a blistering covering fire, Weiss and Blake managed to gather up the remaining students. The number was far fewer than Weiss would have liked. At least seven more teams' worth of her comrades had fallen since the second wave of Grimm had hit, most of them first years. The rest were haggard, beaten, bloody, and exhausted. She bit her lip; Ruby was going to be devastated. She pushed the thought from her mind; she had to focus right now. Blake pulled off the straps around her arm and used them for a makeshift sling Weiss' arm. She hissed as the faunus finished the last knot.

A repetitive clicking sound filled the air, and Weiss ice-blue eyes snapped to the Bullhead, which seemed to have finally run out of ammo. There was still a fair number of Grimm left, but the number had been greatly reduced. It was still a daunting task, but Weiss could finally see a path to victory. She raised Myrtenaster to its battle position and opened her mouth to call back to the students, but the sudden silence in the air made her freeze. She looked up to see the Bullhead plummeting from the air, its engines dead.

They must be out of fuel. Weiss exhaled and prepared to use her Semblance. Whoever was in there had saved all of their lives. There was no way she was just going to let them die, even if it took the rest of her Aura. She stopped whenever the Bullhead's side door sprung open, and three figures jumped from the inside. Their feet touched the ground at the same time as the airship crashed into the last Deathstalker. The remaining Dust in its fuel chambers ignited, and the entire craft became a roaring fireball, obliterating a large portion of the remaining Grimm.

Weiss felt like crying. She recognized those figures outlined in fire. She knew them. They were safe, they were alive, and they had saved them.

"Nora," Weiss never thought she would be happy to hear Jaune Arc's voice, "while I appreciate your idea, you do not get to pilot anything. Again. Ever."

She giggled in response, "They're the ones that left it on the landing pad for me. I just wanted to take it for a spin."

"The barrel roll was completely unnecessary," Ren commented, voice tired. "With Pyrrha's condition-"

"I'm fine," a weak voice interrupted him, and Weiss' eyes narrowed at the bundle in Jaune's arms. "Jaune had me."

Weiss took a small step forward, almost not believing that they were there. "Jaune?"

He looked up at the sound of her voice, and smiled. They closed the remaining distance spread out in front of the gathered defenders. "Team JNPR, reporting for duty," Jaune announced.

"You're late, idiot," Weiss said with a watery voice, and Jaune chuckled.

"Sorry, we ran into some issues on our end too." Now that they were closer, Weiss saw that Pyrrha was not looking the best. The fact that she had to be carried had been enough to let her know something was wrong, but her injuries were extensive, and her left leg was badly mangled. Jaune looked around. "Is this everyone?" he asked quietly. Weiss and Blake nodded.

"What about Ruby?" Ren didn't even care if the panic he felt in his chest came out in his voice.

Blake shot him a look. "Ruby and Yang bolted out of here to deal with something else awhile ago."

Pyrrha's brow furrowed. "Something else?"

Jaune's eyes widened. "The plan..."

Weiss shook her head. "She said she didn't have time to explain-"

Without warning, something crashed into the ground behind them, causing a small explosion of dust. The sound of guns being cocked and blades being readied sounded as every student fighter tensed, waiting for whatever it was to show itself.

"Weiss!" a voice called from the dust cloud. "Blake!"

The two glanced at each other before looking back and answering, "Yang?"

The blonde brawler burst from the smoke, panic written all over her face. She skidded to a halt in front of them. "Ruby needs help, now!" She gave a brief breakdown of the situation, voice desperate. "We need to go!"

Weiss felt dread nestle in her stomach, and judging by Blake's expression, so did she. Weiss turned to Jaune, but before she could say anything, he was already speaking, his voice steady and sure.

"Go. We'll finish up what's left here and follow you."

She nodded, and then turned to Yang and Blake. "Let's go!"

The three members of RWBY took off for the backside of Beacon.

Ren watched them go, his stomach clenching. Please be okay, Ruby.

