(Warning: This was the part of the story I was dreading the most. And the one many of you were likely dreading too. My apologies in advance.)
At the top the castle tower, in the room Maleficent was last fought, Cinder was walking across the pipes sticking out the inner walls like ledges. The same roar was heard outside through the holes in the walls and she looked out one as the Wyvern Grimm from her world that previously helped with the invasion of Beacon climbed up the tower. It's multi-eyed skull took up the entire view of the hole in the wall and when making visual contact with Cinder, roared again.
Though facing a beast far bigger than her and no doubt capable of easily destroying her, she wasn't afraid of the Wyvern anymore than any other Grimm under her command. "Shhh. We will be home again soon." she whispered with a smile on her lips, as if calming an irritated pet. Her words made it clear to the draconic Grimm she had no fear of it. A cold certainty that made it feel like it should obey her. An inexplicable instinct. Cinder looked to her hand, smiling as she ignited a flame in her palm. She still could hardly believe the sheer amount of power she felt running through her since taking the power of the Fall Maiden for herself. But she wouldn't waste it on those fools. The moment they reached the gummi ship after cutting through the Grimm she'd left to harass their departure from this world, the Wyvern would finish them off. But she made sure to make it clear to the Grimm that Sora was not to be harmed. It wouldn't do for the Keyblade Master to be killed before finishing his job.
Cinder was drawn from her thoughts as suddenly the sound of metal screaming through the air flew toward her from behind. She turned to see Pyrrha's shield, Miló, spinning toward her like a disk, but she effortlessly sidestepped, evading both it and Akoúo̱ as their wielder rushed towards her like a battering ram. Even with Pyrrha's added two legged kick bringing more force to bear, Cinder easily blocked it and pushed Pyrrha back.
Pyrrha stood again, using her semblance to bring her weapons to her hands as glared at Cinder. The Fall Maiden sneered at the audacity of the huntress as she released a gout of flames from her feet to hover above the floor. Wave after wave, streams of fire were shot at Pyrrha who narrowly managed to evade them, except for a particularly big one she had to block with her shield. With every bit of strength she had, she pushed past the force of Cinder's attack and leaped above to impale her with her javelin.
Cinder however took this encounter with as much seriousness as one would need for swatting a fly. For Pyrrha's attempt to strike her was met by Cinder catching the blade of the spear effortlessly, before spinning the huntress around and striking her with an open palm. Pyrrha's widened from pain and shock as she was suddenly blasted into a wall. Stumbling to the ground after the impact, Pyrrha barely had time to recover before Cinder resumed her offense.
Their blows went back and forth, but the difference in their capabilities was staggering. Pyrrha was barely managing to avoid every arc and pillar of flame that Cinder unleashed upon her, but was caught by a kick that sent her airborne. Cinder was merely toying with her like a cat with a mouse. Pyrrha knew before she came up here that she wouldn't be a match for Cinder. But she had to keep her and that Wyvern's attention away from her friends no matter the cost.
By this point, Pyrrha had only one hope for getting close to deliver a lethal blow. She threw her spear down at Cinder, followed by her shield. As Cinder batted the spear away, she barely managed to do the same to the shield, before reaching toward Pyrrha with a blazing hand.
"Oh no!" "Pyrrha!"
Suddenly, two familiar, silly voices rang out through the chamber, catching both party's attention.
"No you don't!" As the third voice rang out, the spinning blur of a familiar weapon flew in her direction and struck Cinder in the torso before she could block it. Cinder grunted with pain as she briefly stumbled from the impact. Both she and Pyrrha recognized the weapon just as it vanished. The Keyblade! And sure enough, there was its wielder and his two loyal friends. Sora, Donald, and Goofy!
But rather than relief at the help, Pyrrha was stricken with shock and horror. Why were they here? Why did SORA come here? He was supposed to be with the others! Away from Cinder! Away from HERE! Her horror had to wait as whatever damage the Keyblade dealt to her opponent seemed inconsequential. Only ultimately opening a new chance for Cinder to take as she grabbed ahold of Pyrrha and forcefully slammed her into the ground, causing a great big cloud of dust to fill the chamber.
Cinder seemed to be struggling in Pyrrha's grip while holding the blade of her weapon and almost choked by Pyrrha's spare arm.
Gripping his weapon more firmly, Sora ran to them. "Pyrrha, we've got your back!"
Right as they stepped up, Pyrrha suddenly shouted at them. "Stay back! All of you, just keep away!"
The trio skidded to a halt with shock and confusion. Cinder was overwhelming her, and she was telling them to stay out of this fight? "But Pyrrha, we want to help!" Goofy said as he peered over the top of his shield.
Donald gave a firm nod as he spoke up next. "Yeah! We came to find you and bring you ba-"
"No!" Pyrrha cried out again, desperately. "She's too powerful! Just run! Now!"
