Pyrrha attempted to ignore the pain in her head, focusing on the calm and friendly atmosphere of her friends, but struggled to do so. Today was an important day.

Her match against Penny.

Despite her experience and skill, despite all that she had accomplished in the past, Pyrrha couldn't shake the sense of unease within her. This fight was important, incredibly important, but she couldn't tell why.

If she won she would go on to the final, winning glory and fame she cared little about. She would finally be able to use her skills for the benefit of her team, that was what mattered to her. Her friends had always been supportive, and if she lost she knew they wouldn't hate her for it, but she had been so looking forward to the chance to impress them.

To make them proud.

It was foolish, seeking approval from her friends, but she couldn't help it. This was her chance.

Or, it had been.

She truly had been looking forward to the tournament over the last months, but recently it had felt far more foreboding. The Headmasters offer still weighed heavy on her mind, and she had assumed that as the cause of her fear, but now she wasn't so sure.

Pyrrha already knew what she was going to say, despite her reluctance to do so. There was never a question in her mind that she would accept the Maiden powers if it meant protecting her friends. She had already made her choice.

She could remember being conflicted about it when she'd first been told but… those memories felt so distant and detached that she struggled to grasp them. She didn't want to forget her friends, something she had been told was a distinct possibility, but she somehow knew that wouldn't happen.

It wasn't a belief, nor was it a lie to make herself feel strong enough to do the right thing, she simply knew.

None of that bothered her. Her entire world view had been altered, a veil of secrecy ripped away, and yet she was oddly ok with it. She had adapted to it.

It no longer surprised her.

But that left the issue unsolved. What was she so worried about?

Pyrrha turned her head to look at the arena where she would fight Penny. Her stomach twisted at the thought as her mind felt clouded. There was a memory she was trying to recall, something that she had just barely forgotten.

Whenever she thought she had it the details slipped from her mind, leaving her just as confused as before. The only difference being her headache getting worse with each attempt.

All she knew was that she had to remember, whatever it was, and so she kept trying despite the pain.

She felt a hand settle on her shoulder, snapping her attention back to the group of people that surrounded her.

Her friends had noticed there was something wrong with her, though by this point Pyrrha was sure everyone at Beacon had noticed. Jaune had sought her out and offered what comfort he could without knowing the details, but the attempt had meant the world to her.

Her friends were good people, people she would die to protect.

People she had di-

"You've got this, Pyr." Jaune spoke softly, his eyes scanning her face in an attempt to figure out how to help her. She hoped he would find something, anything, to say that would make her feel better.

She hoped for too much.

"Yeah!' Nora bounced up from becied Jaune. "You're like, way better than the competition!" Nora was always filled with energy, always managing to bring a smile to someone's face no matter the situation, but Pyrrha could tell it was forced this time. An act put on for her benefit.

Pyrrha forced her best smile on anyways, finding some happiness in the fact that her friends were simply trying to help.

The buzzer sounded, marking that the fight was set to commence in five minutes, and Pyrrha stepped away from her friends.

"I'll do my best."

"We know you will, and you'll do great." Jaune again watched her with an odd intensity, but once again he said nothing more.

Nora and Ren offered their own words, Ren reaffirming what Jaune had said while Nora told her to 'break some legs'.

Pyrrha said her goodbyes, not surprised to find them difficult to say. Her friends looked worried but they still smiled for her turned and stepped towards the starting platform only to stop when a familiar voice called her name.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby materialized a few feet behind her in a flash of rose petals. "I thought I was going to miss you!"

Pyrrha turned to face her friend and noticed the somewhat panicked look in her eyes.

"What's wrong Ruby?" Pyrrha looked up to her team, only to realize that they had already left for their seats.

"I… I don't know, I just…" Ruby stuttered, a look of confusion overtaking her face as she tried to think. "I wanted to warn you…"

Pyrrha's heart froze and she found it hard to breath, let alone speak. "Warn me about what?"

"I-I…" Ruby looked conflicted and stammered as she spoke. "Penny isn't a normal girl… be careful."

Pyrrha smiled at the clear concern in those words, only for doubt to worm its way in as she saw her friend's expression. There was more than concern, there was fear. "Ruby… is something wrong?"

"N… I don't think so." Ruby bit her lip. "Just… promise me you'll be careful. Alright?"

Pyrrha stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to say more. She didn't and Pyrrha nodded.

"I'll be careful, I promise." Ruby's face brightened somewhat and Pyrrha felt herself relax just a bit. The nervousness that had been plaguing her for weeks still there, but muted in that moment. "Wish me luck."

