The battle had not been without cost.

Though the Dark Avatar and her great Grimm Dragon had been defeated, many benders and non-benders alike had perished in the ensuing battle. Fire Nation warriors, Earth Empire soldiers, Water Tribe healers, even Air Nomads had felt the horrific sting, crush, or savagry that was the horror of war. The remaining Grimm still alive had fled the battle, but they were still out there. Even defeating their source would not end them immediately, there would be many dark years ahead finishing the job.

And even those who had lived would not emerge from the battle unscathed. Many were with physical wounds, but others would carry the scars on the souls for a few longer time. Yang had gained a rather wicked series of burns along her left arm from a mis-timed fire burst against Salem, but she was practically grinning as she let Blake bind her wounds. They wouldn't hamper her ability to fight, and they did look wickedly cool. And Cardin had broken one of his legs, though it looked like a clean break, and he might well recover from such. He'd even foregone immediate treatment so the injuries of his teammates Lark and Dove could be seen to first.

Healers were dispersed to aid those who could be saved, setting broken bones and mending claw and bite marks. Amongst them, Jaune Arc, who was rapidly growing into his role as a battlefield medic. Pyrrha found him guiding some of the other waterbenders on the field throught he basics, then sending them to tend to lesser cases while he handled more serious injuries. It was heartwarming to witness just how far he'd come.

Likewise, it soothed the soul to see some friendships remained unbroken by the darkness, as Penny and Ruby found each other on the broken field, throwing their arms around each other, the taller redhead knocking her former Avatar best friend to the floor with her enthusiasm. Indeed, if she'd still been piloting her mecha tank Archangel, she might've flattened her into a Ruby-shaped pancake. But Ruby was laughing. True, she still felt the absence of Oum, like a hole in her soul she could not quite fill, but she had her team, and many of her close friends still alive. What more could she ask for?

Similar reunions were occurring all around them, from Blake and Sun reuniting with their fellow faunus Velvet, to Weiss finding Neptune relatively unscathed. Even uncle Qrow was there, which prompted both of his brothers daughters to give appreciative hugs at his presence.

"Hey, what's that?" someone asked, pointing to the sky. All eyes followed.

As Merlot's Comet passed out of the atmosphere and the sky once again became dull purple, then bright blue once again, there seemed to be a lingering shine in the air above. Like a tiny lantern, sans an actual framework. A little light that drifted down slowly from high above until it floated down towards Ruby, who held out her arms to catch it.

It was much smaller than it looked up close, its shine starting to dim. Ruby cupped her hands around the tiny spark, so fragile, and breathed out slowly. Blowing on it, coaxing life into it. Everyone nearby began to gather around, watching with baited breath. Like a small flame, the tiny spark began to glow brighter. Subtly at first, and then more and more as Ruby smiled, feeling encouraged. It wasn't just her positive feelings that were feeding the spark, but everyone's. Nor was the tiny spiritual essence drawing on their chi or their emotions, but reflecting them back even stronger than they were before. More than one in the crowd was dangerously close to tears as they witnessed what was happening, sensing without words something momentous was occurring.

Slowly, the tiny ball of light unfurled, like the wings of a great kite, and pale blue highlights appeared on the white light as Oum once again spread his wings and soared up into the air, passing over their heads. For a brief moment, he circled above them... then, most curiously... seemed to shudder and waver, like a cloud on the breeze... before bursting apart like a dazzling fireworks display, turning into a million miniscule beads of light.

Tiny snowflakes of pure light drifted down over their heads, and as Ruby watched, one floated down onto Weiss, landing right between her eyes. It dissipated instantly, but the Ice Princess shivered as a chill ran down her spine, followed by a feeling of warmth and love. Another drifted down, landing on Blake's nose, causing it to twitch as if she had to sneeze. But she instantly felt the same warm feeling flow through her body, and her golden eyes widened. Yang did the same when another touched down atop of her golden mane, feeling stronger and happier than she'd ever felt in her life. Even her scars no longer ached.