As they argued argued, Cinder saw the opportunity to burn away the metal of Pyrrha's weapon while she was distracted. Worse still, in the middle of the brief argument, the Wyvern Grimm outside jumped off the tower and with a great flap of its wings. When the trio realized the creature's existence, Cinder smiled with a fiery glow in her eyes. "You should have listened to her, Sora. But I guess I should thank you for entertaining my pet before he deals with your other friends." Sora didn't even have time to react as the draconic Grimm suddenly charged right at the tower!
"Get down!" Donald called out, prompting Sora and Goofy to follow him in hitting the deck as the Wyvern shook the entire tower.
Cinder eventually melted the metal of her foe's weapon enough that with a mere sharp flick of her wrists, she snapped it into metal shards. And with her guard down from the loss of her weapon and worry for her friends, Pyrrha was knocked back with not only enough force to make her hit a wall. The impact was powerful enough alongside the Wyvern trying to attack Sora, Donald, and Goofy that suddenly, pieces of the roof began to fall down upon them!
"Incoming!" Goofy called out as he acted quickly, huddling his two friends together and using his shield to cover all three of them once. The Wyvern changed its direction and flew above the tower again as more pieces fell outside the castle, down into the crystal canyons below.
As the dust around them settled, Sora coughed and looked over at his comrades. "Donald? Goofy?" Fortunately, they were both okay, in large part thanks to Goofy's amazingly sturdy shield. Although none of them were injured, now they were covered in a miniature dome of broken machinery and stone from the castle's roofing. They had to clear this debris if they were to help Pyrrha against Cinder.
Soon after, the sound flames roaring, metal slamming, and Pyrrha's strenuous cries followed reached their ears. They looked up to see Pyrrha struggling to avoid columns of flames summoned by Cinder, only for a third one to rise up and launch Pyrrha against the wall again. Cinder summoned forth a wall of flame, trapping Pyrrha where she is, forcing her to throw her shield again. Seeing it coming, Cinder easily backhanded it away, leaving Pyrrha unarmed...but not defenseless. Looking up, she saw numerous pipes and cogs within the broken walls of the castle. A desperate idea sparked in her mind. Using her Semblance, Pyrrha pulled her shield to her, catching Cinder off guard and knocking her off her feet. She then directed her Semblance to manipulate the giant pieces of metal and launched them down at her foe.
But Cinder saw it coming, and easily dashed Pyrrha's plan with a burst of flame. The pieces of metal were scattered across the chamber, one of which flew toward Pyrrha who raised her shield. But the more massive piece of metal was too much for her to stop, and slammed her into the wall. Pyrrha felt herself getting weaker and realized that her aura had been completely depleted. Cinder realized this as well as she smirked, walking toward her weakened foe, forming a bow of pure obsidian in her hand.
Just outside the castle, Ruby and Weiss were cutting a swath through the remaining Grimm along the castle walls. They couldn't believe there was still a sizable force of Grimm here still. They had no time to waste on these things. Even more so when they heard the roar from above and saw the massive Wyvern attacking the top of the tower. That meant Pyrrha was still up there. And if they were right about that portal...so too were Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "We've gotta hurry!" Ruby exclaimed, slicing a beowulf in twain.
Weiss looked around, trying to find some way for them to get up there. Then she remembered the Nevermore in the forest! She could use her glyphs to help Ruby get up to the top! Summoning a line of glyphs along the side of the tower, Weiss looked Ruby straight in the eyes and firmly told her. "You can do this." If anyone could, her leader could.
A smile of confidence creased Ruby's face before she rushed to the trail Weiss made for her, using her semblance to make the jump then rain in the path of glyphs. As she charged with all speed up along the tower, one thought fixed itself into her mind as she got closer to the draconic Grimm. She would reach the top in time. She HAD to!
"Come on guys, hurry!" Sora said as he threw more clumps of castle debris to the side. The fight between Pyrrha and Cinder was growing all the more intense, with Cinder showing just how heavily one-sided it was.
Donald and Goofy strained against a particularly large giant portion of the debris. "We're moving as fast I can!" Donald groaned with annoyance. He wasn't nearly as physically strong as Goofy or Sora, but they couldn't afford to waste time. They had to get past the debris and help Pyrrha before it was too late!
As Cinder readied her bow, Pyrrha threw her shield upon standing. The arrow Cinder released was broken by the edge of Pyrrha's defensive weapon but re-materialized itself when passing over and under it. The momentum of the projectile wasn't lost, piercing into Pyrrha through her right ankle. The impact was enough to make her fall to her knees, pain surging through her entire body all the while. Even after breaking the arrow apart to remove it, Pyrrha realized she had reached her limit. There was nothing she could do anymore.
"Cinder!" Sora's shout caused the smirking cinder to turn toward him with a glare of annoyance. She couldn't believe he was still here, AND still trying to stand against her. "I said leave her alone!" Sora shouted, having enough as he delivered an enraged smash to the rest of the debris, rushing ahead of Donald and Goofy.
