A/N: Well guys! Merry Christmas! I'm sorry for the long wait but someone left a nest of Apathy Grimm under my house that I've been struggling to clear out. Anyway since it's Christmas, here's your new chapter. Please enjoy it while I clear out the last of these Grimm!

[...]

Outside the cafeteria a few hours earlier.

"Where are they, Epsilon?" Carolina asked.

"The building on your right with what looks like a young red dragon next to it." Church appeared near the right side of Carolina's helmet before pointing towards a large building.

The Reds and Blues turned their heads to their right and the sight before them shocked them all, except for Caboose of course. True to Church's word, a young red dragon sat next to one of the many buildings of Beacon Academy. The dragon turned their head and faced the newcomers.

If you're looking for Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, they have just entered this building. The red dragon raised a wing towards the front entrance to the school's cafeteria.

"Uhh, thank you miss…?" Agent Washington asked.

Cerise Longtail. But you can just call me Cerise. Cerise turned her head back towards the school's cafeteria window. You may want to be careful though. It looks like professor Goodwitch is rather upset at what my Rider and her friends have done.

Agent Washington stepped to Cerise' Side and looked inside the building to see professor Goodwitch using her semblance to put every table in the cafeteria back in their original position. The mess hall? Why here? He and the rest of the Reds and Blues stepped inside and were completely taken aback at the total destruction of parts of the cafeteria. Multiple large pillars that lined the interior of the cafeteria were either broken in half or completely turned into rubble. A human sized hole in the ceiling let light into the building. Large stains of what looked like soda and food scattered around the building with the largest one on the back wall. Large piles of wasted food, broken food trays, and plastic utensils dotted the floor.

At the sight of this Grif collapsed in sorrow. "All that perfectly good food gone to waste!" he cried out. Before Wash could say anything else a large blonde haired girl crashed through the ceiling and landed next to three other girls. Another group of four students stood on the other side of the aisle completely covered in soda with bits of food here and there. Finally, there was one last group of students collapsed in the middle of the central aisle covered in all sorts of random foods.

"I'm okay!" the Blonde haired girl shouted before picking herself up off the ground. Because of that, all the students burst out into laughter.

Professor Goodwitch growled at the students but it ended when Ozpin put a hand on her shoulder. "Let it go," he said.

Professor Goodwitch simply sighed. "They're supposed to be defenders of the world."

"What does that supposed to mean?" Carolina asked.

"We'll explain later," Ozpin said before turning his attention back to his coworker. "Glynda, they will be. But right now they are still children. So why not let them play the part? After all, it isn't a role they'll have forever."

"Oh, Professor Ozpin," a girl with raven black hair with red highlights at the ends and silver eyes said. She looked to be a couple of years younger than the rest of the group. But what really stood out was the red hood that she wore with her outfit. "Sorry for causing a mess."

"It's alright. I hope your little excursion was fun. We have guests I want all of you to meet," Ozpin said as he gestured to the Reds and Blues behind him. The moment the students saw the Reds and Blues all twelve were on their feet with surprised looks on their faces.

"Are they who I think they are?" a girl with long red hair tied up in a ponytail asked with a whisper.

"They have to be, Cerise said she saw the whole thing." the girl with silver eyes whispered back.

"If you're talking about the Dragon Faunus legend, we believe they are," Ozpin stated. "I have received a message from the Headmaster of Atlas Academy that both their soldiers and students will be arriving here in a couple of weeks for the Vytal festival. In the meantime I would like all of you to show this group of individuals around and act like they are part of Atlas' soldiers that were sent ahead of time." The twelve students simply let out a groan.

"This is your detention for making a mess of the cafeteria," Professor Goodwitch stated. "Just be glad that we're still letting you watch your friends go through their Initiation today. Team JNPR, team RWBY, team SPHR, go and introduce yourselves to the soldiers."

Before the two professors left the cafeteria, one of the students spoke up. "Uh, Professor Ozpin, there is something both me and Hunter need to talk to you about. When can we discuss it?" the student asked.

Ozpin paused for a moment before turning to face the student. "How about two weeks from now when Altas arrives," Ozpin suggested. "I have a feeling that you're both going to be needed for this particular meeting." And with that both Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch left the building.

The Reds and Blues turned to face the twelve teens in the room. "Well, I think we should go first," The girl with the red hood said. "Hello! I'm Ruby Rose! Leader of team RWBY. That's spelled R, W, B, Y. I'm also Cerise' Rider." Ruby gestured to her dragon and Cerise in turn let out a low happy hum.

A girl with snow white hair stepped forward. "My name is Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Also a member of team RWBY."

The next person who spoke up was a girl with raven black hair and a matching bow on top of her head. "I'm Blake Belladonna," Blake said with a small wave.

The teenager that happened to fall through the ceiling a few moments ago stepped forward next. She had very wild long blonde hair. "Hellooooo. I'm Yang Xiao Long. Ruby's older sister and the brawler of team RWBY!"

