Burning Flames

Chapter 1

The world was spinning. Spinning, spinning, spinning. Carnelian groaned, closing her eyes again and felt bursting pain traveling up her. She hissed, her lungs hurting like they have been punched several times, or have been twisted with IceWing claws. Carnelian wished it would go away, and she could just go back to sleep. 

Carnelian opened one orange eye again, and to her surprise, the world wasn't spinning again like it had when she had first opening her eyes. Carnelian sighed with relief, and realized that her chest was going in and out shakily, since she had a hard time breathing. Carnelian opened her other eye, confused. She was in a soft bed, with bandages all around her and her wings were flopped on either side of her, hanging off the bed. 

Wait... 

Her wings looked like they were cracked and they were all the way black, like an NightWing, and they had holes in them that burst with pain. She hissed, and Carnelian filled with fear. Would she never be able to fly again? Would she never be able to fly in the air again, like a real SkyWing? Carnelian started shaking, but contained herself, trying to figure out what happened. But all she could remember was going to the stupid hugging and peace school, and then reading Queen Ruby's scroll... and then what? All she could remember after that was the smell of smoke and flames, and dragons screaming. Carnelian sighed with annoyance, and then looked back at her wings, despair filling her. 

Carnelian eyes filled with water, and she growled, sucking them back up before they fell. 

Get it together, she thought, anger overwhelming her, I'm probably just overthinking it. I'll be able to fly again... right? 

Carnelian tried moving a talon, but all she accomplished from that was searing pain traveling up her arm like a snake's venom going through her veins. The SkyWing hissed, her eyes getting watery again. She felt so angry at herself, she wanted to throw something across the room. Carnelian sighed again, and she looked around at her surroundings. 

There was no dragonets in the room, except a small NightWing that looked like he was on the verge of dying. His chest shook when he breathed more than Carnelian's did, and he and his eyes closed, one of his horns were snapped in half and, with envy, she saw that his wings were fine, but he was in worse shape than she was in. 

Carnelian realized it was Bigtail, the NightWing who made a fool out of himself in front of the SeaWing princess. 

"Carnelian?" A voice asked in the doorway, and Carnelian turned, narrowing her eyes. 

Oh, she thought, it's Mumbles. 

Carnelian called Moon that, and she thought it was very funny. But that felt like a long time ago, and Moon didn't look as nervous and jittery as Carnelian remembered. 

"Mumbles?" Carnelian croaked, glaring at her. "What are you doing here?" 

Moon walked in, her scales shining in the torches that were on the walls to light up the room. Carnelian guessed that she was in the hospital wing. 

"How are you doing?" Moon asked, sitting down next to Carnelian's bed. "It's been a long time." 

"What do you mean?" Carnelian growled. "I don't even remember anything." 

Moon's eyes widened. "It's been... a few months after you went into the explosion." 

"MONTHS?!" Carnelian cried out, ignoring the pain in her chest. "WHAT EXLOSION?!" Suddenly she had a terrible coughing fit, coughing out smoke and she crumpled on her bed, her head going against her pillow. 

"Don't move too much..." Moon said nervously. She looked down at Carnelian's wings with sorrow. 

"I'm fine," Carnelian growled, "I-I'm fine." Her tail lashed, and she closed her eyes for a second. Whatever happened next, she knew it wouldn't be easy.