Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works – Archer vs Shirou Emiya
"Great he's even more cryptic than Cosmo." Weiss said with a sigh.
"I can honestly tell you that I have no clue what this could be." Yang stated.
"Well he did mention something about heroes so maybe superheroes again?" Ruby guessed with a smile.
"Not all heroes are spandex wearing, pursuers of justice." Glynda interjected.
"I know but I really like them and Superman's dimension was my favorite…" Ruby muttered with a pout.
"I just hope this won't be boring." Adam said boredly.
"Maybe it's a funny one." Nora guessed with a grin.
"It has been a while since we had a good laugh." Cinder said.
"I've been waiting to see one of us do something stupid again." Emerald giggled.
"Well keep waiting because my kind of comedy won't suit any of you." Dan said as he clicked on the remote to start the dimension.
"Aren't you going to sit down?" Pyrrha asked.
Dan scoffed as he floated to the back and kept floating "I'd rather float, thank you very much."
"Not the nicest guy around huh?" Taiyang whispered.
"You wanna tell him that?" Qrow asked rhetorically as the dimension started.
The dimension started with a battered Ruby swinging her Crescent Rose at an older Ruby, who is referred to as Rose, that easily blocked her strike with her own Crescent Rose and the two scythes glowed a glowing red grid as Ruby widened her eyes in shock and Rose kicked her away.
"So uh…I think I'm drunk enough to start seeing double now." Qrow stated.
"Nah dude, we see it too." Sun said in surprise.
"Just like the other dimension where we saw multiple Jaunes, now there are multiple Rubys!" Yang exclaimed in shock.
"This is super freaky." Ruby said as she looked between the two.
"One looks older than the other though." Summer noticed.
"And the younger one looks like she's losing, badly." Raven added.
"Why are they fighting?" Ironwood asked as he looked to Dan.
"I really don't care enough to explain it to you so don't ever look at me for answers." Dan stated as he narrowed his eyes at Ironwood.
Ironwood glared at him but turned back to the screen reluctantly.
Ruby slid back and Rose met her with swipes and slashes of her scythe to which Ruby blocked as the blades glowed with the red grid once more. Rose stomped on the ground and hit Ruby with a powerful slash which launched her back as the grids now surrounded her body but she grew determined as she stomped on the ground and slashed at Rose who was only pushed back slightly as Jaune looked on in shock from the sidelines.
"These two are strong." Cinder commented.
"Yeah, looking at the area they're at. This battle must've been long." Miltia said.
"What's with those grids though?" Blake asked and Yang shrugged.
"Why are you just standing there?" Saphron asked in confusion.
"I have no idea," Jaune replied "But there must be a perfectly valid reason."
"Now I see why you're so persistent. I've heard of mage craft that allows mastery of old skills by invoking them from a previous life and letting them possess you. Your skill keeps improving, every time you and I cross scythes and fight." Rose stated.
Ozpin widened his eyes and choked on his coffee once he heard that and coughed while hitting his chest while Glynda pat his back.
"What's up with you?" Roman asked.
"Oh nothing! Just…went down the wrong pipe…that's all." Ozpin quickly explained.
Salem chuckled devilishly as Ozpin received some weird looks.
"Okay…" Sienna said as she turned back to the screen.
"Is that what you think? Guess that makes both of us copycats. You keep acting cool," Ruby stated as she held up her scythe "It'll give me more time to catch up to you."
"You go Ruby! I mean other Ruby! No…uh…young Ruby?" Yang tried to cheer in confusion.
"Just refer the older one as Rose for short." Dan said with a sigh.
"Yeah that's much better." Yang agreed.
"I'm loving the determination from well…me." Ruby said with a smile.
"Catch up to me? You're an optimistic fool. You have no idea how wrong you are." Rose stated.
"Explain it to me." Ruby said.
Rose dashed towards Ruby and their scythes clashed and were caught in a power struggle as Rose spoke "No matter how strong you get or what skills you draw on; you have no chance at winning."
"That overconfidence could lead to her downfall." Taiyang said.
