And Then, Silence
In media res, we find our heroine and our villain locked in a long and drawn out battle, neither side able to gain a clear advantage. After nearly an hour of intense fighting, both are on the verge of collapse, struggling even to remain upright. But surely one must rise and end this fight. For better, or for worse…
Ruby and Cinder each went down on one knee, panting heavily. An empty space of twenty feet separated them, and each woman raised her head just enough to glare into the eyes of her adversary.
All around them, the room lay in ruins. Emerald had long since fled, abandoning Cinder. Fighting Ruby was the last straw, she no longer had it in her to serve alongside Cinder, her longtime mentor and idol. Mercury lay in an unconscious heap, a trickle of blood behind his ear and one of his armored legs detached, nowhere to be seen.
Moments of silence stretched between them, both women still trying to catch their breath. Cinder gritted her teeth, pure exhaustion the only thing reining in her seething rage.
In her mind, the words screamed: What is this child? How is she doing this? Why the hell can't I kill her!
Steeling herself, Cinder started to pull herself up into a standing position, shaking and almost falling but eventually succeeding in getting back on her feet.
Meanwhile, Ruby merely watched, waiting. She knew she was almost at her limit. Whatever power it was that surged through her at the top of Beacon's tower, she still could not control it at will and without it, she feared she would eventually lose this fight.
She flashed back to her broken memories of that night. Even after all these months, Ruby still couldn't piece together everything that had taken place. She couldn't remember exactly what had happened after reaching the top of the tower. Her last conscious memory was of Pyrrha, glowing like she was on fire – a phoenix burning bright and then fading. She remembered the dying embers of her friend trickling away, ashes scattered by a careless breeze.
And then everything went blank. A wall of white slammed down over her world like a curtain, and all that remained was a few sounds. In the distance: The screeching cry of a large grimm, a piercing memory of Cinder's voice, a roaring torrent of wind heralding a swirling cyclone of cold, thrashing air, and then… nothing.
Ruby could feel her heart pounding in her chest, beating against her ribs. With every staggering breath, her lungs berated her, wearily protesting in a shuddering pattern of inhaling and exhaling.
She wanted to give up. She wanted to go home. She wanted to run away, and hide and cover her ears and close her eyes. Plain and simple, she was scared. Fear, as much as exhaustion, held her in place. She didn't think she'd win this fight and come out of it alive.
But she wasn't about to let Cinder see her doubts. Within her mind, Ruby's thoughts shouted and bounced off the inside of her throbbing skull, Get up damn it! Get up now! Do it for Yang, for Weiss, for Blake! Do this for Pyrrha! Do this for everyone who lost someone in the fall of Beacon! Just. Get. Up!
But still she couldn't rise. Cinder, now slightly more steady on her feet took a few slow steps towards where Ruby knelt, narrowing the gap between them.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ruby let loose a primal roar, temporarily stopping Cinder in her tracks. The sudden force of her will finally urged her groaning muscles into action, and inch by inch she fought to stand. Finally, she stood almost level with her opponent, leaning heavily on her scythe.
It seemed as if the battle would begin again in earnest, but the door behind Cinder slammed open, startling them both. A swirl of inky nighttime shadows poured into the room, leeching away some of the yellow lamplight.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Both women watched the door warily, waiting to see who or what had disturbed it.
Then, in walked Neo.
Recognition flashed in Ruby's eyes and she groaned. Now, it was two against one. But Cinder didn't smile, she just glared, annoyed.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded in her low rasping voice, not welcoming the interference.
Neo cocked her head to one side, and a slow, sly smiled tugged at her lips. She blinked and her eyes shimmered, as if catching a sudden ray of light.
Cinder scoffed, not wanting to wait any longer. She'd had enough – it was time to finish off this nuisance once and for all. Turning her back to Neo, she looked at Ruby, hatred oozing out of her one good eye and her upper lip curling into a sneer.
The room charged with an intense energy as Cinder summoned the power of the fall maiden, and Ruby raised Crescent Rose, ready to ward off the coming attack.
Cinder screamed and a fiery light burst from her skin, and she lunged towards Ruby, a murderous pulse beating in her veins – but the shriek was strangled in her throat as she was pulled up short. A restraining hand gripped her shoulder, squashing her power and holding her in place.
Her mouth hanging open in shock, Cinder looked over her shoulder to see Neo, gripping her fiercely. Her face was arranged in a smug mask of contempt.
And then the small, ever-silent girl opened her mouth to speak.
"Stop."
The single word echoed in space, chaining Cinder and Ruby to the floor. Cinder's eye widened in disbelief – she recognized that voice.
"My dear Cinder, the sheer number and brilliance of your shortcomings never cease to amaze, do they? I mean really, if you can't even handle one little girl, there's not much use for you now is there…"
A bubble of girlish laughter fell from Neo's lips, and in an instant her features shifted, rearranging themselves in a blur of light and motion.
Her skin and hair blanched, leeching away it's warmth and color. Her eyes flashed, lit from within by the glow of a red fire. Dark veins crept over her cheeks, and a single black diamond adorned her forehead.
Staring back at them was Salem.