Sapphire’s shoulder was sore from yesterday. Walking was still difficult so Fluttershy made him eat breakfast in bed.
“Do you think you’ll make it back to Twilight’s?” Fluttershy asked.
“If I take it slow. I’m pretty sure if I keep my shoulder a certain way it’ll stop the pain.”
“Well, if you’re sure.”
When Sapphire came down the stairs, he was immediately overwhelmed by Fluttershy’s animals. They all wanted to show him their gratitude for protecting Fluttershy. Even Angel clung tightly to his neck.
“It was no big deal. Come on, guys. I have to go now. I can’t spend the whole day here.”
The animals were reluctant, but they let go of Sapphire. As he was walking to the door, there was a knock on it. Fluttershy answered the door. It was Spike.
“Sapphire! There you are! Twilight and I got worried when you didn’t come home last night. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Spike. Fluttershy and I had a little... adventure yesterday.” Sapphire stepped onto the porch with Spike, “I’ll explain everything on the way back to the library. So long, Fluttershy. Take care of yourself.”
“Bye, Sapphire. Thank you for saving me and my animals.”
The door closed behind Sapphire and Spike, the latter Spike standing at the door with a shocked look for a moment before turning and following Sapphire.
“You saved Fluttershy and her animals?” Spike asked.
“That’s the adventure we had. I also got injured while having it. Let me tell you what happened...”
As Sapphire and Spike made their way back to the library, Sapphire recounted yesterday’s events in the Everfree Forest. Just as he finished, a rainbow blur could be seen approaching them at an incredible speed, despite which it managed to come to a complete stop just a few feet before them.
“There you slow pokes are! What’s taking so long? I’ve been waiting for over two hours!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Oh, right! Sapphire, I forgot to tell you! Rainbow Dash wants to see if she can get you to fly today. I left her and Twilight waiting when I came to get you,” Spike explained.
“I could’ve just told him myself, Spike.”
“It doesn’t matter who told him. Anyway, I’m going to head back to the library to watch Twilight. Why don’t you two get started?” Spike continued on his way, leaving Rainbow Dash and Sapphire to get started.
“Let’s head to over that nearby field, it’ll give us more space to practice.” Rainbow Dash pointed to the small hill nearby, covered in grass and flowers. When she noticed how slow Sapphire was walking, she finally noticed the bandage on his shoulder.
“What happened to you?” Rainbow Dash asked. Sapphire told the story once again.
“Wow. That’s rough. Good thing I’m teaching you how to fly so you have an alternative to walking. Hang on a second, I’m going to go get your first lesson.” Rainbow flew away into the clouds and Sapphire continued climbing the hill. Rainbow Dash returned to ground level holding a cloud.
“Our first test is to see if you can stand on this cloud. Spread your wings and try to step on this cloud.”
“What will spreading my wings do?”
“When your wings are opened up, it lowers your weight and density and allows you to walk on a cloud without destroying it.”
“Seriously?! Pegasi can do that?! Just change their weight and density on a whim? That has to have more practical uses.” Sapphire began to become absorbed in his thoughts about the strange properties of ponies’ wings and how they worked in a system.
“Snap out of it! Now step on the cloud.” Rainbow instructed. He opened his wings and became concerned when he didn’t feel any change in his weight. Pushing back the negative thoughts about this and bringing up hopeful ones of this plan’s success, he raised one hoof and placed it on the cloud. The cloud couldn’t take his weight and immediately dissipated.
“Well that was a disappointment,” Rainbow Dash said. She brought down another cloud.
“Now this time, really concentrate and try to envision standing on the cloud. Maybe that’ll work.”
Rainbow Dash’s willingness to just try out theories blankly both impressed and worried Sapphire. He opened his wings and closed his eyes. He imagined himself standing on the cloud in his mind. He was as light as a feather. He took a deep breath and took a step. He didn’t open his eyes.
“Well? Did it work?” he asked.
“Umm... no,” Rainbow Dash replied. Sapphire opened his eyes and saw that the cloud had once again dissipated. His wings drooped a little.
“Don’t worry! This was only the first test! We still have plenty of others to go through before I give up!” Rainbow Dash said.
“The next is to see if you can flap your wings and fly a little bit.”
“But Fluttershy already did that with me and it didn’t work,” Sapphire explained.
“That’s because you used the Fluttershy method. You need the patented Rainbow Dash method!”
“What’s the-!” Sapphire’s sentence was cut off as Rainbow Dash grabbed ahold of him and started lifting him into the air.
“What are you doing!”
“Teaching you the way baby birds learn! Your powers tend to activate in life or death circumstances, right? So we’re going to put you in one!”
