Soft classical music played through the speakers, reaching every corner of the filled dance hall. Partners held each other close, swaying gently with bright eyes and passive smiles. Each pair of dancers were perfectly spaced, giving them enough room to move around without accidentally bumping into one another. It wasn't a place that Ruby expected herself to be, considering her wild and clumsier nature, but she wasn't there for herself. She'd come at the behest of her partner: someone she'd agreed to follow to the ends of the Earth.
One hand was on Weiss's hip, and the other was holding her hand. Her dancing skills were less than admirable, but it wasn't as much of an issue when Weiss was taking the lead. They swayed to and fro, with Ruby finding it difficult to take her eyes off the pale beauty in front of her. She looked completely stunning in a shiny white dress, the light blue snowflakes dotting the bottom shimmering under the lights. It felt like she was actually outside on a snowy day, getting lost in the beautiful blanket of white that was her partner.
She couldn't help but smile, wider still when Weiss smiled back at her. Around them were all their friends, dancing together with harmony only true partners could have. It may not have been her scene, but at the moment, there was nowhere else she'd rather be. For a moment she caught the eye of Yang, who was dancing a short distance away with Blake. Noticing her sister looking her way, Yang waved at her with a big grin, holding Blake close with the other. She waved back, stifling a laugh as Weiss grabbed her hand and forced it back into her own.
For once, the silence between them wasn't worrisome. There wasn't a need for words when they could say all they needed with their feet. The music started to slow down, and their dancing did as well. It was a bit too slow for her liking, but she was willing to put up with it as long as Weiss was happy. She wanted to lean in and give her a kiss, but she knew Weiss wouldn't approve of the PDA. Maybe later she could snatch a smooch or three, when everything was winding down.
As she looked around the room again, she noticed something odd. Jaune was standing off to the side, arms at his side and unmoving. She swore that she'd seen him dancing with Pyrrha just moments ago. Had she left to get a drink or something? That didn't explain why he was just standing there like a statue, though. She kept glancing over at him, but Pyrrha never returned. Her concern only deepened, and her distracted nature didn't go unnoticed.
"You're being distracted, Ruby." Weiss whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. Her partner always had that effect on her, though. With a voice like melting ice, she had a way of making Ruby feel things she'd never thought possible. It almost made her forget her concern, but it kept prickling in her mind. She couldn't just let it go.
"I'm sorry. It's just... something's wrong." Nothing more had changed, but she felt like the song was getting slower. Her feet were, in turn, moving slower of their own accord. She looked over at Yang, hoping that seeing her sister's smile would bring a sense of normalcy back into the world. However, she wasn't smiling anymore. Her expression was oddly dour as she danced around with Blake. Worse yet, she was only holding onto her partner with one hand. Where her other arm had been was now nothing but a stump. "Oh my God..."
"Don't think about that, Ruby. Focus on me." Ruby returned to looking at Weiss, but she couldn't stop thinking about what she'd seen. Pyrrha was gone, and Yang's arm was missing. How was that even possible? And how could Weiss be so calm while all this was happening? Could she not see what had happened? "Just focus on me, Ruby. It's going to be okay." She couldn't imagine that ever being the case now, but she found herself able to just concentrate on her partner all the same. At least for a little bit.
Her wandering eyes couldn't stop looking around them, and her heart felt like it had stopped when she noticed the rapidly-emptying room. Dancers were disappearing left and right, always vanishing right before she could see what had happened. In the shadows at the edges of the room, creatures of a horrifying mass seemed to be replacing them. She couldn't make out what they were, but they were misshapen and bulky, with angry red eyes that all seemed to be glaring right at her. It put her on edge, making her want to grab Weiss's hand and run as fast and as far as they could.
From the nothing that had taken over the dance floor, shadows began to take shape into actual people. She was horrified to see a host of familiar faces start to take the places of the disappearing dancers. At the head of them was Cinder, standing alone with a psychotic smile on her face. Ruby whimpered quietly, tensing up hard and making it difficult for her to keep dancing. A pinch to her cheek temporarily brought her back to Weiss, who was staring at her with narrowed eyes.
"Would you rather be dancing over there with them, since you're so fond of looking that way so much?" Ruby gulped, feeling the annoyance radiating off of Weiss's body. It just served to confuse her more, though. It felt like she had no idea something bad was going on, yet she'd clearly said "Don't think about that" earlier. She had to know something was amiss to have said that, but why would she not want Ruby to notice? That wasn't like her at all.
"N-No, that's not it at all! Just..." She dropped her voice to a whisper, leaning in close to Weiss. "Something's wrong, Weiss. Something's very wrong. Everybody's disappearing around us, and Cinder's here! It's like I'm the only one who can see this!" She stopped, her eyes widening as she pulled her face away from Weiss. Even as the realization took hold of her, she remained locked in the sway of their dance. It was like nothing was going to allow her to stop. "Am... Am I the only one who can see this?"
