To Find is to Lose...To Lose is to Find.
Ocellus glanced up from her book as the clock near her chimed. Midnight. Ocellus blinked a few times. Had it really been that long already? The changedling set her book down and rubbed her eyes. Getting lost in a book was one thing but to really loose track of time this bad...
Ocellus got up and stretched out. A breeze suddenly blew past, ruffling her T-shirt a bit as well as her sweat pants. The cool summer air was refreshing but it was also a reminder of just how late it was. A sounds of a yawn brought her attention over to the other side of the room. Smolder was just finishing up some sort of novel about Dragons and their known history.
Smolder shook her head. "Jeez, who knew we had so many backstabbers when it came to leaders?" Ocellus let out a small chuckle. Her Dragon friend had been looking visibly annoyed and even distant at times whenever she would glance over.
"Changelings were no better. Lets just say Chrysalis wasn't the only queen to have a massively failed conquest." Ocellus walked around and began to blow out some candles. The Tree House of Harmony had some natural lighting but nothing beat a good old candle. "Should have enough to make a decent speech about our old culture."
Smolder stood up and stretched out. Her breasts bouncing slightly in her tank top while she removed a leaf that had gotten stuck to her baggy jeans. "I'm just happy you convinced me to get the reading done sooner. I always thought Dragon's didn't really have a culture but apparently we do. Though our old culture to be honest, kind of sucked."
Ocellus finished blowing out the last candle and walked over to join her friend. "Guess that is what happens when you come from cultures that only recently started picking up on Friendship."
Smolder smiled and nodded. "True enough." The dragon looked like she wanted to add something but quickly shook her head. "Now we should probably start heading back. Something tells me we wouldn't hear the end of it if our friends woke up and found out we never came home last night."
"Right... Oh shoot." Ocellus glanced out the window. Her expression looking wary.
"What is it?" Smolder asked glancing out the same window behind her.
Ocellus turned back to Smolder. "Forgot to bring a flashlight. I could use a spell to light up my horn but I'm not very good about energy consumption yet. I could risk tiring out half way back. We are going to have to rely on the moon but the Everfree is thick. This could be a really tricky walk back." She winced. "We could get lost very easily in there."
Smolder rolled her eyes. "Come on, we should know these woods like the back of our claw or in your case, hand. I'm sure we'll be fine."
Ocellus looked unsure but shrugged her shoulders. "Well if your confident. Then please, lead the way." Ocellus gestured to the door and Smolder confidently began to walk forward. Ocellus followed close behind as Smolder walked out of the castle ruins and across the bridge. Once the two became swallowed up the woods though, Smolder's confidence began to falter.
She could barely see the path. This was odd. Her eyes normally built for this sort of thing, being able to see in darkened caves. But this was like a whole different level of darkness. Like the forest itself was darkening around them. The tree's themselves seeming to lower and close in around them. The normally sounds of the woods could not be heard. Just the sound of them walk and the occasional sounds of a distant creak of wood. Smolder pressed on, seeing a breaking in the trees with moonlight shining down, hoping that this would allow her to get her bearings.
But once she entered the area, she felt her heart sink. Nothing looked familiar. Smolder looked hard into the woods. Aside from the endless trees, she could not spot the usual trail. There was however, something that seemed to be glowing green but she couldn't quite make it out. She blinked and it was gone though. Smolder glanced around her. She suddenly had the distinct feeling she was being watched.
Ocellus, picking up that something was wrong, put a hand on Smolder's shoulder. "Hey are you alright?" Smolder nearly jumped at the touch and backed away a few feet. "Fine!" She said quickly. She thought for a moment then added. "I mean, fine. Just needed to get my bearings for second there." Smolder turned and acted like she recognized the tree they were standing near. It was clear her friend wasn't buying it though.
Ocellus sighed. "We're already lost aren't we?"
Smolder looked back at Ocellus, clearly annoyed. "We are not lost. Just simply taking a new route home!" Smolder could feel a bit of panic starting to well up but refused to show it. Dragons don't show panic after all. Smolder took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Hang on, let me just fly up and I will prove to you that we aren't that far from the path."
