After reading the "Endless Possibilities of Jaune Arc" and its reboot by JC of the Corn, as well as other stories that are inspired by it, I wanted to try my own spin on the reaction genre. I actually asked JC for permission for professional reasons, and he said to go ahead.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. It is the intellectual property of the late Monty Oum, and his team and friends at Rooster Teeth.

Chapter 1 – The Archive

The Breach, as it was being called on the news, had been stopped by the students of Beacon, and the Atlas Expeditionary Forces led by General Ironwood. Everyone was celebrating the victory, although there was one huntsman-in-training who was not: Jaune Arc.

It wasn't because he wasn't happy about the outcome. The city was safe, and only minor injuries were recorded among the casualties. His glum mood was the result of something else, petty as it might have been. His team and Team RWBY were discussing the number of Grimm they all took out in the defense of the city. All of his friends had taken out dozens, whereas he, only took out one and a half. One was an Ursa that took ten times more hits to kill than the one he killed in Forever Fall. The other was a boarbatusk he had on the ropes, before an Atlesian Knight Mk II gunned it down…

'I mean, I weakened it! That kill was half mine…' he thought glumly.

"…"

It was as depressing as it sounded, and it was why he was on the rooftop where Pyrrha and he trained and not with his friends getting ready to go out on the town. Jaune swore he'd come back after he answered the "phone call from home" he made up. He knew he should be heading back soon, but he just wanted a few more minutes in solitude.

"A full school year, and this is what I amount to…?"

Jaune knew that he was years behind everyone, and that he would have to really work at it to catch up. He believed that if he followed his great great grandfather Gerome's example, he would make it like he did. The man had only two years of formal training before the Great War began, but through sheer effort and dedication, Gerome Arc was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with other legendary huntsmen and huntresses who had trained their whole lives. He tried hard to follow his forebear's footsteps, he really did. His team and Ruby assured him he was improving, and he trusted them. However, today like all the classes of Ms. Goodwitch, reminded himself that it still wasn't enough to catch up to Ruby, Pyrrha, and the others.

What was he doing wrong…?

Did he really have no talent for this, like all those people back home would say when dad wasn't around?

"…"

Jaune sighed.

"What am I doing here…?"

Little did Jaune know that that lone question, and his ailing heart would attract the attention of a being long forgotten in Remnant.

xXxXx

Pyrrha, held up the scroll, and sighed. They were all ready to go out to that neighborhood diner that Nora and Ren found on their weekend stroll, to officially celebrate successfully holding back the Breach. Jaune though, wasn't with them. He said he got a call from home, and that he would be back soon after he took it. She had texted him twice though since then, and was now worried.

"Still no answer?" asked a young, gentle voice.

Pyrrha turned to see Ruby look at her with a worried expression, and matching ones from Nora and Ren.

"No… none," said Pyrrha sadly.

"What's taking so long?" asked Yang, "We're just about ready to go."

"Jaune hasn't come back yet," said Pyrrha.

"Maybe the call just ended, and he's on his way back," pointed out Weiss.

"Maybe…" sighed Pyrrha, though she was eased a little at Weiss' relatively kind words.

Despite the flat tone, the Mistrali champion marveled at the change of attitude in the heiress. In the final hour of the dance, Jaune approached Weiss and apologized for the unwanted flirting. He offered to start over, if she was interested, and she accepted the apology and offer he gave. While Weiss was still wary of him, much of the venom and hostility that was common in her past interactions were held back. They were far from friends, but it was a professional relationship, which was far better than a hostile one. It would also make Pyrrha's eventual confession to Jaune that much easier, as there was no apparent competition in the way.

"Well, we could go ahead," suggested Blake, "We heard this place gets crowded at around seven, and we can save you guys a seat, or at least our spot in line."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Pyrrha before she, Nora, and Ren got to the door, "I have a feeling where Jaune might be, we'll get him and meet up with you there."

"Ok," said Ruby before she, and her team joined them at the door, "Call us when you're on your way guys."

They opened the door to the library and split up in… separate… RWBY and NPR gawked at their surroundings and were on edge.

"Uh… guys? How did we end up in the library?" asked Yang.

"I don't think this is the library," said Blake.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. The shelves were far too high, as was the ceiling, and there wasn't a single computer terminal, or exit sign for that matter.

SLAM!

The two teams looked back in the direction of the door they just left. Weiss went over to open it, only to reveal cleaning supply closet, and not Team RWBY's dorm.

"Ok, officially panicking," squeaked Nora.

Ren put a hand on Nora's shoulder, which helped his partner relax, but Pyrrha could see the tension and concern on his face. Also…

"Where is Jaune?" asked Pyrrha.

Everyone looked about. The gang minus Jaune was all here, but their lovable dorky knight was nowhere to be found.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, thinking he was in the general area.

"Jaune!" called out Ruby, in an attempt to help.

No answer.

They checked their scrolls… no reception or signals anywhere.

Pyrrha started to panic now.

"Blake? What are you doing?" everyone heard Yang say.

They all turned to the faunus.