A multitude of more dancing lights floated down over the assembled crowd, touching each and every one present. Benders and Non-Benders, Humans and Faunus alike. Many more seemed to be caught on an errant breeze of wind, drifting off onto the horizon until they faded from view. Without knowing how she knew, Ruby just knew they would also become a part of many others whose efforts had made today possible.

"What does it all mean?" asked Neptune, looking up from his hands, which were tingling, just as confused as the rest of them.

Ruby felt she had the answer in her somewhere, and turning to look at her teammates, found it in them. The very first lesson she'd ever received at Beacon: that four became five. That they were stronger together. And that none of them were ever alone. Casting out her silver gaze, she saw everyone else who had come together to thwart evil, and knew the truth as intimately as she knew her own name.

"There's no more Avatar," she explained. "That era is over. But Oum is still with us. Their light continues to shine. A part of them... it's inside all of us now. So in a way... we're all the Avatar now."

Weiss nodded thoughtfully. "Makes... sense," she managed to say without her voice wavering too much.

"This is AWESOME!" Yang agreed, punching the air enthusiastically.

By her side, Blake nodded. A tiny, cat-like smile stretched across her lips.

Throwing up her arms, Ruby gathered up the entire Team RWBY in her embrace, as he four of them laughed and giggled and guffawed, feeling a lightness they hadn't felt since they were children.

The sun was rising on a new era, and it fell to all of them to keep up the responsibilities of the Avatar, to keep the balance and harmony between the four Kingdoms, to keep back the tide of darkness, and to protect the world. There was no more Avatar who could do it with them or for them.

It was on them now.

Thirteen Years Later.

However...

In Vale, at Beacon, Ruby had come back to help teach at the prestigious academy where she'd first learned airbending. Now a master herself, she made sure to use her talents to help mold a new generation of benders into the protectors of the world. Joining her on occasion were the other members of Team RWBY, particularly when danger threatened. Though she was no longer the Avatar, Ruby remained their leader, and some whispered she may even replaced Headmistress Glynda when the time came.

Far north, in the Water Tribe, Winter had ensured a successful trial of Jacques, Whitley, and all of their co-conspirators, including at least three Council Elders. They were summarily imprisoned. She then, however, stepped down from her position, resuming her post as Commodore of the Fifth Fleet and liaison to the Earth Empire. She was succeeded by her younger sister, whom Jacques had never quite gotten around to dismissing as the heiress of his throne. An oversight he was doubtlessly stewing about in his icy cell to this day. Chieftain Weiss Schnee now ruled with a benevolent hand and a gentle heart over the Northern Water Tribe, having entrusted the south to select their own leaders from amongst a respected council of elders. Rumor has it that a member of the Arc family was taking the reins.

With the majority of the Earth Empire still in turmoil over the surge in Grimm activity, Blake had returned to Kyoshi Island. Not to hide amongst her sisters, as might have been her first instinct, but to gather the Kyoshi warriors and lead them to the mainland to battle back the Grimm and reclaim the land for the people who truly deserved it. They were already making great strides in helping smaller towns and villages the Earth Army might otherwise overlook or be stretched too thin to assist.

And Yang? After recovering from her injuries in battle, the blonde bruiser had grabbed a rucksack, left a note for her dad, and gone out into the world. No longer was she looking for anything or anyone, just anxious to see what was over the next horizon. From time to time she'd drop by and visit her former teammates for the odd adventure or two, but for the most part, she just hopped on her motorcycle and went off in whichever direction fate had in store for her.

They weren't the only ones making headway into their futures. Jaune and Pyrrha had also settled at Beacon as teachers. He taught basic waterbending and healing, leaving the advanced combat techniques to Professor Velvet, while she was working with the advanced earthbending students to unlock the secrets of metalbending. Slowly but surely helping to transform them into the benders of the future.