Ocellus slowly nodded. "Alright, let me know if you see anything."
Smolder quickly took off and hovered just over the tree line. She felt her heart drop as she twisted around. "No, that can't be right. We only just left the Tree House a few minutes ago." Smolder scanned around but saw nothing but trees of varying size in all directions. No sign of where they came from and no idea of were the path they left was. "I must be having an off night. The trail should be close by. At the very least I should be able to see the Tree House. What is going on with these woods?!" Smolder closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No, I need to stay focused. Can't panic now. Got to stay cool."
Smolder flew back down and confidently pointed towards where the moon was. "Just got to walk in the direction of the moon. It was right in front of us when we left. So if we follow that, we will be just fine."
Ocellus cocked her head. "Are you sure about that? Could have sworn we had our backs to it when we left."
Smolder felt her body falter a bit. Her claw fell to her side. "Sure I am sure." She said while trying to hide the fact that her heart was starting to beat faster. Smolder strode forward and soon the woods swallowed them up again. As the forest became dark again, the orange Dragon found it harder and harder to keep track of her footing. Low hanging branches kept finding their way to her face and rocks threatened to make her trip. Eventually, a rock got lucky and managed to send her face first into the dirt. "Oof."
Ocellus rushed to help her up. "Oh my gosh, Smolder are you alright?!"
There was a pause before she quickly rolled over. "Ah... Fine... Just fine. Gonna take a lot more than that to hurt a Dragon." Smolder quickly jumped back up and brushed the dirt off her. "Just gotta keep moving. I am sure we will be seeing the end of these woods soon." Her voice cracked at the end. She hoped Ocellus didn't notice though.
Ocellus looked worried but decided not to say anything. At least not yet.
Smolder now trying to look even more confident than she was, quickly ran forward... Only to slam into a low hanging branch, get close-lined and find herself suddenly falling down a small but steep decline. "Buck!" She cried out as she tumbled down, managing to snag a thorn bush on the way down, crash against the side of a tilting tree, and finish off with a landing into a thankfully softer, no thorny bush.
Smolder lay there for a moment. Trying to catch her breath. Ocellus, unsure if her friend was hurt or not, quickly glided down the steep drop off. She landed next to Smolder, who waved her off after landing there. Ocellus reached out. "Please, let me just make sure you didn't bruise something."
Smolder growled. "I'M FINE. Dragons are tough. We don't know the meaning of the word pain!" Smolders voice cracked at the end and this time, Ocellus did notice.
Smolder slowly rolled off the bush and stood up. Ocellus winced as she looked at Smolder's sorry state. Her tank top had a large hole the left side while the strap on her right was broken. The Dragon's baggy jeans fared no better with two large holes around her knees and a large cut over her right thigh. She was also coated from head to toe in dirt. Smolder did her best to brush it all off. "Ya see?" She gestured to her body. "Not a scratch on me."
"Sure maybe not on your body... But I would say your clothes are another story." Ocellus said quietly.
Smolder dusted herself off. "Ah, its no big deal. Got more at home. Besides, Dragons aren't nearly as prudish as Ponies."
That time, Smolder actually was confident with that statement. Sure that fall sucked. Probably did actually bruise something. But her wardrobe was something she really could care less about. She glanced back at her friend and was about to say something when she realized her changedling friend seemed to be staring at something.
"What is it?"
Ocellus stared longingly off into the woods before looking at her friend. "Hmm... Maybe nothing. Not sure... Maybe we should look for an opening and just fly the rest of the way."
Smolder was about to object when she realized that probably was the smarter move. She had been so focused on getting back on track, she had forgotten there was an easier solution.
Ocellus pointed to a clearly nearby and Smolder nodded. Just as the two found themselves staring at the moon again, the sound of a stick cracking caught their attention.