"I think that overconfidence can back itself up." Qrow said with a shrug.
Ruby's eyes widened as a blade was shown being thrust into a desolate ground by Rose and every time Rose placed a sword, dead bodies were shown in masses and Rose herself had multiple swords stabbed into her back as a noose was shown then a body was shown hanging.
Most widened their eyes and gasped in shock at the images and some were just speechless.
"So that's it? That's how her life ended?" Ruby voiced over as the entire field was shown with thousands of swords occupying it "I don't pity her. I don't pity her. I don't pity her!"
"Even I'm not that cold." Cinder said with a raised eyebrow.
"Why do I hate myself so much?" Ruby asked.
"You and every emo kid ask the same question." Roman stated as Mercury laughed.
"Still," Ruby said as she was shown standing in the same field, watching at a distance "If this is really the path I'm heading down, my heart's gonna shatter."
"At least you still have a heart." Weiss muttered.
"Wait if Ruby's seeing her future self and her memories, doesn't that mean her future will change?" Blake asked.
"In theory, yes." Oobleck replied.
"I mean the only proof we've seen of that were from the old movies we watched." Yang said with a shrug.
"Time is just too confusing." Ruby said.
"Everything you've believed in, what you still believe in," Ruby spoked as Rose's back was shown "I see for myself now how all of these are nothing but a dream covered with…lies."
"Never pegged you to be a pessimist." Vernal said as she looked at Ruby.
"No, she's actually becoming a realist." Raven corrected.
"I have no idea what either of you are saying." Ruby said as she tilted her head with a dumb look on her face.
"They're saying you don't believe in your dreams and only see things realistically." Ren explained.
"Which is totally untrue!" Yang exclaimed.
Ruby gasped "Lies! I will always believe in my dream! Because a true hero never gives up!"
Oscar nodded enthusiastically "That's right!"
"100%!" Jaune exclaimed.
"Even after seeing someone as powerful as Superman die and evil incarnate herself take out an entire army, Red?" Roman asked.
"Superman sacrificed himself to save everyone and Salem Grimm is strong but there'll always be someone who can beat her." Ruby stated stubbornly.
We are brought back to the fight as Ruby's Crescent Rose is overpowered and cut as it shatters which causes Ruby to fall on her behind and crawl backwards, away from Rose as Jaune looked on in worry.
"Ruby!" Jaune exclaimed.
"NO! My baby!" Ruby exclaimed in mourning.
"It's like I want to do something but I can't move." Jaune muttered.
"Why is that though?" Pyrrha asked.
"I have no idea." Cardin replied.
"Feeling ill? Judging by the expression on your face, I'd guess you're about to vomit." Rose stated as Ruby was breathing heavily "You saw it didn't you? Well that simplifies things. Everything you saw is true, Ruby Rose."
"Well now I'm intrigued." Salem said as she crossed her legs with a smirk.
"Rose seems like such a hard ass." Qrow said with a frown.
"Hey that's still my daughter you're talking about." Taiyang said to him.
"You must be so proud." Qrow said sarcastically as he opened up another can.
"That's what catching up to me means. See it again for yourself." Rose stated as a red aura emanated and surrounded her "The world I ended up in. I am the bone of my sword, unknown to death nor known to life, unlimited blade works!"
The screen turned white and soon the three were shown back in the field as Ruby got onto one knee while leaning on her shattered Crescent Rose while blood dripped down the side of her head as she glared at Rose.
"Magic?" Ozpin muttered with an inquisitive look.
"That sure as hell sounded like an incantation." Ironwood muttered lowly to Ozpin.
"I mean you are clearly outmatched; how do you expect to win?" Adam asked.
"I'll find a way." Ruby said determinedly.
"Don't forget that she did kick your ass in another dimension too." Yang reminded with a smirk as Adam glared at her with a growl.
"A fool who knows her dreams are unattainable but comes anyway. A fraud without a will of her own who's wasted her life on a ridiculous ideal. Can you finally admit that's who you truly are?" Rose asked.
