"JAUNE!" Ruby cries out, reaching her hand out towards the crumbling body of the first friend she ever made at Beacon. She sees the blood run out of his neck, the glass arrow that came from Cinder's bow getting stained with the crimson liquid. She falls down onto her knees and closes her eyes, sobbing heavily. When she would look up, she would see Cinder killing Jaune yet again, as if time has reversed itself. With every blink she sees this horrific sight repeating itself, seeing him die again and again and again. Every time she tries to rush towards him, she would just get held back by some invisible force. Turning around, Ruby would see herself, tugging her tightly by her red hood.

She turns around and sees Jaune dying yet again, but this time Cinder looks towards Ruby, who could just barely see her due to her tears fogging up her vision. "How can you call yourself a huntress if you fail to save the first friend you ever made?" Cinder asks, walking slowly towards her, the glass heels echoing in Ruby's ears. "Isn't a huntress supposed to be the hero of the story and save the day? Yet here we are. You're at your knees, Jaune is dead and you failed to keep your promise to Pyrrha. You're a failure and nothing more than just a child." Cinder says as she raises her bow, pulling back the string. "The only use that failures have is to be target practice." Ruby sees Cinder let go of the string, the arrow flying right towards her eye.

Before it could pierce into the girl, Ruby would let out a loud scream as she sits straight up from the ground she was on. She looks around, panting and sweating heavily, and sees that she's in the same place that she was from last night. A lush green forest with plentiful bushes between each tree. She sees a small rose bush that's blooming with a singular lovely red rose right next to a large oak tree. She finds that she's in a small camp circle, with a small burned out campfire in the middle that only had a few tiny embers of flame lighting the burnt wood. "Ruby?! Is everything okay?" Asks a tomboyish voice. She sees at her side none other than Nora Valkyrie, with Lie Ren right by her side, the two hunters looking at Ruby in concern.

"We were woken up by your loud scream. Did you have a nightmare?" Ren asks calmly, kneeling down next to Ruby.

Ruby gives a deep sigh as she looks up at the sky. Off in the distance she could see the creeping of dawn on the horizon. She looks back at her two friends and gives a quiet nod. "I'm… sorry for waking you guys up." she apologizes as she gets out of her sleeping bag. "We should probably get going. It's best if we don't waste any time." Ruby said as she starts rolling up her crimson sleeping bag, grabbing Crescent Rose and putting it on her back.

Ren and Nora look at each other, noticing how dismissive Ruby is being of them. "Ruby, do you want to talk about it?" Nora asks, putting her arm on Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby gives another sigh as she looks at her friends. "Yeah… but can I just have a few moments to myself for a bit please? I need to gather my thoughts." Ren and Nora give her a comforting nod as they step away to pack up their sleeping bags, leaving the young huntress to herself. Ruby walks over to the rose bush that she saw earlier and stares at the lone red rose. She notices that the rose was being weighed down by morning dew, some of the petals starting to fall off. She wipes the dew off of the rose, causing it to stand up strong. Ruby runs her hand through the rose, appreciating it's beauty and how it's texture feels when she experiences a piercing pain in her pinkie finger. She lets out a small hiss as she yanks her hand away from the flower and spots a small drop of blood on the tip of her pinkie finger. She wipes the blood away on her hood and goes back to staring at the rose.

'Am I… strong enough?' Ruby thinks to herself. 'If I were stronger, I could have saved Jaune and Pyrrha would've never gone missing. I know everyone has decided that Pyrrha is dead but… I just know that she's out there somewhere. She's strong, unlike me.' Ruby gives a small sigh as she turns away from the rose bush to walk up to Ren and Nora, who were patiently waiting for her. 'Am I really prepared to be a huntress? Is that what I even should do now? If I'm not strong enough to be a huntress then what can I do with my life?' As Ruby would walk away, she would fail to notice eight rose buds, slowly blossoming alongside the lone red rose.

Ren and Nora see that Ruby is lost in thought, giving her a sad frown as they walk on both sides of Ruby, making their way down the dirt path. "Hey…" Ruby uttered as she looks up from the ground and at Ren and Nora, who were giving the young huntress a comforting look. "Do you think I'm strong enough to be a huntress?" Ruby asks, small tears forming in her eyes.

Ren and Nora were a bit taken back by Ruby's question, not used to the normally energetic and kind girl asking such a serious question. "Of course, you're strong enough! You're one of the strongest people in our year! I mean come on; you swing around that massive scythe like it weighs nothing! So that has to count for something." Nora smiled, patting Ruby's back to try to lighten her mood.

"Nora, I don't think she meant strong in that way and I don't think now is the time." Ren corrected as he looks over at Ruby.

"Well… it's partially that way. If I was just a tad bit faster… I could've saved him." Ruby murmured as she gives a small sniff. "But… I was so caught up in the heroics of being a huntress that I thought I would have been able to save Jaune. But those heroics just… caused me to slow down and not reach him in time. I was so sure of myself, so confident only for me to fall flat on my face." Ruby sobbed as she wipes her eyes with her sleeve, sniffing softly.

