The Starswirl Memorial 500

Chapters

Chapter Two: Not a Leg to Stand On
Chapter Three: I See You
Chapter Four: Starry River
Chapter Five: Whoopee Cushions and Unpaid Dues
Chapter Six: Jade Bolt
Chapter One: Just Walk it Off

Chapter Two: Not a Leg to Stand On

"Well, I have to run now, Smolder. Take care! Get well soon!"

Smolder grunted and nodded. Who even was that? Did they go to school together? Maybe they were on the squad, or in Professor Fluttershy’s class. That was napping time, so at least then she’d be forgiven. The entirety of that (possibly) pony’s visit had been spent looking out the window, anyway. When leaves blowing in the trees are more interesting than you are... maybe you should spread out the visits. Like come back next week. Or next never.

No, that wasn't fair. Smolder sighed and glanced at the door just as the tail of the visiting pony (that much was clear. Only pony tails were so ridiculously fluffy) flicked out of sight. A foreleg appeared in the doorway, light brown in color, and waved before gently shutting the door.

As the latch clicked—deafening in this suffocating room—Smolder glanced over at her tray table. It was covered in cards and well-wishes from friends, professors, and other students. The purple one looked new. Maybe that was the one the recent visitor had brought in. It took her a solid minute to reach over and grab it without feeling like she was about to day, and opening it did little to numb the pain in her lower back. The card read like all the others: sappy, poetic garbage to make the sentiment 'Sorry about this' seem fresh and meaningful. Maybe it was meaningful in the pony’s eyes, but Smolder couldn't tell the differences between the cards that meant what they said and what cards had been bought last second from a shop and dropped at her bedside more out of expectation than feelings of the heart.

The name at the bottom did nothing to narrow the suspects down. "Cedar Breeze," Smolder read aloud, sniffing at the air of her room. Unfortunately, she found only the familiar throat-burning stench of disinfectant and the stomach-churning sludgy scent of hospital food. "At least she could have brought a candle," Smolder muttered, placing the card back among the others. They all bled together like a lifeless sea of processed trees. Could it be possible to drown in paper? If they kept sending her cards at this rate, she figured she'd know by the end of the week.

Even leaning her head back against the pillows and arching her neck as much as she could without setting off the fire in her spine provided little solace. Her range of motion in her neck improved day after day, but with each passing day and each knock on the door, it became more and more impossible to crane her head back enough to avoid the balloons and flowers and other displays of pity.

It had gotten to the point where she spent most of her time either staring at the window or at the lifeless lumps under the sheets. But it seemed today looking at her legs was just triggering memories. And with those memories, came the pains. Her jerkwad brain didn't give her the nice smell of grass or the ghost of a breeze on her face. No, the craphead just decided to zap her spine over and over with a poker until she had a splitting headache and felt like throwing up lava. Maybe that'd burn all these cards and get her moved out of this stupid room.

Sighing and swallowing the bolts creeping up her neck, Smolder leaned back and closed her eyes. It was that dead zone of time that always crept by like a sloth-form Ocellus trying to give her side of a debate in speech class. Breakfast—the typical hospital mush of oatmeal and water—had been delivered devoured around an hour before. Then Nurse Redheart had come in and made sure Smolder's sheets were still clean and that nothing needed changing, followed by the usual switching of the IV bags and the pills—some they’d let her drink with water, while others… yeah, she’d just let that be their problem—and of course, there was the always-pleasant changing of her catheter tube. Summed up, a bunch of boring crap.

At least Dr. Stable had skipped over his usual visit to poke at her legs or hit her knee with a hammer or something. He usually followed it up with the usual junk about 'promising' results, but as far as Smolder could tell her legs were as dead as they'd been the week before, and the week before that, and the week before that. She knew the spiel by heart at this point: 'You’re a week or two from being able to begin your physical therapy regimen. We’ll start practicing some stretches and transitions. That'll really promote some signals and nerves and keep your muscles and ligaments healthy.' It all sounded good, but that was it. Sounded good. Laying on this bed, it was hard not to sink. The stretches were just another half-hour to shove her useless legs into the forefront of her mind. And what was the point of getting in the chair if they wouldn’t even let her move the dumb thing?

Yeah, within this 10 to 12 dead zone, the only option she had to keep herself occupied was a nap. No doubt a restless sleep populated by nightmares of her friends' faces as she was wheeled into the hospital awaited her on the other side. Probably some heavy breathing and cold sweats. Fun times.

Just as Smolder screwed her eyes tight and braced herself for the terrors, a knock sounded at the door. Gentle but purposeful. Smolder glanced up, grumbling in response. A moment later, a familiar white unicorn peered through the door, a sophisticated smile on her well-kept muzzle.

"Smolder, dear. Mind if I come in?" Rarity asked.

Smolder smiled, and this one was actually somewhat natural. "Sure, Professor. Have a seat." She gestured to the chair beside the bed, though it wasn't really a gesture. More like a tilt of the head and a grimace, followed by a wiggle of her arm.
Rarity stepped in and sat down, giving Smolder a warm smile. "Dear, how many times do I have to tell you? Outside of school, it's simply Rarity."

"Sorry, Prof... Rarity." Smolder chuckled. "Gonna have to forgive me. That one's gonna take a while."

"And you have no need to rush," Rarity quipped, patting Smolder's bed as she stood and glanced at the walls and counters. "My, my. It's quite the collection you've amassed."

"What can I say?" Smolder said. "Most dragons hoard gems. I guess my treasure's gonna be paper and latex."

Rarity let out a soft sigh but smiled nonetheless. "The thoughts are no doubt as valuable as any gems."

Smolder shrugged. She always wondered if Rarity had these phrases planned or made them up on the spot. It wasn’t important, but when your world is pale green walls and headaches, even the unimportant questions held weight. "I guess," she murmured.

"But," Rarity continued as she placed her saddlebags on the chair and lit her horn, "that doesn't mean that some gems would not be welcome." Dainty blue tendrils of magic undid the buckle to her bag and lifted out two long ropes adorned with jewels of every color of the rainbow. "Okay, dear. Your choice: topaz or sapphires? I made sure to pick only the colors that would match the wall." She frowned, glancing over at a display of blue and yellow flowers in a vase that Roseluck had brought in a day ago. Or maybe Lilly had brought them in a week ago. They were still alive, so Smolder guessed it didn’t matter. "Though I fear those irises may throw a bit off the palate balance."

Smolder tapped her chin with a claw, humming loud enough to disguise the growl of her stomach. "Do I get to eat the leftovers?"

Rarity scoffed, but couldn't hide her smile. "My, my. How rude, Smolder. I put my heart and soul into these and all you want is to snack away?"
Smolder laughed. "Hey, if they're good you can add chef to your list of things you're awesome at."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, young dragon," Rarity said. "But, I suppose I'll let it slide." She gave Smolder a wink, and Smolder smiled. But, as it always seemed when anyone entered Smolder's room, Rarity's smile turned serious as her eyes drifted to the foot of Smolder's bed for just a moment. Smolder bit her lip as Rarity took a breath. "However... have the doctors okayed you for eating something so tough on the stomach?"

Smolder shrugged. "I dunno. They haven't said much about that stuff. Probably something Nurse Redheart would know. Doubt it'd kill me either way. Might actually give me some strength for a change. No way this oatmeal’s giving me enough calories."

"Hmm, well," Rarity said, holding up a rope of gems aloft. "I'll hold on to the 'leftovers' if you will, just in case. I want you to choose which one you'd like me to hang up. Give the room a little bit of sparkle, if you will."

"That or you want to torture me by making me hungry all the time." Smolder laughed before waving a claw. "Nah, it's cool. Um... let's see..." She leaned back against the pillows as she stared at each line of gems. When she looked at the topaz, her mind seemed to fill with the light of the sun, her friends' faces filling her mind as they enjoyed a picnic near the castle lake. The sapphire seemed to drip down her neck and pool in her heart. She looked over at her older brother, Garble, and growled as he threw another yellow sapphire at her head.

'Gonna cry, Moldy,' his voice taunted.

'Nah,' she replied. 'Just gonna shove it up your butt.'

She chuckled as the vision faded with Garble letting out a far-too-high-pitched shriek as he flew around the cave, Smolder right on his tucked tail. She shook her head. "Sapphires. Definitely."

"A very good choice," Rarity said. She levitated the sapphire rope and hung it on the wall over Smolder's bed. The sun's rays bounced off the gems, filling the room with a soft blue and yellow glow as she gently taped it down. "How is that?"

"Good," Smolder said, smiling as the warm light settled over her scales. She sighed and closed her eyes. She could almost feel Garble pulling her in for a noogie. Those were the days. "Thank you, Rarity. They're... pretty cool."

"I'm glad you like them, Smolder," Rarity said. She strolled around the room, picking up a plushie from the nightstand and giving it a once over. "Well, isn't this cute?"

Smolder glanced over at the stuffed whale and the warmth vanished. Some colt named Featherweight had brought it in a few days before. She couldn't stand whales. Never could before, and definitely couldn't now. If he didn't know her, why'd he even bother?

Smolder curled and twisted her bed sheets in her claws as the fire in her gut seemed to refuse to go away. It was just a toy. The thought was what counted. Though how much thought had he really put into it? Clearly, it was somewhere around none percent. She sighed. "Yeah... yeah I guess it is." Rarity wouldn't understand. Heck, Smolder could barely understand what she was thinking herself.

The unicorn glanced over at her, frowning. "Something wrong, dear?"

Smolder opened her mouth but shook her head. "Nothing. Just some pain."

"Oh," Rarity said, nodding and looking at the floor. "I see. Should I get a nurse?"

"No, I think I'm fine. It'll pass." Smolder leaned back and sighed. No way it’d pass when everyone looked at her with those shimmering eyes, but she was ready for a nap and some nightmares. Maybe those would be interesting. "Thanks for stopping by, Rarity. I really do love the sapphires."

Rarity smiled. "You're very welcome, dear." She headed for the door, pausing at the frame and turning back as she looked at all the cards and balloons. "You have a lot of creatures who care about you, Smolder. We're all rooting for you, okay? You've got this, darling." She smiled and gave Smolder a wink. "Kick some butt."

Smolder chuckled. Every once in a while Professor Rarity would let her mask drop just a tad and remind her that she was probably her coolest professor. "Yeah... thanks. I'll try."

Rarity nodded, her smile widening. "Of course, dear. I'll see you soon." She turned and left, nearly bumping into someone or something as she took her first step out into the hall. "Terribly sorry, dear," she said. Before Smolder could hear a response from the creature in question, Rarity leaned back through the door. "Smolder? Gallus is wondering if he can come in. Should I send him away?" There was a twinkle in Rarity's eye, a smirk on her lip. Scales, it was Yona all over again.

Smolder had no doubt her face turned red. The inferno rising in her lungs was enough to prove it. "Yeah sure I guess," she said far too quickly, biting her tongue.

Rarity giggled and stepped aside, dropping her head in an almost-curtsy as Gallus passed by her. The griffon gave Rarity a smile as he slipped inside the room, holding his wing out in a small wave as he glanced around the room with an arched brow. "Uh. Thanks, Professor Rarity." He looked over at Smolder as Rarity began to duck out of the room. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "What's she up to?"

Smolder rolled her eyes. "Matchmaker stuff. You know how it is." She let out a snort and shook her head, a smile coming to her lips as she looked up at her friend. Her best friend. Gallus took a seat on the foot of her bed stretching his wings and crossing his legs as he patted the mattress.

"So," he said, leaning over on his elbow, "how's it going, Legs?"

A dramatic gasp sounded through the wall, followed by a huff as the door to the room opened. Rarity poked her head in, glaring at Gallus. "Gallus Griffon, how could you be so rude?!" she hissed. Gallus let out a squawk, jumping up off the bed, his eyes wide as he spread his wings as if expecting a fight. "You should be ashamed of yourself for referring to dear Smolder in such an offensive manner! Such nicknames are simply not to be tolerated in her condition!"

Gallus blinked and sputtered. "I, uh, ya see, um, I didn’t mean… but uhhh..."

"And eavesdropping's not tolerated in my room in any condition, thank you very much," Smolder said, reaching to and placing a claw on the wide-eyed griffon's wing. "Besides... I kinda like the nickname." She felt her face get warm again.

Poor Gallus glanced down at Smolder with the same wide-eyed look he'd been giving Rarity. He looked more like a cardinal than a griffon as he belched out a string of syllables and glanced between Smolder and Rarity.

Rarity sighed and shook her head, but... Smolder could see her smiling. Oh, you're good... Smolder thought. Rarity nodded to the two. "Well, I suppose it's fine if you are fine with it, Smolder. I'll leave you two alone now." She pointed a hoof at Gallus. "I expect you to be nice to Smolder, Gallus Griffon. I WILL know if you step out of line again."

Gallus nodded frantically. "Yes, Ma'am," he squawked. He gulped and waited for Rarity to shut the door behind her before he looked at Smolder. "You think she's still out there?"

"Probably," Smolder said with a shrug. "But screw her, it's your nickname. I like it."

Gallus blushed as he sat back down on the bed, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean... yeah. It's kinda mean now that I think about it. Just griffon humor, I guess. Dark humor and jabs, ya know. Like the nicknames we’d give each other in Professor Dash’s class back in freshman year. Guess it’s hard to shake that habit."

Smolder shrugged. "Please, it's got nothing on dragons. Garble'd probably be calling me Cripple Pants or something." She snorted. "Which I am, but still."

"Yeah... don't see the wit in that but..." Gallus shrugged, his smile falling away. His eyes drifted over to the foot of her bed before he quickly looked away. "You hear from him yet?"

"No," she said. "Don't expect to. News travels slow in the Dragon Lands. Plus, it's not really a thing there to 'care' for the wounded. Tough it out on your own, or return to magma." She shrugged, trying to keep her tone light and even, but even now she found herself glancing to the window, hoping to see a dark red, scaly jerk screaming across the sky, straight for her room.

"Jeez, and I thought Griffonstone was rough," Gallus said, frowning. With a grunt and flare of his wings, he hopped out of bed and spun, eyeing the balloons, the flowers, the sapphires. He whistled. "Wow," he whispered. "A bit overkill then, huh?"

"Finally, someone gets it," Smolder exclaimed, loosening her claws' grip on the sheets to throw her arms skyward. "I mean, these are cool and all, I guess, but... like, if Apple Bloom brings me one more apple pie, I'm throwing it back in her face. The first one was sweet; the fifth one, now you're just trying to make me fat." She chuckled. "It's just too much. Especially if I don't know who you are."

Gallus chuckled, picking up a card. "Yeah. I can't say I know any 'Frigid Peaks.' He the guy who runs the ice cream shop downtown?"

Smolder shrugged. "Maybe? I couldn't tell you if it was even a pony who dropped that one off. They just kinda rain down all over the damn place."

"Not seeing anything about free ice cream for life, so I'm guessing no dice there. Ah well," Gallus said, tossing the card back on the sink. "They're nice gestures, but after a while, I'm guessing the meaning wears off, huh?"

"Totally," Smolder sighed. "Like, I'm trying to accept... this." She motioned down to her legs. "But all this stuff they keep sending is just reminding me over and over again. It’s, like... I don't know how to put it into words. It's hard to accept any of this when it keeps feeling new each time they bring something in, I guess. Like the scab keeps getting scratched off." Suddenly, Smolder found herself laughing. "Sorry. Heh, I don't know where all that crap came from."

"Nah, I get it," Gallus said. "I must make a good target for your unbridled rage." He put on a fake pout. "And I thought you liked me."

"Oh shut up and get over here where I can punch you." Surprisingly, he did. Smolder giggled and delivered a light punch to his foreleg. "Take that, Featherbrain." She grinned and shook her head, leaning back against the pillows, catching her breath while Gallus looked through more cards. He picked up one off her nightstand. As he lifted it, Smolder caught sight of the purple iris on the cover. Her heart caught in her chest, blocking her from telling him to put it back down.

Gallus frowned as he opened the card. "With Deepest Sympathy. I'm sorry for your loss.'" He smirked and put the card back. "Jeez, I didn't realize someone had died." He continued to read out loud. "I'm... sorry, Smolder. It’s… my fault… can you ever… oh, man... Ocellus..." His voice drifted off

"I guess they don't have 'Sorry I broke your back' cards at the store." Smolder bit her lip, eying the card. The joke fell flat. It wasn't a good one. Ocellus didn't deserve that. "How are they doing?" Smolder asked, chewing on her bottom lip. "Y'know... Ocellus, Yona... I... I don't know how many times I have to tell them it's not their fault before they get it through..." She dug her claws into her temples and let out a long exhale and stared up at Gallus. It was good to just have him here. Fewer tears and all that, but... she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Ocellus and Yona. Yona at least came by with Sandbar every once in a while. Even if the yak was disturbingly quiet, she was still there. Ocellus, though… goodness, she hadn’t even seen the changeling drop it off. It just appeared one day. “How… how is she doing? Ocellus?” Smolder asked.

"She’s alright," Gallus replied as he gently sat the card back down on the night table. "Well as alright as you’d expect.

"So she's not doing alright at all, then."

Gallus sighed. "No. Honestly, I don't think any of us are, really. Like, this crap never happens to creatures like us. Think about it. In the grand scheme of things, we’re basically still kids. Dozens and dozens of awesome years ahead of us, and yet crap like thi—" His voice cut off as he tripped over a balloon. He picked it up, muttering curses and preparing to pop it. He glanced over to Smolder with a familiar devilish smile. How he could switch emotions so quickly, Smolder would never know. "Should I do it?" he asked.

"I dunno. The Balloon Fairy could get pretty pissed."

"Yeah, but you saw what it did."

"It did look at you funny," Smolder said. "So, yeah. Go ahead. Your funeral. The Balloon Fairy doesn't take prisoners."

Gallus' grin spread ear to ear as he raised his razor-sharp talons. "Work on your material, Smolder. Balloon Fairy sounds like something a two-year-old would come up with." He popped the balloon. Smolder winced. Though the door to her room was shut, she could hear the steady clip-clop of hooves on title rushing down the hall. "Great," she mumbled, "You've gone and pissed off the Balloon Fairy."

Gallus’ eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as he stared at the door. "Wait, I thought you were joking."

The door burst open. In stumbled Nurse Redheart, gasping for breath. She looked around the room, her wide eyes narrowing to slits as they glared a hole into Gallus. "What in the name of Celestia are you doing?"

"Heh heh. Nothing," Gallus replied.

Redheart huffed, pushing the loose strands of pink mane back under her nurse's cap. "I thought Smolder had fallen again." Smolder glared at the mare, crossing her arms. Great. Thanks for letting that cat out, Nurse Dumbheart. To be fair, the pony seemed to realize her mistake, eyes growing wide for a second before narrowing again as she glared at Gallus.

"No. Heh, sorry," Gallus rubbed the back of his neck. "There's just so many balloons in here, I guess I just stepped wrong, that's all."

She crossed her hooves. "Well, you need to watch your step then, young man. There are patients on this floor that require rest. That means quiet. Consider this strikes one and two for the day, Mr. Gallus."

"Sorry," he grumbled. He glanced over to Smolder who was doing a terrible job at hiding her grin. "Jeez, I'm not having a popular day with the mares today, huh?" he mumbled.

"Maybe if you'd follow the rules," Redheart grunted before turning her attention to Smolder. It was like an emotional lightbulb: cold scowl to a warm smile. "You're looking good, dear," she said as she checked Smolder's bed, adjusting her pillows and straightening the sheets. She eyed the monitors and IV bags before nodding to herself. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine, Nurse Redheart." Smolder stretched her arms. "When's the grub getting here?"
Nurse Redheart rolled her eyes. "Didn't you just eat breakfast?"

"Yeah, and I'm hungry again." Smolder patted her belly. It felt weird, only being able to feel only one of her claws against her stomach. Her left hand patted a little lower, closer to her hips. Right near where her injury was. She heard the tap, felt the jiggle of her scales against the claw, but did not feel the claw itself. "What can I say, I'm a growing girl?"

"Hmm," Redheart replied, a skeptical look on her face. "Just remember, your body needs to adjust. The nerves around your stomach might still be a bit... scrambled if you will. Especially with solid foods. I don't believe you want to have another acc--"

Smolder hit her head against her pillows and groaned. "You made your point, Nurse Redheart." In front of Gallus? Seriously, Nurse? The pony was lucky Smolder's pillows were so comfortable or she'd be on the receiving end of a flying one.

“Sorry, Smolder.” Nurse Redheart’s words rang sincere, but the mare smiled through it, and Smolder found her scowl melting away. For a pony, Redheart had a good sense of humor to her. She seemed to understand how dragons dealt with their emotions, or at least, not be put off by it. She joked and was brutally honest when other nurses would put on that far-too-sugary mask of try-hard kindness.

"If you need anything, let me know," she said. She gave one last stern look to Gallus. "Behave."

"Yes, Ma'am."

With that, Nurse Redheart left the room, closing the door behind her. Gallus let out a breath and sat down in the chair next to Smolder's bed. It rolled a little. The wheelchair. Smolder hated it. It sat near her bed, staring her down, poking and prodding at her gut and stirring up a fire she longed to bathe the curtains near her bed in.

"Well... that was something," Gallus said, quelling the spark just a bit. "She's intense."

Smolder nodded. "Isn't it great?"

"Eh. If you say so." He stared at the window. "When did you fall?"

"Like, last week, I think. Maybe two," Smolder replied. "Remember the belts?"

"Oh yeah," Gallus said with a wince. "I thought you were just... y'know. Freaking out or something. Trying to get up and fly around because you're all badass like that.”

Smolder smiled, but it rang hollow. Her voice shook when she finally spoke, "Yeah. Wish it was that. Woke up. My head was swimming. With all the pain meds they pump through this thing"—she tugged on the IV line running into her arm—"it was hard to feel much of anything, so... I guess I tried to get up. Actually managed to scoot myself to the edge of the bed. Not sure if I was trying to get in the wheelchair or stand up. Either way... I fell. Not too hard, luckily. More just kinda banged my knees a little. Was able to catch myself on the bed and press the button. Doc said I was really lucky I didn't cause any more damage, but still..."

"That sucks. I'm sorry."

Smolder took a deep breath, a familiar sting nipping at her eyes. Yeah. It definitely sucked. Everything sucked. "All that haze, when I realized my legs weren't working it was almost like... like the first time again. Like when it happened." She wiped her nose. "But, eh, that was weeks ago. I'm good now."

Silence permeated Smolder's hospital room. Was she good? She honestly felt like she was fine, yet just thinking about little things like the fall rumbled through her chest and burnt her eyes. She'd been so close to screwing everything up. And what then? As if she had any hope left to lose. She took a deep, quivering breath. There was no way she was going to cry in front of Gallus—or in front of anyone for that matter. She was a tough dragon. Only wimpy ponies got choked up.

An odd whooshing sound rattled through the room. Like a skateboard going back and forth on a vert. Smolder glanced over and saw that Gallus had taken a seat in the wheelchair that always sat by her bed. He was pushing himself back and forth with his paws on the floor, staring down at the tiles with an odd look of focus on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Testing it out," he replied.

Smolder snickered. "Uh, it's not for sale, dude. I kinda need that thing."

"Ya sure? Have you given this thing a test ride yet?" he asked.

"Nah. They only let me sit in it and exist. Kinda boring"

"It moves pretty good." Gallus pushed himself across the tiles, skidding to a stop in front of Smolder's bed. He looked up at her, flashing her a smirk. "What do ya say we go for a real spin in this bad boy?"

Smolder blinked. "'Scuse me?"

"This room is as stuffy as a donkey's nose on Nightmare Night," he said, standing up and causing the wheelchair to roll into a pile of deflated balloons. "There's no way you're getting any fresh air in this joint. I've been here two minutes and I'm already feeling claustrophobic."

"You're always feeling claustrophobic. That's nothing new."

"Um, rude," Gallus laughed. He rolled the chair back over to the side of Smolder's bed. "Seriously, dude, when was the last time you got out of this room?"

"Does the bathroom count?"

"It's part of this room, so nope. Besides, it looks like you don't exactly go there much anyway." Gallus winced as soon as the statement left his mouth and he looked down, cringing and punching his own foreleg.

Ouch. Smolder could take most of those griffon barbs, but he just had to bring up her... incontinence. Nurse Redheart had always done a good job of keeping her bag and most of the tubes hidden under the sheets, but there was always a part of it sticking out from under the covers, and the liquid... kinda made it obvious, she supposed.

Still, she could take those barbs. No biggie. The look on Gallus' face told her that her thoughts there had not been well-hidden though. He hissed and kicked the ground. Hard. "Sorry, Smolder. That was a bit too far. Way too far. I…"

"You think?" She punched his shoulder lightly. "Nah, it's all good, Featherbutt. Just... yeah, going off that, I guess… yeah, I’ve not left here at all."

Gallus rolled the wheelchair back and forth in his claws. "Then what's the point of having this thing in here if they're not gonna let you use it?"

"To mock me," Smolder grumbled.

Gallus scoffed and shook his head. "Come on, Legs. Let's blow this joint. You just gotta get down in this thing, right? Well, lucky for you, I’ve been lifting." The griffon flexed his forelegs.

"Calling me fat, Birdbrain?" It sounded good, getting out of the room. But, there always seemed to be a catch. She glanced down towards the end of her bed and pursed her lips. "I'd love to, but..." She pointed to the tubes running up between her legs and arms. "Those things kinda make that a little tricky. I can’t just… get down, ya know?"

"Right," Gallus frowned, looking from the wires and tubes to the door, his bangs brushing against a sagging balloon. "Think that Nurse Redheart would be cool with us taking you for a spin around the halls?"

"Not sure," Smolder answered immediately. "She's pretty strict. She's always peeking in, worrying about me. She's better than the other nurses as far as dragon bedside manner goes, but... yeah, she'll probably say something about getting out of bed too soon damaging my spine or something. Like, I'm already paralyzed, lady. How much more damage could I do?” A lot, a voice in her head responded, but she shook it off. “I'm not gonna die from taking a stroll... or, well y'know, a roll."

Gallus shuddered. "Real talk, and this doesn't leave this room, she's kinda scary." Gallus smirked. "Tell anyone, and I'll make you a quadriplegic."

"Heh, good luck with that, Featherbutt. My claws still work. I'm more likely to put you in one of those things than you are to even laying a talon on me."

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that, Legs." Gallus leaned closer to Smolder, beak curling upwards as he narrowed his gaze.

Smolder grinned mischievously "I would, but I couldn't bear to do any harm to those legs." Wait, had she just said that out loud? Her face reddened. Gallus stared blankly, mouth agape. Oh dragonfire, how stupid could she be?

Gallus' feathers and wings bristled. He blushed, beak mouthing... something as he looked away, coughing.

Smolder cleared her throat. Crap, he was hot when he was flustered. She was a medical marvel: able to stick her foot in her mouth while having no use of it. "Look, I'll press the call button but I doubt it'll do any good." She could use some help, though she doubted Nurse Redheart would be the best choice to talk to about that. She could just picture it now:

'What's the problem, Smolder?'

'Oh, you know: crushing over my best friend, screwing up and flirting with him when I can't run away from the situation. You know, the usual.'

Eh, it's not like things could get worse for her today. Smolder pressed the button, leaving the duo to wait in heavy silence for Nurse Redheart. Gallus kept fidgeting with his talons, looking over at her occasionally before quickly looking away and staring back to the floor. Smolder chose to focus on the lumps where she knew her feet were. Maybe the power of the magic of embarrassment and awkward tension could will a toe into moving. It was worth a shot.

She focused. None of her toes moved an inch. Traitors all.

The door opened. Gallus leapt to his feet, sending the wheelchair sliding into the deflated balloons. He winced as the squeak of wheel on latex filled the room. Luckily these were too deflated to pop without a lot of help. "Heh, that was an accident this time, Nurse Redheart," he said, raising his talon near his heart. "Serious as cancer."

"You don't have to always make jokes, Mr. Gallus. And this is certainly not the place for that one," she chided, walking over to Smolder. "Are you okay, Smolder? Do you need anything?"

Smolder rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the stiff muscles. "Well... Gallus and I were talking, and... I wanted to know if we could, uh, take a walk."

"A walk?" Nurse Redheart placed a hoof on her chin, pondering. "Smolder... I'm not sure. You haven't even practiced transferring from your bed to the wheelchair on your own yet. You’re not even close to ready. Why, you’ve not even practiced using a wheelchair."
"I can help her," Gallus chimed in.

"Yeah, and we're not going to be walking around, like, outside or anything." Smolder glanced over to Gallus, who nodded. "Just to the lobby, then back," Smolder said. “Gallus can roll me the whole way.”

"Hmm." Nurse Redheart frowned, tapping her hoof. "Dr. Stable said that your injury is healed enough for minor movement, but after your fall..."

"That was weeks ago!" Smolder threw her arms up. At least this time she expected the bolt shooting up her spine. It made it easier to take. And what pain she couldn't swallow back, she pushed into projecting. "I didn't break anything. I'm not bleeding."

"We have to be careful, Smolder. Transferring out of bed more times than necessary is far from minor movement. All it takes is one slip up, and you're back to square one." Nurse Redheart argued.

Smolder clenched her jaw. This was hopeless. "I AM still at square one," she groused. "Every day, it's just sitting in here, staring at these cards and flowers. The only highlights of my day are eating and when my bedpan gets changed, cause at least then I'm not just laying here." Smolder sighed. "Just a few minutes, Nurse Redheart. We'll go slow."

"Lobby and back. Just a few minutes," Gallus repeated. "We'll stay within shouting distance of a nurse's station at all times."

"Shouting is against hospital rules, Mr. Gallus."

"You know what I meant!"

"Keep your voice down, or I'll escort you out of here myself." Redheart groaned, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. "Okay," she finally hissed through clenched teeth "Lobby and back." She eyed Gallus. "I will be watching."

Gallus gulped. "Yes, Ma'am."

Redheart turned her attention back to Smolder. "I'll need to adjust your bed for this transfer," she said just as much to herself as to the dragon. "And I'll need to remove your..." She turned to Gallus. "Do you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

"Oh, yeah. Totally. Sure." Gallus' head swiveled around the room. "I'll just... grab something from the vending machine. Either of you want anything?"

"No. Thank you, Mr. Gallus."

"I'll take an Amethyst Pop if they have one," Smolder said.

Redheart at Smolder, expression completely unamused. "Cancel that order, Gallus." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know that'll go straight through you, dear."

Smolder shrugged. "Plain water's messing with my throat. I need some flavor."

"Smolder...," Redheart scolded. "You're not going to have a pouch or pan with you out there. Heck, I'm still concerned that the sudden movement could move your bowels off schedule and..." Smolder cringed at the words. She appreciated that Redheart didn't beat around the bush, and this was talk she'd have to get used to, but ugh if it didn't sound disgusting, even after several weeks. Nurse Redheart shook her head, straightening out the sheets. "If an accident happens... I promise I'm not trying to be mean here, Smolder. I'm trying to save you from embarrassment, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," Smolder muttered, crossing her arms and slumping in her bed. The worst part was she had to admit that Redheart was right. "Just get you something good, Gallus. Alright? If I can't taste it, I at least expect the sweet details."

"Gotcha. I'll be back in a bit." He smiled and left the room.

Nurse Redheart closed the door. "He likes you."

Smolder was well past getting shocked at those comments. She guessed dragons were pretty crappy at hiding their emotions. Her scales tended to tell all. "Yeah, he’s my friend," she said matter-of-factly.