A roar tore through the air, bringing his attention back to his own situation. The Grimm were beginning to regroup, working their way around the burning heap of metal that had been the Bullhead. Ren moved his arms, and Stormflower sprung into his hands.

"Pyrrha-"

"I'll be fine, Jaune," she said with a wince as she pulled herself from his arms. "I can't just lie around and do nothing."

"But-"

"Don't worry. I'll stay in the back and provide covering fire."

Jaune bit his lip, obviously reluctant to let her anywhere near the fighting. Ren couldn't really blame him. She had died, after all. He caved though, and said with a sigh, "Just be careful, alright?"

Her expression softened and she gently touched his cheek. "Promise."

Jaune closed his eyes, relishing the feel of her gloved hand, and the fact that she was alive struck him once more. "Alright," he breathed, eyes snapping open. "Form up!" he called, drawing his sword and shield. "Spread out, and watch each others backs." The Grimm were charging across the open ground at full speed now, eyes glowing menacingly. "This is it! For Beacon!" Jaune roared, and the students answered with equal fervor.

Then the Grimm were upon them, and the world devolved into the chaos of battle once more.

A glancing blow struck her shoulder, and Ruby stumbled as a fine spray of blood burst from the wound. She turned and rammed Crescent Rose into the offending Beowolf. Unfortunately, that left her back open, and she felt something slam into her and explode, sending her skidding face-first into the ground. Her mind was spinning, and she saw double as she climbed shakily to her feet, the place where Roman's blast had struck her burning fiercely.

She was bleeding from multiple wounds, and her clothes were in tatters. Pieces of her cloak were shredded everywhere, almost as numerous as the empty shell casings strewn about the docks. She had long since run out of ammunition. Crescent Rose was beaten to hell, and she was almost out of Aura.

But still, Ruby stood.

Still, Ruby fought.

Cinder bared her teeth angrily. "Why?" she seethed. "Why does she keep getting up?" It had been the same way with the robot girl the previous year. No matter how many times Cinder beat her to the ground, no matter how many limbs she blew off or scorched away, she kept climbing back to her feet. What was it about these children that kept pushing them forward like this? What compelled them to throw themselves away?

Ruby vanished in a swirl of petals. It was something Cinder had quickly become used to over the course of the fight. It was her Semblance, and probably her biggest strength when it came to dodging all of the attacks being leveled at her. It also had a massive weakness...its user. Cinder's eyes glowed as she gathered power, and let it all explode out from her at once. The result was a full radial blast of fire with her as the focus. The attack caught Ruby mid-Semblance, and blew her back to the ground, scorched and smoking.

She pushed herself up on her hands and knees and coughed, blood spattering the ground.

"You have the mind of a child. How many times have you tried to use your Semblance to attack me now?" Cinder smirked. "You're so predictable."

Ruby glared at her, and forced herself to stand. There was no strength left in her limbs, and she could barely even lift Crescent Rose.

"I think this is end, Red," Roman said, leveling his cane at her.

She didn't say anything, settling just for spinning her scythe into its normal ready position to her back. If this was in fact the end, then she was going to go out fighting. She still had one or two Semblance uses left in her. If Cinder was expecting her to aim for her, then maybe she could at least take out Roman. Cinder sent a fireball streaking toward her, and Roman pulled the trigger. At the same time, she sensed several Grimm coming at her from behind.

Ruby exhaled. She was going to have to time this well. She focused her remaining Aura to her legs. Just before Cinder and Roman's attacks hit, when she about to activate her Semblance, though, a glyph appeared in the air in front of her, and the Grimm behind her gave howls of pain. The fireball and its counterpart struck the glyph and exploded, leaving Ruby untouched.

She turned to look uncertainly over her shoulder, and saw exactly what she had been hoping for.

"I told you I'd be back, sis," Yang said with a head tilt and a smile, pulling her fist from what has once been a Beowolf's chest cavity.

Ruby returned the smile exhaustedly. "Yeah. Took you long enough."

