Smolder beat her wings against the cool breeze. She soared through the sky, practicing the daring feats she saw her professor do every now and again. She loved spring afternoons in Equestria. She loved Equestria. She loved the School of Friendship, too. However, there was one special thing that would always reside in her heart, no matter how stubborn she was. Her favorite changed-ling. She dove toward the ground, pulling up as fast as she propelled. Her surroundings almost as beautiful as the changeling she constantly thought about. The wind in her scales, the relief of finishing her last class, and most importantly, no erotically planned study sessions with her friends. No- that wasn’t right. Smolder was busy channeling her inner peace when suddenly,

“Smolder!” Ocellus called. “If you don’t come inside soon, you’re gonna miss our study session! ” That’s when Smolder crashed into a ledge with a thud. “Oh my gosh, are you alright?!” Ocellus galloped over to Smolder to stand over her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Only just crashed into a ledge.”
She replied with a groan, before straightening her scales. Smolder was about to go on with her monologue before looking into her crush's glistening, teal eyes. Her pupils dilated at the sight of two eyes with beauty that could rival gemstones. She blushed, lost in her eyes.

“I-I’m so so so so sorry! Did I distract you? I know how you get when you practice.” Ocellus tried to lend her friend a hoof before she swatted it away.

“N-no, you didn’t.” Smolder said before standing up. “Cmon, we don’t wanna miss the study session.” The two walked back into the school, chatting about where the meeting was being held. “So, where are we studying?” Smolder asked.

“The library. As always?” Ocellus looked over to her, an eyebrow raised, as she pointed to the direction they were going.

“Oh, right.” Smolder replied, scratching the back of her head with a claw. She stretched one of her wings out, wincing as she did. "That crash definitely didn't do me any favors."

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Ocellus asked, stopping to examine Smolder’s wing. She nodded quickly before Ocellus brushed at her wing. “I think it’s dislocated!” She said. Smolder winced as Ocellus felt around her wing some more. The very thought of her wing being dislocated at this point drove her mad. She feared she had to accept defeat and give in to the simple fact that she'd probably be grounded for a few days. With the bug that drove her nuts.

“I’m fine, Ocellus-” Ocellus put a hoof over Smolder's mouth immediately before speaking again.

“No, you’re not! I don’t want you walking around with a dislocated wing.” Smolder lightly pushed her off in protest, but Ocellus was undeterred.

“Ocellus, I’m telling you, I’m fine. All I need to do is pop it back in place-“

“No! If you do that, you could break it!” Ocellus continued. “We need to get you back to the dorm!”

“Ocellus, it’s not that serious-”

“But it is to me!” Ocellus shouted, blushing. “S-sorry, Smolder. But I don’t want you flying or anything. You could get hurt!”

“But Celly-“ Smolder tried again, only to get cut off once more.

“No buts! You’re going to rest in the dorm until I come back, okay?” Smolder was going to object again, but decided against it.

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Ocellus finished tucking Smolder into bed. The two shared an untimely awkward silence before Smolder spoke.

“Ocellus, I don’t need you to baby me like this!” Smolder lowered her voice. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry, Smolder! I’ll be back after the study session to study with you, okay?”

“Alright, fine.” Ocellus left the room, leaving Smolder to wonder. Why was she being so protective? Why was she smothering me like that? Smolder found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open the more she thought about it. She soon closed her eyes and finally allowed herself to rest. All of her thoughts eventually faded as she fell asleep.
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“So, where’s Smolder again?” Gallus asked as they trotted to the library. He shot Sandbar a look of doubt, before glancing at Ocellus, who was spacing out. He looked at Ocellus, concerned that she might be worrying a little too much.

“I think she said she had an injured wing and had to stay behind.” Said Sandbar.

“No, I meant where is she? No. Don’t tell me. She’s dozing off, isn’t she. Ocellus?” Gallus’ deadpan fell on deaf ears as Ocellus was still in her own little world. He nudged her a bit, but her expression was unaltered. He waved a claw in front of her face which elicited a small squeak.

“H-huh?!” Ocellus looked around, only to see Gallus in front of her. She glared at him. The glare was so straightforward that he could read it. I was in the middle of spacing out. What do you want? It read. She eyeballed him a little more until he was a little unnerved. He unfurled his wings, hovering in front of her.

“No need to go cuckoo. I was just asking if Smolder stayed behind because she’s lazy.”

“Smolder’s not lazy!” Ocellus yelled, getting more defensive by the minute. Gallus jumped back in surprise before he chuckled.

"Oh. My bad. I didn't know the baby dragon was yours." He said, chuckling while Ocellus scowled at him. She was just about to march forward and give him a piece of her mind before Yona interjected.

“Headmare Twilight said we were visiting Dragonlands, so if Smolder won't show up, Smolder won't go.” Yona said, lifting her head up as she did so. She looked over to Silverstream, then to Gallus, expecting another interjection from one of them, but Silverstream simply shrugged.