"He's a good boy. And he really cares about you. It's very sweet." Nurse Redheart pulled a pair of purple gloves on and rolled the chair up to the bed. "Maybe you should talk to him.

"What, and risk ruining everything?"

Nurse Redheart chuckled. "Don't waste your life waiting, Smolder. Trust me." With a single motion, she moved the curtains into place, separating them from the rest of the world. "Are you sure you're up for this, Smolder?"

"Yeah," she replied, her heart beating a mile a minute. "I have to get out of this room. Physical therapy's, like still a YEAR away."

Nurse Redheart locked the brakes on the wheelchair. "It's just a few weeks."

"It’s been a few weeks away every week since I got here. Might as well be a century." Smolder took a deep breath. "I'd lose my mind before I got there if I was stuck lying here the whole time."

“And you'll need that healthy to push through PT." Redheart placed her hooves on the covers. "Okay, Smolder, are you ready to start?

"Let's get this over with."

She pulled the sheets back, exposing Smolder's body to the world. From the position her hospital bed was raised to, Smolder was forced to stare at her lower half. The gown covered where the tubes ran, thankfully, but that was where the comfort ended. Below the waist, Smolder saw her legs and feet, her belly, everything below her ribs was there. But that's all it was. They were there. Like a doll or a mannequin. They didn't move, they didn't feel. They were just there.

Smolder closed her eyes and turned her head away as best she could as Redheart lifted her gown to remove the catheter. If there was one good thing about having zero feeling below her hips, it was that she didn't have to feel Redheart remove the tube. If she shut them tight enough, it was almost like it wasn't there at all. But, unfortunately, her nose still worked.

Redheart was gentle and swift, as always. She pulled the gown back down. "Okay, Smolder," she said. The two had silently agreed that would be the cue that she could open her eyes again. "Now, I'm going to make this as easy as possible, and just know I'm only asking this to help prevent any accidents--"

Smolder knew exactly where this was going. The fire burned in the part of her gut she could still feel as she gritted her teeth. "Don't even bother asking. I'm not a baby. I’d rather die before wearing a freakin' diaper!" Smolder covered her mouth with her claws before the final syllable had stopped echoing. "Sorry," she whispered behind her claws. "that was not supposed to come out so loud. I'm sorry, Nurse Redheart. It's just... no. This is embarrassing enough, and I haven't drunk anything in a bit so... five minutes. I should be fine for that long, right?"

"I'd assume so. I was just checking. Now, let's sit you up slowly. I'll raise the bed a little more and then we'll scoot you over."

"Gotcha."

"One... two... three... deep breaths... four... let it out..." Redheart counted off, raising the bed slowly. Smolder gritted her teeth. The pain wasn't so bad, but as the world straightened up around her, it got a little shaky. Like waves on the lake, swaying side to side. She grabbed the railing to steady herself, even though she knew she wasn't falling or anything. Or she didn't think so. She swallowed a burning bile down her throat as the ceiling moved in and out, in and out.

"How are you doing, Smolder?" Redheart asked.

Smolder gulped. "Just... a bit dizzy. Gimme a minute, and I'll be good."

"Okay. Let's just stay here for a moment, okay?" Redheart patted her arm.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"If you need some water, I can grab your cup."

"Not risking it. I like you. I don't want you having to mop up my piss trails."

Redheart let out a snort, covering her mouth with her hoof. "That's... uh, very sweet of you. Thank you." Her laughter was obvious beneath the words.

"Yeah." Smolder leaned forward, pressing her claws into the mattress. Everything was steadying out now. The floor was less ocean and more, well, floor. The room quit its merry-go-round imitation. She took a deep breath, pushing out all the air in her lungs. "Okay... I think I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"We dragons prefer to just rip the band-aid off," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Okay then." Redheart double-checked that the brakes on the wheelchair were locked. Then, she reached out "Alright. Let's get you to the edge." She reached under Smolder's legs, lifting near her shins and rotating her to the edge of the bed. Thankfully, Redheart’s grip kept her from looking down too much. If she saw her legs just swaying all useless... well, it still hadn't gotten easier seeing that.

"So this is it," Smolder said, voice shaking."

“Yes, dear,” Redheart said as she patted Smolder's legs. Smolder still wasn't used to the lack of feeling when someone touched them. She doubted she ever would. "I’d give you a pep talk and some instructions, but I know you. You're going to take this all head-on."

Smolder nodded. Her fingers twitched against the sheets. It was like counting the seconds to get out for Hearth's Warming Break. Just get it over with already so I can have some fun.

Redheart replied. "Now, when you're doing this yourself, I'd recommend sitting sideways. That way, when you swing your legs around, they'll be able to reach the footrests and provide some support for moving your hips and torso. This time, we'll just do this the old-fashioned way." Redheart raised up on her hind legs, placing her forelegs on the mattress and leaning forward. "Okay, dear, wrap your arms around my neck."

"Um, okay." Smolder did so, her stomach turning with each move. Her back hurt with each movement, despite the brace still stabilizing her back and the pillows holding her neck still. She hissed and blinked tears from her eyes as she wrapped her arms tightly around the back of Redheart's neck. "Okay. Ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it." Smolder swallowed heavily. "Please."

"Okay." Redheart slowly moved back and wrapped her forelegs under Smolder's thighs. Smolder gritted her teeth. It was a weird sensation, having someone pick her up, yet not being able to feel their touch. Not the heat of their skin. All she could do was hang on and hope for the best.

Smolder closed her eyes. Redheart pivoted and sat her down in the chair. "Here we are."
Smolder opened her eyes. The bed loomed like a mountain over her. She leaned back against the backrest of the chair, her claws moving down and touching the metal rims of the...

She pulled her hands back. It was like an electrical shock. She gripped tightly at the armrests. If she held on there, she could pretend it was just a normal chair. Not anything she needed, not a chair made for someone who couldn't move on their own.

"You did great, Smolder."

"I didn't do anything," the dragon muttered.

"Smolder," Redheart said, pulling the sheets back onto the bed, and then placing a gentle hoof on the dragon's shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short. You did awesome. These are big steps you’re taking, and as I expected with you, you’re taking them quicker than the average pony—and with more determination and success. But remember to just take it a bit at a time. With these things, rushing is still risky." The pony knelt down near her footrests. "Now, let's get your gown tucked in."

"What, why?"

"To protect your modesty," Redheart replied, matter-of-factly. She reached under the bottom of the gown and pulled it down over Smolder's knees. She then smoothed it out, making sure that everything was covered. "Goodness, your tail makes that tricky."

"It's always had a mind of its own. Even more now, I guess."

A knock came at the door. "Am I cool?" Gallus asked.

"No, you're a dork," Smolder replied.

Redheart rolled her eyes at the snickering Smolder. "You may come in, Gallus."

The griffon pushed the door open. "No 'Mr.' this time? Man, I was starting to like the title. Mr. Gallus. Made me feel important." He walked in. He froze, his eyes widening. He stared.

Smolder squirmed. Karma had hit her once again. Now she was the dork. "Uh, Gallus?"

"Hm?" he asked, shaking his head.

"You, um... okay, dude?

"Oh, yeah." He coughed and scratched the back of his neck. "It's just... it's the first time I've seen you in a..." He shook his head. "Nice wheels. Lookin’ good, Scalebutt."

"Thanks," Smolder chuckled, her cheeks reddening. "So, uh, I guess... are you gonna wheel me or what?"

"Wait, you’re ready now?” Gallus looked at Redheart, then Smolder. “You don't need, like, a blanket or anything?"

"It's not cold," Smolder laughed.

"Can you tell?" Smolder could see Gallus kicking himself the moment the comment left his mouth. He rubbed one foreleg with the other as she giggled.

"I'm good to go."

"Okay." Gallus walked around out of her sight. The chair lurched forward as he took hold of the handles. Smolder jumped a little, gripping the armrests like a hatching worried about falling off a cliff.

"You good?" he asked.

"Always."

Gallus clicked his tongue. The chair rocked forward and back in a few light, short rolls as the griffon took a deep breath. "Well... here goes nothing."

"Gallus, remember--" Redheart began.

"Stay within shouting distance. Yes, Ma'am," Gallus finished. "Five minutes. To the lobby and back."

Redheart nodded. "That's right. Ten minutes. To the lobby and back."

Gallus blinked. Smolder could barely move her neck without her spine screaming out in pain, but she could turn just enough to see the coy smile on the nurse's muzzle.

"Roger that, Ma'am" Gallus saluted, smirking. He took hold of the wheelchair handles. "So, Legs, you ready to get out of this cell?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Featherbutt."

"Great," he laughed. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Remember. Fifteen minutes," Redheart said.

Gallus leaned down as he pushed the chair forward. "She's doing this on purpose, right? What's her game?"

"No clue," Smolder answered, though the heat in her face rose as she spoke. Scales, Redheart really was doing this to her. What a dweeb. "Let's still aim for five anyway, okay?”

"Deal. We're going to be the best rule-breakers there are. True pros like us get in trouble for coming back too early! We're on a level beyond these ponies."
Smolder grinned and shook her head. The wheelchair rolled to a stop at the door.

"Care to do the honors, My Lady," Gallus said. She could see his shadow bow against the doorframe. She took a deep breath. She let the tears brim just a little bit this time before she wiped them away as though they'd never existed. At long last, she was free from this cage.

"Gladly." Smolder reached out, her claws gripping the handle and turning it. The door swung open, the lights of the hallway blaring in. Smolder flinched. The lights were bright, blinding. And when they cleared...

The fire exit door across from her room might have just been the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen in her entire life.

Author's Note

Writing the Gallus and Smolder dynamic is too much fun.

Thank you so much to those who commented yesterday on the first chapter! I read and appreciate every comment (scout's honor: I'll never delete or downvote a comment), and the reception of this story has really been awesome. I did not expect this fic to make it to the featured box--sure, I have a lot of followers, but I also haven't written/posted anything here in several years. Thank you so much for reading.

Chapter Three should be up Monday--I just wanted to get this chapter out relatively quick as it gives a good glance of what the meat of the story will be--and then we'll enter the Monday-Friday schedule.

Thank you again. Have a great one!

Chapter Three: I See You

“Oops.”

“Oops?” Smolder repeated, her cheeks suddenly feeling lighter as she bit the inside of her cheek. ‘Oops’ was one of the last words she wanted to hear when she was sitting in a wheelchair with little choice but to put all faith put into Gallus not screwing up. There were few in her life she trusted as much as that griffon, but everyone makes mistakes. She was a not-walking testament to that. "What did you do?"

“Nothing. No worries,” Gallus said. She heard him grunt as something slid and scraped along the vinyl cushion. “Gah, your tail keeps sliding near the wheels.”

“You better not have run it over.” The range of motion in her neck felt less in less tense with each attempt to shoot the griffon a glare of suspicion, but she still couldn’t quite crane her neck far enough to make eye contact. At least not without pain or dizziness.

“Relax. I bet you would have been able to tell that. You’d definitely have felt the pull in your spine.”

“You sound like you’ve been studying,” Smolder scoffed.

“I have.”

“Huh.” Smolder eyed her shoulder. Gallus’ shadow near the back of the curve was the best view of him she could get at the moment. Even then, she could sense him rubbing the back of his neck as the wheelchair slowly started to roll forward again. “For real?”

“Duh,” Gallus chuckled. “Gotta do what I can to help out my favorite lizard.”

Smolder blinked, surprised at the moisture creeping to the brim of her eyelids. He’d read, he’d studied… for her? That was too cool. “Heh,” she forced a shaky snort. “Nerd alert.”

“Excuse me for caring,” he chuckled. They ventured past a few doors before Gallus slowed the chair to a stop once again.

Smolder frowned. “Why are we stopping?” There were doors on each side of her, closed shut, but she could hear the sounds. The beeping of monitors, the labored breaths, muffled voices delivering news. Probably the bad kind. Her claws scratched against the armrest. She had to keep moving. She had to keep moving.

"Just trying to figure out where we should go," Gallus said, leaning on the handles of Smolder's wheelchair. "This boring hallway?" He turned her chair to a hall that looked not unlike her own. Walls painted an eggshell white lined by nurse carts and chairs before turning to a flanking clone of a hallway. "Or this one?"

"Decisions, decisions," Smolder said as she tapped at her chin, putting on her mask as her finger was driven faster and faster by the hurried pulse thundering in her chest. The sounds were growing louder, and her stomach churned. A few seconds more, and she knew she’d be sick all over the floor. She gave the air a sniff, testing which hall smelled less like a nauseating mix of old eggs and cleaning fluid. That seemed to be the left hall. Less stenches, less chances of turning the freshly-waxed tiles into a Puke ‘N Slide. She cleared her throat, prepared to give Gallus directions when she noticed a figure at the end of the hall, heading their way.

Rainbow Dash.

"Right hall," Smolder said too quickly. "Right hall. Go right, right, right."

"Uh, sure. Wouldn't all those rights just put me back on the left?"

Smolder squeezed the armrests. Her nails dug through the fabric. The soft foam was like fire on her claws."Can it, nerd. Right hallway!"

"Alright, alright. Going right. Sheesh!" he chuckled. He started to turn her wheelchair to the right, but he was slow. Again. It was too late.

"Smolder!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her voice a mix of excitement and shock. The cyan pegasus rushed forward, half-running, half-flying, a grin plastered on her face. "Oh, man! It's good to see you out and about! How are ya doing, girl?"

"Hey, Coach," Smolder said as she glared over her shoulder at Gallus. If only the featherbrain had turned a little quicker. At least he’d done her the favor of moving over enough that she could get him in her line of sight. Way to go, G.

Whatever. Nothing she could do now but attempt to roll away, and she had no doubt that would be a failed escape. Rainbow Dash had seen her, so she had no choice but to talk a little. "Feels good to get some fresh air." She sniffed and gagged. She could roll anywhere, and that stench of antiseptic would be there. She wondered how the ponies who worked here could stand it. She’d take the smell of roses over this. "Well, as fresh as I can get around here."

Dash's smile faltered a little. "I hear ya." She looked over the dragon, taking a deep breath. "Still, it's great to see you out of bed. Didn’t look right, seeing my best cheerer laying there like that.” Rainbow’s wings twitched at her side, one of her pinions twisting the whistle still around her neck. “Maybe I should bring the squad over to say hello again. Heh, preferably without looking like a sardine can. Since you’re out and about, we could go out to the courtyard or something."

Smolder chuckled at that. A genuine one. When Coach Dash had brought the squad over right after her injury, only a fourth of the squad could squeeze its way into the room at a time. It went without saying that Nurse Redheart and Dr. Stable were not fans of this at all. There were still tests to run, tubes and IV bags to switch out, and monitors to check. Eventually, Redheart kicked them all out. Thinking back to it now, that glare the pony gave everyone as she pushed to Smolder’s bed was when Smolder realized she liked that pony. She had the heart of a dragon in her.

That didn't stop Rainbow from constantly zipping by with cards and apologies like everyone else, though. And due to her speed, Smolder swore Coach came by double as much as everyone else.

"Guess that'd be cool, Coach," Smolder said, scratching at the arms of her wheelchair, flicking the bits of yellow foam onto the floor. It would be cool, but there was also a chance that… they’d be there. Yona, Ocellus. She wanted to see them so bad. She wanted to let them know that everything was cool and to tell them to stop beating themselves up and, damn it, she would hug the daylights out of both of them. But she also couldn't bear the idea of seeing their faces. Yona at least seemed to be holding it in the few times she’d shown up, but a part of Smolder knew that the yak seeing her in a wheelchair would be the crack that shattered the dam. Laying in bed, they could pretend it was all going to be alright. Sitting in a wheelchair with her legs no doubt splaying out like the useless hunks of meat that they were? That would be the hit. She could see the yak now, broken, crying, begging for forgiveness. And Ocellus would be ten times worse if she popped in. Honestly, the whole thing would probably just piss Smolder off. It wasn't their fault. It was a freak accident. Could they just get over it?

No. No, they can’t. You’re not even over it.

"So, um," Dash coughed, breaking the silence that Smolder hadn't realized had been growing. New scratch marks lined the armrests. Smolder crossed her arms over her chest. At least her chest scales were more formidable—though she did make sure to cross them where she could actually feel herself scratching if it came to that. "How are things with the… you know? The... uh..." Dash made a motion to her legs, her face shifting from hopeful to unsure.

Smolder shrugged. "Still useless. Can't feel anything below here.” She patted her torso midway down her belly. “Can't move anything either." She reached down and knocked on her thigh. "But I guess that's to be expected."

Rainbow Dash frowned. She looked like she was about to cry. Not the big blubbering tears that some of the others had, but the quiet ones that she always tried to hide. The mare looked back at her own hind legs briefly. "Gah, I couldn't imagine..." she mumbled softly. In that quiet hall, it might as well have been a yell. It definitely rapped against Smolder’s skull like she had shouted.

"Of course, you can't. Not something you can imagine. But then it happens…" Smolder shrugged, squeezing the gown tight. How resilient was the fabric, she wondered. "It's okay though. Honestly, at the moment, I'm just happy to be out of that damn bed for a little bit."

Dash nodded slowly, looking down at Smolder's legs. She took a deep breath. "Hear ya there, girl! I'm glad to see you're in somewhat good spirits. Could always count on you to keep pounding!" She smiled a bit. "At this rate, you'll be on your feet in no time." She cringed. "Well, maybe not... uh... but maybe so... ideally, yeah, but uh, um..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Ugh, sorry. You get the idea."

"I do," Smolder laughed. "I really do, Coach. Do me a favor though."

Rainbow leaned forward, her backend practically rising off the ground. "Sure thing, Smolder. Anything."

"Have the squad run extra laps at practice in my honor. Tell 'em twenty laps around the field is the medicine that'll make me feel better." The smirk on Smolder's lips faltered. "Except, you know... except for Yona and Ocellus. They can have a pass."

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck. "No worries. They, uh... haven't been at practice much anyway. Or… not really at all."

Smolder blinked. "Yeah... yeah, I guess not..." She hugged her arms tight to her chest, hard enough that she thought her sternum would snap. That’d be something. She wondered if Dr Stable would be pissed if she did that or just impressed. At the moment Smolder would take any scolding though. If she hadn't gotten hurt, her friends would be just fine. If only she'd stepped out of Ocellus' way...

If you'd done that, she'd probably be the one in this chair, Smolder thought to herself. The image of Ocellus’ eyes, hollow and broken as she stared at her, flashed in her mind. It was so real she could almost feel the hot tears burning her scales. She shook her head, hoping to clear her thoughts, but it didn't help. Instead, she stared at her legs. She touched them again. Just in case. Still nothing. But it got her mind off of Ocellus, at least for a moment.

"Look, I gotta run back to school. Gym class starts in, like, a couple minutes. Gotta keep those Freshmeat in line, y’know?” Rainbow winked and patted Smolder’s shoulder hesitantly. Why did everyone have to think she was some fragile doll or something? ”Just wanted to check up real quick while I had some time. Keep givin' 'em hell, tiger."

Smolder smirked, braving to make eye contact with Rainbow Dash. No tears, thank the lords. "No plans on stopping.”

"Awesome." Dash smiled and gave her a wings-up. "Catch ya later," she said, and then she took off down the hall, her hooves skidding across the linoleum as she turned around the corner, vanishing from sight.

"Tiger?" Gallus snorted. She heard his talons tap against the handlebars once again. "Wouldn't that make more sense for me? I'm the one who's half-cat after all."

"A pussycat maybe," Smolder giggled. "Hmm... Lionboy. That might be better than Featherbrain..."

"Definitely brings up my more attractive features, hmm?" Gallus grinned, leaning over Smolder's shoulder.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Let's just get moving down the hall, Lionboy," she said. A thought smacked her atop the head as soon as she had started moving again. "Wait... don't you have Pinkie’s class now?"

"Yeah, but I told Principal Glimmer I was coming to see you. Free excused day off of School!"

"Glad I could be of service," She laughed but frowned quickly as she took a deep breath, her heart racing a little bit. Just seeing Rainbow was enough to... bring her back to that day. The lights felt too bright. The halls seemed too long. The smell of the place... it was making her dizzy. She shook her head, trying to keep her focus.

"You alright?"

Smolder jumped a little, having not even noticed Gallus' beak right next to her ear. She shivered a bit, letting the feeling wash over her. It was pleasant.

"Y-yeah," Smolder said, rubbing her arm. "I'm good."

"Want me to turn around?" he asked. "We can go back to the room."

"Oh heck no." Smolder shook her head, sending a bolt down her spine. She winced but sucked the grunt back down. "We were told 'Lobby,' and we are not chickening out now. Let's do this."

"Alright. As you wish," he said, chuckling.

Gallus wheeled Smolder down the hallway. His pace was quick but gentle. The way he pushed her down the hall was so smooth that she didn't feel a bump or jolt from any of the imperfections of the linoleum tiles as they ventured down a patient-less hall. Windows were all that greeted the pair with each steady roll.

Smolder had to admit Gallus was a quick learner at this rolling thing, dodging incoming nurse carts and patients being wheeled by on gurneys with ease. He would occasionally lean down to talk to her, pointing out passing nurses or nodding towards rooms, asking questions and making theories on who was who.

"What do you think happened there?" he asked, pointing to a room where they could see a mare sitting up on a hospital bed, a pony in a white coat taking notes on a clipboard.

"I don’t know. Probably a cold or something," she said, not daring to look in the room. Starswirl Memorial Hospital was, from what she’d read during those boring days where her options were to read a pamphlet or yet another card, an ever-growing hospital. Hundreds of patients filled its beds—dozens of different creatures of so many different sizes—yet each doorway was like a mirror.

"Maybe. I dunno. Looks a bit more serious than that," he said. She expected him to laugh as if it were just a joke, but he didn't make a sound.

"Ha. Ha. Real funny," Smolder rolled her eyes, hesitant to look through the door, but as was often the case, curiosity won out. She glanced at the mare again, just catching sight of her dark green face as she sniffled and wiped her eyes. Damn. So he wasn't joking. Smolder couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in her chest, especially when she noticed a familiar sight: the sheets of the bed pulled up to the mare's waist, her hind legs exposed, thick metal braces encasing the immobile limbs. She couldn't confirm anything, but the metal and motionlessness sent her stomach plummeting. "Gah, I hope she's not..."

Gallus sighed. "Yeah, me too. That'd suck." He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure she'll be fine. Just a little banged up or something."

"Yeah, maybe..." Smolder looked over the mare's face again. She caught her eyes, just for a moment, but she saw the pain amidst the golden irises. It was a familiar look. Maybe. She repeated to herself over and over that the mare might have something else wrong with her entirely. But she couldn't shake that look.

One hall led to another, which turned into yet another. As they reached the end of another room-less hallway seemingly built out of windows, they turned onto a path that was a little more crowded. A little noisier too. It was full of patients and visitors walking in every direction, their conversations mingling together into a jumbled mess of words. Some didn't look unhealthy at all and walked tall despite their hospital gowns. Even the patients being pushed around on wheelchairs or gurneys seemed to lack that ‘look’ she had seen in the previous halls. Here, they bore an expression of annoyance. Definitely the type of folks who probably whined about having to go to the hospital because they 'had things to do.'

Smolder could almost smell the difference. The sharp scent of the antiseptic was still there, but now it was mixed with the outside world sneaking in through the constant opening and closing of exit doors. A fresh breeze, a scent of flowers and grass. And then there was the occasional hint of coffee. She could almost taste the steaming mug.
Gods, but she could go for some coffee right about now. She doubted her stomach could handle it, but eh that was future Smolder's problem.

Gallus wheeled Smolder up to the double doors at the end of the hall. He stopped just before pressing the button that would open them. He leaned over, his beak next to Smolder's ear. "You sure you're good?"

"Yeah, man." She nodded. "Honestly, I wish we could go a little longer. I'm just starting to get the hang of this thing." The words felt wrong on her tongue. She didn't want to be 'getting the hang of' this whole chair thing, but... eh, she was stuck with it. Better to get used to it than mope around and waste away.

Slowly, like reaching towards an ice-cold pool, Smolder lowered her claws to the rims along the wheels. She squeezed them, hitching her shoulders a little as though the metal had shocked her. They were cold. But that was it. Cold. Not thorny or covered in electrical currents. They weren't going to hurt her. Not any more than she already was. She pushed, rolling the wheels forward, then back, then forward again. They spun with ease, despite her shaking claws struggling to brave a good grip on them. She took a deep breath.

"Let go," she said.

"Huh?"

"Let go, Gallus. I wanna do it myself," Smolder said, voice quivering more than she expected.

"You sure?” Gallus walked around the chair so that he was beside her, looking down with an arched eyebrow. “I can keep pushing. It’s no big deal to me. You sure you're good?"

"Think I can't handle it?" she asked, tilting her head up and smirking.

"Just checking," he said, raising his wings. "Alright, Legs, it’s all you." He stood back, talons raised as his wings beat just fast enough to keep him balanced. It was almost like a breeze on Smolder’s burning face. She closed her eyes, smiled, and let go of the rims. Immediately, the front wheels rolled forward, jolting the chair a bit. She squeezed the rims tightly once again, her heart racing a little. She’d just let go at an angle or something. No biggie, right? She felt totally lame for freaking out a little at a tiny roll. There would be much more hostile terrains to conquer in this bad boy in the future than the boring ol’ tiled floor. She needed to just dragon-up, take a deep breath, and let it roll.

She squeezed the rims and pushed. She rolled a little further, the doors opening just in time for her to make it through. Gallus walked beside her, close enough that she felt his presence but not close enough to look like he was waiting to grab hold of the handles at any second. Good, because she didn't need help. She could do this. She... she...

The lobby was full of ponies and other creatures. Too many. She turned to the right as her hands simultaneously gripped too hard and fell too loose on the rims. Cripes, she should have gotten her first rolls in when they'd been alone in one of those hallways with a whole lot of nothing and nobody flanking them. Now it felt like there were dozens of eyes on her. Staring. Judging. Did she know that pony? And that kirin over there? They looked familiar. Were they a student at the school? She could just imagine the lame, totally untrue stories they’d take back to the dorms if she screwed this up. The wheels turned to the right again.

"Hey, uh, Smolder?"

The right again.

"Smolder!"

Left. Left. Right. Right. Left.

Then stop. She looked down at the armrest. She could feel Gallus' fur brush against her arm as he held the chair still.

"You alright?" he asked, leaning over. "You were weaving around like you’d had a few, and… jeez, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, Smol’."

"I... yeah, I'm fine. Just..." She blinked and stared out at the waiting room. Looking at it with a fresh breath and Gallus by her side, she could see that not a soul had even paid her much mind. And why should they? Most ponies who entered and left those doors did so in wheelchairs. At worst, the glances she got were from those hoping to see—or dreading to not see—some creature they knew and loved coming through the doors. Not her. She was just some faceless dragon who had rolled into the lobby.

She stared at the floor. All along the polished tile, track marks had been worn into it from the rolling of so many wheels. No amount of wax could buff out that heavy traffic, she figured. She took a deep breath and let her fingers loosen up from around the rims.

"You want me to take over?" Gallus asked.

"Buck off, I got this," she said. "'Least let me get to the doors."

Gallus scoffed. "Why, so you can break out?"

"Oh, you know it." She smirked, looking over her shoulder at him. "Wanna come with?"

"I dunno. I think that Redheart would track us down and string me up if I tried. Probably snitch on you to save my own tail," he laughed, moving from beside the chair to a little in front of it. "Well, what are you waiting for? Redheart's stopwatch to start beeping?" He looked around, leaning forward and back on his talons. "Professor Dash stole a lot of those fifteen minutes we had."

Smolder pressed a claw against her forehead. "Jeez, you really are scared of her aren't ya? Gah, you really are a chicken."

Gallus clucked and clicked his tongue. "A smart chicken," he corrected. "There’s a difference."

Smolder scoffed. "Sure. Whatever you say, Chicken."

"That's, what, two new nicknames today? What'll the third one be?" Gallus asked. "Chickenbutt? Chickenface?"

"I dunno. I'll probably come up with something. Maybe I'll just start calling you Drumsticks."

He chuckled. "And that's the second time today you've complimented my legs, Legs," he said, winking.

Smolder's cheeks flushed. "Oh, shut up. Those were not compliments. They were just... well, that one’s just a ... actually, you know what? Shut up!" She rolled her eyes. "Scales, why do I put up with you?"

"Because I'm just that great?" he asked, holding a wing to his chest.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Move aside, Chickenbutt," she said, reaching up and pushing his hip aside. This caused her wheelchair to turn to the right and wobble a little as she steadied her claws to the rims. Scales, there were so many things to get used to with this stupid thing. She took a deep breath and pulled the left wheel back into reverse. Course corrected, she slowly but surely shifted her claws into first and began to roll her way across the lobby.

With each turn of the wheels, the air became a little fresher, the lighting a little less artificial. It smelled less like medicine and more like fresh-cut grass and flowers. The sound of the automatic doors opening and closing filled her ears, as did the chirps of the birds outside. Would Redheart mind if they did a little lap up the walkway outside? Honestly, she didn't feel like playing with those odds. Maybe on her next little venture.

Her claws gripped tight around the rims as she tensed her arms. The wheelchair came to a quicker stop than she'd expected it to. With the lack of sensation and control, this small surprise was nearly enough to send her toppling forward out of her chair as she watched her left foot slide off the footplate. The rest of the slab of meat some may call a leg was dragged along with it, causing her hip to slide forward in her chair. It all happened in a second. Grumbling, she pressed one claw against the seat and was able to scoot herself back against the backrest—after threading her corpse of a tail off to the side enough with the other claw—before Gallus had probably noticed.

Still, now was the awkward part. She reached down and wrapped her claws around the bottom of her thigh. Through her fingers, she felt her scales, scratched lightly at the muscles beneath them. Through her leg, she felt nothing. Those muscles she gripped would soon waste away, leaving her legs nothing more than bone and scale. A shiver ran down her spine as she squeezed her eyes shut. She glared down at the stupidly useless lump of flesh in her grasp and lifted it up.

The limb flopped around pathetically, her foot swinging in the air like a dead fish as she shifted her weight and lowered the stupid thing back onto the footplate. She adjusted the limb so that her foot rested in the proper place. There. Good as new…

…No. No, there was nothing good about this.

Tired of looking at her dumb leg, Smolder raised her gaze to the window she'd parked in front of. Outside was a little patch of bushes and sunflowers. There were flowers planted in rows along a winding path that led to a little pond filled with fish and ducks. And, of course, there was a fountain in the center of the pond, spraying water into the air. All around it, ponies and creatures strolled about, admiring the sights and enjoying the day, walking on legs that actually worked.

"Dammit," she muttered, glaring down at her useless limbs again. Even a glance outside couldn't provide an escape. Still... green and glowing was better than orange and dead. She sighed, focusing on the flowers and trees rather than the ponies around them. Flowers weren't really her thing—dragons tended to avoid putting a lot of effort into something they could burn to a crisp with a single sneeze—but they were pretty, she guessed. At least these ones were. They were all orange and yellow. Fire colors. The only cool ones.

Still, her eyes caught sight of some purple ones planted near the fountain. As much as it pained her to say she enjoyed a color so lame, they were probably her favorite. If she went out there and picked one... maybe it’d fit with her scales. Maybe Rarity was still hanging out around the hospital. She could ask her if one of those buds would look good tucked in her spines. If she clipped it in just right, maybe even Gallus would like it...

