//------------------------------//
// Chapter IV 
// Story: Basso Scale 
// by b00_j3nnn 
//------------------------------//

Ash woke up a few hours later as they began their approach to Ponyville, clearing smoke from his nostrils that had accumulated while he slept.
"Guhhh... we there yet?"

Killjoy was so engrossed in her work, she almost didn't hear him. "We passed Canterlot around 3 hours ago, we'll be in Ponyville very soon! How was your sleep?" the mare asked.

Ash rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes."Pretty good... wish I could have slept for longer though. Very old dragons can sleep for decades."

"Whaaa", Killjoy scoffed as if she could sleep longer, "I wish I could sleep for that long, been so tired recently", she yawned.

Ash explained some factoids about his race, "Yeah, dragons can live for centuries if nothing gets us first, my parents are around 200 years old, I still have living grandparents well into their 500s, and I'm actually 30, which is very young for a dragon, I'm still basically a teenager in dragon terms. Wyverns don't grow to the same size as other dragons though, I'm not gonna become the size of a building, this is about as big as wyverns get."

"Wow...", the mare trailed off, lost in thought as genuine curiosity washed over her. "Didn't realise you were so much older than me, guess I should pay more respect then!”, the pegasus light heartedly joked.

Ash laughed it off.
"Please don't, I'm still basically about 17 in your years."

Killjoy sat up in her chair, realising something, "Wait, that means I'm technically older than you! Guess I should take better care of you huh?"

Ash groaned, looking a bit embarrassed., "Urgh... don't do that either... I'm the youngest child in my family, I still get treated like a baby even though I live by myself and have a job. Can't wait for my 100th when they might actually start to treat me like an adult."

"Pfft, awhhh wook at wittle Ash", Killjoy joked further in a baby-like voice, trying her best not to laugh.

Ash snorted a little, "You sound like my sister! She's nice, she lives in Trottingham. Maybe you could meet her if she comes to visit.

Ash looks out the window, pressing his wings and face against the glass, the light of the early morning sun streaming over the quaint town of Ponyville, a wide grin plastered on his face, “Hey, I think we’re in Ponyville now!”

Killjoy laughed as she put her notebook and pen back in her pocket, "Pfft, y'know it's hard not to treat you like a kid when you act like that", The pegasus stretched her wings as the train pulled to a stop.

Ash blushed a bit.
"Hehe, yeah I guess you're right. So we're getting off then?"

"Yep!" As the two got off the train, the pegasus guided Ash toward the edge of Ponyville, nearing the ever-ominous Everfree Forest. "Should be around here somewhere...", she muttered to herself.

Ash saw the edge of the Everfree Forest, feeling somewhat spooked by whatever lay in the forest that he had only known by reputation, and he was in no state to be escaping from any hostile creatures.
"We're not going in there right?", Ash was quite nervous saying this.

"Don't tell me you're scared!", Killjoy chuckled. "Don't worry, pretty sure she lives just at the edge of it", she reassured, trotting closer and closer to the daunting forest.

"You'd be scared too if you broke your wing and couldn't easily escape from danger!" Ash still looked fairly nervous. As Ash glanced around nervously, the mischievous pegasus slipped into a bush just out of sight. Ash continued walking forward, not noticing Killjoy's absence.
"Something... doesn't feel quite right Killjoy... Killjoy?"

Snickering to herself, she bided her time and just when the wyvern turned his back toward her, she creeped closer and closer and pounced on Ash, imitating the roar of a timberwolf with the best of her ability, "AURGHHHH!"
Ash fell forwards in surprise, bashing his hurt wing on the ground. He masked most of the pain though to avoid upsetting Killjoy.

"Gotcha!!", the mare laughed, rolling on the ground. "Sorry, Sorry, I just had to", she breathed between laughs.

Ash winced a bit, looking at his broken wing, lifting it up slightly to see if the cast was damaged, but still managed to laugh with Killjoy.
"Pretty good, not gonna lie. But still, probably not a good idea to pounce on the fire-breathing dragon that also has a terrible injury?"