“Yeah, and plus, Smolder wouldn’t wanna be woken up. She’s Smolder.” Gallus said. "Unless, that is, you wanted to go see her." Ocellus turned a shade of scarlet as Gallus smirked.

“I guess she'll be fine without me.” Ocellus agreed, hanging her head in disappointment. As they walked, they finally came across the library. Once they were finished with their study session, they decided it was time to pack for the field trip. Ocellus eyed Smolder as she packed, wincing at every noise she made. The orange dragon, currently snoring in her bed, tossed and turned as Ocellus made her way over to her bedside. "Sweet dreams, my dragon." she giggled, as she left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later Smolder woke to Ocellus at her bedside again.

“H-hi, Smolder. Sorry if I woke you up. I brought you some gemstones from the trip.” Ocellus’ ears drooped as she realized the word she let slip.

“Gemstones?!” Smolder instantly shot up in excitement before bringing herself to reality. “Wait, trip?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“W-wait! Please don’t get mad.” Ocellus whispered shyly, putting the bowl of gemstones at her bedside table. “We went on a last minute field trip to the Dragonlands...” she continued.

“The Dragonlands?!” Smolder shot up again before Ocellus put her hooves on her chest, lowering Smolder back onto the bed.

“I told you not to get mad!” She whispered, tucking her back in. “That’s why I brought you the gemstones.”

“So, you went to the Dragonlands.... without me? Why?” Smolder wasn’t hurt more than she was puzzled. She didn’t think just because her wing was dislocated that she had to miss out on what would’ve been a totally awesome trip to the Dragonlands. She put a claw to her chin in thought.

“Gallus said since you were taking a nap that you wouldn’t want to be woken up, so I didn't to wake you...” Ocellus timidly pressed her hooves together while looking away. Smolder snorted a bit after hearing Gallus' name. They were friends, of course. Just a friendly rivalry. Sometimes, however, they'd end up taking it too far.

“Damn it.” Smolder grumbled as she reached for a gemstone and took a bite out of it. She ate another, and then another, until the bowl was empty.

“S-sorry, Smolder. I didn’t realize you were this hungry.” Ocellus glanced at Smolder who had her hands behind her head, looking up at the ceiling. “Y-you’re not mad, are you?” Ocellus scooted a bit closer to Smolder as she sheepishly smiled at her.

“No. Why’d I be mad at he simple thought that my friend abandoned me because my other friend suggested it? Doesn’t seem like something i’d be mad about. I’m just Smolder, your dragon fiend who doesn’t like to be bothered.”

“Smolder, I’m sorry we left you here!” Ocellus’ voice raised. “I just thought that Gallus’d know better!”

“Yeah, sure, because Gallus is the one who knows me best. Gallus is the one I spend countless hours with, the one I have secret tea parties with.” Smolder’s voice turned into a yell. “The one i’d absolutely refuse to admit to that I had a crush on-!” She stopped abruptly, cheeks glowing a bright red.

“A c-crush on who?” Ocellus leaned closer to Smolder, making her blush more.

Smolder sighed before lowering her voice. "N-no one. Just go away."

“Smolder?” She asked, a hoof brushing her shoulder. Smolder turned over, bringing the cover with her, before she spoke in an utterly bitter and emotionless voice.

“J-just leave me alone, Ocellus. I just need some space.” Smolder winced as she felt somecreature staring at her. She sighed. "Now I just wanna die. I think professor Applejack has some cider left." She mumbled. Ocellus looked at Smolder once more, deciding to obey her wishes. Or so she thought.

Ocellus trotted to Twilight’s office. She timidly pushed the door open. Twilight looked up in surprise before Ocellus looked at her hoof and started prodding it on the floor.

“Sorry, headmare Twilight...” she started, lifting her hoof up and placing it somewhere else on the floor.

“Hello there, Ocellus. What can I do for you?”

“It’s about Smolder.” Ocellus said as she trotted up to Twilight’s desk. “She’s... not herself...”

“Well, what happened to Smolder that made her not herself? Do you know?” Twilight asked, levitating a paper and quill, taking notes.

“I think she’s depressed, actually. S-She.... kind of implied she wanted to drunken herself...” Ocellus trembled at the thought. Twilight gasped.

“Why would Smolder want to do that?! Did something happen to her?” Twilight panicked, beginning to prod Ocellus for answers.

“She was upset that we went to the Dragonlands without her. After that... she was at a total loss of energy.” Ocellus replied, tearing up at the thought of her friend dropping her personality so quickly.

“Maybe we should check on her, just to be sure.” Ocellus nodded as Twilight’s horn lit up and teleported the both of them to the outside of the dorm room. After realizing it was locked, she teleported them inside. “Smolder?” The lights were off, the windows closed, and the curtains shut. Several bottles of cider were scattered across the floor. Ocellus picked one up and started to count the x's. “Smolder, we just want to make sure you’re alright!”

