RAWR, MUTHAFUCKAS! (I missed the awoos from "Shattered Moon.") We're back with another chapter of your favorite Dragon Rider story. I also have news: Apparently, the RWBY manga is now in print. There are going to be four printed volumes, which go into more detail concerning the characters. I've heard rumors that we get some Team SSSN development, and some actual stuff on Ruby and Summer! I know what I'm getting next pay day.

Anyway, enjoy!

Ozpin entered Lionheart's office, and wasn't particularly surprised to see only Leo and James waiting for him. Shade went through dragonmasters quicker than any of the four dragonries, and whoever was in charge was usually too in over their heads to leave school and attend the Festival. The most experienced teachers would haphazardly shepherd their students and dragons together and arrive after all the other schools.

It was expected, but still disappointing. For Ozpin in particular, it always felt awkward. After all, out of the three present dragonmasters, he was the only one who still had his dragon. It was something that everyone was very careful to never address.

James stood up, shaking Ozpin's hand and smiling, though his smile was definitely strained. "It's good to see you, Ozpin. I understand that the device is ready for presentation?"

"It is," Ozpin affirmed, not wanting to go into detail concerning the glitches while the overly-nervous Lionheart was present. "When will the announcement be?"

"During the closing ceremonies. We'll end this Dragon Festival with a promise of new and better innovations to come," James said confidently.

Leo cleared his throat. "Erm… What exactly do you plan to do after the announcement? The device bonded solely to a student's dragon. Will we just continue to include first year students in a top-secret experiment?"

"Seeing as how they know everything, and haven't told anyone this entire time, I'm willing to trust the members of Team RWBY," Ozpin said. "After the announcement, development on a second prototype will begin. I'll continue working with Miss Rose and Storm, and figure out what can be improved."

Ozpin sat down in one of the empty chairs, and James sat down next to him. "What I'm concerned about is the state of our first-year dragons." He nodded at Leo. "You've been keeping me up to date concerning the problems your dragons have been having." He turned to James. "But you have been strangely silent."

James coughed. "Because we don't have any abnormalities in this year, like always."

Leo sat forward at his desk, a pained expression on his face. "How many culls did that take?"

James sighed. "A few. Better to kill them early and assign new dragons than to break the Riders' hearts when they're older." He turned to Ozpin. "I understand you had a culling. How's the boy?"

"Not well," Ozpin said honestly. "I don't know if he'll ever be."

"He won't," Leo said, his voice breaking. "No one ever is after that."

Ozpin nodded respectfully at Leo. You know better than anyone the pain of a student dragon's culling… "The opening ceremony is tonight. I suppose we'd best get ready." He smiled at James. "And I understand that the Atlesian Flight Squad will be giving us a very special performance this year."

James nodded, his chest puffing out a little. "Yes. Winter Schnee will be leading the demonstration. Though, it was decided that her involvement would be kept a secret until tonight."

"With good reason," Ozpin chuckled. "Weiss has already dealt with her share of crowds due to Specter."

"Is it wise letting them walk around the festival so casually?" Leo wondered.

"I wouldn't dare begrudge them of that!" Ozpin said firmly. "If it looks like she and Specter are being crowded, we can have the security officers gently move them away. Remember, Miss Schnee is a child at her first Dragon Festival. She deserves to experience it, famous dragon or no."

"And, no doubt, Winter and Steele will look after them when able," James added with a slight smile.

Ozpin noticed the change in his expression. He had seen that look several times over the years. Most recently, he saw it on Taiyang Xiao Long's face when the broodery owner was with his daughters and their dragons. "I understand you have worked very closely with Winter Schnee since she was disinherited."

"Of course," James said, his face becoming stone again, as if he had realized his brief sentimental slip. "She is one of the finest soldiers I've ever trained."

Leo stood up. "Well, if we have nothing else to discuss, let us try and spend some time enjoying the Festival. I hope you find Mistral as hospitable as ever." He bowed courteously. "I wish your students good luck in the contests."

"And yours, Leo," James said, bowing his head before exiting the office, followed by Ozpin. Once they were out, he allowed a slight change in expression. "Ozpin…I was wondering…"

"If you want to know how Glynda is, you could always give her a call," Ozpin said, giving James a knowing smirk.

The general's cheeks flushed. "I…can never be sure if she wants to hear from me."

"Well, you won't find out by glaring at your phone and grumbling to yourself."

