Skit - Park Trip Prep

Weiss: So many things… Ruby, don't you think this is a bit overkill?

Ruby: Of course not! This is completely necessary! Our trip will be ruined otherwise!

Blake: How are you even going to carry all of that stuff?

Ruby: Oh, I'll figure something out!

Yang: I can't wait to see you try that.

Weiss: I'm worried about what that's going to do to your back…

Ruby sat in the center of her room, all sorts of snacks, drinks, and other supplies surrounding her. There was a large duffel bag open beside her, and a stack of fanny packs next to it. Ruby was carefully sorting through all the things she had, making sure that the fanny packs were full before putting them in the duffel bag. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were all dressed and ready for their trip to Amity Park. That week marked the halfway point of the Vytal Festival. The Beacon Cultural Festival, and their music performance, were only two weeks away.

"I hope the park isn't too busy…" Blake said.

"I get what you mean. You're probably going to be disappointed, though." Yang looked out the window. The sun was shining overhead, and she could see a few trees on campus swaying gently in the wind. It was well and truly autumn now, but it was a nice mild day. Nothing so cold it would drive tourists away. '"Those lines are going to be a bitch, I just know it!"

"Well, at least Ruby's making sure we'll all be fed and hydrated, right?" Weiss asked.

"I think… I should be just about good to go." After placing a few more things on top of her stack, Ruby started to zip the bag closed. "Blake, Yang, you two go on ahead, alright? I wanted to talk to Weiss about something."

"No can do, sis," Yang said.

"We're Weiss's friends just as much as you are. If there's something bothering her, we want to know if there's any way we can help."

"You want to talk?" Weiss asked. She wasn't sure what was going on, at first. Then she remembered her call with her father. "Oh, that…"

"We didn't really get a chance to talk, so I wanted to check in before we left and were busy all day," Ruby said.

"Oh… I don't think it's really anything to worry about… my father found out about the train. He was just upset that I hid it from him. That's all."

"Doesn't seem like that's all," Yang said. "Jacques Schnee getting upset probably can't be all that good."

"Wait, is that what happened with your card?" Blake asked.

"He just turned off your money?" Ruby shook her head. "That's no good, Weiss. He doesn't do that often, does he? Please tell me he doesn't."

"No, that was the first time."

"I guess it makes sense, if you're spending daddy's money," Yang said. "I wouldn't really want my kid spending my money if they did something I didn't like… but at your age, I'd just give you an allowance. Why doesn't he do that?"

"I'd assume it's a bit too much freedom for his liking," Blake said. "You were alright when you went home over the summer, right?"

"I was just fine. Just a lot of dances and dinners, that's all."

"And nothing else?" Ruby asked. Weiss shook her head. "He didn't let you see your friends, or anything?"

"Well, I'd need to have friends for that." Weiss said dryly.

"Well, we can't have that! Weiss Schnee, when Vytal is over, we're getting jobs!" Ruby declared.

"We're doing what?"

"Well, if you make your own money, it isn't like your dad can just turn off your card! Well, he can, but you'll still have money to spend!"

"What, do you mean like a… cashier, or something? Me?"

"Well, I was thinking more like an office secretary, but that works too!"

"Ren and Nora got jobs over the summer! They can probably help you look!" Yang added.

"I don't think this is a bad idea," Blake said. "You're almost an adult, after all. It's kind of absurd you don't get any spending money of your own."

"Well… it does sound nice. Having my own spending money to do whatever I want with."

"Yeah! We'll show Jacques Schnee that he won't be the boss of you forever!" Ruby reached down and tried picking up her duffel bag, but she had put too much in it.

Yang took the bag and tossed the strap over her shoulder. Weiss and Blake laughed at Ruby as she watched her sister in awe.

Yang led the four into the hall, where they came across Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora coming out of their own room.

"Our timing couldn't have been more perfect!" Pyrrha said.

"This is going to be amazing!" Nora said, taking off down the hall. Ren ran after her and grabbed onto her hand to slow her down. "Aren't you excited, Ren?"

"Clearly not as much as you," he said with a small smile.

"So, remind me," Jaune began, "how did we end up with such a big group again?"

