//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Burning Low // Story: Sapphire Scales: Sisters' Tales // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// "Well, come on, girl! HOTTER!" Saphira growled to herself as she tried to summon up another burst of flames. Her throat felt raw and her mouth was impossibly dry. With all the strength she had left, she breathed a jet of blue flames into the furnace. "Hold it steady!" Saphira dug her claws into the floor, trying to force herself through the feeling of stinging pain in her throat. "Steeeeaaaady..." Saphira's eyes were watering and her body shaking. She felt like her lungs were being crushed as the last few wisps of air left her body, and her stomach pulled in to fill the vacuum and squeeze out the last of her breath. Finally, her body overrode her brain's commands, resulting in her collapsing into a heap as she was overtaken by a coughing fit. "CONFOUND IT!" Bronze Hammer shouted, stepping away from the forge to kick over a bucket of water. "You need to keep the temperature steady, girl! Tempering a piece is a delicate process!" "Well, YOU do it, then!" Saphira barked, baring her teeth at the burly earth pony. "Then you can heat things up and cool them down over and over to your heart's content! Oh wait, you CAN'T! You don't know the first thing about-" "Is THAT what you think I do?" the earth pony snatched the piece of hot metal from the forge. "Do you want to know what happens when you don't temper a piece of metal?" "Quite frankly, I don't care." Saphira could hear him continuing to shout at her, but she had already tuned it out as she walked out the door. She pushed outward with her mind, sensing the familiar presence of Twilight in one of the classrooms above. "I'm going out." What? Saphira, aren't you in the middle of your lesson right now? "I'm. Going. Out." Saphira repeated, making certain she left no room for debate. There was a pause, one in which she knew Twilight was overthinking the situation, as always. Where are you going? "Out." When will you be back? "Later." Their mindspeak didn't require their breathing, but she could still hear Twilight's exasperated sigh. Stay safe out there, okay? Saphira resisted the urge to point out that there wasn't anything in Canterlot capable of harming her. It would only make Twilight extend the conversation thinking she could correct her. The first few lungfuls of cool fresh air washed over her raw throat like a healing salve. As she stepped out into the gardens of Canterlot Castle, she sniffed at the air. The breeze carried the lightest touch of the scents of wood smoke and apples, and felt moist and cool. It was a cold front moving in from the southwest, and had passed over Ponyville on its way. A storm was likely coming tonight, and she made a mental note to ask Fleetfoot for a copy of the weather calendar next time she saw her. For now, it meant that she'd prefer to walk. Yes, her big wings made her a powerful flier, but they also made flying in higher winds a pain. Her claws clattered softly against the flagstones as she made her way down the street. When she was younger, ponies had often given her strange or surprised looks when she was out by herself, but she had always held her head high, secure in the knowledge that they were either in awe or simply jealous of her gemstone-like beauty. Now, the citizens of Canterlot had become used to her presence, and the only ones she would catch staring were the occasional tourist. "Saphira! Choosing to dwell down here with us mortals, today?" a voice called. She smiled and turned to the source: a vendor stall presenting a wide array of precious gems and jewelry. "Good to see you, as well, Jewel Cutter." Saphira took a moment to glance over his wares. "The weather seems likely to turn, soon, so yes, I'm taking the low road today. How is business?" "Booming, as always!" He swept his front hoof across his display. "If there's one thing the Canterlot elite love, it's expensive things that are easy to show off! Not that any of them can be quite as dazzling as you, of course." Saphira nodded. "Any new items that meet MY needs?" Jewel Cutter grinned, and Saphira could see the hunger in his eyes that always preceded an incoming sale. "I have just the thing!" He reached beneath the stall, producing a glittering green gemstone the size of a softball. "They wanted to cut it down to make a dozen other pieces, but I told them 'Don't you dare, I've got a loyal customer who asked me for exactly that!'" Saphira eyed the stone carefully. Green wasn't exactly her color, but that wouldn't matter in the long run. She wrapped the tip of her tail around the base of the stone and held it up. It was overcast, but there was still enough light for her to make use of. "There's a flaw." "WHAT? That gem's flawless!" "Right here." Saphira set