Remnants of a Dream - a tribute for Monty Oum.

"There's a day when all hearts will be broken - when a shadow will cast out the light. And our eyes cry a million tears.."

Weiss opened her eyes with a yawn. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sighed. Her sleep was fitful and she didn't feel like she got the rest she needed. To avoid being rudely awakened by Ruby's wretched whistle, she had slept early, intending to wake before her ever-eager team leader gets the opportunity to blow her out of bed. She looked around the room. It was still dark. She was exhausted from studying last night, so why did she wake up so early?

She heard loud footsteps outside in the hallway, hushed voices getting louder as they passed the door to team RWBY's room.

Have they no consideration for others!? Weiss thought. It's like, four in the morning guys!

Unfortunately, selfish dorm students are something she'd have to learn to deal with during the duration of her stay in Beacon. She sat on her bed and breathed, calming her mind.

It's just boys being boys.. Weiss reasoned. Alright.

She stepped out of bed. The other three members of team RWBY are still fast asleep - Weiss could hear Ruby's snore, that annoying, soft, adorable.. she shook those thoughts away from her head and focused on the question at hand.

What time is it?

She dug her scroll out of her schoolbag and turned it on. It whirred to life with a short buzz and the screen shone, lighting up the room with soft luminescence. Her eyes widened.

8:31.

In any other day, she would've exploded into action, rousing the other three members of her team in order to get to class on time. Ruby would mumble out of bed, Blake would look at her with a dispassionate expression and Weiss would've pulled a screaming Yang from her bed while the busty blonde protests that the heiress was separating her from her one true love - the comfort of her sheets.

But this time, she merely glanced out the window.

That something was wrong became apparent with one look. The first thing she noticed was that the moon wasn't shining - actually, it was as if it doesn't even exist. Weiss remembered seeing a full moon a few days ago, so this astronomical anomaly did not go unnotic-

Dark.

She looked up in surprise.

"Yang? Blake?" Weiss whispered. "Was that you?

Yang moaned, stirring in her sleep, but other than that there was no response.

"That's.. odd." Weiss muttered, trying to make sense of the situation. She doubled checked, then triple checked her scroll settings. The network connection sign was still shining brightly - its displaying the time every other scroll has.

Is my scroll malfunctioning? she thought, trying to make sense out of the situation.

Suddenly, she felt more alone than she had ever been.

"Ruby?" Weiss said tentatively, seeking the comfort of her partner. "W-Wake up, you dunce!"

"C-cookies." Ruby drooled. Weiss sighed and tapped her partner in the shoulder. When Ruby didn't pudge, Weiss resorted to pinching the scythe-wielder's cheeks. That did the job.

"Uwah!" Ruby awoke, bolting straight up. Her head hit the dorm room ceiling and she whimpered.

"Dolt." Weiss said. Despite her insult, she felt a lot better now that she was no longer alone. "Look out the window."

"Wha?" Ruby mumbled, sleep still heavy on her body. "Why would you make me up so ear… ly."

She faltered as she took in the absolute darkness of the morning sky.

"What's going on?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Should we wake up the others?"

Ruby's answer was a nimble jump to the floor, landing on the balls of her feet. She approached Blake and Yang's bunk and started tapping on the wooden frame.

"Yang! Yaaaang!" Ruby hissed. "Check out the view!"

"Won't.. let.. go." Yang slurred, stubbornly holding on her pillow like it was her lifeline. "One.. true love.."

Fortunately, Blake was far more cooperative. Her faunus nature sensed impending danger and the tension in the air.

"What is it?" Blake went straight to the point, reaching for Gambol Shroud. The pistol-whip wrapped around her arm and her eyes darted left and right, searching for any signs of trouble. "Night mission?"

"Nope!" Ruby said. "That!" She pointed at the pitch black horizon. Blake stood up and stretched like a cat (pun intended).

"That's.. unusual." Blake admitted.

"My thoughts exactly." Weiss said.

