Wings Of Fire Oneshots

Peril Isn't Doing So Hot (💔)

Peril has had a lot of bad days before. It wasn't uncommon, especially when she was back in the arena. There were days when she felt worse than nothing. There were days when she felt as though she'd be better off locked in a cave, where she could be forgotten about and nobody could be hurt by her. Those days were especially awful.

But, she got a bit better. At least, she thought she got better. Scarlet is dead and can't hurt her anymore. She's happy at the academy. She's learning history and all sorts of things that were kept away from her, despite Osprey's attempts. She was happier here. She had friends and dragons she could go to in case things were looking bad.

But, this day in particular was quite possibly the worst day of her life. Everything she's cared about is going to be snatched away. She was going to be spat back out into an uncaring and terrifying world, where just about everyone wants her dead.

Today was the day she was going to graduate from Jade Mountain Academy.

She stood at the side of the stage, separated a bit from every other student. The Dragonets of Destiny were hosting a ceremony for them all in the Great Hall. They were spewing some big and long speech about the history of it all and how much of a success this year was (despite the whole Darkstalker fiasco), but Peril wasn't listening. It wasn't that she didn't care, if anything, she was incredibly happy for them all for pulling it off, but she wasn't having a good time.

She tapped her talons on the ground anxiously. She tried her breathing exercises, taking a deep breath in for five seconds, holding for six, then releasing for seven. It wasn't exactly working though. If anything, it was making her hyperventilate. Her heart was racing. Her mind spun around, working overtime to try and calm herself down. Of all the times to have a panic attack, now was not too great.

"And without further adieu, let us commemorate the following graduates!" Sunny announced. She pulled out a scroll and began to read the names off of it.

"No, no, no..." Peril mumbled. She shuffled around awkwardly, staring at Clay expectingly. He and Sunny were always there for her. They would always be there when things got bad. They'd soon be gone. She couldn't be a teacher. She was too dangerous to keep around. She was already a horrific burden on the rest of them in just one year of being here.

Yet, as she stared off into space, she noticed Clay's expression shift. He glanced back at her, his bright and happy smile dropping. He rushed off of the stone platform, coming to her side. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Peril could barely form the words. "I'm...fine. Great, actually," she clearly lied.

"Is this about the graduation?" he asked. "If so, I'm here for you. It's going to be fine, alright. I know it's a bit scary going up in front of a bunch of dragons, but I'll be with you. Besides, I'm sure your worries are all going to go away when we show you something."

"...show me something?" Peril's heart dropped. "Wh- what do you mean show me something?"

"It's...a surprise," he said sheepishly. "It was Sunny's idea. You're going to love it. Everyone will."

"And you didn't tell me?!" She tried her best to use her indoor voice but could feel herself slipping a bit.

"Well, it's not a surprise then, is it? I'm so sorry. I would've told you earlier, but Tsunami and Starflight didn't want to spoil it. They thought it'd be better if we got your 'live reaction' and that'd make it more genuine."

"That's stupid! Why would- that's so dumb. Oh my moons, no..."

"Look at me, look at me." Clay placed his wing around her. "It's going to be fine. It'll just be like...five minutes at most. After that, the party will happen and you and I could just sit on the mountainside. Fresh air's nice, isn't it?"