"What? No! My dreams are totally attainable and I'm no fraud!" Ruby argued.
"You really think that, don't you?" Salem asked.
"I mean, duh." Ruby said as if it was so obvious.
"Tell me child, what is this dream of yours that is so attainable?" Salem asked.
"To be a hero and help people." Ruby stated.
"But why?" Salem asked.
"Because it's the right thing to do." Summer replied with a glare towards Cinder.
Dan laughed "And there it is, two peas in a pod who share the exact same dreams and ideals. Ruby Rose, you're such a carbon copy of your mother that not only do you look similar to her but you also follow her heroic footsteps."
"And is that such a bad thing?" Taiyang asked with a glare towards Dan.
"Well no, but…" Dan said as he smirked and he conjured a hologram of Summer's grave as many widened their eyes "We all know how that went."
"You bastard." Qrow stated with a furious glare.
"All we're asking is being a hero Ruby's will or the will of her mother's, trying the same thing again after the first failure?" Salem asked.
"Okay that's enough! You're messing with her mind and I'm not just gonna sit around watch that happen!" Yang exclaimed.
"Let's all calm down, we're all trapped in a room with a ghost god that doesn't give a damn about us and is probably reveling in what's happening right now." Cardin said.
"I am." Dan replied with a smirk.
"So let's just argue normally, without the killing each other part and see what this dimension's all about. Okay?" Cardin asked.
They all stared at him and after a few moments, those arguing grumbled and turned back to watch the screen.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked as she put her hand on her shoulder.
Ruby stayed quiet as she continued to watch, not even acknowledging Weiss.
"Saving people just because you want to is both selfish and misguided." Rose continued "You're a defect of humanity, you should never have existed in the first place. There's no point in a life like yours."
"Damn, tell me how you really feel." Emerald stated with a raised eyebrow.
"Rose is a dick." Coco stated.
"I hope to Oum you don't turn into that." Saphron said to Ruby.
"But she's right…where do I get the right to call myself a hero? With no valid reason than just because I want to." Ruby muttered sadly.
"Ruby…" Weiss said in worry.
"I'm fine Weiss, I'm just finally thinking things through for once. Like you always told me to do." Ruby replied.
'Not like this…' Weiss said in her head.
"You know that I'm your ideal and you should know now that your dream never comes true." Rose stated as flashes of bodies were shown and Ruby had enough as she summoned another Crescent Rose with a battle cry and ran towards Rose who blocked her slash easily "I see. I suppose it's only natural for you to deny me. As the ideal of Ruby Rose, I'm the only person you can never bring yourself to accept."
"Is she coo, coo, bananas or something? Ideals can't have physical form…right? Neptune asked.
"She's literally fighting her future self and you're asking me that? Are you sure you're not the one that's coo, coo, bananas?" Sun asked.
Ruby gritted her teeth as she jumped back then walked forward with slashes as Rose dodged and caught her arm "Hn, now tell me. Knowing what you know, do you honestly want to be a hero of justice?"
"I'm not sure anymore…" Ruby muttered.
"I've already told you that. It isn't that I want to become one. It's that I will become one, no matter what!" Ruby shouted as she slashed downwards and Rose blocked it, maneuvering behind her and holding her scythe in a way that it was against Ruby's neck and Ruby did the same.
"I think it's gonna take a lot more to convince her." Cinder stated in amusement.
"Ooh~ I like this! I wonder who's gonna lop who's head off first." Tyrian said with an intense gaze.
"C'mon Rubes, don't give up." Yang muttered as Ruby stayed silent while staring at the screen.
"You're right. You must become one, no matter what. You are Ruby Rose and it's the only thing you've ever been passionate about." Rose stated as Ruby tried to move from the standstill but Rose's blade stopped her "Even though you know that the heart of a hero of justice simply isn't in you."
"You good guys need new therapists if this is the kind of shit you have to deal with just to talk about your problems." Junior stated with a laugh.
"There you see," Rose said as Ruby struggled to get out of her grip "Your reaction tells me that you've always suspected it yourself."