"Maybe its.. smoke!" Ruby said, proudly presenting her explanation.

"I'm rather certain that smoke doesn't snuff out the sun, Ruby." Weiss sighed.

"But Weiss, it's night! Don't you know the sun comes up during the day?" Ruby told Weiss."

Before Weiss could retort, the conversation was interrupted by a frustrated howl.

"Wha'sh wiff all the talking guysh?" Yang complained, finally waking up. "Itsh like, three in the morning! Sheesh!"

"That's the problem." Weiss said. She raised her scroll and pointed to the clock in the display. "According to the global network, we're supposed to be late for school. But the sky.."

All four girls stared out their dorm room window in bewilderment.

"I've never seen anything like it."

It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending;

Every scene fades black, and there's no pretending.

"Did you like, double check it?" Ruby said, scratching her head in confusion.

"Five times. I even set it to the SDC network, and we have the most accurate time schedule in the world." Weiss boasted. "There's nothing wrong with the time display."

"Are you sure?" Yang said, sobering up. "Isn't it more likely for the net to fail than all of Remnant getting late on its rotation?"

"What's out there is definitely not 'night'!" Weiss flared at the jab at her company's competence. "Does that seem natural to you!?" Weiss pointed a finger outside.

There was not a single cloud in sight. Further to the east, where the city of Vale resides, an encroaching darkness covered the land. They could barely see the brightest light of the communication tower, something that should have been easily distinguishable against the pitch black background.

"Hey, chillax princess." Yang said, raising her hand in an appeasing manner. "Just throwing it out there."

"In any case, we should find a teacher." Blake said, ever the voice of reason. "They should know what's going on."

"Yay! We're skipping school!" Ruby declared cheerfully.

"I don't know about that, lil sis." Yang said, glancing once more at the absolute darkness shrouding their world. It was as if the sky was replaced with a view into a neverending abyss. It sent chills down her spine. "I think I prefer a little schoolwork over something like this. At least I'd understand what the problems were."

Yang opened the window hesitantly and air rushed in. But it didn't feel right - it didn't feel fresh. It felt tainted. Outside the academy, the morning chirping of Emerald Forests' birds were silent. The normally beautiful greenery now looked foreboding, the shadows the trees cast upon the ground amplified a hundred fold. The atmosphere was cold and empty and the wind seemed to have stopped altogether. Ruby found herself yearning for the soft morning breeze that she had grown to look forward to every day in Beacon.

"Grab your weapons." Blake said, putting on her uniform.

"Scrolls and weapons, too." Weiss added, attaching Myrtenaster to her waist. "We might need them lat-"

A furious pounding at their door interrupted her. Ruby bounded towards the entrance and paved the way for one agitated Jaune.

"Ruby!" he said, eyes wide and trembling. "What's going on!? The dorms are empty and the sky's gone nuts!"

"Oh Yang-Yang!" Nora appeared from behind her anxious leader and tackled Yang into a hug. "Something bad is going on, but Nora doesn't know what! Is our castle in trouble? Won't you save your QUEEEEEN?"

"Nora.. can't.. breathe." Yang stuttered. Ren and Pyrrha stepped inside the room as well, armed, armored and ready for a fight.

"Now you know how I feel when you hug me." Ruby chastised her sister.

"Guys!" Jaune complained. "Black sky? No sun? Hello?"

"Right." Blake said. "We don't know either, but we're going to find out. We're going to the instructors' office. Care to join us?"

"Of course." Pyrrha said. "But first, there's something you need to know. Ren?"

The attention of both sister teams fell upon the green-clothed boy. He raised his hand and made a weird gesture with it.

Nothing happened.

"I don't.. really get it." Ruby said, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Were you trying to do something?"

"Exactly." Ren said, lowering his hand. "I can't use my aura at all. To be more accurate, I don't seem to have one at all."

"I can't use my aura either." Pyrrha said, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Hyaaa!" Ruby shouted. She crouched into a running stance, charged her trademark Rose Dash - and promptly fell face-first on the floor.

