There's a bit of a time skip in this chapter. I'm operating under the assumption that the Forever Fall trip was a day or two before the end of Beacon's first semester and there's a two week break period between semesters. The time skip is only a week or so based on this assumption since Jaune woke up a week and a half after Forever Fall. Anything that happened between Forever Fall and the start of Volume 2 occurred according to cannon except for those that couldn't due to timeline alterations. Astute readers will find the hints that I threw in as to what went differently, but keep in mind that this is told from Jaune's perspective and thus anything he didn't participate in or know about occurs in the background.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY


"So where's Ruby?" Pyrrha asked curiously. "We only have a day left before classes start back up again, and I would have expected her to try and pack as many activities as possible in today."

Yang shrugged, snapping a grape out of the air with her mouth as Nora launched it with a spoon. She chewed for a moment, then swallowed and gave Nora a thumbs up before responding, "I dunno. She said she had some planning to get done. I saw her take Weiss's Vytal Festival activity binder when she left though."

"No wonder I couldn't find it," Weiss said, pounding a fist into her palm. "I was looking all over for that earlier today. Wait," she turned and glared at Yang. "If you saw her take it, why didn't you say anything? You could have at least woken me up."

"Because honestly, you had literally everything planned out for us," Yang muttered, rolling her eyes. "From when we would be watching the matches all the way down to when we would take bathroom breaks. Bathroom breaks! You don't need a schedule to have fun."

"Maybe for you," Weiss sniffed, "but I find that things quickly degenerate into a chaotic rush unless one carefully plans their activities. Order is key to having fun."

"Listen to yourself," Yang pointed a finger at Weiss, absentmindedly catching a tiny tomato in her mouth. "If you spend more time making a schedule of activities instead of doing the activities, it takes all the fun out of it. Chaos is way more fun than sticking to a boring schedule."

"A-hem," Ruby cleared her throat, catching their attention. She dropped an enormous binder onto the table the two teams sat at, causing the table to shake under its weight. "Sisters! JNPR!" She gestured at them and hesitated a moment, glancing at Weiss. Weiss narrowed her eyes as if daring Ruby to say something. Ruby coughed and continued, "Four score and several hours ago I had a dream that we would come together as friends and have the best day ever!"

Jaune looked at her, puzzled. "Didn't we already plan to go into Vale today?"

"It wasn't organized enough!" Ruby slammed her hands down on the table. Weiss gave Yang a smug smirk, prompting her to roll her eyes. Ruby cleared her throat again. "Thus, I have taken the time to put together a list of what to do today! A day of excitement and fun, designed to kick the semester off with a bang!"

"I always kick my semesters off-" Yang was interrupted by a plum to the face, preventing her from finishing her sentence.

"We've already heard that one. Come up with something original that's also good!" Nora shouted, pointing at Yang. Yang growled and retaliated with an apple, and soon the cafeteria was filled with flying food.


Jaune held his stomach tightly, trying desperately not to throw up. Pyrrha rubbed his back while Ren gingerly offered him a bag in case he couldn't hold it in. He smiled thankfully at them, but it quickly turned into a grimace as the train took a particularly sharp curve.

"We're nearly there," Pyrrha murmured sympathetically. "Just another minute."

"Thank goodness," Jaune managed to gasp out when the station came into view. He staggered upright and swayed for a moment, the contents of his stomach rumbling ominously. He stumbled out the door as it opened, making his way to a bench and sitting down heavily.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, eying him in concern.

"I'll be fine," he said, giving her a weak smile. "Just give me a moment while my stomach settles." He took several deep breaths, the air helping soothe his roiling stomach. Once he was confident that he wouldn't throw up, he forced himself to his feet. "So what's the plan for today?" He asked.

Ruby threw him a concerned look, but dutifully pulled out a notebook. "Let's see," she murmured as she flipped through the pages. "There's supposed to be a good action film in theaters today. It has pretty good reviews and there's some romance and tragedy mixed in as well." She looked up hesitantly. "Does that sound okay to everyone?" On seeing everyone's nods of agreement, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Onwards to the movie theatre!" Nora shouted, raising Magnhild and preparing to launch herself forward. Ren grabbed her by the back of the shirt, preventing her from moving.

"Nora," he said sternly, "What have I said about using explosives in public places?"

"But, but Ren," she moaned pitifully, "Ruby said this was going to be the best day ever. What kind of best day ever doesn't have explosions?"

"She has a point," Yang admitted. "Explosions are pretty awesome."

Ren just glared at Nora, and she wilted under his gaze. "Fine," she grumbled, shifting Magnhild to its portable form. "But there had better be explosions in the movie."


There were, as it turned out, quite a few explosions in the movie. Jaune vaguely remembered watching it in the previous movie, but it had been so long ago that he had forgotten almost all of the details. He wasn't complaining, since it made the movie more enjoyable. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Pyrrha taking several deep breaths and throwing furtive glances his way, the hand closest to him twitching slightly. He wondered what was wrong, but kept silent, turning his attention back to the movie. Pyrrha would tell him if something was bothering her; they were partners after all. The movie ended and they filed out of the theatre, discussing the highlights.