"Memories of my past faded long ago, but there's still one sight that stayed with me all this time." Rose spoke as a night sky was shown blending with a large plume of smoke and fiery embers then a young Rose was shown lying down in rubble as Summer stood over her "The flames and the pervasive stench of death. Wishing for help when there was none, what I felt when the wish was granted."
"So wait, this Ruby was an orphan?" Nora asked.
"It seems like she lost her family or village to a fire." Ren said as he clenched his fists with narrowed eyes.
"Was this the cause for her pessimistic view on heroes?" Glynda asked.
"That may be a possibility." Ozpin answered.
"But most of all, I remembered the look of relief on Summer Rose's face when she saved me." Rose stated as the scene changed back to them standing at their standstill "That is where your dream began, it was sometime before you finally felt gratitude for being saved. You adored Summer Rose that's all and because of her, because you saw how happy she was when she saved you. You began to think you could have the same thing."
"So now it's a bad thing to want to follow in someone's footsteps because they inspired you?" Yang asked with a scoff.
"That's not what she's saying," Ruby said with a steely gaze "She's saying that she never got to be her own person because I walk on someone else's path and not my own."
"But you've always wanted to help people Rubes, it's who you are." Yang replied sadly.
"Is it? At this point I'm not even sure." Ruby muttered as she turned back to the screen.
'She's right. It wasn't me who was saved that day,' Ruby spoke in her head as a black and white image of young Ruby was shown then Summer was shown crying as she held Ruby's hand 'A massive blaze that left no survivors, a child who should've been beyond saving and the woman who stumbled across her. To tell the truth, I don't know which one was the real miracle.'
"Oum, this is depressing." Cinder stated.
"I know right." Emerald muttered.
"Ruby…" Summer muttered sadly.
"Children will often idolize their parents but when she died a curse was your inheritance, at that moment that woman left you no choice but to become a hero." Rose said as Summer was shown sitting outside of her house on the porch "The ideals you cling to are second hand, ideals Summer Rose failed to live up to. In the end, all you're doing is imitating what she believed was right."
'You're wrong…' Ruby stated in her head.
"Is she though? I mean so far she's bringing a very good argument on why you even want to a hero." Vernal stated.
"But I would never force her to copy my dreams and ideals, I urged Ruby and Yang to follow their dreams and do what they believe is right." Summer stated.
"Hero of justice, don't make me laugh. Just because the idea consumes you, it doesn't mean helping others is something you truly want. It's nothing but a borrowed dream." Rose stated as Jaune watched on "Someone like you thinking you can be a force for good, it is the height of hubris!"
Rose brought down her scythe swiftly and stabbed Ruby in the leg who let out a painful scream as Rose kicked her back.
"RUBY!" Summer, Yang, Taiyang and Qrow shouted.
"Should've moved." Raven simply said with a shrug as Ruby stayed quiet.
"That's right. You couldn't help but admire the beauty in your mother's dream of helping others!" Rose stated as she brought her scythe down and Ruby barely blocked it as Rose kept swinging angrily "That's why you never developed and real passions of your own. If that isn't hypocrisy, then what is!?"
"Admiration? Inspiration? Just because she shares the same ideals as her mother doesn't mean she isn't her own person." Taiyang argued.
"I'm not even gonna pretend that I know what hypocrisy means." Nora said with a shrug.
"You're driven by this ridiculous obsession with sacrificing yourself for the sake of others, blind to your own arrogance!" Rose stated as she slashed Ruby across the chest.
"No!" Jaune shouted.
"Do something Arc!" Cardin exclaimed.
"Don't you think I would've done so by now!?" Jaune exclaimed.
"But in the end you're a fraud and your hypocrisy can't save anyone. How could you when you never knew who you should save to begin with?" Rose asked as Ruby's blood dripped to the ground "And look! This is the result! You could never be a savior, you never had anything to save! You became the embodiment of justice and justice can be cruel!"