“Go away. I just wanna die.” Said Smolder, under the covers of her bed. She twisted and turned, but to no suffice, she just lay there, motionless, save for the rise and fall of her chest. Ocellus rushed to the foot of her bed.

“Smolder, please! I just want to make sure you’re okay!” She placed her hooves on Smolder’s shoulder. “Smolder?” She asked, one more time before a rustle of the covers threw her off. She saw a claw grab at another bottle of cider with three x's, and then more silence.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She huffed, before drinking the cider bottle and tossing it on the floor. She swung at another bottle before Twilight levitated it away from her. She growled as she wrapped herself in the covers yet again.
“Smolder, you’re not fine. You just told me you wanted to drunken yourself and die.” Ocellus teared up as she wrapped Smolder in her hooves. “I can’t stand to see you like this...” she continued. “Please...” She uttered three last words. “I love you...” Ocellus felt a struggle under the covers. It was Smolder. Her eyes were bloodshot red. Her scales messy. She looked completely disheveled. She picked up a glass of Applejack Daniel's before examining it. She opened it and took a sip before looking at Ocellus. "S-Smolder?" Ocellus asked before wrapping her hooves around her again and nuzzling her chest. "Please, Smolder! Stop! I don't wanna lose you!" She sobbed.

"Smolder, Ocellus is right. Where did you get all of this, anyway?" Twilight scolded, but Smolder stayed silent, looking down at Ocellus. She looked at her Applejack Daniel's before looking to Twilight again. And before she could say anything, she blacked out. Unable to move, she collapsed onto the bed, the whiskey spilling all over it. Ocellus gasped.

"Smolder!" She gasped before Twilight teleported the both of them out of the dorm. "Headmare Twilight! We've got to go back in there!" Ocellus sobbed. Twilight shook her head and spoke.

"The only way she'll be okay is if she rests. There's absolutely no way we can help her." Twilight said, shaking her head. "But I have a feeling friendship best comes through at times like this." Twilight walked up to the door and rested her head on the wood. "I can't believe Smolder was so upset. And over a field trip."

Ocellus looked down. "It... wasn't just about the field trip." She said, getting Twilight's attention. "She kind of... implied she liked me. Like, liked-liked me. I-I don't think I answered quick enough." She said, prodding her hoof at the ground as tears welled up in her eyes again.

"It's okay, Ocellus. I can imagine how embarrassing it must be to admit you have a crush if you're like Smolder." She chuckled. "But Smolder's going to be alright, okay?" Ocellus nodded, rushing up to hug Twilight. She returned the hug with a smile. The both of them trotted to Twilight's office while discussing the history of Equestria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Smolder woke up with a hangover. She couldn't see straight, she wanted to go back to sleep, and most of all, she most definitely didn't remember what happened last night. Looking around, she found Ocellus at the foot of her bed. She gave her a look of confusion before she saw sheepish smile spread across her face. Ocellus trotted over to Smolder's bedside, both excited and nervous now that she woke up.

"S-Smolder? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have this massive headache and-" she was cut off by a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ocellus exclaimed, crying tears of joy. She let go of her scaly friend before backing up a little. She trotted to the foot of her bed, watching Smolder trying to straighten her scales, failing. She couldn't help but admire the adorable little hiccup in her voice when she talked now. She admired Smolder, just in her own little world, trying to remember why she had a headache.

"Why? What happened?" Smolder looked around, seeing a multitude of cider bottles and shattered glass. She then remembered drinking a whole bottle of Applejack Daniel's before trying more cider. After that, she couldn't stand sunlight, so she closed the curtains. The drink caused some unexpected mood swings like anger, so she smashed the bottles. After remembering all that, she got a headache. "Oh... right."

Ocellus finally saw Smolder rubbing her head, noting that she was probably aching so much she couldn't bother to move. She then decided she probably needed more rest. "Alright, hot stuff, I think that's enough cider for a week. Anyway. Try and get some rest, okay?" Ocellus turned to look at the door, then back at Smolder. Before she got the chance to walk away, she felt something grab at her rear. It was Smolder, pulling her into the bed.

"Sorry I kinda trashed your bed. You can sleep with me if you want." Smolder said. She wrapped her arm around Ocellus, bringing her closer to her chest. Ocellus smiled, then blushed.

"Thanks. I'd like that." She said before snuggling up to Smolder.

"Oh, and by the way, Celly," Smolder said before drifting off to sleep. "I love you too."

Author's Note

Nothin' to see here. Just a story about my favorite lizard and bug. Anyway, after I finally frickin finished this story, (Took me a week though let me know if the trashy bits are too trashy) Sorry if there were it was kind of a plot twist where Smolder got drunk, but, I just kinda wanted to spice it up a little. I hope you enjoyed the story. I also hope you got the Applejack Daniel's reference! You can all go home now.