Darth Cinder (one-shot)

[This takes place in an alternate timeline where Ruby was a little more curious and was already inducted into the Ozluminati by Volume 3.]

At the top of Beacon tower.

Despite her best efforts, the arrow to her ankle was one wound too many, and Pyrrha Nikos fell to her knees, unable to fight any longer.

Cinder: "It's unfortunate they forced upon you a power that was far beyond your capability to wield."

The woman known as Cinder Fall walked up to Pyrrha and lifted her chin, looking directly into her eyes.

Cinder: "But take comfort in knowing I will use it to accomplish far greater things, and bring an end to this twisted world."

Pyrrha was puzzled by the words this woman chose to speak to her in what would no doubt be her final moments. Did she really think she could change the world?

Pyrrha: "Do you believe in destiny?"

Cinder: "No. I make my own destiny."

Pyrrha almost thought she saw a brief flash of pity on her killer's face, but the older woman made no further signs of it before stepping back and coldly sending an arrow straight through Pyrrha's heart.

Then, Cinder placed her palm against the dying Spartan's head and activated her Semblance. It was a waste of her Aura, and a pitifully small mercy considering she had aimed the arrow to kill as quickly as possible anyway. But at least she would grant her opponent the dignity of not having her body picked apart by carrion birds in the soon-to-be ruins of Beacon.

Quietly, inside the depths of her mind, Cinder sighed. Yet another tick mark on the list of things that would send her to hell. Yet another voice added to the screams she would hear in her long since sleepless nights.

Ruby Rose was panicking as she ran up the glyph trail Weiss made for her up to the top of tower. How could things go so wrong so fast? She felt so helpless, so insignificant in the wake of all the events happening around her. She needed to do something, anything. Please, Brothers willing, at least let me save my friend!

Ruby arrived at the top of the tower just to see Salem's agent shoot an arrow through Pyrrha's heart and disintegrate her body into ashes. She was too late. She couldn't do anything. Ruby fell to her knees. The despair and anguish welling up inside her throughout this terrible day had finally reached a tipping point, and the young girl broke.

But then, a strange feeling suddenly seeped out from the recesses of her subconscious. It was powerful. It refused to let her break, forcing the shattered pieces of her psyche together, and it told her she was powerful.

Ruby screamed as the mysterious power overtook her and aggressively surged out of her in the form of a blindingly bright silver light radiating from her eyes.

Cinder was hit with a double whammy of surprises, first the presence of Ruby, and then the fact that she had awakened her Silver-Eyes powers just at that exact moment. But fortunately, her decades of experience as a warrior, killer, and immersion in the deepest conspiracies and darkness in this world meant it was only a split second before any uncertainty was replaced with cold reason and hardened conviction.

Cinder: "No. Ruby. Stop!"

Cinder: "Ruby! Control yourself!"

Cinder: "Petal! Stop and listen to me!"

Petal. The silver light in the young girl's eyes flickered before fading as Ruby Rose returned to the world.

The combatants in the war raging around them were baffled at the fact that all Grimm within a small radius around the tower had been seemingly turned to stone, but were grateful for this mysterious boon and fought on with renewed vigor. Cinder hissed in pain at the destruction of her Grimm body parts and clutched at the stump where her left arm used to be.