As much as Killjoy found the whole thing hilarious, the sudden reminder of his injured wing was enough to make the mare stop. "Yeah probably not hehe", she awkwardly replied.

"It's okay, it was pretty funny. I assume we're close?"
Ash was in a small amount of pain, he kept adjusting his sling to support his wing better, but still tried to hide it to avoid making Killjoy upset. She had already felt bad enough, he didn't want to make her feel worse.

"Hey I'd hope so! I know we've only just met today but you've grown on me, Ash", Killjoy said with a genuine smile.

"Me too, I'm sorry I was so hostile to you initially at the hospital."
"Don't sweat it, I'd be pretty peeved too if somepony went and broke my wing", Killjoy shuddered just imagining the pain.
"Yeah... just be careful with those wings, I took mine for granted until I couldn't use them.", Ash looking ruefully at the cast, already bothering him.

Killjoy nodded, readjusting her wings as she got up. As the mare trotted further, the roof of a humble home appeared behind the thicket, “I think I've found it!”

As Killjoy galloped over to the rustic cottage, she was met with a sign reading ‘Rosenberg Alchemy’ “Yep, this is it!”, the pegasus exclaimed, fluttering her wings in excitement. 

Killjoy knocked on the hefty, wooden door, and a creamy white unicorn with a broody vinous mane greeted her. “Killjoy? Is that you? I haven’t seen you in ages!” As the two embraced and exchanged friendly pleasantries, Killjoy gestured at Ash while the unicorn mare politely waved.

Ash nervously waved at the unicorn with his good wing, "Ash, it's nice to meet you!"

“I’m Velebeth Rosenberg, pleasure to meet you”, the unicorn spoke sweetly. Velebeth invited the two into her abode, “Please make yourself comfortable. Shall I fetch us some tea?”

Ash smiled at Velebeth, "Yes please, no sugar." 
Velebeth nodded and headed into her kitchen, levitating fine teacups and expensive tea leaves from her cupboards. As Killjoy got comfortable on the velvety coach, it was hard not to see the stark contrast of the pegasus and the unicorn mares.

Ash looked around the unicorn's living room.
"So, Miss Rosenberg, how long have you been living here? And how do you know Killjoy? Seems like there wouldn't be much opportunity for an alchemist and a rock star to meet."

As the unicorn trotted back with freshly brewed tea, she spoke, "Oh I've lived here almost a decade! Funnily enough, I met dear Killjoy back when I still lived in Canterlot”, Velebeth took a sip of her tea, "I still remember the day I met her, on my first day of cello lessons! I was waiting for the pony before me to finish when a little pegasus rushed in with a bass guitar almost double her size!" Killjoy couldn't help but blush.
"Apparently she got lost and couldn't find the studio her band was in but that didn't stop her from looking around and talking to everypony in her vicinity." Velebeth chuckled.

"Of course, I was too nervous to say anything as I was busy sorting my music sheets. But perhaps it was because of how anxious I appeared that Killjoy approached me and started a conversation. She raved about how amazing my cello looked and even asked why I looked so nervous. When I explained it to her, she told me something I will never forget." Velebeth paused.

"Doesn't matter if you're good or not. Music is a part of you, and don't you dare let anyone tell you how to be you", the two mares said in unison. 

"Of course, we would see each other weekly as our studios were in buildings adjacent to one another but after I moved here and Killjoy signed a record label and toured the whole of Equestria, we've seen each other less and less. Which is why I was so happy when I saw you!", Velebeth finished, smiling contently at Killjoy.

Ash listened to the story with interest.
"That's such a lovely story, it's nice that you get to see each other today. So Miss Rosenberg, what exactly do you do as an alchemist?"

"Most definitely", Velebeth smiled, taking another sip from her cup. "But excuse my manners, I've talked about myself for so long, how did the two of you meet?", she asked curiously.

Ash and Killjoy looked rather sheepishly at each other
"Well... kinda awkward, we only just met at her Manehattan concert last night..."

"How lovely! Nice to hear you're still on tour, Killjoy! I'm assuming Ash is a fan?"

