Chapter 4: Flying High
It was a beautiful day in Canterlot. The sun was shining, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and the winds around the mountain were just at that perfect strength where they could be ridden without being completely swept away.
In other words, it was the type of day Saphira loved most.
"Just make sure you're back before two thirty!" Twilight called. "It's Thursday, and that means-"
"My lesson, I know. I'll be back in time, Twilight." Saphira rolled her eyes. "Just as I have been back in time every Thursday for the past two years."
Saphira stepped up to the window, only to find it shut tight. She turned to look at Twilight, who was leaning on the doorway with a smug smile.
"I thought I asked you to keep this open."
"And I thought I asked you to stop practicing your fire breathing in the kitchen." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain the scorch marks around the oven?"
Saphira brought the tip of her tail around to unlatch the window and push it open to swing freely in the wind. A second later, a purple aura wrapped around the window and slammed it shut.
"Well, young lady?"
Saphira raised an eyebrow and walked to the doorway, taking a moment to arch her neck and press her forehead onto Twilight's from above. There were many disadvantages to being almost two feet taller than most ponies, but standing over anyone who tried to give her orders was a favorite benefit of hers.
"'Young lady?' Seriously?"
Twilight didn't relent, staring right back into her eyes. "I was there the night your egg hatched, and every other day of your life! You're only a couple years old, most ponies would consider that still in your infancy! Like it or not, I'm the older one, and that means I'm in charge!"
"Perhaps I should swing by the Royal Guard outpost and repeat that? I'm sure the reigning Sibling Supreme would have a field day with it." Saphira smirked.
That managed to break Twilight's poker face for a moment, shifting first to surprise, then frustration as she tried to think of a comeback for a few seconds.
"My whole life I wanted to be the older sibling, and the one time I try to use it to my advantage..." She trailed off before stepping back with a more concerned look. "But seriously, I know you're self-conscious about not being able to breathe fire for long, but you CAN'T practice indoors! That's what your internship with Bronze Hammer is for!"
Saphira rolled her eyes and cast a few embers to the side with a frustrated sigh. "'Internship?' Is that what they're calling it? I am nothing but a quick way to light his forge, and occasionally a source of extra heat. That kind of work doesn't suit me." She turned her back on Twilight and went back to the window, this time keeping it held open with her tail. "I'll find my own place to practice if it bothers you so, but I refuse to go back to being a glorified bellows."
"And how do you plan to learn precise temperature control, extended breathing exercises, and the properties of different materials under heat?"
This time, it was Saphira who had been caught without a proper answer.
"I KNOW working in the forge is frustrating, but I can't teach you any of those things!" Twilight shook her head. "And Bronze Hammer has been making armor and weapons for the Royal Guard for decades! You couldn't ask for a pony who knows fire better than him! Besides... Do you think that I love every lesson I have to attend?"
"I know you do."
"...okay, fair enough." Twilight sheepishly rubbed at the back of her head. "But still, if you don't show up to your lessons, then it will reflect badly on both of us! I'll talk to the princess about making some changes, okay?"
"Can I go flying, now?" Twilight gave her an uncertain look, prompting Saphira to a begrudging agreement. "I promise, I'll be at the forge when I'm assigned to be."
Twilight smiled and gave her a nod. "Then yes, you may go. Have a nice flight!"
Saphira sighed with relief as she stepped up and catapulted herself through the window. Their dormitory was near the top of Canterlot Castle, meaning that she already had all of the altitude she could ask for to start with, and getting more would be easy. Once she had spread her wings, she didn't need to flap or work to gain altitude, the horizontal winds crashing into the castle could only travel up, creating a constant column of upwards-rising air at her disposal. She was practically purring as she felt the winds driven upwards by the castle pushing her further and further into the sky, like riding an invisible fountain up to the heavens. Finally, as the last spires of the castle passed her by and she found herself above the huge structure, Saphira began to flap her wings and let her tail work as a rudder.
She had to admit, she understood why pegasi spent so much time in the clouds. With the hustle and bustle of the city so far away, Saphira was filled with a sense of serenity unlike any other. No matter how fast or far she flew, she was filled with a sense of stillness and intimacy with the wind. Closing her eyes, she could almost feel like she had become one with it, like she was a part of its ebb and flow. It was as silent and gentle as a kiss one moment, and harsh and powerful enough to tear apart entire towns the next.
"Yo, Big S!"
Saphira cracked open one eye, spotting a flash of seafoam green and white passing by.
"Fleetfoot."
The pegasus came up alongside her, her white mane not looking much different than usual when it was being swept back by the wind. "Took you long enough! You're late!"
"Apologies, I had some business with Twilight."
"Ah, it's alright! Family comes first, right?" Fleetfoot shrugged. "Everything good with you two?"