"Don't worry about it, Ruby." Weiss smiled softly, taking Ruby's hand back in her own and squeezing it reassuringly. "It's going to be okay." Normally this would've calmed her down, but now it only served to heighten her anxiety. She felt panic-stricken at this point, desperately looking around and trying to will everyone to stay in place. Unfortunately, it didn't work: people kept disappearing left and right. Even members of Cinder's own crew were vanishing, so it wasn't a one-sided affair. That didn't make her feel any better, though.
"Why is this happening? Please tell me, Weiss!" She was begging for an answer, but none was forthcoming. They just kept dancing, around and around, as the room emptied further. She almost didn't want to look at where Yang and Blake had been, for fear that they would be gone too. Finally, her desperate need to make sure they were alright forced her hand, and she looked over. Yang was standing there alone and still like Jaune had been. She blinked once, and then she was gone too. "No..."
Everything was going so slowly that she didn't believe that they were still moving. She had to look down at her feet for proof that they were still dancing. The swaying that had elated her at the beginning of the night now just made her sick. She wanted to stop: to do something about what was going on. At the very least she wanted to run away. It may have been cowardly, but right then, it felt better than what they were doing. Just dancing while the world was burning felt like they were enabling all these terrible things that were happening.
"Will you promise me something, Ruby?" Weiss's voice startled her, and she turned back to see her gentle smile. Any other time, she would feel completely at peace. Now all she could imagine was something terrible happening. She could predict what was about to unfold, but it just remained itching at the back of her mind. The rest of her brain wouldn't allow her to think the truth. Not until it was too late.
"What is it?" She couldn't swallow down the lump in her throat. It was threatening to choke her, but keeping her alive just long enough to hear whatever Weiss was about to make her promise. She knew that it didn't matter what she said. If she needed to promise something to her, she'd do it. She always had.
"Promise me that you won't dance with anyone else." She tightened her grip on Ruby, staring right into the depths of her soul. "Will you promise me that I'll always be your only partner?"
"I... I promise. I only want you as my partner." Tears started to stream down her face without her noticing. She knew what was about to happen, and she wanted to do everything she could to prevent it. She wouldn't even close her eyes, keeping them open wide and refusing to look away from Weiss. Little prickles of annoyance touched the corners of her eyes, but she wouldn't blink. She wouldn't let go... Her hands tightened on Weiss, biting her lower lip until it began hurting.
"You can't hold your eyes open forever, Ruby." Weiss laughed quietly, leaning in to kiss her. The tears fell faster as she was compelled to kiss back, unable to keep her eyes from shutting. She held onto that kiss for as long as she could, for an eternity if she could. There wasn't an eternity to have, though. The weight of Weiss's lips lessened against her own, leaving a cool but empty taste. She opened her eyes, and Weiss was gone.
"Weiss..." She fell to her knees, hugging the air she was now holding to herself. Sobs wracked her body as she hugged herself tightly. Looking up, she could barely make out a nearly-empty room through her tear-streaked vision. Only one person was left, standing there with the same psychotic grin as before. Cinder was all that was left. Nobody else was there, and it was her fault. It was her fault...
She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes, walking over towards Cinder with a newfound determination. Standing right in front of her, they both stared each other down, the room completely silent but for her own breathing. It felt like an eternity of a staredown, but eventually she was forced to blink, and Cinder wasn't there anymore. Her never-fading grin remained in Ruby's vision even after she was gone.
The shadowy figures clamoring against the wall started to dissipate, their beady red eyes blinking out of existence. Despite their disappearance, the shadows still roamed large against the walls, seemingly closing in now that there was no person left in their path. They swirled around the floor like a fog, nipping at Ruby's heels. She'd lost her fear of their presence, though. Everyone in her life was gone, and she was left all alone. There was no room within her grief-stricken anger for fear now.
There was a dark, opulent throne now at the center of the stage. Sitting upon it was Salem, staring down at Ruby with a curious look. It sent a slight shudder down Ruby's spine, but she refused to break. She stepped right onto the stage and faced down Salem. This woman who had caused everybody in this world so much harm was mere inches in front of her. If she could just reach out and grab her, she could end everything. The power to save the world was within her grasp.
But she knew the truth. No matter how much preparations she made, Salem was just going to be too powerful. She held power over death itself: her silver eyes held no sway against that. Her hands twitched at her sides, desperate to try: desperate to grab her weapon and slice Salem down where she stood. There was no weapon at her side, though. There were no friends at her side either. She was all alone, taking on a monster which had so much power. She... She just couldn't do it.
One last tear slid down her cheek as she closed her eyes. They never opened again.