Ren and Nora's expression soften as they remember the lost of their leader. "Ruby… there was nothing that you could do. All the cards were against us and Cinder was just too strong for any of us. She even killed Ozpin." Ren said softly.

"But I could have! I could have easily saved Jaune! I may not have been able to beat Cinder, but I could've picked him up and ran away from her!" Ruby shouted, getting overrun with emotions as she shed more tears. "If I saved him, Pyrrha would be with us and have never gone missing. We would have been able to stay together as Team RWBY and Team JNPR at our new school and continue our training to be amazing huntsmen! But I didn't. I just… wasn't prepared for the weight and responsibilities of being a huntress…" Ruby murmured, looking down at the ground as she rubs her elbow.

Nora rubs Ruby's back, comforting the young girl as she says. "Ruby, no one was prepared for what happened that night. It all happened so fast that we didn't even have time to even think about what just happened before something new was thrown at us. It was just one after the other." Nora said as she brought Ruby into a small hug.

Ruby returns the hug as she cries softly. A few moments of silence pass by as she remembers what Cinder said to her in her dream. "Do… do you guys think I'm just a child?" Ruby asks with a sob.

Ren and Nora look at each other, not sure how to properly answer this question. Ren gives a small sigh as he places his hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby… you know how I like to usually tell it to people straight and I never mean any offense by what I say. But yes. I do think you're a child." Ren said, causing Nora to give her best friend a stunned stare as Ruby looks at Ren, trembling. "You're a child that was thrusted into an adult role without any mental preparation whatsoever. Those years that you skipped over in your combat school would have also taught you the responsibilities and the harsh realities of what it means to be a hunter. But you were so gifted that you were able to skip all those years and enter straight into Beacon, unprepared for what the world is truly like. That night shattered your world and preconceptions of what being a huntress is as you were hit by the harsh realities of our world. You never had a chance to say goodbye to your innocence and now you have no idea what to do." Ren calmly explained.

Ruby looks at Ren with tear filled eyes as she lets out a small sob. "And how would you know what it feels? To have your world shattered like that?!" Ruby cries, her voicing rising as she starts to get frustrated.

"Because it happened to me Ruby. I was in your exact same position so many years ago… both Nora and I." Ren said softly, not feeling any anger at Ruby's question. His statement causes Ruby to stop for a moment as she looks at both Ren and Nora, standing strong despite everything that life has thrown at them. Nora gives Ren a soft pat as the two of them remember their past and the fear for their lives that they felt. "I know that it seems hard Ruby and that no matter what you do, it feels the world will just push you two steps back. But to answer your question from early, I do think you're strong. You're not moping around and giving up on life. You were knocked down, but you got back up and is charging towards life. You were the one that called us to go to Heaven Academy, not Nora, not me but you. You suffered greatly but you keep pushing forward and with a smile. That's what it means to be a hunter." Ren explains, a small hint of passion growing in his voice.

"Yeah! It's all about that determination, and Ruby, you have tons of it! Heck I think you even have more than Ozpin!" Nora cheered, brightening up the mood with her highly contagious energy.

Ruby gives a small giggle at how hyper Nora is being, wiping a small tear away before her frown grows back onto her face. "While that may be true… how can I be a huntress if I can't even save one person? Huntresses always save the day and help bring peace to Remnant." Ruby asked.

Nora's smile fades away as she calms down and wraps her arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby… I don't want to be that guy and ruin your childhood but… being a huntress isn't what it's like in the fairy tales in our bedtime stories. You won't always save the day, and sometimes you can't save everyone. There are some cases where no matter what, someone is going to die and as much as I hate to say it… Jaune was that case. I think he knew that too. He went up to prevent Pyrrha from dying and to buy time so that we could evacuate from Beacon." Nora explained to Ruby, sighing softly as she gives the young girl a comforting hug. Ruby hugs back tightly as the group stops walking for the moment. Ruby buries her face into Nora's chest and lets out a long wail, sobbing into the orange haired girl's chest as her cries get muffled. Nora simply hugs Ruby tighter, knowing that it's best for her to let it all out. Ren joins in on the hug, hugging the two girls from the side as he takes a small sigh. "It's okay Rubes… just let it all out." Nora comforted, a small tear running down her cheek as she thinks about Jaune's smiling face.

The trio stand together in the spot as they hear a crow caw up from a tree. Eventually, Ruby's sobs would quiet down to a sniffle as the three of them stand in silence, not exchanging any more words as they take in the comfort of each other. After a few more minutes, Ruby breaks away from the hug and wipes her eyes, giving Ren and Nora a big smile. "Thank you, guys… really I mean it. I thought that after everything that happened and this terrible nightmare I had, that I had no purpose in this world. For all my life I wanted to be a huntress so that I can help people, save the day, and just go on so many grand adventures and explore the world. But after the fall of Beacon, I started wondering if I really should be a huntress and tried to think of other professions that I could take up in, only for me to come up with nothing. There's nothing more in my life that I want to do than being a huntress. I was so scared that I was going to die without a purpose in this world but thanks to you guys, you helped reaffirm my desire to be the best huntress that ever was!" Ruby grinned, pumping her fist in the air as Ren and Nora give a small chuckle at the girl's energy. "The world may be hard, cold and filled with suffering, but that's why we have hunters and huntresses, to help make the world soft, warm and put a smile on everyone's face. To help make the world a better place for everyone, which is a hard task in of itself, but it's not impossible. I know that it can happen. It may not happen in my lifetime, but it will happen eventually. I know it."