Ash grinned, "Yep I am! Still kinda awkward how we actually got to meet in-person though..." Ash looked at his injury and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh dear, how in Equestria did you injure your wing so badly my sweet?”, the unicorn asked while inspecting the wyvern’s wing cast closely, as Ash explained the story,

"Well I was at the concert, and Killjoy kinda wanted to do a crowd dive, and I wasn't prepared and she landed hard on my wing. It's all okay though, I've got this cast for a few weeks, still sore now, but it should be fine soon. No hard feelings towards Killjoy, it was just an accident."

To Ash and Killjoy’s surprise, Velebeth burst into laughter, “Oh! Forgive me, I just couldn’t help but think of the time Killjoy dislocated my shoulder!”, the unicorn said between laughs. “Now that I think about it, didn’t you break your band member’s hoof once? And almost broke another member’s horn?”, the mare added, as Killjoy looked away almost comically.

"Rosella almost ripped my wings off back then cos of it-", the pegasus added with a shudder.

Ash chuckled loudly, "Sounds like you need to be more careful with your band members AND your fans!" Killjoy nodded and gave a meek chuckle back as she scratched her nape sheepishly.

Velebeth got up, gesturing for the pair to follow her."Oh but Ash my dear, you are in luck. I was just working on a healing elixir. Your wing does look quite bad, so it won’t be able to heal it fully, but it will cut the healing time by a couple weeks!" 
Ash looked surprised at the unicorn
"Are you sure? If you designed that for pony injuries, I have to say dragon physiology is uh… quite different... I don't want to end up taking something that could do me harm…"

Velebeth reassured the worried dragon,
"Not to worry, I've experimented with many creatures and it seems as though it is a universal one. Though, it may be less effective on creatures of a larger stature as opposed to smaller ones such as breezies, cockatrices, or even small dragons!"
Velebeth sounded very knowledgeable about her potions, "But it is still wise to take precautions... I'm assuming you are a wyvern, Ash?"

Ash showed his good wing.
"Yep, only wings, no separate arms"
Velebeth admired the wyvern’s broad wing, looking over him, analysing him, "Right, is it alright if I collect a sample from you? I’ll need something to get the potion base calibrated to your species.”
Ash nodded approvingly, “I’ll probably have a few loose scales you can use.”

As the two followed the unicorn closely down a flight of stairs, guided by the illumination of her horn’s magical glow, the gentle creaks and hoofsteps provided a comforting ambience. Once the three had arrived in the cluttered yet organised room, filled to the brim with herbs, gems, potions, and elixirs, a large cauldron with a viscous liquid which glowed a dark purple greeted them in the centre of it all. Velebeth levitated a quill and a thick hardcover book with lines upon lines filled with the ingredients of the elixir and the effects of it on different creatures. Once everything was set, she floated a small bottle toward Ash and removed the cork, “Whenever you’re ready”

Ash reached around onto his right shoulder and plucked a scale that had come loose when Killjoy had fallen on his wing earlier, and dropped it into the bottle.

"Thank you, dear." The unicorn levitated a ladle with the elixir, pouring a drop of it into the bottle and putting the cork back on to shake. "We'll let that sit for a while but now that we're here, feel free to look around. I'm quite fond of my findings and if you come across anything you like, don't hesitate to ask for it!"

Now that they were given the opportunity to explore, it became clear that barrels of all the gems you could imagine surrounded them, each barrel sorted by size and type. Ash looked over at the barrels of gems, drooling slightly at the sheer volume of gems.
"How did you get this many gems? There's gotta be tons here!"

"Oh I've collected these ever since I moved here! Feel free to take as many as you like, those things are the main clutter in this room!", Velebeth encouraged. The gems in the barrels contained malachite, beryl, jade, painite, aquamarine, moonstones, the list just kept going!

"Oh and don't think I forgot about you, Killjoy! I've got some stamina potions with your name on it", Velebeth added, which was returned with a warm hug from Killjoy.

