//------------------------------// // Chapter 30: Dragon Riders // Story: Equestria’s White Fang // by Garnet Naturea //------------------------------// Penny POV “So, he still hasn’t said anything?” I turned to Weiss as she asked this, shaking my head negative. “I wonder what’s going on with him. Adam has never been this...out of it, since I have met him.” Pyrrha added, a frown on her face as well. It had been about a week since Adam and Blake’s duel, and while he still acted like before, it was obvious to everyone that something was wrong. The day after his fight, he returned to training but there was clearly something bothering him. It was like he was running on autopilot, a far off look in his eyes.  He still fought hard, and trained to his limits and a little beyond that, but there was clearly something occupying his mind.  I tried to get him to tell me, but he just shut me out. He said he’ll talk when he sorts it out himself, but that just made me more worried.  For now, all of us decided to just give him some space, let him figure it out. It was clear whatever was bothering him was different than when he woke up. Weiss and Pyrrha suspect he learned something and it wasn’t good. As I said, we’ve let him be for about a week now. It wasn’t like whatever it was was directly messing with his fighting and training, if anything it made him push himself more.  He was really surprised when we all returned to Ponyville, and he saw the new houses for teams RWBY and JNPR. Only the latter was furnished right now, with Ruby taking her things from her room to the new house while the others went out and bought their own things.  I have been spending quite a bit of time with Weiss after everything was said and done. I don’t know, but for some reason I felt a sense of comradery with the ‘new’ Weiss, like how I felt connected to Ruby when we first met. Plus I always like hanging out with Pyrrha after our arrival.  Granted I was admittedly a little desperate sounding with how I acted towards Ruby, but could one really blame me. I was an android and a sheltered girl going to a new kingdom for the first time.  I sighed as Weiss, Pyrrha and I made our way back to the houses, a couple of grocery bags held in our arms. We were planning on having a barbecue in the back later today, and Yang and Qrow asked us to get supplies.  “Hmm, maybe we should ask someone else who could help?” Weiss added, bouncing ideas around in her head. “Yeah, but who?” Pyrrha questioned. “He doesn’t seem to wanna talk with anyone here, so Rainbow, and the girls are out. And I don’t think that Qrow will be getting him to talk.” “Maybe professor Ozpin?” “No, I don’t think so.” I muttered. “I noticed him sending these odd looks towards the professor whenever he is in control and not Oscar. Whatever happened, I don’t think the old wizard would be a good person to ask.” “Well, what about a Displaced?” Weiss and I turned to Pyrrha, brows raised. “I mean, maybe he learned about something back on earth, so maybe he needs to talk to someone not from this dimension or Remnant?” I slowly nodded, before frowning again. “Okay, but who? I don’t think this is something he’ll tell his sisters, or his uncle. The last thing we need is for them to get upset as well.” I said with a frown. “Any idea’s Weiss?...Weiss?” I looked over and just now noticed the former heiress was missing. Looking around, Pyrrha and I found her down the road, looking at something in her hand.  “Whatcha got there?” I questioned. “I...don’t know? It looks like some kind of orange or amber gemstone, but it has this weird symbol on it.” Weiss said, showing us. And she was right. The symbol was rounded and spiky and kinda looked like a curled up dragon. “Oh, is this a token maybe?” Pyrrha said, causing me to perk up.  “Hmm, maybe.” I took the gem from Weiss, sensing it with my magic. I could find trace amounts of Void Energy, confirming Pyrrha’s question. I smiled as this really helped out. “Well, maybe we can have Adam summon this Displaced. I noticed we haven’t had any interdimensional visitors lately, aside from you and the rest of your team Weiss.” With a smile, I pocket the gem and the three of us continued on our way back home. Adam POV “You want me to what?” I questioned, looking at the trio before me as Penny offered an odd gem to me. “Well, it’s been awhile since we have met any new Displaced lately, so we figured you could summon this one. What’s the harm?” My girlfriend said with a grin. I rose a brow, putting the last of the groceries in the fridge then grabbing the gem. Like many times before, a voice sounded within my mind, but considering the girls small jump, they must be hearing it too. “My name is Elwood. I extend my invitation across the void, seeking out those who are listening. I am trying to revive the old order of the dragon riders for Queen Sunfire, so I ask you this question: Are you interested in getting your own dragon egg? If so, please summon me. I’ll be testing to see if you’re worthy of my trust if you allow me to look through your mind.’ I blinked a couple times, the creed flowing through my mind. The girls were in the same boat, blinking as the info was being processed.  “Wait, dragon riders?” Weiss finally broke the silence. “That’s...huh.” I muttered looking at the gem with wide eyes. Admittedly, I didn’t really think I needed a dragon, I mean I could handle myself, but for some reason the thought of teams RWBY or JNPR having dragons with them was...oddly appealing. I laughed a little as I thought about if Nora got a dragon.  “Hmm, dragon riders, that sounds awesome!” Penny said with a smile, clearly thinking about how we would look atop dragons.  I frowned for half a second, many thoughts whirling through my head, then sighed and began to head to the door, the girls close behind as they saw I was leaving. I grabbed my swords and my scarf, but I left my gauntlets behind.  We walked in silence for a minute before arriving at the clearing not far from the houses I used for practicing my forms. Taking out the gem, I looked back to the girls, who actually looked excited and mentally sighed before holding the gem out. “Um, Elwood I summon you to this world?” I muttered lamely, earning a snicker from Weiss and a giggle from Penny and Pyrrha. After I spoke, the dragon in the gem suddenly narrowed out into a slitted eye, quickly looking up at me and staring. A moment passed before I heard a voice echoing from within the gem. “Sé iet gatharí ládrin.” A swirling portal quickly opens as a tear in reality. At first, a head came through the portal, looking like that of a dragon’s head, although slightly looking like that of a pony. Eventually when its body was more out, I saw someone who I assume was Elwood riding on it’s back. Once the dragon was fully out, I couldn’t help but scratch my head in confusion. It looked alot like a dragon, but it had some pony-features to its body, mostly the ears, the mane, and some parts of it’s body.  I glanced at the girls next to me, their eyes wide as they looked at the large reptile. I noticed Weiss had a hand on the pommel of her sword and Penny’s hand was twitching, sparks of lightning arcing between her fingers. Pyrrha appeared calm, but I could see a cautious glint in her eyes. I cleared my throat and walked up, earning the newcomers attention. “Um, Elwood, I presume?” I questioned, a hand on the back of my katana. The man nodded and slid off the dragon, his face impassive. “I’m not here to make any enemies…” Elwood said as he glanced around noticing the caution yet minor hostility toward him. “Queen Sunburst wouldn’t like that.” Elwood said. Appearance wise, he didn’t look much wearing clothes that look like they were from another era, especially that sword with the orange blade and a gem to match. Come to think of it, his dragon is the same color.  I nodded and took my hand off my sword, motioning for the girls to stand down as well. Reluctantly, Weiss released her sword and crossed her arm, Penny smiled and stopped sparking, and Pyrrha visibly relaxed. I reached up and moved my mask behind my horns. “Sorry about that, being warriors like us makes it so we are always on guard.” I said with a small grin before holding out my hand. “Names Adam Taurus. That’s my girlfriend Penny Polendina and our friend Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos.” “As my token mentioned before, I'm Elwood, and this,” Elwood said as he gestured his hand toward his dragon. “Is Kaiserin. Also, she’s a telepath.” Elwood warned me. There was a moment of silence before I felt a strange feeling in my mind.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” A voice echoed in my head. Considering the girls jumped and began looking around, they heard it too. I turn to the dragon with a smile. “Pleasures all our Kaiserin.” I said with a small bow, earning a nod in return as the girls bowed as well.  “Wow, this is the first time I’ve encountered someone with telepathy.” Weiss said in awe, looking at the larger dragon with almost childlike wonder. Though Penny and Pyrrha giggling broke her out of it and she turned away with a huff. I chuckled as well at that before turning to Elwood. “So Elwood, your token said something about restoring some order of dragon riders?” I asked. “Yea. To those I’ve tested with my mind so far, I’ve allowed them access to Sunfire’s chamber of eggs to get their own dragon,” Elwood said as he looked around at the group. “If they’re all here for one, this would be the largest group. Most Displaced I would just see one or two. Do you have any questions?” Elwood asked as Kaiserin got comfortable on the grass; her light blue furry tipped tail curling around her body.  