Sarge was the first to step forward for the Reds. "I'm Sarge, leader of Red team," he said.

"You're not the leader of us Sarge," Griff scoffed. "Even if you were, you were still a shitty one."

"Simmons, please hit Grif for me," Sarge ordered without even missing a beat.

"Right away Sir!" Simmons said as he followed orders and hit Grif on the right side of his head.

"Ow!"

"Anyway, I'm Simmons," Simmons said as he stepped forward. "I'm the tech guy of Red team." For some reason, just as he finished that statement his voice cracked. "Ah geez." It looks like he still hasn't gotten over being nervous around women. Though he has made some improvements since Wash had first met him.

Grif was the next to step forward. "I'm Grif," he grunted while placing his right hand on the side of his head. "You could say I'm the best driver of Red team."

Wash had to admit, Grif was being honest with that statement. There have been multiple times where Grif's driving has not only saved him but the rest of the Reds and Blues in their battles against Felix, Locus and their men.

Donut was the last member of Red team to step forward. "Hi, I'm Donut," he said in his usual happy-go-lucky tone.

"That's… umm, a unique name? I'm Jaune Arc. Leader of team JNPR," Jaune said, introducing himself. Jaune turned around and gestured to his team. "And this is the rest of team JNPR."

"I'm Nora!" a girl with orange hair and bubbly personality blurted out. A man with black hair that had a single magenta streak facepalmed at Nora's outburst.

"Sorry about Nora," a girl who honestly looked like Carolina's little sister apologized. "She can't help it at times. She's, um, well Nora." She gestured to her teammate who simply stood there and had the biggest grin on her face. The woman shook her head then focused on the Reds and Blues. "Where are my manners, I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"And I'm Lie Ren," the man with the magenta streak in his hair said introducing himself.

"Well I'm Tucker and a member of Blue team," Tucker said introducing himself. "This kinda feels a bit weird."

Outside Cerise cocked her head to the side. What do you mean by that?

"We're just going back and forth on names. One of your teams will say their names then one of our teams will say their names."

Wash turned his head to look at the cyan sim-trooper. "Well if it isn't broken, don't fix it." He turned his attention back to the students. "I'm Washington."

"And I'm Carolina. Leader of Blue team."

"Wait, since when have you been our team leader?" Tucker asked.

Carolina turned to face Tucker. Even though they all were wearing helmets that completely covered their faces, everyone could feel the glare Carolina was giving Tucker. "Ever since I had joined and had to babysit you, Wash and Caboose."

"Hey," Caboose blurted out in an almost innocent child-like voice. "I don't see any babies around here and why are we sitting on them?" Every single one of his teammates and the Red team slapped their hands to the visors on their helmets. At the same time all of the students burst out laughing, in doing so caused Caboose to laugh as well.

After a minute, everyone calmed down. Except for Caboose who was still laughing. "Ha ha ha ha, oh we stopped."

"And this is Caboose," Wash sighed. "He may have the mentality of a six year old, but he's a good person and the only person I know of that can out bench press all of us combined without breaking a sweat."

Everyone once again turned to face Caboose and saw him simply waving at Cerise like a child would to their parents on their first day of kindergarten. Wash raised a fist to his helmet and faked a cough to get the Cobalt colored sim-trooper's attention.

Caboose turned to the group and simply stared at the students for a moment until he remembered what he was supposed to do. "Oh yes, uh… Hello! My name is Caboose. It is very nice to meet all of you. I want you to meet my friend, Freckles!" Caboose said, introducing himself as he raised his rifle at the teenagers. Instantly all of the students backed up, ready to take cover in a split second if needed to.

"Caboose you idiot!" Tucker yelled.

"What?" Caboose asked in his usual confused tone.

"Don't point the gun at the teens Bluetard," Sarge snapped.

Especially at my Rider. Cerise let out a low growl.

A small light turned on near the end of the barrel and a robotic sounding voice joined the conversation. "I wouldn't have fired anyway. They are not Hostile."

"Woah, that's freaky." A girl with long brown hair pointed out.

"That thing won't shoot us, will it?" Jaune asked.

Wash shook his head. "No it won't. Freckles, the A.I. inside Caboose' gun has full control of the weapon we placed it in. We did it so that Caboose won't accidentally shoot us by mistake." A sudden burst of confetti and a party noise shot out the barrel of the gun Caboose was holding. Everyone simply stared at the cobalt blue colored soldier for a moment before Wash continued the conversation. "Case and point. The confetti and party noises simply inform us whenever he accidentally pulls the trigger."

"Which happens more often than you think," Tucker pointed out. Every one of the Reds and Blues, except Caboose, nodded in agreement.

"Anyway," Wash continued. "You're completely safe as long as you don't try to hurt Caboose or any of us."

"Thank you for telling us," a guy with what looked like an off-blue dyed hair that looked to be fading in color a bit. "I'm Shade Royal by the way. Leader of team SPHR."