"Well, me and Yang wanted Weiss and Blake to meet dad and Uncle Qrow. You guys are our friends, so it only made sense to invite you."

"Then Sun overheard us talking about the plan and just sort of declared he'd be joining us," Blake said, "which seems just like something he'd do."

"I mentioned it to Cinder during G&G and she said she had never been to an amusement park like Nora," Pyrrha said. "So she asked if she and her team could tag along."

"And, um… the king?" Weiss asked. "How did you manage that, Ruby?"

"I don't really know. I was talking to Penny, she thought it would be fun, and when she said she got the okay, she just sort of said 'and Neil too!'. And then there were seventeen."

"Isn't that sort of… excessive?" Jaune asked.

"Yes it is, but I have a plan," Ruby said. "Just you wait."

Everyone met at the promenade leading into Amity Park. Taiyang and Qrow had come together. Cinder's team had gone separately, though it looked like their fourth was missing. Sun was alone, like all the other times Ruby had seen him. Penny and Neil were there in different sets of clothing than what they normally wore. They reminded Ruby a little bit of some of the things she had seen local high schoolers wear. Penny was wearing black pants and a green cardigan over a white blouse. Neil was wearing a simple jean and hoodie combination. A baseball cap and a cloth face mask helped to obscure his features. They seemed like they'd do well enough as disguises.

"So many heads…" Qrow said, seeing them all.

"Yeah, but these are all of Ruby's friends, Qrow!" Taiyang said, lightly elbowing him. "Doesn't it bring a tear to your eye?"

"D-dad!"

"Sorry, sweetie!"

"So, what's the plan? I don't really think we can walk around with all of these people," Yang said, waving an arm at the group.

"Okay!" Ruby opened the bag Yang was still carrying and took out a few pieces of paper and a bundle of sticks. "Weiss helped me make a schedule. We have about 10 hours until the fireworks, so two hours in each sector! When we're in Vytal, that's when we have lunch. And for groups…" She presented all of the sticks. "We're drawing!"

"Well, you know what they say. Variety is the spice of life." Sun walked up and plucked one of the sticks from Ruby's hand. There was a '1' written on it in red permanent ink.

One by one, everyone came forward. By the end, they had formed four groups of four. Sun, Pyrrha, and Qrow were in Ruby's first group.

"Well, that worked better than I thought it would…" Ruby turned to Cinder and asked, "what happened to your last teammate? I was expecting a group of five."

"She already had plans with friends today," Cinder replied. Of course, that was a lie.

"I hope I get to meet her someday, though!" Ruby started handing out her little itineraries and then started giving people the fanny packs. Some of them wore them like backpacks. Others wore them around their waists. "It's important to make sure you're fed and hydrated! None of you are going to collapse on my watch!"

"Wow, you've put a lot of thought into this…" Jaune looked down at his fanny pack, not really sure what to make of it.

"Well, if we just winged it, we'd have a terrible time!" Ruby fished her ticket out of her pocket and thrust it into the air. "Tickets ready? Forward march!"

Once they were all inside, they headed to the park's Vale sector and then went their separate ways. The park was brimming with people. Even with it being a weekday, the sheer number of tourists in the city made up for all of the people too busy with work or school to actually visit.

"Are there amusement parks in Vacuo, Sun?" Pyrrha asked.

"Nah, nothing like this place. Too much of Vacuo is just sand for it to work. That and people are scared that someone will get a bit too riled up, start a riot, and then Grimm."

"That is a reasonable concern…"

"So, what do you guys want to do first?" Ruby asked. "The lines to the rides won't be too long, so what should we start with?"

"Well, first…" Sun nodded over his shoulder toward Qrow, who was lagging behind them. "I want to know what's up with him."

"I agree. I thought there were groups of four, not three and one."

"Oh, well, that's-"

Ruby heard the cawing of a crow, and then she saw a child approaching Pyrrha with an ice cream cone. She pulled Pyrrha back as the child tripped and their ice cream cone went flying. She stepped forward and caught them before they could faceplant. The child and their parent thanked Ruby, and they walked off, the parent promising to buy their crying child another cone.

"That's why," Ruby said.

"What just happened?" Pyrrha asked.