Both turned to see a pair of green glowing eyes. There was a low growl of a wolf but with the sounds of creaking wood as it moved closer to them. She had heard the stories of the creatures that roamed the Everfree. Even so, seeing on up close like this, Ocellus went wide eyed. "Timber Wolf!" She turned back to here friend, well aware of how dangerous these creatures are... Also that they tended to work in packs.
Smolder glanced up at the sky. "Time to go." The Dragon jumped up into the air extended her wings and immediately felt her right wing experience an odd sensation. A weird almost numbing experience. Smolder soon felt her body fall back towards the earth after having only jumped a foot or so. She did her best to land on her feet and not stumble as she glanced back at her wing. There appeared to be a small stick of thorns stuck on it. "Uh, Ocellus?"
Ocellus, who was watching the Timber Wolf slowly inch towards them, glanced over at her friend and then at her wing. "Oh no, Smolder. That looks like thorns from a Derpy Plant. Contact with it's thorns can cause numbness or disorientation. The effects are said to last several hours!" Smolder removed the thorns and muttered something Ocellus couldn't pick up. Sounded like a string of curses though. She glanced back at the Timber Wolf and realized that two more sets of eyes had appeared. "If you can't fly that's fine. I should be able to scare them off."
Ocellus erupted into a blue flame as she focused on turning into Ursa Minor, hoping that would be enough. But as the flames left her body, she noticed something was off. The flamed danced over her but her magic didn't feel right. Smolder watched as her friend changed... Into Ocellus. "What?" Both said at the same time.
The Timber Wolves began to work their way closer. Ocellus wracked her brain, trying to figure out why her magic wasn't working. Did she come in contact with some sort of plant? Was there some species of Timber Wolf that had anti-magic properties? Was it the Everfree itself?
Smolder grabbed Ocellus' arm. "I don't know what's going with you, but we can't stay here. We need to run, now!"
Ocellus stared back at Smolder for a moment. Fear was beginning to grip her but as she stared back at Smolder, she felt something stir inside her. The changedling nodded and soon both took off in a dead sprint. Smolder taking the lead as Ocellus stayed close on her heels.
The sounds of Timber Wolves howling while branches cracked behind them kept them moving at a brisk pace. Suddenly, Smolder felt the ground shift under her feet. She managed to steady herself as she slid down into a ravine. Ocellus wasn't so lucky as she tumbled down, sliding on her back for a bit before splashing into a small stream at the bottom.
Smolder managed to slide right into it while keeping her balance. Now up to her knees in water, Smolder turned to help her friend up. Ocellus coughed as Smolder helped her friend to her hooves. The changedling shook slightly, cold water dripping from her body. A section of her right pant leg had been completely ripped off, leaving her exposed just below the knee. Her shirt clung to her body as she tried to take a step forward. The two slowly waded their way across. The Timber Wolves were quick to catch up but stopped at the stream.
Once across, the two creatures stopped to look back. The Timber wolves stared at them for a moment before taking off down the stream, most likely looking for a way to cross. Ocellus remembered something about them having trouble crossing bodies of water due to their wooden bodies. They were too light and likely to get stuck floating down the stream.
Smolder started legging it up and out of the ravine. "Come on, we need to put some distance between them and us."
Ocellus nodded, her body shaking as her mind tried to catch up. Survival seemed to be top priority but after all this was over, she knew she was going to need some time to process everything. Fear and adrenaline were currently driving her body at this point.
Soon the two reached the top and began to run again, unsure how long they had till the Timber Wolves found a way across. The two ran through the thick foliage and just as Smolder was about to clear it, she heard her friend cry out. The Dragon turned around and saw her friend's shirt had gotten caught in a branch, having looped it way through her sleeve at out the back of her shirt, already having torn a small hole through the back. Ocellus was trying to get herself free but other branches impeded her movement.
The sound of howling could be heard in the distance. It was slowly getting closer and closer to them. Smolder tried to help free her friend but it was becoming quickly apparent on what she needed to do. Smolder muttered a quick sorry as she took hold of her friend's left arm and pulled hard. There was a ripping sound as the shirt was torn open but Ocellus was finally free. The two sprinted forward, cutting through the rest of the thicker foliage and finding themselves able to move better as the moon lit up their area.