"And I'm Hunter Green," the tallest student in the room said as he introduced himself. "I'm also Shade's mech co-pilot."

"I'm Petra Brown," the girl with long brown hair said confidently. "I'm also Shade's partner while at this school."

"Hi, I'm Rona Ebony," the last girl said meekly as she introduced herself.

"Well that's about everyone here," Ruby said. "The others should be starting their Initiation in an hour and a half. So might as well show you guys around before it starts." She looked around for a moment before facing the Reds and Blues again. "Well you guys have seen the Cafeteria and some of the classrooms by now."

"Why not start with the Library and work our way from there?" Blake suggested.

"Good idea. Come on guys, follow me!" Ruby said.

[...]

Aaron looked around the amphitheater. He was surprised that it was mostly full. Only the first year teams were required to be present, but Aaron saw many older students as well. Why are they all here for us? He asked himself.

Nalia answered anyway. Because you are strong and different. You were the one who finished off that fully grown Nevermore. Not many students can claim the same. When you healed that door though, people knew you had a different mindset from the rest of them. Most people here would have looked over it. Word must have spread from the other first year teams. Aaron felt a wave of superiority wash off his dragon. Also, you have me. The first dragon on Remnant. They want to know where I'll end up.

You know, You're not wrong. Aaron's eyes settled on the first year teams. They all sat down in front with looks of excitement. From what Aaron could see of Ruby's face, she was trying and mostly failing to hold back a smile. The older Rider took it as a good sign.

Finally, professor Ozpin stepped to the center of the stage and faced the new students. "Aaron Benson, Elena Silver, Dahlia Bloodmoon, and Jad Emberstone, please step forward." The four complied, stepping up onto the stage and stopping a few feet in front of the headmaster. They all waited in anticipation as Ozpin continued his speech.

"The four of you have placed us in an awkward situation here," Ozpin continued. "You four are the only new students for this semester, and you all have never attended a combat school on Remnant. Yet here you are, passing your initiation with flying colors and accomplishing what no other first year initiates have been able to do in decades."

"As said, the four of you have retrieved the white bishop pieces. From this day forward, the four of you will work together as team JADE, led by… Jad Emberstone." The crowd roared with applause with Nalia adding in her own happiness filled roar. Teresa stood off to the side of the stage and politely clapped as well, all the while her faint smile was much more noticeable.

Ozpin smiled, "Congratulations, Team JADE. I hope this arrangement will be fruitful for all of you." Ozpin turned and left the stage through a back door. Aaron and the rest of his new team returned to the amphitheater floor and was quickly mobbed by team RWBY.

"You guys did it!" Yang said as she slapped both his and Jad's backs. It nearly knocked the wind out of Aaron and caused his team leader to stumble forward a bit.

"The extra set of hands will be appreciated with the monthly Grimm hunts," Blake chipped in.

"Just try not to bring our teams down too much," Weiss joked.

Aaron scoffed. "Bring you all down? Nalia and I will help bring all of the teams here to new heights." There was silence for a few seconds. Well that fell flat, he commented to Nalia.

"That was the worst pun I have ever heard in my entire life," Dahlia sighed.

Jad placed a hand on his face and slightly shook his head. "You might want to leave the jokes to me or Yang."

"I have to agree with Jad," Yang said. "That was just sad." The newly formed team started walking out of the amphitheater with team RWBY following alongside them. People on all sides were saying their own variations of congratulations.

Near the door, teams JNPR, SPHR and a group of eight individuals who wore advanced armor with different variations of either red and blue colors. "Hey guys, congratulations!" Jaune said. "So, you're now a new team with two of you not being from Remnant at all. I think that may be a first."

Nora quickly stuck out a finger and slowly moved it past each member of the newly formed team. "Don't think this automatically makes you better than us," she scolded.

Ruby chuckled. "You know, if you're counting dragons, they're actually a team of five. I believe that goes for us as well, right sis?"

"Apparently, in order to join our team," Yang stated, "you need to at least have a kill assist on an Awakened." She turned to Ruby with a smirk on her face. "Sorry, but Cerise isn't a full member."

Ruby spun around and slapped her sister as hard as she could. "Are you trying to get my dragon killed!" She snapped. "We are lucky that Teresa was there! If she wasn't, we all would be dead and Cerise would still be in her egg."

Yang instantly raised one of her hands in surrender while using the other to protect the injury. "I'm sorry sis," Yang apologized before slowly backing away from the young Rider.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Cerise," Ruby growled.

While Ruby continued to vocally lash out at her sister, Hunter turned to the new team. "I'm just gonna ignore the squabble between sisters for now. Still, you guys took down a huge Nevermore by yourselves. That was impressive."

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Well, dragons aren't the only large flying creature where I'm from, and they aren't as nice or intelligent as dragons. We're trained to take them out." He purposefully left out being able to read the creature's mind. The longer he could hold that advantage, the better. Even though he trusted his new team, JNPR and SPHR, there were other ears around that could be hostile.