Rose slashed down at Ruby who tried to block it but her arm ended up getting cut and she was knocked back.
"I agree with that actually." Saphron said as some looked at her in shock.
"You do?" Terra asked.
"If I had the power to then why would I go out and save random strangers, I'd rather protect the people I care about." Saphron explained.
"Well that's kinda selfish, if you had the power to then why not use it for good?" Weiss asked.
"I would use it for good, I would protect my family and friends." Saphron answered "The rest of you are on your own."
"Your sister's cold." Nora said as she looked at Jaune.
"She's always been one to speak her mind." Jaune said as he awkwardly chuckled.
"Your ideals are falling apart, maybe other people aren't more important than you are. It's dawning on you that a world where everyone is happy is just a fairytale and if you can't live without that dream, let it drag you down and drown you." Rose stated as Ruby laid on the ground defeated.
"Oh Ruby…" Summer muttered tearfully.
'Are my dreams really that naïve?' Ruby asked herself as she clenched her fists.
"We must get Rose to join us." Salem stated with a smirk.
"Really ma'am?" Hazel asked.
Salem nodded "Not only did she defeat her opponent physically but she mentally tore down everything her opponent stood for. That is truly evil."
'It's true, what she said was mostly right.' Ruby said to herself as she stared at the darkened sky.
Ruby perked up at that as she muttered "Mostly?"
'But I couldn't help thinking there was something she missed.' Ruby said to herself as the screen darkened.
The next scene showed Ruby standing in an area with multiple dead bodies and the areas kept changing to show more dead bodies then it showed Ruby kneeling in front of a blue spiraling energy sphere 'I saw hell. I saw hell. I saw hell. I saw the hell that would someday be mine.'
"Elaborate." Roman said.
"You were right. At least, I think you were." Ruby said to Rose who's back was turned from the camera.
"But I didn't live wisely." Rose stated.
Ruby sighed "It seems to me like you lost a lot of things."
"You've got it all wrong. I'm here because I tried not to lose anything, and I didn't. Not one thing." Rose stated.
"That's good right?" Nora asked.
"It should be." Jaune said.
"No. Come to think of it, there is one thing. Something I forgot." Rose said as Ruby turned around to see black and orange smoke.
'I saw the hell that led to all the others.' Ruby said as a young Ruby was shown through a burning town in tears.
"Poor kid…" Vernal said.
"You actually feel bad for her?" Adam asked.
Vernal shrugged "I've got a soft spot for kids, teenagers and adults can go screw themselves."
"Hey, you know that's hell you're walking into?" Ruby said as young Ruby fell down but looked determined as she stood up "What was the point of you? No, of me surviving that hell? Why were we spared?"
A little later young Ruby was lying down in a pile of burnt rubble as Summer walked up to her and kneeled down, moving the rubble away.
"Oh Oum…" Summer muttered as she let out tears of joy.
Ruby's eyes started to light up as she gasped while some were happy to see that Ruby would be okay.
Ruby watched and started walking towards them but was stopped by Rose "Hey, you know that's hell you're walking into?"
"I know." Ruby replied quietly with a small smile.
"This is the one thing you'd forgotten, at first it was just admiration but it was admiration built on a dream." Ruby said with a smile as she watched Summer continue moving the rubble "The dream that this hell could be undone, the unfulfilled dream of a woman who wasn't capable of helping anyone. No matter how hard she tried and it cost her everything."
Summer was shown smiling tearfully as a bright white flashed engulfed them then the light diminished to reveal a sheath as Ruby held the light against her chest and it dissipated then Ruby continued to walk forward.
"Gonna go through hell anyway?" Roman asked.
Ruby nodded "I guess so, why not find out what's on the other side?"
Ruby walked through a cloud of smoke into a smoke covered wasteland and towards a sword.
"Is that the life you want? A hollow life of a machine?" Rose asked as Ruby continued to stare at the sword.
"Yeah, I do. Even if it's a life dripping with hypocrisy." Ruby answered as she grabbed the sword's handled and it glowed with red petals surrounding it "I'll try to be the hero of justice the world needs."