"Getting an idea of our surroundings," Blake replied.

In the corner of her eye she saw Blake hold one of the books from two piles in a divided bin. Actually, it looked like a book, but on closer inspection, it was a glass case with a sphere of energy within. Pyrrha glanced at the bins, and saw two plaques for each one. On one end were the words "To Be Archived," and on the other where Blake was, "Lower Levels."

"Blake, this is hardly the time for sightseeing," scolded Weiss, "We should focus on finding Jaune, figuring out where we are, and how to get back home."

"Weiss is right," seconded Ruby as Blake put the object down, "Blake do you think you could climb up and-"

"There you are."

"GYAAAH!" cried out Ruby.

They turned around and saw a figure rise from the floor. It wore hooded grey robes, and had a large book held close to its waist. They couldn't see the eyes, but the lower half of its face was exposed, and based on the jaw structure, it was a male. He also wasn't there a moment ago, either. They moved to arm themselves, but remembered they left their weapons in their dorms.

"Greetings," the newcomer whispered with an awkward wave.

They all lowered their stances when it was clear he wasn't going to attack. Ruby stepped forward to the person who arrived

"Um, hello," said Ruby, "Can you help us sir? Please? We're looking for our friend, and we need to get home."

"If by friend, you mean Mr. Arc, he's back at Beacon safe and sound."

"He is?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yes," replied the newcomer, "Him being here would be… very problematic."

"You make it sound like you know what brought us here," commented Weiss.

"I do, and in regards to getting you back home, I'm afraid I can't" replied the figure apologetically, "You are going to be staying here for some time yet."

"Says who," demanded Yang.

"Lord Aeon, Steward of the Multiverse."

They were all quiet.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" asked Weiss.

The man sighed.

"You are here at the behest of Lord Aeon, Steward of the Multiverse. This place is known as the Archive. It is a vast multiverse library complex that my lord, Aeon, oversees."

"Who's Aeon?" asked Ren.

"He is one of the stewards of time along with his brother, Lord Chronos. They are both powerful beings, who established the laws of time and space. Humans and faunus often referred to them and their peers as gods.

"Gods?" asked Pyrrha in awe.

"Indeed. In my lord's case, stewardship of the multiverse, and the numerous timelines within are his responsibility."

"When you say multiverse…" began Blake.

"Yes," said the man, "There are other universes and realities, each shaped by everyone's decisions, or inactions. In fact, were it not for Misses Schnee and Rose you would have peered into one, or rather a piece of one, without the proper safeguards on top of that."

Blake blinked in surprise.

'That glass box from earlier was another universe?' she thought.

"I'm finding this difficult to believe. Deities? Multiverses?" muttered Weiss.

If the figure could give a deadpan expression, he was doing his best.

"You come from a world where you each have superpowers to use against creatures of eternal darkness. You are seriously suggesting a multiverse is unrealistic?" asked the figure.

Well, when said like that…

"…He does have a point," said Nora, "So who are you stranger?"

"I am the archivist, for the archive of Jaune Arc," the figure replied with a bow, "My job for those who are wondering, is to make sure the multiple realities of Mr. Arc are in their proper places within the Archive."

"Proper places?" asked Yang.

"Well, we can't have universes bleed into one another now can we. How would you feel if you had two Jaunes in the same room, or sixteen?"

Weiss went even paler than she thought she could be, whereas Pyrrha was trying to keep her blush down. The others merely tried to wrap their heads around the chaos that would ensue.

"That sounds awesome!" squealed Nora.

Okay, almost all of the others.

"Oh, it would be entertaining," agreed the archivist, "Until you find out that one of them hates you for betraying him, or that another turned out as a psychotic madman due the circumstances of his life."

Suddenly, everyone sobered from their thoughts. Jaune betrayed by them, or as a psychotic madman? They couldn't believe such things, even Weiss. But if there was a multiverse, could other versions of themselves actually betray their blonde, dorky friend? Could Jaune be a villain in another reality? It was a possibility, and that frightened them.

"So, why are we here?" asked Weiss.

"Ah, so the most important question comes to light at last," said the archivist, "You are here because Lord Aeon wishes you to be here. As for the purpose, I suppose it would be to watch your friend Mr. Arc across the various realities."

"To watch?"

"It's happened before in other archives governing other dimensions. This normally happens when Lord Aeon is bored, or if something concerning is happening," the archivist replied.

"Concerning?" asked Pyrrha with worry.

"Possibly, now follow me," said the man, as he gestured them to do so.

With little options, RWBY and NPR did as the archivist requested. They walked with the being in silence for a time before they entered an elevator in one of the corridors. When it ran up, Blake decided to break the ice.

"So… do you have a name?" she asked.

"AR-1029461820CHI," replied the archivist. They all stared at him, "You may refer to me as Archivist though."

"Well, Archivist is still a bit of a mouthful…" said Yang in thought, "Oh, the letters in your name! How about Archie for short?"

"Archie… I suppose that's easier," mused the archivist.

"Then Archie it is!" declared Ruby.