"I don't do that!"

"Yes, you do," Ozpin said flatly. "I've seen you do it." When James scowled, Ozpin put a hand on his shoulder. "Just call her."

"I will…if I have time."

Ozpin rolled his eyes.

…..

"And then, boom! Nautilus landed in front of us and drove the fire dragon off," Ruby finished, her eyes bright and her mouth a pure, pride-filled smile.

"No way!" Emerald gasped. "So, you actually saw the fire dragon?"

"Well, not up close. It was a really bright gold color, but that's all I noticed."

That's a relief… "And that guy was literally wearing a bowler hat and twirling a cane?" Emerald snorted. "Sounds like someone has been watching too many spy movies." Always the idiot showman. Literally everyone in Remnant seems to know who he is by now.

"I know, right?" Ruby giggled. "But, yeah. Ozpin heard about it, thought I had a lot of potential, and accepted me into Beacon early." She paused to take a sip of the hot chocolate Emerald had bought her. It had a subtle hint of cinnamon and something resembling toffee, and was incredibly delicious. "I can't believe you and your friend also saved a broodery. I wonder how many students are being recruited because of these thefts."

That's a very good point, Emerald thought, storing that question away for later. Did Cinder realize that she was probably indirectly adding to the population of capable Riders? Of course, she does. She has everything figured out. She knows they'll all come to her side when the time comes, so she wants the strongest to be going to the dragonries.

"I'm just glad that I got Jade out of that whole mess," Emerald murmured, glancing at her dragon. She didn't have to fake the smile or the gentleness that came to her eyes as she gazed at her beloved dragon.

Ruby cast a similar look toward Storm, who seemed to be deep in conversation with Jade. They already were acting like best friends.

"And when Whisper uses her wing gust, the bamboo whistles and sings. It's the eeriest thing ever!" Jade was saying to Storm, describing a bamboo field that was near Haven. After the recent switch to the open-air stables, Jade had secretly snuck out with Whisper and Rudder. Justice, as expected, had stayed behind.

"Wow!" Storm gasped, trying to picture plants that were as tall as trees, but as thin as a human's arm. "I need to try that!"

"I'll take you there sometime," Jade suggested. "Since we're all in open stalls, we can go wherever we want."

"Wherever we want?" Storm breathed. "I've never gone outside school grounds without Ruby, though."

"There's a first time for everything," Jade said, grinning devilishly. "We should totally check it out. I bet there are tons of ghosts."

"What are ghosts?"

"Dead things that stay behind after they die!"

"Eek!"

Emerald noticed Mercury walking through the stalls, accompanied by the Schnee girl. Good job. She stood up. "There's my teammate now! Hey, Merc!"

Mercury waved, grinning. "Hey, Em. I ran into a celebrity on the way here."

Weiss rolled her eyes, though there was an easy smile on her face. "I'm hardly a celebrity. That honor goes to Specter."

Specter whistled cheerfully, though he was slightly distracted trying to get this new water dragon to say more than two words. "Is that your sister over there?"

"Yes."

"Do you get along well?"

"Yes."

Specter sighed. "Not much of a talker, are you?"

"…"

"Well, that's okay. Neither is my friend Titan, though he talks a little more than you. He's a fire dragon," Specter continued, adapting quickly to the fact that he'd be carrying this conversation.

Rudder tilted his head. "Fire dragons like talking."

"Titan's a bit different. He still can't make fire," Specter explained.

"Too bad."

"Yeah, but he's a good fighter. He'll be fine with or without fire." Specter paused. "I hope he doesn't get culled, though."

A shiver went down Rudder's spine. "A wind dragon…Tornado?"

Specter immediately felt his mood sink. His frills drooped. "You heard?"

Rudder nodded. "Riders heard. Talked."

"It was horrible," Specter murmured. It's only been a few days. I can't believe I actually forgot and started having fun. That's disrespectful, even if I didn't like Tornado.

Rudder reached up with a webbed paw and awkwardly patted Specter's side.

Specter managed a smile. "Thank you."

"You guys should totally hang with us for the opening ceremony!" Ruby said eagerly. "Um, I mean, if you don't have other plans."

Emerald laughed gently. "I'm game. What about you, Merc?"

"Totally," Mercury replied.

"How about we meet by the mochi stand a half hour beforehand?" Emerald suggested. "In the meantime, we'd better check in on the rest of our team. See you guys later!"