"Ouch." Nora cringed. "Why'd you do that? Doesn't it like, hurt?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Ruby protested, holding her throbbing forehead. Weiss helped her up and she dusted off her clothes. "My semblance isn't working!"

"She's right." Blake confirmed their suspicions. "Apparently our semblance and their power source, our aura, aren't working at all."

"This is bad." Weiss said. "We can't fight properly without our semblances! How are we supposed to take on the Grimm, now?"

Everybody grew silent, realizing the implications of losing their aura.

"This is getting us nowhere." Blake said. "It seems that the other students are going to the central building. I suggest we join them."

"Alright, let's go." Ruby said, her cheerful demeanor replaced with a serious mien.

As both teams left the dorm room, they all shared the same thought.

What on Remnant is going on!?

The first who noticed the anomaly was a dozen senior students partying the night before their officiation as the next generation of Hunters. They were out on the rooftop of their dorm rooms - something normally prohibited after curfew, but Ozpin believed leniency is the proper policy. They are, after all, leaving in less than a month.

Their celebration was cut short by a sudden darkness that streaked across the night sky. A pair of students sat side by side before a small bonfire, eyeing their fellow teammates sharing stories on the other side of the rooftop. One was a girl with shiny purple hair, and the other was a boy who opted to go bare chested. Beowolf scars covered his chest, a testament of his experience in four years of combat. He leaned backwards contentedly, but frowned as he looked up.

"Yo Mauve, look."

"I don't wanna see you dunking beer like a pig again, Chen!" Mauve said, refusing to give her teammate her attention. She tinkered with her weapon's flame volume.

"Naw, I'm serious here, something's messed up with the sky." Chen insisted.

Mauve sighed. She supposed there's nothing wrong with a look. It'll probably be him posing like an idiot again, but.. ""The only thing messed up here is your hea-.. What?"

The moon seems to have disappeared from the night sky. Mauve searched from horizon to horizon, trying to find the elusive celestial body, but it looks as if it really was gone. Moreover, the usually serene night sky was desolate of stars.

"See? I'm not always joking around, you know." Chen said indignantly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Mauve said, frowning. "Maybe really thick smog? We should probably tell the teachers."

"Hey, it's the night before graduation!" Chen said, raising another bottle of beer. "We should be partying hard, not worrying hard, grandma!"

"Who are you calling grandma?!" Mauve flared, deploying her flaming flail. Chen scrambled backwards, swearing all the way.

"Freakin' hell, woman!" Chen complained. "You could've killed me!"

"Mess around like that again and I might." Mauve threatened. She sighed and shut down the fire in her flail. "You should be more careful with what you say, you know."

Her eyes were downcast.

"You know I didn't mean it." Chen said, his expression softening.

"I know you don't." Mauve cracked a smile. Confused cries from other seniors jolted the two awake from their moment of camaraderie. It seems that the others had noticed it as well. Remembering the darkness above them, Mauve stood up, offering a hand to her partner.

"Looks like we're all in trouble again." she said.

"What's new?" Chen chuckled.

Despite all their bluster, beyond their smiles and past their banter, both knew the other felt the same uneasiness that seems to have come with the blackened night. They glanced at each other and looked away.

"Do you think everyone's okay?" Mauve muttered.

"I know we will be." Chen said, reassuring her with a firm squeeze with his hand.

They were the top of their class, masters in the art of battle and combat. Be it man or Grimm, they are sure to win. Together, they are unbeatable. But in the darkness?

In the neverending dark, every soul is alone.

I know you've lived a nightmare; I caused you so much pain.

But, baby, please don't do what I did; I don't want you to waste your life in vain.

Beacon Academy is in chaos.

Team RWBY and JNPR made their way through the crowded hallways, trying to navigate around the hundreds of students roaming the central building. Small crowds formed around the student council rooms, management, staff and administration offices. Some were trying to break inside those rooms, desperate to find out what's going on.

