Turns out they can't even take a simple trip on a train without something going horribly wrong.
The morning had started off well enough. Breakfast had been cheerful, and their trip to the station had been uneventful. Qrow had split off from them to send a message to Ironwood about their arrival in Atlas, and Blake had gone to say goodbye to her friends and family from Menagerie before they returned home. Ruby had spotted some of Yang's favorite chocolates at one of the station's many gift shops and quickly nabbed them for the next time she needs to bribe her sister to do something. As siblings do.
So far, things are looking good.
Sure, she'd had to drag Qrow away before he made them miss the train, and then they'd had to deal with two wannabe hunters trying to shake them down for money, but they'd gotten to see Qrow telling them off, which was funny. Blake had rejoined them, and the train had finally arrived, so they'd quickly boarded and settled into their compartments, eager to be on their way.
Everything had been going as planned until the Grimm had attacked. And of course, Ozpin had decided not to mention that lamp they were trying to get to Atlas attracted Grimm like chocolate chip cookies attracted Ruby, putting them and the other passengers on the train with them in danger as long as they're around it. Just great.
At first it's not so bad, fighting alongside her friends and uncle to take down the Grimm. Especially since Ozpin is too busy fighting as well to remind her to properly tap into the Fall Maiden's powers. For the first time in a while it's just her and Crescent Rose and her semblance, without struggling to try to use powers that she'd never even wanted in the first place. It feels good.
It feels right.
With all of them working together, they're able to hold off the Grimm long enough for the train to enter a tunnel. The space is too narrow for them to follow, so it'll hold them off for a bit, but it's only a temporary break. They'll come back as soon as they're out in the open again. They need to come up with a plan to deal with them once and for all.
And of course that's when Ozpin decides to share that the Grimm are coming after the train because they have the lamp with them. Wonderful.
He claims that he didn't tell them because he didn't want them to be even more worried, because then their stress would have caused them to attract even more Grimm, and while he has a good point, and probably meant well, Ruby still wishes that he'd told them before they got on a train full of civilians. It's not just trained fighters that are at risk here. Everyone on this train is going to be in danger unless they get rid of the Grimm.
The rest of the group seems to share her anger, but arguing will only make things worse. It's not like they can go back and change things now. So Ruby tries her best to calm everyone down and put their heads together to come up with a plan. Like it or not, the Grimm are here, and they need to be dealt with before anyone else gets hurt.
And the plan they come up with seems like a really good one, if Ruby says so herself. One group takes the civilians ahead to safety, while the other group stays behind in the rear of the train and deals with the Grimm. They'll join up with the rest of the group in Argus later.
It's a solid plan. Jaune still seems concerned, though, as they make their preparations and start to detach the train's caboose. "Promise me that you'll come back?" he asks her, his voice serious.
"We will," she promises him. "Now let's go!"
It's a good, well-thought out plan. So naturally, it doesn't take long for things to go wrong.
They're able to disconnect from the rest of the train and send the civilians on ahead, but soon after they attempt to follow the rest of the train along the tracks, an attack from the Grimm sends the train off-course, plowing off the tracks and into the snowdrifts surrounding them.
As the sky continues to darken, they're left stranded in the snow with a useless train, as the remaining Grimm circle overhead, preparing for their next attack.