Penny walked up with a smile. “So, your token said something about seeing who is worthy, can you do it for us?” She motioned to herself, Pyrrha and Weiss. I just shook my head to him, showing I didn’t actually want a dragon.  “Alright, just calm your mind. You may feel weird for a moment.” Elwood warned. The girls looked to one another, before looking to me, but I just shrugged. After a minute or so, Penny stepped up with a smile. Elwood nodded and gently placed a hand on her head, saying something under his breath that was too quiet for even me to hear. I saw as Penny’s eyes went blank and couldn’t help but wonder what she was seeing. Penny’s Memories Penny suddenly starts seeing images of her life move across her vision, almost like an old reel-to-reel, but more detailed as if she was reliving what she’s been through.  She watched as her father worked with an elderly woman’s artificial eyes, hiding behind the back door. She was supposed to be charging, but she was curious what her father did here day to day. She nodded as Winter taught her how to maintain a sword. Hers were cleaned by some of the Generals men, but Winter felt it imperative she learn to take care of her own equipment, just in case. She smiled as she brought Ruby into a hug, her first friend! She made a friend! She was so excited to go shopping, and talk, and spar and, oh the limits were endless! She looked around carefully, managing to sneak into her father's Vale office was not easy. The guards nearby were very dedicated. She walked to the computer nearby, seperate from the CCT and used to perform diagnostics on her and her father's equipment.  Carefully, she took out a connector from the back of her head, and plugged into the computer. Her eyes went wide and she unconsciously hummed as she began to make a backup of herself into the system. She knew this was underhanded, but she didn’t want to leave. Even if it wasn’t really ‘her’, she would be happy to stay here and protect Beacon.  Her processors were sending errors. She couldn’t compute. She lost feeling in her legs and her arm. Falling to the ground, she felt something, something truly real, something her father warned her about. It was the last thing she felt, before nothing but blackness. Fear. She couldn’t see anything. Her sensors were offline. Wait...there was something. She could...hear voices? Slowly, something overtook her. Something...new. Her eyes stung as they opened, something that shouldn’t be happening. She blinked, wiping her eyes, feeling that they were wet. That was odd, her eyes shouldn’t be wet. Blinking again, she looked back and forth, seeing one man, and several off creatures. Where was she? She looked down, careful not to step on his feet. Dancing was harder than she thought. She looked up and smiled at Adam as he smiled down to her, laying her head on his chest. He was...so warm. “Thank you Penny.” She heard, looking at him next to her as they laid on the grass. She smiled up to him. Despite how distracted he had been lately, he was still the man she loved. Laying on his chest, she allowed herself to drift off.  She liked being human.  **** Penny gasped, nearly falling to her knees. I managed to catch her as she took several breaths, eyes wide. I glanced to Elwood, who blinked a couple times as well. “Something about those memories felt… ” Elwood said with a frown. “Almost artificial, no pun intended. Sorry about that.” Elwood said as he rubbed the back of his head.  “Um...” Elwood turned to Pyrrha, “Penny was originally an android before we were brought here, so that probably had something to do with it.” “Yeah, we should have seen that coming.” Weiss muttered, helping me as Penny tried to shake off her headache.  Hearing the word Android got Elwood thinking; his face having concern and doubts about something. “Hopefully no issues should arise when she gets chosen by one of the whelps and when it comes to the bound that will form once it has hatched and touched.” Elwood explained as he looked at the others in case anyone else wanted to step forward. Behind Elwood, Kaiserin let out a soft hum. After a moment, Weiss stepped up, sending a slightly worried look to Penny before steeling herself. She nodded to Elwood, who placed a hand on her head as well, her blue eyes becoming vacant. **** Weiss smiled up to her mother as she brushed her hair, looking over to her baby brother as he played with his blocks. She knew Whitley would become a great boy when he grew up. She shook her head to clear it off the ringing as she looked through the window, scared eyes looking at the burning car in front of the one she was in, holding onto her crying brother as she saw the men in Grimm masks shooting at her guards.  