Pyrrha turned and stepped towards the fight that awaited her. While she held herself as confident as she could, her face as neutral as possible, her mind raced in an attempt to remember something she had forgotten.

Ruby's words constantly in the back of her mind.

Pyrrha blocked the attack with her shield, already halfway into a roll as the follow up came in from the side. Her opponent's strange weapon proving a difficult obstacle to overcome.

When she halted, landing in a low kneeling position, she was attacked again.

There had been no opening for her to take advantage of, her opponent having plenty of weapons to ward off such an attack. Pyrrha gritted her teeth and stepped back, blocking one sword with her shield before deflecting two more with a flourish of her sword.

Pyrrha felt something burn inside her as she struggled to restrain herself.

She was angry, and sad, and a thousand other things all at once. She felt as if she was rapidly losing control of her emotions. It was an immensely unpleasant feeling that somehow felt familiar.

It was difficult to describe but she was sure she had only felt so confused when the headmaster had first told her about the Maidens, but it didn't bother her anymore. The revelation was a painful one, and it still loomed over her, but she was oddly at peace with it.

But she felt as if she wasn't. She felt unstable and ready to burst.

Pyrrha ducked back, narrowly dodging an attack for her head, before allowing herself to be pushed back.

Penny seemed to pick up on her opponent's trouble and she hesitated, not pursuing her for a moment. Those unnatural eyes watching her with genuine concern.

Pyrrha took a breath to steady herself and prepared to move forward, lowering herself back into a combat stance that Penny hesitantly mimicked. No matter how badly she felt, she would still stand and fight.

She stopped just before charging back in however, starting into her opponents eyes across the short distance between them.

They were unnatural, there was no doubt in Pyrrha's mind about that. A flicker of the memory she had forgotten flashed through her mind and her grip on her sword wavered.

Penny leapt forward and Pyrrha brought her sword up at the last second, moving to make herself a smaller target as her opponent's weapon flared outwards.

She deflected one with her sword, blocked another with her shield, and flipped back to dodge two more. The second she landed she was on the defense however, her opponent no longer holding back.

Pyrrha grit her teeth in anger, the emotion surging within her suddenly, and she pushed the blades aside with her semblance, forcing the opening she needed as she rushed forward.

Her blade was set to land solidly on Penny's torso until the entire world shifted. Pyrrha's blade was blocked by the girl's forearm.

For a split moment Penny had her in the perfect spot to attack, only she didn't. Pyrrha watched her unnatural eyes and saw them flicker. The world shifted once more and that look of concern was replaced with one of hate.

The next thing Pyrrha knew, she was being hurled backwards. She struck the ground hard, rolling with the momentum she managed to slide onto her feet and bring her shield up to block Penny's next attack.

Akouo was ripped from her grasp and another sword cut for her throat. She managed to angle her sword to halt the strike, only for the force behind the attack to be much more than she had expected.

Milo flew from her hands, skidding away as her opponent launched another attack. Pyrrha looked up to see a look of hatred on Penny's face. She rolled to the side, failing to dodge the strike as it grazed her arm.

She grit her teeth to ignore the pain, moving to her feet and pulling back as quickly as she could.

Penny didn't pursue her. Instead, she turned to face her and raised her arms, bringing her weapons up above her head.

As they started to multiply.

Pyrrha felt fear take hold as she watched the blades continue to grow in number. She watched in disbelief as the swarm continued to grow, blocking light and casting a massive shadow over the arena.

Then, Penny cut down with her arm, and the blades rocketed forward. Pyrrha panicked and reached out with her hands, calling on her Semblance to save her.

The world slowed as she watched her opponents attack move ever closer. She felt her Semblance take hold and she prepared to throw the attack back. As she did however, something in the back of her mind finally clicked.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in clarity. She was going to kill Penny. If she used her semblance to save herself Penny would be torn to pieces. She knew because she had done it before.

She felt a part of her mind scream for her to use her Semblance, to focus on the real world in front of her and not whatever her nightmares had been about.

But another part of her brain told her they were more than nightmares. Despite how crazy it was, she believed the second voice more.

Pyrrha pushed her instincts aside, fighting back the use of her Semblance even as the fear mounted. She closed her eyes and waited for the tidal wave to strike.

A moment later Pyrrha was thrown from her feet but, contrary to what should have happened, she wasn't torn to shreds or crushed. Instead, she was pinned to the ground as the buzzer rang out over the arena.

When Pyrrha opened her eyes, she saw Penny smiling down on her. Offering her a hand.