A quick peek down the road noted a white, cantering speck that could have been Rarity. Whoever they were, they were far out of shouting range, and Smolder doubted the wheels of this hospital chair would do much good on the dirt paths. Maybe next time.

As she reached down to turn her chair away from the window, Smolder noticed a pegasus in a blue and black dress sitting on a bench down near the main pathway. Nothing about the pegasus stood out—they were just sitting there, fiddling with their forehooves as ponies often did when waiting for a taxi or something—yet she couldn’t look away. The pegasus looked up, scanning the windows of the hospital before freezing when they made contact with Smolder’s. It was the color of the mare’s eyes that threw a hitch into Smolder’s breath, putting a pause on her exhale. Those turquoise eyes seemed so familiar... they shimmered as they stared at her.

She knew those eyes. She didn't know how, but she knew that she knew them.

"Woah!" Gallus' voice echoed through the lobby to her right. "These things are tricky."
Smolder looked away from the window and let out a noise halfway between a laugh and a gasp. Gallus was sitting in one of the hospital's wheelchairs. His talons gripped tightly to the rims of the wheels and his legs were pressed together. His tail fluffed out at the base, threatening to drag on the ground and get caught up in the axles. Goodness, if that’s how dumb his tail looked in one of these chairs, hers must look legendary levels of silly.
He rolled forward a little, then back, then right into the other wheelchairs lining the wall. The griffon muttered curses under his breath as he backed himself out of the mob of spokes.

"You're doing it wrong," Smolder said, crossing her arms.

"Didn't you, like, just start doing this?" Gallus said. "You're an expert now?"

Smolder chuckled. He had a way with words. "Doesn't take an expert to see that you're crashing and burning, dude. You're turning too hard with your right talon. You're just gonna keep going in circles—that’s if ya don’t flip the thing over. Also..." She blinked, the fact that she was staring at Gallus sitting in one of the wheelchairs fully registered in her mind. "Get out of that!" she hissed. "There are ponies here that frickin’ need that, Featherbrain!"

Gallus raised a claw, the chair wobbling in place as he did so. "Calm down. The waiting room is basically empty." He motioned with his claws, causing the chair to do a one-sixty, the front wheels of an empty one pausing his spin. "If someone needs it, I'll get up. I just... wanted to..." Gallus looked down at his claws, his beak clenching. Smolder knew the look all too well; the look of a griffon fighting to find his words and only beating himself up in the process. “Never mind. Stupid.”

“Can’t just plant that seed and not finish,” Smolder said, crossing her arms.

Gallus sighed and shook his head. "I dunno. I figured if I knew how you felt, I could help you. I guess. I dunno. It sounds even stupider now that I've said it out loud."

Smolder smiled. Scales, he had no business being as sweet as he was. "I mean, it's not... stupid. Okay a little stupid. " Smolder shrugged. "Just get up though, dude. The last thing I want to see is you falling outta that and ending up like me."

“It’s, like, a two-foot fall.”

“Knowing you, you’d find a way.”

Gallus rolled his eyes, smirking. "True that. Guess I'll just make sure I fall forward. Breaking the beak's better than the back, yeah?" With that, he gave the chair a hearty push forward and rolled past her.

As if on cue, a flare of pain shot up Smolder's spine. She clenched her eyes shut and leaned back against the chair with a grimace. It wasn't constant, and for that, she guessed she could be thankful, but when it decided to rear its fiery head? It churned her guts, unleashing what felt like an army of birds to peck at the inside of her skull. Her head swam, and she gripped her claws tight around the armrests, the metal under the vinyl creaking as she pulled. She heard a sharp screech. The screech of chair wheels on tile, followed by the sound of flapping wings and claws landing on the ground.

She turned her chair around. If only the thing didn’t want to keep moving forward or backward, she’d have gotten a good look of Gallus face-down, butt-up on the ground in a hilarious pile of feathers. Instead, she caught him already sitting up, rubbing a knee.

"Well... that hurt," Gallus grumbled. "Me and my big mouth."

Smolder snickered at the sight, the headache forgotten even as the laugh jolted another bolt up her vertebrae."You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just bruised the ol' pride. I think I'll live. Maybe. For griffons, broken pride could be fatal…” He rubbed at his talon, hissing. "Man, you gotta be careful in these things."

"Want some pointers?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I mean I don't want to have to need to know how to work one of those things, but..." He shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. You never know, right?"

No. No, you never did.

"Alright, let me get over there. Get up." She rolled her wheelchair towards him, motioning to his. "Now, sit down, and don't lean forward so much this time. You'll face-plant again."

Gallus grabbed the wheels, shifting in the seat. "This makes no sense," he muttered, looking down at his claws.

"What? That you're not automatically cool at everything you do?" Smolder smirked.

"No. No, like..." He continued to shift, the wheels slipping from his grip with each movement. "You'd think chairs here would be built with four legs in mind. It's called PONYville for crying out loud."

Smolder blinked, then shrugged. "Guess they just expect someone else to do the pushing or something."

"Lame. I will only be my own pusher." He looked around. "Seriously though, you'd think they'd have a few of those wheel harnesses around, y'know?"

“Those things probably take too long to get strapped into or something.” Smolder shrugged. She couldn't say she noticed. Plus, she couldn't say she really had much sympathy there. Ponies were lucky they could use wheel harnesses. Those harnesses let them still walk around on their forelegs, dragging everything around like it was in a wagon. At least in that case, they could pretend that they could walk normally. Smolder didn't have that benefit. She ran a claw along the rims. "Look, just get up, dude. You clearly weren't built for that thing. It's not griffon-sized!"

Gallus sighed, scooting his tush around to the left and right. The chair was thinner than he was, so gripping the wheels was about as easy as getting him to pay attention in Magical History class. "You're probably right," he muttered, placing his talons on the rims. He stood up and stretched, rolling his shoulders and neck. "Maybe they have a griffon-sized one back behind all these pony ones."

"I doubt they have many injured griffons come in here," Smolder said. "I mean, you're still the only one around here I know. Well, you and Gabby, but still not a high population."

"Yeah, but it'd be nice to know the basics if I ever... y'know..." He ruffled his wings, looking off to the side. "Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on ever getting hurt. But… I mean, you know they got me on storm duty now, right?"

"What? They do? Why?"

"Eighteen, baby. I was able to weasel my way out of this semester because of the whole 'focusing on school thing.' But next big storm, your Chickenbutt here’s gonna be out there pushing the clouds around and keeping these weak pony buildings from blowing over. Pretty cool, huh?" He sighed. "But… pretty scary too..." He shook his head. "I don't exactly have the best track record of luck."

"Right back at you," Smolder said, her eyes once again moving to her legs.

"Augh, dammit," Gallus shook his head and kicked at the tiles, his talons leaving slight scratches on the smooth surface. "Sorry. I keep bringing crap up. I don't mean to. Really. I don’t mean to keep opening up all these cans of worms, just 'cause...." He let out a muffled shout, bitten back by his tongue. "Like, I literally was just thinking about challenging you to a race in one of these things ‘cause I thought that’d be fun. Not sure why I brought up all that crap about luck and getting hurt. Just... I dunno."

Smolder smiled, reaching up to pat him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's fine," she said. "We’ve all got a hundred thoughts going crazy nowadays. Lots of junk to unpack." She rolled forward a little, getting closer to him. “The whole graduated adult thing's gonna hit us like a train, eh?"

Gallus nodded. "No kidding." He rubbed at his neck.

Smolder smiled, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. She hated seeing Gallus get so down on himself. He was supposed to be the one she could rely on to push her through this with a joke and a laugh. The last thing she wanted was for him to get all sappy and sad like everyone else. "Sooooo, a race, huh?" she asked. "Think I have the leg up on you there, Birdy."

Gallus blinked. "Oh. Huh?"

"A race. You said you wanted to challenge me to a race." She leaned forward, pointing to the wheels on her chair. "And I've got the edge here, dude. These claws can grip these rims perfectly. I can spin 'em as fast as I want."

"Pretty cocky for a dragon who just almost fell out of that thing, what, three minutes ago?"

"But I didn't. Unlike someone I know." She smirked, tilting her head to the side. She rolled her chair past Gallus, looking through the collection of wheelchairs next to the door. A good chunk of them were pony-sized, four-wheeled contraptions not unlike Smolder's own. There were a few that were a little bigger, however—the width seemed more for patients of a... huskier sort. Gallus had the height and width to need one more along the sizes of those. Not that he was fat or anything. No, he was still quite an... athletic griffon. He just was built broader than the average pony.

“Here.” She pointed to one of the wider chairs. “Grab one of those. Then we can race.” Smolder scoffed at the very word. A ‘race.’ Saying it in her head, it sounded stupid, but she also couldn't deny the smile creeping across her face. It could be fun, she guessed. So long as Gallus didn't total himself into a wall or something.

Near the back of the collection of wheelchairs, she noticed a few harnesses, designed to strap over a pony's back, keeping their hind legs levitated by straps and metal while their forelegs were free to pull the contraption along the ground as though they were walking. Of course, the pony-sized aspect of the contraptions meant that Gallus had no hope of fitting into one of those—be it his circumference being too wide to hook the straps or his hind legs being too long and dragging the ground with each step. Plus... advantage, much?

Gallus rolled out one of the larger chairs. Smolder shook her head. "That one has a bum front wheel," Smolder said. "See how it wobbles a little to the left? Yeah, that's because it's lopsided. Now that one…" She pointed to a similar chair, the seat cushion coated in a layer of dust. As Gallus rolled it out of the corner, Smolder noticed a bright wheelchair outline against the wall where it had sat.

Gallus rolled it back and forth a few times, pulling back on the handles and sending the front wheels up to the sky. When he placed it down on all four, he glanced at her with a smug grin. “Hey. Don’t frown. You gotta admit that was wheelie cool.”

Smolder frowned. “If I could reach you, I’d strangle you right now, Drumsticks.” She eyed the chair and nodded. "That one should do. Now sit down and get some practice laps in. Then, we race." She couldn't hide her fangs as she grinned at him.

"What's the winner get?" Gallus asked as he took a seat in the new wheelchair. He rolled back and forth, back and forth, his tail flicking behind him.

Smolder tapped her chin. The only things she had in her room of any value were a few cupcakes and… yeah, that was about it. She shrugged. "I dunno. There's not much in here worth risking crashing and getting ourselves killed over. Bragging rights?"

Gallus waved a talon. "Pfft, bragging rights are cheap. Let's make it interesting. How about..." He leaned back in his seat, scratching under his chin. "The loser has to do the winner's homework for a week."

Smolder rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Pretty sure I’ve got a homework pass for eternity 'cause of this." She motioned to her legs.

"Well, sounds like I win either way then." He smirked, leaning forward. "Seems fair to me."

Before Smolder could respond, Gallus plopped back down in the wheelchair and began rolling himself around the room. "Huh. You picked a good one, Smolder. I feel like I have some control of this one." He placed his claws on the rims, pushing himself forward. The chair squeaked and groaned with each roll. He began to pick up speed, faster and faster, his legs lifting from the ground as he zipped by her. Smolder could feel the wind of his passing brushing up against her scales. The wheels rattled as he skidded to a stop, barely avoiding flipping into the collection of wheelchairs next to the door.

"Alright, alright. Enough showing off," she said. "Are you trying to crash?"

Gallus turned the chair in a smooth one-eighty. Smolder laughed. He was a natural. She hoped he'd never have to take advantage of such natural wheelchair skills. The more turns he pulled in the chair, the more her her gut churned. She knew he was fine. His legs worked fine. He was just being a goofball. But that couldn't stop her brain from feeding her those little mental pictures. Gallus being blown off course by a storm. Gallus careening into the ground. Gallus crying out as his back shattered into a thousand pieces. Gallus trying to get up like the tough and cool griffon he was only for his hind legs to not respond to his commands…

"Ready to lose, Lizardbreath?" Gallus asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head and laughed, swallowing the lump in her throat. "In your dreams, Lionbutt." She rolled forward, past various chairs. She caught the eye of a young unicorn filly who may have been looking at her the whole time. She held one foreleg in the other, a nasty bruise on her pastern splotching her white coat. She waved and smiled at the filly. The filly sniffled, but smiled in return, pulling her injured foreleg closer. Poor little thing.

Smolder stopped near the door. Gallus tried to reach for the button to open it but nearly toppled out of his chair for a second time. Sighing, the griffon stood and pressed the button.

"It's a miracle!" Smolder cried out in a whispery, fake-angelic voice. "Praise Celestia, he can walk!"

"Shut up," Gallus mumbled. "You've been spending too much time around Silverstream."

The two were met with a hall devoid of ponies or carts or gurneys. Smolder frowned. They had to have been out and about for more than fifteen minutes. All the ponies she’d seen wandering about the hallways were nowhere to be seen. Still, the emptiness was a welcome sign, Smolder supposed. As boring as sitting around doing nothing might be, it had to be a good day when the hospital hallways were a dead zone. Less hurt, less pain. She winced at her thought. Dead zone? Great phrasing there, Smolder.

"Ready?" Gallus asked, shifting in his seat.

"Where's the finish line?" Smolder asked.

"Your room?"

Smolder scoffed. "That’s like three different turns, dude. No way you’re clearing those without smashing up a wall. I swear, it's like you want to end up in a wheelchair for real, Gal."

"Eh, what can I say, you make it look cool." He gave her a solid thump on the shoulder. "End of the hall then? No crazy turns between here and there."

Smolder nodded. While the image of him flat on his back with stars dancing around his head was a funny one, she could do without seeing another broken bone in her life. She pointed to the end of the hall. "Alright. End of hall it is. Ya ready?"

Gallus nodded. "Have been this whole time. You’ve just been dragging your feet."

“Was that another pun? Smolder asked. “Because if it is, I will ram you into the wall.”

“My lips are sealed then.”

She chuckled and lowered her head, placing her claws on her wheels. The metal rims were no longer icy. In fact, under her fiery grip, she half-expected them to be glowing red if she looked down. "On three or one?"

"One."

"Alright. May I do the honors?" Smolder asked, her fingers trembling with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. It was the same pulse that had led her to pace the locker room before a cheer competition or hover and flutter before a race through the skies (funny enough, those were also almost always against Gallus). Without much purpose in sending that blood down to her lower extremities, Smolder figured her heart had decided to flood her arms with the good stuff. She took a shaky breath. "Alright... One!'

The only thing she heard before the sound of her wheels and the rushing air drowned it out was a squawk of surprise from ol' Featherbrain behind her. No other sounds mattered. Smolder was already rolling, the end of the hallway set in her sights like a diamond in the dark. Her claws gripped the rims of her wheels, pushing them forward. What had been a chore in and of itself just minutes before had become as natural as bending her knees used to be in a sprint.

Her claws spun the wheels, pushing herself forward. A few rooms blew by in silence, while a couple sounded off with a surprised 'hey' or 'what the?' as she flew past. She couldn't hear Gallus behind her. She hoped the poor guy hadn't crashed or something, but she figured she would have heard that. Still, she peeked back as best she could. The familiar fire in her spine screamed at her to not crane her neck so much, but through the corner of her gaze, she was able to catch sight of Gallus.

He was still up and moving. Barely. He wobbled to the right and then to the left. He'd spin the wheel, then lose control, then spin the wheel again. In the five seconds she looked back at him, she caught him cheating, planting his paws on the floor and scooting his chair forward that way. Sure, they hadn't established clear rules, but that could not be fair. She was about to yell out at him to stop cheating, but he beat her to the punch.

"Heads up!" he shouted.

Smolder gripped her wheels tight in her claws, the sleek metal burning against her scales as her chair skittered to a stop. The chair bucked forward, sending her nearly soaring out onto the floor. Luckily for her, Nurse Redheart was there to catch her.

Unluckily for her, well, Nurse Redheart was there to catch her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The nurse kept her voice low but it might as well have been a shout. Smolder couldn't bear to look Redheart in the eye as she gently lowered her back into her wheelchair. Smolder stared down at her legs as they were gently (but with more of an... angry gentle way of moving the limbs about if that was possible) positioned back onto the footrests. On a positive note, her back wasn’t hurting nearly as much as she had expected after the jolt, so no damage done there! On a negative note… well, everything else.

Smolder opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. It was dumb. Redheart was just a nurse, yet the way she looked down at Smolder when she finally braved a glance up at the pony churned the dragon's gut into knots in a way that only Ember or one of her Professors could.

She'd screwed up. In her state, even small mistakes could be massive. She knew she could be careless, and this race hadn't felt dumb when she'd agreed to it, but... the more she thought about it, the more she wished her legs worked so she could kick herself in the butt. Scales, she didn't think she'd let herself get this far.

The look of concern and fear on Redheart's face softened, but she was still clearly annoyed. What softness there was vanished as a voice chimed up behind Smolder. "Hey, Nurse R! Good catch!" Gallus said, walking up to Nurse Redheart with a talon resting on the rest of the chair he'd borrowed.

“What,” she repeated. “Do you think. You’re doing? You’ve been gone for thirty minutes!”

“Time flies, eh?” Gallus shrugged. “Just a little race. Having some fun.”

Smolder buried her face in her palms.

Nurse Redheart sighed, pointing to the door they had raced through only seconds before. "Out," she grunted.

"What?" Gallus asked, leaning an elbow against the chair, nearly falling as it slid out from under him.

"I said out, Mr. Gallus. Visiting hours, for you, are over. And if you so much as think of running that smart beak of yours, they'll be over for good. Understand?" Redheart was stern, but Smolder knew there wasn't any malice behind the words.

Gallus glanced over at Smolder. She gave him a weak smile and shrugged. "See ya tomorrow, Smolder," said Gallus with a nod. "Sorry, Nurse R," he mumbled, then turned on a claw and left. Smolder watched him go with a pit forming in her gut. It always felt like that when he left.

"Let's get you back to the room," Nurse Redheart said with a shake of her head as she reared back on her hind legs and took hold of the wheelchair's handles.

Smolder bit her tongue to keep from speaking. She wasn't going to argue. Sure, Nurse Redheart hadn't said 'No Racing' but she had to be an idiot to think it wouldn't get her in trouble. And now she was being babied again. She could roll herself. Her aching shoulders and burning flexors whined otherwise.

As they passed by rooms in silence, Smolder turned her head and peered into the room Gallus and her had passed earlier, where the mare had been crying in bed while a doctor had talked to her. The mare whose hind legs lay limp in a pair of bulky braces. For once, though, as she looked over, good news looked back. The mare was out of her bed, standing on all four legs, braces scraping along the floor as she shuffled carefully towards her bathroom. Smolder caught her eye and smiled and waved. The mare returned the smile weakly. “Gotta work on those brakes,” she said quietly.

Smolder cocked her head, but the pegasus mare (something she was only just now noticing since her wings blended in perfectly with the light green hospital gown) had already turned away, shuffling towards the bathroom.

Smolder leaned back a little in her chair and smiled. Sure, the mare had just confused the cinders out of her and she looked like walking a few feet for her was a marathon, but at least she was walking. Everything had been going so bad lately. It was nice that her gut had been proven wrong for once. Still, the smile wasn't enough to fight the churn in her stomach. The guilt. The reason why Redheart said nothing to her as she wheeled her back to the room.

If she had fallen, that'd be it. What healing her spine had already done could have been ruined, broken along with her dreams of walking again on the tiles. She could kiss any chance of getting the use of her legs back goodbye if that had happened. And for what? A dumb race with a dumb birdbrain. No. No, she couldn't blame Gallus. He was just trying to make her feel better. She had agreed to it, she had counted them down.

Besides, going off what the doctors had said, it wasn't like the chances of her ever walking again were very good to begin with.

"Ugh," Smolder groaned.

"Are you alright, dear? Are you in pain?" Nurse Redheart asked, stopping. "How's your back? Is it hurt—"

“I’m fine!” Smolder slammed her fists against the armrests, black smoke trailing up from her nostrils and past her eyes. Maybe the smoke would stain the ceiling. That’d be what it deserved. She groaned, shaking her head. "I’m fine. Just fine." Smolder grumbled.

"Alright. We're almost to your room. If you are hurting, I could swing us by radiology to get a quick scan and check up on— "

"No. Dragon Lord’s honor, I’m not hurting. I just... need to lay down. Sorry."

"We're almost there. Just hang tight." Nurse Redheart said.

“Not like I can go anywhere.” Smolder's gut was twisted up in a knot with each passing doorway. Her head was fuzzy, her mouth dry. Her claws felt tingly, but maybe that was just from gripping the wheels so hard.

"So... did you and Gallus have fun on your little jaunt?" Redheart asked. "Clearly you were having some fun at the end there, reckless as it was."

"It was stupid."

"You are correct, but..." Smolder heard Redheart sigh. Not a disappointed one like after she had caught her and Gallus racing down the hall. A resigned one. "It was nice to see you smile like that."

The twisting knot in her gut seemed to loosen up. She glanced back at Redheart as best she could before her neck punched back, but in the brief glance she got, the nurse was looking straight ahead. The dragon smiled, looking down at her lap. "I mean, it was kinda fun." She reached down and let the metal roll along the tips of her claws, letting the nails clink through the spokes for a second. Like a baseball card clothespinned to a bike’s wheel. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine herself as careening down Long Hill, head lowered, neck-in-neck with Gallus as they neared their cheering friends. She swallowed hard. Scales, she’d never be able to ride a bike again.

Forcing a smile, Smolder turned her head. “I think I'm a quick learner with this thing."

"Well, I wouldn't say that going fast in a straight line constitutes ‘quick learning,’" Redheart said, letting out a dry chuckle. "And you definitely need to work on stopping."

Smolder snorted and grinned. "Hey, at least I had a good airbag!"

"Smolder," Redheart sighed.

"I know, I know," Smolder waved a claw. "I promise I won't do it again."

Nurse Redheart laughed. Not the reserved and polite one she normally responded to Smolder’s comments with, but a full-on guffaw. The wheelchair slowed as she raised a hoof to her mouth. "Sorry, Smolder. I... look, I know you," she said. "Just promise you'll be careful next time, okay?"

"I promise."Smolder smiled, gaze drifting down to her legs. At least she knew she had a chance of keeping this one.

Author's Note

Chapter three down. Some more fun Gallus and Smolder moments, and a little bit of racing action. Hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one won't be out 'til Friday (which is probably for the best. Proofreading it, there are several things I need to fix up in it). Also, now I guess you know where the 'Starswirl Memorial' in the title came from :twilightsmile:

And, just for fun, I'm going to add an out of context line for the next chapter below. Think of it as a sneak preview:

Smolder sighed. "I-it's cool," she mumbled as she rolled closer. "You just caught me resting. We dragons can get a bit jumpy when someone surprises us." Smolder chuckled. "You're lucky. Usually we barbecue our scarers."

The filly cocked her head. "What's a barbecue?"

Chapter Four: Starry River

Smolder may not have been able to feel anything back there, but as Draw Reins maneuvered her tail, she definitely felt embarrassed. It was just Nurse Redheart and her now-and-future physical therapist in the room with her, but what if that changed. Some of her friends (Silverstream) had a bad habit of not knocking. All it would take was Silverstream to barge in the door and throw back the curtains all excited over showing Smolder the new curtains she had to look forward to when she was discharged back to the dorms and bam! The entire world would see Smolder's butt. Not an uncommon sight in a mostly-clothesless town, but combine it with the tubes running up into her, and yeah: not the most flattering sight.

Smolder squeezed Redheart's hoof as Reins pulled her tail up and to the right. While she couldn't feel the limb itself, she could sense the motion in her back. A light pressure. Not painful but not exactly pleasant either. Reins had told her to let him know if she felt any discomfort—this early into the process, he said, they wanted to take things as gently as possible—but was it discomforting? It felt weird on her vertebrae, but not nearly as weird as it felt to have some dude playing with her tail. Professional or not, it felt kinda creepy.

"How are you feeling, Smolder?" Reins asked in a gentle voice. He had a soft manner of speaking that Smolder couldn't decide if she liked or not. It didn't grate her ears like a lecture from Headmare Starlight might, but it sloshed around in her gut. Either way, it was lightning on her nerves this evening.

"Fine," she said, trying to keep herself from wincing. "What's the point of this exactly? Couldn't you... like, start with my toes or something?"

"I promise nobody can see you, Smolder," Redheart said, patting the dragon's claw. Smolder swore that pony had mind-reading powers. That or she'd worked with a lot of creatures in a similar state. Still, Redheart's warm smile and gentle eyes eased the churning in her stomach.

"Yes," Reins said, "I know this is... quite a way to introduce these stretches, but there's a reason I'm starting with your tail. You do remember what I told you?"

Smolder chuckled and looked away at the pillowcase. He'd come in a few times before, no doubt explaining all the little details of how the stretches would work, what muscles and nerves they would work and try to activate, what ligaments they'd keep loose, and so on and so boring. It was like being in History of Magical Artifacts class all over again. Maybe if there was some fire or blood and guts involved, she'd have been interested. Maybe pre-injury her would have found the little details on how muscles worked interesting if it was Rainbow Dash spouting them, but that Smolder actually had reasons for being interested. That Smolder needed her gastrocnemiuses in prime condition to pull off flips and landings (What? Just because something's boring doesn't mean you don't learn it). But now? They were pancakes. It was dumb, getting all these explanations from some dude who had spent who knows how many years in some egghead college about muscles that were utterly useless to her now.

Reins seemed to take her silence as a sign to continue. Egghead. "These stretches will help to keep your muscles active. The looser we keep your ligaments and the more we prevent atrophy, the better chance you'll have at..."

"Walking again?"

"Being able to regain functionality in your lower extremities." Smolder hated the nerd way they explained it. It was just fancy words to state the truth: keep your expectations in check. Whatever, she'd show them. "The reason we're stretching your tail is because the muscles and nerves connecting to your tail are the closest to your T-9 and T-10."

Smolder groaned. Did these doctors have to go through a class where they were taught the exact way to explain something without making sense? Still... somehow she followed. Maybe. It was worth a guess at least. More talking meant less focusing on the fact that this guy's hooves were probably inches away from... She cleared her throat. "So... my tail should work quicker?"

"Yes, if you regain any sensation it will likely start there. Same with muscle control. In theory, you'll feel it in your tail first, then once you get the nerves and blood flowing through there, ideally it will move down through your abdomen and so on."

There were those words. Ideally. If. Smolder bit her lip. The question had been on the fork of her tongue for weeks. What were the odds? Redheart, Stable, and now Reins. They all talked about the possibilities of regaining the use of her legs, but never gave her percentages. They dropped terms like 'some' but never clarified what 'some' meant. Math was not her thing, but she understood the odds. Part of her wanted to know just what chances she had of recovering and how much. The other part of her was scared to death. Because once that number was out there, it was real.

At least Reins seemed to have some bedside manner. She didn’t know how long she’d zoned out, lost in thought, but he had zipped his lips and gotten back to stretching. She could feel the pull against her mid-back. Each time she heard her tail move off the sheets or plop back down, she hoped to have that moment. That spark where she felt just a faint echo of a single thread of fabric, but nothing came.

Finally and thankfully, Smolder heard Reins step back. Redheart gave Smolder a gentle pat on the shoulder and rolled her back over onto her back as the therapist moved around to the foot of the bed. “Fine work this evening, Smolder.”

Smolder chuckled, crossing her claws over her chest as Redheart got everything down there all situated and secured. “All of you keep saying that, yet you guys seem to be doing all the work.”

“And we’ll keep taking no credit until you stop selling yourself short,” Redheart said. “You’ve gone through a lot, and you keep pushing forward.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m awesome like that.”

Reins, surprisingly, smiled. “Keep that attitude. Don’t lose it.” With that, he pulled the curtains back and headed to the door. Smolder panicked, grabbing for the covers, but Redheart had already swooped in to save the day, placing the sheets against the dragon’s chest.

Smolder nodded thanks and waited for the mare to leave. However, she stayed put. In fact, she sat down in a chair beside the bed. Oh great. Time for another lecture. Though Smolder couldn’t remember the last time Redheart delivered one of those while smiling.

“So,” she said, leaning back in the seat. “How did you and Gallus’ little jaunt go?”

Smolder shrugged. “You were there.”

“At the end. There was a whole half-hour there beforehand.”

“I mean… we talked. Went to the lobby. I just kinda got lost in thought out there, I guess. And Gallus… well, it always surprises me how patient he can be. I mean, he was still impatient enough to decide to roll around on one of the wheelchairs in the lobby, but he didn’t interrupt me. He let me think. It was nice.”

“I’m glad.” Redheart stood up, picking up her clipboard from the side table. “Know that I’m not upset with you or Gallus. I just want you to get better.” It was the same answer everyone gave her, yet coming from her it almost seemed genuine.

“Yep,” Smolder replied with a yawn, stretching her arms out.

“Nap time?” Redheart asked.

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.’

“I’ll put up a ‘do not disturb’ sign then.”

Smolder nodded. She wanted to say something, wanted to take some time in the shaded room to think, but sleep came too quickly for her to even notice.

The best thing about most of Smolder's dreams under the veil of liquefied pain pills and other concoctions that made her head spin like a merry-go-round was that they didn't tend to stick with her. Usually, when she woke up, all she could recall was laying in bed, a little bit of sloshing and swiminess tickling at her head, and then bam! Sunlight and no memories to speak of.

Still usually didn't mean always. Sometimes they were feelings or moments she could recall well after she opened her eyes. Then there were ones like tonight. Dreams that, if not for the sudden panting and heat on her face, she would have sworn were reality.

She stood there, out on the fields outside the School of Friendship. The lucidity of the dream made it feel so real and... nice. She leaned forward, reached down, and touched her legs. She could feel the gentle scrape of her claws against her scaly thighs. She could wiggle the grass between her toes and she could swish her tail in the gentle breeze. She sniffled and smiled, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of her legs. Her moving, feeling legs.

If that had been all the dream was, it would have been amazing, but as with most good things, it wasn't to last.

"What's the hold-up, dork?"

Smolder looked up. Gone were the trees and the grass and the gentle breeze, replaced with towering basalt monoliths and an arid stillness. Feldspar crunched beneath her feet as she turned around. Garble stood nearby, a freshly hardened clump of scoria tucked under one claw while the other rested on his hip. He smirked as he marched up to her, his friends following close behind. For some reason, Smolder couldn't make out their faces—no matter how much she blinked they looked like they were covered by a thick plastic bag.

"Pfft." Garble stuck his tongue out and raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha being such a big crybaby for, Moldy?"

Smolder wiped her face with the back of her arm. She wasn't crying. Dragons didn't cry. Especially not at something as stupid as being able to stand. Only losers cried about that. She forced a lopsided grin as she glared up at her older brother. "Just imagining the other team's funerals when we beat them into gravel."

Garble raised a fist for Smolder to bump. She lifted hers and made contact, but it was like her hand passed straight through. What the...

"Go deep, Smolder!"

She didn't remember the game starting, or breaking into a sprint. Everything whizzed by as she took to the air, dodging shadow after shadow, left and right. The scoria clump plummeted to the ground, between the horns of obsidian that marked the goal line. She pumped her wings harder, yet they slowed, she dipped. Every ounce of energy she pumped into her wings, but it was like she was pushing against quicksand. The ground grew closer, and the ball plummeted farther from her outstretched claws.

Dust filled the air as Smolder and the clump hit the ground at the same time. Coughing and sputtering, Smolder tried to get up and brush herself off. She got into a kneeling position before she fell forward, barely catching herself before she ate gravel.

"Way to go, Moldy!" Garble shouted, barely a speck on the horizon. "You just lost us the game!"