it down on the stand and pointed to the area in question with her tail. "It's internal, but this stone will split the moment we so much as try to use it for its intended purpose." Jewel Cutter levitated over his largest magnifier, staring carefully at the spot. "The light's refracting a little oddly, but I don't see how that matters!" "I understand it seems minor, but when you've spent a week pulling shards of ruby out of your scales, you learn to be more careful about what gems you use for infusing with mana." Saphira cringed at the painful memory. It had taken three royal doctors and several dozen pairs of tweezers to remove the pieces of the last imperfect gem. "I would rather have a slightly smaller gem than one that could explode at any moment. This is a matter of not only my safety, but those around me." It looked for a moment like the unicorn was going to argue with her, but he finally gave a defeated sigh and moved the gem back under his stall. "This is why I like selling to tourists and know-nothing elites, ponies- creatures- who actually know what they're looking for are much harder to please. Fine, I'll have it cut down to exclude the imperfection, maybe I'll get a few extra pieces out of it. I'd only do this for YOU, any other pony who tried to tell me this gem wasn't perfect would get an earful!" "Everyone wins." "If you say so..." He rolled his eyes. "Always a pleasure driving hard bargains with you, Saphira." "And you, Jewel Cutter." Saphira gave a respectful nod before moving on. She hadn't set out with a definite destination in mind, but as she wandered through the streets of Canterlot, she found herself moving towards the edge of the city. Eventually, she decided to give up to her instincts took to the air, gliding out of the main city and past the edge of the mountain. Canterlot was a city well known for its many beautiful waterfalls. The river running through it had been redirected a dozen different ways, sometimes producing unexpected results. One such result was the occasional subterranean tunnel. These were usually closed off once they were found in order to preserve the mountain's integrity, resulting in caves leading to the open air just under the edge of the city. They were locally known as "flying foxholes," since anything that wanted to use them for shelter would need to be able to reach them from the air. As she passed over the edge of the plateau that the city had been built on, Saphira took a moment to enjoy the sight of solid ground being miles beneath her before she turned around and silently glided into one of those caves to nowhere. Something about these caves had always been alluring to her. They were simultaneously subterranean and miles in the air, claustrophobic and open to the sky at the same time. Being inside the earth, she could feel the pulse of magical energy moving through Equestria like a heartbeat, and she could do so without feeling like she'd trapped herself. It had taken Twilight more time to discover this place than most of the secrets they shared with each other, and she rarely disturbed Saphira here out of a combination of fear of heights and respect for her space. It was Saphira's favorite place to clear her head and meditate on things. Walking out of her lesson today had been a bad move, but her pride couldn't take another second of it. Someone was going to get hurt if she was forced to choke down her temper any longer. On the other wing, however, all of her actions reflected back on Twilight, both the good and the bad. If she wasn't punished for what she did, Twilight would be forced to deal with the repercussions. "Perhaps I should just leave the castle... Let Twilight continue her studies and take my space. Fleetfoot has a point, life in the castle has never suited me." "Is this spot taken, or can anyone join you?" a voice asked, snapping Saphira out of her self-pitying. "It's a bit chilly out, today, and I'd like to get out of this wind." A pegasus was hovering just outside the opening of the cave. She had a cream-colored coat and a luscious golden mane with a single blue streak. What was interesting, however, was the amulet hanging around her neck, mostly gold with a trio of green gemstones affixed to it. Despite being a pegasus, she absolutely reeked of magic, making Saphira somewhat confused. She considered sending the pony away with a small warning fireball, but curiosity won out over spite and she moved slightly closer to the wall to make room for the stranger. "Thank you." The pegasus smiled as she flew inside, settling herself beside Saphira. After a moment, she sighed and leaned against her side. "You are warm." Saphira raised an eyebrow and pushed her away again with a rustle of her wing. "Please refrain from doing that." The pegasus pouted slightly, but respected her wishes. "So... what are you doing