The older Rider took a quick glance at the eight newcomers in advanced different colored armor before turning to Jad. "So what now, boss?"

Jad held up a finger. "First, it's just Jad. No titles needed. I already have too many as is. Second, We need to celebrate that we're now a team! Third, however," Jad turned to look at the new individuals, "I want to know who you guys are?"

"Oh!" Ruby's outrage at her sister's comment earlier instantly disappeared as her attention focused back into the subject at hand. "These guys are the Reds and Blues."

The younger Rider pointed to the group with red themed colored armor. "Team JADE, meet Red team. This is Sarge, Simmons, Griff, and Donut." Both teams greeted each other in their own ways. Ruby then pointed to the group with blue themed colored armor. "And this is Blue team. Meet Caboose, Tucker, Agent Washington, and Agent Carolina." Again, both teams said their own various hellos.

"Professor Ozpin has asked teams RWBY, SPHR, and JNPR to show us around the school," Agent Washington said. "So far they have shown us everywhere except the place they call the Dragonhouse."

"Hey guys! I have an idea. Let's all head over to the Dragonhouse and celebrate the formation of team JADE with pizza and Scrollflix," Yang suggested. Aaron looked at the blonde brawler with surprise. He would have asked most of them along anyway, but Yang should have asked first. Especially if something were to happen with one of the eggs.

"I'm up for it," Elena said joyfully.

"There's not much else to do today so we're in," Hunter answered for his team.

"It's the last day before classes start again," JNPR's leader said. "Why not?"

"We're in!" Grif exclaimed.

"Yay! Pizza party!" Caboose cheered again with almost child-like innocence.

"Awesome!" Ruby whipped out her scroll. "Let me place an order. My treat."

Yang snatched Ruby's scroll out of her hand. "I might be missing something here, but when did you get the money to pay for a meal for all of us? Dad's already on us for not talking to him about getting all that food for Cerise her first week."

Ruby tried to hide her head between her shoulders. "I've recently come into twenty-five-thousand Lien."

The whole group stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Ruby with varying degrees of shock on their faces. "Ruby, it's not okay to rob banks!" Nora said. Ren brought a hand up to his face.

"I'm not forgetting about a loan am I?" Weiss asked.

Ruby laughed. "No, it's a fourth of the reward money for finding all those Faunus children last week. Aaron should have gotten the same as me."

Aaron's mouth dropped slightly. "I haven't heard anything about this."

"I'm sure it's either gone into your bank account or student account."

Aaron opened the account app on his scroll. Sure enough, slightly under twenty-five-thousand Lien was his to use. "Well, That covers my shield, ammo, and then some." He rubbed the back of his neck in apprehension. "I'm not sure I can accept this."

"Why not?" Petra asked. You're now a Huntsman in training, and that's how the professionals are paid." Aaron looked at Petra like she had two heads. "What? Don't tell me Dragon Riders don't get paid for their actions."

"Typically we don't." Everyone in the group stood surprised again. "We grow most of our own food on our island, we don't have use for a lot of possessions, and we build everything ourselves. Occasionally people will offer us food and coin for the things we do, but at the end of the day, we just give it all back to those who need it."

"So, you're like a super-non-profit?" Simmons asked.

"Essentially, yes."

For once, Weiss looked at Aaron with approval. "That's a very well run organization you're a part of," she said. "Not needing any outside support is impressive." Most of the Reds and Blues nodded in agreement with Weiss' statement.

Aaron shrugged. "It worked back home, but I have a bad feeling it won't work out here."

"Putting your own lives on the line while expecting nothing in return," Ren commented. "If only more people here shared that belief." This time everyone in the group nodded their agreement.

"Also Yang, if you're not going to let me order, how are you going to pay for the pizza? All the money you had saved up went into fixing up Bumblebee." Ruby stated.

"Uhhh," Yang's eyes shifted towards the young medic. "Dahlia help me out here, please."

"Shhh, don't drag me into this," Dahlia whispered.

"You were the one who called me and came up with the idea in the first place," Yang retorted.

"Actually I was just the middle woman in this deal." The young medic crossed her arms and looked at her team leader. "Care to explain this one? This was your idea in the first place."

Jad sighed. "Dahlia, this was supposed to be a surprise."

"I still want my applewood smoked salmon, mushroom and onion pizza."

"Oh you're going to get it," Jad growled. He looked at the rest of the group. "Long story short, Both myself and Dahlia received the other half of that reward money. I also donated half to Dahlia's research funds for her medical projects. Then I used some of it to order pizza for everyone. Also I had ordered the multi-class topping pizza, so everyone can get a slice they prefer because I only know mine, Dahlia and Blake's favorite toppings."