"That's my girl…" Summer muttered with a smile.
"I'm the proudest father in the world." Taiyang said tearfully as Qrow chuckled.
"You were always the sappiest out of all of us." Qrow muttered.
"Ruby?" Yang asked with hopeful eyes.
"The world is hell and it's easy to put others down because of it but I know now that what I believe in and what I dream of is not impossible." Ruby said with a determined smirk "So screw what anyone says, I'm going to save Remnant dammit!"
Yang grinned as she hugged her sister "OH, THANK OUM! I thought I almost lost you!"
Ruby giggled "You won't lose me, I promise."
Ruby pulled out the sword as the smoke covered wasteland was blown away by a white light and we are brought back to the area Ruby and Rose were fighting in.
Rose looked shocked as Ruby's wounds glowed and started to heal which made Rose narrow her eyes then look at Jaune 'I see, his scabbard.'
A scabbard was shown dissipating into grids shooting up to the sky then Jaune was shown standing in front of Ruby who was staring up at him.
"My scabbard?" Jaune asked.
"Don't look at me man, I was lost right after the unbreakable sword spell thing she chanted." Sun said.
'The link to Arc that Summer implanted in us, to save our life. Not an ancient relic or something that had to be summoned, though the pact is severed. It's protection still remains.' Rose spoke in her head as the wind picked up.
"You are speaking a whole lot of nonsense that I am not understanding girl." Emerald said as she shook her head.
"I got bits and pieces to paint some kind of picture but I doubt its right at all." Ozpin said.
"I am…" Ruby uttered.
"You wouldn't!" Rose said with a glare as Ruby's injuries were getting stitched up by glowing strings.
"The bone of my sword." Ruby stated as her hands sparked with red electricity.
"Ok, that was cool." Mercury said.
"Yup." Ruby said with an excited smirk.
"I can't lose, not to you!" Ruby stated as Rose threw her scythe at Ruby who summoned Crescent Rose and slashed Rose's scythe away while Jaune looked on in awe as Ruby stood up "I'm not afraid of losing but there's no way I'm gonna lose to myself."
"Exactly! Do you know how embarrassing it would be to tell people that you lost in a fight with yourself!?" Harriet asked "Imagine telling people that you whooped your own ass."
Some laughed at that little rant while Ruby hoped that she would win this fight or she'd never live it down.
Rose had shut her eyes and looked calm once she opened them "You're finally standing on the threshold but what good will it do you? I'm certain you've noticed by now. Your skill and mine are worlds apart."
"My belief may have been defeated but my arms and legs still work. I honestly believed you were right but now I know that isn't true." Ruby stated.
Rose narrowed her eyes "What?"
"Tell her me!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You've got this Ruby." Weiss cheered.
"I see that being right is the only you care about, well none of that matters to me. I'll become a hero of justice and just as you can't accept me," Ruby said as she pointed Crescent Rose at Rose "I'll use every ounce of my strength, to defeat the part of me that's you!"
"YES!" Yang cheered along with the other students and the parents.
"Go Ruby!" Nora exclaimed.
"Show her who's boss Ruby!" Coco cheered.
Roman smirked "Let's see what you got."
"Talk is cheap, show us what you can do." Raven said with folded arms.
"You bet I will!" Ruby exclaimed determinedly.
Sounds of steel could be heard clashing as Jaune watched Ruby and Rose fight. Every time Ruby got knocked back, she would go right back on the attack.
"Pathetic." Rose said in disgust "Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! I can't even stand to look at you! Do you realize how stupid this is!? Do you!? You? A hero of justice? That's really what you want? You know how absurd that is, so why can't you admit you're wrong!? True justice is the result of order, salvation for all is totally different from your own salvation. Not only that, they're completely incompatible. The more you strive for the total salvation for all, the more you'll be consumed by your own contradiction! You'll end up a mere murderer!
"Is that how she turned out then? A murderer with the excuse of it being justice?" Winter asked.
"It's what we're led to believe." Oobleck answered.