here?" "I could ask you the same thing." Saphira grumbled, hoping to shut down the conversation before it started. Something about this pony was familiar to her, but she couldn't seem to pin down what. "Me? I'm just checking up on someone for a friend." She turned to look at Saphira more closely, clearly expecting her to reciprocate with an answer of her own. "And you?" Saphira wanted to lie to cover up her wounded pride, but something about this pony compelled her to be honest. "Avoiding a bad situation that I made worse." The pegasus chuckled. "That's a situation I'm more than familiar with. Sometimes it is best to let tempers cool before addressing a problem." She paused for a moment. "And, while I'm certain it's none of my business, what, exactly, happened?" She was right, it WAS none of her business. Again, though, something about this pony seemed to compel the truth from Saphira. "Every day, my partner is tutored by the greatest minds in Equestria. She's even taught directly by Princess Celestia, herself! But me? I'm shoved into the castle basement with a gruff blacksmith and made to power the forge! It is thankless, disrespectful, and- and-" "Unfair?" the pony finished. "Twilight means the world to me, and I have always been beyond happy for the opportunity she's been given, but I cannot go on like this." "I'm told that blacksmithing work attracts those ponies who are a bit... rough around the edges." The pony waggled her hoof uncertainly. "But I would think a dragon could learn a lot about fire from working in a forge?" Saphira made sure every ounce of her displeasure was apparent on her face when she turned to look at the pony. "Not once have I ever been given specific instructions. I am supposed to simply 'feel' whether or not I am doing things right, but simply because I am a dragon does not mean that these things come naturally!" She rolled her eyes. "Twilight's teachers praise her for trying, even when she fails. Mine thinks that anger and berating will compel me to magically know what he can't even be bothered to put into words." She took a deep breath and let it out, unwittingly warming the cave several degrees. "We are sisters, on a level deeper than blood, yet the way we are treated couldn't be more different, and I think the answer to why is fairly clear..." She tapped her claws against the cave floor to try and relieve her irritation. "I do not WANT to leave Twilight, but..." "I'm sorry." Saphira snorted, producing a tiny plume of flame. Her throat quickly protested, causing her to momentarily begin coughing. She only barely remembered to turn her head away from the pegasus, instead accidentally torching a section of the cave wall. Once the tickle in her throat had passed, she shook her head. "Excuse me, the forge is hardly kind to my throat." The pegasus seemed much more dour, now. "What about Princess Celestia? If she knew how you felt-" "Don't make me laugh. Princess Celestia has carefully cultivated a spotlight and shines it where she wishes. I am clearly not in her sights." She shook her head. "I don't mind Twilight being the object of attention and affection, I am happy for her. But the two of us are intertwined, and Celestia has treated us and trained as separate entities." The pony sighed, and Saphira felt a twinge of guilt that she had completely destroyed her upbeat mood. "My apologies, I don't mean to burden you with my woes." "Don't worry about it." The pegasus shook her head as her hoof idly toyed with the amulet around her neck. "It's not you, I've had a... challenging day, is all. Sometimes keeping up appearances leaves me rather exhausted." "I tend to find such things a waste of time. If someone is dissatisfied with my presentation, then they are dissatisfied with me, and I want nothing to do with that." That somehow got a mirthless chuckle from the pegasus. "You clearly don't work in politics... Presentation is what makes the difference between allies and declarations of war..." Saphira raised an eyebrow. "You sound to be a pony of high standing." "Just a servant of the people..." she shook her head and began to push up to her hooves, stretching her legs and wings as she did so. "One who does her best not to let history repeat itself. Thanks for letting me warm up in here with you, but speaking of my work, I should really be getting back." She walked up to the cave's entrance and cast Saphira a look. "But some advice: before you make any big decisions, make your position clear to everyone who matters to you. You never know what can be repaired with a little bit of deliberation." Saphira nodded, watching as the pony stepped out into the air and vanished from sight a few seconds later. Alone again, she settled to a position laying as comfortably as she could on the cave floor. She needed a bit more time to let her wounded pride stop stinging so badly, but she was fairly certain she'd come to a decision about what to do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Saphira?" Twilight called as she poked her head through the door to her bedroom. "Are you in here?" "I'm here, Twilight. Ready and waiting." Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "This should have been the first place I looked as soon as it started raining, shouldn't it?" "Of course. Did you bring the hot cocoa?" Saphira was already in her proper place: lounging on a soft rug on the ground by the fireplace, with her chin resting on a small pile of pillows. Outside, the rain was slamming against the window, and Twilight could hear thunder rolling in the distance. She smiled and stepped through the door, carrying a glass jar filled with light brown powder. "Of course! I got a recipe for this mix from Princess Celestia, herself! She says it's the best in Equestria!" "We'll be the judges of that." Saphira smiled and Twilight levitated the other object she had been carrying, a large kettle, to hang in the fireplace. "Now the only thing missing is-" She was cut off as Saphira cracked open her mouth and blew a jet of blue flames underneath the kettle. Twilight smiled and hopped over Saphira's neck, laying herself on the floor just beside her. She resisted the urge to giggle when Saphira's wing laid across her back like a blanket, leaving only her head exposed. Using her magic, she grabbed a pillow from Saphira's pile and tucked it under her head. "You know..." she hummed to herself as she pressed herself against Saphira's warm body. "Sometimes I wish it rained more often in Canterlot." "We don't need to wait for it to rain. This used to be your favorite position to study in." "Maybe, but the rain makes it extra special!" Twilight argued as she levitated over a particular book. "So, where did we leave off?" "The Pit of Despair." "Right!" Twilight began to furiously flip through pages. "Daring Do was just about to escape from a trap in the heart of the ancient temple!" "...Twilight?" Saphira fidgeted slightly. "What if... I didn't want to keep reading about these far-off places?" "What?" Twilight looked at the book suspiciously before setting it down again. "I mean, we're in the middle of the story, but if you don't like it..." "I mean, what if I wanted to go there, myself? See Equestria's wonders with my own eyes?" Twilight could tell that Saphira was purposely avoiding eye contact. "I've... been thinking about leaving-" Knock! Knock! Knock! Both of them sat up slightly to stare at the door, Saphira's confession interrupted. "Um... Come in?" The knob turned with a golden glow and the door swung open, revealing the towering figure of Princess Celestia. "P-Princess! What are you doing here?" Twilight stammered, scrambling to get to her hooves until Celestia held up a hoof for her to stop. "Please don't get up on my account, I am simply here for a visit with my faithful students. I had heard that there would be... hot cocoa?" "She's a princess, she can get her own cocoa!" Judging by the lack of reaction from Celestia, Twilight could tell Saphira was keeping her thoughts between the two of them. Twilight slowly laid back down, and Celestia made her way over to join them, sitting on the other side of Saphira's head. She couldn't help noticing that the princess had foregone her typical regalia. "Of course, we can't even have our own traditions without Celestia interfering..." Twilight knew Saphira hardly felt her back hoof kick into her ribs, but she still did it. "The water's still warming-" "That's fine." Celestia smiled. "Patience is a virtue when it comes to these things." "So... did you come here just for hot cocoa?" Twilight asked. "Not that I mind you coming here, I'm happy to have you here!" "As much as I would like that to be the case, I'm afraid there are a few... clerical matters that I need to discuss with the two of you." Twilight tried to ignore Saphira's tired eye roll, and the dragon turned her face towards Twilight and away from Celestia, keeping her expression for Twilight's eyes only. "O-Oh! Okay, like what?" "Well, first of all, I was told that Saphira abandoned her lesson with Bronze Hammer today." Twilight glanced at Saphira, noticing that she was cringing at having been caught. "W-Well, I did try to tell you that she was... struggling with..." Twilight trailed off as Celestia held up a hoof for silence. "And, according to his reports, she has not been receptive to his lessons in the slightest." "She's really trying and-" "And when a student is failing, especially when receiving one-on-one tutoring, a teacher needs to be receptive to their needs." "I PROMISE she'll do better and- huh?" "As such, to avoid history repeating itself, I'll be ending Saphira's lessons with Bronze Hammer." Celestia smiled. "I think