"Ruby!"

She didn't even have time to react to Yang's sudden outburst as she was pushed to the ground just as an arrow wizzed over her head.

She jumped to her feet, Crescent Rose springing to life in her hands, and turned to face her assailant. As the attacker walked forward into view, Ruby's eyes shot open in shock, then narrowed in unbridled rage.

It was her. Dressed in that same short, red dress, that she had seen her kill one of her best friends in, with those same harsh, uncaring eyes that burned like gold. The sound of her black glass heels striking the ground felt magnified in the cold silence.

Ruby heard Weiss scream next to her. "You!"

The woman ignored Weiss and chose to look directly into Ruby's eyes instead. There was something...different about her. The calm, cool arrogance that always emanated from her before was gone, replaced by a manic fury that set Ruby's teeth on edge. Her weapons were different, appearing now as if they were now made of real steel instead of the black obsidian she had seen before. There was also a strange mark on her face, as if a spiderweb had been permanently fused into the skin.

"Remember me?" She hissed, her voice low and laced with rage. "What's my name?"

The newly re-formed team RWBY glanced at each other. It had taken months for them to find each other again. It had taken weeks to heal the pain and mend the broken bonds caused by their separation. They had been divided, weakened, but they had bounced back, stronger and closer than ever before.

Weiss spoke first. "I remember you destroyed our school."

Yang stepped forward, shouting. "I remember you framed me and let Grimm into my city!"

Blake appeared beside her, full of a confidence she'd never showed before. "I remember you let the White Fang hurt and kill innocent people."

Finally, Ruby stood in front of her team. She sheathed Crescent Rose and pulled out a second weapon, a sword with bright green circuitry adorning it. "I remember you killed two of my closest friends." Tears filled her eyes.

The woman in red grinned wickedly, her dead eyes lighting up briefly as the sound of pain in Ruby's voice hit her ears. "Then remember this," she spat, "you took everything from me. Everything was going to plan, and then you showed up and ruined EVERYTHING!" Her eyes were wild and unfocused. "I had everything I wanted! I had the power that was rightfully mine! And now look at me!" She pointed towards the mark on her face. "She took them from me! And it's all your fault!"

Yang scoffed. "Tough luck." And primed Ember Celica.

"What's my name?" The Woman repeated with a scowl, eyes bursting into a blaze of anger and hatred.

The girls didn't respond. They refused her the satisfaction. Instead they readied themselves for the inevitable attack.

The former fall maiden screamed and launched herself at Ruby, swinging with her dual swords. Before she could reach the girl in red her attack was blocked by a giant, glowing sword protruding from a glyph in the air. The sword swung outward, pushing her back.

The Fire-Eyed Attacker readied her bow and fired at Ruby, but before the arrow could reach her it was destroyed by a blast from Ember Celica. She yelled in outrage as team RWBY pushed the attack.

As they fought, Ruby began to notice that they're attacker never engaged any of her teammates, only her. She would defend herself against any attack leveled at her, but she never retaliated. Every swing from her swords, every arrow from her bow, and every piece of terrain she infused with dust was directed solely at Ruby, the girl she blamed for all her failings.

Normally the narrow-minded focus would give team RWBY the advantage, but their opponent was skilled. Every swing from Gambol Shroud was blocked, every glyph formed was evaded, and every punch Yang threw at her was dodged and countered, leading to a surprisingly even fight, despite the black-haired woman being outnumbered.

Ruby knew they couldn't go on like this. This was a battle they couldn't win through skill alone. Ruby knew what she needed to do.

If only she could figure out how to do it.

Just then, their enemy gained the advantage. She caught Gambol Shroud as Blake threw it, spun and sent the faunus hurtling into a nearby tree. Weiss tried to ambush her from behind, but she whipped around and fired an arrow into the ground at her feet. The tip exploded and sent Weiss flying backwards. Yang yelled and leveled a barrage of punches at the archer, but she was simply faster than the brawler. She ducked under a metal fist, and kicked Yang's legs out from under her, using every last speck of dust she had left to send the blonde flying away from her.