Ash grabbed a small bowl and filled it partially with a variety of gems, including some he'd never had before. He tried not to be too greedy though, doing his best to suppress his natural dragon greed instincts.
"These are great quality gems you have here, so flavourful... mmmmmm"

Velebeth chuckled as the wyvern carefully picked out a small handful of gems
"Don't worry my sweet, Miss Rosenberg won't mind if you took more!", the unicorn jested light heartedly as she filled a sizeable sack with large shards of each gem from her collection.

Ash giggled like a child.
"I don't think I've ever had this many gems! I'll have to hide these from other dragons, and not eat too many, I'll probably get fat!"

As the mare floated the filled sack to Ash, she trotted back to the bottle containing his scale and the elixir which was now an iridescent white hue.
"This must be your lucky day, this elixir will work wonderfully on you!"

Ash's smile widened as he saw the elixir in the bottle, excited at the prospect of hastening his recovery.
"Really? Wow, that was quick!"

"Mhm!" The unicorn began preparation and she levitated a bowl of the elixir and a cotton pad. As she gently removed the sling with her aura and saw the cast with the member's signatures, she couldn't help but smile. Ash looked at the cast, supporting it with his unhurt wing, and looked back to Velebeth, who was giving instructions.

"I'll have to soak your injured wing with the elixir and let it sit for around 10 minutes for it to seep into the cast, don’t worry, it won’t damage the plaster. It should turn an opaque white colour once it's done and you'll feel a lot better, I promise!", she reassured.

"But once you leave, you'll have to do this by yourself so please keep note. Apply around 1 cup of the elixir onto the cast with a cotton pad or cloth and wait for up to 10 minutes for it to seep in and do it's work. You'll only have to do this once a week after today and your wing should be all healed up in about 3 weeks less than usual!", the unicorn instructed. 

As Velebeth began to soak Ash's cast in the elixir, a cool and itching feeling followed. 
"It may feel a little uncomfortable as your bones are fusing back together, dear."

Ash felt the pain in his wing start to ebb, and felt a weird shifting sensation in his wing as some of the less serious fractures in his forewing and elbow started to heal over, though his wrist still felt very sore, having been the area where the worst breaks were. The unicorn began putting the material away and poured a bit more than a cup's worth of elixir into a bottle for Ash.

"I gave a little more than you need in case of any spillage but using a little more wouldn't do you any harm. If you need a helping hoof, you can always ask our friend, Killjoy over here", the mare chuckled as she gestured to the pegasus.

"This is really great Miss Rosenberg, but I should probably make sure with my doctor at the hospital though, not that I don't trust your abilities." After the soaking was complete, Ash heated his cast to dry it off, and put his sling back on to rest his wing.

Velebeth didn’t look insulted in the slightest, "No of course, it's always wise to take such precautions with your own body."

"Thanks. It's getting late though... I won't be able to make it back to Manehattan, luckily I had the next few days off work anyway. Is there anywhere here we can stay?"

"Yes of course! It would be lovely to have company", the unicorn exclaimed happily. She finished up setting everything away neatly and began climbing up the flight of stairs. "Come on, please enjoy your tea before they get cold and I'll go organise a place for you two to sleep tonight."

Ash noticed his tea had gotten cold, so he lit a small fire in his left palm, quickly reheating the drink, "Do you need your tea reheated Killjoy?"

"Ooh yes please!", the pegasus accepted as she handed her cup with both hooves.

Ash grinned, put down his own cup, and concentrated. Suddenly he let out a sneeze, a large jet of flame from his nostrils incinerating the cup in his hand. Ash stared at the burnt cup shards in his hand, "Uhh... I hope that cup wasn't expensive..."

"I-" Killjoy uttered in shock which was shortly followed by a burst of laughter "NO WAY- THAT MUSTVE COST AN ARM AND A LEG, SHE'S GONNA BE LIVID.”

Ash started looking nervous and looked around, panicking, "Oh no oh no no no no no... she helps with my wing and I break her stuff... I'm such a bad guest... what do I do?"

"Not much you can do... Probably best if you just told her and apologised, I'm sure she'll understand...", the pegasus trailed off, almost like she was trying to convince herself. Just as Killjoy finished talking, the familiar staccato of Velebeth's hoof steps began growing louder.