that trying to teach a dragon how to be a dragon may have been folly on my part, anyway." Saphira and Twilight both looked at one another with wide eyes, both clearly trying to make sense of what Celestia was saying. "Instead, I will be taking her under my wing alongside you, Twilight. From this day forward, she will not be receiving lessons in how to be the best dragon she can be, but rather how to be the best familiar she can be. You will be starting joint classes with me next week." Celestia leaned over to get a better look at Saphira. "I apologize if you feel I-" Celestia paused, seeming to be surprised with herself for a moment before pressing her hoof against her forehead. "No. I'm sorry, I'm doing it again." "What? Princess, you don't need to apologize!" Twilight cried. "Yes, I do." Celestia sighed and shook her head. "I... have a tendency not to be able to see past my own nose, sometimes. You would think that with age comes wisdom, but I've really only gotten better at presenting myself as wise, often to the point of... ignoring the needs of others." Her normally-regal expression had turned dark and uncharacteristically sad. "I never intended to belittle you, si- Saphira. I should have been more receptive and included you more, so that you can see how much you can contribute and how much those contributions are appreciated. I am going to try to fix that, now, if you will let me." Twilight couldn't help smiling at the flustered look on Saphira's face, and her immediate attempt to cover up her surprise with her default unamused look failed so badly it nearly made her start laughing out loud. "Uh, thank you, Princess... I'm looking forward to it." "Thank you, Saphira, for the chance to fix things between us." Celestia nodded and turned her attention to the fireplace. Her horn glowed and the flames turned golden, bunching together just beneath the kettle. In a matter of seconds, the kettle was beginning to sputter and whistle. "And while I don't breathe fire, I MAY still be able to teach you a thing or two about controlling it." She started to push herself to her hooves. "Princess, don't you want your hot cocoa?" Celestia winked at her, revealing a steaming mug already in the grip of her magic. "Thank you, both of you. Forgive an old mare for being slow to learn how to teach two very different students." With that, she turned towards the door, only to stop again. "Oh, and one more thing... There's an old wing of the Canterlot University Library currently not being used since the Astrology and Astronomy wards merged. We have an unused observatory gathering dust. Knowing Twilight's propensity for books and the rate at which Saphira has grown in the past years, I was thinking that with a few alterations, it might make a better residence for the two of you than the standard dormitory. Does that sound good to the two of you?" "I- I- I- I-" Twilight could only stammer as she turned to Saphira, eyes wide and begging for her affirmation. Saphira rolled her eyes. "As if I would say no to something so rational and mutually beneficial." She rolled her eyes. "An observatory sounds like a wonderful place for both of us." "YEEEEESSSSSSS!" Twilight cheered, practically raising herself into the air with the force of her cheer. Saphira finally turned to look at Celestia directly. "I... may have misjudged you, Princess. Thank you." "Thank YOU for your patience, Saphira... But don't thank me, yet." The princess took a long sip from her mug. "You haven't started my lessons, yet." With that, Celestia slipped out the door with a gentle click. Silence fell as Twilight's excited energy slowly came back down to a reasonable level. Without the heat of the moment, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, Saphira, I thought you said-" "Don't worry about it, Twilight..." Saphira shut her eyes and settled back into her resting pose. "It looks like someone out there heard my reasons for wanting to leave and moved just a little faster. Let's just read now that we've got some peace and quiet." Twilight thought about pursuing the topic, but Saphira was clearly done talking, and when it came to talking about her feelings, that dragon could be as stubborn as a mule. "But... you'll come to me next time you're thinking like that, right? So we can make the decision together?" Twilight pressed herself more into Saphira's side. "I don't want you to leave..." Saphira's wing pulled tighter against her body, nearly crushing the air from Twilight's lungs. "Of course, you're not going to be rid of me that easily. Now hurry up, I want to hear how Daring Do manages to escape the Temple of the Sphinx!" Twilight giggled and picked up the book, quickly finding their place. "At the bottom of the chasm, no light could reach Daring's eyes except the green shine of the glowpaz necklace around her neck..."