//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 ~ A Special Somepony 
// Story: The Matter Of Friendship 
// by HeartShieldFiM 
//------------------------------//

'You really had to hit that tree?' Pinkie growled.
Discord looked over his shoulder. 'I'm sorry… I just didn't see it…'
The two ended up somewhere at the OTHER end of the Everfree Forest. Discord bashed into a tree and now his wing (the Pegasus one) was hurt. They had to walk home.
Pinkie sighed. 'Well, it doesn't matter. How's your wing, dear?'
'Stop that,' Discord said. 'You almost make me smile. Imagine that!'
'Shall I sing a song for you?' the pony said, but just as she opened her mouth, she tripped.
'Oh, great,' Discord said. 'Another one is hurt.'
'Yup,' Pinkie said. 'Let me sit down for a minute, okay?' She looked around to find something – a tree trunk, or a rock or something. But nothing but trees surrounded the two.
'You can sit on my tail,' the draconequus said. 'It's big enough, I guess.'
Pinkie sat down on the reptile-like tail, with something on the end that looked like the tail of a goat. 'Whose tail was this?'
Discord shrugged. 'I have no idea. I also don't know from what kind of animal it's been…'
'Well, thanks for borrowing me your tail,' the pony said, looking at her hurt leg.
The draconequus turned around and with his eagle-claw, he poked in Pinkie's ankle, who immediately cried 'Ouch!'.
'Oh,' Discord said. And again. 'Oh. I don't think you could walk with that leg.'
The pony shook her head. 'Nope. Probably not. Sometimes this happens. I trip, I hurt my ankle, and after a day, maybe one-and-a-half, it's as good as healed again.'
'Weak ankles,' the draconequus replied. 'Heard of that.'
For a while, they were quiet, just looking at a bird building his nest, two bunnies being afraid of coming closer, and an owl Pinkie accidentally woke with her cry.
'It must be pretty late now,' Discord said. The bunnies fled away.
'How's Screwball?' Pinkie asked. 'Is she… safe?'
'She has a sleepover with Derpy at the Sweet Apple Acres. Don't worry about her.'
'So, what about us, then?' the pony continued. 'Could I sit on your back, maybe?'
'You could try,' Discord muttered, but as soon as Pinkie pulled herself up, he gave a cry of pain. 'Don't, okay? Just… don't. It hurts too much.'
Pinkie smiled. 'We could stay here! In the forest! I mean, it IS dark and creepy, but with somepony like you next to me, I'm sure nothing would attack me.'
'We could,' Discord said. 'We don't have a shelter or something, but still… the weather is okay, and Screwball is safe at home.' He was quiet. Then, he asked, 'Am I a pony?'
'Ehm, why?' Pinkie asked.
'Because you just called me somepony,' the draconequus said.
Pinkie nodded. 'Well, you ARE a draconequus, but you got the head of a pony, so it counts.'
'Yeah,' Discord said. 'Sometimes, I wonder where all my parts come from.'
'Don't worry too much about that now,' Pinkie said. 'Come on, we have to look for a place to sleep.'
After ten minutes of a tiring walk, Pinkie dropped herself on a bed of moss. 'Lay down,' she said to Discord. 'It's really soft, you know.'
The two decided to go sleep right away, but as soon as they closed their eyes, drops of rain started to fall.
'Buck,' Pinkie muttered. 'What an awesome day.'
Discord smiled and curled his tail around Pinkie. Then, he spread his bat-wing, covering Pinkie from head to hooves.

The next morning, the rain had stopped, but the pony was shivering.
'You're okay?' Discord asked.
Pinkie shook her head. 'N…n…not really… it'ssssss cold…'
'Yeah,' the draconequus said. 'After years and years and years and a couple of months living as a statue,  got used to that.'
Pinkie only nodded.
'Come on. You can walk again?' Discord wrapped his arm around Pinkie.
'I guess,' Pinkie said, still shivering. 'My ankle feels b…better now… How's your wing?'
Discord looked over his shoulder. 'I have no idea…' he said. Then, as he spread it, Pinkie saw the wing was all twisted and schloopy loopy.
'It's broken!' she cried. 
Discord nodded.
'You knew that!?' the pony continued. 'Why didn't you tell me?'
'I didn't want you to worry, okay?' Discord felt pretty guilty, though.
Pinkie shook her head. 'We should see a doctor. Come on.' She walked away, acting like her ankle didn't hurt at all. Discord bent his head and sighed. 'Coming.'
While they walked in what they thought was the good direction, the rain started again. Discord forced Pinkie to his other side and flapped his wing open again.
'Yeah, thanks for that,' Pinkie said. 'Also for last night.'
'My pleasure, dear,' Discord replied.
The pony sighed. 'Stop calling me names!'
'Sorry honey.' Discord giggled. 'It's hilarious!'
'Hmm…' Pinkie frowned. 'Now I wonder, since you keep calling me honey and such… Do you have a special somepony? '
Discord looked at the ground. 'Nope. I had one, to be honest. But I'm not going to talk about that.'
'Why not?' The pony tilted her head. 'I'm curious!'
'I know,' Discord replied. 'But I don't want to bother you with it now, neither I want to think about it. I'll tell you later, okay?'
Pinkie didn't say anything.