"Bad luck Semblance, can't really turn it off, proximity, something, something…" Ruby turned to Qrow and waved. "All clear!"

"For real?" Sun ran over to Qrow, and Ruby followed after him. "That must be great for fights!"

"Well, it has its uses. But outside of making baddies trip so I can stab them, does more harm than good. Kind of surprised I don't have more bad luck with women…"

"A bad luck Semblance probably wouldn't mean fortune in matters of love," Pyrrha said. "Though I guess to some, being an eternal bachelor has its perks."

"Yeah, but the older I get, the more settling down doesn't sound bad." Qrow turned towards excited cheers as a small party crowded around a carnival game, celebrating one of them winning a large stuffed animal. "Any of you kids want to give one of those a shot? You probably have a special someone who wouldn't mind a present."

"You're right!" Pyrrha said. Sun nodded his head in agreement.

"Don't worry, Uncle Qrow, I'll win something for you!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Thanks, pipsqueak. I think I'd like that," he replied with a laugh.

Qrow's Semblance activated several more times during their time in the Vale sector. Sometimes it ruined a game for Ruby, Pyrrha, or Sun. Sometimes it screwed up with the game itself, breaking it just enough that they won when they had no business winning. Qrow had learned his lesson after their last trip to the park, and kept his distance from the games to keep himself from getting frustrated.

Once Sun had a few small prizes and Pyrrha was carrying a lifesize Beowolf plushie, they started going on some of the rides. Qrow stayed behind to watch their things. Sun enjoyed himself on just about everything they went on, and when it came time to get on roller coasters, Sun and Ruby relished in the speed and adrenaline while Pyrrha would hold onto her restraints for dear life as they went down the big drops, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Despite her fear, whenever Pyrrha got off the roller coasters, she quickly bounced back and would join the other two in fondly recounting the experience to Qrow on their way to the next venture. They would sometimes pass the others, or even end up in line for the same ride at the same time. When they came across Jaune's group on one ride, Pyrrha ran off to make sure the two of them ended up sitting together.

Eventually, two hours had passed, and the four groups rendezvoused at the border between the Vale and Mistral sectors, reshuffling their groups. Mercury, Nora, and Blake were Ruby's second group.

"Still going strong, guys?" Ruby asked, once they set off.

"This place is amazing!" Nora cried.

"Your little packs have been really useful, Ruby," Blake said.

"Didn't take you for someone to be so careful about things like this," Mercury said.

"Well, I try!" she said.

"We have to get on that thing!" Nora pointed at a giant tower off in the distance. It was easily the biggest structure in the entire park.

"Oh, that's Terminal Velocity," Ruby said.

"It's what?" Blake asked.

"Isn't that basically when something has been falling for so long it can't go any faster?" Mercury asked. "I really don't like that it's named that…"

"That looks absolutely terrifying!" Nora exclaimed. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"W-well, we have some time here in Mistral, so there's no rush, Nora. Think about it this way: if we save it for last, you just get to look forward to it longer, really build that anticipation!" Blake said.

"I guess… Well, let's just head that way. We'll get to it eventually!"

"Hey, Mercury," Ruby began, "your Semblance is something like teleportation, isn't it? I think I remember that from when you fought Pyrrha a while ago."

"Huh? Y-yeah, that's about it. Why're you asking?"

"Well, if you don't like the ride, you can just teleport yourself back to the ground, right?"

"Nothing would be stopping me, but that would be lame. There's no point in even getting on the ride at that point."

Ruby and Nora started leading the way towards the tower, making quick stops to play games and get on other, smaller rides when they saw that the lines weren't too long. After a while, though, Nora started to slow down a bit, leaving Ruby as the most enthusiastic one on their approach to the veritable obelisk.

"Hey, are you okay, Nora?" Blake asked. She had found it odd that Nora of all people slowed down, but it wasn't like she was getting tired. Instead, it looked like she was just getting sadder.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine! It's just been a while since I've seen so many eastern buildings like this."

"You and Ren are both from Mistral, right?" Ruby asked. "Does it remind you of home?"

Blake winced slightly at the question. She thought back to the day they had spent at the beach, and what Ren had told her about his home. No wonder Nora looked so downcast.

