Cinder Fall/History

Background
Before the events of RWBY, Cinder was recruiting members for her cause. She first recruits Emerald Sustrai, at the time a petty thief, after seeing her use her Semblance to steal a ring.

She later attempted to recruit the skilled assassin Marcus Black, but as she heads to his home in the mountains, he is killed by his son, Mercury Black. Cinder instead recruits Mercury to her cause after witnessing the fight. At Mercury's suggestion, Cinder recruits Roman Torchwick, a criminal in Vale.

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury then meet with the White Fang leader, Adam Taurus, and attempt to recruit him as well. However, Adam denies their offer on the grounds that they fight for a human cause for which he is unwilling to sacrifice his men.

Cinder's group then plots an attack on Amber, the Fall Maiden at the time, in an attempt to steal her power. After a fierce and protracted battle, Amber is defeated. Cinder uses a mysterious glove to steal Amber's Maiden powers, but is interrupted by Qrow Branwen, who severs the connection before Cinder is able to steal all of Amber's power.

Later, Cinder returns to the White Fang camp with Emerald and Mercury. This time, Cinder secures the support of Adam and the White Fang with the threat of violence with her stolen powers, as well as the offer of Dust and large amounts of cash.

Dust Shop Robbery
Cinder is first seen in "Ruby Rose" piloting the Bullhead that serves as Roman's getaway vehicle following the attempted robbery of the Dust shop, From Dust Till Dawn. Shortly after Roman gets onto the ship to escape Ruby Rose, Glynda Goodwitch appears and attacks the ship. Roman tells Cinder that a Huntress has appeared and Cinder jumps out of the pilot's chair to confront Glynda in battle.

Cinder uses the Dust embedded in her dress to cause a series of fiery explosions all around Glynda, stopping her attack on the Bullhead. However, Glynda counters by using the debris from the blast to try and attack Cinder. Cinder deflects the attack with several blasts before Glynda instead attacks the ship.

Cinder is knocked around, but unleashes a large blast that turns all the debris to ash. Ruby uses Crescent Rose to fire at Cinder, but Cinder easily deflects the attacks. Cinder creates a group of explosions under Ruby and Glynda, forcing them to jump away, allowing Cinder and Roman time to escape.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Ruby Rose"

Vale Port Heist
She appears with Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai to reprimand Roman for his recent failure at the docks. After he complains about having to work with the "mutts" from the White Fang, she tells him to continue working with them and says she and her associates have big plans for him.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Black and White"

Phase Two


When Mercury and Emerald return to Roman's hideout, Roman comments that Cinder sent "the kids again" and quickly figures out they killed Tukson, a Faunus Cinder had told him to eliminate. This upsets Roman, but just as he is about to threaten the two, Cinder appears, causing Roman to back down and Emerald to become seemingly happy.

Cinder berates both Roman and her associates; Roman for not completing his mission like she had asked and her associates for going against her orders to keep their hands clean while in Vale. Emerald tried to apologize by saying that she didn't think it was a bad idea, but Cinder tells her it isn't her job to think and only to obey, as Emerald responds with an understanding "Yes Ma'am." Cinder then turns her attention to Roman and asks why his mission wasn't completed, but he just motions to all the Dust he has been busy collecting.

Roman asks for information on the "grand master plan" to make his next string of robberies easier, but Cinder intimidates him into dropping the subject. She does, however, inform Roman that the first phase of the plan is over and he will no longer need to collect any more Dust, as they are entering the second phase of the plan. Before she leaves, she tells Roman to have the White Fang move the Dust to a new location that she will inform him of later that night.

Some time later, Cinder is seen alongside Mercury and Emerald within Beacon Academy, having infiltrated the school, acting as students. The latter bumps into Ruby, and Cinder informs her that the three of them are visiting from Haven Academy. After Ruby redirects them to where they are supposed to go, Cinder thanks her and the trio walk away.

Later in the semester, Cinder is seen sewing an outfit while talking to Mercury and Emerald about students the latter two had studied, the last on their list being Pyrrha Nikos. After the two of them explain that Pyrrha generally only uses her Semblance to a small degree, Cinder approves of Pyrrha taking fate into her own hands. Mercury states that Cinder could easily take her on, but she responds that she doesn't want to overpower the enemy, just take their power away. Cinder orders Emerald to add Pyrrha to an unknown list. When Mercury says that he is tired of waiting, Cinder simply states that they have a fun weekend ahead of them as she holds a needle in front of her.

During the Beacon Dance, Cinder uses the distraction of everyone being in the ballroom to sneak into the Cross Continental Transmit System.



She quickly overcomes the Atlas Soldiers guarding the facility and then proceeds to upload into the Tower's systems something that makes a black queen chess-piece appear on all the terminal screens. Just before leaving, Cinder gets interrupted by Ruby. The two have a brief fight which is interrupted by the arrival of James Ironwood. Cinder uses the distraction to escape, leaving Ruby alone. She quickly returns to the academy, transforming her fighting gear into a ballgown as she does so and thus evades Ironwood's troops by vanishing into the crowd in the ballroom. She then dances with Mercury.

Some time later, during an attack on Vale, alarms are heard in the distance. Cinder is with Mercury and Emerald at the school, where the three of them realize this means a part of the plan started early. Cinder signals for the other two to head on to confront the incoming Grimm. Shortly after the fight, the three of them are seen overlooking the city as Cinder remarks the day to have been successful. When Mercury brings up how they lost many Faunus within the caves, he wonders if the White Fang will ever listen to them, but then, Adam Taurus appears and reassures the group that they will listen to him.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Best Day Ever"
 * "Welcome to Beacon"
 * "Extracurricular"
 * "Dance Dance Infiltration"
 * "Breach"

Vytal Festival Tournament
Cinder is fighting on a team with Mercury, Emerald, and Neo in the Vytal Festival Tournament. They performed well in their first match and sent Emerald and Mercury to the second round. Cinder joins Emerald and Mercury in the stands before watching Team JNPR and Team BRNZ fight, saying that even if you know how a fight ends, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch. As she says this, she pops a popcorn kernel with only her fingers.