The now enraged adversary then turned her attention back to Ruby and launched herself in the air, bringing both of her swords downwards in an overhead swing. Ruby just barely managed to bring Penny's sword up in time to block the strike. Their blades locked together and hate incarnate spoke again.

"What's. My. Name?" She spat, her eyes burning with fury.

Ruby refused to answer. She knew what she had to do, she knew she needed to unleash that power she once did on that fateful night months ago. She closed her eyes.

"Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes nearly shot open at the sound of the voice, only to find that she couldn't. It was as if time itself had frozen in that instant.

"Penny?" She asked, her voice sounding echoey and distant.

"Yes." Penny's voice answered. "I'm still with you Ruby. Don't worry. You can do this, I believe in you!"

"Penny!" Ruby shouted, but her mouth did not open, her lips did not move.

Penny's voice giggled softly. "Don't worry Ruby. I'm alright. Remember me, okay?"

Ruby's eyelids shot open and white hot flame burst from her eyes. Her attacker's outraged shriek was drowned out as the world was smothered in light.

...

...

"Ruby!"

Ruby felt hard metal and soft flesh grab her shoulders simultaneously as her eyelids flickered open. Her vision was blurred and her head spun as her sister slowly raised her into a sitting position.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked, her voice laden with worry.

"I'm fine, Yang." Ruby said, surprised at how quickly she had recovered from the outburst. Last time she had been unconscious for days.

Her sister pulled her into a tight hug as Blake and Weiss approached them, cuts and bruises already beginning to heal from their aura. "Thank God you're alright." Yang breathed.

Slowly, Ruby got to her feet and inspected the damage from her sudden explosion of power. Around her was a small black circle scorched into the ground, and the woman they'd fought for what felt like hours was nowhere in sight.

"Come on, let's get moving." Weiss suggested.

As her teammates slowly started to walk away, Ruby took the moment to digest what had just happened. It was over. They're enemy was gone. The woman who had tormented her nightmares for months was finally gone.

Or so she thought.

Ruby took a shaky step to follow her teammates when she suddenly felt a force slam into her from the side, knocking her to the ground as her assailant began to scratch and claw at her with her bare hands.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" The monster atop her screeched as Ruby attempted to free herself from the woman's vicious, animalistic assault. Ruby didn't have to struggle for long however, as a mixture of fire and buckshot sent her assailant flying off of her, the distinctive crack of her aura shield failing ringing in Ruby's ears.

"That. Is. It!" Her sister roared as she stepped over her, a white hot fire in her hair and blood red irises staring daggers at the woman who had caused them so much trouble.

She wouldn't give up so easily, however, and quickly sent a wild punch at Yang with her right arm. Yang caught the arm in her robotic hand, and the woman screamed as Yang squeezed and crushed her hand into her fist.

"That's for Pyrrha." Yang hissed. She spun the murderer around and sent her stumbling...

...straight into Blake's fist.

The archer recoiled as the blow connected with jaw. She quickly retaliated with a backhanded swing, before Blake jammed the blade of Gambol Shroud into her elbow.

"That's for Penny."

Blake ripped Gambol Shroud from the woman in red's arm, sending her stumbling back. A white glyph formed beneath her feet, and suddenly an enormous armored hand reached out and grabbed both of her legs, crushing the bone in a vice grip.

Cinder collapsed into a heap on the ground as the hand dissipated, howling in pain. Her futile attempts to push herself up were halted as a boot pressed down on her ankle.

Team RWBY scowled down at the pitiful form of what was once the greatest threat they had ever faced, broken and bleeding. She stared up at them, her eyes glowing with hatred, reminiscent of smoldering ashes of a once great fire.

"Any last words?" Weiss asked, not truly caring what the woman had to say.

The former fall maiden glared at them with one last look of both hatred and fear. "What's. My. Name!?" She shrieked.

Yang raised her metallic appendage, leveling Ember Celica at the woman's head. "Who the hell cares?" She spat, and she fired.