Hey guys, Fal here. I want to start off by thanking Radix for letting me use the lyrics from his adaptation of Battle Against a True Hero from Undertale. You can find his YouTube channel here: user/RadixMusics and his rendition of the song here: watch?v=ynckjbt5YNY
I hope you enjoy!
Every hero has to make a serious choice
Fight with honor make your rivals fear your voice
Ruby smirked darkly, her scythe over her shoulders. Her hood shrouded her face slightly as her silver eyes locked onto the back of the witch in front of her.
How long had it been since this all started? Ten, maybe eleven years? The huntress had lost count. She just knew that it was time to end it.
Salem's sickly pale white skin peeked from her cloak, black veins giving a small contrast. A low, dark laugh leapt from her enemy's throat.
"I was wondering when you would return little Rose. Are you finally ready to face your demise?" Salem called and finally turned around.
Ruby Rose finally looked up, her hood slipping off the top of her head.
"Nah. You know, this place could use some redecorating." Ruby quipped simply and tilted her head, her silver eyes giving off a small bit of light in the dark of the temple.
Die in battle to perpetuate your name
Or run from danger just to live another day
The Silver-Eyed Warrior thought about the last time she stood in this exact spot. She could recall the nauseating feeling of a completely drained aura. She could see the glow of her eyes flickering at the edge of her vision. Crescent Rose laid useless out of reach on the other side of the room.
"Tsk tsk little Rose… look what happens when you think you can challenge a goddess?" Salem growled and grabbed Ruby's chin, forcing silver eyes to gaze up into glowing red.
Ruby was weak as she felt the blood gushing from the beowulf claw mark on her side. The carcass of the Grimm was still dissolving beside her.
With one final effort, Ruby pulled away from Salem's hold and activated her semblance, running around the monster and grabbing her scythe on her way to fleeing the temple.
Tripping over her own feet, Ruby ran as far as she could before she finally fell and the world went black.
Real heroes never fear the pain or death
Every soldier fight until their final breath
Ruby felt tears in her eyes as she ran towards Blake's distress signal. She felt petals flying behind her as she gripped Weiss's wrist, dragging her along.
When she got there her heart stopped.
Yang was lying on the ground, a deep gash crossing her stomach as blood ran from it freely. She had her head in Blake's lap as the faunus whispered to her, playing with the brawler's hair.
"No!"
The cry left Ruby's throat before she could even think about it. She rushed to her sister's side, skidding to her knees. The younger sister struggled to pull her eyes away from the wound.
"Hey Rubes? Look up here o-okay?" Yang asked quietly and silver met lilac. "Keep fighting okay? You still need to help out these two knuckleheads. Th-They'll do the same for you, I know that."
"I'm calling an airship." Weiss reported and talked into her scroll.
"Come on Yangy. Just be okay. Then we can go back to Patch and laugh about this when I-I'm over between missions…" Ruby begged and held onto her sister's hand as tight as she could muster.
"What do you mean?! You need to get here now! We have a huntress bleeding out and we're practically a grimm magnet!" Weiss shouted into her scroll.
"Kitten you'll look after Rubes right?" Yang asked and turned her attention to the faunus humming above her. "Ice Queen too? Sh-She'll deny it but she'll need help sometime too…"
"Of course Yang but you're going to be just fine… Alright? We can go to Junior's and get a Strawberry Sunrise…" Blake whispered.
"R-Right. It's a date… Love you guys…" Yang mumbled and her eyes fluttered shut.
Ruby screamed, begged her sister to wake up.
She didn't let go until she felt her sister's heat disappear.
Ruby, Weiss, and Blake stood back to back surrounded by a number of White Fang grunts. Silver eyes gazed at the enemy as Crescent Rose swung in wide arches.
Weiss had a wound on her leg and struggled to move with her usual grace.
"Ruby, get Weiss out of here! We need to pull back! Radio for help and I'll catch up!" Blake shouted above the gunshots.
The leader hesitated. It had been two years and she was still terrified to lose a team member. It was either stay and risk all three of them, of guarantee the safety of one.
"Ruby go. Weiss needs to get to somewhere safe. I'll be fine." Blake shouted once more and gave the reaper a smile that was all too Yang-like.