"A little bit, yeah… It's sort of nice, I think."

"If you want to see eastern buildings, there are plenty of Little Mistrals all over the place. Hell, even some western Mistrali cities have neighborhoods all about the east," Mercury said.

"Or Cyanwood!" Blake added. "You'd probably feel right at home there! A lot of the residents have roots in Mistral."

"I'll have to think about that," Nora said. "I know I said I think this is nice and all, but everything in moderation, you know? Maybe a bit too much home will just get me all depressed…"

"But no matter how many pancakes you eat, there's always room for more," Ruby said with a little laugh.

"If you had more of Ren's pancakes, you'd understand, Ruby."

On their way, the group came across a high striker. The park employee who was manning it boasted about how tall it was and how hard it would be to reach the top. Practically salivating over the mallet that people used for it, Nora threw herself at the test of strength.

"Knock them dead, Nora!" Ruby cried.

"This is going to be good," Blake added.

Nora wielded the rubber mallet just like she would Magnhild. She brought it back behind her head, a devilish grin on her face, and she slammed it down, sending the puck flying up. It struck the bell with such force it splintered the wood around it and knocked the bell out of place slightly, the ringing reverberating throughout the entirety of the sector.

Ruby and Blake were unphased, and while Mercury was mildly impressed, everyone else around them seemed stunned by what they had seen. Nora's prize for her feat was a massive stuffed bear.

By the time they got to Terminal Velocity, the line was quite long. Ruby and Nora had some difficulty sitting still as they waited. As each group of people were strapped in and started to ascend, Blake and Mercury would follow them up. When they fell, and the screams started, Blake would turn her eyes away, while Mercury would just stare, transfixed. Eventually, the time finally came for them to get on, and the two had to mentally prepare themselves for what came next.

"So, this is super embarrassing," Blake heard Mercury say, once they were strapped in, "but I feel like I'm going to hurl." He offered her a hand. "I think it might help me not scream like a little bitch."

"Agreed." Blake grabbed his hand.

They both squeaked when they started moving upwards, while Ruby and Nora let out excited little gasps.

"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down…" Blake whispered, eyes squeezed shut.

It took everything Mercury had to keep his eyes straight ahead and not look down towards the earth below. It took just as much willpower not to use his Semblance and just warp away. They stopped, and the breath hitched in their throats, ready for it to happen.

Then they dropped.

Blake and Mercury started to scream as they fell and wind rushed past them. When it almost reached the bottom, it stopped and they went right back up. They didn't reach the ride's apex, but they went back and forth, each drop still startling, but not nearly as bad as the first one, until the ride finally settled and placed them back on the ground.

"That was so fun!" Nora cried once they were free. Blake and Mercury stumbled out, still hand in hand. "Come on, you too, it wasn't that bad!"

"We weren't meant to leave the ground…" Blake whispered, voice ragged.

"You two will be fine!" Ruby assured. "It's time for Vytal, so lunch!"

"Well, yeah, but I'm not sure food would be the best idea right now…" Mercury said.

Despite it being their lunch break, the group still drew sticks for Vytal. With how many different dining options there were, and all of the souvenir shops in the area, it only made sense to Ruby to do it again. She was with Jaune, Cinder, and Yang for lunch. Cinder took the lead as they looked for somewhere to eat. There was a slight pep in her step as she moved about, and it brought a smile to Ruby's face to see her having fun, even if she tried to hide it.

"So, Ruby," Yang asked, "what was up with Blake and that Mercury guy holding hands earlier? What happened in Mistral?"

"Just a coping mechanism, don't worry about it."

"Coping mech- you really brought them on that thing?!"

"That big tower?" Cinder asked. "I couldn't do that one. Just seemed way too much."

"I wanted to, but I couldn't get Pyrrha to get on it with me. She was so worried when I got in line," Jaune said. "She looked like I was about to die."

"It must be fascinating, being in a relationship like Pyrrha Nikos. I've heard her name plenty back home," Cinder said.

"The fame doesn't mean a thing to me," Jaune replied. "It isn't like that's what did it for you. You knew about Pyrrha for a while before the festival started."

