Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-28189972-20161117073343/@comment-4010415-20161117105720

How did you confirm whether or not that person really is an actual member of the RWBY crew, though? Because without confirmation, we can't really take anything this guy says as fact, as it wouldn't be the first time some random person decided to impersonate a member of the RWBY crew. Though, we've had ballsier people in the past attempt to impersonate Monty on multiple occasions.

We also have the fact that Cinder was using fiery abilities before Monty ever came up with the idea for the Maidens. He thought up the Maidens after they finished making volume 2, so prior the volume 3, the Maidens technically did not exist. In volume 2, the conversation between Ruby, Glynda, and Ironwood points to Cinder's fiery abilities coming from Dust sewn into her clothes, which makes sense, as her clothes glowed whenever she used those attacks.

So, prior to the Maidens being added to the story, Cinder's fiery abilities came from Dust, and she was likely using Dust before she stole half of the Fall Maiden powers. On top of that, when she made glass during the Amber fight, this is what happened:


 * Amber tried throwing a fireball at Cinder


 * Cinder jumped over the fireball


 * Cinder slid across the dirt road, kicking dirt up into the air


 * Cinder reached out, and the designs on her sleeve glowed


 * Cinder turned the dirt she kicked up into glass, most likely by using the Dust sewn into her sleeve to melt the necessary minerals in the dirt into glass

And glass is not Cinder's Semblance. Ruby saying "I don't think it was her Semblance" was the writers' way of telling us that glass is not Cinder's Semblance.