She wiped her eyes, tears falling down them as she clutched onto her sister. Winter frowned down to her, gently patting her head before grabbing her suitcases and heading to the bullhead. She watched as Mister Ironwood nodded to her before turning to the vehicle as well. She clutched her ears as she could hear her parents screaming at one another, her father being far louder and his booming voice nearly shook the windows, followed by a loud smash. She cried herself to sleep in Kleins arms, hearing her mother crying down the hall.  She managed to keep herself from crying in pain, her eyes closed as the blood blinded her for a moment, before she steeled herself at the large Arma Gigas. She knew her father would try and stop her, but she wouldn’t allow him. She would stop him and bring honor back to her family.  This didn’t make sense. Why did the professor let that little kid be the leader? She wasn’t old enough, experienced enough to lead. She frowned and chose to ignore her as she left the classroom, barely making note of her ‘partners’ expression. She managed to get her breath back, looking at everyone. All her friends around her as they stood together in the chaos, the Grimm running around. She saw all the machines nearby glow red before collapsing in heaps. She frowned and stood tall as everyone began to retreat to the airfield.  She glanced around the hallways. She and Klein made sure there was no one around that could stop her, but her little brother called him away. She looked back and forth, freezing as she heard her father and Ironwood arguing again. She jumped back as one of the was trying to leave, casting a Black Glyph on the door before leaving. She could hear as the door was broken down.  She looked around at the bandits hanging around, their cocky demeanor and attitudes irritating her way more than Yang or Jaune ever did. She glanced around again, making sure there was no one nearby and summoned her tiny knight. She would get out, and she would find her team. Her family. She held onto Yang and Blake as they stayed warm together, the warehouse they found themselves in not proving to be very insulated. It was pretty old, so they didn’t really have much room to complain. Weiss couldn’t help but to smirk as she saw Ruby on the ground, Neo standing above her with a grin as they finished their spar. She glanced at Yang as they were watching, a frown on her face, but it only stayed for a second before she looked to the side, avoiding Blake’s view.  This was the life. She may be in constant danger, but at least she was with her friends. With her team. She was with her family. **** Weiss blinked a couple times, shaking her head. I glanced at Elwood, who actually smiled, clearly he enjoyed some of Weiss’s memories. She managed to ignore her apparent headache and made her way over to us, blinking her eyes rapidly.  “That is...wow, that’s a rush.” The Ice Queen muttered.  “I feel your dragon will love you the most.” Elwood said with another smile.  I glanced at Weiss with a raised brow, but the ex-heiress just shrugged before tapping her chin and smiling, probably thinking about how it would be to have a dragon. I ignored her as she began to daydream and turned to the last of our group. Pyrrha looked a little unsure, unconsciously rubbing her scar on her chest, before she took a breath. I nodded to her with a smile, I think getting a dragon would help her out. She needs someone close to her aside from just friends, and I think having a magical dragon partner would be a good start.  Pyrrha nodded to Elwood, who nodded as well, and placed a hand on her head.  **** Pyrrha smiled up to her mother, the duo walking in the town's botanical garden. She loved the place, she always felt relaxed here. No pressure from teachers, no expectations from peers, just her, her mother, and the nature around her. She just wished she could come here more often. With a determined glare she stared down her opponent. This was it, the final battle of her first ever tournament, and she was determined to win. She managed to sweep through the others before her, and now she was facing her next opponent, the current champion for the past two years. With a roar from her opponent, she launched herself forwards, spear clashing against mace, and began.  She smiled awkwardly as she signed another box of cereal. Why she allowed herself to be pressured into this deal she forgot, but she did anyways. She managed to smile a little brighter at the little boy's smile, but when he left and the next one came by, something began to fester. Something she never actually felt before now.  With a sigh, she placed her weapons away, looking down to her defeated opponent. Four years now, she managed to set a new record. The Invincible Girl they began to call her. She admit, she liked the attention at first, but then the solitude began to set in. Now, all she wanted was to be seen as her and nod as Pyrrha Nikos, four times champion.  