"There's our girl! Back to how she used to be and no more gloom and doom!" Nora cheered, pumping her fist in the air as well as she lets out a heroic laugh.

Ren gives a small smile, rolling his eyes at how eager the two girls are. "Let's get back on the road, we will be at Haven before we know it." Ren said as he watches the two girls skip along, walking alongside them.

After a few minutes, their energy dies down as the three walk happily in silence. "Hey." Ruby said, breaking the silence. "Where do you think Pyrrha is? I know news sources and various kingdoms are saying that she's dead but, they were never able to find a body." Ruby asked, wondering about where their friend could be.

"Well she's not at home in Argus, otherwise we would know by now." Ren thought aloud.

"Well duh, that much was obvious." Nora said, poking his cheek with a teasing grin. "But I think Pyrrha is somewhere in Vale, living on her own to train and get stronger."

"Well if that was true, then why didn't she just go home where she had the finest equipment around to improve her strength?" Ren asked.

"I don't know! I was just tossing around an idea!" Nora pouted as she crossed her arms.

"Perhaps she was being chased by Grimm and had to run away since there were so many of them? And as she ran, she got lost and hasn't been able to find her way back." Ruby suggested, still heavily concerned for her friend.

"Maybe she got amnesia and doesn't remember who she is anymore and is now living life as a humble farmer?" Nora offered, rubbing her chin.

"Well whatever the case may be, we can all agree that Pyrrha is still alive right?" Ruby asked with a smile.

Both Ren and Nora nod their heads in agreement. "She's definitely still alive. She's too strong otherwise." Nora explained.

"Pyrrha was always a fighter, and I know that she's fighting to stay alive. I have no doubt in believing that she's having an easier time than the rest of us." Ren said softly.

"After we go to Haven Academy and take care of Cinder, let's go try to find her. For all we know, Pyrrha could be waiting for us somewhere in Vale." Ruby suggested with a confident smile. "We will without a doubt find her!"

The trio would soon go along on their journey through Mistral. Along the way they would encounter a scorpion faunus by the name of Tyrian, who wanted to kidnap Ruby. However, her uncle Qrow arrived just in time to stop the attempted kidnap and protect his niece. Unfortunately, he would get stun by the stinger and gets injected with a deadly toxin. Now, unable to walk or perform any kind of action, Qrow is laying down on a stretcher that Ruby and Ren made out of two large sticks and one of their sleeping bags. Ruby looks back at her uncle and gives him a worried look. "Stay strong uncle… we'll be at Haven soon." She says softly as she turns her attention back to the front of the road.

Ruby would then hear a faint churning sound in the distance. It almost sounds like Bumbleby, Yang's motorcycle. Perhaps she decided to come along and took her bike to catch up! She turns around to try to see if she can spot Yang, only to see nothing. She gives out a small sigh, figuring that she might have just been hearing things as it appeared Ren and Nora didn't notice the sound. As they continued walking, she would end up in a split in the road, two paths going two completely different directions. She stares at the sign that stood in between the paths and gives a small hum, putting Qrow down onto the ground so that she can take a quick rest. The sign says "Kuroyuri" on the left and two signs say "Kuchinashi" and "Mistral" as they point towards the left. The sign that said Kuroyuri is scratched with an X carved into the wood. Ren, upon seeing this, freezes as he takes a small step back. Nora rushes up to Ren to see what the sign says, and her smile starts to falter. "Oh…" Nora mutters as she gives Ren a small comforting pat, knowing the deep history the two have.

Ruby walks up to them as she rides the signs. "What's wrong?" She asks looking at her two dear friends.

However, before either Ren or Nora had a chance to respond, they would hear the sound of a motor churning it's gears coming from behind them. Turning around quickly, they would find a black and red motorcycle flying towards them, with two figures riding on top of it. They jump off the cycle as a faint black glow engulfs the vehicle as it flies towards the three of them at high speeds. Nora, who had her hammer in her hands, quickly jumps towards the cycle and bashes it on the side with her hammer, knocking it away from the three of them as it crashes into a den of dead trees, exploding with a loud boom. The two figures land on the ground as Ruby and Ren take out their weapons, ready to fight. "What do you think you're…" Nora starts to shout before pausing as she recognizes one of the figures.

The figure in question was none other than the brown and pink haired assassin, Neopolitan. "N-Neopolitan?! What are you doing here?!" Ruby asks as she holds her scythe up. Neo gives a small giggle as she twirls her parasol, while the other figure takes out what appears to be a spear and a shield. The second person doesn't appear to be anyone that the three of them can recognize, as she had brown hair and brown eyes.