"Oh okay. Well, let's not keep the dragons waiting, let's move!" Ruby started walking towards the Dragonhouse again. While Aaron turned to walk he caught a brief look in Yang's eyes. They were filled with sadness and longing. It was the last day in the two week stretch where eggs normally hatch. It seemed Ruby's mental state wasn't the only one he needed to watch if none of the eggs hatched that day. Yang shook her head and her dejected look disappeared.

[...]

Ruby lead the large group into the Dragonhouse. She still couldn't believe that another team had formed today. There was the fact that Aaron had been teaching her for the last two weeks and she was still receiving extra lessons from Teresa. It was most likely she would continue her training from both of them until she graduated from Beacon. It could make things a bit awkward between her and the new team, but the younger Rider was sure she could figure something out.

For once, Cerise didn't pounce on her Rider on sight. Instead, she marched straight up to Yang and snorted hot air in the blonde's face. Not part of team RWBY? Well, I'm part of team ANCR, where you have to catch criminals to be a part of. As such, you aren't a member.

Yang put her hands on her hips and smirked. "You know, that can easily be fixed."

"This isn't a competition," Ruby said and turned to her dragon. There were times when she showed wisdom beyond her age, and others when she acted like a little kid. The young Rider didn't know how fast Cerise would mature out of this stage, but she hoped it wasn't fast.

"If this was a competition, I would be the winner here," Carolina commented.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Before we joined Blue team, Carolina, me, and our old team used to go and track and hunt down criminals for a living," Wash said. "Carolina was considered the best member of our old team to get the job done." He turned to his teammate. "What was the last count since before we last met up?"

"Eh, I lost count after five thousand."

Both Cerise and Yang's jaws simply dropped. With that statement, their little competition ended before it began.

Jaune looked around the large room with a confused look on his face. "No chairs?" he asked.

Aaron shook his head. "Not yet. Never had the Lien to buy any. Now though," he slowly turned in a circle on the spot, "I think I could make this place a little more livable for those who don't need incredible amounts of space just to move."

Nalia snorted smoke at her Rider, throwing him into a coughing fit. Are you calling me fat? Everyone in the room burst out laughing, except Aaron who threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"It seems dragon females aren't so different from human ones," Ren said when the room calmed down.

Us dragons have a reason, Cerise said as Ruby sat down on one of her outstretched legs. We have a reputation of beauty to uphold, and very few are scared of a dragon whose wings can't support their own weight.

"You don't think that we don't have the same problems?" Yang challenged.

Cerise looked Yang in the eye. We are the most beautiful creatures alive. Even the elves say that. From what Ruby says, human definition of beauty changes every ten years, if that. Dragons have held our title for millennia. The dragon raised the corner of her upper lips. We win.

Yang blinked a few times, then slowly clapped her hands. "Well played, Cerise."

"So what are we watching again?" Nora asked no one in particular.

"Apocalypse is a good one," Weiss suggested, then turned to both Aaron and Elena. "It's in space, which you both seem to really like now." Both the older Rider and young Claymore smiled and nodded their agreement.

Hunter just sighed. "You have a problem with Galaxy Wars, but not that movie?"

"I have a problem with Galaxy Wars when it's compared to Galaxy Trek. Science fantasy is not the same as science fiction. Trek is based off of real world-"

"Squeak!" a sound interrupted Weiss. She froze in place, as did Elena and the rest of team RWBY. Everyone else just looked around the floor, Ruby could only guess they were expecting rodents of some kind.

"I wouldn't think you'd have a rat problem in here," Petra confirmed Ruby's suspicions.

"That wasn't a rat," Ruby said softly. She slowly stood up while never taking her eyes off the saddlebag that contained the two eggs. It was currently strapped to Nalia's saddle, and it was moving. The green dragon dropped to the floor and her Rider jumped up to his spot on her back. Aaron opened the saddlebag and carefully pulled out the golden egg. He slid out of the saddle and walked to an open spot on the floor.

"Is…is that a…" Jaune stammered.

"An egg?" Pyrrha, Tucker, Simmons, and Rona finished, all four just as shocked.

"Yes, it is," Aaron said as he laid the egg on the floor. "One of the three Nalia and I brought with us. The first hatched for Ruby, the third is still resting." He nodded down at the shaking egg on the ground. "This one is ready to choose their Rider."

The older Rider looked at Elena, then at the unbonded girls of team RWBY. "Please stang an equal distance apart from each other and the egg." Weiss, Blake, Elena, and Yang shot looks at each other, then rushed over to the egg and took up positions around it. Ruby was right behind them.

"We're finally going to see what a baby dragon looks like! Nora yelled. Ruby turned back to look at her. The orange haired girl was grinning from ear to ear and shaking all over. Ren stood behind her, most likely ready to restrain the human lightning rod if need be. "I bet it's going to be as cute as a puppy!"

Ruby smiled. "You aren't far off." She turned back to look at Elena and her teammates. They were all staring at the egg intently, watching to see if any cracks appeared. Mentally, they were all radiating excitement. Yang, though, had something else the others didn't: anxiety. Ruby turned to look at her sister. She didn't notice it before, but there was a slight amount of fear in Yang's eyes. Ruby was worried for her sister. There was a good chance the dragon wasn't hatching for her, and she wanted it the most of all of them.