Saphira smiled. "As well as ever. 'Two peas in a pod,' as you would say." Saphira glanced around, trying to spot any other flashes of color in the sky. "Where are Soarin and High Winds?"
"Got called away on official Wonderbolts business. Probably won't be back for a few days." She drew up short, and Saphira did the same. "The newbies always get the assignments that require the most traveling, I remember when it was me going from one end of Equestria to the other!" The two of them hovered in place for several seconds. "So it's just the two of us, today!"
Saphira nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Will we be halving our usual wager, then?"
"Definitely not!" Fleetfoot gave her a grin. "What's the matter, you can't afford to lose again now that Soarin's not here to take last place from you?"
"Oh, it is ON!" Saphira chuckled as the two of them pulled their wings in tight against their bodies. Gravity took over, and they began to accelerate back downwards. Saphira was larger, but her body was more streamlined. Fleetfoot had the advantage of size, however, combined with the natural pegasus magic of reducing drag from the wind whipping past their faces. The result was a perfectly matched acceleration as the world grew larger and larger. In the corner of her eye, Saphira kept Fleetfoot in her sights. This was a critical moment, and the first one to lose their nerve would lose their advantage in what was to come. The fall was an equalizer in speed, but rewarded the tenacious.
"Any time you feel like pulling up is fine with me!"
"What was that? Sorry, I was dozing!"
The two snickered as the ground rushed up to meet them, but the time for jokes quickly vanished as each one focused on their own survival. At these speeds, a split-second mistake could have painful consequences.
Finally, Saphira knew she was approaching the point of no return. "Now or never!"
"NOW!"
Fully extending her wings at this speed would have torn them from her body, but Saphira spread them just enough to catch some of the air beneath her and start converting her downwards momentum to forwards. By the time she'd stretched her wings to their full length, she was barreling away from the castle at blistering speed... and Fleetfoot was three lengths ahead.
The city came at them like a blur, and it was only the practiced small adjustments of her tail that kept Saphira from crashing into one of the many buildings as they bolted down Main Street. Still, Saphira was lagging behind, and that wasn't acceptable.
In the distance, Saphira could see the familiar sign that marked their first checkpoint: The Color and Curl Boutique. This was her chance. She tucked in one of her wings and let her body roll until she'd turned ninety degrees. She was still moving forward, but once they reached the corner, she was able to focus herself on diving down, rather than to the left. The result was a tight and sharp turn around the corner, losing almost none of her speed. As she turned herself upright again, Saphira made a mental note to thank Twilight for the tip. She beat her wings harder and faster, her heart pounding with the excitement of a hunter on the chase. A nervous glance over her shoulder was all the indication Fleetfoot gave that she was aware Saphira was catching up.
"How did you get around that corner so fast?"
"I may be big, but that means I have bigger wings! I can move more air in one flap than you can in twenty!"
It was an all-out sprint to the next checkpoint: Golden Grains, a popular bakery and the indicator of and upcoming left turn. Once again, Saphira tilted her perspective, this time counterclockwise. The left turn became a downward dive, and she closed in even closer on Fleetfoot. The wispy tip of her tail was close enough to tickle her snout, and getting closer by the second.
The finish line was in sight, now, and Saphira's nose was just about abreast with Fleetfoot's muzzle. They were neck and neck, and the muscles dedicated to moving Saphira's wings felt like they were on fire. Fleetfoot was panting and her mane and face were both soaked in sweat, but she had the steely determination in her eyes that had gotten her into the Wonderbolts, to begin with. They'd nearly reached the end of their race, and there was no way to tell who was going to win.
Just... a little... FASTER!
Together, the two of them roared past their agreed-upon finish line: All Kinds'. Saphira finally pulled her wings in, letting herself drop and her claws rake across the flagstones. Beside her, Fleetfoot had spread her wings in an attempted air brake and pushed her hooves against the ground as best she could to come to a stop.
Once the two of them had landed safely, both of them collapsed to the ground in a heap of panting, limbs, and sweat.
"Wooo hoo hooo!" Fleetfoot cheered as she rolled onto her back. "I haven't... had a chase... like that... in AGES!"
"The fact such small wings can be so fast boggles the mind..." Saphira was enjoying the feeling of the cool flagstones against her underbelly, and she was secretly thanking whatever higher powers existed that her mind-speaking didn't require the use of her lungs, because she was fairly certain she wouldn't be able to speak over her gasping for breath if it did.
"WOOOO!" an older pegasus cheered as he stepped out of the restaurant. "The boys should stay home more often, I think you girls just set a new record!"
"But... who won?" Fleetfoot gasped as she shakily pushed herself into a standing position.
"Yes, I would like to know, as well." Saphira decided to wait slightly longer to cool off. Part of her wanted to go take a dip in the river, but another part of her knew that the flight there would be torture she didn't want to put herself through.