“You’re crazy!”
“Crazy enough to get you to fly! Better learn quick kid!” And with that, Rainbow Dash let go of Sapphire almost a hundred feet off the ground. Sapphire’s legs were flailing and his wings were flapping as hard he could get them. It wasn’t enough. Sapphire couldn’t even slow down how fast he was falling. He closed his eyes in terror. Please! Please fly! Sapphire begged his wings. He felt no response. No feeling growing inside him that recognized the the threat he was in. He was falling. He was going to hit the ground. There was nothing that he could do.
Suddenly, Sapphire felt himself slow to a halt still in the air. He opened his eyes. Rainbow Dash had caught him only about five feet from the ground. She lowered him to the ground.
“That didn’t work either?! I was sure it would!” Rainbow Dash yelled at herself and turned herself away from Sapphire to grumble about her failure. Meanwhile, Sapphire was sprawled on the ground, still gripped with fear.
“Alright! New plan! We’re going to have do it slower I guess,” Rainbow Dash said. Sapphire raised himself up, but a sharp pain through his shoulder made him yelp.
“Whoa! Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash quickly offered a hoof. Sapphire swatted it away.
“No! I’m not okay! Your stupid hare-brained scheme almost killed me!” Sapphire shouted. “And because of that fall, my shoulder now feels like there’s a knife stabbing it!” With that, he turned and began to limp, slower than ever, down the hill away from a stunned Rainbow Dash. Towards the bottom, he tripped on a rock and fell onto his face and injured shoulder. He cried in pain.
“Here! Let me help!” Rainbow Dash said flying over. Again, Sapphire rejected and stood up on his own. He turned and glared at her, fighting back the tears of pain growing.
“Haven’t you done enough harm!” he yelled at her. He turned away and kept walking.
He kept his head low and and glared ahead of him, steaming about what had occurred. When he finally made it back to the library, he slammed the door shut using his right foreleg. He immediately regretted this choice as he clutched at the new shooting pain in his shoulder and anger towards Rainbow Dash.
“Sapphire? What are you doing back so soon?” Spike asked from the top of the stairs.
“Rainbow Dash is a terrible teacher and I can’t believe I ever agreed to her help. All she did was injure my shoulder even further and embarrass me about my lack of ability to fly.”
Spike gave Sapphire a concerned look. “Follow me to the bathroom. We’ll redress your shoulder.” Sapphire followed Spike to the bathroom. With the bandage removed, the two could easily see that the day’s activities had reopened the wound and blood was slowly flowing and pus was slowly gathering. Both Sapphire and Spike winced at the sight. Spike cleaned the wound, put some Neighosporin on it, and bandaged it up again. Sapphire slowly climbed the stairs to Twilight’s room.
“What happened?” Twilight asked.
“Rainbow’s training was a little too severe to be of any effect on Sapphire’s flying abilities,” Spike explained.
“That’s a shame,” Twilight said. She noticed Sapphire’s angry face. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Sapphire looked at her and sighed.
“Her actions are way over the top! I don’t even think she cares about how insulting and hurtful she can be, be it physical or emotional! She expected me to learn how to do something I’ve never done before in the span of a day! Nobody can do that as easily as she wants! In the six days I’ve been here, I’ve almost died three times and fallen on my face every single one! I don’t need her turning one of those almost deaths into an actual one!” He finished his rant and began gasping for air. Twilight looked over his shoulder.
“Do you have something you want to say... Rainbow Dash?” Sapphire whirled his head around and saw a timid Rainbow Dash at the window.
“You! Go away! I never want to see you again!”
“Please! Let me apologize! The way I’ve treated you since I got here was awful. I’ve antagonized you, was immature about your apology at Pinkie’s party, and now I tried to force something I couldn’t and shouldn’t have. I’ve been an awful pony and certainly not the kind of friend you deserve. You’ve been so nervous being in Equestria, and I’ve just made it miserable for you. I am so, so sorry, but I know nothing I say will make it right. So... please. Can you find it in your heart to even consider forgiving a jerk like me?”
Sapphire’s face changed. It was now full of forgiveness and mercy, instead of the rage and hatred it used to hold. He walked up to Rainbow Dash and held up a hoof. She flinched at first expecting a different reaction. When she noticed it was an act of kindness and not anger, she took the hoof. They pulled each other into a hug.
“I’ll forgive you Rainbow Dash, if you take it easy on our next flying lesson.”
“Well, Rainbow Dash? I think Princess Celestia might want to hear about this,” Twilight said.
Sapphire was confused. “Why would she want to know?” he asked.