"You dolt!" Weiss reprimanded as she stalked up to her partner. "What were you thinking? Sending Yang off and fighting this many enemies alone! Just look at you!" She moved her eyes up and down Ruby's torn up body, wincing at a few of the worse injuries.

"You're one to talk, Weiss. What happened to your arm?"

"That's beside the point-"

"Are you alright, Ruby?" Blake asked, bringing the two partners back to Remnant before they could get carried away. She kept her eyes trained on the Grimm as they shifted about them restlessly, not sure what to do about the new arrivals.

"I'm running on fumes, but I've got enough left in me to take them," she indicated Roman and Cinder.

"I want Roman," Blake said. "I still have to pay him back for last year. And no offense, but you don't look in any condition to fight them both."

"Alright, then." Yang cocked her gauntlets. "You do that. We'll take care of these fuckers."

Ruby straightened up, a new found strength coursing through her veins. "Weiss, you mind giving me a boost? I'm kinda out of ammo."

Her partner sighed exasperatedly. "I swear, Ruby, what would you do without me?" She created an angled glyph, and Ruby hopped onto it.

"Just like initiation, huh?" the leader of RWBY commented, and Weiss couldn't help a small smile.

"Not quite." Blake jumped up beside Ruby. "Can you launch us both, Weiss?"

"Hmph, who do you think I am?"

"Then do it," Yang pressed. The Grimm were already starting to edge forward.

Weiss spun and swung her sword downward. The glyph changed from black to bright blue, and Ruby and Blake took off like twin bullets toward Roman and Cinder. Several Grimm leapt at them as they flew by, but never reached them, as Yang was furiously firing round after round to keep them clear. One single Beowolf managed to avoid her attacks, getting its jaws mere inches from Ruby's leg before Gambol Shroud found its neck.

Cinder narrowed her eyes. They just kept multiplying. She could worry about the two battling the Grimm later. For now, she should focus on the enemies coming to them. It seemed the faunus was hellbent on fighting Roman, so that left her the scythe-wielder. When she got close enough, she was probably going to use the same tactic as before. So, in turn, the same countermeasure would work.

She gathered her energy again as Blake planted herself on Crescent Rose and Ruby swung with all she had, throwing Blake forward at an alarming velocity. The brunette girl skidded in between the Cinder and Roman before they could react.

"Shit!" Roman cursed, stumbling backward, but Cinder remained unconcerned; this one was after Roman. She kept her eyes on the red-cloaked girl still soaring toward her. She noticed that there was a ribbon on her scythe's handle that definitely had not been there before. She followed its length back to the faunus girl, who held the other end and was pulling on it with all her might.

Cinder realized what was happening too late, and her head snapped back to Ruby, feeling panic for the first time that day. She tried to release her power for another attack, but wasn't nearly fast enough as the girl, accelerated with the help of her teammate, landed in front of her, weapon already flashing. Cinder felt the cold bite of steel slice from her right shoulder to her left hip. Pain exploded through her body as she stumbled backward, hand going to grasp at the bleeding wound. It wasn't very deep, but it was large and sapped her strength.

Ruby pressed her attack, running forward and slashing low. Cinder leapt backward, launching a fireball at her as she did so. Instead of dodging Ruby brought Crescent Rose up and used the cross section to guard against the attack. The impact rattled her bones, but she didn't give any ground, and she jumped from the smoke, twirling in the air and becoming a spinning whirlwind of death. Cinder barely sidestepped, but the blade still nicked her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

Dammit! How is she still moving like this? She was exhausted! She's half-dead! Cinder ground her teeth. Why had any of this happened at all? This was supposed to have been easy! There was supposed to be barely any resistance. And yet every single step of the way, they had been stalled, resisted and thwarted. All by these children, especially this fucking brat! Cinder's rage exploded through her chest, and she began blasting at Ruby viciously. The young woman almost buckled under the attacks, but kept coming anyway.