She hugged her mother tight, tears in her eyes as this would be the last time she saw her face to face for a while. The last bullhead was set to depart behind her, her ticket to basically a new world. A place to start over, and be someone both the same, yet new. She could finally be herself. A quick kiss to her mother's cheek and she boarded the aircraft, waving goodbye to Argus. Until next time. She raised a brow as she watched him leave the area. The girl in a red hood had run to who Pyrrha assumed was either a friend or sibling, and the blond boy didn’t even glance her way. Hmm, maybe he just didn’t see her? Everyone else had given her a wide berth, too scared to talk to her. Maybe...maybe he would? She couldn’t believe it. He didn’t know. He didn’t know who she was! She was being treated like a background character, like some random girl in the locker room. From some reason it stung when he flirted with the heiress she was talking to, but that just meant more! She watched him, time seeming to freeze. She took in everything. Was...was he the one? She placed her hands on her knees, trying to regain her breath. Incredible! She’s never met anyone with this much aura before! It was...almost drowning. But it was so warm, so safe. Jaune Arc. He truly was an interesting one.  She laughed to herself, helping her team leader back to his feet, getting her breath back. His growth had been explosive! He nearly overpowered her! She smiled as he began to go on about how thankful he was, a blush adorning her face as she turned away. There was no doubt anymore. He was...perfect. He was the one.  It burned. It hurt so much. She couldn’t breath, and could only watch as Cinder stepped forwards. Time slowed to a crawl as she saw her life. She saw her mother, her friends Reese and Arslan eating lunch with her, Nora and Ren ‘arguing’ about not being together, Ruby and her team eating lunch with them in the cafeteria. She felt Cinder place a hand on her head, and all she knew was burning pain. Jaune… She groaned as she managed to get her feet under her. She waved her scroll around, the light showing nothing but empty hallways. This place, where was it? She kept walking forwards, seeing some stairs in the distance, but was confused. Why was it blocked off? She looked to the ground, idly rubbing her scar as her mind ran a mile a minute. Ruby was in her room with Neo and Penny, but she decided she needed to be alone. Her team, they all looked so different, yet the same. Ren and Nora only needed another push before they finally admitted to themselves at least. But….Jaune. She wiped away her tears. She needed to be strong. She would see him again. She would see them all. They would be a team again. She would love him.  **** I ran over and caught Pyrrha before she could fall back, her breathing a little uneasy before she calmed down. I glanced to Elwood, who had a sad smile on his face. I managed to help Pyrrha upright again, and she shook her head a bit before sighing. She nodded to me in thanks.  “So far of the three of you, I don’t see any evil intention. I believe I can trust you with your own dragons.” Elwood explained.  I smiled at the girls, who looked excited at the prospect, before stepping back, allowing Elwood to do his thing.  “Sé iet gatharí ládrin.” Elwood spoke the same words as before that allowed him into this world, but instead of a portal, a magical door slowly materialized into existing. Reaching out, Elwood opened it, revealing a room on the other side. “Come with me so that your future dragons may sense your presence.” Elwood said as he walked through while Kaiserin stayed behind.  The girls all but ran in, while I glanced to the dragon, who just nodded to me, and followed behind them. The room was a bit bigger than I thought, and there were a ton of large eggs resting around the room.  Pyrrha, Weiss and Penny were looking around the room with awe, seeing all the eggs of such powerful creatures. I just stayed back near the entrance as the girls began to walk around, looking for their partners. Something told me I should just remain in the back and leave them be. Weiss walked along the eastern edge, seeing all the bright eggs. There were so many and they all had different sizes and colours. She scratched her head, wondering how she was supposed to pick one.  She glanced around again, not feeling anything until, her eyes passed over a faint blue blur and she paused. Her heart began to beat rapidly, feeling like she was about to read a new book from her favourite author. She glanced back, and saw it. The egg was about the size of her head, with beautiful icy blue designs that almost looked like claws. The egg itself with a dark ocean or navy blue.  Slowly, she made her way over, looking at the other eggs, but ultimately being drawn back to this one. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster, like she was on one of those ridiculous roller coasters that Yang dragged her too back in Vale. Not even registering anything else around her, she reached out and brought the egg close. For some reason, she had a flash and through about her little brother when he was still a baby, the first time she ever held him. Penny was glancing around the room from above, hovering with her magic to take in the room. All these eggs, so full of life just waiting for their partners. She could feel the magic in the room, it was so comforting. She smiled as she hovered around. Looking around, she saw some of the shelves high up with eggs, and paused when she heard something. Looking around, she heard it again, it sounded like something rolling on wood.  Flying around, the sound got quieter, so she backtracked and the sound got louder. Unconsciously, she began to follow the sounds, hearing it louder or quieter as she flew about. After a minute, she found it, and for some reason it stole her breath. On one of the perches, near the back, there was an egg only the size of a bowling ball, with white lightning patterns on the grey egg. She flew closer, and the egg shook faster as she got near. Everything else seemed to fall silent as she neared the egg, before she reached out and grabbed it. She cradled it to her chest, a small smile appearing on her face without her knowledge. Pyrrha frowned slightly, looking around her section. All the eggs around here were rather small, and she could make out some empty spots. Clearly she wasn’t the first one here. The four times champion continued looking around, trying to find anything that could point her in the right direction. She blinked as she heard something. She glanced around, hearing something. It sounded like something was...moving? She could hear the shifting of cloth and began to follow it. She was silent as she seemed to get closer to it, before pausing. She was near a small pile, and the sound stopped, but as she looked around, before she paused. Looking near the bottom of the pile, behind the others, and she suddenly felt like she did when she first began her first fights.   The egg was mostly red, it was around the size of a softball, with white and blue markings. She couldn’t explain it, but to Pyrrha, the egg looked...cute?  She walked up, and crouched to the egg, her heart hammering in her chest, as the egg wiggled around on the ground, almost like it was trying to spin. Slowly, like she was in a trance, she reached forwards as the world around her fading away as the egg was all she could focus on. She held the egg with both hands, carefully, some knew instinct telling her to protect it.  I glanced around, seeing all the girls seemed to almost be in a trance, and I noticed the eggs seemed to glow, but that might have been just my eyes. I glanced to Elwood, who just nodded with a smile, one I returned as I watched the girls hold their new eggs like they were infants. Which they kinda were. After a minute, I cleared my throat and the girls all snapped out of their respective trances. I smiled as they all made their way over, before we turned to Elwood. “Alright, just a few notes for you to remember. Much like Kaiserin, your dragons will develop their own telepathy alongside psychic abilities once they’ve grown a year old. The dragons of my world are fast at growing, so Queen Sunburst has placed a spell on them to grow only as big as you want them too. You wouldn’t want your dragons to be like mountains. If your ponies are similar to the dragons, your dragons will be able to have the following: Control the weather, use magic, or have alot of strength to earth itself. You, too, will be able to do the same through the bond if you ask them to lead them their power. Speaking of bounds, once they’ve hatched and you touch them, you will feel an intense rush of burning heat or icy coldness for a split second. You may not handle it at first, so be sure to have something soft nearby if you were to pass out. Depending on what you use to touch your dragon, you will get a marking called the Gedwëy ignasia, or the shining palm as it's called in english. That marking will tell other riders who you are. The marking might glow if you use magic though.” Elwood explained as he tapped his chin in thought of anything he might have forgotten. “Oh yea, you and your dragon after a year, will start to feel each other’s emotions, thoughts, and physical pain, so be careful.” Elwood warned as Kaiserin let out an amused snort.  Kaiserin’s head poked through the door’s entrance.“Be sure not to get separated for long periods. We dragons can’t stand being without their rider.” Kaiserin explained to us. The girls and I blinked a couple times, processing all of that. I glanced at the others, Penny and Weiss holding their eggs close to them while Pyrrha kept them in her hands. They were looking to one another, thinking.  “Um, is it safe for them to go through dimension before they hatch, or are we going to have to stay in our dimension?” Penny asked.  “Oh, no need to worry about that. They’ll hatch once they feel safe in their new environment in your world. But of course, you could ask them to wait, just don’t wait for years. They’ll go insane if they do.” Elwood warned as Kaiserin gave them a glare. The girls nodded, while I smiled at them. I glanced to Elwood again as he finished glaring at his partner. “Thanks for this Elwood. It’ll be nice to have some new members of our families.” I said, earning nods from the girls. I motioned to the doorway back and the girls began to head out, bowing to both dragon and rider before they left. I shook Elwoods hand with a smile. “We’ll see you again soon. Who knows, if you need any help, you have three dragon riding huntresses and their teams watching your back.” I said with a grin. “If there’s no further questions or anything you’d like to learn, all we gotta do is return your world, then I’ll need to reopen a portal back to my home.” Elwood explained as he walked through the door. I arrived back in the yard we were at, seeing the girls smiling down to their eggs while I smiled at Elwood who nodded to me. With a smirk, I quickly took out my scroll and took a picture of the girls as they all sat down with their respective eggs in their laps.  Elwood snapped a finger “I just remembered something. Your dragon can share it’s energy with you, allowing you to cast more magic, or even stay awake longer or doing more intense activities without getting tired.” Elwood explained “There’s a few things I must tell you as well, future riders.” Kaiserin began. “Do your best to protect your dragon and they will do the same for you. If one of the two die, one of you will be overcome with great grief, it's like losing a piece of yourself or a lover.” Kaiserin explained. The girls nod, and I noticed Pyrrha having a very bright look in her eyes. I blinked, it was almost like there was a literal fire in her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about that.” The redhead muttered, gently rubbing the top of the egg. “I’m not losing or leaving anyone else.”  “Same.” Penny said, hugging her egg protectively. Weiss just smiled, likely thinking about how she had her team to help her with this. I nodded to Elwood, who smirked back and turned to leave. “Sé ono mor’ranr Ilian.” Elwood said as something unknown washed over us. Elwood didn’t explain anything except with a smile. Elwood walks on through the door, which at this point has changed to that of a wooden door that expanded to allow his dragon though. With the duo gone, the door to his world slowly faded with orange sparkles. I smiled as the girls just kept hold of their eggs. I looked to the sky, and saw that a bit of time had already passed, so the others are probably waiting for us. I turned to the trio and was about to talk, when someone else showed up. “There you guys are!” The four of us turned around as Screwball suddenly appeared behind me. “We were wondering where you guys were, you’ve been gone for nearly an hour. Everyone else is at your houses about to start cooking!” The four of use blinked once. Twice. Then I laughed a little at the interruption. “Thanks for coming to get us Screwy, but we just got back.” She blinked. “Let me guess, Displaced?” I nod with a smile. “Figures, I knew I could sense Void Energy in the area. So what did this Displaced want any-” she cut herself off as she finally noticed the girls new additions. There was silence, before she suddenly squealed and teleported to the girls. “Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! Are those dragon eggs?!” “Indeed they are Screwy.” Pyrrha managed to say, making sure her egg was secure on her arms. She actually unwrapped her sash and made a makeshift sling, something Weiss copied with her scarf while I gave my scarf to Penny for her to use. “Eeeeeee! This is amazing!” She said hopping around with a spring in her steps. Literally, she had spring boots on her hooves. I just chuckled and placed a hand on her head, stopping the chaotic Earth Pony while looking to the amused girls. “Well, we should probably get back.” I turned to Weiss. “I know the rest of your team are going to want to know they have a new member.” Weiss just rolled her eyes and held her egg tight as we all made our way out of the field. We walked in silence, I knew the girls would be more focused on the eggs than cooking, so the I’ll probably have to pick up the slack. I smiled as I saw the girls talking to one another about things to do for the dragons when they hatched. I just rolled my eyes as the houses came into view. Like Screwball said, the element bearers, Spike, Screwball, RBY, Qrow and Oscar were all setting things up in the back. Fluttershy was the first to notice us and waved us over, earning the others attention as we walked up. “Hey, I