"Maybe if you'd throw it better I would..." The words caught in her throat. Her legs weren't moving. She couldn't feel them. It was like they were asleep. Only, they didn't wake up when she tried to wiggle her toes. No. Lava poured down her synapses as she threw her body upwards, wings flapping. Something caught in her back, and her wings stiffened then fell flat, sending her back to the dust.

"Garble!" she screamed, choking on dust as she tried again to rise with no luck. "Garble, help me! Please!"

And then Garble laughed, leaning down, his snout within inches of hers. How did he get up to her so quickly? She hadn't even seen him move. "Oh don't go being a big baby again," he said. "Just stand up, Moldy.."

"I can't," she said, desperately pushing her torso off the ground, her lower body indistinguishable from the rocks growing around them. "I can't move my legs! I can't move!"

"Then grow a new pair," he said as he stepped over her and picked up the rock clump. "Alright, guys. Your ball."

"Wait!" Smolder shouted, choking on the wet dust dripping into her mouth from her nose and eyes. "Wait!"

"So, in short, you won't be of any use to me."

Smolder blinked. Dragon Lord Ember stared down at her, a grimace on her snout. "I'm... what?"

"Your legs," Ember said. She nodded toward Smolder's lower half. She sat on a stone bench underneath the throne of the Dragon Kingdom, a lowly lizard without working legs. Or legs at all. Smolder's eyes widened as she looked down at her lower half. Nothing looked back—just the rocks she sat on. "I see no reason to keep you in this pack."

"B-but I'm strong!" Smolder said, lifting an arm to show off her muscles. "I can do anything! I could fight a bear! And... and… give me a chance!" She looked to her side. Garble stared at the ground, blinking back tears. "Garble! Garble will vouch for me, won't you?"

Garble turned away.

"If you can't be of use to us, then you're worth as much as the dirt," Ember said, her voice as cold and unfeeling as a glacier. Smolder stared down at her legs, her heart thumping in her chest. "And if dirt is what you're worth, then dirt you will be."

Smolder closed her eyes, squeezing her claws until blood trickled down her palms. No. this couldn't be real. Ember would never do this to her. She just needed to wake up. She just needed to wake up.

Searing heat blew against her open wounds. The badlands stretched around, ceaseless seas of lava and crags. Smolder reached down to her sides, her claws finding rickety wheels. The board wheelchair rattled and popped as she rolled across the crags, splinters filling her hands with each pothole. Her arms screamed at her to stop, her fingers crying out with every rotation of her wheels.

She reached the edge of a cliff. She didn't know how many she had passed, but this one was different. Halfway across the lava river below, there was grass. Beyond that, she could see her friends.

No way. That was too convenient. But, no, she blinked and blinked and still they stayed right there in her view. Sandbar, Silverstream, Ocellus, Yona, and Gallus. Each looked every part different and the same. They stood taller, wiser. Gallus wore a golden helmet atop his head. He looked amazing.

"Guys!" she shouted, rolling her wheelchair forward and waving.

Whether they heard her, she couldn't tell. Each of them suddenly faced away from her, walking towards the school.

Smolder frowned. "Guys! Wait for me!" She wheeled her way up to the edge. Maybe if she was slow, she could—

The front wheels slid and broke as they fell over the edge, sending Smolder tumbling with it. The lava drew closer. She pumped her wings, but they were so weak. So, so weak. "Help!" she called out as she landed in the lava, fiery hot melted rock splashing up into her eyes. Through the smoky haze, her friends had shrunk to small bobbing pinpricks on the horizon. With each gasping breath, she sank deeper and deeper into the lava. Her wings were useless against the rising rock. As the boiling magma filled her mouth, she cried out in a deep.

The lava solidified around her.

Every vertebra in her spine, every bone in her body was aflame as she shouted and tore at the bedsheets, shoulders writhing as bits of fabric flew into the sky and fluttered down on her face. Between her cracking voice, she heard voices. Familiar ones. Shadows crept into her vision. Each breath felt like she was trying to push the Dragon Lord's Diamond off her chest. She coughed, choking on the saliva in her throat as she struggled to get her bearings.

Someone reached out and grabbed her. One of the shadows. Oh Scales, it was going to swallow her.

"Don't leave me," she whispered. "Don't leave me. Don't leave me."

The shadows seemed to listen. They drew in close around her. Something warm flowed through her veins, up her arm, and into her chest. She took a deep breath, letting it fill her.

A deep breath.

Another deep breath.

Another.

The beeping of a heart monitor, white walls and tables full of cards. She looked around, placing a claw against her chest as she tried to catch her breath. With every chirp of the EKG, Smolder waited for the other shoe to drop. The chirping slowed as her claw steadied against her chest. A sigh of relief. Just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about. No harm done.

She took a deep breath and gagged as the stench of piss hit her like a ton of bricks. She raised an eyebrow as she looked down towards her lower body. The tubes were missing. She reached out and patted her waist. Something damp and thick brushed her claw.

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me

Dr. Stable sent Smolder in for scans to check up on her back as soon as he arrived for his shift. The morning had played out as a sea of awkward moments punctuated by near-constant bolts of pain. At some point, Dr. Stable scolded Redheart for not double-checking on her after the near-tumble a few days before. Smolder had jumped as best she could to her favorite nurse's defense, but the pains were just rough enough to still her tongue.

At least Nurse Redheart was waiting for her when she exited the radiology lab. Part of her had been worried the mare would get canned or something, but for once the universe was nice to the dragon. Redheart rolled her down the hall, apologizing for the dream and the pain, as though she was the one who caused it. Smolder would have none of it. Between the pain and the dream, she needed to let the fire out before the smoke cooked her from the inside out.

"Quit apologizing," she grumbled. "You were right. You told me to be careful, and I was the idiot who didn't listen and decided to race like a dunghead. The only thing you need to apologize for is… why the hell was I in that thing this morning?” the dragon spat out. There had better be a good reason.

“Your wings were going fast enough we had to hold you down. We couldn’t risk you having another episode like that and ripping anything out,” Redheart stated as they rolled along.

Smolder scowled and crossed her arms. Good enough. Still, the answer didn’t exactly make her happy. Wetting the bed like a two-year-old. Smoke steamed out of her nose as she gritted her fangs to dust. She blinked the steam away, familiar droplets of moisture clinging to her lashes. She growled and slapped them away. Scales, it was lame enough when they decided to show up when she was hurting. As if she wasn't useless enough already.

"I can't go back to that room," Smolder grunted as they neared the ward. The sterile walls seemed to stretch higher the closer they got to her room. Cleaning supplies stench mixed with urine, sweat, and blood combined to form a stomach-turning stench that threatened to drown her. Smolder reached down and grabbed the rims, the metal squeaking and grinding along her sharp claws as she squeezed the wheels tight.

Redheart stumbled forward, letting out a squeak of surprise and jumping to the side to avoid hitting the dragon in the back. Landing awkwardly on four hooves, the nurse straightened her hat and frowned, trotting up to Smolder to look her in the eye. "Don't do that. If I had fallen on you--"

"Well then maybe you should've listened the first time," Smolder growled. "I am not going back to that room. You are not putting me back in that cell to stew away in a soup of my own crap and sweat." She spun around on her chair--or tried to. She got herself turned at an angle to the wall but each attempted turn was like she was in the middle of a ping pong match. Back and forth, between the walls. The chair refused to turn, and she refused to let it win, pushing against the rims harder and harder until her palms started to slip. She pushed back, and her slick hands squeaked off. The wall rushed forward to greet her and give her more pain. A familiar white hoof froze it in place.

"Smolder, you're going to be the death of me." Redheart grabbed the handles and turned the chair, facing her back down the hallway they had come up. Smolder crossed her arms, pushing her claws into her armpits as she ran the fork of her tongue over a fang. Gah, she was being a drama queen today. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back, ignoring the lightning storm firing off in her skull and back.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just... I can't go back in there. I just can't. I don't want to go back to sleep."

Redheart leaned down, placing a hoof on Smolder's knee. "Must have been a bad one, huh?"

Smolder nodded, closing her eyes and swallowing a lump that had formed in the back of her throat. "It sucked." She sniffled. "It sucked a lot."

With a heavy sigh, Redheart reared back on her hind legs and began to push the wheelchair back toward the radiology lab.

"You better not be taking me back to those psychos!" Smolder snapped, leaning forward and digging her claws into the armrests.

"Smolder, dear, please. Just take a breath. Take a breath and enjoy the ride."

They rolled farther and farther from Smolder’s room, past dozens of rooms and windows, but Smolder found it difficult to enjoy the ride. All she could hear were patients moaning in the rooms they passed while alarms beeped away. She looked into the room she had seen the mare with the braces on her hind legs in, but the room was empty, the sheets pulled tight over the mattress. Maybe she’d gone home. For some reason, Smolder was unsure if that was a good thing or not.

The lobby was a familiar sight as Nurse Redheart pushed Smolder through it. Luckily, not many of those in the waiting area seemed familiar, but she swore some of them had been there yesterday. The ones with the sunken and baggy eyes and slumped posture. At least none of them were faces she knew, but still... it was those little things. Little reminders that it could be so much worse. Some bore obvious problems--a bloody towel pressed to their face or skin turning green as they leaned over a wastebasket cradled in their laps. Others carried a subtle air about them, like the crying filly with her mom in the corner.

"I told you not to put that bead in your nose, young lady," the mom scolded

"But I wanted to see if it'd fi-i-ittt!" she squealed, sniffling and rubbing at her nose.

Scratch the subtly. Smolder chuckled and shook her head. "Please tell me I wasn't like that." She could barely remember anything between getting placed in the ambulance and... she wasn't sure if her first memory after the fact was Professor Rarity criticizing the color of the hospital sheets or the doctors doing something and asking her if she felt anything. It all blurred.

"No. You were out of it most of the time. In shock, mainly. I think you said some choice words to Dr. Stable when he tried to do your first exam."

Smolder blinked. "I... oh. Like, uh, what?"

"I don't remember exactly. Something about getting his stinky pony breath away from your face, I think?" Redheart smirked. "I've never seen him turn that red before."

"Oh. Oops," Smolder said. Her cheeks burned.

"But, no, you've been a really brave dragon," Redheart said. "Even when they told you about the extent of your injuries, you took it like a champ. Maybe it was the painkillers still pumping through your system, but trust me when I say every other patient I've seen get... such a diagnosis has shed more than a few tears. Everyone except you."

Smolder felt like pumping out her chest in pride, but her abdomen just kind of sagged. The weight of the nightmare still weighed down on her fat head. She glanced through the doors as her wheelchair neared them, expecting to see rivers of lava or rocks again.

"I do hope that's not because you're bottling up," Redheart said softly as the doors slid open in front of them. Smolder winced and closed her eyes. At least, before the sun had blinded her, she could see that the ground was familiar grass and concrete. The warmth of the sun washed across her scales. "You've been through a lot," Redheart continued. "It's better to let it out some instead of letting it build up. Even dragon scales can crack."

Smolder opened her eyes, staring up at the clouds and street lamps with cobwebs swinging in the gentle fall breeze. "Well, I'm definitely out now," she chuckled.

Redheart gave a small laugh. Maybe a cough. Smolder couldn't be too sure, and as she wheeled her towards the side of the building, the thought of talking drifted out of her gaped mouth.

"Wow," Smolder breathed. She'd heard murmurs of the butterfly garden around the hospital a few times when one of her guests had forgotten to close the door all the way, and the words she'd picked up on sounded good on paper. 'It's just gorgeous' 'I could sit out there all day.' All well and good, but she figured that was just ponies exaggerating things like ponies often did.

Well, she could add that to the list of assumptions that had made an ass out of her. The garden was tucked away in an old courtyard area, wedged between and surrounded on three sides by the hospital walls. What it lacked in space, it made up for in beauty. Every inch from wall to wall was covered in bright-colored flowers. Pinks and purples and blues and yellows sprung up along the small paths that cut through the middle, reaching out as if trying to give passing patients a gentle pat on the shoulder. Monarchs and viceroys fluttered about, landing on the petals of lilies and marigolds. One landed on Smolder's nose, and she snorted, scaring it off.

"Wow," she said again. Every direction she turned, more and more flowers and greenery danced in a gentle breeze. Even the small fence connecting the garden to the world outside had vines and honeysuckles wrapped around its wire frame. Around her, the walls and windows peered down on the garden. Smolder wasn't sure how to make window frames look warm and welcoming, but somehow they felt that way. "Who do I have to bribe to get a room with a view of this?" she asked, chuckling.

Nurse Redheart gave a laugh and patted her on the shoulder. "I’m afraid you’re stuck where you are. Most of these windows are in hallways unfortunately" She pointed to the far wall. "And those rooms over there? Well, I think you're a bit too old for those. Unless you're a fan of teddy bear murals."

Smolder cocked an eyebrow and squinted at the windows Redheart had pointed to. Through the tinted pane, she noticed a young pony staring out at her. Filly or colt, she couldn't tell. There was no mane to clue her in. She frowned. Poor little guy or gal. The small pony lifted a frail hoof and waved. Smolder waved back, smiling.

"How come I've never seen this place?"

"We usually don't let patients roam around by themselves. At least not ones who are as... stubborn as you," Redheart said with a chuckle. "No, but in truth we try to keep this place a quiet space for the patients. Peaceful. We don't want too many in here at one time, so usually, it's just a patient and a doctor or nurse. Just a space to sit back and relax and just live a little. Fresh air feels nice, hmm?"

Smolder took a big whiff of the air. Not a trace of rubbing alcohol or soap. Or vomit or any other disgusting bodily fluid. Blegh. She shook the thought away. Out here, she needed to keep her thoughts on the up high. "I'll say. You mind if I chill here for a bit? Like, a really long bit?"

"Not at all." Redheart walked behind her and grabbed the wheelchair. "I have to go check on some patients back in the ward, but I can trust you to not roll away again, right?"

"My gems are in the room, so nah," Smolder grinned.

"Well, if you need anything Nurse Gold Cross is out here as well." Redheart waved to a pegasus stallion standing next to a tiny wheelchair with a small white filly sitting on it. The golden yellow stallion waved a wing back. "I'll be back in a little bit. Feel free to sit as long as you'd like."

"I mean, sitting's all I can do, right?" Smolder winced. Her joke fell flat, and Redheart sighed.

"Smolder. This is for relaxation."

"Sorry," Smolder said. "Though it's kinda hard to relax when it's an order." She smirked. "And you know how good I am at following those."

"Then I order you to not relax," Redheart said with a roll of her eyes. "Better?"

Smolder sighed and leaned back as best she could, stretching out what she could and laying the back of her head against her claws. "Much. Now get out of here. You're clouding my zen." She didn't fully know what that meant, but Professor Rarity tended to drop it when she wanted students to leave when they went over her office hours.

The sound of hooves on mulch gently faded beneath the rustling of leaves and chirping birds. If not for the sudden beeping and unlatching of a nearby door, Smolder could almost imagine she was back on campus, lying back on a bench with her friends nearby. She could hear Silverstream and Yona chatting away, Silverstream's voice growing and fading as she zipped about recalling her tale. Ocellus laughed gently nearby, the pages of the book in her hooves rattling in the gentle winds. Sandbar and Gallus completed their frisbee game nearby. Talons and paws swished across the grass. She could almost feel Gallus' feathers as he plopped down on the bench next to her. A smile crossed her lips, breaking her fake sleep act as he laid his talon over her claws.

The wheelchair shook and rolled back a few feet as Smolder's eyes shot open, her claws fumbling to the wheels to stop the skid. Of course, she'd forgotten about the brakes. Redheart'd kill her if she found out. The nurse would probably never let her back in the garden again if someone squealed. She glared around, looking for that Gold Cross dude. If she could silence him, she'd be safe.

All she saw, though, was a small unicorn filly sitting in a tiny wheelchair, barely noticeable as she cowered in the shadow of the water fountain. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, rubbing one foreleg with the other. Smolder noticed the right one was encased in a purple plaster cast. "I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to say hi."

The filly tilted her head. "What's a barbecue?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, so long as you steer clear of the flames," Smolder said with a wave of her claw, flicking a thin flame skyward with her tongue. The filly giggled. As the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, she noticed the shimmer of the filly's eyes. Teal, large, and curious. Her gut had said she knew this pony from somewhere, and the ray of light cleared the picture. "Hey, I know you! Well, kinda. I saw you in the lobby the other day."

"Uh huh!" the filly nodded. She shook, eyes glazing over as she seemed to be caught back in a moment. "It was really scary. But you waved at me, and that made me not as scared. So… thank you!”

"No problem, little dude," Smolder said with a grin, though she wasn't sure how a dragon like her could make someone not scared. Maybe she needed to work on her snarls when she got back to the room. Chuckling to herself, she leaned forward in her chair, getting as close to the filly's eye level as she could without her spine screaming out. "I'm Smolder. What's your name?"

The filly blinked. "I like that name!" She beamed. "I'm Starry River."

Smolder crossed her arms on her numb knees. "Back at ya. Cool name, kid." The filly blushed and rubbed her cast. "So, what you in for? Don't they usually send kids home the same day with a broken foreleg?"

Starry shook her head. "No. They said I gotta stay here a few days. Something about nerds?

"You mean nerves?" Smolder asked, swallowing a chuckle.

"Yeah. That. My hoof is kinda tingly and dangly. They want to make sure I don't need sugary. If it doesn't stop tingling..."

Smolder smiled softly. "I’m sure you'll be good, dude."

Starry gave a nod and sighed. "I hope so. My mom and dad said I can pick out a big stuffed animal when I leave if I'm a good girl." Starry fiddled with her hooves. "I hope I’m being good. I dunno. This place is scary."

"Eh, being scared doesn't mean you're not good. Just means you're a pony." Smolder rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, no offense. That sounded a bit mean."

The filly shrugged. She looked over Smolder, starting from her arms, then down to her legs. "Did you break a bone too?"

"Oh. Um. Yeah."

"Where's your cast?" Starry asked. She pointed to her hoof. "I got a purple one. I think I'm gonna get a purple toy to match it."

Smolder's scales felt clammy. Her mouth dried up. "I don't... really need a cast. See… I broke my back."

Starry's eyes widened. "You can break that?! I didn't know that."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy," Smolder chuckled.

"Does it hurt? My leg hurt a lot when I broke it."

Smolder bit her lip, glancing down at her legs. "Oh, yeah. It hurt. Still does."

Starry blinked and frowned. "I'm sorry." And just like that, a grin popped onto the little filly's face. "Maybe your mommy and daddy will buy you a stuffed animal too! That always makes me feel better!"

Smolder flinched. Her claws gripped her knees tight, scratching along her scales. Yeah. Garble’d buy one, then proceed to turn it to ash in front of her face. That’d be funny. She smirked. "Maybe."

"Starry?" a male voice called out, a Trottingham accent clear in the A's. "Where did you get off to?"

Starry turned around. "I'm over here, Mr. Nurse Gold Cross. I was talking to a new friend."

The stallion sighed as he rounded a hydrangea bush, his golden coat glinting in the sunlight. He had a red cross on his flank and wore a nurse's scrub over his torso. "Starry, I told you not to wander off."

"Sorry," Starry said with a pout. "I just wanted to talk to my new friend." She pointed to Smolder, who waved weakly.

Gold Cross stared at the clouds, frowning deeply. "You can't go running off like that. What if you get lost?"

"But I didn't get lost! I’m with Smolder."

Smolder raised a claw. "Hold up." She leaned forward, placing a claw on the armrest of Starry's chair. "Girl, you're saying you rolled all the way over her on your own?"

"Yup!" Starry smiled wide, but the smile turned to a frown in the blink of an eye. "Why? Was that bad?"

"No, that's awesome." Smolder shook her head. "Don't tell me you were able to escape the fuzz with one foreleg."

"Fuzz?”

“Well, did you? Did you get all the way over her using just one leg?”

“I did!" Starry piped proudly before shrugging her left shoulder. "I tried to use both, but this cast makes it hard to move the wheels. Hard to move anyway."

Smolder sat back, grinning. "Wow. You're a freakin' natural. I think I need you to teach me some tricks."

Starry blushed and giggled. "Thanks." She shook her head. "But I don't know. You were pretty fast on your chair the other day."

Smolder rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah. You saw that, huh? Hopefully, you didn't see the finish."

"Did you lose to that griffon?" Starry asked.

Smolder shook her head. "No way. I kicked his butt straight back to Griffonstone. But I did kinda fall at the finish, which is pretty lame."

"Are you okay?"

"Do you ever run out of questions?" Smolder laughed. When Starry didn't return the chortle, she cleared her throat. "I'm good. Just a little sore." Smolder patted the filly's chair. "Maybe we should give each other some pointers on how to spin these bad boys. Where's your room?"

Starry bit her lower lip and looked back at Gold Cross. "What's my room?" She pointed to a window next to where Smolder had seen the pony wave earlier.

"114," Gold Cross said. He smiled over at Smolder. "I'll see if I can arrange for you two to hang out more. I'm sure Starry would love the company. It's funny." He bent down, patting the filly on the shoulder. "She's so quiet around the other fillies and colts, but with you, she's just a chatterbug."

Starry's cheeks turned bright pink, and she crossed her left foreleg in an attempted pout. "I'm not a bug, I'm a pony."

"I know, I know," Gold Cross laughed."

"Okay." Starry smiled at Smolder. "See you later today?"

Smolder gave a thumbs up. "If they let me."

"We'll see." Gold Cross smiled. "Thank you, Smolder."

Smolder nodded and waved as he rolled Starry away, the little filly turning back frequently to wave. As the door back into the hospital latched shut, Smolder sat back, staring up at the fountain. A warm feeling had replaced the numbness in her legs. She looked back up at the window of Room 114. Inside, she saw Gold Cross' head appear. He shook it, laughing, glancing back at the window, waving at Smolder, and laughing some more. She waved back.

Her gaze drifted to the right. The bald kid smiled as they leaned against the windowsill. She made a note to pay them a visit when and if she got to head over to Starry's room. She chuckled to herself, a smile was still plastered on her face. The more she thought about it, the harder she snorted.

Here she was, in a hospital, in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down. And she was smiling. Really and truly smiling.

"So, should I bring the other pillow over? Did I bring the wrong one? They were kinda side by side so I wasn't sure which one you liked to sleep on. I thought I saw your head on the purple one with the skiers on it one time but it was dark. Then there was the time you threw the orange one at me when I was all-nighting my solo for Hinny of the Hills, so I thought maybe that was your favorite, but I..."

Smolder nodded and smiled away. Spend four years as Silverstream's roommate and you learn the art of listening while zoning out. Trying to hang on to every word was just asking for headaches, and Smolder's spinal fluid was doing its best to ensure she had enough of those already.

"Purple one's good," Smolder said when the bouncing hippogriff paused to take a breath. She fluffed the pillow in her claws. Chances were that it, just like the couch cushion Silverstream had randomly brought over a few days earlier, would go to the corner of her backrest. There, they could be displayed like she was using them without actually using them. She could add pillows to the list of bring-me-nots-please-I'm-begging-you right underneath the cards and balloons.

Smolder rubbed the back of her neck. The muscles were still stiff. That's what she got for taking a nap in her chair. What could she say? The sun and breeze were perfect and she'd barely gotten any sleep the night before anyway. Luckily, her nap was completely dreamless. Maybe she could ring up Nurse Redheart after Silverstream zoomed off and get a stronger bag for her IV. A dragon needs her beauty sleep, right?

Silverstream placed the pillow on the couch next to Smolder. "There we go. Do you need anything else? Another blanket? I can fly on back—"

Smolder lifted a claw. "You're fine, Silver. The pillow is perfect." She yawned. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay soon anyway. The sun's down, and it's been a busy day."

Silverstream's brow furrowed. "Oh, so Gallus came by? I thought he said he had to cram for a test."

Huh? Smolder shook her head. "No. He didn't come by today. What? Uh... why'd you even ask that? "

Silverstream shrugged. "You said it's been a busy day. I figured he'd come by and wheeled you around the block a few times." The hippogriff just had to add the eyebrow wiggle at the end.

Smolder groaned and shook her head. "No. I can assure you I wheeled myself today, thank you very much. What’s that look for?"

Silverstream giggled, hiding her face behind a wing. “Nothing,” she sang.

Smolder rolled her eyes, shrugging. The less she pushed it, the better for her sanity. "Just had a few scans done, then spent most of the day in the garden relaxing. "

"That doesn't sound busy."

"It is when you have to talk up a storm. There was this little filly there, named Starry, and we got to talking. To be fair, she was pretty cool. Just doesn’t know how to shut up."

Silverstream cupped her talons. "Awww, that's adorable." She clapped and bounced in place. "You made a new friend! That's so sweet."

Smolder's snout scrunched. "I guess. I mean, she was a bit nervous about the whole hospital thing. I calmed her down. No biggie."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Silverstream nudged the dragon’s chest, a wide smile on her beak. "Clearly Smolder's not just a lovable little softy."

"Being nice isn't being soft!" Smolder huffed with a blush.

"True, true." Silverstream fluttered up and then landed immediately, wings twitching. The hyper hippogriff was not made for a space with walls. "I'm glad you made her feel better."
"Eh, I don't know if I did. Just talked." Smolder rubbed the back of her neck. "Kid's got a bum leg. She was a bit down on herself, but she's tough. And really smart." Smolder scoffed and leaned back. "Really good in a chair too."

Silverstream nodded. "That's great." She hopped up and down, wings whooshing. "Do you think I could meet her? Maybe tomorrow?"

"So you can steal my friend?" Smolder laughed.

"I think it's fair. You stole my—" Silverstream's beak practically zipped shut. "Never mind."

Smolder glanced up. "What? "

"Nothing." Silverstream looked away, tapping her talons on the floor.

"Silver," Smolder growled. She sat up, placing her claws on her knees. "Spill."

Silverstream sighed. "Okay, fine. But first, you have to promise not to get mad at me. It was just going to be a joke, I promise."

Smolder nodded. "I could always use a laugh, obviously," she said, patting her thigh.

"Okay, okay." Silverstream winced. "You stole my... boyfriend which I know you didn't it was just an easy joke and I wanted to make you laugh is all. I'm serious, Smolder, don't be mad at me."

Smolder groaned and sat back. "We're not together. You know that."

"But you should be. At least give it a shot!" Silverstream smiled and held up a talon. "We broke up. It's been a year. Girl code says it's a go, and you have my blessing. I promise to not steal any of your eyeshadow in revenge." She leaned in. "Trust me. You deserve to be happy. What with this?" She patted Smolder's leg.

Smolder grunted, pushing the hippogriff’s talon away—maybe a bit too roughly. "Look, could we just reverse the subject back to your next audition or something? Maybe I could use an extra blanket. Let's just... not go there."

Silverstream frowned but nodded. "Okay." She walked over to the closet and opened it. "You want the brown one?"

"Sure. Why not." Smolder crossed her arms as Silverstream dragged a fuzzy blanket over and threw it onto the dragon's lap. The hippogriff winced. "That wasn't too hard was it?"

Smolder smirked. "I can't tell, remember?" She grabbed the blanket and started to spread it out. "Doubt you broke anything though."

Silverstream nodded. "Good." She tapped her talons together. "Uh, so I was thinking..."

"That's a first." Smolder glanced up. "But, I'm already tired."
Silverstream glared but quickly returned to a smile. "Haha, very funny. I was thinking... my dad, he hosts these games for hippogriffs. Battle of Land and Sea, y'know? Hold it every year. They have competitions in the water and up on Mount Aris. To make it interesting, we can't transform between events."

Smolder blinked, sitting up a little. "Meaning?"

"Meaning hippogriffs from the land can't turn their legs to fins for the swimming contests, and the hippogriffs from the sea can't turn their fins to legs for the land-based races." Silverstream rocked back and forth. "They use these really sleek, specially designed chairs. They go super fast. Faster than you could probably get in this thing." Silverstream rolled the bulky wheelchair beside Smolder's bed back and forth. "I'm just thinking that maybe I could talk to him about if he has any friends who can make something like that dragon-sized." She grinned. "You'd have serious speed!"

Smolder frowned, eyes locked on the lumps where her legs lay under the blanket. "Sounds like settling, doesn't it? That's gotta take a lot of time, cost a lot of money."

"I'm sure Dad could get you a Friend of the Hippogriffs discount!" Silverstream grinned.
"Yeah, but... still. Those are only bits you shell out if you know... know you're gonna be in one of those things for good."

Silverstream nodded, her smile dropping. "I know." She shrugged. "I just figured. You've said... Oh, I don't know." The hippogriff looked to the tiles, wings drooping. "It's probably stupid."

Smolder shook her head. "No, no. I appreciate it, Silver." She chuckled and leaned forward. "I wasn't kidding when I said I was tired. You of all creatures should know how grumpy I get then." She smirked. "Let's... uh, let's just keep that in mind. Gotta say, going fast in one of those babies?" She pointed to the chair. "Kinda fun."

Silverstream smiled. "Right? Gallus told me about yesterday. Sounded like it was a blast!" She turned back to the closet. "Hey, do you want an extra extra pillow? You're gonna need it for that big head of yours."

"Silver!"

"Hey, don’t be mad at the truth! You have a big head. Just be happy I love you."

"I'm not." Smolder grinned. "I'm really not."

"Yeah huh. Whatever you sayyyyy," she sang the last word as she fluttered out of the room. "Goodnight, Smolder. Love you!"

"Love you too, Fishgirl."

And then it was just her and the night again. Nurse Redheart had ended her shift as she always did, dimming the lights in Smolder's room to a faint amber glow. It was a bit annoying if Smolder was being honest. The lights were dim enough for her to get some sleep without the nurses and doctors having to worry about tripping over wires and old bedpans when they came in, but they were bright enough that a glance out the window did not fill her world with stars and a bright full moon.

No, when she glanced at the window, she only saw the glare of her reflection spread across the tinted frame. Wow, what a lovely sight: an orange dragon in a dull blue gown staring at the window with a frown on her face. Absolutely majestic. Smolder sighed and straightened her head. Even in her room, she couldn't escape the view; she stared back at herself in the bathroom mirror. She waved at herself. Man, she was pathetic.

A gentle knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. “Yeah?” she answered, eyes darting to the clock on her wall. Huh. Visiting hours had to be over by now. She glanced over to the door, finding herself locking eyes with Gold Cross.

He smiled. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nope. Silverstream just left a minute ago. Surprised she didn’t bowl you over." Smolder shrugged. "What's up? What are you doing on this side of the world?" She smiled, but the expression faltered when she noted his downward gaze. “Everything okay? Don’t tell me I’m getting thrown in the teddy bear room.”

“No. You’re safe there.” Gold Cross walked over. His smile faded. “And… no. Everything’s not okay at the moment.” He seemed to take in all the cards and balloons and flowers that grew more and more every day. "Starry's asking to see you. Refuses to go to sleep until she sees you."

“Jeez, this kid,” Smolder laughed, looking back at the clock and shrugging. "It's almost eight. Kids like her gotta pass out around this time anyway, right?"

Gold Cross mirrored the motion, but his chuckle was humorless. "Usually. But..." He leaned forward. "She had a bad nightmare. And she needs her rest, but she's stubborn."

Smolder laughed. "No kidding. Just met the kid today, and she's acting like I'm her sister."

Gold Cross said nothing, nor did he smile. There was a story behind his eyes. A story he had to bite back lest he break the hospital codes. Smolder chewed the inside of her cheek. "Can you bring her down here? It'd probably be easier than getting me over there."