"Hey guys, calm the heck down, would ya?!" Yang shouted.

"Everyone! Stick to your teams!" Pyrrha joined in.

A few turned and heeded their advice - they nodded and tried to rally their teams - but most of the student body are still panicking.

"My aura's gone!" One shouted.

"I'm not healing anymore!" Another panicked.

"Does the teachers know what's going on?" A shy girl whispered.

"My semblance! I can't fight without my semblance!" Skylark shouted.

"We don't have our aura.. are we.. dead?" A horrified girl stammered.

Yang and Pyrrha's advice were drowned in the sea of terrified voices, clamoring for an explanation.

"This is a mess." Yang said, trying to pave a way for the rest of their group.

"They're not wrong." Blake said darkly.

Yang had nothing to say to that.

The sister teams finally arrived at the center of the panic – the teacher's offices. Yang hoisted Ruby on her shoulders for a better view. Ruby looked above the crowd and frowned. There were dozens of people inside, tearing apart the record cabinets for answers.

"So? Any teacher's around, Rubes?" Yang shouted above the din and clang of the crowd.

"There's nobody!" Ruby hollered. "Everyone's messing stuff up!"

"Ah!" Yang heard a pained whimper. She turned to find Velvet cowering under a certain bully's stare.

"Watch it, freak!" Cardin Winchester said. He moved to hit the rabbit faunus, but Jaune and Weiss intercepted

"I told you not to mess with my friends." Jaune said firmly, standing his ground against the leader of team CRDL. The nighttime training Pyrrha had given him in the past few months had earned him several inches of height, leveling their glares. Cardin growled and gripped his mace, but Weiss stepped in, standing side by side with Jaune.

"Try me and kiss a limb goodbye." Weiss threatened, a hand on Myrtenaster's sheath. Ruby gasped. She could tell that Weiss meant business.

Cardin looked as if he was going to start a fight right then and there - but he realized the rest of both team RWBY and JNPR were watching coldly, ready to intervene. He backed off. He may be an ass, but he's not by any means stupid.

"Fucking brats." he swore, and left. Russel, Dove and Lark followed their leader, but not before flashing an apologetic look to their sister teams.

At least some of them has manners. Weiss thought.

Ruby sighed in relief.

"That guy.." Yang said, cracking her fists together. "He needs a good beating."

"Filthy brute." Weiss hissed.

"Don't waste your time on him, you guys!" Ruby said, squishing both girls together with her arms. "He's not worth the trouble."

Blake smiled. "I'm surprised you were the first to realize that, Ruby. You've grown a lot this past year."

"My baby sis, wiser than me?" Yang scoffed. "Impossible."

"You're wrong. I drink milk." Ruby declared proudly.

"Meh, you haven't changed at all!" Yang laughed, mussing up her sister's hair. While the sisters bicker, Weiss reached and pulled Velvet away from the crowd.

"Mister Jaune! Miss Weiss!" Velvet said, coming face to face with her rescuers. "Thank you very much! I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here.."

"It's no trouble." Jaune smiled reassuringly, patting the rabbit faunus's shoulders. Blake chuckled when she noticed Pyrrha grow tense.

At least some things haven't changed. Blake thought.

"Why is everyone so unsettled?" Weiss asked. "We've practiced for Grimm assault drills and numeorus natural disasters. There shouldn't be any reason for this kind of panic."

"This is not in anyway natural." Velvet said. "We've lost our aura and the sun isn't rising. To make things worse, we're not going to be able to fight off Grimm without our semblances and not having any aura means we're all vulnerable."

"We know that, but shouldn't we be trying to find the teachers?" Yang said.

"Everyone's been trying all morning!" Velvet explained. "You saw the commotion there! The rest of my team is searching the maintenance rooms and power generators for instructors. I think Coco's gone to the staff houses. I was assigned to the offices, but no luck there, either."

"Splitting up sounds like a good idea for now." Pyrrha said. "How about we go in pairs and search the academy grounds for answers?"

