Smolder could easily be a deep sleeper if she wanted to. As long as she was careful not to snore or breathe smoke while in her sleep, no one complained and the dragon was free to sleep however she wanted.
There were times when being a deep sleeper had its benefits, and there were times when a light sleeper was more ideal. For Smolder this was one of those times were the latter was true.
Ocellus had offered to help Smolder with her homework, and it had gotten pretty late. So the changeling offered a spare bed for her friend to sleep in and Smolder had been too tired to protest.
But now Ocellus seemed to be tossing and turning about in her sleep, rapidly changing form. She wasn't saying anything, just mumbling something to herself and shouting "No!" over and over again. One moment she might be a tiny mouse, and the next moment she might be a huge bugbear that threatened to crush her bed due to the massive weight it was being asked to support!
In an instant, the dragon with orange scales was at Ocellus' side and trying to rouse her from her sleep. "Ocellus, wake up! Your transformations are out of control again!" Smolder shook Ocellus as best she could, hoping to reach out to the changeling inside.
It eventually worked, Ocellus returned to her usual form and her eyes fluttered open. "Oh," She commented with a yawn as she looked up at Smolder and blushed ever so slightly. "Sorry, guess I was having another bad dream," Then she sighed, hanging her head. "It seems like my sleep transformations are getting worse and worse. I'm starting to slip into them more and more, even during the day."
"Let me guess, you were dreaming about Chrysalis again." Smolder questioned.
Ocellus slowly nodded in confirmation. "I swear, it's like we have a mental link or something. But this time it was really weird."
"Weirder than constantly shape shifting back and forth?" The dragon inquired of the changeling.
The young changeling nodded once again. "Definitely. I... I don't remember exactly what it was though. I... think it had something to do with a mountain, and a bell."
"Don't look at me. I'm not a dream decipher, I hear that's one of the pony princesses jobs," Smolder responded with a slight snort. "I forget who it was, though. I get a lot of these pony names mixed up."
"I just wish I knew what it all meant. Are they just nightmares? Or are they some kind of warning?" Ocellus wondered with concern. "And why do they seem to be occurring at the same time my transformations keep getting out of control? I'm barely ever a changeling anymore."
At that Smolder questioned. "What are you talking about? You're a changeling almost every waking minute of the day."
Ocellus shook her head. "I don't feel like one. It seems like there's always at least half a dozen transformations that are all inside me, fighting for control. And for a changeling, there's nothing worse than forgetting who you are and thinking you're some creature else entirely," She frowned, hanging her head. "I'm really sorry to keep bothering you about this, Smolder. This is so silly and stupid."
Smolder wouldn't hear another word of her friend's depressing comments. "No it isn't, Ocellus! I may not know much about changelings, but I know that if this was happening to me I'd want others to care about it! To help me figure out what's going on!" She firmly demanded. "You need to talk to someone about this, like Counselor Starlight."
Ocellus unhappily sighed. "But it's almost Spring Break, Counselor Starlight is really busy. Our professors are already leaving for Canterlot, and don't forget that big assignment for Professor Fluttershy's class that's due in a few weeks."
"Already did mine!" Smolder happily replied. "I based it off of Zecora, that strange zebra who lives in that tree hut in the Everfree Forest all by herself. Apparently, she's the only one of her kind in all of Equestria," And then she added to sweeten the deal. "If you're worried about going to Counselor Starlight by yourself, I have to go to her office tomorrow anyways. Gallus is mad at me because I burned one of his books. I said it was an accident."
"Was it?" Ocellus questioned.
Smolder blushed a tiny bit, twiddling her claws. "Okay, so maybe it was more 'accidentally on purpose' but you get the idea. I'll go in first to soften Counselor Starlight up for you."
The young changeling reluctantly yawned, sensing that Smolder wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Alright, Smolder, you win. I swear, sometimes you're more stubborn than even Yona."
"Please, no creature's as stubborn as her," Smolder laughed. "Now get some rest. If you start having your dream transformations again, I'll wake you up."
"See you in the morning, Smolder." Ocellus yawned more, closing her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.
The orange scaled dragon just grinned as a big smile began to form on her face. "I'm really getting the hang of this whole 'friendship talk'," She thought to herself. "But why do I feel differently when talking to Ocellus compared to the rest of my friends?" She didn't dwell on it for long, shaking her head and convincing herself that she was thinking too much about something trivial. Besides, Spring Break was coming up soon and she was looking forward to spending it back in the dragon lands with her brother.
The next day, Smolder thought it was nothing out of the ordinary when she was waiting around outside Counselor Starlight's office for Ocellus. It was what good friends did, she convinced herself. Ocellus would do the same for her if the roles were reversed.
It seemed to take forever before the doors finally opened up and Ocellus trotted out. Not one to be patient, the dragon immediately inquired of her friend. "So, what did Counselor Starlight say?"