"Yeah... yeah... you're right... hopefully she's cool about it.", Ash felt more nervous as Velebeth entered the room.

"Your beds are all set, they are in the same room however... I hope you two don't mind?" Velebeth asked.

Ash couldn't hold it in any more, "I'M SORRY MISS ROSENBERG! I WAS TRYING TO HEAT UP KILLJOY'S TEA WITH MY FIRE AND I SNEEZED AND I INCINERATED ONE OF YOUR CUPS I'M SO SORRY!", Ash started breathing rapidly, smoke forming at the corners of his mouth.

Velebeth jolted back in shock as the wyvern apologised. "Oh poor dear... did Killjoy set you up to this? That cup was terribly inexpensive and not worth getting so worked up over", she chuckled.

Ash shot a dirty look at Killjoy, "Really? Urgh... you better hope I don't set something of yours on fire tonight. You say we're sharing the same room right?", Ash gave Killjoy an evil-looking grin.

Killjoy retracted her laugh and drooped her ears, looking to the mare, "Vele, you sure I can't sleep in your room tonight...?" 

The unicorn muffled her chuckle and shook her head, "No, and I think this will do you some good", Velebeth half-lectured.

Ash chuckled malevolently, “Well thank you Miss Rosenberg! Don’t worry Killjoy, there’s only so many things I can set on fire…”

As Killjoy's posture slumped some more in defeat she muttered to herself, "Let's hope I didn't accidentally bring anything important..."

Ash whispered to Velebeth, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to burn anything of hers. You can play along if you want though.”

The unicorn winked and looked sternly at Killjoy., "Nothing in your room should be flammable as I had cast a fire protection spell in it but whatever you bring into it, I can't say for certain", the mare warned as if discipling a filly, "Now I'll go fix us some supper so you two play nice."

Ash inched closer to Killjoy and laughed, "It's okay Killjoy, I'm just messing with ya! Nothing is gonna get intentionally burned, I promise!"

The pegasus forced a chuckle as she gulped, "Hm what should we do now that Vele's busy with cookin'?", the mare diverted

"Should we offer to help? It's only polite I think", Ash asked.

"I don't know... From what I remember, she's always preferred doing stuff by herself... You can still ask though"

"I think we should... I'm going in."

Ash walked to the kitchen and knocked on the door, "Hello Miss Rosenberg, do you need any help with the food?"

"Oh aren't you the sweetest thing", Velebeth smiled warmly, "But no, I should alright, now go rest up or no amount of elixir can shorten the healing time for that wing"

"Oh, okay then! Smells really good by the way, what is it?", Ash took in a sniff, admiring the scent.

"Parsnip and mushroom stew! Don't worry, I'll add a bit of tofu as a meat substitute into your bowl when it's ready", the unicorn reassured, sprinkling herbs into the broth, further permeating the scent throughout the kitchen.

Ash smiled, "Thank you! It sounds great!"

While Ash went to offer Velebeth assistance, Killjoy laid on her back and playfully rolled a tasseled pillow with her hooves in the air. Ash walked back into the living room, and noticed Killjoy tossing the pillow, and laughed.

"You kind of look like a cat doing that!"

"Pfft, you sound like Victor! He's always sayin' that... dunno why though"

"You puff up when you're angry for starters. That's pretty cat-like, though that could just be a pegasus thing."

"Hey! Unlike a cat, I'm actually intimidating when I puff up! Didn't you see how scared that unicorn on the train was when I did?", Killjoy insisted.

"I mean... she was walking away anyway? She was just being rude to me, nothing I haven't been through before. Probably get at least one slur hurled at me a week in pony areas."

The pegasus' posture dropped. "I can't imagine gettin' used to that... Sorry, man", she sighed in defeat.

"It's just hard sometimes, you spend your life just trying to be a productive member of society, and some ponies can't see that, they only see the fire-breathing greedy monster that they were told stories about as a child. And I don't have the luxury of being able to lash out, because I know it's all too easy to hurt them and affirm their beliefs", Ash sighed.

Killjoy nodded in agreement but was unsure of what to say.