The mysterious woman gives a small growl. "Retribution." She says simply before she charges towards Ruby. Ruby readies her scythe, holding the blade low to the ground and prepares herself to strike. When the brown-haired woman gets closer to the red hooded huntress, Ruby swings her scythe up with high speeds. However, the figure simply dodges out of the way and runs past her, focusing on Ren and Nora. She let's out a loud roar as she clashes her shield with Nora's hammer, before pushing Nora away and thrusting her spear towards Ren. He jumps out of the way from the thrusts, firing his twin guns at the woman, who brings up her shield to deflect each shot.

Ruby barely had any time to react to the figure dashing past her as she's forced to parry a horizontal strike from Neo. Ruby gives a small grunt as she notices that Neo feels far stronger than the last time they fought. She pushes Neo away as she rushes in and spins around, swinging her scythe at the criminal, who jumps away with each strike, giggling happily. Ruby brings her scythe down to the ground, digging it's tip into the dirt as she pulls the trigger with her left hand, firing a dust round at Neo. Neo opens the parasol and blocks the blast, her heels digging into the dirt as she's pushed back slightly. Grunting softly, Neo is forced to keep her parasol up to defend herself from each heavy shot from the sniper rifle. Ruby quickly loads in an explosive round and fires it towards Neo. The parasol did it's job to protect her from the blast, however a small amount of smoke would form around her as she coughs softly. She looks around trying to see if she can spot Ruby. She then sees the smoke slightly shifting from her right before she sees Ruby flying towards Neo in a flurry of rose petals. The brown and pink haired girl smiles as she opens up her arms, welcoming the hit. When Ruby would hit her target, she would see Neo break into glass. However, since the smoke was still lingering around, Ruby spots movement in the smoke coming from her right as she fires another dust round at the smoke, a loud thud being heard as Neo gets sent flying back and out of the smokescreen. She lands against a large tree, causing it to fall down as she gets back up, glaring Ruby down. 'She's gotten far stronger since we last fought… time to take this seriously.' Neo thought to herself, twirling her parasol as she smiles smugly at Little Red.

As Ren lands onto the ground, he rolls to the side before kneeling down, one leg sprung back digging into the dirt while the other was up, ready to break into a sprint. He fires once more at the mysterious woman, who spins her spear around to deflect each and every single shot. She hears a loud scream coming from behind her as she raises her shield to block a heavy swing from Nora. She gives a pained grunt as she feels the power from the strike coursing through her arm. The woman holds Nora at bay while deflecting each shot from Ren's guns. When he would hear the familiar sound of clicking, he rushes in, ready to slash at his opponent.

The figure gives a smug smile as she uses both arms to push Nora away, causing her to stumble back before she's met with a large shield bashing her in the head, causing her to fly into the ground, recovering herself as she rolls. The woman quickly shifts her spear into a rifle, firing multiple shots at Ren, who ducks and weaves between the bullets. He jumps into the air, spinning like a top as he flies towards the stranger. His strikes bounce off of her shield, sparks flying from metal meeting metal. Ren lands on the ground and rushes back in, the figure shifting their rifle quickly into a sword as she delivers a powerful vertical slash, Ren just barely being able to block the blow with his twin blades. He tries to push her away but finds her to be too strong for him to do so. The stranger quickly sweeps Ren's legs, causing him to fall to the ground as she stabs the earth right where Ren is. He quickly rolls out of the way and hops back up onto his feet to get some distance between him and this stranger. The stranger gives a confident grin before she let's out a pained grunt, feeling a heavy blunt force hitting her in the spine. "You get away from him!" Nora shouts as she sends the figure flying towards the hillside.

Ruby points her scythe behind her and fires the trigger, causing her to fly towards Neo as she jumps into the air and delivers an upward slash towards Neo. Neo jumps out of the way as she sees Ruby cleave the tree in half that she was just in front of. Seeing that Ruby is open, she runs back in and bashes the side of her head with Hush, causing Ruby to give a pained grunt. She follows up the attack with another bash, this time bringing it down on the top of the young huntress' head. Neo then jumps past Ruby, flying over her shoulders as she hooks the young girl with the handle of her parasol. Ruby lets out a pained choke as she is forced to come along with Neo, letting go of Crescent Rose. Neo spins in the air before slamming her parasol down in the air, causing Ruby to fly towards the ground and land with an earthshattering thud. The brown and pink haired woman simply opens her parasol and starts to slowly float down, knowing that Little Red isn't done.

Qrow sees the fight going on and tries to get up, his hand reaching out towards Ruby only for it to fall on the ground as he gives a pained gasp. "Ruby…" He groans lifting his head before it falls down onto the ground, passing out as he sees black overtake his vision.