was wondering where you all went.” Qrow greeted. “Weiss, tell us when you’re heading out next time. I was starting to worry.” Ruby said with a cute frown. Weiss just rolled her eyes with a smile. “Uh,” they all turned to Blake, “what’s that you girls have there?” That got the others to look at the girl, their eyes widening at the eggs. There was silence, and then it was broken by the most unlikely of sources. “Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy zoomed over to the girls with a huge smile, causing them to jump and hold the eggs protectively. “I have never seen eggs like these before. What are they, where did you get them?” The girls glanced to one another while I just shrugged. “Um...they’re dragon eggs?” Pyrrha said, shocking the others while Fluttershy suddenly...paled? She zoomed back, standing behind Applejack, shivering. Huh, guess she has had some bad experiences with dragons other than Spike. “Dragon eggs?!” Twilight squealed, taking out a notepad and teleporting to them. Though, she couldn’t do anything else as she suddenly had Myrtenaster, Milo, and Penny’s swords at her neck. She gulped and now noticed the protective looks the girls were giving her. She nervously laughed and slowly walked back to the others. The others were surprised by the girls reactions, but managed to shrug it off. “Woah, where did you girls managed to find dragon eggs?” Ruby questioned, looking at Weiss egg. “Displaced.” Was the Ice Queen’s response, gently rubbing the top of the egg. “Seriously?” I heard Spike mutter. “I know right?” I replied to the only dragon here. “So, you girls have a couple dragon eggs now. When are they going to hatch?” Qrow questioned. The girls and I shrugged, “We’re not sure. Elwood said they wold hatch when they felt safe, so it could be in ten minutes, or not for a week or longer.” Penny replied, carefully sitting down and holding her partner. I sat next to her and pat the egg, earning a smile from Penny. “So, I take it you three aren’t going to help with cooking?” Oscar stated more than asked. In response, the girls just sat down with their eggs on their laps. I just rolled my eyes and went into the house, grabbing the food to start cooking. The barbecue was a very fun time. Oscar, Spike, Qrow, the element bearers and I were the ones who made a majority of the food with RWBY not moving away from Weiss as she gave them a rundown on what had been going on for us earlier. I laughed a little as I saw Pyrrha cuddling with her small partner, while the girls began talking about renovating the houses for the partners. I had to hold my laughter as Blake was going to town on her smoked salmon fillet on rice I made. The others except Yang and Penny were a little put off by the faunus enthusiasm, but didn’t complain. I smiled as I watched my friends being so relaxed. It was nice to just have a minute to do nothing and relax. I managed to hide a frown as Ozpin began to question the girls about their dragons. I can’t get mad. I have to sort things out first. I reached into my jacket, taking out a small notepad, writing a quick note before putting it away before anyone could notice. Cleanup was done quickly and efficiently, and the girls all made their way out, RWBY to their new house, Pyrrha to JNPR’s home, and the element bearers to their respective homes. Qrow decided to head out to the bar again, while Penny made her way to bed, tired and wanted to get some rest. Oscar said he was going to check on a couple things before heading to his room, to which I nodded and retreated to my own room. I locked my door, and frowned. I cast a quick silencing spell and opened my closet, taking out a hidden cork board that had several sheets of paper on it, a couple strings attaching sheets here and there. Taking out my note, I attached it near the bottom, a frown on my face. I glanced back and forth across the board, rereading my notes. What I learned, like Jinn’s powers. The stories truths. Ozma. More info on my silver eyes via the Grimm Reaper; Maria Calavera. Argus and Jaune’s family. Pyrrha’s mom. The original Adam’s demise. Summer’s appearance. I glanced to the right side, reading my questions. Did the other relics have guardians? What would Choice, Destruction and Creation actually do? Why did the gods act like that, like...spoiled children abandoning their toys, yet were completely different when I met them? Were those two I met even the actually Gods of Light and Darkness? Were the Maiden powers actually from Ozma and Salem’s daughters, and not Old Man Oz separating his magic, like in the Story of the Four Maidens? I scowled as I looked towards the biggest questions on the board. How can one defeat Salem? Can Salem even be defeated? Or...can she be ‘saved’? And what would happen to Oz, the Grimm, and Remnant as a whole afterwards? ‘Ozma. You and I are going to have a loooonng talk.’