Yet she still listened.
Ruby scooped the heiress into her arms and activated her semblance, running from the compound. She slipped out her scroll and called for an extraction ship. Once she felt they were at a safe distance she sat Weiss against a tree and looked over her shoulder.
She saw the smoke and fire before the sound of the explosion reached her.
Ruby could only watch as a single black ribbon fluttered down into her hand.
"Weiss? Are you sure you don't want me to come Snowflake?" Ruby asked the heiress, staring at her image on the scroll.
"I'm positive dear. You're already sick and it's just a routine escort mission. I'll be home by our anniversary this Saturday my love." the Schnee assured her.
"But still Weiss, you're alone out there. Maybe I could call Jaune…"
"Nonsense. He's already out on his own mission with Ren and Nora." Weiss stated and smiled at the love of her life with a gentle smile. "I'll be fine Ruby. I'll see you soon. I love you."
With that the pair said their good nights and went to sleep.
Ruby never should have let her Weiss go alone.
It was Glynda Goodwitch herself who arrived on Patch that Saturday with Myrtenaster in her hands.
Dedicating all their lives to just one cause
Serve the kingdom and apply the rules and laws
Ruby could remember the taste of the cookies Ozpin gave her that night. It was still distinct in her mind how he looked into her eyes. She didn't know the significance then. She was young, naive.
She could remember the few conversations she had with the Headmaster. She could recite them word for word if asked.
She couldn't play the part of that innocent kid anymore. She was alone.
Ruby took any missions she could, completing them with ease. Hoards of Ursai, packs of Beowulves, all cut down by her blade. From her earnings she only took what she needed to pay that month's bills or the occasional upgrade to Crescent Rose. The rest went back to Beacon.
Ruby thought about when Ozpin was officially pronounced dead. She remembered standing in the back at the ceremony to memorialize the late man.
Man didn't do him justice. He was a hero.
Ruby was quiet that day. Her team was still beside her at that point. The memorial was dedicated to everyone lost in the Fall.
She felt tears in her eyes at the mention of Pyrrha Nikos.
Both of them deserved so much more.
Years of training giving all your blood and sweat
Getting to the point where nothing means a threat
Ruby stared at the scorpion in front of her. The Death Stalker gave a mighty shriek and the reaper merely rolled her eyes.
It simply didn't pose a challenge anymore.
Ruby shut her eyes and took a breath and once they opened, her power shined through. White rimmed the edges of her vision and she launched at the now retreating Grimm. Ruby stood on her blade and fired, propelling herself into the air as the glow emitted from her eyes grew. She swung at the stinger, slicing it clean off. The second she landed she jumped up once more. The blade of her scythe straightened out and she fell down towards the monster. Her weapon pierced the bone plating and the scorpion screamed.
Ruby walked away about twenty feet and sat down, watching the creature dissolve.
How she wished she could actually be given a challenge.
Every battle will be just another day
Every creature, just another one to slay
Ruby started taking longer missions. Her periods away from home went from a few days or a week to months at a time. She didn't even really notice the days go by. The reaper just sliced through her enemies easily, the feeling of the black smoke against her skin becoming almost as familiar as the feeling of her cloak on her shoulders.
Whenever Ruby was home she spent her time clearing the beowulves from the area around her cabin and the graves of her family.
Summer Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Taiyang Xiao Long.
Thus Kindly We Scatter.
A Whisper to a Roar.
Bury the Fear.
Beside Yang's altar stood one more.
Weiss Schnee.
Believe In Fairy Stories.
Ruby mentally recited the mantras on their graves as she cut down another row of Grimm.
Raising their spears to the sky
Loyal soldier keep marching on
Ruby thought about the Fall of Beacon. She remembered watching the students stay and fight, even after they were given the option of guaranteed safety. She remembered looking down at Penny and feeling her stomach knot up.
Ruby could still feel the dread of looking at Blake and Yang, both wounded and on the brink of death as blood stained their clothes. She remembered hearing the desperation in Jaune's voice, begging her to find Pyrrha.
Ruby remembered the feeling of the concrete of the tower's wall under her feet as she ran. She remembered reaching the top and seeing Pyrrha hurt, an arrow in her chest, struggling to suck in a breath.