"Well she may not be wrong but she's still not right. Order breeds chaos and justice leads to injustice at some point, we can't control what is bound to happen but just because you have realized that does not give you the right to crush others' ideals." Summer stated.
Images of the dead were shown briefly as we're brought back to the battlefield "If you can't see that then die. Be crushed alongside your precious ideals, burnt out without ever achieving them. If you die, a mistake such as myself will vanish into the mist. I will wipe out every trace of your life, with my own two hands. This I swear!"
"So does this count as suicide of murder?" Ruby asked.
"I think it's both." Blake said with a raised eyebrow.
"Kinda messed up that your future is literally trying to kill you." Cardin stated.
"Something I would never want to go through." Velvet muttered.
Ruby ran towards Rose and they clashed as Jaune watched on 'They are beginning to mesh. If this keeps up, Ruby is certain to catch up to her. However,'
"However?" Yang asked wanting to know what Jaune was thinking.
Ruby and Rose continued tow fight and counter each other as Ruby spun her scythe midair and brought it down to Rose who blocked "Son of a bitch!"
"Temper, temper." Cinder teased since she could see that Rose was losing her cool demeanor from much earlier.
Rose brought her scythe down in front of Ruby with a crash as Ruby went for a slash to which Rose blocked 'Why am I bothering with a fair fight? I know I could finish her easily but if I do that, I sense that I will have been defeated in something crucial and I can't accept that!'
"This is not only a battle of wills; it is a battle of ideals." Ozpin stated with a sip of his coffee.
'No! I'll finish this!' Rose stated in her head as she broke the struggle and kicked Ruby down the hill they were fighting on 'She's already dead on her feet. This is it.'
"C'mon Rubes…" Yang whispered.
Ruby clutched Crescent Rose then Rose widened her eyes as Ruby glared at her with glowing silver eyes. 'How can I be so foolish!? How many times do I have to see it end like this!? She'll never give up; she'll never reach her limit. In fact, she's long since surpassed it. She's completely obsessed with taking down her opponent but it's not me that she's trying to kill anymore.'
"It's always annoying when they don't stay down." Cinder stated.
Amber turned to her with narrowed eyes "Did you say something?"
"What? No! Just enjoying the show, that's all." Cinder said with a nervous smile as Amber slowly turned back to the screen.
'I know it, I know that ragged look of hers, it's all too familiar. I recognize the woman as well; one who's spirit has never been broken. Who's never been beaten, who never succumbed. Though the weight of it threatened to crush her, she never lost her dream of saving everyone and insisted on carrying the burden alone! I know this woman.' Rose said to herself with a hateful look towards Ruby as the giant spinning gears stopped 'If only there was a way, if only she could save everyone who suffered, she thought.'
"This girl really loves to monologue." Saphron said boredly.
"Right! She is literally having a full on conversation with herself in her head." Robyn said.
"Believe me when I say, lots of people do this." Dan said with an annoyed sigh.
'She might find a purpose for her miserable existence.' Rose stated as she was shown in a poorer village and playing with the kids then walking with them as we went back to the battlefield.
'Ruby is attempting to slay the part of herself that would block the path to her ideals, to stay true to what she has always believed in, what she will continue to believe in.' Jaune said in his head 'And Rose is attempting to undo the self that gave rise to what she has become. To erase the mistakes that she is doomed to someday repeat.'
"Thanks for the play by play, it's not like we couldn't see that ourselves." Adam said sarcastically with an eye roll.
A young Jaune was shown in a field and standing in front of a sword stuck in stone and as he picked it up, he was shown in armor and in a battlefield as he turned to see a different side of himself that looked to have lived a more peaceful life 'Once, I had two paths. Both were correct, both of them had merit but the outcome of the one I chose was not what I had hoped for. If I was left filled with regret, even then, as long as I could achieve my ideals.'
"Well…good luck on your personal journey Jaune but right now I'd rather see Ruby's story okay?" Yang asked in a sickly sweet tone.
"Yeah." Jaune replied with a pout.