"I suppose…"

"Guess Pyrrha's all they're going to talk about over lunch, huh?" Yang asked.

Yang was spot on with that comment of hers. She and Ruby were little more than spectators as Jaune and Cinder sung Pyrrha's praises over their meal. It made sense to Ruby why Jaune was going on about her so much, but with Cinder matching his fervor, you'd think that she had a massive crush.

After they were done, they started looking at shops for little trinkets to take back with them. Ruby and Yang had more than enough of these from their trips over the years. Jaune and Cinder were much more invested in the things they found.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Ruby grabbed Jaune's hand. "There's no way we aren't going on the ferris wheel. Don't you want to find a present to give Pyrrha in one of the cars?"

"We're pairing up?" Cinder asked. "Those cars can fit more than two people, can't they?"

"Well, yeah, but it would probably be more spicy that way," Yang replied. "On that note, I might want to find a gift of my own for someone…"

Cinder watched them all go off. She didn't know what she would want to do. It wouldn't be especially appropriate for her to get anyone a gift from one of these shops. Mercury or Emerald, perhaps. They'd only known each other a year, but she still cherished them as friends. Jaune's present was a romantic gesture, and she had a feeling Yang's would be as well.

Her Scroll started ringing. It was a call from Silver. She just stared at it for a moment, unsure of why he'd be calling her, and now of all times. Then it occurred to her that it had to be a work call. He wasn't one to call someone just for the sake of it.

"Cinder here," she said, walking outside.

"Nice of you to join us," she heard Watts say.

"How's the infiltration going?" Rapunzel asked.

"Amity Park's pretty great," Mercury said.

"I've been skulking all around Vale, sneaking into prohibited areas, trying to make sure I don't get arrested, and you've gone to a bloody amusement park?" Midna's voice was low and venomous.

"Well, it definitely helps with us just blending in," Emerald added.

"We have more important things to talk about," Impera cut in. "We've found places for the bombs."

"Well, that's significant," Cinder said.

"They're all targets that only make sense for destabilizing the kingdom," Silver said. "I'll make sure that things proceed smoothly in the area by police headquarters, and then head to Beacon to back up Cinder."

"I'll be right down the street over at the Council Building. Then I'll probably just wander around," Rapunzel said.

"Eastfall Fortress is probably the one with the tightest security, but I'll manage," Impera said.

"Midna already called dibs on the queen herself, so that just leaves Tyrian, right?" Emerald asked.

"I think that Cyanwood would make quite the lovely stage for a fireworks show, wouldn't you agree?" As always, his voice had an oddly melodious quality, like he was practicing for some sort of musical or concert.

Cinder gripped her Scroll a bit tighter. The joy in Tyrian's voice about the destruction they would wreak irked her. The fact that a faunus like him was talking about Cyanwood of all places in such a way only made the feeling worse.

"Adam Taurus and the White Fang will cause a distraction on Beacon campus for Watts and Cinder. Emerald, Mercury, the two of you are to be on standby," Silver said.

"Great, you all get these important jobs, and we're just stuck on the bench," Mercury said.

"What about Neo?" Emerald asked.

"Well, I have to find Torchwick first before doing something with her, but she'll be on that," Watts said.

"I think I have to go," Cinder said. "I'll get in touch later if I miss anything."

"Enjoy your day at the theme park, Cinder," Rapunzel said, voice drenched in sarcasm.

Once Cinder hung up, Ruby appeared at her side, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Done with your call?" She asked.

"Just wrapped it up. Done with the shopping?"

"I think Pyrrha will like these," Jaune said. He had come out of the room with a small bag, and took the things he bought out of it. A figure of a Beowolf wearing an Amity Park T-shirt and hat, and, of all things, a vacation scenario book for The Gallant and The Grimm.

"Park shops are kind of lame, but I think I figured something out," Yang said. "About time for Atlas though, isn't it? It feels like we were in that shop for a while…"

"We still have some time," Ruby said. "Maybe we should see what the others are up to?"

By that time, most of the others were already done eating. They were doing their own shopping, so Ruby found herself and the others just wandering into the shops looking for them. It wasn't nearly as taxing as Vale or Mistral had been, and with Atlas and Vacuo still ahead of them, that was a mercy. The group came together when their break was over to split up again.