"You fought well friend!" Penny's face was devoid of the anger and hatred she had seen during the fight, her robotic eyes filled with a light that felt oddly comforting. "Truly, you have ear-"

There was an explosion somewhere close and the ground shook. A voice boomed out over the intercom, a voice the Pyrrha recognized all too well.

Cinder Fall's voice mocked her, just as it always did.

Pyrrha followed behind her team, paying little attention to the chaos around her as she tried to come to grips with the memories in her head. She couldn't remember how many times she'd been where she was currently, the nightmares and reality blending together in a way that made it impossible to decipher.

"The General will know what to do!" Penny had taken the lead after the initial wave of Grimm, attempting to meet up with General Ironwood so that they could figure out where they were supposed to go.

She wasn't sure why she had bothered to stay, she already knew where the main track was and where she had to go.

Where she had to die.

In the end, she followed because she didn't want to leave her friends, all of whom had run off after Penny. Like everything else, her choice was made without her.

By the time they found the General he had already started organizing the evacuations of the civilians on Amity.

Pyrrha didn't listen as they talked about what the plan was. She didn't need to. The General knew about the Maidens and the Headmaster's offer to her. His priority would be to get her to Beacon so that she could take the powers and keep it safe from the monster who sought it.

For a moment, Pyrrha considered running, or at least refusing to take the power. She had failed the last time, and the time before that.

She had failed every time she tried to fight Cinder and she had failed to make a difference. Running off to her death wouldn't do anything, it hadn't done anything. She didn't want to leave her friends, but a part of her mind told her to save herself. The fact she had even thought it made her hate herself all the more, cursing herself for not being strong enough.

"Pyrrha…" The girl in question looked down to her friend, who much like herself was paying little attention to the Generals plan. "Are you-" She cut herself off with a shake of her head. "What are you gonna do?"

Pyrrha struggled for a moment, trying to think of an answer but failing. She signed in defeat. "I don't know, I-" She paused. Why had Ruby asked that? Pyrrha looked back to her friend, noting the way she refused to look away, but also noting the fear on her face.

The same look that had been there before her fight with Penny.

"Ruby…" She paused, struggling to come up with the right way to phrase her question. In the end, she couldn't think of a subtle way to say it. "Does all of this feel familiar to you?"

Ruby's eyes widened slightly. "I-I don't know what you mean, I-"

"Like this has happened before?" Pyrrha watched her friend carefully as she frantically looked around.

"I've been having these dreams…" What Pyrrha felt couldn't be called relief, if only because it helped confirm her worst fears, but it was something like that. Confirmation was better than not knowing, and as Ruby spoke it became easier to understand.

It seemed that, in her confusion, Pyrrha had failed to notice Ruby was going through much the same thing as her. The headaches, soreness, confusion, tiredness. All of it.

It was what she said at the end, however, that Pyrrha focused on.

"-its up to you." Ruby had kept her voice low, so as to not attract the suspicion of the rest of their group.

"Why?"

"Our fate rests with you-"

"Why!?" Pyrrha struggled to control her… she wasn't really sure. Anger, sadness, whatever it was she felt. "I can't do this Ruby! I tried!" Had she not been so drained she felt like she would have cried. "I tried so many times and I failed! I'm sorry but I can't do it!"

"You can, because you have to." Ruby's eyes softened and she smiled sadly. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, but it goes beyond physical ability. You're fair, and kind, and caring. You've faced impossible odds and come out on top before… now we need you to do it again."

Pyrrha clenched her eyes shut, taking a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves. It failed miserably and for a moment she felt like she was falling apart. A hand grabbed her wrist and she opened her eyes to see Ruby staring up at her. A gentle smile and look of pure trust on her face.

"I believe in you."

Pyrrha closed her eyes once more, and the hand slipped away. When she opened them next, she stood outside the tower.

In that moment she felt more alone than she thought possible. She felt what little of the maiden power she had been given coursing through her. Despite the fact she couldn't remember the transfer.

Two choices laid out before her.

She could run, go find her team and try to convince them to flee with her. If she begged them they might even do it.

Or she could fight, and almost certainly die.

She wanted to run, more than anything in the world she wanted to find her team, her friends, but the danger wouldn't go away.

The Maiden powers were within her now and Cinder would hunt her to the ends of Remnant to retrieve it, she knew that.

It was difficult to say how long she stood there, fear and desperation warring with the knowledge that her friends would never be safe if she ran now.

In the end, her choice had already been made.

She would never put her friends in danger, and so she would fight. That also meant that she would have to win, no matter what she had to face in the process.