"Oh man, did you see that awesome shoulder throw Kert used at the end?" Yang asked excitedly. "I want to try something like that."

"Bah," Ruby scoffed. "That was lame in comparison Fide's weapon. What's a throw in comparison to chainsaw bullets fired from an automated turret sword?"

"But both of those were tiny in comparison to the enormous dust bomb!" Nora interjected eagerly. "That explosion was massive! I wonder if we could make something like that!"

"Too impractical," Jaune shook his head. "The amount of dust needed would be staggeringly high."

"And even if we did end up building one I wouldn't let you get anywhere near it," Ren deadpanned.

"I thought that Niira and Jin made a very nice couple. What do you think?" Weiss asked Blake.

"The romance was a little too fast for my tastes," Blake shrugged. "I felt that she had a much deeper relationship with Melf before he died. What about you Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha looked up, startled. "What? Oh yes, the movie was very nice," she agreed, nodding her head. "It was… interesting."

Weiss and Blake exchanged awkward looks. "We were asking what you thought about the romance in the movie," Weiss said hesitantly. "Pyrrha, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," Pyrrha shook her head to clear it. "I just… just have a lot on my mind. I guess that the way Melf died protecting Niira gave me a bit to think about."

"Alright!" Ruby said, drawing their attention. "Now that the movie is over, we've got about five hours before the last train back to Beacon!"

"What about curfew? Isn't that in an hour and a half?" Nora asked, puzzled.

Ruby deflated. "Oh yeah," she mumbled dejectedly. "I forgot that we had early curfew with classes starting up again. And it takes thirty minutes just to get back to the school by train, so we only have forty five minutes left. We only got to do one of the things I had planned," she grumbled dejectedly.

"We do have forty five minutes left," Weiss pointed out. "Why don't we stock up on dust? We're going on mission soon, and the tournament isn't too long after that. I think From Dust Till Dawn is around here, isn't it?"

Ruby brightened. "Yeah! I wonder if the old shopkeeper that I saved is doing okay!"


"Hey there!" Ruby waved her hand as they entered the shop. "How have you been?"

The old man behind the counter turned, his expression lighting up in recognition. "Ah, aren't you the girl who drove off that Torchwick fellow?" Ruby nodded proudly and he smiled gently. "I've been doing well since then. He may have made off with quite a bit of dust, but I still have some that hasn't been sold."

Ruby tilted her head slightly. "Wait, haven't you gotten anymore shipments of dust?" She asked, puzzled. "It's been nearly four months…"

He shook his head and sighed. "Sadly, dust prices have risen all over Remnant. It's not as easy to get dust as it was before. I had ordered a shipment from the Schnee Dust Company that was scheduled to arrive with a large shipment of dust a week ago, but it mysteriously vanished overnight."

"Wait," Weiss interrupted, eyes narrowing. "Did you say that the shipment vanished?"

The shopkeeper shrugged. "Like I said, it disappeared overnight. No one knows how it happened. The freight unloaded the crates late evening and left a security detail. None of them noticed anything odd happening, or even that the crates were missing until just before dawn. I just wish that my dust hadn't been aboard that shipment."

"Well, I can assure you that if your purchase is in our records, then you will receive what you paid for," Weiss nodded firmly. "As the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I will ensure that it gets to you in as timely a manner as possible."

The old man squinted at her, then his eyes widened in shock and he bowed deeply. "Thank you Miss Schnee," he mumbled. "A very generous offer on your part, and one I will gratefully accept." He straightened and coughed into a fist. "Now keep in mind that I don't have much to offer, but feel free to browse what's left. That Torchwick fellow may have made off with all of my display dust, but he didn't get the specialized dust I managed to acquire." He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Specialized dust? What kind?" Weiss asked, a glint in her eyes. "There are a few types that I'd like to stock up on, but they only occur naturally and are very rare."

"Let's see," the shopkeep murmured, scratching the back of his head. "I think I have darkness, gravity, and some spatial dust. Really, the only one of those that's uncommon is the spatial dust."

"I'll take the spatial dust," Weiss nodded decisively. "I've had an idea that requires some for a while, but I haven't been able to get my hands on any."

The old man nodded and looked around at the rest of the group. "Is there any other specialized dust that anyone would like to purchase?"

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Do you have any fine granule fire-three dust?"

"That's not specialized you dolt," Weiss hissed.

"Uh, no specialized dust then," Ruby muttered, blushing.

The shopkeeper smiled at her. "What you're looking for is going to be in the tubes on the back wall," he gestured behind him before turning to Weiss. "How much spatial dust will you require?"

Weiss put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "Two ounces of powdered should do. An ounce and a half if it's in granulated form." The old man nodded and went into the backroom.

The teams browsed the store as they waited for the shopkeeper to return. "I wonder why they don't teach us how to mix and use dust," Yang mused. "I mean, we use it for practically everything, so you'd think that there would be a class on it."