Both were now in a small clearing. Ocellus glanced down at herself. The forest had not been kind to her ensemble. Her right shoulder was free for all to see, her shirt having been torn open from the sleeve and shoulder portion. Her sweat pants were full of holes including the large portion missing. Her body felt cold from the water and as she stared down at herself, she felt her legs give way as she collapsed to her knees. "Smolder... I can't..." She was breathing hard, finding it hard to catch her breath.
Smolder glanced back at her friend. It was clear she was out of breath and starting to get tired. Never was as big of an athlete as some of her other friends. The orange Dragon glanced back at the woods. It looked like the Timber Wolves had caught up, however, there was now only one pair of eyes looking at them. Smolder wanted to give a sigh of relief but that was soon cut short as she glanced around her and realized, they had surrounded them. Smolder felt fear enter her like never before. Her body was failing to move. She couldn't think. She was frozen in place. Ocellus began to sniffle a bit causing her to look down at her friend.
She was trying to keep herself from crying. Despite everything that had happened so far, despite having been beat down by the Everfree and despite looking like she terrified... She was still trying to put on a brave face for her friend.
Smolder felt her heart stop for moment. Dragons weren't meant to get scared but here she was, terrified. Unable to move. Frozen with fear... And yet... Ocellus was scared. And for some reason, she just couldn't let that happen.
The orange Dragon stood over her friend, she looked all around her as her heart began to race. She took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs. "Stay back... All of you! One step closer and I will show you what a real Dragon can do!"
A Timber Wolf that was currently in her line of sight took a step forward. Then another. It was slowly working itself way forward. The orange Dragon extended her arms out and puffed up her chest, trying to make herself look bigger. Smolder took a deep breath and screamed. "I... Said... STAY BACK!" Smolder felt something in her. A fire rose within her. She thought of Ocellus. The thought of any one of these wolves hurting her. That thought terrified her more than anything. She can't let that happen.
She won't...
Smolder gritted her teeth, planted her feet, took a deep breath... And yelled at the top of her lungs. Fire danced within her very soul. And not just there as she felt something rise up from within her. She gasped and roared. She blew out a fire breath unlike any she had before. Fire so bright it lit up the whole area around them. A flame so large it nearly engulfed the Timber Wolf coming towards them.
Smolder blew with all her might until her lungs ached. And when she finally stopped, the Timber Wolf in front of them was just a bunch of chunks of blackened, smoldering wood. There was a sound of yips and cries as the other two Timber Wolves turned and fled.
Smolder dropped to her knees, trying to catch her breath. There was nothing but silence for a moment as the only sounds that could be heard was Smolder's breathing.
Ocellus, finally managing to get her brain to jump start again, crawled over and hugged her Dragon friend from behind. "Wow, Smolder... That was amazing."
Smolder didn't say a word, she just continued to stare forward, breathing heavily. After a moment, Ocellus put her arms down and leaned over slightly. "Smolder? Are you ok?"
Smolder turned and suddenly hugged her friend, burying her face in her friends shoulder as tears began to run down her face. "Smolder?!"
Smolder shook her head, clenching her teeth. "Please." She hiccuped. "Just let me..."
Ocellus hugged her back. She sniffed and tried to blink away her own tears. "Its ok... You were very brave."
Smolder hugged her friend tighter. "No... I was terrified. I have never been so scared in my whole life!"
Ocellus was silent for a moment before she ran a hand down her friends back, slowly up and down. "Is it... Is it not cool for Dragons to show fear?"
Smolder shook her head. "Its literally ingrained in every Dragon's head at birth that we are the strongest creatures around. And that the strongest creatures don't show fear. That is what that book mentioned too. Every great Dragon, never showed fear." She hugged her friend tighter.