The nurse nodded. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll tell Nurse Redheart to let you sleep in tomorrow for this."

Smolder grinned. "Good. They had Reins coming in tomorrow for some morning therapy junk. Always down for a little more Zs and a little less prodding."

"I'll be right back" He smiled. "Thank you, Smolder."

"Yeah, no problem." It seemed silly, to agree to this. But if it kept her awake, she could stomach a little whining

Gold Cross wheeled Starry in five minutes later. The filly was still in her pajamas, a yellow nightgown with little pictures of lollipops and hearts all over it. Lucky kid—they gave her options other than the green or greener gown to sleep in. Smolder smirked. "Nice jammies."

"Thanks," mumbled the filly, her voice hoarse. Her mane was messy, her eyes drooping and red. She looked the exact opposite of the energetic bundle Smolder had met earlier.

Gold Cross patted Starry's shoulder. "Now, I'm going to give you a few minutes, but remember that you still need your rest. Okay, sweetie?" Starry nodded, rubbing her hoof along her cast. Gold Cross looked to Smolder. "I'll be out in the hall if you need me. I’ve been trying everything but she just… Hopefully, this will…” He shook his head. “Thank you, Smolder. Truly."

Smolder smiled and waved as Gold Cross left the room, her stomach bobbing like an unsteady sea. The door latched shut. It was just her now. She breathed a shaky inhale and looked down at Starry. The filly was so little, all hunched over in her chair, yet she felt like a shadow was looming over her. The nurse couldn’t calm this girl down; there was no way that she could, right? "So, what's up?” Smolder finally asked the gloomy unicorn. “Bad dream?"

Starry nodded.

Smolder adjusted herself on the pillows. Gah, what she wouldn’t give to go back in time and make herself pay attention during Professor Fluttershy’s lessons. There had to have been a lecture on times like these. "Wanna tell me what it was about?"

Starry nodded again, but only silence followed. The girl refused to make eye contact, choosing instead to scratch at her cast.

Smolder sighed. "Are you gonna tell me what it's about?"

Starry shook her head.

“Why not?”

Starry finally looked up, her eyes wide as she stared a hole straight into Smolder’s chest. "I-it was scary."

"You know I don't scare easily." Smolder held up her claws and flexed them, making sure the light hit the sharp points just right. "See these? These are made for fighting. Whatever you dreamed about, it's got nothing on me. Lemme know what it was, and I’ll slice it to pieces for you."

Starry didn't smile. She stared straight at Smolder, eyes quivering. She sniffled, then finally spoke. "Can you walk?"

Smolder blinked. "What?"

"Can you walk?" Starry's lip trembled. "I dreamed... dreamed I couldn't walk. Couldn’t walk anymore." The filly pursed her lips and scratched harder at the cast, as though the words hid deep below the plaster. “If you know what it’s like… you’re strong and kind and brave… I…” She shook her head, sniffling through stuffed nostrils.

Smolder laughed but swallowed at a dry and scratchy throat. "Hey, kid. That's nothing you need to worry about. You're gonna get that cast off, and then you're gonna be out running laps around me."

"They're going to cut it off."

Silence.

"The doctors might have to cut my leg off."

Smolder swallowed again, feeling as if the world was growing smaller as if the walls were closing in. "They ... They what?"

Tears started to fall down Starry's cheeks. "I don't know. T-they told me... they said I might not b-be able to walk on it anymore. Something about... those nerves not working right. That I… I’ll need a… b-brace or if it gets worse they might… might have to…

Smolder sighed. No way this was happening. No way. But… the words escaped her. There were no monsters to slash away here, and her dead lower body prevented her from walking over and hugging the poor girl. All she had was her words, and she’d always sucked at those. “That’s tough.” She drummed on her thighs, chewing away at her lips. The words didn’t lay under there either. “Still, ya need to breathe, girl. I’m sure you’ll be just fine. Doctors like to… go a bit negative about stuff. Talk about the worst possibilities, but… that’s all they are. Possibilities. You’ll power through. You’ll be fine.”

“B-but what if I’m not,” Starry whimpered, heaving the words out. “What if they do have to cut off my leg?!”

Smolder rolled her eyes. This kid’s head was as thick as one of Pinkie’s pound cakes. “I’m sure it won’t come to--”

“But what if it does?!” Snot poured down the filly’s nose. Smolder sighed. Scales, she did not sign up for this. Weren't dreams like this Twilight's job? Or did Luna still take care of those despite passing on her moon duties? Either way, at least she had a box of tissues nearby. She grabbed the box, sticking it out to the filly. Luckily, Starry was a unicorn. No need for awkward wheelchair rolling or reaching to the point of nearly falling out of bed. A simple flash of lime green magic and the filly was blowing away.

As Starry dumped her emotions into the tissue, Smolder stared down at her sheets. She wanted nothing more than to get out of bed and hug the filly, but then again there were a lot of things she wanted to do that she just… couldn’t. Not right now. Maybe not ever again.

Garble walked up to her and sat on her bed. It was just a nightmare, he said, resting a claw on her shoulder. Nothing to worry about. Mommy wasn’t going to eat her for shattering her prized emerald. She probably tasted terrible anyway. Smolder had laughed.

A smile twitched at the corner of Smolder’s lips. "To answer your question, Starry," Smolder said. "No. No, I can't walk."

Starry sniffled. "Are they going to cut off your legs too?"

Smolder chuckled. "No. They're not." She tapped her head. "See, they only do that for the tough ones, kid. The ones who can power through." She grinned. "I'm a tough dragon, but not as tough as you it seems. If it does come to that… well, it means you’re made of frickin’ tungsten or something"

Starry blinked and stuck her tongue out. “Yuck. I don’t want to be made of tongues. They’re slimy and gross.”

"Tungsten.” Smolder closed her eyes, smiling. To be that age again. “One of the strongest metals there is. See, I’ll bet you a dozen emeralds right here and now that they’re not gonna cut that leg off, but if they do…. Well, if they do, they're gonna give you this new one. It'll be strong and cool and perfect for you." Smolder smirked. "A leg fit only for the toughest and strongest creature in the world."

Starry giggled, rubbing her eyes. "Really?"

"Well, duh." Smolder shrugged. "You'd think I'd be in line, but I guess I'm just not tough enough. You should be proud, kid. It’s hard to out-tough a dragon, yet here you go showing out."

Starry smiled, but the gesture quickly transitioned to a frown as she eyed the sheets Smolder lay under. "But... that's not fair. You're a nice dragon. You're strong, you're kind, you're pretty and you're funny. I like you. You should be able to get new legs too."

Smolder smiled sadly, patting her thighs. "Yeah, but then they'd have to take my stomach, and I am not letting them take away my chance to enjoy some good topaz." Smolder licked her lips and patted her belly.

Starry giggled. "You’re funny. Can I... stay here tonight?"

Smolder chuckled. "Nah. As you can tell I don't really have much room." She motioned to the cards and balloons now overflowing onto the one comfortable-looking chair in the entire room. "And I have a habit of breathing fire in my sleep." Smolder winked, grinning as Starry's eyes somehow grew even wider. "Look, I'll… I dunno, talk to Nurse Redheart or one of my friends about clearing this place out tomorrow. Getting a bit cramped in here. Think you'll be good tonight?"

The filly yawned and nodded. Eighty-thirty. If Smolder tried to go to bed at this hour, she’d be wide awake at one in the morning.

"Good. 'Cause I'm gonna need my beauty sleep to make sure I look my best tomorrow when I show ya how to bust some good moves." Smolder winked, patting the handles of her own wheelchair. “You still up for that, right?”

Starry nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Okay. Of course. No way I’d leave you hanging." She rolled her little chair up and reached out to try and hug Smolder. The dragon lowered her arm so the filly could wrap her functioning foreleg around it. "Thank you, Smolder."

Smolder smiled and tousled the filly's mane with her free claw. "Sleep well, Starry. And if it'll help, go ahead and grab one of those plushies. I have more than enough."

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You’ve been a brave girl.” Smolder leaned in as close as she could. “I’d recommend the whale,” she whispered.

Starry nodded and tried to turn her wheelchair around but the late hour weighed on her small body. Gold Cross walked into the room seemingly on instinct, gently taking hold of the handles. She motioned for Gold Cross to lean closer and whispered in his ear. He smiled and nodded before wheeling her over to the wardrobe in the corner of the room. With a flap of his wings, he reached up and grabbed the whale, placing it in the filly’s lap.

The dragon watched as the two left the room, the filly hugging the whale close and waving as best she could, the young stallion looking at her and giving a hearty nod. She swore she could see his eyes watering as he said, "Thank you, Smolder. Goodnight."

Once they were out of the room, Smolder glanced out her window. She squinted and craned her neck, but she could not make out any stars. Only a couple of quivering blue orbs staring back through the dark.

Starry would be okay. She’d be fine. She had to be fine. She had to be.

Garble pulled her close as she sniffled. Her cries echoed off the empty walls of their cave. They’d left. How could they leave just like that? Didn’t they love them anymore? What had she done wrong?

“We’ll be fine,” Garble said. “Because we’re tough. The toughest dragons of them all.”

The second the hoof steps in the hall echoed into silence, Smolder buried her face in her palms and cried.

Author's Note

Bit of a lengthy chapter this week, I know. The next couple of chapters shouldn't be quite as gargantuan. I might switch up the upload schedule a little bit for next week only, publishing the new chapters on Tuesday and Thursday. Those chapters are shorter and go hand-in-hand enough that I want them to be published pretty close to each other. Originally, I even considered combining them into one chapter but decided not to since A) there's a natural break point around halfway through and B) if I didn't break them up, we'd be looking at a 13k word chapter. Maybe folks would like that, but I figured better safe than sorry (Of course, the chapter right after that one is shaping up to be close to that long so who knows).

Hopefully Starry was as fun for y'all to read as she was for me to write.

Also fun fact: the whole brief moment in this chapter where Smolder overhears a pony who has stuck a bead up their nose? Completely autobiographical. The only time I've been in a hospital as a patient (and hopefully it stays that way for awhile) was when I was, like, six and stuck a bead up my nose. I was not a smart kid.

Chapter Five: Whoopee Cushions and Unpaid Dues

The moment Smolder heard the muted shriek in the hallway, she knew who was coming down the hall. A grin already shone on her face as Gallus scurried through the door, one foreleg pressed against his chest as he snickered.

"What did you do this time?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow and leaning back against her pillows. Her spine didn’t scream out at an earsplitting volume at the movement. Nah, just a whimper of a flame tracing up her spinal cord. Small victories.

"Oh, nothing much." He flashed a grin. "Just the usual whoopee cushion on a nurse's chair. Turned out this one was a guy, who knew?" He turned on the sink, ripping off a latex glove and scrubbing at his talons. Smolder noticed a dark red flowing down the sink's stream.

"Gallus..." Smolder raised an eyebrow, leaning forward, one claw pulling the back of her wheelchair.

"Okay, so maybe I went for a little extra. Maybe too much but," he chuckled, “these gloves on the nurse's cart are like the same color as my chest fur.” He raised an eyebrow at her claw before scoffing and lifting his talon and waggling each digit, globs of red flicking off as he did so. "Relax: it’s just ketchup."

Smolder looked skyward, letting go of the chair, letting it thump against her bed. "You say no biggie, and yet here you are being a scaredy catboy about the whole thing."

Gallus grunted as he pulled a paper towel out, wet it, and began to rub it against his ketchup-smeared chest. "Well, let's just say that when I walked by the big nurse at the station—"

"—Sweetheart?" Smolder cut in.

Gallus flashed a goofy grin. "Why, thank you."

If Smolder rolled her eyes one more time, she swore they'd get stuck in a permanent rotation, so she snorted out a plume of smoke instead. "Her name's Nurse Sweetheart."

"Right, Nurse Sweetheart." Gallus frowned at the condiment-soaked paper towel in his grasp as he tossed it into the waste bin and grabbed another. "Well, when I walked by her, she noticed my work—which by the way, I wish I could have shown you what I had going there 'cause I swear it looked like my talon had lost a fight with a woodchipper, dude."

"Get to the point," Smolder sighed. Beneath the rush of water, she heard hoofsteps on linoleum. What did Birdbrain do this time?

"Let's just say she freaked out and ruined the plan, and I think Redheart saw me too, sooooo. Yeah. I was not getting sent back to school without seeing you."

"That's sweet. And stupid. Mostly stupid. In fact, entirely stupid."

Gallus grinned. "Yeah. But, man, that prank would’ve been a rich one. Was hoping I could pull it off in here where you could see it."

“You could have waited until you got in here to do… whatever dumb stuff you did.”

“Yeah, probably should’ve.”

The door opened as though the monster from a scary movie was about to barge in. Going off the shadow-cast glare on Redheart's face, it might as well have been.

"Good afternoon, Nurse Redheart," Smolder said with a grin.

The nurse walked in, holding a clipboard. "Hmm... strange. I received a message about a critical amputation victim requiring immediate assistance in this room on my pager, but it appears the thing must be acting up," she said, narrowing her eyes at Gallus. If not for the dampness of his entire chest, he'd almost look innocent. Well, if he could wipe the smirk off his face or stop fluttering his wings.

"Crazy thing, technology," Gallus chuckled. “Can’t trust it.”

“No, you can’t,” Redheart grunted, taking a step forward. "Smolder," she said, turning to the dragon, "I‘d love to kick out the lovebird on reputation alone and leave you to rest, but I’m afraid it’s time to..." She tapped her watch.

"I know, I know." Smolder sighed. "Look, can it wait? I don't feel anything coming, so--"

"Smolder," Nurse Redheart clicked her tongue before turning to the sink. "Gallus, could you--"

"Right," he said glancing at the clock. "It is two, huh? I'll go grab something from the Caf."

“Yes, and apologize to Nurse Sweetheart on your way there, please.”

Gallus stopped and tilted his head. “Why?”

Redheart groaned and glared. It wasn’t aimed at her, yet Smolder still pulled the sheets up a little closer to her chin. Scales, that mare could be intense. “Just do the right thing, young man.”

With a thumbs-up Gallus exited, closing the door behind him and leaving Smolder to glare over at her nurse, arms crossed.

Nurse Redheart raised an eyebrow. "What"

Smolder sighed resting her chin on her chest. She probably looked like a baby, pouting like that. Of course, with what was about to come, she felt like one too. It was embarrassing, pathetic. "Whatever. Nothing. Let's just get this over with." At least Redheart took care of this part---Reins would make it even more awkward.

Redheart rolled the toilet chair out from where it was kept hidden in the empty walk-in. Nobody not looking for it would notice it, so of course Smolder always felt its gaze on her. Looming and laughing at her. Over the last week, Smolder had gotten used to the bathroom routine. Like most of Redheart's duties, the mare kept to a strict schedule and itinerary for this routine. And come to think of it, Smolder may have felt… some pressure in her abs. Any other moment, she’d look at that as a great sign---no doubt, she’d give it some extra thought after she was back in bed---but at the moment, only that dumb chair occupied her mind.

She helped Smolder up out of bed, helped her transfer, and then plopped her down on the bedside toilet. Today, Redheart allowed Smolder a little bit of independence at least. Rather than place Smolder on her ‘throne’ like some helpless hatchling, Redheart told her to grip the bars and work on lowering herself down. Maybe the lid was cold. She couldn’t tell. All she knew was that, eventually, she could lower herself no further, and then the waiting began.

Smolder sat with her claws gripping the bars. The first few trips on the thing had left her feeling like she was about to flop face-down in a pile of her own... yeah. But with practice came balance, and the bars did a good job of providing something to grab. Something to focus on besides this.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that having to balance herself doing something so seemingly automatic sucked. Just like the schedule sucked. Just like the 'help' cleaning up after sucked. Like a lot of Redheart's things, this too had a good heart behind it--growth in independence, lessening of embarrassment, all that fun cr--junk. Fun junk. Ugh. But the heart did little to make the routine any easier.

Redheart kept saying that she should pay careful attention to each step, that she'd have to do this herself one day—as though that were something to be proud of—but Smolder spent most of this time staring off into space, counting the ticks of the clock until she could be placed back in bed, get the covers back over her stupid skinnier-by-the-day legs and Gallus could finally come back in.

Sometimes Redheart filled the silence with conversation. Today, she’d kept silent. It was only after she had transitioned Smolder back up into bed, placing her face down on the padded mattress that she finally spoke. "One more week," Redheart said from back near Smolder's tail.

Smolder sighed, nodding, her nose smothered by the pillows. At least it covered the smell. "Seven more days,” she grumbled in a muffled voice. “Then who knows how many more dozen more pointless ones after that."

The nurse sighed. "Dr. Stable's been giving you quite optimistic reports recently, Smolder. And according to Reins, you’ve been responding well to the stretches. This will be exciting!"

Smolder glanced over her shoulder, glaring at Nurse Redheart as the pony moved the dragon's tail to the side. Smolder grimaced at the sight. Even imagining what it might have felt like... ugh, no thanks. "Yeah, but..."

"But...?"

"My legs," Smolder grunted. "What else could the ‘but’ be? I still can't feel a thing in my legs. I can't move a toe. My tail’s dead weight too. Don't you usually have to show some signs beforehand to... well, you know to..."

Nurse Redheart gently placed Smolder's useless tail back on the bed then grabbed a towel nearby. "This is more Reins’ wheelhouse, but… in most cases, yes, ponies should regain some sensation or movement in their extremities before starting therapy…” Her voice drifted off before fluttering back “... if a significant gain of mobility is to be expected. However, that is not the case in all situations. There are outliers. Also, all of the stuff related to this I know is all related to ponies. You're a dragon. The most stubborn one I've met, sure, but also the toughest."

Smolder half-smiled and sighed. "Not the toughest," Smolder mumbled. "Clearly."

Redheart scoffed as she finished drying Smolder off. "If anything, you're far too tough, dear." She turned Smolder over gently. “I worry about you, Smolder. Your scales are thick as iron, but there's a lot of fire in that belly of yours. Arms up, please." Smolder did just that, and Redheart neatly lowered the gown over Smolder's arms and head. "If you don't let it out, you're going to burn alive."

"Dragons are impervious to fire. We swim in lava pools for crying out loud."

"Again. On the outside." Nurse Redheart turned around, grabbed a small book from the sink counter, and placed it on Smolder's tray table. There was no title on the cover or spine of the book. All it had on it was an emblazoned drawing of a flame at the bottom of its orange cover.

"Don't tell me this is a dumb old diary," Smolder groused.

"It’s whatever you wish to make it." Redheart leaned down and placed a hoof on Smolder's claw. "If you're not willing to let it out to us, let it out on the paper. If you burn it, maybe that’ll make you feel better too. Then, I'll buy another and we can keep this song and dance going until you are released." The pony grinned. "What harm is there in trying, dear?"

Smolder frowned at the journal. "What would I even write in this scrap?"

"Whatever comes to mind. The weather, how your day is going, what you want to eat, how much you hate the food here, whatever." She smiled a coy smile. "You can even write about who comes to see you."

Smolder wanted to scream. "Every time. Every stinkin' time, Redheart. Do you have to do this every time?"

Nurse Redheart smirked. "Until it stops making you blush like that, yes. We nurses require entertainment to get through our days as well." She moved through the rest of the routine with expert efficiency: she rolled the portable toilet to the real one and emptied it out (Smolder always closed her eyes during that part. Sure, it was part of her but it was still gross). Then she flushed, rinsed out the plastic bowl, and moved the portable back to the darkest recesses of the closet. Smolder frowned. So many steps to remember. Using the bathroom used to be so easy…

The small squeak of the hinges roused Smolder from her thoughts. "You may enter, Mr. Gallus," Redheart said.

Gallus walked in, smiling smugly and wiping crumbs from his beak. "That's what I'm talking about," he said. "Mister. Love it. Thank you, Ma'am."

"Quit making me feel old, Gallus," the nurse laughed as she walked out of the room. “You apologized to Nurse Sweetheart, I assume? I will be checking in with her, and if not you’re gone for the day.”

Gallus nodded. “Yes. I… guess I still don’t get how jumpy ponies get.”

“It’s in our nature to be worried. It’s because we care.” Redheart grabbed a clipboard off the counter. “Remember that.”

“Aye aye!” Gallus saluted before hopping up on the edge of her bed, carefully missing her feet.

"Cake. At 2.” Smolder shook her head. “That'll do wonders for your figure."

Gallus scoffed. "Well, I'll just double time at the gym later then." He stuck his tongue out at her and she returned fire, giggling the whole time.

"So, Legs," he said, hopping down from the bed. "What's the plan?"

Smolder shrugged. "Dunno. I was thinking about going to see Starry." Her brow furled. "Have you met her yet?"

He shook his head. "No. You've mentioned her a few times, but nah."

"Cool. Then that's definitely the plan.” Smolder grabbed the remote from off her lap and lowered the bed. “Alright, get me in that chair, and let's go."

Gallus chuckled but quickly frowned as silence ticked away with the second hand of the clock. "Wait,” he finally said. “You’re serious?"

"Dead," Smolder said, sitting up. "I can do most of this myself. You just need to do the little things."

"Define little things."

Smolder shrugged. "Move the chair over, make sure the brakes are locked, unlock 'em to move around if needed, help me scoot to the edge of the bed, help me move my legs into place on the footrests, oh and make sure the brakes are locked the whole time. Nothing big." She winked. "Like I said. Easy."

"Uh-huh..." Gallus said. In a flash, he reached down and pressed the call button on Smolder's bed.

"What are you doing?" Smolder asked.

"The little things," he replied.

Redheart opened the door, a confused look on her face. "Yes? What's wrong, dear?"

Smolder glared at Gallus. "Nothing. Gallus here is just being a scaredy cat again."

Gallus glared back. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Smolder replied.

Redheart rolled her eyes. "Kids..." she mumbled. "What do you need?"

Smolder motioned to her chair. "I was trying to get Gallus to help me so you didn't need to distract yourself from your other patients since you have a whole frickin’ job to do.” She side-eyed Gallus. He shrunk briefly before raising his head, attempting to puff out his still-damp chest. “But I guess he decided they weren't important, so he wussed out and pressed the button."

"Lies!" Gallus said, pointing at Smolder. "I just don't want to risk hurting you. I've literally never done this before."

"I told you, I had most of it."

"Oh yeah.” Gallus raised a talon skyward, rolling his eyes. Scales, did she look that dumb when she did it? “All I have to do is the stuff on the list of little things that are, like, a hundred items long?"

Redheart closed the door. Not a slam, but hard enough to gain Smolder and Gallus' attention. She tapped her hooves, gaze darting from dragon to griffon and back again. "Well?" she asked. "Get to it. I'll watch to make sure nothing goes wrong" When neither creature responded, she frowned and tapped her hoof harder. “Well? I can’t wait here all day. Get to it.”

Smolder nodded, smirking at the wide-eyed bird boy’s expression. "Well, you heard her.”

Gallus nodded, standing up and looking around."So… Get the chair?"

"Yep."

He took a step back, leaning down and pulling the handle by each wheel. "Unlock the brakes."

"Roll it over," Smolder said a bit quickly.

"I know that. Just making sure I go through the steps. Roll it over," he hissed as he moved the chair over faster than normal. Once it was set, he glanced up. "Okay, now your turn."

Smolder glanced down at him, a smirk tugging at her lips as she crossed her arms. Oh, you poor Birdbrain.

"What?" he asked.

She simply smirked harder as he threw his forelegs skyward

"What?!" he repeated

"Brakes," Smolder sang in a crackly voice. Singing wasn’t her thing, but when Gallus was on the other end, she couldn’t resist.

Gallus huffed. "Right. Sure. Whatever." He snapped the brakes back into place and stepped back.

"Winner winner, chicken dinner," Smolder said, giving Gallus a toothy grin.

"Okay, Your Royal Smugness, your move." He motioned with a single talon. "Scoot away."
Smolder's smirk drooped. Yeah, when she thought about it, giving Gallus grief probably wasn't the best move. She'd gotten some practice transferring, but usually, Redheart or whoever was on duty would do a lion's share of the work. "Right," she said, twisting the sheets in her claws. "Right."

Gallus tapped a paw. It was his turn to smirk. "Clock's ticking."

"Bite me," Smolder muttered, staring down at the sheets. With a heavy sigh, she tossed the covers aside, shivering even though she couldn't actually feel any new cold drafts. Slowly, she sat up straight. The dizziness was little more than a gentle bobbing now, making her skull and ears feel hollow for only about a second. At least there she was improving.

Once she was up and ready, she shot Gallus a nervous glance. No matter how many days passed, moving her legs still felt... awkward, for lack of a better word, and Gallus staring at her with that stupid bird smirk on his face wasn't helping. Sighing, she reached down under her right thigh and wrapped her claws around her knee. While she could see that the muscles had atrophied, the wasting sure as shale felt like it had done nothing to lessen the weight of her limbs. Lifting the leg and moving it to the edge of the bed still took more effort than it should have, and she had to stop and lean against the arm rail before moving to the next one. She couldn't tell if it was due to any weight in her legs (Scales knows there wasn't much in them besides bone now) or just the wear of the motion on her back. Her best theory was that they’d chopped her legs off and replaced them with cannonballs. That was the only reasonable explanation. The headaches always came heavy in these moments, as did the bolts in her back, but she would be damned if she let Gallus see that. She wasn't letting Birdbutt win this one.

"How are we doing, Smolder?" Nurse Redheart asked, taking a step forward, the steely gaze softening.

"Good. I’ve got this." With those words, Smolder moved her left leg over the side of the bed as well. With a strange crabwalk-like scooch that always found a way to murder her shoulders, Smolder slid herself closer to the edge of the bed, staring down at the wheelchair thousands of feet below her. Bile—totally from lunch and not due to any nerves or anything—tickled at her throat, and she swallowed it with a gag. "Okay," she said. She looked up at Gallus. The smirk was gone, replaced by a soft smile. He nodded and she nodded back. "Okay," she repeated, placing a claw on the armrest of the wheelchair.

"I'm here," he said softly. He reached his talons out, spotting her near her elbows.

"Brakes locked?" she asked.

"Haven't unlocked them. They're good."

"You sure?"

"One hundred percent. Trust me."

"You were sure last time too!" Smolder shook her head taking a deep breath. "Sorry. O-okay... 1... 2...

"2...

"...2..."

Gallus' talons hovered closer to her elbows. The rough grain of his nails nipped at her scales. They locked eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. She bit her lip.

"3!"

The chair stayed stationary as she lifted off the mattress with one claw, the other wrist shaking on the armrests of the wheelchair while her elbows walloped against the side of the mattress as she lowered herself down slowly, quickly moving the second claw to the other armrest. She couldn't tell if her butt hit the seat at an angle, but the world stayed diagonal, spinning her head and sparking her back. She hissed and tried to lift herself back up but for all the energy her arms were spending shivering like a scared child on the armrests, they couldn't do her a solid and push some of that energy into pushing her up. A pair of talons gripped her under the armpits. "Push," Gallus whispered.

His voice was all her arms needed to hear, apparently. With a hiss and a grunt, she pushed the world straight and gently lowered her dead lower half back onto the seat. Each breath carried the dreaded other shoe upon it, ready to drop her on the floor, but all remained stable. Gallus leaned in from beside her, patting the armrest. One breath later, she had her arms wrapped around him, nearly knocking the wind out of the poor griffon as she pulled his chest against the armrest. "Great job, dude!" she said, looking up and grinning.

Gallus patted her arms a few times until she let go. He stood up, rubbing his neck and coughing. "You did most of the work," he choked. "And Redheart took care of your tail.

Smolder groaned and rolled her eyes. Even in paralysis, her fat tail just had to make everything about itself and get in the way. "Figures," she muttered, leaning over and giving the tail a light smack. She couldn't feel if the message got across, but at least it shook in fear at her hit. Despite the frustration, a wide smile tugged on her cheeks as she turned back to Gallus and leaned back against the chair. Her spine screamed out at her to fix her posture. And she did, for about a second before she leaned forward again, reaching to adjust her legs. The sudden movement hit her like a train, leaving the world swaying. Her claws dug into the foam armrests as she waited for the wave to pass.

"I got ya," Gallus said. The storm of dizziness swayed on, but her heart beat it away, steadier and steadier, before picking up the pace as she watched Gallus grab her left foot and lift it up onto the footrest. While she was not an expert on griffons, the gentleness with which he placed the foot and adjusted her knee was not what she expected. Then again, Gallus was different from most of the other griffons she’d met. He was kind, supportive, intelligent…

Hot.

Smolder's heart accelerated as Gallus moved her right leg into position, his talon thumping gently against her knee when it was straight. "All done," he said, words muffled by the blood pulsing through her ears.

"Thanks," she said, her face hollow save for the heat snaking up her cheeks. She shook it off and punched his shoulder. "Heh, you liked that, didn't you?" she teased.

Gallus rubbed the spot on his shoulder and chuckled. "I can put 'em back where I found 'em and leave it to you. I doubt Redheart would stop me."

"That I would not," Redheart said from her spot near the doorway. She leaned against the frame, forelegs crossed, smiling at Smolder as she shook her head gently. "That was a big moment, Smolder. You did great!"

Smolder grinned and nodded. "Yeah, save for my stupid tail getting in the way."

"That's all about the angle. You'll get it down. You'll get all of this down."

Smolder let out a halfhearted chuckle and shrugged. She looked up at Gallus, whose beak turned upward in a smile.

"Time for an adventure?" he asked.

Smolder smiled and nodded. "Time for an adventure." She placed her claws against the rims and pushed them forward. She reached down again... and was nearly thrown from the chair. Or so it felt. Though her claws nearly tore a chunk out of the foam armrests as she gripped them tight, a few blinks found her back still firm against the backrest. That was weird. Shaking it off, she reached down again. And again, the wheels spun out of her grip.

"Could you not?!" she hissed, glaring over her shoulder. Though she couldn't make eye contact with Gallus without her back getting pissed at her, she could at least glare at him through the mirror.

He lifted one talon from the handles. "I figured you could use a break!"

"I can push myself."

"I know." The talon plopped back down. "I just figured you wanted to get out of here faster."

"You saying I'm slow?"

Gallus shrugged. "Fine, fine. After you."

Smolder rolled the wheels again. No resistance. Was that so hard, Gallus? She pushed again, and the wheels stayed still. "Really, dude?"

"You were about to run over your tail!"

"It's not gonna hurt!" Smolder shook her head and leaned forward, her claws digging into the armrests. She took a deep breath and leaned back, crossing her arms. "Fine, do what you want. I don’t care!"

Gallus sighed. "I want you to roll."

"Now you're being lazy?"

"No, I want you to do what you want to do, so please. Go ahead."

Off to the side, Redheart giggled away like a schoolfilly. "What?" Smolder groused.

Redheart waved a hoof, placing it over her mouth as her face turned red. "Goodness, I can't breathe," she sputtered.

Smolder rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know CPR so I guess you're screwed there." She tried to scowl but the continued giggling and gasping from the mare pushed a twitching smile to her lips. "Fine, G. Roll away. I'd like to just enjoy the view for a while."

"But I'll be behind yo—"

"Don't. Push. It."

"How can I roll the chair if I don't push--"

"Out and to the left, Featherbutt!"

Redheart fell back into a chair, snorting away. Smolder made sure to give her one last good glare before Gallus rolled her towards the Foal's Ward.

"You've missed some good lectures," said Gallus.

Smolder laughed. "Good napping ones?"

"The best!" Gallus winked. "But, some of the professors have really been stepping up their game."