"Actually we do have classes on dust, but they start second year. Basics first," Jaune replied distractedly, eying a large yellow dust crystal briefly before turning away. "They'd rather we get all the excitement out of our system in first year before dealing with volatile substances."

The shopkeeper returned, a vial filled with grey dust in hand. He carefully weighed their purchases on a large scale, typing on the register. "The total comes to two hundred lien."

"Wait," Weiss frowned. "That's only a fifth of what the price should be."

"Well, think of it as a discount for services rendered," he said, winking conspiratorially at Ruby and Weiss. "I won't accept any argument."

"Thank you sir," Weiss said, curtseying. "In that case, we will happily accept."

They paid for the dust and left the store, promising to come back at some later point in time.

Yang stretched and let out a sigh of relief. "Maybe not the best day ever," she mused, ruffling Ruby's hair, "but it was definitely up there. Good job sis."

Ruby pat her hair back down and sighed. "I was really hoping that it would be even better," she grumbled good naturedly.

"Think of it this way," Blake cut in gently. "We have another three and a half years to get it right. There's no need to rush."

Jaune clenched a fist. They'd have at least that long, he promised internally. They were all going to make it out okay this time around.


"No!" Ruby gasped. "How could this happen? How could they all be dead!?"

Jaune smirked at her from across the table, fanning his cards out in front of his face. "That's what you get for attacking Vacuo. Pyrrha and I won't lose to the likes of you!"

Ruby glared back at him and growled angrily. "We'll see if you can say that after Weiss and I crush you underfoot."

"My turn!" Nora cheered gleefully. "Ren and I are going to attack…" she thought for a second, face scrunched up in concentration. "Ren, who should we attack?" she whispered loudly.

"Maybe Yang and Blake?" He mused. "They do control the most land."

"Ren and I attack Atlas!" She proclaimed loudly. A student looked up from the book they were reading and shushed her angrily, but she didn't pay any attention. "I move my Griffons to flanking position and play Pincer Maneuver! Since I have two armies adjacent to yours, I get two extra dice this round!"

"Yeah?" Yang challenged, a glint in her eyes. "Well you just activated my trap card! Laser turrets! For each Grimm in your army, I get to roll a dice, and for every three or higher, one dies!" She grabbed a fistful of dice and shook them, sending the dice rolling across the table. "Hah! That's four down, two to go!"

Nora grimaced. "I attack with both my armies! Ren and I won't let something like this stop us!" She grabbed her own dice and rolled them. "Ugh…" she groaned upon seeing the results of the roll.

Yang smirked. "Looks like your tyrannical ambitions end here!" She declared as she rolled a fresh set of dice. "Haha! I… what?" She stared in disbelief at the multitude of ones.

Blake rolled her eyes. "I told you that we should have fortified last turn," she muttered.

"Looks like you've lost the Schnee Dust Company Headquarters," Nora grinned evilly. "That means that all of your hunters lose the bonus dice from dust while our hunters now have plenty of the stuff."

"Not so fast!" Weiss interjected, holding up a card. "I play Traitor, which means that any land you take this turn becomes mine instead. I won't allow my company to fall into the hands of someone like you!"

"Sorry Weiss," Pyrrha shook her head, "but I play Underhanded Deal. I can transfer the effects of any card to another player, so the Schnee Dust Company is mine now."

Weiss gaped at her, glancing between the board and the card Pyrrha was holding before slumping and putting her head on her arms. Ruby pat her back awkwardly, glaring at Pyrrha. "This won't be forgiven," she whispered menacingly.

Jaune's scroll rang, interrupting the game. He glanced at the screen. "Huh. It's a message from Professor Ozpin. Sorry guys," he said apologetically. "Professor Ozpin wants to talk with me. Pyrrha, will you be okay on your own?"

She waved him off. "Don't worry about me Jaune. With competition like this there's no way that I'll lose here." Her response set off a fresh wave of bickering as Jaune left the library.


The elevator dinged quietly when it reached the top floor, and Jaune stepped out as the door opened. "You wanted to see me Professor?" He stopped several feet from the door, glancing at the other occupants of the room.

Ozpin nodded, steepling his fingers in front of his chin. "Indeed, Mr. Arc. I assume that you at least know of everyone in this room, correct?"

"Yeah," Jaune said as his eyes darted from Ironwood to Qrow to Amber and then back to Ozpin. "You could say that."


I had no idea that this was the case, but a friend informed me that writers generally respond to reviews that are particularly insightful or ask questions. I had no idea that this was the case, so I apologize. I'd always thought that reviews were just comments and pms were what authors responded to. If you asked me a question in a previous review or had something you wanted my opinion on, shoot me a pm if you like. Starting this chapter I'll respond to insightful reviews and reviews that ask questions. On my profile page I now have a story tracker that indicates what stories I'm working on, what the status of a chapter is, and any delays I might be experiencing. It's updated at least every couple of days.