Ruby gives a pained grunt as she gets up onto her arms and knees, trying to reach for Crescent Rose. She feels a sharp pain on her side, Neo kicking her onto her back so that she can face her gaze. Ruby gives a smile, causing Neo to look at the young girl in confusion. "You should be paying attention more!" She says causing the criminal to do a double take and check behind her. However, Neo spots nothing out of the ordinary besides the fight that her partner is having with Ren and Nora. Suddenly she feels a powerful punch in the side of her face, Ruby having distracted Neo to get up and deliver a powerful sucker punch. The punch was so powerful that it caused the hat that Neo was wearing to fly off as she stumbles backwards, glaring daggers at Ruby, who picked up Crescent Rose.

As Ren and Nora rush in towards the flying figure, they would see her throwing her shield before it got enveloped in a black aura. The figure repositions herself in the air so that her feet would land on the shield, bending her knees and jumping off of the shield with tons of force. Ren and Nora are stunned by what the woman just performed, noting at how familiar it seems. It can't possibly be… However, before they had a chance to think upon it further, they see the woman rotate herself upside down in the air as she holds her spear horizontally. As she flew by, the shaft of the spear would hit Ren in the neck and Nora on her forehead, causing the two of them to get knocked down onto the ground. With a simple flip, she lands on her feet with grace, holding her arm out as her shield flies back to her. "You're weak. How can you protect Ruby from me if you can't even protect yourselves?" The figure said as she slowly walks towards Ren and Nora, who were getting up onto their hands and knees.

"Who… who are you?" Ren asks with a pained grunt. He swears he's seen this fighting style before. It feels just like it's Pyrrha's. But that can't be her. She would never attack them like this. The figure remains silent as she engulfs their weapons with the very same black aura that felt so reminiscent of Pyrrha. Before the two hunters could let go of their weapons, they and their weapons would be sent flying into the hillside, a large explosion of dirt and dust flying from the crash site.

Ruby stares Neo down, unaffected be her death stare as she waits patiently for Neo to make a move. When she would see Neo's stare soften and shift into a joyful smile, she immediately turns around to try to defend herself from the real Neo. Swinging her scythe, Ruby slashes the air as rose petals fly from her blade, only for there to be nothing there. She then feels a sharp pain in her back as she feels something pierce into her flesh. Crying out in pain, she quickly turns around and hits Neo with the flat side of her scythe, her parasol staying stuck inside of Ruby's back as the criminal is sent rolling on the ground. Ruby reaches behind her and pulls the parasol out, giving a loud yelp in pain before tossing it on the ground, trusting that her aura will start healing the wound. Bouncing back onto her feet, Neo flicks her wrists as two hidden blades slide out from her cuffs before running towards Ruby. She thrusts the blades at Ruby's face, trying to stab her. The young huntress jumps back away from Neo's assault, ducking and weaving from every single punch that she would throw. Neo let's out a loud scraggy scream as she lunges her right hand forward with massive force. Ruby jumps to the left and uses the end of Crescent Rose to sweep Neo's legs who fell on the floor with a soft thud. She raises Crescent Rose and brings it down onto Neo, the woman shattering into glass. Ruby gives a frustrated grunt as she instinctively ducks down hearing a bullet whizzing past the top of her head, Neo having fired a shot at Little Red from her parasol. Ruby let's out a war cry as she spins herself on Crescent Rose, firing herself towards Neo. Using her semblance, she increases her speed so that Neo didn't have any time to get out of the way of the giant ball of rose petals before it slams into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Neo tumbles down onto the ground with a painful roll. She tries to get up but winces in pain as she punches the ground. But she doesn't need to worry, her friend will finish Ruby off.

The dust settles as Ren and Nora are resting in a crater that they made in the hillside, their auras flashing, signaling that they don't have much left. With a groan, they fall to their knees before helping each other up. Nora shifts her hammer into a grenade launcher as she fires shot after shot at the slowly approaching figure. The woman moves out of the way with each grenade, counting softly to herself. When she reached five, she would spin her sword in her hands before slicing the grenade cleanly in half as it explodes behind her. One more grenade would be fired towards the mystery woman. "Six" she says to herself, bouncing the grenade off of her shield and back at Ren and Nora. A big pink explosion engulfs the two as when the smoke dissipates, Ren and Nora are laying on the ground, their aura breaking away with a hiss. They look up at their, what they assumed to be, killer as they stare in horror. She approaches the two of them and stares down at them disapprovingly. "You have gotten weaker since we last fought." She said.

"Last fought? What do you… gah… mean?!" Nora groans as she tries to get up but just doesn't have the energy to do so.

Before the woman could answer, she would hear a loud scream. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!" Ruby shouts as she spins towards the woman with her scythe, kicking up dirt all the while. The woman raises her shield to protect herself from the blow, only to be surprised with the massive force that was met slamming against her. She gives a grunt before her guard breaks as she lowers her shield, stumbling back before feeling a hard boot in her face. The woman flies back as she shines pink before glass breaks around her.

The woman rolls onto the ground before jumping back onto her feet as the three hunters stare in shock at what they see. There in front of her was none other than Pyrrha Nikos herself, alive and well. "P-PYRRHA?!" The three of them shout in unison.