Making her way over to the elevator shaft she stepped in, calling upon her semblance to move her up the tower. She solidified her resolve as she went, preparing for the final fight of her lifetime.

Or this lifetime, at least.

Cinder was waiting for her, just as she always was.

Her shield managed to block the arrow aimed for her throat as she flew out of the elevator shaft. Rolling forward she dodged another before lunging up and into her opponent's guard in a move that had won her her second tournament so many years ago.

The Monster's bow was replaced with twin blades that caught her sword at the last moment. Cinder snarled and pushed back with incredible strength.

Pyrrha held her ground, attempting to push her opponent's weapons to the side and nearly succeeded. Her opponent withdrew while swiping at her legs, forcing Pyrrha back or risk being tripped.

The second she was able to, Pyrrha lunged forward once more, Milo clashing against the obsidian blades that Cinder used as weapons. The Invincible Girl fought with a desperation unlike anything she had ever attempted. Her normal acrobatic moves were replaced with brutal attacks at every opportunity.

Her flourishes and defensive retreats were replaced with a relentless push meant to break through her opponent's guard. When that failed to get the results she wanted, Pyrrha attempted to pull out every dirty trick she had ever learned.

Despite what most people thought, not all professional fighters fought clean. On more than one occasion Pyrrha had been blindsided by an opponent's trick, and she'd nearly lost because of it.

When raw skill and strength weren't enough, they helped to even the playing field.

She'd managed to grab a handful of dust from the ground, parts of the ceiling having been ground to dust under the weight of the dragon. Throwing it into her opponents eyes had bought her a moment of respite and time to pull back.

Seeing the massive ornate gears that usually decorated the Headmaster's office, Pyrrha called on her semblance. It hadn't worked when she'd tried it before, but it would at the very least be a distraction.

Besides, she had proved by saving Penny that things could be changed.

Destiny could be rewritten.

The tower shook as the gears collided where Cinder had been standing. The attack launched rock and dust up, concealing her opponent.

Pyrrha didn't wait to see if her opponent was still still standing, throwing everything her semblance allowed her to.

The dust billowed out and Pyrrha focused on it, tossing her last large object before realizing nothing was there.

A moment later Pyrrha cried out in pain, looking down to see an arrow in her ankle. As is waiting for her acknowledgment, the arrow dissipated a second alter. She adjusted her weight, facing the direction the arrow had come from but it was too late.

Cinder's blade cut down towards her as she brought Milo up to halt them. It spared her life, but her body was forced to shift, placing weight on her ankle.

She screamed in pain as her leg buckled and her weapon was ripped from her grasp.

A moment later she was flat on her back, having been kicked down.

"You truly did earn your title." Cinder circled her like a predator, chuckling softly. "But I'm afraid you never stood a chance."

Pyrrha rolled over, desperately looking for anything she could use as a weapon, only to see that there was nothing. Milo and Akouo were nowhere to be seen, having been kicked away by the monster before her.

She attempted to stand, managing to get to her knees before her strength failed her.

She'd lost… again. Tears welled up in her eyes as Pyrrha was forced to accept her failure.

"It's not your fault," Cinder continued to mock her. "You were promised a power that was never rightfully yours."

Cinder placed a hand on her chin, lifting her head up to look her in the eyes. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use this power in ways you never could have imagined."

Pyrrha glared into the monsters amused eyes. "I will beat you." Amusement turned to confusion, giving her the strength to continue. "I don't care if it takes a hundred tries, or a thousand, I will beat you!"

"Hmm," Cinder stood, stepping back a few feet and materializing her bow. "I don't think you'll be getting a second chance." Cinder pulled her bow back, an arrow appearing on the string.

"I'll never give up… I promised." Pyrrha closed her eyes and waited for her death.

She only had a moment to register the pain of the arrow hitting her before it faded. Opening her eyes, she expected to see her dorm room, but she didn't.

It took her a moment to recognize where she was, the adrenaline and confusion both making it hard for her to think, but the world seemed to come into view slowly.

Miss Goodwitch's class was a familiar sight, but Pyrrha felt as if she wasn't alone.

Her eyes fell to a section of the arena covered in shadow. As she stared into the darkness, something stared back.

"Miss Nikos…" The almost inhuman voice seemed to come from every direction. "I believe it's time we talked."

Authors Note: *Insert this chapter sucked comment* I really do say that a lot these days. Oh well, the start was rough but the ending went where I wanted it chapter is a bit longer than my normal, consider it making up for the last chapter being short.

You'll get your answers in the coming chapters, I promise. In the meantime, don't forget to review and let me know what you think.

Sincerely SE