Cracks started appearing along the surface of the egg, and the squeaking inside intensified. Those waiting to see if the hatching was for them shifted in their feet. Soon enough, some of the cracks met up and a piece fell outward. A full foot stuck out of the hole, and the loudest squeak yet erupted from inside. Instead of gaining leverage on the edges like cerise did, the paw returned to the egg and the shaking started again. Another piece of the egg fell away less than an inch away from the first, then another.

The egg rocked violently on the side farthest from the holes, shot forward, and a head and two front legs shot out of the holes. The underside of the hatchling's head fell to the floor. It then looked back at the egg and whimpered. Ruby tried to suppress a laugh as she took out her scroll. She didn't get enough pictures of Cerise when she was that small, she wouldn't make that same mistake again. The scene in front of her was too comical and cute to pass up.

The small dragon crawled back into the egg and started gripping the edges and forcing them outward. After a few more seconds, the hole was big enough for the hatchling to crawl out of. The small golden dragon stood proudly in the center of the square and 'roared' at the ceiling. Even in the muted light of the room, and with egg fluid coating its scales and wings, its scales shone brighter than either of the older dragons in the sun. Small spikes ran along its spine. Deep blue eyes took in the room. Its golden wings hung at its sides. All those on two legs smiled at the sight, and Ruby was snapping pictures.

"Neat," Caboose said simply behind Ruby.

Nalia hummed and her head came into Ruby's vision close to the floor. The golden hatchling looked up at the much larger dragon, curiosity in its eyes. Welcome to the world, little one, Nalia said.

The small dragon squeaked again, then started looking around the room, or more specifically, the square around it. Its eyes passed over Weiss and, causing the heiress' shoulders to slump slightly. The hatching's eyes also passed over Elena causing her head to drop a bit. However, the hatchling's eyes stopped on Blake. It cocked its head and sniffed the air. The hatchling took a few hesitant steps toward the cat Faunus. Blake stared down at the small creature slowly moving toward her with her mouth agape.

Yang quickly took in a breath, and her eyes took a forlorn look. Still, it was enough that Ruby could barely pick out a difference. Still, something didn't sit right with the young Rider. The hatchling was being curious about Blake, most likely because she kind of smelled like a cat. Also, it didn't give off the same feeling that Cerise did when she saw Ruby.

After a few more seconds, the hatchling turned away from Blake and continued its scan of the circle. It kept turning until its eyes met Yang's. The hatchling squeaked up at the blonde and took several rapid steps toward her. Yang looked at her sister with a nervous yet hopeful expression, an unspoken question in her eyes. Ruby smiled and nodded.

Yang's face lit up and she knelt down to the hatchling's level. She slowly stuck her right hand out to the small dragon. Her shoulder visibly tensed up as the small dragon approached. The hatchling sniffed Yang's hand, then brushed its head against it.

Yang stayed in that position for a few seconds, though Ruby could tell she was in severe pain. Then she started to visibly shake, and her face contorted. Ruby slammed her scroll back in a pocket as her sister started to fall backward. She hooked her arms under Yang's armpits to keep her from hitting the floor. A sudden flare of cyan appeared at the corners of Ruby's vision and she found herself, along with Yang, being supported by something that looked like a mix between a bean bag and a pillow made of Aura. At that point Yang didn't even try to keep the pain under control, and shook uncontrollably in Ruby's arms. Her arms and legs jerked around. Tears streamed down from her clenched eyes.

After about a minute, Yang fell motionless. Ruby sighed then looked up at her friends. Weiss, Elena, Blake, and Aaron formed a defensive wall between the hatchling and the other guests in the Dragonhouse. Jad stood off to the side, most likely making sure his semblance kept Yang comfortable. Dahlia managed to make it past her friends and was kneeling at Yang's side, keeping a close eye on her vitals. Teams JNPR and SPHR all wore horrified expressions. Weiss and Blake also looked back with concern, but they saw Ruby go through the same thing before. Elena's eyes kept jumping back and forth between Yang, the hatchling, Aaron, and everyone else. Aaron, however, kept his eyes on those who had never seen a dragon bond before. Meanwhile, the hatchling just cocked its head and looked at its new Rider curiously.

Another minute later, Yang groaned and rubbed the back of her head. "So that's what that feels like," she moaned as she freed herself from her sister's arms. When the hatchling saw its Rider sit up, it squeaked once more and jumped up onto Yang's shoulder.

Aaron walked over to Yang and stuck out a hand. "Congratulations, Dragon Rider," he said with a smile on his face.

Yang took his hand and smiled herself. "Thanks," she said as Aaron hauled her to her feet. The hatchling on her shoulder hardly moved. As Aaron took his hand away, Yang saw the new silver mark on her own. She admired it for a moment and then nodded. "I'm not covering this up anytime soon."