Heading into the Atlas sector, Ruby was with Weiss, Ren, and Emerald. Vacuo had its ferris wheel, Mistral had Terminal Velocity, and Atlas had the park's largest roller coaster. Officially, it was just called The Atlesian Coaster, but park goers had taken to calling it Altitude Sickness. Ruby had once heard that it was supposed to loop around the entire sector, but it was decided against, though she hadn't heard if it was because it would be too expensive, or too obstructive, or some other reason.

"Ruby," Weiss said.

"Yes, Weiss?"

"You're dragging me onto that giant death trap, aren't you?" She asked matter-of-factly.

"I'm so glad you know me so well!"

"What, are you scared, Schnee?" Emerald asked, smirking at Weiss.

"What, and you aren't?"

"I've seen worse." Emerald dismissively waved a hand.

"Are you excited, Ren?" Ruby asked.

"Well, today was the first time I ever went on a roller coaster. Going on one that big is going to be… interesting," he said.

"See, Schnee? Even the roller coaster newb isn't as scared as you!" Emerald said, thrusting a thumb at Ren.

"Don't worry, Weiss! I'll hold your hand on the ride if it makes you feel better!"

Weiss just groaned at that. The Atlas Sector had the fewest rides, putting more emphasis on carnival games and attractions like a hall of mirrors and stage shows. Atlesians liked to have fun like anyone else on Remnant, Weiss had said, but things like big amusement park rides were a bit too loud for them.

They worked their way towards the rollercoaster, trying their hand at some of the games as they went. Whenever Emerald was competing against one of them, they didn't stand a chance. It wasn't like she was doing any better, but the others suddenly started doing a lot worse.

"They really should ban Semblance use…" Weiss missed yet another shot at one of the games. She glared over at Emerald, who just smirked at her.

"Well, if she's cheating us, it isn't like we can complain to the people running the stalls," Ren said.

Weiss joined the others at the back of the line to Altitude Sickness, arms crossed and face scrunched up in frustration. Emerald was still looking smug, carrying her winnings.

"What is it, Schnee? Not used to not being on top, for once?" She asked.

"Not when the opposition cheats, no," Weiss shot back.

She wanted to say more, but held her tongue. She didn't want to get in an argument in line, and she certainly didn't want to make any assumptions about Emerald based on her tactics. Her anger was short lived, though. The next round of screams she heard from the people on the coaster drew her eyes up, and they snapped onto the train of cars as they sped down the track. She shuddered at the thought of actually getting on it. She just might have to take Ruby up on the offer to hold her hand in order to steady her nerves.

Once they reached the front of the line and were being ushered into the cars, Weiss meekly tugged on Ruby's sleeve. Her friend just gave her a knowing grin, and once they were strapped in, offered a hand. Weiss took the hand and squeezed hard. Ruby let out a small squeal when she did.

"W-We'll be fine, Weiss, don't worry…"

Ruby squealed again when the roller coaster started, but that was because Weiss squeezed her hand again. As they climbed, Ruby started to fear for her safety, not because she was afraid of the coaster itself, but because she wasn't sure just how much tighter Weiss's grip could get.

"Ruby," Weiss said, once they were at the peak of the first dip, "if we aren't fine after this, I'm never letting you live this down."

"Yeah, that seems fair…" Ruby croaked through the pain.

Then they fell, and the girls started to scream. Why did Ruby have to sit on Weiss's right side? If it were sentient, her left hand would have been furious with her. Despite how much her hand hurt, Ruby still found the rush of the coaster exhilarating. Ren and Emerald were in front of her and Weiss. Emerald's arms were flailing as she screamed, while Ren's were in front of him, probably clutching the arm guard. Whenever they climbed a dip and fell again, Weiss would squeeze just a bit harder throughout the rest of the ride.

When the cars finally came to a stop, Ruby felt relieved. Weiss finally let go of her hand, and Ruby started to cradle it. She was going to be sore for days.

"We made it…" Ruby heard Weiss say.

"That was amazing!" Emerald cried. "I'm going to have to go on this again before we leave!"

"I think I'd be more than alright never going on that again," Ren said.