Suddenly the lights from the lamps in the ceiling weren't the only things to illuminate the elevator. The elevator shaft had turned into a clear tube with which to see the outside world, and they could not help but gasp. The sky was green, and there were towers jutting from a mega structure all around, as far as the eye could see.

"Each tower is a hub for a section of the Archive, and each one houses an archivist who tends to that section," said Archie.

"How big is this library?" asked Weiss.

"You could go from horizon to horizon, and still see the same sight from each elevator. As for the structure itself, it is still growing."

"How does you lord keep track of it all?" asked Ren.

"I don't know," said Archie, "He can though. Each decision canonicals such as yourselves make, or don't make, as well as those of all your spinoffs increases the number of volumes within the archive, and the size of megastructure as well. Despite this, if my lord wanted to view a reality, he would know which archive to go to as well as the section, shelf, and location on that shelf to find it. If one of my peers, or I haven't archived it yet, he would go to the bins similar to where Ms. Belladonna picked up one from earlier and pluck it within seconds. Trying to figure out how he does it is confusing at best, and maddening at worst."

"Canonicals?" asked Pyrrha, confused by what he called them.

"Above Lord Aeon is a supreme power that rules over all multiverses. This being has a… I suppose you could say an official record of an individual soul and its life. This is referred to by Archivists as a Canonical. In other words, you all are the genuine article, as far as we archivists are concerned," explained Archie, "Any versions of yourselves you see in the coming viewings are what we refer to as a Spinoff. Spinoffs are versions of yourself that could have been if your circumstances, life choices, or even universe were different. Does that make sense to you all?"

"So basically, we're all real," said Ruby, who got an affirmative nod from Archie, "Good to know."

"Wonderful to know; I was about to have an identity crisis," said Ren.

They all were. It was a relief to know they were all their real selves.

"We're here," said Archie before the elevator began to slow to a halt.

The doors opened to reveal the… Beacon Communal Lounge, compete with the large central couch and massive hanging television.

"This is the viewing station. The room's appearance is determined by who uses it, based on preference. Since you outnumber me, the room took into account what you collectively find comfortable for relaxation, or watching. A good thing, since this is where you will be in the foreseeable future."

"But what about home, we can't be here forever. Will we?" asked Ren.

"Worry not about such things," said Archie "We are in a pocket dimension that is out of sync with the multiverse. As soon as my lord is content you have seen enough, you will be sent back to your universe at the very second you stepped foot out the door of your dormitory."

"That's cool. What about food though?" asked Nora.

The Archivist opened a nearby door which led to a kitchen equipped with a minibar, pantry, refrigerator, and a stove top.

"Whenever you need a break, think about what you want to make or drink, and this room will provide you with the ingredients," explained Archie.

"Awesome!" crowed out Yang, "This is turning out to be more interesting than that dinner and a movie plan we had for tonight."

"I just wish there was a way Jaune could be here," said Pyrrha.

"He will be, we'll just be watching him from afar from the sound of it, like you do," said Yang.

"Yang!" scolded Blake.

Archie went to the TV of the viewing room, and tapped a pristine box beneath it

"What's that?" asked Ruby.

"The leisure room is where I unwind after a cycle's worth of work. This device is allows me to indulge in the leisurely activity of 'watching movies.' Granted, I could do so just by examining the archive volumes themselves, but this method is less taxing on my very being. Most importantly for you, it will allow mortals such as yourselves to view the archive in a manner your senses can handle. Had Ms. Belladonna attempted to view the universe she held in her hands earlier, her senses would have overloaded. Fortunately, that did not happen," explained the archivist.

"Does this device have a name?" asked Weiss, intrigued by the object.

"A Volume Harmonizer for Senses," he declared, "Though you may refer to it as VHS for short."

They were all in awe of the highly advanced device.

The Archivist synced the device with the screen, and went to a container similar to the one that Blake and gone through earlier. Next to it was a return slot just like the libraries back home.

"Randomize," he said.

Suddenly, a massive pile of volumes filled the bin.

"Now then, shall we begin?" asked Archie.

A/N: So this is the first chapter. A bit of an info dump, but I wanted to world build to set up how the viewing process would be arranged. Furthermore, there will be intermissions in the future where the gang gets to take a break, and reflect on what they see.

The Archive itself is based off of two memorable libraries in pop-culture. The first library from The Library in Doctor Who Season 4 of the new series, a giant planet that is one whole library complex. The second library I drew inspiration from, as well as the nature of the volumes within, comes from the classic kid's movie The Pagemaster. It was one of my favorite movies growing up as a kid in the 90's so this story, and the way they portrayed how stories could come to life, will be a little homage to it.

The content the characters react to will be in the disclaimers.

Miscellaneous Notes:

Aeon and Chronos are classical Greek deities that presided over time. Chronos represented linear time: beginning, middle, and an end. Aeon, by contrast, represented time as a cycle. There is a start, and an end, but the end merely marks the beginning of a new cycle. I will be taking a lot of liberties with Aeon in this story.