Alrighty-roo. So! With that in mind, I started looking for Smolder on that sunny day. I had heard from a few ponies around Ponyville that they saw an orange dragon walking around with a silver one in tow, looking to potentially enroll him in the School of Friendship!
…
Ooogh…the School of Friendship. Doesn’t exactly contain the best memories for me. I was a bit of a weirdo back then with the whole, ‘hellbent on taking power’ thing. Honest to Celestia, I can’t even remember what I wanted that power for--much less what I intended to do with it once I got it.
Regardless, if I was going to make amends, I had to start somewhere, right?
So I trotted down the road in Ponyville, awkwardly smiling at all of the friendly faces that greeted me as per usual. Still not used to that, frankly.
Soon enough, I’d arrive at the School of Friendship, and who did I see?
Smolder in all her orange, scaly glory. Though she was much taller than when I last saw her with more--ahem--mature features like more pronounced hips and curves. Still, she looked to have the same personality as always--she was impatiently tapping her foot against the ground outside of the school, seemingly waiting for something--or someone.
“Ugh--where in the heckin’ blazes is she? I told Starlight to meet me here this morning!” Smolder groaned as she threw her hands into the air.
I got a closer look at the dragon boy with her. He was about the same size as Smolder when she was younger--teenage more or less. He had some sick silver scales that reflected the sunlight like a mirror and wore some rectangular glasses on his face. In his left claw, there were some books, though I couldn’t quite make out what they were.
“...Maybe we should send a messenger, perhaps?” the dragon boy said with an inquisitive tilt of his head, “It’s possible that she’s simply running late. Or maybe she slept in? Hrm…”
I figured that that moment would’ve been the best time to make my entrance, so I did.
“Um…heya!” I called out as I trotted over, “...Smolder! It’s me…Cozy…ha…ha…” Cloud nuggets. I was sweating like a melting ice cube as I spoke to them with this dopey smile on my face.
Thankfully, Smolder was quick to address me and helped make things less awkward. “...Oh, hey Cozy Gl--” She turned her head so fast she nearly spun around! “Cozy Glow? Damn you’ve grown…”
Looked in the mirror lately, Smol? I couldn’t help but scan her with my eyes the same way she did to me. “...So have you. You look…matured.”
“Ugh,” Smolder rolled her eyes, “That’s probably the least creepy thing I’ve heard anyone say. As the current Dragon Lord, you got no idea how many of them are suddenly ‘falling in love’ with me.” She folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Hmph--more like untamed lust.”
The dragon boy made himself known by speaking up, “Ahem…excuse me, do you two know each other?”
Smolder and I exchanged an awkward stare for a moment.
“Uhhhhh…”
“Uhhhhh…”
Yeah, there was no solid way to answer that. There was a bit of an awkward silence between us for a moment because of it.
Until Smolder broke it. “...Yeah, you could say that. We had a bit of a…run-in a few years ago.”
“Yeah, haha…a not-so-friendly run-in,” I replied while rubbing a hoof behind my head.
“But we’re cool now,” Smolder spoke up for me in a surprising display of maturity. “She’s gotten way better and is a good role model for the kiddos around here from what I’ve heard.”
“Wow…you are?” the dragon boy asked with sparkles in his eyes, “That’s…amazing. I’m glad ponies like you are running this town.”
That compliment made me blush because I knew I didn’t deserve it. That’s the last thing I ever wanted was to be in control of something again. “Oh uh…thanks, buddy. You’re too kind,” I replied with my best smile, until I realized something: I didn’t have the kid’s name. “Oh! Erm…what’s your name?”
Smolder picked him up and placed him on her shoulders. “Oh yeah, my bad. This is a business affair and I didn’t even properly introduce him. This here is Ash. Tell her, bud.”
“Y-yes…” Ash replied with a smile as he spread his wings, “My name is Ash. It’s nice to meet you, miss…?”
“Cozy Glow,” I replied, “Great to meet you too.”
Moments later, the door to the School of Friendship was opened by Headmare Starlight who waved us down. “Hiya! Sorry! I slept late and Sunburst came into my room to wake me up, and then I--ahem--I mean, come on in!”
Smolder looked up at Ash and said, “That’s your cue, kiddo. Go knock ‘em dead.”
Ash nodded and flew off of Smolder’s shoulders towards the front doors to the school. “Thank you for the opportunity, Smolder. I won’t waste it,” he spoke with a hint of breakage in his voice. And with that, he left us alone.
“...Waste?” I asked as I tilted my head, “What’s he talking about?”
Smolder had been waving and turned to look at me. “Oh uh…well…it’s a long story. To make it short, Ash used to live near Klugetown, but a war broke out near there and it’s currently being taken back by cowboys.”
“...Cowboys?”
“Yup,” Smolder folded her arms, “His home isn’t safe anymore and he’s got nobody to watch out for him. I figured the best place to bring him would be here or whatever--someplace I know he’d be safe.”
What a beautiful sentiment. But it made sense now. The way Ash had been speaking lent a rather sorrowful backdrop to his tale. Though, I wasn’t sure if I could handle dragon psychology.
“You made the right call,” I replied, “Everyone here is gonna watch out for him. I know they will.”
“...Cozy, can you do me a favor?”
I took a step back--one of my hind legs raised out of surprise. “...M-me?”
“Yeah…I’ve been hearing about your therapy stuff or whatever and…” Smolder’s tail swished in a nervous manner as she spoke. “...Can you run a diagnosis on Ash for me? I just wanna know if he’s okay.”
“...”
Yeah I’d need a case of Red Buffalo for this.