"Sounds good to me!" Ruby said.

"Alright. How about this?" Jaune proposed. "I'll go with Ren to the administration office; Pyrrha and Nora can check the classrooms."

"I think team CFVY has the rest of the school covered." Weiss said. "I think team RWBY should go to Vale."

"Yeah, it doesn't look so good over there." Yang said.

"Then it's settled." Blake said. "Ruby, will you and Weiss go to the communication tower and contact the other academies? We need to know if this is an isolated event and if they could provide either some help or some answers."

"Good idea." Ruby said. "Then we'll need you and Yang to contact Vale police in case Fox and Yatsuhashi can't use the school communication center."

"Got it." Blake smiled.

"We should meet back at the dorm room by.. twelve. Sound good?" Jaune said. Everyone nodded.

"Great!" Ruby smiled. "Let's go!"

"Professor Peace isn't here, either." Pyrrha said, disappointment apparent in her voice.

"Aw, Peachy-Pooh's gone too?" Nora pouted. They closed the door to the empty classroom and headed once more to the hallways, empty handed.

"Well, there's one last classroom we could check." Pyrrha thought out loud.

The two girls of team JNPR headed to the class at the end of the hallway. Thankfully, it was empty - most students have congregated in either the auditorium or the empty teacher's meeting room, where many are desperately searching for answers. Other than a few stragglers, Pyrrha and Nora had yet to meet someone with any idea of what's happening.

"We're coming in!" Pyrrha said preemptively.

Pyrrha opened the door and Nora bounded in a split second after.

"Professor Oobleck~" Nora sang. The lecture room was a mess as usual; paper clutter scattered across the curved tables and a stack of empty coffee cups on the professor's desk. When it grew apparent that the room was empty as well, she pouted again. "Aw, he's not here either."

"This is not good." Pyrrha said, frowning. "Let's see if the others found someth-"

"Good morning, girls!"

Professor Oobleck rose from beneath his desk, coffee cup in one hand and a bunch of papers with messy notes on the other. He looks disheveled and tired, unlike the energetic, hyperfast professor they were used to. It was disconcerting.

"Professor Oobleck!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

Nevertheless, he was the first sign of authority they've found since all morning, and it reassured her that everything's going to be just fine.

Finally, a teacher.

"Something's really wrong with the sky, Oobleck!" Nora said, jumping up and down in front of the professor. "Everyone's confused and Pancake Friday is in ruins!" she sobbed.

"Can you tell us what's going on?" Pyrrha said.

"They're gone." Oobleck said, sipping his coffee. "Up and vanished, just like that. I have been trying to deduce a viable cause to the phenomenon. I've written over seventy eight plausible scenarios that produces similar results to this event, but none of them match the loss of aura or the missing sun. It's simply something never observed before in the history of Remnant. I'm afraid I've failed."

"Who's gone?" Pyrrha asked.

"Most of the professors and the rest of the staff." Oobleck said. "Some of us are still here, apparently. I just saw Professor Port and Goodwitch heading to the docks. Unfortunately, I have yet to see Ozpin or the others."

"Then that's where we're going next." Pyrrha decided. Nora nodded in agreement

"What're ya gonna do now, Professor Oobleck?" Yang said.

"Since I have yet to be briefed of the situation, I doubt I can alleviate the concerns of the student body in the hallways." Oobleck said, fiddling with his Thermostaff. "I will head for the communications center and establish contact with the Vale police force. Perhaps they are in need of assistance as well. Very well, girls."

He tipped his hat. "Good luck."

Oobleck turned around and left. It was obvious that he was trying to put up a calm front, but Pyrrha could tell he was shaken. The historical genius once said - "If you fail to learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it." But there is nothing in the three thousand years of human existence that signalled the coming of an event such as this. He was like a fish out of water, and Pyrrha knew exactly how he felt.

The world has been turned upside down, and there's nothing she could do about it.

we don't fear the dark

we fear what's in it

Part One of Five