Ren and Nora, meanwhile, had gone on to open a pastry shop in Vale, and their wares were highly sought after by most of the community. Nor was that the only change that they'd undergone. After thirteen years, they'd not only married and had two children already (one boy, one girl), but Nora had another bun in the oven, so to speak.

The other teams and benders went their separate ways. Most doing good, a few occasional falling into mediocrity. Some even slipped into evil, on rare occasion, but on the whole, they continued to do the good work Oum and Monty had started so long ago. There may have been no more Avatar, but if ever there was a shining light of hope in a world of darkness, one did not need to look further than Beacon.

But far, far, far removed from Republic City, in an almost unforgettable, sleepy little Earth Empire village, there was a farmstead far removed from the bustle of the main roads. Quiet, quaint, out of the way. A small family lived here. Father, mother, son.

The last of these was currently trekking his way through the forest surrounding the far field, hiking his way up towards the top of the nearby hillside. A boy still growing, currently on the short side, with dark hair and forest green eyes. Eyes which could see from here the whole countryside, the rolling hills, the trees with their green leaves, the clear brooks running the length and breadth of their land. And on the horizon, the setting sun, so warm and bright. It was beautiful to behold.

It felt so peaceful here. So... natural.

The young boy closed his eyes, feeling the wind rustle through his dark hair. If he'd looked down, however, he might have noted the wind did not originate from a particular direction, but was radiating outwards from himself, bending the stalks of grass away from him in a circular pattern. Too also, tiny fragments of dirt and rock were hovering in the air, scarcely an inch off the ground. And slightly further away, the calm riverbank was rippling away from him, also in a series of gentle, ever-expanding circles...

The young boy stood at the very center of all of it.

Ding-a-ling. Ding-a-ling.

His reverie was interrupted as he heard a distant shout, carried on wind. Along with a familiar chime from the back porch.

Ding-a-ling. Ding-a-ling.

All phenomenon ceased as he opened his eyes, returning to the regular patterns of behavior for natural elements.

A voice carried over the wind. "Oscar! Time for supper!" His mother.

"What are we having?!" he asked curiously, already heading back that way.

"Doesn't matter!" she called back in a sing-song sort of tone. "You'll be eating it anyway!"

He smirked. "I never agreed to those terms!" he teased.

Jogging his way over to the back porch and dodging a swat from his mock irate mother, Oscar Pine settled at the table as his parents came over, joining him and bowing their heads, saying grace before digging in. All in all, it was a night like any other. And for right now, for the moment, Oscar could savor that.

But before too much longer, things would be changing, and his destiny would call. True, the Legend of Ruby was over, but there would always be a new force to protect the harmony of the world.

The legend would go on.

Authors Notes:
Please favorite, review, like and critique. This was easily the biggest project I've worked on in a long time, and I'm deeply thankful to everyone who helped contribute to it.

In terms of artwork especially, that's a lot, and again I'll recommend the works of TheRogueSpider, OriSODhime, Inspector97, SkireTehFox, KatLime, AryoAnggoro, Jay156, Liansa, ElyonBlackStar, JonFawkes, and many others who've created art of the various teams and factions and individuals found in this blended universe. Most can be found on deviantart. My own profile has a compilation piece that has links to all the rest.

Since Oscar was not introduced until Volume Four, I had to retroactively add him to the story. Since he himself is something of a reincarnation of Ozpin, I decided to make him something of a 'Next Avatar' without sacrificing Ruby in the process. I also left it ambiguous as to whether or not this was really his fate, but you can make of it what you will since I have no plans to revisit this at the present time.

"Legend of Ruby" was made in loving tribute to the RoosterTeeth series made famous by Monty Oum. May we always follow his example, and keep moving forward. We also owe great thanks to Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino for their work on the Nickelodeon series that brought us the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra. And may one day (please please please) give us another incarnation.

Either way, may their legacy never truly end.