"Really now?"

"Yeah!"

He was silent for a while. Smolder quickly grew tired of the sound of her wheels rolling along. "Well, you can't just say that without giving examples."

"Fine." Gallus leaned against the wheelchair's handles. "Let's see... I heard Professor Fluttershy brought some injured animals in. Went over how to care for them, but still treat them with respect." He rubbed the back of his neck. Smolder looked at the tiles and frowned. "And Professor Pinkie Pie showed how to, um... bake sympathy cakes with little surprise gags in them. The Jack-in-the-Box one was pretty cool. And, uh Professor Applejack told a story about one of her cousins working in Neighpon."

"Lemme guess," Smolder grumbled, "They're a cripple like me."

Gallus said nothing. "Sorry. I guess... never mind."

"Any of the professors not basing their curriculum around the dragon not in the room?"

Gallus shrugged. "Well, Professor Starlight has kept the magic lessons pretty normal."

"Huh," Smolder snorted. "I figured she'd be going on some spiels about the cans and can nots healing magic."

"No. Not... heh... not this week."

"Figures."

"To be fair, she was only answering a question."

"Whose?"

More silence. This time, heavier. "Ocellus," he finally said.

Smolder sighed, leaning her head back and watching the lights roll by. "Should I even ask what her question was?"

"You probably know. Probably know the answer too." Of course, she did. It was her first question to Dr. Stable once she'd gotten some semblance of consciousness, some understanding of her situation. There had been enough questions, unwanted answers, and screams and tears to last a lifetime. In the end, all of it could be summed up in a single statement: even magic had its limits.

"Professor Rarity hasn't been... uh, focusing on it, per se. I mean, yeah she was the one behind the cards that first week."

"Figured, since they all looked the same."

"Yeah, but she's actually been talking about how sometimes the most generous gift of all is to give nothing. Like, yeah, it's about healing. It's about you. But at least she's talking about respecting space and not being overbearing."

"Yet you're here every day," Smolder chuckled.

"Yeah, I'd give myself an F on that assignment."

Smolder shrugged. "Eh, I'd give you a D minus."

"I'll take it."

All it took was for them to roll past a doorway for the walls and tiles of the hospital halls to change from a boring white and whiter to bright greens and blues. To her right, Smolder's gaze could follow a trailing rainbow mural over a sun-soaked hill that paused only for closed doors or water fountains. To her left, doors stood open, the rooms bathed in sunlight that reflected off the oranges and purple diamonds painted along the tiles. Though the rooms passed by quickly, Smolder could see the stems of some of the taller lavender blossoms swinging in the breeze through the windows, butterflies fluttering their wings against the panes much to the delight of a few young patients.

"So, which room are we going to?" Gallus asked. "The rainbow-colored one, or the other rainbow-colored one?"

"114," she answered. "Just look for--"

"Smolder!" came a bright, accented voice. Gold Cross walked out of one of the rooms, clipboard held in a wing. He reached out a hoof for a quick bump. "I thought you weren't going to make it before the end of my shift."

"Eh, turns out my, heh... schedule falls an hour later than I'd hoped." She shrugged. "But, hey, I'm here."

Gold Cross laughed, lowering the clipboard while using his other wing to smooth his mane. "She's been asking about you all afternoon. Practically bouncing off the walls."
"Hey, I came as fast as I could." She chuckled, then pointed a thumb over her shoulder, receiving an 'Oof' in response. "This is Gallus."

"Ah, yes, the Whoopee Cushion master himself." He raised a wing to Gallus' talon and shook it firmly. "Pleased to meet you for real, mate. I'm Gold Cross."

Gallus rubbed the back of his neck. "Nice to meet ya, Doc."

Gold Cross snickered. "Oh, I wish. However, I don't think I could stand another four years of med school, so it's just nurse."

Gallus took a deep breath. "Right. Sorry. Heh. And sorry about the whole…" Gallus made a farting noise with his beak. “Yeah. Sorry.”

"Don't sweat it. It gave me a chuckle. And you're far from the first to call me Dr." He raised his clipboard and tapped it with a wing as he chuckled. "Case in point: a certain little filly who still sometimes refuses to call me anything but Dr. Nurse."

Smolder shook her head. That Starry was something else. "So, are we good to see her?"

Gold Cross nodded. "When you're here, always," he said as he led them into the room. "Honestly, this is just about the perfect day; I would probably have come down to fetch you myself." He frowned. "She had a rough morning."

Smolder nodded. She wished that was news, but she couldn't say she blamed the filly for feeling down. No kid should ever have to go through what she was.

"Good thing we've got the perfect medicine right here," Gallus said, patting Smolder's shoulder, sending a zap up her chest. She winced but smiled and nodded nonetheless.

Gold Cross walked a little ahead, giving Smolder time to take stock. She didn't recognize the colt in Room 108. He looked tired, but she didn't notice any bandages or casts on the little guy. Tonsils maybe? In Room 110, she had to roll her eyes at Echo Bright. The batpony colt had decided to continue his one-wing flying experiments, jumping from bed to chair to bed again while his poor father tried to catch him, asking him, "Do you want to break your other wing?" The colt's answer? A laugh, of course.

Her smile slipped as they passed Room 112. The bed remained made, the pillows untouched, the sheets clean and neatly folded over the mattress. If she looked closely, the tape residue from where North Sky's mom had taped a cut-out of a bird he'd messily scribbled blue had hung reflected in the sun. The poor guy had been so frail. Smolder had asked Gold Cross if he could join them on one of their butterfly hunts, but it was not to be. 'Maybe next time.' He'd watched and waved, smiled through the pane more than the first time Smolder had seen him. If only there had been a next time. Six years old. She bit her lip. Too few. Far too few.

A rap on the door by Gold Cross' wing was all it took to lift Smolder's spirits back up. Rather, it was the familiar lively voice that rang through the cracked door that did it. "Is she here?"

Gold Cross chuckled as he opened the door. "Someone's been taking magic lessons. Do you mind using those psychic powers to tell me what my husband's cooking for dinner tonight?"

"Um... spaghetti?"

Gold Cross rubbed his chest and licked his lips dramatically. "Yum. My favorite!" He stepped aside to allow Gallus to roll Smolder in. She could do it herself, of course, but with Starry, hands always had to be ready for hugs.

"Smolder!" the filly squealed as she bounced in bed.

Smolder raised a claw as Gallus rolled her forward. "Up high!"

Starry tried to raise her braced hoof and give Smolder a hard fistbump, but the foreleg didn’t want to cooperate, so the filly moved to her good hoof and gave a solid smack. Smolder hissed dramatically, shaking her claw out. It wasn't all an act. She wasn't just being nice when she'd called her strong.

"Oops," Starry said. "Sorry." She lowered her voice, leaning in close. "I've been working on my super strength, but it's not ready yet." Gallus chuckled, gaining the filly's attention. "I know you!" she said. "You raced Smolder." The filly grinned. "She beat you good."

Gallus rubbed a wing along his neck. "Yeah, she kicked my tail pretty good." He glanced at Smolder, grinning. "Let's just say I took it easy on her that time."

Starry gasped. "No," she giggled. "Smolder'll make you eat her dust always. Smolder's the fastest!"

Gallus chuckled and shrugged. “Not arguing there.”

Starry looked between the two of them, her brow narrowed. "Are you two married?"

"What?!" Smolder and Gallus both said at once. "No," Smolder added. "Gallus has been one of my best friends forever, but… no. Why'd you think we were married?"

Starry shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought you were." And that was that.

Smolder took note of the whale on the pillow beside Starry. "Is Mr. Bubbles still keeping you company?" What a dumb name. But it was fitting for that dumb plush.

"Yeah!" She held the toy out, squishing it as she hugged it. "We talk a lot while Mommy and Daddy are at work. He missed you too."

Smolder raised a brow, crossing her arms. "He talks? Well, times are changing." She patted her armrests. "But, hey, you know I'm gonna show up when I can."

"Mhmm." Starry nodded. She looked up at Gallus. "Why are you in the hospital, Mr... um..."

"Oh. It's Gallus." Gallus lifted a talon to fist-bump the filly. She stared up at him but didn't move her a foreleg at all.

"I'm Starry River," she said in a whisper before lifting up the plush. "And this is Mr. Bubbles."

Smolder scoffed. "Now, what are you doing being all quiet?" She leaned an elbow on Starry's bed. "I promise, he doesn't bite."

Gallus chuckled and grinned. "Nope. See. All beak."

Starry smiled. "Just like Mr. Bubbles." She held up the toy to show them.

"Far out," Gallus said, swaying back and forth in place. "And to answer your question, I'm just here visiting Smolder. I'm in the hospital, but I guess not in the hospital."

She stared blankly, eyes still as wide as saucers as she held Mr. Bubble close to her chest.
Gallus shrugged. "What about you?"

Smolder's eyes grew wide as she turned her wheelchair, grabbing the griffon by the scruff of his chest and pulling him in closer. "Gallus," she half-hissed half-whispered. "What in Equestria kind of question is that?"

He raised a brow, tilting his head at the dragoness. "I just want to make sure I don't bring up anything rough by accident."

"So you're bringing it up on purpose?!"

"I was skating with my friends. Long Hill," Starry spoke up, still holding her whale close.
Smolder glanced at the filly. "Yeah? Long Hill? No kidding?"

"Hey, we sled down that hill last year! Remember, Smolder?" Gallus said. Oh, she remembered alright. She swore there were still clumps of ice stuck behind her back teeth.

"It's great for sledding too!" Starry added. "My friend, Strawberry Lime, and I went down so fast last year that I thought we'd explode!"

"It's quite a hill," Smolder added. Explode? Nah. Leave a mile-long trail in the powder when you lean too far to the left and eat flakes? Definitely. "And you said you skated down it?"

Starry nodded. "Mhmm. I was going really fast. Like this!" She held her hoof out and rocked back and forth, complete with a small whooshing sound. "And I fell."

"I'm sorry," Gallus said.

"Don't be. It was fun!" She giggled. "Well, the skating was fun. I didn't like falling. It hurt."
Gallus rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I bet it did."

"It hurt a lot, but... I was scared to tell Grandma. Mommy and Daddy had to work, and if I got hurt skating they wouldn't let me skate anymore. So I laid down and waited to feel better." The filly sniffled, looking down at the brace. "I should have told Grandma."

"Hey, now," Smolder said, rubbing her on the shoulder. "You were scared."

"But Daddy said if I had just told Grandma, I'd be okay." She hugged Mr. Bubbles close.
Silence.

Smolder stared at the floor, glaring at the door. She dared that stallion to walk in that door right now. Legs or not, she'd show him some dragon fire. A crisp pile of ash would be a nice look for him. Definitely set him straight.

Starry seemed to have forgotten about it, though. "You sledded down Long Hill, Smolder?"

"We sure did." Smolder turned her chair. "Gallus, me, my friends Sandbar and Yona and Silverstream..." Ocellus had a cold that day. Poor girl. "It was crazy."

"Is that what happened to your legs?" Starry asked.

"No," Smolder sighed. "No, my legs still worked then." She smirked, leaning back. "Me and Gallus got a bet going. See who could get to the bottom of Long Hill first. It was me, of course."

"Wow," Starry said, looking at Gallus. "You lose a lot."

Gallus laughed. "Oh, no. She won the first time. I won the do-over."

"Because you cheated."

"I did not cheat!"

Smolder crossed her arm. "You used your wings."

"You never said I couldn’t use them. Besides, you crashed and burned so you’d have lost anyway."

"Wow, you two fight like a Mommy and Daddy," Starry said. "Maybe you should be married."

A pony could hear a pin drop as the three creatures stared at each other, a wide-eyed griffon, a blushing dragon, and an innocently grinning filly.

I thought I'd be safe around the frickin' kid, Smolder thought, running a claw over her eyes. If I didn't love her, I'd strangle her right here and now.

"Yeah," Gallus chuckled, rubbing his neck. "Heh heh... Married." He laughed nervously, looking at Smolder. “That’d be funny wouldn—

"Drop it, Featherbu--Gallus," she corrected. Fillies present. She took a deep breath. "But yeah, that sled race was pretty cool." She looked at Gallus and smirked. “Even cooler winning."

"I won," Gallus corrected.

"What did you win?" Starry asked.

Smolder cocked an eyebrow. "'Scuse me?"

"You made a bet, right? What'd you win? When Strawberry Lime won the sled race, I had to kiss my cat." The filly giggled. "She didn't like that." She made a hissing noise and swiped at the air.

Gallus grinned. "Kiss a cat, huh? Man, if only I'd known I could’ve wagered that then."

"You'd be kissing Opal!" Smolder shook her head. "Nah, it was... like, just a pizza, right?"

"Yeah." Gallus laughed. "Sandbar had to buy it because you refused to admit I won and pay up."

"For the last time, you didn't win!" Smolder threw her hands in the air. “You should have paid!”

"Maybe you should have another race with him," Starry said to Smolder. "Pizza makes me feel better. Maybe it'll make you feel better too."

Gallus sat down and crossed his arms, smirking at the filly. "But what if I win?"

Starry shrugged. "You get pizza too. It'll make you feel better."

Gallus chuckled and shook his head. "I'm fine, kid. Appreciate the thought."

"Pizza will still make you feel better. You look sad."

Gallus cocked his head. "I'm not sad."

"You looked sad when you looked at Smolder."

Gallus sat there, mouthing silent words. He glanced at Smolder before quickly turning his gaze to the ground and scratching at the tiles. "She's a blunt one, huh?"

"You don’t know the half of it," Smolder chuckled.

Starry set Mr. Bubbles beside her. "You should race. Winner gets pizza!" She gasped. "And... the one who doesn't win can have pizza. And I can have pizza too! Everyone can have pizza!"

Gallus laughed. "I don't know if my bank account would agree to that." He turned to Smolder. "Still, it does sound like fun."

Smolder grinned. "Yeah, but I've had a lot more practice than you lately, Birdboy."

"Oh yeah?" Gallus crossed his arms. "And you think I haven't?"

"No. I know you haven't."

"Wheelchairs aren't only found in hospitals, my scaly friend."

"Okay, that's just weird." She shook her head. He laughed.

"Nah, I'm pulling your tail." He looked over at Starry. "I get some practice laps, right?"

"Let me check." She leaned her ear to Mr. Bubbles and nodded her head a few times. "Mr. Bubbles says yes."

"Well, thank you kindly, Mr. Bubbles," Gallus said with a bow to the stuffed whale. He looked over at Smolder. "What do you say, Legs? Feel like putting your money where your mouth is?"

Smolder smirked. "Was born ready."

"Legs?" Starry tilted her head to the left.

"Just a nickname," Gallus said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What does it mean?" Starry asked.

Gallus shrugged, "Sometimes names are just names." He raised his wings next to his cheeks, leaning down behind them and chuckling.

Starry looked over at Smolder. "He's strange."

Smolder laughed, hoping the sound would cover up her shaky throat. "That, sister, we can definitely agree on.." She reached over and punched the griffon's shoulder. "Let's race, Birdboy," she said, looking down at the tile.

He stared at the wall and chuckled. "Game on, Legs."

Starry bounced in her bed. “This is going to be so cool! Oh, I know. Let’s tell Mr. Nurse Gold Cross. I know he’d love to help us out!”

Author's Note

Not an extremely heavy chapter, but not really a filler chapter. As I said in the previous author's note, this was originally the first half of one chapter (hence why this chapter kinda ends on a set-up for a cutaway gag), but it felt more natural to break it in half here.

It might not be the heaviest chapter in terms of content, but I must say that Gallus' and Smolder's back-and-forth bickering is some of the most fun I've had writing in a looooong time. Next chapter will have a similar air to it (more slice-of-life and dialogue-heavy), but will also introduce a central character and plot point for the story.

(Also I added a new tag: Original Characters. Heads up, I guess: three major characters in this story will be Original Characters here. You've met all three of them, but only Starry has really been established. You'll really meet the other two soon

Chapter Six: Jade Bolt

"Pleeeeeaseeee, Mr. Nurse Gold Cross, sir!"

How Gold Cross could look down at Starry's bright eyes and tiny lower lip pout and not immediately crumble to her demands, Smolder couldn't even guess. Maybe he'd been a dragon in a past life. Only a maybe, though. The look he gave her was nowhere close to what a dragon would give a begging child. Nah, back home they'd just take the gem their hatchling wanted and eat it right in front of them. Here, in the land of ponies, at least the adults tended to hear the kids out before they said 'No. Get lost.'

Starry widened her eyes to the size of wagon wheels. “Please, Mr. Dr. Nurse Gold Cross sir.

"Starry," Gold Cross groaned, moving the papers around on his desk, checking the order of the pens in a cup, looking anywhere but at the little foal staring up at him with her one foreleg raised as though it were clasped with the missing one to form the ultimate pleading attack. "I have patients to attend to, paperwork to fill out, and no time to even consider helping you in such nonsense. There is simply no way."

"But why?" The filly stuck her lower lip out more. If Gold Star took a step forward, he was likely to trip over it. Suffice it to say, he was keeping himself safe behind his desk, opening a file cabinet, and dropping a folder on the table. Followed by another. Followed by another.

"We're a busy hospital, Starry." Gold pointed at the files. "These are three new patients I have to check on regularly. Combine that with established patients like yourself and potential emergencies, and I have just about a dozen foals I'm working with right now. Not only is that going to take away any free time, but that's a lot of foot traffic in these halls as well. If I tried to clear the halls, how would these new foals get the help they need?"

"Maybe they could watch us?"

"It's not happening, Starry." He shook his head, finally glancing towards Smolder and Gallus. "Not to mention, even if I could, it's dangerous."

Smolder raised a claw. “Look, it’s just the garden, Goldy. Just open the gate for us and we’ll be fine. Come back in a few minutes. No biggie.”

"Ah, yes. The garden." Smolder did not know Gold Cross as well as, say, Nurse Redheart, but she'd gotten to know him well. Overall, he was about as laid back and kind of a pony as you could meet, but he had his moments, and he had his tells. The pegasus nurse leaned forward on the desk, leaning his cheek against a curled wing as he looked straight at Gallus. Incoming. "Ah, yes, of course. The garden. The garden that is full of roots that a wheelchair can hit and flip over at speed. The garden that is full of rocks that could tear one's stitches open and mess up their nerves if they're landed on just right. The garden where a certain dragon--"He lowered his wingtips to point at Smolder "--could easily crash and ruin her recovery."

Somewhere down the hall, a filly coughed. A nurse wheeled a gurney by, hunched over as she glanced at Gold Cross' station.

"Sheesh, I get it. You didn’t need to lay it that thick. I got it at the ‘roots’ part. Also, think it’s a dumb take. I mean... we'll be careful, Seriously." Gallus offered.

Smolder slammed a claw against her face and snorted, smoke snaking out of her nostrils. "Look,” she jumped in. “this hall’s a no-go. The garden’s a no-go. I get it. But, come on, there's gotta be a stretch of hallway in this place that has, like, no doors we can crash into, right? Like a connecting hallway? I’ve seen a few heading back and forth to get X-rays and stuff. Starry just thought you’d wanna come along, but you obviously can't, so… like, it’s nothing you'll have to worry about, dude," Smolder said. “Just point us in the direction and we’ll be on our way.”

"Dude?" Smolder winced as Gold stood up, one folder now on his clipboard which he draped under his wing. "Smolder, you've told me about this idea you have. It's my job to worry about it now. Especially when you could get hurt even worse. This isn’t a carnival. You’re here to get better, not to have fun."

"We'll take it slow." Gallus gestured with his wing. "Like... real slow. And if a door opens, we'll stop. Easy."

"Show me."

Gallus blinked. "Show you?"

Gold Cross nodded, pulling an empty wheelchair around the desk and patting the seat. "You say you can stop easy?" He pointed at Smolder. "I trust her. She has practice. You on the other hoof... well, I'd probably get in trouble for even suggesting you so much as sit down on hospital property that you don’t need, but if my point is made I'll gladly take the chewing from the director."

Gallus gulped. He looked at Smolder. Smolder shrugged and nodded towards Gold Cross. "Hop to it, Birdboy. I believe in you."

Gallus sighed and sat in the wheelchair, muttering “Me and my big mouth,” under his breath. He leaned forward, placing his talons on the wheels.

Starry giggled beside Smolder. "Mr. Gallus looks funny when he's nervous, huh Smolder?"

"I know, right?" Smolder chuckled, but when Gallus made eye contact with her she smiled at him. Bless him, he was trying, but the wheelchairs the hospital used were clearly not built for quadrupeds to push themselves in. Nah, they were meant to be pushed from behind. Gallus was clearly struggling to lean forward enough to grab the wheels in his talons without falling face-first on the tiles.

He looked up at Gold Cross. "Uh... is there a trick to this I'm missing?"

“Shouldn’t you be telling me?” Gold Cross shook his head, walking over to a room across the hall from his station, about ten feet away from where Gallus sat. "Okay. Start rolling towards me," Gold Cross said.

"Towards you?" Gallus said.

Smolder groaned, rolling her eyes. "Just do it." She slapped the side of Gallus' chair. "I believe in you."

Gallus took a deep breath, muttering under his breath as he pushed the rims forward. Of course, his talons were all out of sync, the left one turning harder and farther than the other and causing the chair to wobble and turn in place. Gallus tried to course correct and was at least able to avoid slamming into the nurses' station, but his hard left had him careening right for a wall of flowery meadows complete with smiling daffodils. Before Gallus could eat a faceful of the wall, Gold Cross halted his chair, shaking his head and frowning, but also doing a poor job of suppressing the chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"That was... something. At least you didn’t break anything," Gold said. He motioned for Gallus to stand up with a wave of his wing. "Look, you all, I see where you're coming from here."

"Do you?" Smolder said, crossing her arms.

"No need to get snarky." Gold Cross opened the door to a room, leaving it cracked open for a second to lean in and say a quick, "I'll be just a minute," before closing it again. "If I'm being honest, it sounds like a fun idea. Taking your wheelchair out and showing your stuff by racing it around? That sounds fun and awesome, Smolder. No joke, I'd buy tickets to see you do that someday. But that’s someday. Not now."

Smolder's arms remained crossed as she frowned and stared holes into the crooks of her elbows. Giving her a taste of her own medicine, Gold Cross rolled his eyes before taking Smolder’s wheelchair by the handles and rolling her away from Gallus and Starry’s hearing range.

"How many days are you from starting PT?" Gold Cross asked in a hushed voice.

Smolder shrugged. "Six? Seven?" She snorted. "Too long. I feel good to go now."

"Then you should keep it that way. Feeling good to go is what you want. Do you want to risk making that wait time another week? Another month? Never because you mess up and re-broke your back and you’re out of luck of ever recovering at all?” He patted the armrest of Smolder’s chair. “You have to take it slow."

Smolder continued to frown at her lap, but sighed and let her shoulders slump. He had her there. That would suck. But then again, things sucked anyway. "Alright."

Gold Cross smiled, reaching over and patting her on the shoulder. "Good girl." He sighed, stealing a glance at the clock at the nurse's station. "I have to get to my patients. You can take Starry for a loop around the hall; getting out of the room and getting some fresh air would be good for her. But, please, please, please. Promise me that you won't do anything dumb. Around the corner, maybe out to the butterfly garden if there’s a nurse already out there, but then straight back to her room."

Smolder forced a grin. "Promise. Stick a cupcake in my eye and all that."

Gallus flashed a thumbs up. "Roger that."

Starry pouted. “Fine.”

Gold Cross nodded and opened the door, taking one last glance at Smolder before singing, "Good afternoon!" in a cheerful voice to his patient.

Once the door was closed, Smolder sighed. "Well, let's move. You got Starry?"

Gallus nodded.

“Let’s go!” Starry pumped a hoof as Gallus took hold of the smaller wheelchair’s handles in his talons. Smolder, in typical dragon fashion, rolled her eyes and rolled up the hall. She didn’t get Starry sometimes. The filly was pouting, what, five seconds before? Now, she was smiling as though someone had just put on her favorite movie.

Smolder maneuvered her way past passing ponies and nurse's carts with relative ease. The hospital wheelchairs were bulky, yeah, but a little bit of practice and she bet she could hit a wheelie if she wanted to. She’d had maybe a week of practice, and she had to admit she was kind of getting used to it. It didn’t make it feel right or natural, but movement was movement, and she refused to spend another day laying on her back from dawn until dusk.

Still, her shoulder muscles weren’t totally used to doing all the work yet. As they rolled through the wide doorway separating the foal’s ward from some offices, Smolder’s throat tasted of copper. Wiping her forehead, she made a hard right to the nearest water fountain. Even dragons needed to cool down every once in a while.

“So, what happened to your back?” Starry suddenly asked, sending the water down Smolder’s windpipe. The dragon sputtered and coughed as she turned her chair around.
“What are you talking about, squirt?” she asked, wiping a trail of water off her chin.

Starry shrugged. “I told you about what happened to me. It was scary, but I feel a little better now after talking about it. Maybe it’ll make you feel a little better. So… what happened to you?”

Smolder shook her eyes skyward, then glanced at Gallus. As was typical for the griffon, he wore an expression somewhere in between concerned and calmness. He raised a talon off the little pony’s wheelchair in a half-shrug. ‘It’s up to you,’ it felt like that one expression was saying. ‘Tell or not.’

Screw it. Smolder rolled forward, slowing her wheels as she rode up beside the filly. “Promise me something, Starry.”

“Yeah?”

“You won’t laugh and think I’m a total dork if I tell you.”

Starry giggled. “Why would I think that?” Smolder narrowed a glare at her. Maybe too narrow of a stare, going off the way the filly curled into herself, but this was serious. Smolder was not a dork. Period. Exclamation mark. “I promise,” Starry said softly.

Smolder sighed, gripping the rims tight as she rolled forward, signaling Gallus to follow. “I had an accident… during cheerleading practice.”

Even through her peripheral vision, Smolder could see Starry’s mouth fall open. “You’re a cheerleader?”

“That a problem?” Smolder asked flatly.

“No. Just a surprise. Push me faster, Mr. Gallus!” Smolder looked over her shoulder as Starry’s chair came into view, the little wheels rattling on the floor. “I don’t see why you’d think it was dorky. Cheerleaders are fun and nice and pretty.”

“Well, you proved my point right there. For dragons, that’s practically a crime.” Smolder glanced out the window. Clouds had rolled in, leaving her reflection a dull shadow on the panes of glass. If she squinted, her gown almost looked like a dress. She bit her lip. Maybe she could talk Silverstream into bringing in some of her normal clothes. Something to make her feel more like herself. Even if she’d have to kick Gallus out of the room before he caught a glimpse of her in something pink or purple. She could bring in some of her other clothes too. Maybe some of her black jackets. Something cool for when Garble finally showed up. If Garble finally showed up.

He has to, she repeated to herself, her chair slowing. He’s going to be here. Soon. Then why hadn’t he shown up yet?

“What happened?” Starry pulled her from her thoughts with a hoof over her claw. Only then did Smolder realize she’d come to a stop. “Did you fall?”

“No. Got fell on. By a yak. Like stepping on an ant. Me being the ant, obviously.” Smolder let go of her wheels and clapped her claws together. “Splat! Just like that.”

“Ouch.” Starry’s ears fell flat against the back of her head, as though trying to hide under her messy blue mane.

“That’s putting it lightly.”

“Were they okay?”

Smolder slowed down, the filly rolling past her for a second as the dragon titled her head. “Huh?”

“The yak who fell on you? Were they okay?”

Smolder bit her lip. “I… I don’t know. I hope so.”

“You should check.”

Smolder sighed, staring at Gallus. He reached down and patted her shoulder. “I want to. I really do.”

"Ooh. Mr. Gallus! Turn right, turn right!" Starry suddenly piped up, pointing down a hall.
"The gift shop’s over that way! Maybe they’ll have something nice to make Smolder happy.”

Smolder blinked and raised an eyebrow. Was she really that obvious? Gallus stared down at Smolder as he took Starry's smaller wheelchair handles in his talons. For a griffon, he had the gentlest eyes sometimes. If Smolder couldn’t see any other part of him, just his eyes, she’d think he was a pony. “Sounds good to me. You?” he asked.

Smolder shrugged her shoulders, “Not a problem with me.”

"They could have candy," Starry added. "You always need candy! There’s no way anyone can be unhappy when they have candy!"

"Point taken." Gallus chuckled, ruffling the filly’s frizzy mane. Even the toughest of griffons weren’t immune to Starry’s charms, it seemed. "But still isn’t that strange? Calling something in a hospital a gift shop?”

Smolder tilted her head to the side, letting the vertebrae in her neck click out. Getting out and about definitely felt good. All her joints would turn to concrete if she spent another day just lying in that bed. “Eh, I’ve been there. Typical visitor stuff. Snacks, flowers, cards, balloons. Definitely saw a few last-minute purchases some ponies brought up to my room those first couple of weeks. Shows how much thought they put into it, eh?” Smolder shrugged, claws not leaving the rolling rims. “Still, they were cute, I guess.”

“Oh, I get it, but that doesn't change that the name sounds a bit weird to me.”

Smolder chuckled. "No arguing from me, but honestly, a coffee definitely sounds like a gift right now," Smolder clenched her jaw, damming back a yawn. “Reins has been waking me up at, like, 6 in the morning to do stretches.”

"Yikes. I thought this was a hospital, not a torture chamber.” Gallus leaned down, crossing his forelegs on the handles of Starry’s chair as they marched on. “Wanna grab one?"

"I wish," Smolder said, smiling over at the griffon. "But coffee's a no-go. Can really screw with my... well... you know..." She made a circle over her lap.

"Right. Right." Gallus nodded.

Starry raised an eyebrow at Smolder. The dragon waved a claw at her and smiled. "Nothing you need to worry about," she said. The filly deserved to keep what little bit of innocence she had left.

Smolder rolled along the hall. Starry had gotten to playing twenty questions with Gallus about how griffons lived (how many toes they have, could they purr, etc.) and Smolder had started to tune them out. The filly had pulled the same thing on her not long after they'd met. Some of them were easier to answer than others. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? Pistachio, eight days of the week. Hoofball or Hockey? Neither. In the Dragonlands, lava wrestling was king.

If only the other ones were that easy.

'Did you wrestle with your friends?'

'Eh, I didn't have many friends back then. My brother and I got pretty good at it though."

'Who's your brother?'

'His name's Garble.'

'Oooh! Is he as cool as you?'

'Nowhere close.'

'Can I meet him when he visits?'

Smolder's right claw slipped between the spokes, causing her chair to bobble and swerve. She braked to a stop, waving her claw in front of her to shake the sting out of her fingers.

"You okay?" Gallus asked.

Smolder sighed, glaring at the offending wheel. "Yeah. Fine. Just lost my grip." She glanced over her shoulder at Starry, who looked up at her with her big golden eyes, curiosity gleaming in them.

'Can I meet him when he visits?' she had asked.

Ha. When? No, if. If he visited. If he cared enough. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Of course he did, she chided herself. Yet her gut twisted into a triple knot and it felt like steam was about to spew from her eyelids as she clenched them tighter and tighter. The pressure thumping against her skull shook her claws against the rims. She took a deep breath, opening her eyes.

For a second, smoke clouded her vision, wisping out of her nose as she let her breath out. As it cleared, she thought she was imagining things, but a few good blinks brought the hall into focus. It stretched far to the right, curving towards a distant building in the back of the Starswirl campus, lined with glass. "Woah," she said, rolling her wheelchair forward to get a better angle on the hall. A smile stretched across her face as she flashed her fangs at Gallus.

