My name is Solora and I am a total flake. Here is the update! Happy Dragon…Wednesday morning… (Please don't kill me.)

"Thanks for coming down with me, Sage," Neptune said as the two teammates walked out the doors leading from the dorms and down the path to the arena. Sage was holding a half-asleep Zircon, while Neptune had elected to leave Nymph in the room.

"Glad to help," Sage assured him. "This will be a good chance to get some extra practice in for Zircon as well." He lightly shook his dragonet, who had started snoring. "No sleeping now, boy. You got a nap after class today. You can stay awake."

Zircon whined sleepily and snuggled against Sage's chest.

Neptune smiled fondly at the tiger-striped earth dragon. "We can do his training first, so he can nap while you help me out."

"Good idea."

They entered the arena for the freshman earth Riders, and Neptune looked around. "Huh. The water arena has this sort of setup."

Sage was looking at the different terrains. The rocks were a bit steeper and taller than they had been on the first day, and there was definitely more undergrowth in the tree area. Since the dragonets grew quickly, Ozpin insisted that it was important to constantly up the difficulty. It was a good idea in theory, but not in practice when one had a dragon who had refused to do even the simplest course.

Zircon sniffed the air and tensed as he realized where they were. Was his partner going to make him climb the sharp rocks again? He didn't want to climb the sharp rocks!

Sage placed Zircon on the ground and knelt down next to him. "Okay, Zircon. We're going to try this again. No one's here but me and Neptune. You don't have to hurry. Just try to complete the course."

Walking over to the first rock, he patted the top. "Forward. Climb."

Zircon whimpered, curling his tail around his legs, and tried to walk over to Sage, only to be pushed back by his partner's foot.

"No, Zircon," Sage said firmly. "Forward."

"Would it help if you climbed on the rocks?" Neptune asked.

"I'm too heavy," Sage explained. "I can walk with him through the sand and the forest, but that's it. I already asked Ozpin."

Neptune thought for a moment. "Maybe you could show him it's not scary. Pick him up and place him on each of the rocks."

"We're not supposed to help them."

"Not when you're being timed during class," Neptune noted. "But, there aren't any profs here. Maybe Zircon just needs to realize that the rocks won't hurt him."

Sage considered it, then picked Zircon up and placed him on the first rock. When the dragonet tried to jump into his arms, he put a firm hand on his back. "Easy, boy. Nothing to be scared of." He took a step back and watched.

Zircon trembled, staring over the edge of the rock he was on. What if he fell?

After a moment, Sage approached and patted the steep path leading back down the rock. "Forward."

Zircon gaped. Was his partner crazy? He couldn't go down that steep hill!

"Zircon, forward," Sage repeated, patting the rock and holding out his hand.

There was no way to jump into Sage's arms. But…his hand was there. Zircon sniffed the air, catching the comforting scent of his partner. It caused him to relax a little. His partner protected him, so maybe he wouldn't let him get hurt.

Zircon took a step and immediately started sliding down the hill. He squealed loudly, trying to dig his claws into the rock. Then, just before he could tumble to the bottom, he was stopped by a familiar, warm barrier. He whimpered and snuggled against Sage's chest.

When he was placed on a second rock, he was a little quicker to go down the hill, if only to be in his partner's arms again. By the end of the rock course, he managed to climb to the top of one all by himself.

Sage picked him up, stroking his back. "Good boy." He noticed how Zircon's sides were heaving. "I think that's enough practice for one night." He looked at Neptune. "Ready for a swimming lesson?"

Neptune's heart sank. The happiness he had felt watching Zircon immediately faded. "Nope. Let's get this over with."

The salt water pool looked even more terrifying at night. Though the arena was lit, the water looked dark and ominous, reflecting the stars and causing them to ripple.

Sage walked over and eyed the pool. "It looks like your feet will hit the bottom."

"Barely," Neptune muttered as he shrugged off his jacket.

"Why don't we start with just getting your feet wet?" Sage suggested. "Then, we'll go from there."

Neptune nodded hesitantly. "O-Okay." He removed the rest of his clothes, except for a black school-issued swimsuit with Beacon's symbol on the side. Slowly, he walked up to the pool, thankful yet again that he had decided against bringing Nymph, and sat down at the edge.

He felt Sage's hand on his shoulder, which gave him the courage to let his feet go in. A shiver went down his spine, and he was a kid wandering through Mistral's marshes again.