"Sora!" "Hey, wait!" Their calls were in vain as Sora raised his Keyblade, and swung it at Cinder. But she merely sidestepped his strikes, not even bothering to block his blows. Sora growled with frustration as he raised the Keyblade up in front of Cinder. The tip began to light up with the same energy he released upon the Ansem possessed Riku. Yet Cinder looked not even remotely concerned. She simply rolled her eyes, unable to believe how poor Sora was at listening. The next moment, the Keyblade unleashed a flurry of radiant projectiles that Cinder dashed away from, only to see them following her.
Before they could continue, she chose that moment to show Sora again just how outmatched he was. Summoning a flurry of her own blazing, obsidian projectiles, the Fall Maiden intercepted every projectile Sora launched at her with one of her own. And with them successfully intercepted, cinder took advantage of the surprised boy's vulnerability and dashed toward him, delivering a sharp, powerful kick that sent Sora flying backwards into Donald and Goofy.
"Sit down, boy. It's time for you to learn a hard, harsh lesson about about overstepping your worth." Cinder demanded sharply before turning back toward Pyrrha. It was time to finish this momentary amusement once and for all.
"Sora!" Pyrrha called out to him, only to groan in pain, unable to go and help him. She was too weak...too injured to do anything for any of them. She couldn't even fight back as Cinder looked back at her with a wicked smirk.
"It's a shame you were promised a power that was never truly yours," Cinder said with mock sympathy as she strutted around the groveling huntress. She could see the defeat in Pyrrha's face...and it was absolutely delightful for her to behold as she made the girl face her up front and cupped her chin to meet eye to eye. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined." she added derisively, before turning her gaze toward Sora with yet another knife ready to twist. "And don't worry. Sora will live. After all...he is the only hope for our world to return. So you can rest easy knowing it is all in capable hands."
Despite the fact that her doom was hanging right over her head, Pyrrha remained firm and defiant. She stared up at Cinder, shaking off the hand cupping her chin as she pushed herself up as best as she could. If this was likely going to be her last stand, she refused to cower or give Cinder any kind of satisfaction. She simply asked..."Do you believe in destiny?"
Cinder's smile turned to a scornful frown at Pyrrha's defiance. A defiance that was as empty as it was irritating. "Yes." With that sharp, blunt answer, Cinder conjured her obsidian bow and an arrow, readying to shoot at point blank range and end the girl who dared to think she could have this power.
In that moment, Sora managed to smash a hole in the debris field trapping Donald, Goofy, and Himself. On the other side of the room, Ruby jumped through the window, hitting a three point landing. But in that very moment...both youths were met with a most horrific sight the instant their eyes fell upon Cinder and Pyrrha. They were too late...
"NOOOO!" Sora shouted, charging forward to try and stop it. Weakened as he was however, he barely even got a few feet before he was too late. Sora, Donald, and Goofy could only watch as Cinder loosed the arrow, firing it directly into Pyrrha's chest. The prodigy huntress barely had the strength to gasp as the arrow fatally struck her through the heart.
Sora, Ruby, Donald, and Goofy staggered with horror as Pyrrha's chest began to glow an ever increasing fiery orange and red. Cinder imperiously closed the distance between herself and the fallen huntress and touched her hand to her head. An instant later, Pyrrha's body ceased all movement and sound as Cinder unleashed the full force of her Maiden powers upon her doomed foe. The next instant...Pyrrha's body was consumed by a fiery orange glow, and her incinerated body was scattered to the winds as naught but collection of glowing ashes. All that remained of their friend was her golden headdress which Cinder thoughtlessly discarded.
Sora collapsed to his knees, reaching out weakly toward where Pyrrha once knelt. Donald and Goofy were helpless to do anything as they sorrowfully watched the ashes scatter across the room. With Pyrrha dead, Cinder looked toward the tear-stricken Sora and his friends with a wicked smirk on her face. A silent, clear message that said, 'Stay out of my way, or you'll suffer the same fate.' A sentiment strengthened by the snarling of the Wyvern leering and snarling at them just outside the tower.
Ruby stood where she was, paralyzed with horror and disbelief. Her silver eyes welled up with tears at the crushing realization that Pyrrha...one of their friends...was dead. She'd charged up the tower, hoping to save her...but she failed. She...failed...So much sorrow welled up in her that she was losing perception of everything else around her. Her head hurt so much it felt like everything was going white. All she could do...was scream out the name of the poor girl who gave everything for the people she loved.
"PYRRHAAAAAAA!"
The instant Ruby screamed her fallen friend and fellow huntress's name, an intense light suddenly seemed to burst out of her eyes and expand out through the entire tower room. Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned toward Ruby as the radiance emerging from her began to wash over everything. The Wyvern let out a screech of Agony as the light reached it, suddenly seeming to turn pure white.
"What?!"
Cinder barely had time to question what was happening as suddenly, she too was engulfed in the same, powerful light. Sora, Donald and Goofy shielded themselves as they were swallowed up by it. Even with their eyes shut, they could still feel the intensity of whatever power Ruby unleashed. And yet, strangely...they didn't feel any pain. Whatever Ruby was doing, it seemed to...only harm that giant Grimm and Cinder. Or so it sounded to the trio.
And then...silence.