"You girls come inside, and I'll tell you once you've had a bite to eat!" He gave them a friendly wink and nodded for them to follow him inside. Saphira sighed and pushed herself to her feet, bracing herself for another loss. Technically, losing their wager didn't affect her that much, paying for lunch was an expense that Celestia's star pupil (and, by extension, her familiar) was allowed to subsidize, but it was a matter of pride. She refused to stop participating in the time-honored tradition the Wonderbolts had of "trash talking" one another, but to this day, her attempts to back it up had been middling at best.
Together, the two of them stepped into the All Kinds' restaurant. While it was normally a haven for non-ponies passing through Canterlot, it was also one of the few places in the city where one could legally buy meat-based dishes alongside normal Equestrian cuisine. Princess Celestia had been the one to recommend it, claiming that hunting her own food would make ponies nervous as she grew larger and larger. Eventually, her friends in the Wonderbolts had agreed to come, and it had become their go-to hangout after a race... provided that the loser in last place paid for everyone's food. The owner, a pegasus by the name of Sauce Boss, had been more than happy to have the business and agreed to be their judge.
Fleetfoot entered with no trouble, but Saphira noted that she now had to duck ever-so-slightly to get through the door.
"So, the usual, ladies?" he asked, setting down a normal glass of water for Fleetfoot and a bucket-sized glass for Saphira.
"Double for me, Boss!" Feetfoot declared. "With a heaping side of fried daisies! Spitfire ain't watching, so today's my cheat day!"
"I think I'll skip the usual fish today in favor of a pot of chili." Saphira's stomach growled loudly at the thought, rumbling hard enough to send a tremor through the table where they'd taken their seats. "And make mine a double portion, as well, extra spicy."
"Coming right up!" He gave them both a happy salute before disappearing through the double doors to the kitchen.
"Hey, whoever wins or loses... You were pretty fantastic out there." Fleetfoot raised her glass. "Though I think you might have broken our altitude rule when you turned on your side like that!"
"I invite you to prove it. I know I stayed below the rooftops, including my wings."
Fleetfoot sighed, seeming to dismiss the argument before it could go any further. "Sauce Boss didn't call foul, so I'm not gonna make a fuss about it. Besides, it was pretty smart. Seriously, if you wanted, you could be a Wonderbolt. A dragon Wonderbolt? Ponies would go NUTS for that!"
Saphira smiled and wrapped the end of her tail around her glass, lifting it to meet her friend's with a soft clink. "I'm flattered, but not today. Twilight and I are in a unique position as it is, and I want to help her make the most of it."
"Okay, but what about YOU?" Fleetfoot raised an eyebrow. "Isn't there something YOU want to do for yourself?"
"I've told you a thousand times, if Twilight is happy, then I am happy. We're partners. Right now, we're focused on our education."
"Yeah, I know, I know..." Fleetfoot sighed and took a long drink of her water, nearly downing the entire glass at once. "Just best to get started young, you know? Earlier you get recruited, the more time you spend in your prime!"
"Well, provided I keep training like this, age shouldn't be a problem. I'm told dragons live quite a long time." Saphira smirked and took a long drink of her own water. She swallowed a hearty dose of ice cubes along with it, and the refreshing cooling feeling it gave her finally doused the last of her overheating.
"Good to know I've got a customer who'll be around for such a long time!" Sauce Boss cheered, wheeling in a cart. The top had Fleetfoot's order, two plates with six hayburger sliders apiece, and a rack on the bottom held two heavy-looking pots of chili. Saphira quietly moved the pots in front of her with her tail while their host was setting down Fleetfoot's food.
"So... about that race..." Fleetfoot hinted before tossing one of the sliders into her mouth whole. "Mmmmmmmph... Yoo mek thuh besht ayburgesh..."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude." Saphira caught herself sounding a bit like Twilight, there, but she brushed it off.
Fleetfoot finished chewing and swallowed. "Well, not all of us can talk with our brains, and these are too good not to eat while they're warm!"
"Always the best praise you can get!" Sauce Boss grinned as he pulled out a pitcher of ice water and began to refill their glasses. "And to answer your question, the winner... was Saphira, by a nose."
"WHAT?"
"YES!"
Sauce Boss smiled and gave Fleetfoot a pat on the back. "Looks like you're paying for the first time, Fleetfoot!"
"Aw, man..." Fleetfoot rubbed at the back of her neck as she looked over the hearty meal they'd both ordered. "Uh, you can take a card, right?"
Saphira lowered her muzzle into the first pot of chili, enjoying the feeling of the thick and meaty liquid flowing down her throat. Normally it would be spicy, but today... it was sweet.
Sweet with the taste of victory.
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Yup, you leave Saphira to her own devices and she takes up street racing. Clearly Twilight is a bad influence.