Not too far away, Blake was having a furious duel with Roman. Both of her swords were out and slashing, never still. Somehow though, Roman managed to counter or block every single one of her swings, chuckling all the while. It had been the same way the previous year, and it aggravated her so badly. She swung both parts of Gambol Shroud at him from the side, aiming for either side of his ribs, but held his cane our horizontally, stopping both blades cold.

Blake activated her semblance, blurring out and behind him. She stabbed upward, hoping to catch him through the chest. He ducked her blades though, and the only thing she impaled was his bowler. He spun and straightened his back as his cane came hurtling upward, catching her under the chin hard. The blow lifted her into the air, and he promptly struck her chest with an open palm, sending her flying backward. Stars exploded in front of her eyes and her ears were ringing.

Roman walked calmly toward her. "It seems kitty didn't learn her lesson last year. Maybe this time it will stick." Blake grit her teeth, converted Gambol Shroud, and threw it at Roman. He leaned to the side, letting the weapon pass by him harmlessly. "Now, now," he taunted as he grabbed the ribbon and yanked, pulling Blake to him. He caught her under her shoulder with the hook of his cane and flipped her over his back, planting his foot in her stomach for good measure. Blake slammed into the stonework, gasping desperately to try and reclaim the air forced from her lungs.

She heard the sound of booted feet landing beside her, and someone gripped her under her arms and lifted her to her feet. "Tag out, Blake."

Blake drew a deep breath before responding, "I can still-"

Yang cut her off, "You're exhausted, Blake. Right now you can't take him. Go help Weiss." She opened her mouth to protest, but stopped when she saw the intensity and concern burning in Yang's violet eyes. "Please," she said quietly, her hand on Blake's shoulder gripping slightly tighter.

"Alright," she conceded. "Be careful, okay? He's faster than he looks."

"Roger that." Blake jumped away and Yang adopted her standard fighting pose.

"Just one after the other. You lot just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Yang said nothing, settling instead for throwing her arms out and firing both of her gauntlets, propelling herself to Roman in an instant. Green eyes widened in surprise, and he brought his cane up in an awkward guard as Yang's left fist came rocketing around. The blow knocked off his balance, and he barely managed to block the right uppercut that came next. He took a few unsure steps backward, arms flailing to try and regain his balance. Yang spun and slammed her foot into his chest, knocking him to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Roman, what were you saying?" He brushed the dirt from his coat and glared at her. "That's what I thought." She burst into motion again.

Cinder pushed aside Crescent Rose's blade, but wasn't prepare for Ruby to complete the spin and crack her across the face with the weapon's shaft. She growled at Ruby and summoned a circle of fire beneath her. Ruby vaulted out of range before the ground exploded, dashing forward again the instant the attack cleared. Cinder swung at her chest with a flaming hand, but Ruby ducked underneath of it. She spun her scythe from where it rested on her back and slammed the back end into Cinder's side, knocking her to the ground.

"Give it up, Cinder," Ruby said as she watched the fire witch pulled herself up to her knees. "Your attack has failed. You're finished."

"I am not finished," Cinder spat, glaring at the young woman. Her hair was in complete disarray, her clothes were torn, and blood ran down her chest from the first wound Ruby had given her. "I still have a quarter of my forces waiting below the cliff to move on my command."

Dread gripped Ruby's heart at those words, but she didn't let it show. "So call them. We'll defeat them too."

"You little bitch! What makes you so confident?! What makes you think that you can beat me?!"

"We haven't lost yet, have we?"

Golden eyes blazed in anger. "Haven't you? I'm sure by now your comrades defending the other side of the school are-"

There was a commotion behind them, and both of them turned toward Beacon. Pouring out through the entrance to the airships docks were remaining defenders of Beacon. Leading the charge was three-fourths of JNPR, though Ruby did spot Pyrrha in the back. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders that she hadn't even been aware was there. Her friends were alive. She hadn't sent them to their deaths. Hope bloomed in her chest as she turned back to Cinder. "Looks like they're perfectly fine." Better than fine, the fighters seemed invigorated, and began tearing apart the Grimm in their way under Jaune's orders. She briefly caught Ren's eyes, and relief flooded her system further.