She remembered watching the girl turn to cinders before her.
She remembered white.
Shouting in one clear voice
Every single dream they have
Ruby shot awake and cried out, wrapping her arms around herself. It took her a second to remember that she was home on Patch. She sat up and tangled her hands in her hair, trying to dispel the images from her head. She reached over to her side, searching for the comfort of her fiance, only to find the bed cold.
Right. It had been six months or so…
Ruby slipped her necklace out of her shirt. A shotgun shell and a snowflake, all held around her neck by a little black ribbon.
She slowly laid back down and shut her eyes, trying to make the gory images go away.
The huntress thought of what would have been her wedding. Ruby was going to wear a red and black dress while Weiss wore a white and blue one. Her Uncle Qrow was going to walk her down the aisle since Tai had already passed… Jaune, Ren, and Nora would have stood beside her while Winter, Coco, and Velvet would have stood beside Weiss. General Ironwood himself was going to walk the Atlesian heiress-turned-CEO down the aisle. The ceremony was going to take place at Beacon and Ruby had planned a (controlled) dust explosion as a surprise. Even Ghira and Kali Belladonna would have been there. Afterwards the pair would have been on the way back to Patch so Ruby could tell her family all about the ceremony…
Honor the ones who are gone
Fighting for the same noble cause
When Ruby finally made her choice to fight Salem again she went to the cliffside altar and sat down. Then she just talked. She talked about any memories she had about them or any stories from Beacon. Finally she told them that she was going to fight Salem. She could swear she felt the air warm up around her and then heard a whisper in the wind as something brushed her cheek.
Then she went to Menagerie. She told Ghira that she was there and just stood on the shore. Blake had been cremated and her ashes had been spread on the island she grew up on. Ruby skipped shells on the water as she spoke. She told the faunus how much she missed her, how she was just as much of Ruby's sister that Yang was. As night fell she told Blake her plan and out of the corner of her eye she spotted some shadows move.
Finally, Ruby went to Vale to visit the Fall Memorial. It was at the center of the campus but no one asked her what she was doing there. Ruby just spoke until she noticed someone settle beside her. Glynda had aged but she was still her stoic self.
"You won't tell my Uncle right? He wouldn't let me go…" Ruby whispered to her old teacher.
"It's not my place. Are you confident you will succeed Miss Rose?" Glynda returned.
"I won't let her win again. I'm confident in my resolve. She can't keep hurting people professor. I won't let her ruin any other lives." Ruby spoke firmly. She was far from the naive and innocent girl she was before the Fall. Salem ruined that when she killed everything she loved.
She wouldn't let their deaths mean nothing.
Away from home in the wild
Trying to survive alone
Ruby remembered gathering her things. The packed a bag full of all the basic survival needs. Despite not being a fan, Ruby still packed a few packs of tuna out of habit. And she made sure she had instructions for the fire starter since she couldn't piss Yang off or borrow some dust.
She had to double and triple check herself since Weiss wasn't there to remind her of what she missed. Looking down at her pack, the reaper froze at all the reminders of what changed since Beacon.
She felt tears in her eyes as she took a shaky breath. Nonetheless she stood and gathered her things, walking out of her childhood home. She looked over her shoulder at the empty cabin and sighed. Normally she'd be hand in hand with her fiance, heading to the airship docks to meet the second half of their team and head off for a mission together.
Now it was just her…
With one final walk by the cliffside altars, Ruby disappeared in a flash of petals.
Just because we fight it doesn't mean
We don't have our own fragile hearts
The Silver-Eyed Huntress readied her scythe, locking eyes with the witch before. One way or another she was going to end this.
"Little Rose. I won't let you flee a second time. Are you prepared for your death?" Salem drawled.
Her answer was the whizz of a bullet by her head and a loud bang in her ears.
"I won't miss a second time."
And then her eyes started to glow.
However, in the corner of Ruby's eyesight, in the white glow, she saw something that made her stomach twist.
Weiss, Blake, and Yang were all lined up in order. Each had her weapon drawn and were in a battle stance.
When Ruby turned to face them directly, they were gone.
She had to use her semblance to avoid Salem's strike.
With that, the battle begun.