“Where do you think it leads?” Gallus asked. “Outpatient?”

Smolder shook her head. “Nah, that’s near the emergency lobby, remember? This is… I don’t know It’s perfect though," said Smolder, pointing down a forking hallway flanked on both sides by large windows occasionally interrupted by boring gray walls holding paintings of ponies Smolder had never met and lists of names she hadn't heard of for things she didn't care about. Yet, she wished she did so she could find them and thank them for giving her the absolute, most awesomely perfect hall she could imagine. "You seein' what I'm seein', G?" she said.

Gallus nodded. "No doors?"

Smolder nodded. "No doors. No carts. No nurses. No patients. Just pure hall." Smolder ran her claws over the rubber, feeling the points bounce over the treads. “Definitely could get some serious speed.”

"Wait." Starry turned her head towards Smolder, her eyes wide. "Mr. Gold told us not to race."

Smolder wanted to counter that, but the fact was that filly was simply too smart for her own good sometimes. No quip or snark could snake its way out of Smolder's mouth that Starry couldn't easily counter. Smolder reached over to pat the other wheelchair's armrest. "Don’t worry. I won’t let Gallus get his little cat butt anywhere near a chair. We’re not racing. I’m just wanting to test out the speed. Think of it as practice."

"You promised though..."

Smolder bit her lip. Starry had her there. A southern accent flickered through the back of Smolder's mind as an Honesty lecture from Applejack’s of School Days Past played out in her head:

'If ya break a promise, what message is that sendin' to someone? How could anyone rightly believe anything ya said afterward. Ya promised not to do what you were told not ta do and did it anyway, hm? So what happens next time? Ya promise someone you'll be there for them? How can they believe ya, when ya proved ya couldn't keep your word the first time? Oh, ya might say, but that was someone else. You're different. How can I know that though? How can I know that ain't just somethin' ya say to everyone without ever meaning a cotton pickin' word of it?'

Ugh, typical Professor Applejack. Straight to the point, but also completely right. She sighed, scratching her claw along the rubber treads of the wheels. "You're right. I’ll be safe. Keep it slow," Smolder said. Metal tickled the tips of her fingers as she pushed her chair forward. "I still wanna take a quick look. See where it goes, ya know? This hall could work when they allow us to race."

Without waiting for another word, Smolder rolled farther and farther down the hall, peering left and right as she went. To the right, the windows looked out on boring patches of grass marked by dumpsters and handless doors. Deliveries perhaps? On the left, an empty field of long grass and trees, beyond them a dozen houses complete with backyards, and beyond them, if she squinted, she could just about see the School of Friendship up near the hills rising above Ponyville. A sidewalk lazily ran along parallel, marked by the occasional trashcan or bench. A brown earth pony stood in a wheeled frame near one of the benches, smoking a reed. Smolder waved at him, but he didn’t seem to see her through the darkened storm windows. That or he didn’t care. She couldn’t blame him.

She pulled to a stop as she rounded the slight turn in the hall. The panes of glass continued on for a while on the left while the boring gray wall overtook the right. A metal rail ran along the wall, broken up by the occasional hallway. At the end of the long path, there was a wall with a cubicle holding a mail dropoff box and a single chair beside it. That was all that made up the entire back end of the hallway. As she rolled on, she took note of the doors along the right of the hall. All of them looked more like small doors to offices rather than actual means of taking patients from section to section. Another point in this hall’s favor.

She reached the chair and desk. To her right, the hall continued on, some doors and benches dotting the flanking walls. She turned her wheelchair around, staring back down the hall. It had to be a hoofball’s field in length. Maybe more. And that was just leading up to the small curve near the end. Gallus and Starry had rounded the corner, heads tilted in curiosity. Starry raised her unbraced foreleg and waved down the hall. Smolder grinned. This was it. The perfect hall for a race. Nothing in the way. No excuse for anything but pure speed. Nothing but a chance to show that she still could be awesome. The spokes of her chair clinked in a detuned chime as her claws strummed the thin metal. It took everything in her power to sit still. To not say screw it and take off as hard and fast as she could.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," came a new voice. Smolder cocked an eyebrow and glanced up the hall. A dark green pegasus mare stood in a doorway, peering out into the hallway, staring straight at Smolder. There was something familiar about this pony, Smolder knew it, but she couldn't put a claw on what. It was the eyes. She swore she'd seen those eyes before, but where?

"Excuse me?" Smolder said, a little rougher than she'd intended.

"Oh, you're excused," the pony said with a hearty laugh, stepping out of the door, the sound of wheels trailing behind her as she paused in the hall, the overhead lights reflecting off the metal of the harness the mare's hind legs rested in. It took a minute, but it clicked in Smolder's brain. She knew this mare. The green coat, the lighter green mane, the teal eyes. She'd seen her when Gallus had wheeled her down the hallway the first time. The room they'd passed, the look of pain and familiarity. It was like looking in a mirror. It still was, but...

Smolder swallowed a lump in her throat. "Wait," she said. "Hold up. I saw you walking!" Smolder shook her head. Not the best phrasing in the world, but still, it had been a good sign back then. A hopeful one. The universe couldn't just tear that away from her by just making this pony a cripple too, could it?

"Ah, I was wondering if you’d remember me," the mare said with a laugh, taking another step forward. The chair trailed behind her, its wheels clacking against the floor. "But ya know, I kinda still am walking. Some may say no, but, eh, I disagree. I mean, I'm standing, my forelegs are tapping away just like anyone else's. Would you not call that walking?"

Smolder shook her head. "I... huh... wait, no stupid riddles!" Smolder pointed a claw. "I know you. I looked you right in the eye. I... I thought you weren’t like… me… ugh." She sighed. "What's it matter? I don't even know what I'm saying."

The mare chuckled. "Nah, it's fine. No need to get so worked up. I understand exactly what you mean." She chuckled and looked back at her harness. "Really, I do. Kinda wished I could still get around like that. Frickin’ crazy what a week’ll do."

"So... what's wrong with your legs then?"

The mare let out a loud sputtering laugh. "Excuse me?! Jeez, straight to the point. Lesson for ya dragon: you can't just ask a pony what's wrong with her legs!"

Smolder blinked. "I mean, I just did. What? Does this need to be some story time? I can tell you all about what's wrong with me."

The mare laughed. "Joking, joking. Just putting on a show. Heh, I like you." She stepped forward, rolling her chair along beside her. "Yes, what you saw... well, you were not wrong. I was walking. With braces. Those things are slower than Hearth’s Warming, and about as comfortable as dinner at my house. Think I want to be limping around at negative five miles per hour while some twisted metal is squeezing my ass all the time? I don’t think so.” The mare shook her head, looking down at her foreleg. She lifted it a little off the tile. Smolder noticed it shaking. "Look, enough of that malarkey about legs and braces and all that stuff. Boring." She walked up beside Smolder and looked down the hall. She raised her foreleg up to her chest and waved to Gallus and Starry. "Hey, you two! Stay right there."

Gallus raised an eyebrow but gave a thumbs up nonetheless. Smolder echoed his expression, raising her claws in a shrug. "Planning on going bowling or something?" the dragon quipped.

The mare laughed, her laughter ringing through the hall. "Cool idea, but no." Her brow furrowed into a determined glare, her smile stretching from cheek to shadowy cheek as she eyed the dragon. "I want a go."

"A go?” Smolder said. “A go at what?"

"Beating you in a race, of course. And don’t give me that look. I was your first audience member, remember?"

Smolder scoffed. “Pretty sure I didn’t even get across the finish line on that one.

“Another advantage to me,” the mare said with a smirk. “And maybe if you looked in front of you instead of back at your favorite bird over there, you’d have noticed.”

Smolder crossed her arms as the mare pressed a forehoof against the wall, pushing down to stretch out her flexors. She moved from one hoof to the other, spinning her neck to a series of pops. "All I gotta say is that I hope you’ve been working on your braking a little.” The mare’s wings waved outward. “You're undefeated, but, well... your competition was certainly not the strongest." She waved at Gallus who waved back, slower this time.

"Hey!" Smolder growled. "Only I get to talk smack about Gallus."

"Oh, that was far from talking smack, my scaly friend. It is clear he is quite athletic." A playful smile crossed her muzzle. "But you've been in that chair long enough to know that athleticism is not the main part at play." She looked over to the left, at the open floor of the hall. "Experience is key, as is balance and fortitude. That kind of determination glows brightest when you have no other choice."

Smolder glanced down the hall, her claws twitching at the rims. "That sounds all well and good, sister. Really hokey too," she said. "But… it’ll have to wait. I promised I wouldn't race anyone today.”

"So you're scared, hmm?"

Smolder felt her scales heat up. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," the mare said, trotting in place, the contraption holding her hind legs rattling behind her. "You don't want to get beaten on your first real go around. I get it. Failing’s pretty scary, yeah?"

Smolder blinked, her gaze locked on the mare. "I..." Her claws tightened around the rims of her chair, fangs bared. "I'm nowhere close to scared of that," she growled.

"Then what?"

Smolder glared daggers at this pony, a smirk poking at the corner of her lips. "I'm scared I'll wipe the floor with you. That every pony in this hospital will keep on saying I didn't prove jack 'cause oh you just beat little ol' what's her name.'"

"Jade Bolt."

"Yeah, Jade whatever." Smolder rolled forward, the wheels clacking along the tiled floor. "I had a bet going with Featherbutt over there." She pointed to Gallus. "I win, you owe all three of us pizzas."

"Deal," the mare said, trotting forward to join Smolder at the end of the hallway. "Do I get to choose what I get when I win?"

Smolder smirked. She liked this Jade. She had a dragon’s fire. Definitely not what she expected when she had caught sight of the mare a few weeks earlier. "Sure."
Jade nodded, smirking down the hall. "I’m not sure yet. But when I win… I dunno, maybe getting to ask that griffon friend of yours--Galephus, right? Yeah, asking him out sounds like a good wager, yes?."

Smolder raised an eyebrow. "You... huh?" She chuckled. "No frickin’ way am I agreeing to that deal.”

Jade smiled. “Oh, I’m definitely considering it now.”

Smoke tendrils drifted up out of Smolder’s nostrils. She half-expected a fire alarm to go off. “Aren't you a bit old for him?"

"Are you assuming my age?"

Smolder's smirk widened even more as her claws squeezed the rims hard enough that she swore the metal was about to twist beneath her grip. "Yeah. I am. Jade Oldt."

The mare laughed. "That was a good one, Orange Crush." She leaned forward, hoof outstretched. "From here to the end of the hall. That griffon--"

"Gallus." Smolder shook her head. "At least get his name right, Oldt."

"Yes. Gallus will be our finish line." She raised a hoof to the side of her muzzle. "Gallus?" she called out. The griffon cocked his head like an adorably confused cat. Smolder tried to fight back the smile, but then he had to tilt his head forty-five degrees in the other direction. Scales, he could be cute sometimes. "Do you mind moving that little sweetheart there back a few feet?"

Starry looked up at Gallus, her confusion evident in her planet-sized eyes. Gallus shrugged and took the handles, taking a few steps backward. "Good!" Jade called. "Now step back up where you were." Slowly, the griffon walked forward, eyes on the tiles as he stepped from square to square. "Closer. Closer. Back! Annnnd stop. Right there. Perfect!"
"That's a little bit closer than he was," Smolder whispered.

"Exactly," the mare said, winking. "But you must agree that the sunlight from that angle does wonders."

Ugh, Smolder thought. That Jade was right yet again. The sunlight from that window shone upon the griffon's spread primaries, reflecting brightly as they twitched at his sides. With the angle he held his head, the shadows on his face were next to non-existent and his eyes glowed like gems in a freshly opened mine. She could have looked further, but the blush on her face was no doubt obvious enough already, what with how Jade side-eyed her and smiled coyly at the dragon.

Smolder squeezed the wheels harder. This girl talked a lot of smack, but she would be damned if she let her embarrass her in front of Gallus. "You wanna do the countdown or me? Or... hey, hey, Gallus!"

Gallus perked up. "What's up, Legs?"

"Do the countdown for us, will ya?"

"Legs?" Jade practically laughed out the word. "That's... quite a nickname."

"It's cute! Gotta problem with it?" Smolder growled. She nodded to Gallus, who looked rather confused. "Featherbutt. Give us a countdown, would you?"

Jade chuckled. "Feather--"

Smolder’s fangs clenched. "Don't. You. Even."

"What..." Gallus blinked. "What am I counting down for?"

"Just give us a countdown!"

Gallus scratched the back of his neck. "From five or three?"

"Eight,” Smolder grunted.

Jade cocked her head, that smug smirk finally drooping. "Why eight?"

Smolder rolled her eyes. Whatever nerve she had left, this girl had gone and torn it out. "Why not?"

"Okay," Gallus said. "Eight... seven... six..."

"Could you raise your wings?" Jade said.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's a flattering look for you," Jade chuckled as Gallus' cheeks turned from blue to crimson. "And you were at five. When you reach zero, give those wings a wave so we know to go."

"R-right." Gallus took a deep breath, stretching out his wings to their fullest length, glancing at them awkwardly. " Um... Five... four... three..." His eyes met Smolder's. "Two..."

He said 'One.' He had to have said 'One,' or Smolder would have sat at the end of the hall for the rest of eternity, staring at him. And that would have been okay. But Gallus did, of course, finish the countdown; it was just that the words were silent. Years of gym class and friendly races with the griffon had taught her that the first rule of any sprint was to watch for the signal, be it a flag waving, a magic blast, or--as was this case--a quick drop of wings.

It was on.

An interesting fact about wheelchair races: they're quite quiet, especially if one's used to races on a normal track. In a hallway like this, there were no pebbles to kick up, no roots to stumble over and send your feet through a pounding stumble as you regained your balance. There was only the scratching of claws against the spokes, the pulse shoving blood into her head faster than she could spin it all around. In a perfect race that would be it: the sound of rattling wheels and the sight of Gallus getting closer and closer.

But not this race.

Jade had gotten as perfect of a start as a pony could get. The mare was past the first window pane before Smolder had gotten her wheels rolling. With each push on the rims for Smolder, it seemed Jade got in around four steps out of her forelegs. Smolder clenched her teeth, shoulders feeling like they were being ground to bits of dust as she jerked the rims forward. And the worst part was, they were good rolls. Not once did Smolder's chair make a hard left or risk flipping with over-correction. No, each rotation was not just quick but straight-on. It gave her the perfect view of Jade's harness as it loomed two tiles ahead, then stood a good five tiles ahead, and at last steadied itself at a comfortable ten-tile lead.

Dragon pride burnt hot enough in Smolder's gut to keep her arms pumping away at the wheels. Jade's contraption grew closer. As they neared Gallus, Smolder could make out the well-polished chrome of the harness, and could almost see her sinking expression reflected back at her as Jade passed Gallus' again-outstretched wing with at least a doorway's distance to spare. Smolder let out an exasperated grunt as she passed Gallus' wing, sending a small spark of flame off her tongue as she clasped her claws tight on the wheels.

This was the difficult part: stopping without making an idiot of herself. She'd already proven herself a loser; the last thing Smolder wanted to do was flip herself out of her chair and permanently cripple her pride. Things were already embarrassing enough.
She made eye contact with Jade as she slowed her chair, the wheels jumping as she tightened and loosened her claws in sequence. The mare shot her a smile, barely breathing above a normal pace as she stood straight and tall, stretching out her forelegs one at a time. Smolder leaned forward in her chair, arms crossed on her lap. Her spine might have been screaming out; she couldn't tell under her thundering gasps for air. The ache in her shoulders and forearms seemed to be providing a welcome distraction from the typical back pains.

On the flip side, Jade’s chest rose and fell as if she'd just taken a gentle stroll through a dog park. Her stupid dark green mane remained perfectly brushed without even a hint of matting nor a bead of sweat on her muzzle. Jade reached into a pocket that Smolder hadn't noticed until now was built into the side of the harness and pulled out a hoof towel, tossing it to Smolder. Thank Scales, she was able to catch it. If she'd dropped it, that'd be the end for her no doubt.

"Thanks," Smolder said, wiping her damp forehead.

"No prob," Jade commented, turning in her harness to face Gallus. "Not a bad job, G man."

"Um... thanks?" Gallus replied, head tilting. "Heh. G man. I like that one."

Smolder smiled. "I kinda like that one too." She shot Jade a glare. "Jeez, girl, you just kicked my ass in a race and now you're beating it down in the nickname department too?!" A small gasp echoed from in front of Smolder's chair. The dragon winced. "Pardon the language, Starry." Scales, she had forgotten Starry was even there. The filly stared at her with wide eyes. Smolder didn't note any looks of betrayal in those dinner plate pupils, so she supposed the race had--hopefully--been awesome enough to make the filly forget that Smolder had just kinda, sorta, completely broken a promise.

"Wow..." Starry said, turning to Jade. "You're really fast!"

Jade shrugged. "Eh, I'd be lying if I said these babies didn't give me an advantage." She nodded to her forelegs, then turned to Smolder. "You got skills, Smolder." She looked up at Gallus. "But you really gotta work on your starts, G-man." She winked. "Don't think I didn't notice you give your dragon the green—or, well, blue—flag before me."

Gallus snorted. "Okay, okay. That was a rookie mistake. Won't happen again."

Smolder leaned back in her chair, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, well..." It had been how long since she’d last lost a race? She poked and prodded at the back of her mind, to days of working legs and sunny days. Senior year had stolen a solid chunk of their 'free time' in Coach Dash's gym class or weekend trips out to the plains outside of Ponyville. She knew she'd kicked the tails of those juniors in a self-imposed foot race the practice before she... well, yeah. Man, she'd been good then. Running laps around anyone who so much as looked at her funny. Now? She could barely catch her breath after what? Thirty yards?

"You good, Smol?" Jade asked, strolling over, her gaze soft and bright. "How's your back feeling?"

Smolder shrugged. "Eh. pretty sure I didn't screw it up. Shoulders are killing me."
Jade laughed. "Well, that’s a good thing. Means they’re gonna get stronger. Practice makes perfect."

"Oh please," Smolder said. "You've been in that thing about as long as me. Maybe less. And already you're kicking my tail."

"You’d be surprised. How long have you been in that?" Jade asked. "Two weeks?"
Smolder snorted. "Feels like you need to add a dozen to that. But yeah, something like that: two or three weeks?" She glanced at Gallus, searching for confirmation but receiving only a shrug in return. Thanks, Birdbrain. "In this boring place, it might as well be forever."

Jade laughed, her eyes crinkling up. "Hear you there, Sister." She lifted a foreleg and gave Smolder a light punch in the arm, causing the dragon to wince. Scales, she was stronger than her too. That was just great. Jade tapped her again, waiting for the dragon to look up to her before continuing, "And don't beat yourself up. I've got about... sixteen times your experience, give or take. Math wasn't my major." She laughed again, nodding back to her harness. "Four months I've been in this thing, off and on. Mostly on, unless I’m lucky."

"Sixteen times would be more like eight months," Gallus added. Jade glanced over at him, smiling and nodding, then back to Smolder.

"And he's smart too." She grinned, looking between Gallus and Smolder, then nodded towards the window. "But yeah. Jeez. It has been that long.”

Smolder followed her gaze. The stallion from earlier still stood next to the bench, his reed now down to a nub. Though he held a book open in one forehoof, she could see, even at a distance, that the stallion's eyes peered over the cover, directly at Smolder. Even through the pane and bushes, she could see his pupils shrink as he quickly shoved his muzzle back into the book.

"Looks like we got a fan," Jade chuckled.

Smolder gave her a sideways glance. "Maybe we should start charging for this." She narrowed her gaze. "'Cause I'm definitely demanding a rematch."

Jade chuckled. "Wow. Sore loser, much?"

"You're the one who didn't tell me you had like a million more seconds in a chair than me."

"Gotta keep your cards close." Jade patted her harness. "If I hadn't, you'd have turned me down in an instant." She smirked at Gallus who looked around awkwardly to Starry who shrugged. "Walk with me," she whispered to Smolder.

"That's kinda impossible," Smolder said, crossing her arms. "And why? So you can gloat some more?"

Jade shook her head. "Just follow me." She looked over at Gallus, who was staring at her like an awkward chicken. "The girls need to talk, Gallus," she said. "Why don't you take--Oh my goodness, how could I be so thoughtless?!" In a flash, Jade had drifted over to Starry, leaning down. "All this time, and you being so kind to me and I haven't even introduced myself properly. I'm Jade Bolt."

"Starry River," Starry mumbled, looking away, suddenly an adorably shy filly again. Then the filly's brow creased as she looked up. "Wait. Jade Bolt?" Her eyes widened. "As in the Jade Bolt?"

Jade laughed. "Wow. ‘The.’ That's quite a title. Can’t say I’ve heard it before, but I appreciate it" She unfurled a wing, shaking the filly's hoof with her pinions.

"You're a Wonderbolt!" Starry whispered, looking between Jade and Smolder. " You raced a Wonderbolt, Smolder! That's... That's so cool!"

"Now, now, Miss Awesome, let's not build too big of a tower." She turned to Smolder and Gallus who looked at her with equal parts confusion and wonder. Smolder had never heard the name, and she'd been to just about every Bolts show this side of the Badlands. "I was on the Practice Squad. Reserves. Only filled in once at--"

"Baltimare! I remember!" Starry said. "You were so cool!"

Jade laughed. "Well, thank you. If only Spits felt the same way. Still, I'm glad to know someone else remembers me." The mare's voice shook and she cleared her throat. "That deserves a hug." She opened her wings, wrapping Starry up. Smolder noticed a streak of darker green running down Jade's cheeks as she closed her eyes, letting out a breath. "Thank you," she whispered. She held on for a moment before leaning back, lifting a hoof to dab at the corners of her eyes. "Gallus. Be a gentleman and take Starry here to the gift shop. Any fan of mine is entitled to the biggest chocolate bar she can find." She tossed a few bits to the griffon.

He nodded while Starry bounced in her little chair. "Thankyouthankyou. I haven't had chocolate in forever."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Smolder asked. "She's kinda hyper as is."

Jade chuckled. "It'll keep them occupied. Now, come on."

Smolder blinked, her brow raising. "Wait. Where are we going?"

"To have a chat." Jade turned around and walked back down the hallway, Smolder following after her.

"Hurry along," Jade said as they rounded the corner, giving Smolder just enough time to get one last look at Gallus and Starry before they made their own turn to the gift shop. Smolder raised her claw to wave at Gallus. Before she could see him wave back, Jade spoke up again. "You were right, by the way."

"About what?" Smolder asked.

"I'm far too old for him."

Smolder's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Then why did you think about betting..."

"Because I wanted to see how much you cared about him. Definitely gave you some extra speed. What can I say: I'm a bit of a romantic at times."

Smolder blinked. "Are you trying to set me up?"

"I don't think I even need to," Jade said as she turned into her room. "You two will be together eventually with or without my help."

Smolder opened her mouth to argue, but whatever she was about to say drifted out of her mouth as she rolled into Jade's room.

The room was larger than the one she'd spent the last few days in. It was also significantly more decorated and almost furnished. There were pictures all over the walls, from portraits of what seemed to be friends and family members, to magazine covers, to posters of races and other events. A couch sat near the window rather than a single thin chair, a blanket, and a pillow messily laid out on it. On the counter, rather than a thousand cards and flowers, Smolder noticed a toaster and a coffee maker. She looked at the mare and blinked.

"Wish I could get this stuff in my room."

"No, you really don't," Jade said, stopping near her bed and unhooking the straps on her harness with her wingtips. She frowned. "Can you get that back one there, Smolder? If you can reach."

"Yeah, sure." Smolder rolled up and reached for a strap near the mare's flanks. Claws made the action quick and easy. Probably too quick and easy as, the moment Smolder unclipped the strap, Jade's hind leg shot and twisted outwards, sending Smolder rolling back a few inches.

"Sorry about that," Jade said. "Kinda hard to control those things." Jade pressed her forelegs against the mattress and pushed herself up. "Um... could you give me a little boost? I don't want to bother Dr. Herd about this. Believe it or not, Smolder, doctors tend to chew out full-grown adults as well."

Smolder nodded, moving behind her. She got a grip on the mare's back half. She'd expected the hind legs and lower half of Jade to be completely limp. That couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the mare's hind legs were completely rigid, and so stiff that Smolder could barely get a grip on them. Rather than lying dead, the muscles in Jade's thighs twitched and spasmed with each movement as at last Jade was able to pull herself up into bed and roll over, pulling the covers up over herself.

"It's rude to stare," Jade said. "Kidding, dear," she quickly added.

"Sorry. I'm just so used to..."

"Paralysis. Dead legs. Pure lifelessness from the waist down. Probably assumed that's what was up with me, hm?"

Smolder nodded, noting the covers twitching.

Jade chuckled. "Well, they're not dead, I'll tell you that. Far from that. If anything they're too alive. All the nerves and muscles and whatnot are firing off faster than I can keep up with, just a constant locking of my muscles." She shook her head. "Moves a little further every day. Usually, it starts near the chest, being a unicorn disease and all that. Something about magical centers or some crap. But for me… I guess I was lucky for my muscles to start rebelling in my lower body first." She snorted, raising her wings and making air quotes. "Lucky." She closed her eyes, sighing. “They say it’ll give me a little more time that way, so that’s something.”

Smolder frowned, glancing down at her legs. The room grew quiet, only the gentle hum of a mini fridge Smolder hadn't noticed sitting next to the couch. "So... I gotta say I'm still lost."

"That's fine. I won't bore you with the details. They're long and boring and knowing them won't change a thing." Jade shook her head. "All you need to know is that my body hates me and is going to inevitably take and take and take until I'm just a pair of blinking eyes. And even those will stop eventually." She paused, her eyes widening. "Oh. That was rather grim." She shook her head. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Smolder said, glancing out the window. "So this room, is it like... one of those places they send ponies who… well, aren’t going to…"

“Live long? You can just say it, Smolder. I can handle it.” Jade shook her head. "But, a hospice? No. I'm not there yet, thank Celestia. But this is long-term care. Basically a nicer way of saying ‘nursing home’ I guess. Not many ponies in this building, and they’re all around my age so at least they’re nice enough to not throw the ‘nursing home’ title.”

Jade leaned back against the pillows. I've been in this room for... it was back in July. The months bleed together in here and I freakin’ hate calendars. They're like counting down to the end." The mare crossed her forelegs. "But I didn't bring you down here to discuss my problems and write crappy poetry or something. Not really. No, I wanted to talk about the terms. The terms of our bet. So about that Gallus…"

"Hold it!" Smolder crossed her arms. "You just said you were too old for Gallus. So no date. Or... whatever. That's it. Not even considering it."

"Are you really trying to boss me around on a bet that I made and won fair and square?”
"Yeah! No. I mean… Ugh, you can’t date Gallus!"

"That’s not for you to say. What if you had won and you wanted mushrooms on your pizza but I refused because we only agreed on cheese?"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

Jade chortled and rotated her neck to a series of pops. "No, it really doesn't make sense. I’m just messing with you, girl. Fear not, your precious bird boy is safe from me. In fact, since you just gave me the best minute I’ve had in months, I’ll actually let you choose." She pointed her hoof at Smolder. "A choice of which price you’d prefer to pay for losing to me. Option one: You go on a date with Gallus."

"Wait... what?" Smolder blinked and blushed.

"Or Option two: you have to race me whenever I ask between now and whenever you get out of here or I kick the bucket. Whichever comes first."

Smolder frowned. "That got dark quick."

"I figured you'd prefer me to be blunt. I've known some dragons through the years." Smolder couldn't argue with her there. "Honestly, it doesn't matter which option you choose. Both will happen eventually."

"Wait... what do you mean by that?"

Jade blinked. "It’s obvious, Smolder. You're gonna ask him out eventually. Or he's gonna ask you out. I’ve known you guys for, like, a minute and I can already tell that. And I also can tell that you're never going to turn down any race. You have already demanded a rematch, after all. Then, if I won that: best three out of five, then best four out of seven, and so on and so forth."

She had her there. Smolder snorted out a thin plume of smoke. "Yeah, well..." She smiled. "I mean, that race was pretty fun."

"Agreed." Jade nodded. "Though I'd suggest stretching out your arms a little more before our next sprint. You ran out of energy way too quick there, girlfriend."

Smolder glanced at the door. "Is that hall usually so deserted? Or did you pull a few strings?"

Jade shrugged. "Unless there's an emergency that overflows the hospital, I don't see that being anything but empty. Most ponies just use it as a quick way to get back to where their ride’s picking them up. Sometimes the doctors roll a gurney down it to get to radiology or move us between these rooms and the hospital rooms when we have an emergency, but that’s like three times a week, tops. The whole point of this hallway, this whole section of the hospital really, is for things to be… quiet. It'd be a good place to meet back up for another go."

"Right. And you swear this isn't a..."

"A trick? A ruse?" Jade snorted. "The last thing you need to worry about me doing is snitching, okay?" She yawned and rolled her head to the side. "That race took a lot out of me," she mumbled. "I'm beat."

"Well, then you'd better rest up so you can keep your eyes open while you eat my dust tomorrow," Smolder chuckled. Jade returned it. "I'm messing. That was fun. I needed it. Thanks."

"You have a great smile, Smolder," Jade said. " I can't say I've smiled that hard in a while myself. I hope you swing by again tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget to bring those friends of yours along again next time. They seem like they'd be good company. Especially Gallus. Wouldn't you agree?"

Smolder blinked, then blushed. "Oh, come on!" She threw her hands in the air, grumbling as she rolled to the door while Jade chuckled away behind her. “Every damn pony I meet,” she muttered as she made her way back down the hall.

She caught sight of the stallion by the smoker’s bench. He’d placed the book face down on the wood. This time he waved back.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay!

Chapter One: Just Walk it Off

If one more pony walked into Smolder's room with a balloon, she was going to scream. Or set fire to the room. Either seemed like a good option today. Professor Fluttershy coming by in the morning the day after her accident to bring her a bag of gems (that she couldn't eat on doctor's orders but, hey, the thought was what counted)? Cool. Professor Fluttershy coming by a couple weeks give or take a couple dozen (days bled together in that stupid bed) after her accident with a stuffed otter to keep her company? Smolder had to fight against burning it to ash along with the stuffed kitten, the stuffed bunny, and the angler fish plush.

Like, who would be the target customer for an angler fish plush? Honestly, that'd probably be the one Smolder would spare. It was ugly. An ugly plush was kinda cool.

The dragon grunted, leaning back against her pillows as she looked around the hospital room. She appreciated the sympathy cards, the stuffed animals, the balloons. Well, she appreciated where the heart was when they were given to her. It was cool. It was just that ponies tended to be a rather squishy and sentimental bunch. She supposed it only natural for that same softness to rub off on Spike or Silverstream. But... but things were rough. Real rough now. No amount of cards, hugs, plushies, or sheets could hide the two elephants in the room.

She glared down at her legs. It was hard not to look at them, with her bed being inclined to a sitting position. Doc said it had something to do with circulation to the brain or whatever. Medical mumbo jumbo. If she were a betting dragon, she'd put money on the world wanting to mock her just a little more.

'Hey, Smolder, look at your legs,' the world seemed to chant. 'Look at how useless they are. How utterly pathetic you are.'