Ocellus gave a small chuckle. "Well, I think your pretty great. Because even though you were afraid, you were still able to protect us. You acted brave even though you were scared. That is something I don't think even I could do." Her shoulder was becoming soaked by her friends tears but she could tell her friend was starting to calm down a bit.
Smolder sniffed, her tears slowing to just a few drops. Her head remained rested against her friends shoulder. "But I saw you. You were trying to look brave that whole time."
Ocellus smiled. "That's because I knew I had a strong brave Dragon to look after me. I figured there wasn't any point to getting scared, so long as you managed to remain strong despite everything. I knew that in the end, because of you, everything was going to be ok."
Smolder felt her heart soar a bit on hearing that. She leaned back and wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. "So I guess we managed to stay brave because of each other?"
Ocellus cheeks began to go slightly red. "I honestly don't think I would be able to get through this awful night without you. You are someone that I have always looked towards for strength. The way you always seem so confident. Whether real or not, I always found inspiring. I really can't help but find you... Amazing. Just one of the many things I love about you."
Smolder locked eyes with Ocellus. "Wait... Are you... I mean, with me?" The orange dragon couldn't believe her ears. Was Ocellus saying what she thought she was saying?
Ocellus leaned forward and planted a kiss on Smolder's cheek. Smolder felt her face burn hotter than any lava pit. "Does that answer your question?"
Smolder felt her heart begin to beat faster, as her mind raced. "I never had... I mean I never felt. But at the same time... Ocellus I... I..."
Smolder shook her head. "Oh buck it all!" She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Ocellus' lips. She held her face there for a few seconds before leaning back again and studying her friends face. "Uh... Sorry. I'm kind of new at this..."
Ocellus shook her head and smiled. "You're doing fine. In fact, let me show you just how good you are doing right now." The changedling leaned forward began to deeply kiss her Dragon friend. She brought her hand up and brought Smolder's body closer, their breasts pushing against each other. Nothing else mattered in that moment. The darkness of the Everfree seemed to give way in that moment. They stayed like that until a glint of light caught Smolder's eyes just behind Ocellus.
Smolder broke from the kiss, causing Ocellus to look disappointed until she raised her claw up and pointed. "Ocellus, do you see that?"
Ocellus and Smolder got up. Both stared into the woods as something glinted through the foliage. Smolder grabbed Ocellus' hand. "Come on, it might be a way out."
Ocellus nodded and soon both were slowly working their way through. Smolder nearly gasped once they reached the other side. Standing right in front of them, was the bridge leading back to the Treehouse of Harmony.
Both stared at each other then back at it. Smolder almost dropped to her knees. "How?!"
Ocellus glanced up at the Tree House. Moonlight was reflecting off of one of the windows. "You don't suppose that was the Everfree giving us a break was it?"
Smolder turned back to the dark woods and almost thanked it. But quickly realized how crazy that was and just simply went for a quick wave. She turned back to Ocellus. "I don't know... It could have also been the Tree. I mean, its probably still looking out for us in its own way. I don't know for sure though. But what I do know is... We aren't traveling back tonight. I don't feel like going through all that again."
Ocellus thought for a moment before nodding. "Agreed. We'll tell Headmare Starlight what happened tomorrow. In the mean time, I think there was a room with a bed towards the top."
Smolder stretch out then glanced down at herself. Her torn attire mixed with a layer of dirt was certainly not one of her best looks. "Forget the bed, I wanna know if this place has a shower somewhere."
Ocellus let out a small chuckle. "You know... there may only be one bed."
Smolder turned and gave her a small grin. "Then its a good thing this Dragon has found a cuddle bug for the evening."
The two shared a laugh as they made their way back. Though the adventure was certainly something they would love the regal their friends about later... Though usually leaving out the crying bits... Smolder and Ocellus would go on to be one the schools most happiest couple.
Author's Note
Strange, isn't it? I usually write clop fics. This was originally planned as a clop fic but then I heard about that Discovery challenge about half way through writing this and realized that so long as I cut out the more naughty bits, this story could work. It was fun taking it a more dramatic style anyways. Hope you all enjoyed.