After she learns that Qrow Branwen is at Beacon, she decides that he is not a large enough threat to warrant a change in her plans. She then uses the virus she put into the CCT to access Ironwood's clearance. She changes the tournament randomizer to match Mercury and Emerald against Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi of Team CFVY.



After gaining access to Ironwood's information privileges, she looks through his files and finds blueprints revealing Penny's robotic nature.

She later leaves before Yang and Mercury start their match and appears disguised as a paramedic after their plan to frame Yang is initiated. She, along with Neo, whisk Mercury and Emerald away in an Air Bus to an unknown location, instructing Mercury to keep himself hidden so as to not jeopardize their plan.

The next rigged match-up is between the robotic Penny and Pyrrha, whose Semblance is polarity. In the subsequent match, Emerald tricks Pyrrha into violently destroying Penny in front of a worldwide audience. Cinder then hijacks the tournament broadcast and gives a speech that reaches across Remnant.

Cinder places the blame for the incident on the headmasters of the academies. She pointedly asks what purpose Penny, a synthetic soldier disguised as an innocent little girl, could possibly serve against the indiscriminate killers of the Grimm. She calls the students of Beacon Academy lacking in both honor and mercy, citing Yang's unprovoked attack on Mercury and Pyrrha ruthlessly killing Penny. Cinder concludes that peace is fragile and claims that the Kingdoms are at the brink of war while their citizens are left unaware.

The Grimm, drawn to the negative emotion in the city caused by Penny's death and Cinder's speech, breach the defenses of Vale undetected and begin attacking the city, joined by White Fang soldiers led by Adam Taurus.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Round One "
 * "It's Brawl in the Family"
 * "Never Miss a Beat"
 * "Fall"
 * "Beginning of the End"
 * "PvP"

Attack on Beacon
From a rooftop in Beacon, Cinder relishes in the destruction alongside Mercury and Emerald. Mercury films the unfolding violence on his Scroll, focusing on rogue Atlesian Knight-200 androids which have been re-programmed by Cinder's computer virus, broadcasting the carnage throughout the world. When Emerald expresses her horror at what they have caused, Cinder remorselessly agrees that the destruction is "horrenodus".

The ground below Vale begins to tremble. An enormous Grimm Dragon awakens and erupts from beneath a mountaintop near Mountain Glenn, taking flight and heading towards Vale, spawning lesser Grimm as it approaches.

From the rooftop, Cinder sees Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc following Professor Ozpin into a vault beneath Beacon, where she finds that Amber is still alive and being kept on life support. Under Ozpin's guidance, Pyrrha is in a machine with Amber's Fall Maiden powers beginning to pass directly to her. However, Cinder finishes what she started, killing Amber with an arrow to the chest. As Amber dies, the Fall Maiden powers instead to pass to Cinder. Now imbued with the full powers of the Fall Maiden, Cinder at last confronts Ozpin face-to-face. As the two of them prepare for battle, Cinder notes that Salem was right about Ozpin's arrogance.



The pair fight in a tremendous display of power, but the outcome of the fight is not known. Cinder leaves the vault alone, with Ozpin's fate uncertain.

She makes her way to the top of Beacon Tower, where she begins communicating with the Grimm Dragon. She makes eye contact with it, and says that Beacon is its home now. However, she is interrupted by Pyrrha, who attempts to stop her.

After a fierce battle, Cinder defeats Pyrrha with an arrow through the heel. She briefly tells Pyrrha that she had no right to the powers of the Fall Maiden, and that she'll use them in ways Pyrrha never could imagine. When Pyrrha asks Cinder if she believes in destiny, she pauses momentarily, before answering that she does. She kills Pyrrha with an arrow through the chest and ignites Pyrrha's remains, scattering her ashes to the wind.

However, Ruby Rose witnesses the event after arriving too late to save Pyrrha. In grief, Ruby unleashes an unheralded power which envelops everything in a blinding white light, much to Cinder's shock and outrage.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Battle of Beacon"
 * "Heroes and Monsters"
 * "End of the Beginning"

Meeting with Salem
Cinder survives the encounter, but she is scarred, losing her left eye, control of one of her arms, and the ability to speak clearly, ultimately relying on Emerald to communicate for her.

Cinder attends a meeting in Salem's Domain, bringing Mercury and Emerald with her. There, she meets with Watts, Tyrian and Hazel. Watts comments on Cinder's condition, saying her attack on Beacon was a failure. Tyrian suggests she get retribution on Ruby by removing one of her eyes. After Salem enters, she criticizes Watts' "malignance", saying Cinder's efforts- destroying Beacon, the CCT and killing Ozpin- were successful. Salem says Cinder's weakness to Ruby is due to her status as the Fall Maiden. Salem removes Cinder from her previous responsibilities to the group and has her stay behind with Salem for "treatment".

While being "treated" by Salem, apparently an effort to revive control of her left arm after it was left paralyzed by Ruby's attack, one of Salem's Grimm messengers comes in to report on their lack of success in finding Ozpin's relic at the ruins of Beacon. This prompts Salem to ask Cinder if she really killed Ozpin. After some hesitation, Cinder signals for Emerald to help her respond, but Salem demands she say it with her own words. With some difficulty, Cinder manages to reply with a throaty "Yes." Though not satisfied with this answer, Salem takes this as a sign for her Grimm messenger to keep looking for the relic.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "The Next Step"
 * "Of Runaways and Stowaways"