The dragon growled, choosing to aim her rage at the only thing within burning distance: the card Principal Starlight Glimmer had brought by that morning. At least the mare had decided to throw some humor along with it—a dozen Homework Passes, just in case—but the card itself was just... sappy. A good twenty signatures of freshmen and sophomores she barely knew and juniors she wished she didn't. A thumping, prodding reminder of everything that had gone wrong. It had been nearly a month, and she hadn't even been able to scab over since each card was like a paper cut. Reopening the wounds. 'Sorry about your legs.' 'We're thinking about you.' Great. That won't change anything, so let's just move on from that shall we?

Grunting and eyeing the closed door to her room, Smolder rubbed her arms. At least they had that typical scaly feeling to them. If she didn't think about it too much, why she could have sworn that she was a normal dragon laying about in bed on a normal lazy Saturday. But everything was far from normal now. At least the normal she would have liked. She couldn't get out of bed if she wanted to. Well, she supposed she could, but it would only lead to her lying on the floor crying and screaming. Again.

It was all one big cluster of crud. Whether she had visitors or not, her thoughts always drifted back to the practice fields. It was dumb, and no amount of passing hours could change that. If you get crippled from the waist down, you should have a good story to go with it. At least, that's what she had always assumed. She hadn't given the idea much thought because, duh, she was too cool and awesome to ever have to worry about something like that happening. But life had a way of deciding things were getting a bit too boring and liked to change things up on those days. And, boy, with her it loved to be dramatic about it too.

The last steps she might ever take had come during cheerleading practice because of course Smolder would go and cripple herself doing something so lame. Okay, so maybe cheerleading wasn't the lamest thing in the world—with Coach Dash at the helm, and her friends by her side, it actually could be fun—but it wasn't an epic battle against insurmountable evil. It wasn't a noble sacrifice in the heart of a raging storm. No, it was a dumb stunt. A stupid move of her own design.

"Alright, girls!" Coach Rainbow Dash shouted, giving her whistle a few quick blows to get everyone's attention. "Great practice today. Give yourself a pat on the back."

Smolder nodded and gave Ocellus a hearty slap on the back, making the small changeling squeak and trip forward. Still, the smile she flashed back at Smolder once she regained her footing rivaled the sun's rays in brightness.

Yona lifted her hoof, trying to pat herself on the back, but her yak girth made the task impossible. Luckily, as always, she had Smolder there to have her back. Literally. She socked the yak in the shoulder. "Nice base as always, Yons," Smolder commented, stretching her arms over her head and rocking back and forth on her feet. Her knees popped a little with each movement. After the amount of flips she'd had to land during practice, those little pops could not have felt better.

"Thanks, Smolder!" Yona responded. "Yona thinks you are very agile and strong as well."

Smolder puffed out her chest. "As if that's news." Smolder flashed a winning smile at a trio of ponies as they talked among themselves. One was a Pegasus with a blue coat and a pink mane, while the other two were unicorns with brown coats and white manes. Smolder wasn't sure what their names were, but she knew they were new to the cheer team this year. "Lookin good on the vaults there, newbies!" she called out to them.

The trio exchanged glances. One of the unicorns helped the other pull sticks out of her hair and brush off her skirt. The pegasus, meanwhile, shot Smolder one of the better 'Eat manure' glares she'd seen. The dragon couldn't help but chuckle at that one. 'Now there's one I need to invite to grab a soda after practice,' she thought. 'I like her already.'

"Alright, girls," Coach Dash called. "Competition's in a few days. We're looking good for the 'mane' event, but the small group drills could use some work." The pegasus hovered around the group in a large circle. Even in these moments, Dash's speed surprised Smolder. What was to Coach Dash a few flaps of her wings was another pegasus' sprint. Rainbow Dash kept circling near Smolder's group as she continued, "Now, I heard it through the apple orchard that Celestia's School has decided that pyramids should be the name of the game for the small group comp. We got the tricks and the flips, we got the muscles!" Rainbow Dash swooped down in front of Yona and flexed her forelegs. The yak returned the motion, nearly ripping her top for the third time that week. "The problem is I have a lot of you who are complete badflanks at pyramids. That's not a bad problem to have, but I gotta whittle it down to a couple groups."

Coach Dash landed and adjusted her hat. "Underclassmen and Juniors" she called as she walked near the unicorn and pegasus group. "This is your chance to prove you've got the legs to carry this school forward into continued awesomeness." The group nodded, glancing at their flanks and forehooves. Smolder smirked. Guess the fresh meat hadn't heard of figures of speech. A serious stare washed the smile away as Coach Dash approached her group. "Seniors. It's time to defend your crown."

Smolder crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. She may not have been as tall as Yona, but she was pretty darn sturdy for a dragon. "It's as good as ours, Coach."

Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded. "Now, it's gonna be hard to pick the best out of so many awesome cheerers," she explained. "So, I figured the easiest way would be to do some friendly competition between the teams."

Smolder's ears perked at the word 'competition'. "I'm listening, Coach."

"Can always count on you to follow your greed, Smolder." Rainbow Dash patted the dragon on the shoulder with a wing. "Kidding, girl. Don't get your tail in a knot." Smolder rolled her eyes. "It looks like most of you are already in groups of three. I'll take some fours too for this comp, but at Celestia's, they'll be looking at trios. There's no guarantee you'll be with the group you're with now, but I have a feeling you have good instincts in choosing your partners."

Smolder glanced around at her teammates. Of course. They'd kicked butt from their very first practice. They'd been a pretty pathetic group against weak competition in some of those opening friendlies, but as time went on and the number of practices climbed close to the triple digits, they'd developed their own style. It was fast-paced, it was flashy, and it was all theirs.

"Now," Rainbow Dash said, "we'll start in five minutes. Take time to plan your routine. Remember, this is the first round. Don't waste all your good moves here."

"Yes, Coach," Smolder responded along with a few others.

"Five minutes, starting now ladies." Rainbow Dash flew off, leaving the underclassmen groups to squabble amongst themselves. Smolder laughed.

"Look at them," she said, pointing to the group with her thumb. "This is gonna be a cakewalk."

"Yona not so sure," the yak replied. She pointed to the group of ponies. "They are all very strong. Not like yak, but still I've been watching. They are good."

"Got a crush on one of 'em? Don't worry, Yona." Smolder patted the yak on the back. "I won't judge you."

"No!" Yona sputtered, her face turning red. "Yona is just saying she is good. Yona loves Sandbar very much, thank you."

"Whatever you say, big girl." Smolder turned to the changeling. "Ocellus, what are you feeling? What do your bug senses tell you?"

Ocellus crossed her arms, running a hoof across her pink ridges. "I don't know, Smolder. Let's keep it simple. We have seniority, and we did go a bit hard on our push-ups during practice today. We don't want to burn our shoulders out before the competition."

"Well, that's why you're the flyer. All ya gotta do is pull off a few good flips. Think you can handle that?" Smolder asked, giving Ocellus a poke in the side. The changeling giggled.

"I've been practicing a lot. I think I can handle it," Ocellus said.

"Great!" Smolder crossed her arms. "So, we go for the classic. I'll get on Yona's back. Ocellus, I'm gonna lift you up. When I tap your back, Yona, you rear back on your back legs. I'll jump and give Ocellus a toss and jump myself, cut a couple flips, then we each land on top of one of your forehooves."

Yona nodded, but Ocellus exchanged a glance with the yak.

"Yona can do it," Yona said, before nodding to Ocellus. "Ocellus doesn't look sure."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Captain," Smolder mumbled. "What gives, Bug Girl?"

Ocellus' wings drooped and she sighed. "It's... it's nothing."

Smolder raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh, and that's not a lie at all. Seriously, am I going to have to report you to Professor Applejack? That could drop your Honesty grade to a B."

"Don't do that!" Ocellus gasped, her eyes widening. "I, I... I just don't know. We usually do that trick early in our sets. We've had a full day of practice. I can do a flip, but you throwing me as well? That takes a lot of push. Not to mention that landing's putting a lot of pressure on Yona. Literally."

Smolder shrugged. "I think we can handle it."

Yona nodded in agreement. "We strong. You light. It will be good."

Ocellus sighed. "Fine, I guess we can do that."

"Then it's settled," Smolder said. She looked over to the pegasus and unicorn team, who were finishing their routine planning. A simple, boring pony pyramid. The dragon rolled her shoulders. This was going to be easy-peasy. "Alright, girls, let's do this thing."

"What the hay was that, Ocellus?" Smolder hissed the moment their group was out of earshot of Coach Dash and the other squads.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ocellus repeated, her wings pressed tight against her exoskeleton.

"Smolder should not yell at Ocellus," Yona argued, looming over the dragon as only she could. "You hear Coach Dash. Our routine was good."

"But it could have been great!" Smolder growled, glaring at Ocellus. "If we just stuck both our landings."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ocellus repeated again. "I-I didn't have time to transform into something more aerodynamic to get the flip right. I can try it again, maybe? I think I can pull off the flip, it's just hard to change in the air like that. That amount of momentum is hard to control as a changeling."

"Ocellus still stuck landing," Yona said with a roll of her eyes. "Just land on all fours instead of one. Relax scales, Smolder."

Smolder took a deep breath. "I know. I know. I'm not mad at you, Ocellus. I'm just... frustrated." She glared across the field to the pony trio. They were smiling and high-hoofing each other. It was karma. They were really freakin' good. Better than Smolder and her friends could hope to be. To boil her blood a little more, she noticed them waving and smiling and posing and just generally showing off to the group that had gathered in the bleachers near the practice fields. Coach Dash's 'friendlies' were infamous around campus for getting a bit cutthroat, so you could always count on their being a crowd— popcorn and all.

And, man, as if their skills weren't worrisome enough, those ponies knew how to work a crowd. The unicorns would shoot sparkles and magic stars and lights at the audience. Meanwhile, the pegasus mare's skirt could not be any shorter or tighter, and she knew just the right poses to make her figure pop. Smolder could practically see the boys—and some of the girls—in the bleachers drooling from here.

Including...

"Oh, come on..." Smolder muttered, crossing her arms as she glared at the top row of the bleachers. There, where he always sat to watch her cheer, was Gallus the griffon. He had his head in a book, or rather he had had his head in his book. Right now it sat on his lap, and she noticed him glancing up quite frequently towards Little Miss Showoff Skirt who was walking along the grass in front of the bottom row of the bleachers, winking all the way. Of course, Gallus made sure to look over to Smolder and her friends and give that stupid smile of his and his trademark lazy wave. She waved back, her cheeks flushing while she fought to keep the frown on her face.

She didn't have to fight long. After five seconds of reading, he was right back to stealing glances at the mares. Smolder leaned against an oak tree trunk and crossed her arms, deciding the puny pear trees on the other side of the hoofball field deserved to burn in the wrath of her glare. She was going to watch those trees burst into flames if it was the last thing she did.

When the leaves remained intact and sadly unscorched, Smolder sighed and glanced down at her body. The purple tank top and skirt looked good, she guessed. Professor Rarity had said the colors did a great job of complimenting her scales, and Smolder had to take the Queen of Fashion's words as fact. But was it enough to steal his attention back? She reached down and pulled up her skirt a little, twisting her foot and flexing her leg.

"What is Smolder doing?" Yona asked. "Have cramps? Need yak massage?"

Yeah, if she wanted every bone in her body broken. "I'm fine, Yona." Smolder sighed and let the skirt fall. She turned to Ocellus. "Sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"It's okay, Smolder. You were upset. I get it," Ocellus replied, flashing her a soft smile. "I think we can do better next time. I'm thinking maybe something big but avian so the landing can stick a little better."

"Question," Smolder said, glancing at the pony trio, then Gallus.

"Go ahead," Ocellus said as she took a sip of her water.

"Do I have nice legs?"

Ocellus spit out her drink, much to Yona's mooing disappointment. "W-What?"

"Smolder has great legs," Yona said, wiping the water off her face. "Why Smolder ask?"

"Yeah, they're great," Ocellus said. "Wait, why are you asking?"

"It's just..." Smolder growled. "I mean, look at them. And..." The words caught in her throat as she glanced up at Gallus. She stared a bit too long. He waved. She didn't wave back. She looked away and cleared her throat. "Just forget it."

"Yona sure Gallus not paying attention to other mares," Yona said. "Gallus always looking at Smolder during practice. Yona is certain that Gallus likes Smolder's legs if that's what Smolder is wondering."

Ocellus nodded. "Can confirm. He is always staring at you, Smolder. And trust me, what he feels looking at you is totally different from them."

Smolder frowned, smoke rings puffing from her nostrils. "And you know this how, Little Miss Psycho?"

"Psychic, Smolder," Ocellus said, nudging the dragon herself this time. Smolder didn't even sway. "And changeling, remember? We can read emotions and feelings. And love... yeah, let's just say that's a smell as strong as they come."

Yona laughed. "Ha! Ocellus say c–"

"Don't even, Yona. Gah, are you still twelve?" For a creature still grasping Equestrian, Yona seemed to adapt the vulgar quicker than the pronouns. "Wait." Smolder's eyes went wide. "Did you say love?"

Ocellus nodded, frowning. "Yeah. Like I've said all the time. Like before the dance last year. And before the dance the year before that. And like I'm going to say before this year's dance. Smolder, you and Gallus like each other. And every year it gets stronger and stronger and I swear I don't think I can take it sometimes."

"What Ocellus take?" Yona asked. "Love?"

"No," Ocellus said, giving a nervous laugh. "It's the pining. It's like nails in my gut, I swear. A screeching bat yelling at you two to just talk to each other already!" Ocellus threw her hooves over her mouth and blushed. "Sorry. That got a little out of... look, let's change the subject. "

"Yes, please," Smolder said, rubbing the back of her neck. Could it still be called a blush if it popped up and didn't go away for, like, five minutes?

"Yona thinks Smolder and Gallus should kiss already."

"I said 'Yes, please!' Can we just change the stupid subject?!" Smolder fell back against the trunk. "Scales, why'd I have to say anything? Look, let's just... let's just think through our routine. I think we're good if we do the same trick with a little more flair and land it a little better. But... man, we could do better. Let's go bigger."

Ocellus nodded hesitantly, and Yona gave a nod as well. "Yes. Do that thing Ocellus does."

"But what should I do?" Ocellus asked. "Eagle? Hawk? Albatross?"

Smolder looked at the three ponies. They were laughing now, giggling as one of their own made a joke.

"Ocellus can do a griffon."

"I mean... I guess I could," Ocellus replied. "That'd be a little heavy for you to hold up, wouldn't it? A griffon has a lot more weight than a normal bird

Smolder glanced down at her feet. "Maybe, but I'm feeling strong today." She glared back across the field. "I think I can pull off a stunt."

Yona raised a hoof. "Yona wants to do something bigger."

"Big? Like what?" Ocellus asked.

"I think Yona can handle whatever you throw at her. And she can throw Ocellus very high."

"No. No way," Ocellus said, shaking her head. "I'd probably just panic and soar off."

"Hmm..." Yona placed a hoof on her chin. "Yona have an idea!" The yak smirked at Ocellus.

"Oh, no, what's that look for?" Ocellus asked. "I don't trust that look."

"Smolder wants to show strength for Gallus, yes?" Yona said.

Smolder blinked. "Reading a bit more into that than ya should, but... yeah, showing strength would be good."

Yona nodded. "Then yak should be flyer."

"Flyer? Like, we throw you? Do you want us to get killed?" Ocellus asked.

"No, Yona stay on ground. Yona be the catcher." Yona nodded to herself, "But who said there only be one yak?"

"Wait, what?" Smolder shook the word salad out of her ears. "I'm not following."

"Trick the crowd. Yak still be base, but Ocellus can be yak too. Start with Smolder on the back of Yona Yak. Ocellus Yak jumps and flips into Smolder's arms. Everyone thinks Smolder lifts yak in the air." Yona grinned. "Trick crowd. Like magic. It's simple, but it will look cool."

"Huh... that… that actually could be pretty cool," Smolder said, scratching her chin. "A bit too simple though. Gotta wonder if it’s good enough..."

"Wait, good enough? What about safe enough?!” Ocellus blinked rapidly, shaking her head. “Back up. I what? I turn to yak?! Then Smolder lifts me. What in the wide world of Equestria are we talking about?!”

"Ocellus can be light, yes?" Yona said. "Ocellus tell Yona changelings can change weight whenever changelings want to."

"I-I mean, yeah. Kinda. That's..." Ocellus held her forelimbs together, eyes darting around the field. "That's a lot of work though. A lot of magic. A lot of focus when you're flipping in the air."

Smolder waved a claw. "Please, Ocellus. You're the most magical changeling I know!"

Ocellus blushed and nodded. "Yeah, but... I don't know. I'm not used to that form. Just changing form takes a lot of magic. Messing with the weight around that body..." She shook her head. "I don't know, girls."

"Yak is big, strong," Yona said. "Yak legs break boulders. Yona can catch Ocellus."

"What about Smolder? I mean... no offense, Smolder, but I doubt you can break boulders with a single punch."

"Wanna try me, Bug Girl?" Smolder punched Ocellus' shoulder, before eying the grass. "You're right though. We have time to practice though, right?"

Yona shrugged, biting her lip. "Arctic Blaze's team just starting. We have a few minutes, maybe. Not sure if enough to get the trick right. Maybe Yona should just do a normal pony pyramid?"

Arctic Blaze, huh? Smolder looked over at the pegasus and frowned. Now her enemy had a name.

"Yeah.” Ocellus whimpered. “Maybe... maybe we should just do our last routine, but I can land the flips. I promise I can do better this time."

Smolder shook her head, watching the pegasus begin with a fancy flip. "Nah. We got this. We gotta do something cool.”

"But what if it goes wrong?" Ocellus asked.

Yona nodded. "We fall. Yona probably breaks rib. Yona has many more." She looked over at Smolder concern etched on her face. "But Smolder break many more under yak weight." She rubbed her hoof through the grass. "Maybe Ocellus right..."

Smolder glanced over at Gallus. The griffon was back to reading his book. "We'll be fine. I trust you, Ocellus!" Smolder grinned at the changeling. "Trust me, we're gonna nail this trick."

"We haven't even practiced the trick yet though!" Ocellus threw her hooves skyward. If only Smolder had been listening, but at that moment, she had her eyes on the battle, not the war.

Smolder frowned, the show playing out on the practice field cutting her off. The pony trio bounced and flipped with ease. Smolder scowled as she watched their routine intently. Their pyramid could not be any more flawless in execution. The unicorns lit their horn to provide the pegasus with more and more height as they tossed her up and down, up and down. Then, when the mare had to be almost a hundred feet skyward, she pulled her wings in and free-fell! She reached out at the last second, a green glow wrapping around the pegasus and slowing her just enough to land a handstand atop the two unicorns.

The crowd roared. Smolder scowled at Gallus, who put his talons between his beak and let out a loud whistle before clapping away.

"No. We're doing it," Smolder growled

Ocellus' eyes grew wide. "What part of 'We haven't even practiced' do you not understand?!"

"I understand it, but it's a lame excuse. We're the best group here. We can do this, and we are doing this." Smolder took a deep breath, pressing her claws against her forehead, scratching along the scales. "Look, If anything goes wrong, I'm the one getting hurt. Not that I plan to, because this is going to be the most kickass routine in this school's history!” Smolder pumped her fist. "But, you'll be fine. We've got this." Yona and Ocellus exchanged worried glances, then looked back at her. The dragon crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?"

Ocellus took a deep breath. "I-I guess we can give it a shot. If you're both sure."

"Yona liked the idea," said Yona, though the tone of the yak's voice showed that she wasn't as certain as her words. "If Smolder says it's safe..."

"We're gonna kick those juniors' flanks, girls." Smolder held her claw out for Yona and Ocellus to place their hooves over. "Pass the test," she started

"Beat the rest," her friends finished in a monotone.

Coach Dash fluttered over to Smolder's group, smiling. "You guys are up next! Can't wait to see what you came up with!"

Smolder's friends took their places at the center of the practice field. Smolder took a deep breath and looked into the stands. She didn't know what was worth, the pegasus mare from the pony group sitting back with her legs crossed and a sly smirk on her face on the bottom row of the bleachers, or Gallus with that goofy grin on his beak giving her a thumbs up from the top row. She stared down at her feet, frowning.

"What's wrong, Smolder?" Coach Dash asked.

"Nothing." Smolder took another deep breath. "Just... nervous." She glanced over to Yona and Ocellus. "Let's do this. Let's give 'em something they can't ignore!"

Ocellus nodded and the three creatures took their places. Yona knelt down, hooves pressed to the ground, as Smolder climbed up on the yak's back and bent her knees, spreading her legs to balance her weight along the yak's extra large tank top. In front of her, Ocellus got into position, taking a deep breath, still in her changeling form. "Ready," she whispered.

"Coach Dash!" Smolder called, waving the pegasus over. "Could you move one of the hay bales over here?"

"Scared you'll fall?" came a snide voice. Was that Arctic Blaze? Or was it one of those unicorns? Smolder scanned the crowd, but couldn't find a smirk among the ponies. If she found out who...

"Sure, Smolder." Coach Dash slid a hay bale over, placing it near Yona's hooves.

"A little farther back." Smolder waved her claw, Dash listened and pulled it back. Then pulled it back some more. Then Smolder waved her claw again. Finally, Smolder gave a thumbs up as Coach settled the hay bale a good five feet away from the soon-to-be pyramid.

Ocellus looked at Smolder, eyes wider than usual. "If we fall, Smolder, there's a good chance we miss that!"

"A) we're not falling. B) it's not for catching us. It's for you to get a running start."

"What?!" Ocellus squeaked. "No! This is dangerous enough, I'm not–"

"Do you want to win?" Smolder snorted. "Or do you want to be a loser?"

"That a bit far, Smolder," Yona grunted.

"Am I wrong?" Smolder threw her arms out, met only with silence. "You screwed up our first run. It's time to redeem yourself!" She made a note to apologize for that later. Definitely too far. But the words seemed to stick as Ocellus narrowed her eyes into a determined glare, nodding silently.

"Are you going to do a routine or just bicker?" This time Smolder was certain it was Arctic Blaze. The pegasus smirked at her, both sets of legs crossed as she leaned back. "Come on, we're waiting."

"Yona not like that pony."

Smolder smirked and patted the yak's back. "Now you're getting it." She raised her arms high. "Alright, girls! Let's go!" Smolder called. "2, 4, 6, 8!"

"Friendship School is really great!" On cue, Ocellus ran forward. Not fast enough. Not loud enough. Not cool enough. But the routine had to start somewhere before it could grow into awesomeness.

"Faster, Ocellus!" Smolder shouted, wobbling for a moment before regaining her footing on Yona's back. As Ocellus neared the hay bale she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Smolder held her own breath as blue magic suddenly sparked from the changeling's exoskeleton like dozens of worms wriggling in the rain. Even from several feet away, Smolder could feel Ocellus' magic radiating like a ray of light across the field. Smolder clapped her hands, bracing her knees, moving her right foot forward, and curling her toes against Yona's matted fur. Ocellus bounded closer and closer. Smolder could see the fire in the changeling's eyes as she readied herself to jump. Smolder raised her claws, nodding to Ocellus that it was her time to shine. Jump and transform. That was all she needed to do. Then Smolder would catch her, everyone would gasp and scream. Ta-da! First prize! Simple.

Even playing out in her head, though, the routine was anything but simple. She half expected Ocellus to jump onto her claws as a miniature yak that somehow weighed like a dozen bricks. Or maybe she'd pull it off and transform into a house-sized yak that weighed as much as a tissue. The latter would be the coolest thing ever, but the latter... that could end in a separated shoulder. A bit late to change that now, though. She reached out with her claws, ready to grab hold of Ocellus

Surprisingly, the jump went fine. Ocellus got plenty of extra air, her forehooves clearing the hay with ease. That was about where the list of 'things that went fine' ended. Though Ocellus was able to get enough air for a changeling, she did her yak transformation a little early. Her back hooves knocked the hay bale and sent the bale sliding into Yona. That was more than enough to knock Yona back and off balance. Smolder fell flat on her face in the grass, the world nothing but green against her nose. It had lasted only a second, but it felt like an hour. Time slowed eve more as Smolder looked up.

Ocellus flew higher than expected, spinning end over end, flailing in the air. If the changeling had kept her eyes closed, maybe things would have ended with a busted nose at worst. But Ocellus did open her eyes. She did look down and see only Smolder beneath her. In that instance, Smolder could see the panic rushing through Ocellus' mind, and in that moment, all flips stopped and the changeling dropped like a stone.

Later, Ocellus would say that she panicked and though she thought she was releasing the yak form, in that moment she'd messed up and re-added the whole yak weight thing. Smolder wasn't about to try to understand how that magic worked. All she knew was that it sucked for Ocellus. It sucked that the girl had been thrown into that crappy situation and in her panic made it worse.

It sucked for Smolder too, but she'd come to accept that she had only one creature to blame for this: herself.

If only she hadn't pushed Ocellus to do this trick.

If only she had moved out of the way instead of trying to save the routine.

If only she had let Ocellus get hurt instead of her.

No. In the end, Smolder had no choice. No one to blame but herself. She forced the trick. And now she was going to pay for it.

She pushed her clawed toes deep into the dirt from her kneeling position and lifted her arms to catch the plummeting Ocellus. In the back of her head, Smolder told herself it was all going to be alright. Ocellus would change back into good ol' Bugbrain and Smolder would catch her and they'd all laugh it off over pizzas or something. As Ocellus neared her, still the size of Yona and falling as fast as a plummeting boulder, she found herself hoping that Coach Dash would fly in just in the nick of time and catch Ocellus or something. Because if that didn't happen ...

... Well, this was going to hurt. A lot.

Smolder knew it only had to be a few seconds at most since Ocellus had taken to the sky. Not enough time for anyone to put all the pieces together that this wasn't part of the plan and spring into action. If she looked to the side, maybe she'd see Coach Dash flying towards her. The fastest mare in Equestria, and at this moment even that wouldn't be fast enough. Ocellus had just screamed out maybe a millisecond before. Nobody could react that quickly.

She closed her eyes and braced her muscles as blue fur filled the entirety of her vision.

Smolder couldn't have picked a worse position brace herself. Ocellus hit her hands at an odd angle. The yak changeling's weight had, unfortunately, not been lessened at all, and the tons pushed down on Smolder's shoulders and sternum, pulling her back into an arch. The dragon's tail struck the ground, knocking the wind out of her and providing support to her legs that she didn't need. If her tail hadn't stuck, maybe her knees would buckle or her hips would get tweaked, but it wouldn't have turned out as bad.

Instead, her spine arched over the back of her tail, bending backward further and further until suddenly there was a loud 'pop' sound and she felt the back of her head slam against her own tail. At first, everything was numb and empty. Then the pain flooded in. The kind of pain that pushed Smolder's jaws apart but produced a scream so high and loud that it was completely silent. Just a squeak as all the air left the dragon's lungs.

Ocellus rolled off of Smolder the instant her fall stopped, switching forms in a flash of discordant blue, but the damage was done. Smolder could feel it in her back.

It was... a strange feeling. She could feel the fire, could feel the electrical jolts shooting up and down her spine, ricocheting around her skull. She clenched her teeth until she swore they would crack and tasted copper and dirt on her lips. And yet... it didn't hurt. Not like she'd expect it to. It all felt like a whole lot of nothing.

Someone was screaming. Someone was gasping. It was more than one voice—a whole lot of screaming and gasping and talking all bleeding together into a static drone. Shadows moved in and out of Smolder's field of vision. But to her, it was one big mass. A burning mass that pressed down against her spine and hit against her skull like a wrecking ball.

But one face stood out. A blue amongst the black. He was saying something, too. And while Smolder could see his lips moving, she couldn't understand the words. But she wanted to. She wanted to hear him. Wanted to know what he was saying. She reached her claw up. It felt weak but... yeah she could move it. He grabbed hold. The ringing in her ear she hadn't noticed until that moment faded as his voice trickled in.

"Smolder." He wasn't yelling like everyone else. Thank the makers for that. Screaming would just make everything hurt worse.

"Smolder!" She winced as Coach Dash's voice pierced through the fog. "Oh man, uh, stay there. Don't move. I'll get help!" With that, she flew off. Smolder scoffed. The teacher flying off to leave a bunch of kids with a hurt student? That was smart. Ow. Even laughing felt like another lightning strike to her spine. She definitely must have done a number on it.

"She'll be right back, Smolder," Gallus said. "Just... relax."

"I'm fine," Smolder muttered.

"No. No, you're not." He held her claw tight. "Just breathe, okay?"

Smolder nodded. Bad mistake. It was like a bomb had gone off in her skull. She shut her eyes tight and clenched her teeth. She could feel the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. No. No, she'd already screwed up. She wouldn't be seen as a wuss. She tried to suck the tears back in.

But... it hurt so much. Her cheeks were damp, her vision blurry as she stared up into Gallus' face. "Y-yona. Ocellus..."

"They're fine." His voice was soft. She could feel the heat of his breath on her face. He was close. "You took the worst of it."

"And yet I live," she said, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and screwing up her spine even more. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," he said. "Really bad."

She chuckled. "Tell me. How bad? Griffon honest."

He sighed, looking at the ground. "Smolder... let's just say your back is bent all to Tartarus."

"You really know how to cheer a girl up," she said.

He sighed. "You asked."

"Please tell me my head's not still up my own ass."

"Nope. Close but your tail stopped it."

"I can work with that," she said. "S-should I move it to the lef—

"Don't move at all!" Gallus hissed, pressing his talons against his forehead. "Smolder, please stop making jokes." She could see now that, though he had smiled at her this whole time, beneath the warmth... there was fear. His eyes quivered, and his beak shook at the corners. This was bad. Real bad. He looked down towards her legs, and she saw his Adam's apple tense as he swallowed hard. "Smolder?"

"What?"

"Can you feel that?"

Smolder looked down as best she could and realized he had a claw pressed against her leg. His talon shook as he held it against her shin. "Anything?" he asked.

"Nope," she said. "Not a thing."

"Now?" He had moved his talon up to her knee, and still, Smolder couldn't feel anything.

"Nothing. Nada. Zilch." Her throat tightened and a chill ran down her spine. The thoughts tornadoed in her mind as her breathing grew heavy and the world turned a burning white around her.

She couldn't feel her legs. She couldn't move her legs.

Coach Dash leaned down next to her, running a hoof over her forehead.

She couldn't feel her legs. She couldn't move her legs.

The paramedics placed a brace around her neck, gently strapped her to a stretcher, and loaded her up in the ambulance wagon.

She couldn't feel her legs. She couldn't move her legs.

Gallus hopped in the carriage and sat down across from her. While the paramedics worked, he held tight to her claw. He never stopped smiling, never broke eye contact once.

The world fuzzed away into empty nothingness. And still the last thought was a panicked echo. A single thought that made even nothing itself uneasy. She couldn't feel her legs.

Author's Note

So begins a new story. As stated in the description, this story will be a romantic dramedy. Definitely will probably wind up being more 'drama' than 'comedy' (hence why I've decided not to include a 'comedy' tag) but one of the focuses I had when writing this was to include plenty of lighthearted and comedic moments—more than you'd expect from a story with this premise. Basically a story with a 'sad' premise that isn't... overly sad(?) Just kinda sad. Anywho, said lightheartedness might not be that evident in this chapter, but ya gotta start somewhere.

As of the publishing of this chapter, I have the first 8 completed—around 50,000 words total so far. Hopefully, this will give me a cushion to keep the posting schedule going. This is going to be a long one—hopefully, it'll also be a good one. Look for the next chapter to be out Monday (or earlier :ajsmug: )