Silent Canterlot

Smolder roamed the eerie hallway of the school of friendship. In her claws, she held a wooden plank and a pocket radio. A flashlight was strapped to her chest. She walked slowly down the grey hall... the hall that seemed without end. There was that feeling… the feeling that somepony, or something, was watching her...

Her heart skipped a beat as the radio started to give off static. She raised the wooden plank, trying to ignore the tremor in her legs.

The darkness in front of her lunged, revealing a mangled and bloody dragon. The dragon had rusty chains wrapped heavily around its neck, and what might have been the hands were bloody and sharper than swords. Its eyes were dull and without life. Smolder, normally such a tough dragon was quivering, slowly turning into a mess.

"S-stay back!" Smolder warned, "Don't make me do this!"

The declining dragon did not need her warning. It growled and scraped the wall with the tip of its left scissor hand. It was a threat.

"I said stay back!"

It didn't seem to hear or acknowledge her. Instead, it lunged at Smolder, roaring. She evaded the attack and hit to the head with her wooden plank. The dragon stumbled back, visibly stunned. Smolder rushed in, bashing the plank into the other dragon's head again, and again until the creature gave a small, defeated moan.

Smolder panicked. Her body started to sweat like there’s no tomorrow, her legs trembling and she can’t help but feel like her impending doom is here to snatch her away... She turned around to the other side and see that more of them have cornered her. She blew fire from her breath in one last attempt to save her scales.

It didn't work. Smolder completely forgot that dragons are fireproof. She finds herself stabbed through the chest by two scissor hands, and another stabbed her stomach.

Smolder screamed in agonizing pain. She begged for mercy in a desperate tone in one last attempt to save her scales. "Let me go! Please, I beg you! I don't want to die!.

Smolder felt hopeless and afraid, she felt her resolve fading away. The monsters did not need her pleas for mercy. She felt the claws pulling away from her open wounds. Her vision slowly faded, seeing the bright light that envelops her sights. The sounds of chains wrapping around her was the last thing she heard before everything went black.'

Smolder woke up screaming, The other creature in the room, a sea-green changeling, woke with a start.

"Smolder! Are you okay!?" Ocellus asked, voice thick with worry.

Instead of answering, Smolder buried her head into Ocellus's shoulder and sobbed. Ocellus drew her into a hug, trying to calm the frightened dragon.

"Shh, it's okay Smolder. I'm here." The changeling cooed.

"I-I had a nightmare again. Those things, they kept chasing me and…"

Ocellus kissed her forehead, still embracing the shaking dragon. "I think we need to talk to Counselor Starlight. You've been having the same nightmares for the past five days now, Smolder."

"No!"

Ocellus pulled back, looking at her girlfriend's eyes.

"I-I mean, no thank you, Cel. "I-I mean, no thank you, Cel. It's just... I'm too afraid to talk about.. you know.. with others that I can't trust. I only tell you these things because we're together, and.. I trust you."

"And right now, I need you to trust me that talking to Counselor Starlight is the one thing we need to do. She knows how to deal with these things more than I do."

Seeing that there was no other option, Smolder crossed her arms, grumbled and nodded. "Good. Now, wait here while I brew some tea." She smiled and winked.

Ocellus left for the kitchen, leaving Smolder alone on the bed. Her mind kept replaying the horrific sights she’d just seen. She couldn’t help but tremble at the memory of the attacking dragons dragging her into the abyss, to turn her into one of them.'

She took out a gem and ate it, trying to calm her nerves." It was one thing for a dragon to have nightmares, but it was another for a dragon to be plagued by them night after night, Smolder thought to herself. Opening the window, she took a deep breath and gazed at the moon to try and shake off the nightmare from her thoughts.”

The sounds of crickets chirping, river flowing and owls hooting somewhat calmed the dragon's nerves somewhat as she chewed on the gem. Smolder's mentor, Dragonlord Ember, had taught her that gazing up at the moon's beauty can calm even the toughest dragon's nerves down. She can't help but smile at the thought, the first time she and her mentor gazed upon the moon and the stars, appreciating their natural beauty.

"Tea's ready!" Ocellus announced, slowly trotting out of the kitchen while carefully levitating the tray of tea to the coffee table

Smolder took her cup and carefully sipped the warm drink. "Thanks, Cel."

Ocellus blushed and sipped her tea as well, joining Smolder in gazing out at the stars.

Both creatures gazed silently at the stars and the moon, sipping tea once in a while. They stayed like this, living the moment together until Smolder broke the silence

"Do you think that being scared makes me less of a dragon?"

"Of course not, Smolder! Why would you think of that?"

Smolder took another sip, "Well, dragons are supposed to be tough and mean. Not scared and worried. Lately, that hasn't been the case with these nightmares.

Ocellus nuzzled her cheek, "Smolder, you are a dragon no matter what others think of you. You are unique in your own way, just like how unique Dragonlord Ember is!"