"Bye!" Ruby chirped.

"See yah, snow angel," Mercury said, winking as he patted Rudder's shoulder and led him down the road.

Once they were out of sight, Ruby giggled and elbowed Weiss. "Pfft. Snow angel?"

"Oh, shut up!" Weiss huffed, though her cheeks were dusted pink. Normally, she hated when people called her snow angel (along with anything referencing snow and ice that wasn't the title "Ice Rider"), but she wasn't sure whether she had particularly hated it this time.

"Don't think I didn't notice you just now," she noted. "Honestly, you were like an eager puppy."

"Huh?!" Ruby gasped, horrorstruck. "Wait, seriously? Was I too eager?!"

Weiss suppressed a snicker, deciding to be merciful. "No, Ruby. You were fine."

"Oh, thank Dust…" Ruby breathed. "Come on! Let's find the others and rest up our dragons. Tonight's gonna be so much fun!"

It had been years since she'd been to a Festival in person, and she couldn't wait to see the opening ceremony, which consisted of a firework show and a special presentation by the Flight Squads of the four kingdoms. She had seen it from a distance before. Now, as a Rider, she'd get seats right in the arena itself!

Weiss could feel her own excitement building as she and Ruby looked for Blake and Yang. Though, she was less focused on the Flight Squad presentations and more on the potential for one particular person to be there. So little time had passed since Yule, but she already felt the need to talk to her sister in person again.

…..

The opening ceremony for the Remnant Dragon Festival was always an event of special magnificence. Regardless of where it was taking place any given year, the dragonry hosting it, and the visiting Flight Squads, always strove to put on a performance that brought out the best of their region.

Everyone gathered in the largest of Haven's arenas, which was ten times bigger than the largest field for any ball game. Even though there were thousands of spectators, hundreds of thousands, most of them were able to find seats. Dragons perched in a circle on the large platforms and perches that lined the top of the arena, and the shelves that had been carved below. Those who didn't make it into the arena clambered to see what they could from the outside or gathered around giant broadcast screens. All over Remnant, those who were unable to be at the Festival in person watched on their televisions, computers, or Scrolls.

Teams JNPR and SSSN had gathered in the common area with several other students, raptly watching the screen, envying their friends who got to witness the ceremony first hand.

It began with a formal greeting from Dragonmaster Lionheart. "Hello, people of Remnant!" he started, spreading his hands out in a welcoming gesture. "As dragonmaster of Haven Dragonry, I would like to welcome you all to this year's Remnant Dragon Festival!" He paused, allowing the applause to die down.

"Ever since we as a civilization perfected the creation of our beloved elemental dragons, we have known an era of peace unlike any ever seen before! The Grimm are kept at bay from our cities, and the fighting forces of our four united kingdoms are capable of repelling any threat that comes our way!" Another shout of approval.

"This Festival is a time for our four kingdoms to come together and celebrate what we have achieved together! May we continue to prosper together today, and every day after. I wish all competitors the best of luck. Let the opening ceremony begin!"

The cheers were even louder than the fireworks that shot up from the center of the field. Four colors, red, blue, green, and yellow, reflected off the faces of the eager spectators as the traditional presentations by the four kingdoms began.

Just above the booth reserved for dragonmasters and guests of honor, Ragnar rose on his perch. Extending his wings, he let out a deep, ringing bellow that bounced off the stone walls of the arena and shook the hearts of all who were seated there. At the same time, the sky dimmed as the Valean Flight Squad took to the sky.

A ring of wind dragons, sporting every color of the rainbow, from pale blue, to gentle cream, to pure white, flew in a wide circle, their claws skimming the backs of the dragons on the highest perches, all of whom remained perfectly still. High, trilling cries filled the air, sounding like the song of a clarinet. Their Riders controlled their movements with careful, practiced shifts in weight and tugs on the reins. The wind dragons paused, hovering in place and moving just a little higher so that their tails were mere feet above the arena, their wings overlapping perfectly as they flapped and shifted position, creating four gaps in their formation.

Through these came the fire dragons. Twin lines of gold, orange, black, and red shot through the ring like lances. First one, then the other. The first line kept a space in the middle, just big enough for the dragons of the second line to speed through. Bowing their heads, they breathed thick smoke downward, cloaking the bottom of the field. The sharp wingbeats of the wind dragons kept the smoke where it was, away from the spectators, who stared in awe at a column of smoke that rose in the middle of the great ring of hovering dragons.

