Epilogue (Corruption)

Tis far better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. So they say...

Ruby would not reap the consequences of her actions until it was too late.

A voice begins speaking over Amity colosseum following the demise of Penny in the Vytal tournament. Ruby recognises that it is Cinder. Just as Cinder forewarned, she was preparing to tear the very foundations of the kingdoms apart, beginning with the huntsmen.

Ruby fought against Grimm that breached Amity colosseum's defences and made an excuse to split away from her friends. She saw an Atlas battleship firing at other Atlas battleships. Ruby flew towards it, believing that her lover must be there. Ruby told herself that she could talk Cinder out of this madness. Instead, Ruby found Torchwick and Neopolitan. She fought them both, narrowly escaping the exploding battleship alive.

Jaune called Ruby soon after to say Pyrrha was going to look for Cinder. Ruby rushed to find them both after her call with Jaune was abruptly cut short. She regrouped with her team for help- Yang was missing an arm, Blake was wounded and Weiss was exhausted.

In the midst of this nightmare, Ruby wondered if reasoning with Cinder would accomplish anything. If not, she would rather die together with Cinder to end their tragic love story!

Ruby ran to the top of Beacon academy with the assistance of Weiss. Ruby figured Pyrrha's battle must be there after seeing broken remains of Ozpin's office being thrown about like projectiles. She ran with all her might. Fast enough to witness Cinder shoot Pyrrha in her chest with an arrow, not fast enough to stop her.

Ruby froze, falling to her knees- every memory of her journey since she first encountered Cinder in the streets of Vale came flooding back. Tears wallowed in her eyes as Cinder walked over Pyrrha and destroyed her body with a burst of flames from her palm.

The **** and chaos Ruby had witnessed was too much for her to bear. Ruby screamed in agony as a flash of silver light enveloped her, followed by darkness.

Ruby woke from a comatose state in her bedroom some time later. Qrow was seated nearby patiently waiting for her to stir. She asked Qrow what happened to her and what happened to Cinder. Qrow answered don't worry Cinder- she is dead.

"Dead? What do you mean she's dead?! How did she die?" Ruby replies in disbelief.

"Your silver eyes vaporised half her body. I saw her corpse when I found you. Ruby, are you okay?" Qrow replies.

"No! I am not okay! My sister is missing an arm! Penny is gone! Pyrrha is dead! And Cinder is... damn it, this all my fault!" Ruby shrieks.

"Ruby, that's nonsense! You did what you could. Don't blame yourself."

"Surely there has to be a way to fix everything, right?"

"Not everything that is broken can be fixed..."

"...my heart... I want to cut it out..." Ruby laments.

"You wouldn't want to do that. The world needs you alive. You have... new responsibilities..." Qrow responds.

Qrow explains that Cinder was on a mission to obtain what he called "the maiden powers".

He recited the tale of the four maidens. According to Qrow, the tale was based upon real people who were blessed with power to control nature. Ruby was the Fall maiden now. The maiden powers latched on to her because she was the last person Cinder thought about when she died. This power plus the abilities granted by her silver eyes made Ruby an unstoppable **** against the Grimm.

Ruby listened to Qrow explain everything in silence. Ruby was too numb to care. She didn't want to be powerful. That was Cinder's dream. Somehow, despite all the pain Cinder caused, Ruby still loved her. Ruby never got the chance to talk them down or die facing Cinder. Fate truly was a cruel mistress...

Ruby wallowed in bitterness for weeks, longing for warmth in the winter's cold. She had **** but to accept reality. However, one night, Ruby felt something. A gentle caress of her naked thigh, subtle like a breeze. For a brief moment, Cinder's soul pressed against her.

Ruby awoke in a fright. She believed her maiden powers were acting up. They were unstable after all. Either this or her mind was playing tricks on her to better manage grief.

Whatever the explanation, a presence summoned Ruby into the bathroom. Beckoning her urgently, Ruby walked through her home in darkness. She felt drawn to the bathroom's mirror. Ruby had grown her hair out since the Fall of Beacon. Obscured by darkness, Ruby saw Cinder looking back at her.

Not literally, but in spirit. Her darkened reflection resembled Cinder's silhouette. A revelation struck Ruby. Cinder had imparted her essence to Ruby in more ways than one. Her past- shared in the love letter Ruby kept. Her seed- swallowed the night of their hotel love affair. Her anklet- given willingly when they said their goodbyes. Her powers- transmitted to Ruby the instant she died at Beacon.

And so, Ruby smiled. She liked what she saw in the mirror. Cinder was part of her now.

Ruby knew what to do with her life: she would fulfil the ambition of her lover. To be strong. To be feared. To be powerful.

As was standard procedure for new maidens, Ruby was allowed to create a new identity for herself. Under the new alias Ashley Wolf, she travelled to Mistral's criminal underbelly- she was ordered to remain hidden by the headmasters after all. She became a sex predator who preyed upon **** Mistrali women. Cinder had given her a taste for flesh.

With Roman Torchwick gone, there was room for a new dust thief extraordinaire. The Malachite family were eager to find someone with talent.

Ruby used the profits from her heists to indulge in all manner of vice. The maiden powers combined with the readiness of huntsmen to look the other way from her misdeeds and support from the criminal underworld made Ruby untouchable.

Ruby could get away with **** and she knew it. This was true power. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.