"What did that dragon just do to Yang?" Dahlia asked as she started to check Yang's eyes for any problems by shining a small light back and forth into each eye.

"Bonding to a dragon isn't exactly painless," Aaron explained. "It was actually the most painful thing I've experienced in my life up until that moment. What comes after, though, is more than worth the pain." Dahlia nodded and then stepped away from the new Rider.

The hatchling stood on Yang's shoulder and sniffed at her hair. "Hey, hey, I know what you're thinking. My hair is not food," she said almost jokingly. While her teammates chuckled, Yang blinked a few times as if realizing something. "So that's what that feels like."

Ruby patted Yang on the back. "You'll get used to it," she said, still smiling. The hatchling turned to Ruby and looked at her with a cocked head. The Rider stuck out a hand and scratch under the dragon's chin, dragging out a strange purr. "I think you'll get along just fine." She withdrew her hand and looked at the slime that coated it. "Hey Shade, could you go get us a few paper towels to whip this little guy or girl down?"

"On it." Shade walked to the far side of the Dragonhouse to the bathroom that hadn't been shut off.

"Where can I get one of these cuties?" Nora shouted suddenly, standing on the tips of her toes. The rest of her team looked at her, shocked at the sudden outburst. Aaron meanwhile, shifted unsteadily on his feat.

"Nora, it may not be polite to ask such a question," Pyrrha said.

"If asked in the way most common people think, it isn't," Aaron said. Nora fell flat on her feet and closed her mouth. "However, as I said before, we do have another egg with us." He bit his lip. "If you are willing, I can introduce the rest of you all to it." Everyone looked at the most experienced Rider with surprise, but for different reasons.

"What about me, Blake, and Weiss?" Elena asked.

Aaron turned to look at the young Claymore. "The egg still can hatch for the three of you, but it's been two weeks. No eggs have hatched after that time in fifty years. It needs to be introduced to more candidates." Elena then stared the the ground and silently mumbled something, which in turn caused Aaron to let out a small chuckle.

Ruby turned her focus back to her sister. Yang was scratching the side of the hatchling's head. "So you think of a name yet for him?" she asked. "Or her?"

Yang smiled while looking at her dragon. "I think Halcyon here is a boy." She turned to look at Ruby. "Well Rubes, I guess we're in it for the long haul."

"I'm sure it will be worth it," Ruby said casually, then she realized what Yang really meant. Yang was a Rider now. She was immortal too.

Ruby would never be alone.

The youngest Rider Threw her arms around her sister and stayed there for a while. Yang returned the hug. "I told you I won't leave for a long time," she said "You're not getting rid of me any time soon." Halcyon sniffed down at Ruby and crawled onto her shoulder. He rubbed his face against Ruby's and purred again.

A loud 'Awww' filled the Dragonhouse. Ruby turned to look at Nora half expecting the noise to come from the human lightning rod. Instead, she saw everyone looking directly at Carolina.

"What the hell kind of noise was that Carolina?" Grif asked.

Carolina flinched for a split second. "If anyone mentions what just happened to anyone outside this place, I will break you." she stated, her voice had a chilling calm to it that scared almost everyone in the room.

"Whatever happens in the Dragonhouse, stays in the Dragonhouse. Right guys?" Ruby asked. Everyone unanimously agreed with the nodding of heads.

"Carolina always had a thing for dragons," Wash explained. "I'm actually surprised you managed to keep it in this long. York used to say Hatchlings were your ultimate weakness."

"He did not say that!" Carolina growled.

"He asked for my help to find you that hatching dragon egg statue he gave you on your last date together." Agent Washington affirmed.

"Aww, that's so cute," Donut commented. For that comment, Carolina punched him on the side of his helmet hard enough to knock the pink soldier out cold.

"Anyone else want to to make another stupid comment?" Carolina asked. The room remained silent. "Good."

Ruby turned back to the hatchling to see that Cerise had walked over to the small group and was staring lovingly at Halcyon. Hello brother.

Halcyon squeaked and hopped off Ruby's shoulder. The two Riders, however, looked at Cerise in shock. "Brother?" Ruby and Yang asked in unison.

Yes. We are hatchmates. Cerise lowered her head to Halcyon's level. The small dragon was jumping all over the place, happy to see his sister.

"When were you planning on telling us?" Ruby asked.

Cerise looked her Rider in the eyes sadly. Hatchmates are more likely to hatch for those who are related, but it still doesn't happen that often. She lowered her eyes. I didn't want to get your hopes up, or destroy Weiss', Elena's and Blake's.

Neither Ruby nor Yang said anything for a few seconds. Eventually Yang shrugged and said, "I guess it doesn't matter now. Halcyon hatched and now we're all one big, happy family."