Pyrrha gives the three of them a hateful glare as she growls. "P-Pyrrha, what are you doing?!" Ruby asks only to be forced to go on the defensive as Pyrrha rushes in and rapidly swings her sword at the black-haired girl. Ruby uses the shaft of her scythe to block each blow as she is forced back, not wanting to fight her friend. "Pyrrha! Stop this please!" She cries out, tears running down her cheeks.

"Pyrrha! Stop doing this! We're your friends and teammates, so why the hell are you fighting against us?!" Nora shouts as she and Ren get up, supporting each other.

Ren shakes violently as he grabs his head. He looks up at Pyrrha and winces in pain. "I can feel so much hatred coming from her. This… this can't be Pyrrha." He utters in pain.

"But it is! I was unsure at first but noting her fighting style and semblance, this is without a doubt Pyrrha!" Nora cries, tears running down her face as well, her heart broken by the betrayal of one of her closest friends.

Pyrrha continues to press the attack, roaring in rage as each attack makes sparks fly from their weapons clashing. Ruby failed her, she let Jaune die. This is what she has to do! She needs to teach Ruby a lesson! She swings Milo up high and brings it down hard onto Crescent Rose, causing the blade to get stuck in the thick and hard metal of the scythe. Giving a loud growl as her blade gets stuck, she feels a dull pain in the middle of her face as Ruby headbutts her, causing her to let go of Milo and stumble back. Blood runs down her nose as she stares daggers at Ruby. "Pyrrha please! Calm down! This isn't you! We can talk this out!" Ruby pleaded, sobbing loudly as she drops Crescent Rose to try to show that she isn't a threat. "Please we don't have to fight!"

Pyrrha gives a growl as she slowly walks towards Ruby. "You failed to save him Rose." She hissed, each step giving a loud hate filled slam. "You watched Jaune die right in front of you! You were so twisted up in your idiotic childish fairy tales, believing that the heroes will always save the day no matter what, that it fogged your mind into believing that you don't have to try any harder than you already have. And it's because of that belief that Jaune is fucking dead!" Pyrrha screams as she steps closer and closer to Ruby. Neo slowly makes her way besides Pyrrha, gripping her stomach with one hand while Hush was pointed at Ruby with the other. Neo has reclaimed her hat as a shadow conceals her eyes, but Ruby knew that the criminal was giving her the death glare.

Ruby starts to sob loudly as she finally realizes why Pyrrha is doing this. It's because she failed to save Jaune. Her childlike self-prevented her from saving the poor young man. She knew it was her fault that Jaune's dead, she knew it! "Pyrrha! I'm so sorry! I wanted so desperately to save him! I was so close! He was right in front of me!" Ruby sobbed as she gets the feeling that Pyrrha and Neo will pounce on her soon. She picks up Crescent Rose, Milo still embedded into it, as she holds it with a firm grip.

Pyrrha pauses for a moment, a deep part within her wanting to believe what Ruby was saying. Her arms tremble as she looks besides her and sees Neo, remembering who else Ruby failed to safe. "Then explain why you didn't save Roman. He could have easily been saved from his demise if you just killed the Grimm that ate him. Yet you did nothing. You stood there and stared before jumping off of the ship, caring more about your own life than the life of someone in danger." Pyrrha growled as she got closer and closer to Ruby. Neo squeezes the handle of her parasol as she remembers vividly the sight she saw as she was blown away in the wind.

"I… I…" Ruby stuttered, not having a good explanation on why she didn't attempt to save Roman.

"I'll answer the question for you. It's because you're weak and selfish. You saw that if you attempted to save Roman that you would have to fight him again and fearing for your own life, you ran away." Pyrrha said with a stone-cold stare. "And when you tried to save Jaune, you only stared before running away, not even attempting to try to recover his body as you knew that Cinder would immediately kill you." Her voice wavers slightly as Pyrrha hears a voice screaming inside of her head, telling her that Ruby didn't abandon Jaune and that she's coming up with excuses to hate Ruby.

Ruby grabs her head as she tries to think back on what happened that night, but she can't remember anything beyond her seeing Jaune fade away into ash. Did she actually run away? Was she in some kind of trance before passing out? Ruby doesn't know what the truth is anymore! "P-Pyrrha… I'm…" was all Ruby was able to say in between sobs as Pyrrha rushed in to try to bash the broken girl with her shield. Ruby brings up Crescent Rose to try to block the blow as she walks back. Pyrrha grabs Milo and yanks it out of Crescent Rose, before swinging it down onto Ruby's arm, leaving a large gash in it. Ruby cried in pain as she knew that she needs to fight back, or she will die. Swallowing her tears, she swings Crescent Rose at Pyrrha, trying to fight through the piercing pain that scorched through her arm. Pyrrha jumps out of the way from the swing, before ducking underneath a horizontal swing that Ruby lazily threw out. Pyrrha slides down and pushes herself off of the ground, kicking the young girl square in the chest causing the girl to get knocked back. Neo rushes behind and hits the flying Ruby in her back with Hush, causing her to quickly change momentum as she flies back towards Pyrrha.