He had been rushing from tree to tree, splashing gleefully in the muddy water. A colorful frog had been sitting amongst a patch of reeds and, of course, Neptune had rushed to get it. Then, in one heart-stopping moment, his foot didn't hit solid ground. Instead, it went down, down, down…

"Neptune!" Sage said, squeezing his friend's shoulder when he saw how violently he was shaking.

"Huh?" Neptune's eyes opened and he was in the arena, sitting on a solid, stone floor. Only his feet were wet. Only his feet.

His face turned red with shame. "I can't do this…" he whispered, his voice cracking.

"Yes, you can," Sage said, kneeling down behind him and firmly gripping both of his shoulders. "You can, because you need to. Nymph is your dragon, and she is a water dragon. You can get over this."

Neptune shook his head. "I can't. Every time, it's like I'm in that swamp again. I feel the wetness, and I just…"

"Then, think of all the ways this isn't like the swamp," Sage urged.

Neptune took a deep breath, tears prickling his eyes as he forced himself to look into the water. His feet looked like they were detached from his body, which didn't make his state of mind much better. Okay… Think of how this isn't like the swamp… You can do this. Sage is smart. He knows what he's doing. You're smart, too. You're an intellectual, remember? He took another breath. This is still salt water, with none of the bacteria found in a swamp. The water is clear. I can see the bottom. I know my feet will reach the bottom. It's cool, while the swamp was…really warm. He shuddered at the memory.

"Easy," Sage murmured, his voice taking on the tone he used when soothing Zircon.

It was a full fifteen minutes before Neptune's heart stopped pounding quite so hard in his ears. He was still shaking, but not as much. He blinked a few times, then looked over his shoulder at Sage. "I think…I can stand in it now. Could you hold onto me?"

"Of course." Sage moved to the edge of the pool and took Neptune's hand, holding it tightly. "Go ahead. I got you."

"Okay." Neptune didn't say anything else. He knew that Sage wasn't the type of person to try the whole "I'll say I'll hold onto you, then let go so that you can learn to trust yourself blah blah bullshit" method.

Don't think about it, he told himself as he scooted closer. Just do it. Scrunching his eyes shut, he slid forward and, in an instant, was up to his shoulders.

Again, he was a little kid plunging toward the bottom of the bog. Water filled his mouth whenever he tried to call for help, flooded into his lungs, returned in force when he started coughing.

"Neptune," Sage said, squeezing his teammate's hand. "I think that's enough for tonight."

Neptune's eyes opened and he was standing on a stone floor, his shoulders, neck, and head dry, his hand firmly in Sage's grasp. He nodded shakily. "Okay."

Once he was dried off and had his clothes were back on, he walked over to Sage, who was holding a fast-asleep Zircon in his arms. "Thanks, man," he murmured as he fell into step with his friend.

"Anytime," Sage replied. "I'll probably need to come out here at night with Zircon a few more times. Will you want my help then?"

"Yes!" Neptune said immediately. He hated how desperate his voice sounded and how pathetic he had been in the arena just then. However, he felt okay being that way around Sage. Sage had always been the kind-hearted older brother of their group back in Mistral. Even if he lectured a lot, he never judged. Neptune knew that Sage didn't think badly of him because of his fear, and that he wouldn't mention anything to anyone.

Scarlet wouldn't tease Neptune, of course, but there was always that sense of impatience whenever the fear was brought up. Though his intentions were good, he would have definitely been the type of person to let go of Neptune's hand in order to "help" him.

And Sun…

Neptune sighed internally. The truth was that he hated looking bad in front of Sun more than anything. His best friend had been a rock in his life since they met in middle school, when Sun had pulled Neptune out of the local pool after some bullies had pushed him in. He was always understanding, and never tried to push Neptune into doing anything he wasn't comfortable with, but Neptune hated the thought of Sun babying him in any way. He wanted to actually be level with his best friend in all things: confidence, fearlessness, skill, kindness…

He blushed and quickly shut down that train of thought, glad that the darkness would hide his face until they reached the dorm.

….

Pyrrha woke up to the sound of the room's door closing. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around to see who had left. As she had expected, Jaune's bed was empty, as well as Twiggy's divot.

She sat up, frowning as she looked at the door. For the past few days, both Jaune and Twiggy had seemed a bit sleepier than usual. Their first week of elemental lessons had gone well, but at some point during the middle of this current week, she had noticed the change.