“My friends and I have been given the assignment to report to the princess whenever one of us learns a lesson about friendship; and I’d say Rainbow Dash has learned a big one,” Twilight explained.
“I sure have. Spike, take a letter,” Rainbow Dash said. Spike took out a quill and piece of parchment. While Rainbow Dash was walking towards the center of the room, a packet of papers fell from her person.
“Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned a lesson about insensitivity..” Rainbow Dash began. Sapphire was more concerned with the papers she dropped. He picked them up. It was an application to a place called the “Wonderbolts Academy”. One of the sections asked for a recommendation from another pegasus. Sapphire looked at his wings. Well, I’m a pegasus. He turned to Rainbow Dash.
“-just because you’re an expert at something, doesn’t mean you can force others to be just as good as you. Everyone-”
Sapphire smiled. He picked up a quill and began writing.
Dear Admissions Board,
I’d like to tell you about Rainbow Dash. She is absolutely the most...
He scratched his chin with the quill.
...incredible pegasus I’ve ever met. Her talents are indescribable so I’ll try my best to give you an idea. Her flying abilities are like none that I’ve ever seen. She could outfly any pegasus I know. But I’m sure all of your applicants are that way too. So why is she special?
He looked over at Rainbow Dash. “-need to work at their pace. Not yours. They’re special. You can’t force them to be you, but you can’t give up on them either-”
She’s the most loyal pegasus. She is devoted to her friends and ensuring that they are the best they could possibly be. A pegasus like her would make a great Wonderbolt. She’s a leader. She can push others to their limits to make them better. Her determination is insurmountable. Please, consider Rainbow Dash when you choose your accepted applicants.
As he finished writing, he felt a jolt surge through him. His vision went black and instead he was looking almost like through a window at events earlier today.
“Spike will be back with Sapphire soon, Rainbow Dash. Why don’t you have a seat?” Twilight said. Sapphire tried to respond.
“Sure. Thanks, Twilight.”
That wasn’t my voice. What’s going on? Why am I not in control? Twilight? Help!
“You’re going to try to help Sapphire to fly again today, right?” Twilight asked.
“Yup.” Sapphire’s vision quickly shifted left and right, as if checking to see that no one else was around. While this was happening, he saw glimpses of a rainbow mane and cyan fur.
Am I... Inside Rainbow Dash’s body? But it’s supposed to be sunset, not morning.
“I’m gonna tell you something, but if you tell anyone, I’ll say you’re lying. I really hope Sapphire learns to fly again because I want a flying buddy.”
Flying buddy? Come to think of it, none of the pegasi in Ponyville could compare to Rainbow Dash. She wants me to get my powers back so I’ll go flying with her?
“Really? What about Fluttershy? And the other weather pegasi?”
“The weather pegasi don’t take flying as seriously as I do. And Fluttershy... well, her wing power is 5.0 in a serious emergency. She can’t fly with me. Sapphire really wants to fly again, so maybe if he gets his flight back, he’ll fly with me.”
If Sapphire could smile, he would. Even though you keep using the word “again” to describe my when I’ll fly despite it being inaccurate... I’ll go flying with you Rainbow Dash. Alright, I guess this vision can end now.
As if almost on command, the scene started to melt away. Sapphire’s mind was in the darkness again for a moment until his normal vision returned. No time had passed since finishing the recommendation and the jolt of power was gone again. Sapphire looked at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes and ring were still orange. I guess that didn’t quite count in terms of using magic.
He folded the application back up and turned around.
“-Your loyal subject, Rainbow Dash. Okay, Spike send it.”
Spike walked over to the window, opened it, and with a belch of fire, the letter was consumed in the flames and floated off towards Canterlot as smoke.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash, you dropped this a second ago,” Sapphire said, handing the application to her
“Oh, thanks. I can’t lose this. It’s way too important. Bye Twilight, Spike... Sapphire,” Rainbow said and flew out the open window. Spike closed it behind her.
“I saw what you did, Sapphire. And I have to say that was really nice of you,” Twilight said.
“Did what? I didn’t do anything!” Sapphire said, acting innocent. Twilight rolled her eyes.
“Right when you finished though, you jerked your head up and looked out the window. What was that about?”
Sapphire grinned and winked. “That’s my little secret!”
“That makes three now, you know. One day you’re going to have to tell us you know.”
Sapphire’s face hardened. He looked out the window. He thought back to the nightmare he had after being bitten by the wyvern. “One day... But today is not that day.”
There was an awkward silence until Spike spoke up. “I’m gonna go get dinner ready. Why don’t you relax Sapphire?”
After dinner, Sapphire entered his bed, careful to not put pressure on his right shoulder, and went to sleep.