Ruby lands on the ground, as her tears mix with her blood on the cold dirt. She quickly gets back up and bends backwards to avoid a sword lunge from Pyrrha before having to fall and roll on her back to avoid another strike from Neo, having to leave behind Crescent Rose on the floor. The two murderous women charge in towards Ruby, swinging wildly at the girl, who is able to dodge most of the slashes. She gets slashed a few times on her chest and steps back just in time as the tip of Pyrrha's blade scratches her face, going from her cheek, over the bridge of her nose and to her other cheek, no doubt leaving a scar. The two women jump back, and watch the struggling form of Ruby, her aura flashing rapidly, showing that it's going to give in any time soon. Neo looks at Ruby as she feels a pain in her chest. She starts to wonder if this is really what they should be doing. Hasn't Ruby suffered enough with this? Perhaps they should just leave her be now, as Ruby has no doubt learned her lesson. She looks at Pyrrha softly, wondering if she should tell her that they should leave.

Pyrrha smiles as she puts her sword and shield away and onto her back. She grabs Ruby by the throat and lifts her up into the air, causing the girl to choke as she struggles to break free from Pyrrha's firm grip. She feels her arm shaking, her grip loosening on Ruby's neck very slightly so that the poor girl can breathe. Pyrrha takes a deep sigh as she reaffirms to herself that this is what she should be doing. "Let this be a lesson for you Ruby Rose. Don't make promises you can't keep." She growls before slamming Ruby down onto the ground, the force of the impact causing Ruby's aura to burst and sizzle out. Hearing Ruby's pained cries, Pyrrha feels something tug on her heart strings as her gaze softens. She reaches her arm out for Ruby very quickly, almost getting ready to say, "I'm sorry!" before shaking her head, telling herself that there's no need to say sorry.

Pyrrha stares down at the young huntress, cold depressed emerald eyes meeting shaking terrified silver eyes. She reaches behind her and pulls out Milo with a bone chilling "CHHK!" as the steel ran against steel. Ruby watches in horror as Milo is held in Pyrrha's trembling hand. Is… is Pyrrha starting to have second doubts about this? Perhaps the woman that she used to be is still there somewhere within the confines of her heart. Ruby would see Pyrrha raise Milo up above her head, ready to thrust the blade into the ground. Perhaps she was being too hopeful in believing that Pyrrha was still there. This is it. This is what she deserves. She's failed as a huntress and as a human being. She's nothing but a failure and the only use a failure has is to be target practice. Ruby takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes, awaiting her end.

Pyrrha looks at how ready Ruby is to embrace death and gives her a soft stare in hesitation. Neo, Ren, and Nora see her hesitation, holding the blade up above her head as her hand trembles. Neo is also able to see Pyrrha's eyes go soft for the first time since they started traveling together. Those eyes aren't the eyes of a vengeful murderer, but of an ambitious girl wanting to be the best person she can possibly be. Neo so desperately wants to tell Pyrrha to stop and have them leave but… she can't. All that could come out was a scraggy sound that could even hardly be called a voice. Pyrrha looks down at Ruby again, her mind racing with only two thoughts. "Do it." and "Don't do it." These two phrases repeat inside her head, echoing as the voices grow louder and louder and louder! These thoughts are driving her to insanity! A tear starts to run down her cheek as she lets out a loud scream, bringing her sword and plunging the blade into the dirt beside Ruby's head.

Ruby's eyes shoot wide open from the scream as she sees the blade inches away from her face, embedded into the ground. "P-Pyrrha?" She cries, with dry tears. Looking up she sees Pyrrha giving her a small sympathetic stare, a singular tear drop running down her cheek before falling onto the dirt. Pyrrha's face quickly shifts back to the hateful glare that has become normal to her. In that one brief moment however, Ruby knew that Pyrrha is still in there. That the Pyrrha she knew is still alive and is trying to break free. She's calling for help and Ruby is going to answer that call. She will save her friend from the darkness that she's sinking down into.

"Killing you would be a waste of time. Besides, it was never our intention to kill you. Only to make you suffer and teach you a lesson." Pyrrha said coldly, trying to ignore the thoughts screaming in her head to tell her that Ruby deserves a second chance. "Neo and I have no more need of you." She said before turning away from Ruby, walking back towards Neo, who reaches an arm out towards Pyrrha, knowing that the spartan is conflicted with her emotions.

"Pyrrha! Please wait!" Ruby cries out, extending her arm to reach towards Pyrrha. "I know you're still in there! The Pyrrha Nikos that I know! The kind, thoughtful and humble woman from Mistral that loved Jaune and her team! The Pyrrha that would fight with a smile and not a glare! Please Pyrrha! Please come back to us!" Ruby sobbed. Ren and Nora look up at Pyrrha, who was facing towards them. They too see Pyrrha's cold face turn soft, wanting to go with them, before hardening again.

"Pyrrha please… let us help you! You too Neo!" Nora cried out, slowly crawling towards her fallen teammate. Neo's face goes soft as she hears the people, she was just fighting against wanting to help her, even despite everything she's done. Perhaps… she too is deserving of forgiveness.