"And if that little girlfriend of yours wants on? What're you going to do then?" Emerald asked.

"I'll make my peace and pray I survive," he replied.

"At least we're almost done, right, guys?" Ruby asked

"That ferris wheel is starting to look really appealing right about now…" Weiss said. "I think I'd be alright just… finding a bench somewhere and relaxing until we move on. Any objections?"

"You won't be hearing any from me," Ruby said.

"Or me," Ren added.

"Well, that's boring," Emerald began, "but it would be boring to walk around by myself, too, so I guess I'm on board."

The four of them found a small rest area and just sat for a while. If they happened to see the others in the distance, they'd wave to them. Since Ruby was already stationary, when time came to move onto Vacuo, the rest of the group just went to her.

"Alright, everyone," Ruby said, once the final groups were formed, "we meet at the ferris wheel later, okay? Then we hang out a bit until the fireworks, and we call it a day!"

"Nice to know that we're in the final stretch," Taiyang said, the others going on their way.

"I don't remember the last time my legs were this sore…" Neil said. "If they've ever been this sore, anyway."

"You've been having fun, right, Neil?" Penny asked. "So it's all okay!"

"Yeah, I haven't seen you all day!" Ruby said. "How's the park been?"

"If my uncle knew about some of the rides I've been on today, he'd be most cross with me, but they just seemed so much fun, I couldn't help myself!"

Penny grabbed Neil's hand and went for Ruby's left. Ruby moved her hand out of the way a few times before finally thrusting her right hand out. Penny grabbed on and started pulling them, jerking Ruby's arm across her body as she did. Taiyang just chuckled and walked after the three of them.

Penny, still just as energetic now as she was when they first entered the park, led Ruby and Neil around the Vacuo sector of the park. Vacuo might've been known as being the hardest of the world's nations to live in, but its part of the park was probably the most whimsical, as ironic as it might have been. In addition to the ferris wheel, the Vacuo sector had bumper cars, a mechanical bull, and a carousel alongside the typical rides.

They all took turns on the bull. Neil lasted the shortest amount of time, and Penny the longest. She actually broke the park's record for longest time without being thrown off the bull. She was only thrown off when she was because Neil and Ruby started signaling for her to give up before people started to get suspicious about how she was staying on for so long. As they were flailing, Taiyang looked at them, and the two stopped for a moment, which only confused Penny more about what they were trying to say at first.

Some of the bumper cars were two seaters, and as much as Ruby wanted to drive on her own, with the state of her left hand, and the fact that she didn't know the first thing about driving, she had no choice but to stay with her dad. Ruby had never seen him drive before, but she thought he was quite good. At least, she could only guess he was, based on bumper cars of all things. Neil was faring as well as Ruby thought she would be, if she were on her own. He was either going around in circles or being knocked back and forth every which way by the other park goers. Ruby almost always knew where Penny was, because all she had to do was follow the sound of her friend's jubilant laughter. They came face to face quite often, too, because it seemed like Penny was going out of her way to hit her and Taiyang as much as possible.

The other three were starting to drag their feet by the time they arrived at the carousel, while Penny was positively glowing. When it came time for the next group of people to get on, Penny charged ahead with all of the little children to get to whichever animal they liked the best. She hopped onto a white horse, as did Neil. In addition to regular animals, there were a number of Grimm species on the carousel as well. Ruby approached a three headed giraffe Grimm called a Ziraph, and hopped on, running her hand down its three necks in turn.

Ruby was too old to get much enjoyment out of carousels anymore, but doing anything at an amusement park was fun in its own way. The Ziraph was rather far from Penny and Neil's horses, and when she saw them on the other side of the ride, she couldn't help but smile.

Skit - The Bull

Penny: The Bull was so fun!

Taiyang: I'm impressed that you lasted so long. I was expecting someone so… small to do that good.

Penny: I'm just full of surprises, sir!

Neil: I'm a bit ashamed that I do so poorly.

Ruby: Don't beat yourself up about it. We can't all be super buff like Penny.

Penny: I still think you did good Neil! …For a boy who doesn't get much exercise.

Neil: Oh, how the truth hurts.

Ruby: Don't you think you could've left out that last part?