Halcyon circled Cerise and stopped when he saw her injured leg. He sniffed it, then snarled. The small dragon turned around and took up a defensive position in front of his sister's front right leg and searched the room for hostiles. Cerise chuckled, My hero, she thought as she bumped her brother with her snout. Halcyon squeaked and playfully batted at Cerise' snout. You don't need to worry about who did that. Ruby got them, and I've grown since then. The small dragon turned back to Ruby and squeaked in her direction.

"I think that was a thank you," Yang said. "Having a second voice in your head is confusing."

"You'll sort it out soon enough," Ruby said as she elbowed her sister. A bell rang in the room, and it took a few seconds to realize it was the new doorbell. She gasped. "I completely forgot about the pizza!" She quickly looked over to Aaron to make sure that he didn't have the last egg out in plain sight. He gently placed it in a saddle bag and nodded to his team leader.

"Sarge, Tucker, Hunter, Jaune, Simmons, can you guys help me carry the pizzas in?" Jad asked. The four nodded and followed the new team leader towards and out the human sized door. After a minute of muffled talking, the sound of a truck backing up could be heard from beyond the door.

"Uh, Dahlia? Just how many pizzas did Jad order?" Blake asked.

Dahlia smiled as the dragon-sized door opened and all six men carried in four fifty-four inch sized pizza boxes, followed by two Aura constructs of himself carrying in more smaller sized boxes and multiple twelve packs of various sodas. "Just enough to fill everyone here and one very hungry hatchling."

The six men stopped in the center of the room and Jad pressed a hidden button on the pallet used to transport the pizzas. Four hidden legs popped out from underneath. Everyone took a step back as the pallet transformed into a table large enough to display all four pizzas and have enough room at one end for all the various drinks and extras.

"Alright everyone, dig in!" Jad said as he reabsorbed his two Aura clones.

"A little excessive, don't you think?" Aaron asked with a smirk on his face.

"I didn't want to leave anyone out. Two of these pizzas are just for Nalia and Cerise."

Yang grabbed the lid of one of the pizza boxes and lifted, revealing the multiple different pizza toppings scattered in their own sections of the whole pizza. "That's smart thinking, I think we finally found something that could finally fill Cerise up," she said. "If she's anything to go by, I bet it will do the same for Halcyon as well."

Ruby laughed. "I don't think you're wrong there."

"Do you have any plate's in here? Jaune asked.

Ruby shook her head.

Jad smirked. "They didn't give us any, but they did give us a large paper bag full of napkins." He placed said paper bag on one end of the table near the drinks.

Weiss sighed. "Remind me never to hire you as a proper party planner."

Halcyon jumped up a nearby shelf with a paper towel on his back and started sniffing towards one of the topping sections of one of the pizzas. Yang grabbed a couple of napkins before grabbing a few slices of pizza. "These are Halcyon's," she said, and the golden hatchling chirped in agreement.

"Well, everybody grab a slice so we can get the movie started," Ruby said as she grabbed her own napkin. She lifted the lid to one of the gigantic pizza boxes so that Cerise could have her own pizza, before walking over towards the extra goodies at the end of the table. During the time everything else happened, Weiss set up the movie and a pause screen was being projected on the wall.

Is that what I think I smell? Cerise asked Ruby. The Rider smiled as she opened one of the extra goodie boxes. The dragon hummed her appreciation and grabbed the regular pizza sized cookie from the box with her mouth.

Ruby laughed at her dragon then looked at Yang and hers. Halcyon was going to town on his meat lover's pizza and Yang watched with an almost motherly smile on her face. She also rubbed Halcyon's back with a wet paper towel. Ruby smiled as well. She couldn't wait for her sister to fully understand what her dragon means to her, just as long as it doesn't happen the same way it happened for Ruby and Cerise.

[...]

A/N: So guys I am very sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. So much has happened since May that I really had a hard time writing this chapter. And what I did manage to write over the course of several months was leading away from the actual plot of the story so I had to stop, take a month break and then rewrite it over again a few times on both my computer and in my notebook.

Some other news is that my youngest sister moved in a couple of months ago and I'm once again playing Ark again. Other than that I really REALLY wanted to get this chapter finished cause I have to admit that Halcyon is my favorite Dragon. Be prepared for a ton of cuteness in the upcoming chapters.

Now onto the Reviews!

Jacob9594: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it and team JADE is going to play a huge role later down the road. One that ends up having their own story arc.

Beris The Thief: Trust me, Dahlia is not a person to do that sort of thing. While the TF2 Medic once he arrives will begin to change his ways of thinking a bit.

Wolf: Glad you enjoyed it. And thank you for your kind words.

MarauderPrime12: Glad you enjoyed it.

LordMatthaios: You're welcome!

Ultimatrix bearer: Okay that was a terrible one. *slow clap* But keep it up!

Now that should be all the comments/reviews. The second story Arc is now beginning. Let's hope that writing chapter 31 won't be as hard as trying to tame a level 150 Amargasaurus on the new Ark Survival Evolved map. See you all next time.