"Pyrrha… your hatred is over running you. It's drowning out the real you and making you become a different person! You're crying out for help! So please, let us help you!" Ren cries out, tears starting to run down his face in a rare sign of showing emotion.

"Pyrrha… Neo… please just come to Haven with us, we will put everything behind us, and we can take Cinder down together! We will avenge Jaune, Roman and Beacon! With all of us together, she won't stand a chance, even with her maiden powers!" Ruby pleaded, trying her best to appease to Pyrrha's heart.

Neo hesitates for a moment as she tilts her hat over her eyes, looking away from Ruby Rose. Despite everything, she knows that it's not Ruby's fault that Roman is dead, she just made a dumb mistake because she's still just a kid. As much as Neo wants to hate Ruby for that, she can't bring herself to do so. She knows what it's like to be a dumb kid, and all the mistakes you make in your youth without thinking. She looks at Pyrrha softly, almost as if telling her that it may be for the best if they went with Ruby and the others.

Pyrrha stands still in silence, letting Ruby's words sink in. She trembles as she drops Milo to the ground and grabs her head, falling to her knees as a war takes place inside her mind. She knows she's in the wrong for doing this, she knows she is! But the monster that is inside her is refusing to accept that and is pushing Pyrrha towards Ruby to finish what she started. Tears run down Pyrrha's face as she feels herself being in so much pain, only getting worse and worse as she lets the thoughts fight inside her mind. She lets out a small scream as she punches the earth, picking Milo back up as she walks back towards Ruby, knees shaking as she kneels down in front of the young girl, staring at her softly. Ruby gives a small smile, believing that her words worked as she sees that Pyrrha is finally back. "Ruby." Pyrrha uttered softly. Ruby gives a small sniff as Pyrrha is finally back with her. They can all be one happy team and take down Cinder together. Ruby's thoughts of grandeur would only be shattered when she feels Pyrrha grab her left wrist before slamming it down to the ground, pinning it. "I'm sorry. But the Pyrrha Nikos that you knew died that fateful night. All that remains is a monster." Pyrrha said tears running down her cheek as her voice shakes. Sobbing softly, she raises Milo up into the sky and brings it down, being powerless to stop herself.

When Milo would hit the ground, Ruby would feel a pain worse than she's ever experienced before. It hurt worse than every wall she was thrown into, every stab, every slash. It hurt even worse than the beating that Pyrrha and Neo gave to her. The poor girl gives a loud blood curdling scream of pain, as she brings her hand to her chest, watching blood squirt out from where her pinky finger should be. She stares in terror as she lets out another loud scream, sobbing loudly. Ruby tries to stop the bleeding, but the pain simply hurt too much for her to be able to focus on taking care of the wound. She just wanted to scream and cry. Ren and Nora's eyes dilate in horror, stunned and unable to comprehend what Pyrrha just did.

Neo stared at Pyrrha in disbelief, Hush dropping to the ground as she witnesses the brutality that Pyrrha inflicted upon the poor girl. She's used to doing such acts from her life as a criminal, but this… this feels different from all the times she's done it. When she dismembered someone, she did it for a reason, mainly to defend herself. But what Pyrrha just did… it didn't need to happen. Ruby was defeated and she didn't need to suffer anymore than she already has. Neo breathes heavily as she starts to see Pyrrha for who she truly is, a monster. But despite all that… Neo can see that Pyrrha doesn't want to be this way.

Ruby's screams die down as they get replaced with loud sobs, the poor girl clutching her hand to her chest as she curls up into a fetal position. Pyrrha looks down at Ruby, expression unwavering as she looks at the wound on Ruby's hand. Despite the face that Pyrrha wore, it was all just a mask as Pyrrha slowly starts to realize that this didn't need to happen. Ruby didn't need to suffer like this. Yet the monster within her decided that this needed to happen. Her heart fills with guilt while her mind tells her that this is the way it's supposed to be. Pyrrha reaches behind her and into the bag that she carried around with her. She takes out a bottle of what appears to be disinfectant and a roll of gauze, tossing them on the ground and in front of Ruby. "Disinfect the wound and wrap it up. You don't want it to get infected." Pyrrha said tenderly as she walks towards Neo. "Let's go Neo." Pyrrha said, a faint sob coming from the spartan. Neo looks at Pyrrha and is a bit hesitant to leave before she lets out a long sigh as she walks away with her, picking Hush back up. Ruby watches them leave, vision fogged up with her tears as she reaches her uninjured hand out towards Pyrrha and Neo, before watching them shatter into glass, disappearing from sight.

"P-Pyrrha…" Ruby utters, sobbing softly for the woman that she failed to save. Ren and Nora crawl over to Ruby and immediately start to treat her wound, stopping the bleeding and disinfecting it before wrapping it up in gauze. However, Ruby was oblivious to the help that Ren and Nora were providing as her mind couldn't help but think back to Pyrrha, and how she seemed to be calling out for help. 'I will save you Pyrrha… you won't need to suffer anymore.'