'She knows she can't win; she knows this fight is meaningless yet she remains defiant.' Rose monologues as her and Ruby stared at each other 'The very mistake I once made myself, still she fights. Why?'
"Because I've given up on giving up!" Ruby said with a fierce smirk.
The air sparked and multiple swords appeared around Rose, of varying sizes and design while Rose spoke "In the end, it doesn't matter! Your hope will someday betray you. As mine did!"
"Well that's new." Blake said with wide eyes.
"She can summon swords!? I wanna do that!" Ruby exclaimed.
The swords launched towards Ruby who blocked them with Crescent Rose but two others hit her and she fell on her behind as Rose spoke "That's too bad, your spirit outlasted your aura. Now it's the only weapon you have."
"Crap." Ruby said with a sigh "YOU BETTER WIN RUBY!!"
"Don't give up sweetie!" Sumer shouted in support.
"In any event, the battle of Ruby Rose is about to end." Rose stated as more swords appeared around her.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. My wish really is fake but there's something beautiful about it." Ruby said as she stood up "Putting others before myself is hypocritical, I understand that. Still, I couldn't help but admire the idea. I thought how great it would be to live like that. Even if my life was a sham, there was still beauty in that wish. In doing whatever I could to make others happy."
"That's true because…" Ruby said with a determined grin as her eyes glowed along with the Ruby on screen.
"Uh…Ruby?" Weiss asked
"I won't let that go." Both Ruby on screen and Ruby in the theater stated "Even if it is foolish, I won't give it up! I don't care what you say, I don't care if I'm a fraud or a hypocrite! Because, I know my dream's not a mistake!"
The theater looked on in shock at both Ruby's while one of Ruby's hair suddenly became silver.
"Whoa!" Nora said in awe.
"That was awesome!" Sun exclaimed.
"Ruby…" Yang muttered.
Ruby grinned sheepishly "Sorry, guess I got a little overboard."
The sky became bright as Ruby ran towards Rose flinched in pain as she thought back to Summer on the porch then glared at Ruby "Go to hell!"
"Been there done that." Ruby replied.
"It's not!" Ruby exclaimed and with each step Ruby took was a shockwave and each sword coming at her was knocked away as Rose summoned larger swords "My dream…"
"Go!" half of the theater cheered Ruby on.
"IS NOT A MISTAKE!" Ruby shouted as she cut the blades and they exploded as Ruby ran through the dust clouds towards Rose, as she got closer Rose raised her scythe.
"No!" Taiyang exclaimed.
"C'mon kid." Qrow said as he was at the edge of his seat.
"You can do it Ruby." Summer said with a confident smile.
The porch was shown again but this time Ruby was sitting with Summer as they talked.
"I'll become a hero for you," Ruby said to a smiling Summer "Just leave it to me, I'll make your dream come true."
"I know you will." Summer said.
'This is cruel, forcing me to look into an old mirror.' Rose said to herself as she watched Ruby go for a slash 'There really was such a woman once.'
A flash erupted and they were all now back to where they were fighting before and Jaune gasped in shock.
Ruby had hit Rose and Crescent Rose was still stuck in Rose's chest as blood dripped from it "It's over Rose, I've won."
The screen turned dark and frankly everyone was in awe at the spectacle as they started clapping. Dan floated to the front as the cheered and hollered.
"Alright that's enough." Dan said, effectively silencing them "What were your thoughts on this?"
"I loved it. it made me realize a lot about myself and strengthened my resolve on being a hero, I don't care what anyone says about it or me anymore." Ruby replied with a confident smirk and folded arms.
'She's changed…' Weiss said to herself as she stared at the new Ruby with a smile.
"I think this is the longest one we've watched." Mercury commented.
"It is." Emerald said.
"Well I hope we can visit this dimension again." Summer said with a smile.
Dan rolled his eyes "Maybe but now, we move on."
"To what exactly?" Blake asked.
"Oh don't you worry your pretty little heads because this next one," Dan replied with a smirk "Is going to be kick ass."