From this smoke rose the earth dragons, who had hurried into the arena through an entrance that had been restricted to all but them. As they arrived, they flapped their own wings, sending the smoke upward, where the wind dragons took care of it with a sharp blow from their wide jaws.

The earth dragons flew up to join the wind dragons, who started to fly even higher. The fire dragons followed, stopping again to allow their gray, green, and brown brethren to join them. One by one, the earth dragons came to hover near the bottom edge of the circle, looking like tiny leaves sprouting from a pastel-colored stem. As the smoke faded entirely, the fire dragons began to let out fierce, ringing calls that contrasted beautifully with the deep, bass hum that came from the earth dragons.

At that point, Ruby let out a cry of wonder as she finally understood what was happening. "They're making Vale's emblem!" she shouted. Around her, several people let out gasps of realization and started muttering excitedly to each other.

And it was true! The wind dragons had created the outer ring, the fire dragons had made the handles of the twin axes, and the earth dragons made the laurel leaves that rimmed the bottom.

Everyone cheered as the whale-like song of the water dragons finally came. From outside the arena, the blue, silver, and pale green shapes circled, making a second ring around the first one, before gathering into two groups at the ends of the fire dragon lines. The entire formation flew higher and higher until everyone could see the multicolored emblem of Vale floating in the sky for all to see. The song reached a crescendo before stopping, leaving a powerful silence that was quickly overcome with applause.

The Flight Squad dispersed into four groups and departed to where the dragons and Riders would be getting some well-deserved rest.

Everyone stood up and clapped, shouting their approval for the first performance. Ruby's hands stung with how hard she was cheering. "That was our Flight Squad!" she declared proudly.

"That was incredible!" Emerald gasped.

Mercury's face had softened to an expression of genuine wonder. "I gotta say," he muttered. "That was pretty cool."

Yang grinned at Weiss. "Think Atlas can top that?"

Weiss tossed her hair, a confident smile showing through the awe that still decorated her face. "Their performance will leave you speechless. I guarantee it."

Vacuo's performance was next, and it couldn't have been any more different from the stylistic approach of Vale.

Their show, honestly, was chaos. Dragons flew in from all sides, clustering in random spots before coming together in a huge swarm of wings and limbs. Fire shot out from the swarm, streaking the sky and making the whole thing look like a ball of spikes.

The wind dragons shot out the top of the swarm, twirling and feinting as if they were drunk, then fell to the side one by one, barely missing the tops of the arenas as they spun away. The earth dragons dove at the ground, creating cushions of earth at the last minute as they slammed their large feet on the dirt. The water dragons created a mist that obscured everything until the fire blazed past it, and the two remaining elements departed, leaving the arena in sudden silence.

There was a scattering of applause, most of which came from Vacuo's part of the arena.

Ruby, however, was clapping loudly to make up for the lack of applause in the Vale section. "That was really hard to do!" she insisted. "Keeping those dragons in such a tight group like that, I mean. The fact that they could do what they did without anyone getting injured is kinda amazing."

"Vacuo is famous for people doing dangerous stuff on dragonback," Yang noted.

"Too bad something like that doesn't translate well to a visual performance," Blake said, shrugging her shoulders.

Atlas arrived at the arena in a traditional V formation, and Weiss let out a joyful shout when she saw the pale gray form at the point. All around them, people pointed and gasped as the elegant form of a fully-grown ice dragon presented itself to the crowd.

The squad gracefully broke apart in a swirling motion, creating a gentle breeze as the fire, earth, and wind dragons suddenly departed, hovering at the edge of the field in well-ordered groups.

The water dragons that remained began flying in a circle, shooting out jets of water at the ground, though not at the same time. One started the stream, followed by another, then another. As the water dragons began wetting the ground, Steele flew with the water, his claws skimming the ground as a silent, deadly breath of frigid air hit the water before it could seep into the earth. By the time he completed his circuit, there was a perfect ring on the ground. He circled several more times as the water dragons repeated the action, moving in further and further, until a large, thick circle the size of a small building was frozen directly into the ground.

Then, one of the water dragons broke off from the group and joined Steele. The two hovered face to face, bowing their heads over the circle as both of their mouths opened at once. The result, as they slowly flew higher, was a jagged tower jutting from the center of the frozen circle.