Ocellus sighed. "She wasn't much help, unfortunately. She seemed kind of distracted."
"You mean, like with other students? Silverstream's been bugging her a lot lately." Smolder commented.
Ocellus shook her head. "No, it seemed to be something besides that. Like she was supposed to be doing something else, but kept forgetting about it."
"But you told her about the dream, right? You know, the one about Chrysalis and the bell." Smolder inquired further.
But the changeling shook her head again. "How could I tell her? What would she even think? I heard she has a pretty bad past with Chrysalis, kind of like Headmare Twilight. And I think I only started having these dreams after what happened down in the catacombs."
Smolder tried not to shudder. Having to admit to actually liking cute stuff was something she had been thankful only Gallus and Ocellus had actually been in on. But the more frightening thing had been running into those bizzare ponies who never seemed to go away. Not even Cozy Glow had been as disturbingly upbeat as them, and for Smolder that was a kind of cheerfulness that didn't feel natural.
Ocellus hung her head. "I'm sorry if you wanted me to tell her. But I'm sure these dreams will stop in time. And I'll get over my identity issues in time."
"Or they'll keep getting worse!" Smolder declared with a snort. "You remind me a lot of my brother, Ocellus. How there was a secret side of him he kept hiding from all the other dragons. I saw how much it kept eating at him inside, turning him into a real bully. We dragons don't normally talk about feelings, but now I'm starting to see why that's not always a good thing. If we keep things hidden, they don't go away," And then she pondered. "There's something else about all of this that's got you worried, isn't there?"
The changeling reluctantly confessed with a whimper. "I know he's changed now, but back when he wasn't a nice pony Chancellor Neighsay said a lot of things about the changelings. About all kinds of creatures."
"And none of 'em were right!" Smolder insisted. "Honestly, I had half a mind to give him a piece of mine after he locked us up."
But Ocellus shamefully looked away, weakly answering. "Well, I hate to admit it, but he may have been right about us. Sure, we've changed. But how much can we really change when we've always been known for lying and deceiving?"
At that, Smolder stomped a foot down. "That's the kind of talk I don't wanna hear, Ocellus! The Ocellus I know wouldn't be saying these kinds of things!"
"Really, Smolder? Since when did you know so much about me?" Ocellus questioned. "Yes, there was the ordeal in the catacombs. But we both agreed not to say a word about what we saw."
"I may still not know everything there is to know about friendship, but I know you enough to know that this isn't you!" Smolder firmly declared. "The Ocellus I know was not afraid to make friends with puckwudgies. The Ocellus I know was happy to embrace Hearth's Warming as a holiday, despite knowing nothing about it. The Ocellus I know stood up against Chancellor Neighsay and Cozy Glow. And the Ocellus I know most certainly isn't a quitter! Anyone who could turn into a bugbear just for fun, and tag along with other creatures when they take a break from school, is a creature who's brave enough to prove everyone wrong! That's the Ocellus I know. And I'm sure you know it too."
Ocellus blinked and stood there in surprise. She was used to bold statements from Smolder, but this particular one had caught her completely by surprise.
Smolder moved to break up the silence. "Ocellus, if this is really bothering you, I want to help. We can get through this together. But you can't go through life thinking you're weaker than you really are."
"I... guess you may have a point," Ocellus blinked as she finally found the words she wanted to use. "Thank you, Smolder."
The dragon massaged the back of her neck with a claw. "It's what friends do."
As the two walked away from Starlight's office, Ocellus blushed as she commented. "You know I can feel love, right?"
Now it was Smolder's turn to blink. "Really? And what does love have to do with any of this?" She questioned in a surprisingly nervous tone.
Ocellus replied in explanation. "We don't need to feed off of love anymore, but that doesn't mean we're incapable of feeling it. It's a part of our nature," Then she smiled as she looked at her friend. "And there's so much love surrounding you right now. Just the way you act, and the way you talk."
Smolder tried not to blush. "W-well, that could mean anything."
Ocellus grinned. "It's okay, I know you're still not the best with feelings. You can tell me how you really feel tonight, at a secret tea party for two."
The dragon shook her head. "You don't need to do all of this, Ocellus," Then she seemed to gulp. "But I've never felt this way about any creature before. I've never been in love."
"Neither have I, but why should we let that stop us?" Ocellus encouraged, hovering closer to Smolder. "Even if it doesn't work out, we'll learn a lot about how love works and about each other. It can't hurt to try, right?"
"I... guess not if you really put it like that," Smolder realized. "But.." She looked around. "We should keep this between the two of us, just for now. I don't need others teasing us."
Ocellus just laughed. "If they do, I'll transform into whatever they're scared of. Nothing will come between us!"
The dragon laughed back. "Oh, that's great! See, that's just what I love about you, Ocellus. You always have the best ideas!"