"I know what you mean, Cel. It's just… the nightmares. They're all the same. I would find myself in the hall back in school, surrounded by these gnarly undead dragons. It ends in me being turned…. Turned to…” Smolder stifled a tear.

“Remember, it’s not real Smolder. But what is real is that this has become a problem for you, and right now, Counselor Starlight is the only pony who can handle your situation.”

Smolder smiled at Ocellus, pulling her in an embrace. “Thanks, Cel. You’re the best.”

“Now, let’s finish drinking tea and head back to bed! You don’t want to look sleepy when we visit Counselor Starlight this morning.”

Smolder and Ocellus stood right in front of Starlight’s office door, with Smolder fidgeting her fingers nervously. “Are you sure we should still do this, Cel? I-I’m still not confident about… sharing things. Dragons don’t do this kind of thing.”

Ocellus patted Smolder’s back, “Of course we should Smolder. How else are we going to fix the problem? I’m confident that Counselor Starlight will find a solution to your problems with nightmares.”

Smolder stood there in silence, thinking about the prospect of asking Starlight for help.

“I’ll be there with you, trust me. If you’re going there, I’ll be with you.” Ocellus pulled Smolder for a quick hug.

She then sighed and smiled, “Alright, Cel. I’ll do it. Thanks.” With that said, she knocked three times on the door.

“Come in!” Starlight said from inside.

Smolder opened the door and walked in, holding Ocellus’s hoof for comfort. “Ah, hello Smolder and Ocellus! Please, take a seat!” Starlight said cheerfully.

Both students sat down on the couch, making themselves comfortable as best as they could. “So, what seems to be the problem?”

“I…” Smolder paused for a while, clearing her throat, “I-I’ve been… having trouble getting proper sleep this past week because of nightmares.”

Starlight then used her magic to make a cup of tea while talking to Smolder, “And what are these nightmares that you see in your sleep? Is it about school? Grades?”

Smolder shook her head, “No, not one of the things you mentioned is what’s bothering me. It’s… it’s somewhat different.”

Ocellus placed a hoof on Smolder’s back, nodding her head as an affirmation that she is there with her to spill the beans.

“It’s okay, take your time Smolder. I know how difficult it is for you to share things, especially about what’s bothering you. I learned a bit about dragon culture and history, so I can understand why it takes you a while to share what’s bothering you.”

Starlight then placed two small Sugarcubes in the teacup, mixing it with her teaspoon before setting it down on her desk. “Tea?” Starlight offered.

Smolder thought about it for a bit, before nodding and accepting the cup of tea that Starlight made for her. She took a quick sip in order to calm down her nerves, and looked at Ocellus, then back at Starlight.

“It’s about me, dying.” Smolder shuddered, which caused Starlight’s eyes to widen up in surprise.

“Your nightmares are about you dying?” Starlight asked to be sure, to which Smolder nodded in confirmation, “I see. And if it’s okay to ask, who are the ponies or creatures that wanted to, um… you know…”

“Dragons, but they seem to be devilish in their appearance. They have these… sharp Scissorhands and their jaws are a bit mauled.” Smolder then took another sip, letting Starlight process the new information.

“I see. Have you been reading spooky comics lately, Smolder? Something about like, oh I don’t know, Zombies and Goblins?” Starlight inquired.

“Well, I have been reading this one comic about a Dragon venturing an abandoned castle in search of treasure. She then encountered ghoulish dragons and zombie ponies on her adventure.”

“Then that seems to be the cause of your Nightmares. Perhaps taking a break from these kinds of comics is a good thing.”

Ocellus nodded, “She’s right, Smolder. Perhaps it’s time to stop reading those horror comics for a while, don’t you think?”

“I suggest taking a short vacation with Ocellus and your friends. A picnic outing, for example, or a trip to Canterlot and watch a theatrical play. I heard that Princess Celestia’s been handling a few plays ever since the last one!”

“That’s a great idea! What do you think, Smolder?” Ocellus asked with a big smile.

“Yeah… That is a good idea, indeed! We’ll definitely do that. Thanks, Counselor Starlight!”

“You’re welcome, Smolder,” Starlight then pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to Ocellus with her levitation, “Here’s a permission form. Have your friends write their names and signature of their parents or guardians before you head out on a small field trip like the one I mentioned earlier.”

“We’ll do that. Thanks again, Counselor!” Smolder then drank the remaining contents of her tea, before setting it down on the desk and stood up. “Just… please don’t tell Dragon Lord Ember about this.”

Starlight giggled softly, “I won’t Smolder. Promise. Now go on ahead and get that paper signed, and remember to have fun!”

Both creatures nodded as they walked out of the room. Unknown to the three of them, a hooded figure stood by the fields as it watched the two young creatures leave the room.

The figure then walked away, before disappearing into thin air.