This time, it was Weiss who realized what was happening. "They're making a sculpture of Atlas's symbol," she gasped.

The water dragons withdrew, along with Steele, and the fire and wind dragons were next. The fire dragons breathed short, quick bursts of flame against parts of the sculpture while the wind dragons beat at the flames, keeping them restricted to certain areas. The lines of the sculpture became smoother, and a new form started to take shape.

Finally, the earth dragons used their claws and tails to hone the edges, and cut away the parts that the fire dragons hadn't been able to hit, their expressions full of concentration as they remembered the image they had been given in the months of practice beforehand.

When the dragons withdrew, there was a three-dimensional sculpture of the Atlas symbol, with the first ring flat on the ground, the second, gear-like ring standing up diagonally, and the spear jutting upward toward the sky, the setting sun turning the point blood-red.

There were several oohs and ahs as the Atlesian Squad withdrew, especially when Steele did one last circle around the sculpture, letting out a high, eerie whistle that sounded like the ring after a metal weapon strikes a hard surface.

"Well done!" Weiss called, her voice lost in the cheers that followed. "Well done! That was my sister!" she declared proudly.

As Mistral was the host of this year's Festival, their Flight Squad came last. From four directions, the four elements came together. Unlike the other Squads, the dragons here all wore colorful riding blankets, sequined bridles, and saddles that bore long, colorful streamers. As a result, the true colors of the dragons were obscured by the gaudy cloths of red, gold-brown, green, and blue (for the fire, earth, wind, and water dragons respectively).

Two by two, the dragons paired off, always two different elements coming together before breaking off to a certain part of the arena. When a pair settled, they began a complex, private dance that showcased their elements and the elements of their partners. A water and earth dragon would stay close to the ground, making firm, short movements that fit with their thick-set statures. Wind dragons enfolded fire dragons in their larger wings, then flew backwards as a warm puff of flame gently warded them off.

It was like each pair of dragons was engaged in a complex, almost flirtatious ritual, the showiness of which being further emphasized by the fluttering streamers and sparkling sequins. When they parted, it was as if each dragon left their partner reluctantly to rejoin the cluster of their fellow elementals. They bowed courteously to the crowd and flew off, the streamers trailing behind them.

There was a standing ovation at the end of the last performance.

"It was like a ballet," Weiss noted. "Not what I'd expect from a Flight Squad demonstration."

"No, but I liked it!" Ruby declared.

"You liked all of them," Yang pointed out.

"Well, yeah." Ruby looked at Emerald and Mercury. "Which one did you like best?"

"Vale," Emerald said immediately. "That emblem display was way cool!"

"I liked Vacuo," Mercury admitted. "Something about chaos just draws me in, you know?" His eyes sparked dangerously, and he was aware of the fact that Weiss had noticed.

Who would've thought we'd be going with the tag-team flirting approach, he thought, noting how Ruby's eyes lit up when Emerald stated her preference for Vale. We didn't even plan it beforehand! Shows how in sync we are, much as Emerald tries to deny it.

After the performance was the firework show, during which most of the crowd left. Compared to the Flight Squads, fireworks seemed suddenly unimpressive. Besides, the students needed to get their dragons to bed.

The RWBY dragons stumbled a bit as they were led to their stalls. All were stunned, excited, and wholly content.

"That's gonna be me someday," Storm decided. "Ruby and I will be in the Vale Flight Squad, and do awesome performances just like that!"

"You should," Pit said. "Though you'll have to practice your flying a lot more."

"Oh, I will!" Storm said, bobbing her head. "I'll become even better than Nimbus!"

"I need to talk to some of those Vacuo dragons!" Fang's tail lashed eagerly. "Did you see how tough they looked? All lean and muscled… I bet they're great in a fight!"

"Steele is the epitome of grace and beauty!" Specter lamented. "How can I ever hope to be that incredible when I grow up? I mean, I know I'm good, but I'm not that good!"

"You will be," Pit assured him. "You're not even a year old yet, and Steele's been a Flight Squad dragon for years."

"That's true…"

The dragons talked until late into the night, as did their Riders. All fell asleep fitfully, eagerly anticipating the coming of the next day and their first true taste of competition.

This was such a fun chapter for me. Descriptive writing is my forte, and I loved coming up with ways for the different kingdoms to show off their Flight Squads. Next week, we'll be checking in on Teams JNPR and SSSN.

If you like what you see and want to show extra support while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!