Cinder's eyes were wide. "How...?"

"ROMAN!" Ruby turned at the sound of her sister's voice. "Get back here!"

"Sorry, Yellow," he said over his shoulder as he sprinted toward the cliffs. "I think its about time I depart." He reached the edge and leapt off, and for once strange second, Ruby was sure he had killed himself. Until he re-emerged, standing atop an airship. Unlike a Bullhead; this one was designed with luxury and speed in mind. Roman's eyes landed on Cinder. "Cinder, dear, I'm sure you understand. Cutting my losses and all of that." He gave a slight bow. "Your little beasties are on their way up, but I don't know if they'll get there in time. Good luck!" He disappeared inside the airship and it turned and flew off, the punches Yang throwing at it managing nothing more than a few scorch marks.

"Fucking coward!" she yelled after it as it disappeared in the distance.

Cinder couldn't even manage words. Everything was collapsing so fast around her. The remaining Grimm around her were quickly being destroyed, and those that were still beneath the cliffs weren't here yet. "No," she breathed. This wasn't how this was supposed to play out. None of this. "No," she repeated with a bit more force. She was Cinder Fall. She would not just let it end like this. She still had one more trump card. The ramifications of using it could be incredibly harsh, so she had wanted to avoid it if possible, but it looked as though she no longer had a real choice in the matter.

Her hand dove into the pouch at her back and pulled out a small, plastic container, its contents rattling inside. Ruby heard the noise and turned to her, expression confused as she saw the little box.

"What is..." Cinder flicked open the cap and raised the container toward her mouth, and Ruby's gaze hardened. It didn't matter if she didn't know what it was, it was Cinder's last resort, and Ruby could not allow her to use it. She summoned the last of her Aura and activated her Semblance one last time. She vanished in a shower of petals.

Cinder felt the blade cut through her wrist. Saw the spray of blood that accompanied it. But it didn't register exactly what had happened until she saw her left hand tumble off the cliff side, plastic container still clutched tightly in its grasp. Then the pain lanced up from the stump, and she curled forward until her forehead touched the ground.

Ruby, breathing heavily, looked at her with eyes full of pity. "It's over, Cinder."

A bloodcurdling scream tore its way from the fire witch's throat, drawing the attention of everyone on the battlefield. Jaune pushed the corpse of the last Grimm from his blade, and he held it above his head, letting out a victory cry that was echoed by every student fighter still standing.

They had done it. Cinder and the Grimm were defeated.

The nightmare was over.

That's what everyone saw. Everyone but Yang.

She was the closest to Ruby, so she was the first to see the skittering black legs peak over the edge of the cliff. She didn't realize was it was until she saw the claws and stinger, and the true horror of what was happening dawned on her as the Deathstalker silently pulled its bulk up from the abyss.

Right behind Ruby.

Her body moved instinctively, her arms flying out behind her, Ember Celica blazing to life as if it felt her panic. "RUBY!" she screamed.

Her sister started to turn, an exhausted smile on her face.

Too slow. Far too slow.

There was no way she could cover the distance to Ruby in time.

The Deathstalker's tail reared back and shot forward. She stretched out a hand, but she couldn't reach.

Yang could do nothing but watch as the stinger pierced her sister's back and burst through her abdomen.

A/N: So, um...hi. I hope you're not too upset with me. About Penny or Ruby. I did warn you it was coming, sooooo...I love you?

But god damn, that was a hell of a chapter, huh? Up and down and all around on this one. Second longest chapter I've ever written for any fanfic, too. The action scenes were pretty fun to write, and I hope you guys felt that they were smooth(ish) and believable and felt RWBY-esque

Next chapter is it, my friends (Ozpin's gonna be there, so look forward to that, at least)

You guys are all fantastic. It really makes me happy that so many people enjoy my story and look forward to the progression of the story. Seriously, I love you all so much 3

Until next time!

PS - I am once again both sorry and not sorry for anything I may have done to your emotions