After a moment's hesitation, she got out of bed, put a jacket on over her pajama top, slipped on her shoes, and walked out of the room.

He might be giving her a bath, though he does that in the morning, she thought. So, the most likely place they went is either the playpen area or the courtyard.

With this in mind, she headed toward the door leading outside, and almost immediately caught sight of Jaune. He was standing in the light of one of the lamps, tossing a ball, which Twiggy was eagerly running after.

The image brought a smile to Pyrrha's face, though it also made her more confused. Why was Jaune sneaking out at night to simply play with Twiggy, especially since they seemed more tired lately?

She moved a little closer, and Jaune looked over at her, brows raised with surprise, though he quickly smiled. "Hey, Pyrrha. Couldn't sleep?"

"I heard you leave and wondered what you and Twiggy were up to," Pyrrha replied, walking over just as Twiggy returned with the ball. Tail wagging, the earth dragon trotted over to Pyrrha and dropped it at her feet before looking up expectantly. Pyrrha smiled as she picked up the ball and tossed it. "Does she prefer playing at night?"

"It's easier for her, that's for sure," Jaune replied, letting out a sigh.

Pyrrha frowned. "What does that mean?"

Jaune shook his head. "It's nothing. We can deal with it."

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, her voice taking on a firm undertone. "We're teammates. I've noticed how tired you two have been. If something's been affecting your training, and I can help…"

"Can you get Cardin expelled?" Jaune asked bitterly. He picked up the ball as Twiggy dropped it and gave it a good throw.

"Cardin?" Pyrrha's expression darkened. "What has he been doing?"

Jaune shook his head helplessly. "Every time I try to take Twiggy anywhere, whether it's the playpens or here, he and Mudslide are always there. He sets his dragon on Twiggy, and she can't fight back since Mudslide is twice her size."

"I really hate him," Pyrrha remarked, folding her arms. "But, you can't let him scare you into only playing at night. It'll only get worse. Maybe we can teach Twiggy to fight back."

"It's not that easy!" Jaune said. "I tried letting her fight Mudslide once. That's how she got that bite on her shoulder." Twiggy trotted up and he knelt beside her to point out a still-healing wound. "She's just not strong enough." He picked up the ball and threw it. "This is all I can do for now."

Pyrrha thought for a second. "What if we gave her some extra combat training?"

"I've been trying, but she's not strong or fast." Jaune shook his head. "I don't know if she'll ever be able to fight off Mudslide."

"I'm sure she'll pull through," Pyrrha said, though her words sounded empty even as she said them.

Jaune snorted. "Easy for you to say. You got the textbook-perfect dragon." He noticed her hurt expression and winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. This is just really frustrating…"

"I understand." Pyrrha touched Jaune's arm. "You've loved Twiggy since she hatched, and you want her to be happy and safe." She looked at the little dragon. "If she can't fight off Mudslide, maybe we can teach her to use her strengths to tire her out or confuse her."

Jaune tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's smarter than the other dragonets. She knows more commands than even Storm. And since she's smaller, she can fit into places that the other dragons can't get into," Pyrrha said. "Dragons aren't machines. Eventually, Mudslide will get tired of chasing her around."

Jaune listened, nodding slowly. "That might work. I'll have to get some books on more advanced training…"

"In the meantime, why not let Titan and me be your escorts?" She patted Twiggy's head as the dragonet ran back over. "He's already very protective of her. He'll make sure Mudslide doesn't even get close."

Jaune felt his shoulders relax, and a smile came to his face. "I…wanted to ask, but I didn't want to bug you…"

"Don't worry about that," Pyrrha said. "It's not a bother at all. We all accepted that things will be more difficult having a runt on the team. And, now that we know about Ao Guang's gill deficiency, we'll have twice as much to deal with. But we're a team, and teams stick together."

"Thanks, Pyrrha," Jaune replied, feeling more at ease than he had in days. He bent down to pick up Twiggy, who had started gnawing on the rubber ball. "I guess we should get some sleep. I promised Ren I'd help him exercise Guang before class tomorrow."

Pyrrha chuckled. "If you're dealing with Guang, sleep will definitely be necessary."

Let's play a game called "Guess That Ship!" It's fun because I honestly had no idea when I started this fic which ships I'd be doing (except for Arkos and Team Sloth, of course). I still don't know completely, though I have a pretty good idea. Being a multishipper is fun!

If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Sorry again, and peace out!