If we could, we would go back in time
So we could prevent all those wars
Ruby slashed at the witch, trying to fight against the monster's semblance. Salem was trying to get inside her head, her semblance projecting and amplifying her greatest fears and regrets. Salem was particularly aiming at the Fall.
"Ruby."
The huntress tripped over her feet and had to roll away from the claw of an ursa.
"Ruby, why weren't you fast enough?" Pyrrha's voice rang out. "You let me die."
"No… That's not true…" she mumbled under her breath. She didn't miss Salem's smirk.
"Miss Rose. You were supposed to protect them. You had silver eyes, just like your mother. Now you've done nothing but let her down." Ozpin spoke next. Ruby tried to push the voices from her mind and flew at the witch, landing a strike on her check. It started to bleed black.
The real heroes stand until the end
But the biggest fight is inside
The onslaught of voices continued and soon the words of her fallen team mates. Ruby was able to land a few more hits but her aura was growing lower and lower.
"You failed them little Rose. You failed all of them, and now you come to do it again. However, this time you won't get another chance." Salem growled and waved her hand, the Grimm she created now disintegrating. A ball of pure blackness appeared in the witch's hand as Ruby dropped to her knees, holding herself up with her scythe.
"You're wrong…" Ruby hissed, surprising even herself as she stood. "Yang would be proud I kept fighting. She always told me to keep going even when you think it's pointless. Blake would be proud that I fought my demons to stand up for what's right… Pyrrha would be proud, Ozpin would be proud. Weiss and my mother would be proud for me standing here and they'll be proud when I defeat you!"
Ruby extended the blade of her scythe as far as she could and rushed at the witch. Silver eyes flared as the huntresses aura extended over her blade when it pierced the witch's stomach.
Feelings clashing while you pretend
That the bloodstains one day will dry
Ruby couldn't really tell how long it took for the life to leave Salem's eyes. She couldn't even tell how long it took for her to realize it.
It was over. It was finally over.
The huntress removed her weapon from the villain's abdomen and looked at the black blood that stained it. Everyone was safe. She couldn't win anymore…
What now?
The question was swiftly answered when Ruby felt a pain in her abdomen. She looked down to find a black dagger stabbed into her gut.
"Now we stay alive. Right." she groaned and staggered back, sitting down and pulling her scroll from her pocket. 23… It would keep her alive for a bit. Hopefully a long enough bit for an airship to come get her. She dialed Goodwitch and waited.
"Miss Rose? Are you alright?"
"Professor Goodwitch… I'm fine-ish. I'm going to need an air extraction… i-it's done." Ruby replied fast. "Make sure medical personnel are aboard. I have a bit of a poke in my belly."
"Right away Miss Rose. Please, hold on." Glynda stated and cut the connection to reach out for an airship.
Meanwhile, Ruby leaned back and tried to control her breathing. With her adrenaline wearing off the pain kept increasing as blood seeped over her corset. She shifted enough to move her hood away from the growing bloodstain and swallowed hard, looking up at the roof of the temple and waiting.
Then you hear those voices in your head
Telling you it will be alright
"Come on Rubes. Just relax alright. Goodwitch will have a ship here soon."
Ruby's eyes snapped open and she looked around. The voice sounded too familiar.
"Just breathe Ruby. Okay? Don't think about it. Think about home, about your uncle. You could always teach at Beacon like Glynda offered."
Another familiar voice… Where was it coming from?
"I love you Ruby… You'll be fine."
That's where Ruby was able to place the voices finally, after all, those three words were the ones she craved to hear so much from her lover since her passing.
Yang, Blake, and Weiss.
"It hurts… My aura is gone." the reaper mumbled and frowned. She felt something warm at her side but when she looked there was nothing there.
"Relax Rubes… help will be here soon… Then you can go home and rest…" Yang's voice swam through the air.
"Breathe… You need to be okay…" Weiss almost begged.
But your heart keeps telling you again
Real heroes don't have to fight
Her head swam as she shook, her eyes fluttering open and shut. She couldn't stay awake anymore…
"I'm sorry…" the words fell from her lips without consent.
Her eyes finally slipped shut.
When they finally opened, the first thing she registered was Yellow, Black, and White.