"But I try not to let that stuff get me down, there's a cool bar not too far from my apartment in Manehattan that's very species-inclusive, and there's a bunch of ponies that hang out there that support us. You'll have to come down some time!", Ash's smile returned.

The pegasus' wings puffed up, "Of course! And maybe I can ask my manager to book us there some time!", Killjoy suggested with stars in her eyes.

"That'd be great! Make it more species-inclusive! Maybe you could showcase some non-pony bands too?"

"Yes!! We'll probably just be the opening band but I'll make sure to stick around and mingle", Killjoy said excitedly, fluttering her wings.

"Yeah! You should talk to your manager about that, make it a charity affair or something!" Ash happily suggested to which Killjoy agreed eagerly. Velebeth then entered the living room, levitating three bowls with generous servings of stew. As she set them down on the table they were at, she dropped in some freshly made tofu.

"Alright you two, come eat your supper! And try not to burn these bowls, they cost a little bit more than those cups", the mare light heartedly joked.

"I'll try not to Miss Rosenberg! My parents always told me no fire at the table anyway, I always listened to them!" Ash smiled as he ate a spoonful of the stew. "Wow! This is really good, I don't even miss the meat!"

"That's good to hear! Haven't had many visitors recently so it's nice to cook something special once in a while", Velebeth smiled. As the three ate, they all talked further about their interests and careers.

"So Ash, I never got to ask but do you do anything for work?", the unicorn asked, scooping another spoonful of stew.

"Yeah! I work at a smelting plant in Manehattan, it hires a bunch of dragons, we basically make iron, steel, sometimes gold, we melt down recycling too to recast into new ingots for businesses. It's quite an exhausting job though, making fire all day really takes it out of you." 
Ash slurped up another spoonful of stew, making sure to get a piece of the tofu. It wasn't exactly the same nourishment as meat would give him, but he didn't want to be rude, the taste was very nice.

"That's amazing! Goodness, it would come in handy if I had fire breathing abilities... Collecting firewood from the Everfree Forest can sometimes be so frightening…” Velebeth breathed out, her cheek resting on her hoof.

“Why don't you just go down to Ponyville and buy some firewood from Burnt Oak? When I get back from tour and need some, I always head down there!" Killjoy said, in between mouthfuls of stew
"Well, I would but from here to there is quite a trot and to be honest, I haven't had many commissions lately and I'm running low on bits so I'm trying to cut spendings where I can...", the unicorn sighed.

Ash looked confused, "Commissions? You’re an artist?"

"Oh heavens no! Best I can do are stickponies. What I meant by commissions were elixirs and potions! I am an alchemist after all!", Velebeth reminded.

"Hmm... can you sell your potions at a market? I'm sure there's ponies and creatures out there willing to buy your stuff, you helped me with my wing after all!"

"That would be good but as much as I can mix up effective treatments, I'm not so good at advertising...", Velebeth sighed.

"Last time I went to sell my goods, I was too nervous and quiet, ponies barely knew I was there!", she explained in defeat.

"I guess you just have to put yourself out there a bit more, your luck will turn, I'm sure of it!", Ash sounded supportive, grateful to the unicorn for helping with his wing.

"Thank you Ash, you’re too kind.", the mare smiled, finishing her bowl of stew.

"Wait Vele, I'll clean up" Killjoy offered, taking both hers and the unicorn's finished bowls, "It was really yummy, thank you", the pegasus smiled warmly.

Although she knew Velebeth's habit of doing tasks herself, Killjoy couldn't help but feel the need to give back after all the hospitality. Ash decided to get up and help too. His cast made it a bit difficult, but he was determined to help out, "I'll help too, least I can do."

"You really don't have to, your wing must still ache!" Velebeth protested.

"I mean... it does a bit bu-" Velebeth cut him off

"Uh uh uh", the unicorn stopped him, her hoof over his snout, "Killjoy and I will handle it, you just go make yourself comfortable, dear."

The unicorn mare then levitated his bowl and trotted into the kitchen where Killjoy was. The two chatted about the past while cleaning the dishes, leaving Ash alone in the living room. Eventually a few minutes later the ponies walked back into the living room where Ash was looking at a book about gems.

"Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't be going through your things Miss Rosenberg, it just looked like an interesting book, I'll put it back!”, Ash looked rather embarrassed as he motioned to put the book back in the bookcase.

"Oh dear, no need to feel embarrassed! I'm more than happy my book interests you! I used to refer to that almost everyday back when I first started collecting gems! Feel free to borrow it", Velebeth offered.

"You're too kind Miss Rosenberg, really..."

Velebeth smiled and glanced outside her stained glass windows. "My, it's getting late. I still have some work to do so feel free to do whatever", the mare said as she trotted back down the flight of stairs.

"I think I might head to bed now. It's been a long and somewhat painful couple days for me, I'd just like to go to sleep and have a fresh start tomorrow if that's okay.", Ash let out a big yawn, showing his many sharp teeth, a few wisps of smoke coming from his nostrils.

"Yeah I might do the same", Killjoy yawns, "Sure was hectic..."

As the two made their way upstairs into the guest room, the pegasus slumped onto one of the beds, the thick, padded quilt cushioning her. Ash went into the bathroom and had a quick shower. He didn't have anything to cover his cast with so he just awkwardly held his wing out of the shower. 

Walking back into the bedroom he grinned at Killjoy, still soaking wet, "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

Ash simply raised his body temperature and evaporated all the water off his body, a steam cloud rising from his body. In almost an instant he was bone-dry again.

"WOAH!!" Killjoy exclaimed as her eyes widened in surprise and awe "I wish I could do that, it'd save me so much time and money... I swear my mane takes forever to dry", the mare sighed.

"Welp, now that you're done, it's my turn to wash up!", she said as she hopped off the comfortable bedding and fluttered off into the bathroom.

"Of course, shower's free! It's no lava bath but it works. Oh I turned the water onto the hottest it goes, just be careful."

Just as Ash warned her, the mare turned on the water and scorching water hit her side, "AAH!!!" Killjoy yelped as she jumped out the tub.

Ash heard Killjoy's scream as he was nearing his bed, "Killjoy! You alright?"

The mare groaned, her side now throbbing from the burn. Ash entered the bathroom, seeing Killjoy in pain from the hot water, "Killjoy! I'm so sorry, I tried to warn you... here... let me go get something..."

Ash quickly made his way downstairs and found Velebeth, "Miss Rosenberg! I left the shower on too hot and Killjoy scalded herself, do you have anything for burns?"

"Oh dear… this aloe vera will do the trick. Just make sure she applies it on the burn after a shower", Velebeth instructed.

Ash took the serum and rushed back upstairs, "Here Killjoy, wash in some cold water then rub this on it. It doesn't look too bad, just a small patch of redness."

The pitiful mare nodded and rushed her side with a stream of cold water. "Thanks Ash", she smiled.

Ash looked sad that he had inadvertently hurt a friend, "I'm really sorry Killjoy, I didn't mean to..."

Ash's guilt weighed on him as he left the bathroom to let Killjoy wash herself. Before Killjoy could reassure Ash, he had left the bathroom. She then sunk into the tub for a warm bath and finished shortly after, applying the aloe vera and slipping into a neatly folded nightgown. As the mare trotted back into the guest room and slumped back into her mattress, she noticed that Ash still looked guilty and upset.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up! It wasn't too bad of a burn and besides, what I did to you was way worse", Killjoy tried cheering him up

Ash still looked unsure."Yeah I guess, but it still sucks to cause someone pain, even if you didn't mean it."

"Heh, been there" 

As Killjoy continued drying her mane with a towel she brought from the bathroom, each time she moved her hooves, it would tug at the tender skin below, causing the burn to ache.

Ash sighed, "Still not a great feeling, but if you're okay, then I'm okay too. I'm gonna head to sleep now."

Ash carefully took his sling off and put it on a table near his bed. Carefully propping his cast up on a spare cushion, he slowly drifted off to sleep, exhausted by the events of the last couple days. Killjoy finished drying a while after and tucked herself to sleep.