Ok thats just cute and hilarious
blue derg go nyooom
So will these slices of life be ending before the show's first episode, or will the story be continuing past that?
10733563
lol
10733601
The original commission length was 20,000 words, and came to an end just at the events of the first episode.
However, the overwhelming success of this story has warranted an extension, so I'm going to be starting to work on chapters concurrent with the show's events in the next couple days! The daily updates will only keep up for a couple more days, but I'll get more done as soon as I can!
This is a charming little story, loving the character interactions.
Aww, that was cute and awesome at once.
Kinda a big timeskip, but I've already complained about the properties of commissioned fiction before (limited size particularly), no point to it now.
Would've been nice to see Saphira and Shining bond over stuff in that timeskip, though.
Rainbow is gonna be head-ovrr-heels Saphira, then?
:V
Not only someone who can more-or-less keep up and loves racing, but someone who is good friends with Wonderbolts, to boot!
...Rainbow's fascination with the team in early seasons was a little shallow, yes.
I cant help but wonder how Saphira being there instead of Spike affects Twilight's education and/or mannerism long-term.
Nice to see Saphira made friends, and that there are nice ponies in Canterlot not bothered by her being a dragon. I'm curious about how meeting the nice part of Canterlot nobility would go.
Victoreeeeh!
A dragon Wonderbolt?
Now there is an interesting idea.
im curious how this will go. seeing as bonding with a dragon in eragon makes you ageless, and you live as long as the dragon ur bonded to lives
this was a good chapter, but now i wonder how saphira will fare against rainbow
10734206
Ohhhh yeah I forgot about that bit in the Eragon books.
10734305
yea, and if the rider dies, the dragon dies of heart break. but if the dragon dies, the rider lives on... i don't remember if the rider retains their agelessness tho
10734313
I think they do? Brom lived for a long time afterwards, I dunno.
10734315
oh yea- he did didn't he? tho he had all but given up on everything.
tho we'd have to ask the author what aspects of 'Eragon' they intend to keep
The only thing puzzling to me here was the description of Saphira angling herself so that the turn was down from her perspective instead of up.
That’s inverted from how sharp turns are usually done, be it with airplanes with squishy pilots who have physiological issues with negative G forces forcing all their blood to their heads, or just normal, mundane birds whose wings are muscled to support their weight in a particular direction and don’t typically fly in ways that put downforce on their wings.
10734329
Yep.
While we're at it, I wonder if Twilight is going to be able to cast the spells the same way Eragon/the elves does...
If she does, jeez, we're in for a whole new level of Twilighting as she explores the boundaries. After all, Eragon cast that one spell at the start without knowing the words, he just said Bisingr without learning the word prior. Which means that Twilight will be able to do the same? (maybe)
10734516
its no differen than a gun.
anyone can fire a gun, but not everyone knows how it works.
same with the elven tongue, anyone can 'say it' but not everyone knows the translation.
sapphira has knowledge much like tia ha sknowledge, in eragon anyways. idk if thats true here
10734533
We'll just have to see then :)
Good to see another Eragon reader xD
10734537
same! just tickled pink i can talk to someone about it. didn't have that when i read it xD
FINALLY, MORE INHERITANCE CYCLE, WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
10734533
10734516
I'm afraid the only thing that's come over from Alagaësia is Saphira herself. The magic of the Ancient Language is quite world-specific, it would have no more power in Equestria than it would here or on the deck of the Enterprise.
Also, as previously noted, Twilight is not a capital "R" Rider, as she is neither an elf nor a human. There is a bond, but it has more to do with Saphira herself than any third party's enchantment.
That said, there are some interesting opportunities here for Saphira, the locals have far more experience with wielding innate intuitive magic than even the elves, so she's got more to look forward to than a few random acts of accidental magic.
(I'd love to go into detail comparing ponish magic to the Ancient Language, but my connection's gotten really spotty)
10734724
true, even in 'eldest' she hadn't gained control yet
I dunno why, but this chapter made me feel hungry for chilli! Haven't had chilli for a while...
10734724
You’re not the author so you don’t know that, besides Saphira wouldn’t have been able to bond with Twilight if the magic of the ancient language wasn’t in effect if you recall in order to be the dragon of a rider the egg that particular dragon hatches from is enchanted and the things like Saphira thinking in English are also a result of that same spell weaved by the ancient language and if the ancient language couldn’t affect things in equestria than Saphira’s egg wouldn’t have even made it to Twilight’s room.
10737858
He may not be the author, but he is the one who paid the author to write this particular story, so it would serve well to keep criticisms about his opinions on the product he paid for to a minimum.
Hey, does anyone remember the wing-spell Twilight used on Rarity in one of the earlier episodes.
Wouldn't it be quite fitting, if Twilight used it ( or an improved Version of it) to regularly fly with Saphira.
There should be at least some desire for flight through the bleedthrough of their bond/connection.