Vengeance at nightfall

(chapter 37) big sister

After a couple years, Sapphire had become more responsible and less playful, as she got ready to go to the royal Canterlot gardens with her little brother. In fact, he had grown up quite a bit over the years, and he was only recently learning how to speak and had gotten the nickname “little mantis” during that time.

“I wants to stop!”

Mantis whined from behind sapphire, his little legs had begun to get tired, but sapphire didn't show any sign of pain in any way.

“we will stop when we get there, and believe me, it will be worth it when we do,”

Sapphire said, and she stopped to look back at him,

“besides, you don't know how to fly yet so we have to walk.”

Mantis laid down on the floor behind her and looked up her with a pleading expression.

“carry me?”

Sapphire shook her head and turned around to pick him up, and began to fly to the gardens, keeping Mantis’s little body pressed against her chest so he wouldn't fall. He began to cheer her on as his mane flowed gracefully, tickling Sapphire's chest, and she giggled as they made their way to the gardens.

While they went off to have fun, Nightshade and Metamorph were busy getting reports back from monitoring guards. And although things seemed to be ok, they wanted to be completely sure that problems wouldn't start with them. So, when they were deciding who the next six guards should be, they tried their hardest to take everything into consideration.

And while Nightshade and Metamorph handled the guards, Angel worked as hard as she could to keep Blueblood busy, at least until his next trip out. When he had left, an audible sigh of relief ran through the castle, and things seemed to calm down once again. Well, for most of the castle, Sapphire was busy trying to teach Mantis how to fly with his bug wings,and although she managed to help him get off the ground a little bit he still complained.

“are my wings supposed to hurt?”

Mantis asked, his innocent face made Sapphire consider taking a break, and she sat down beside him,

“I don't think so, but now would be a good time to take a break”

She folded her wings and sighed, the sky was a bright blue that reminded her of the sea she missed so well, and as she sighed, Mantis noticed her change in mood.

“are your wings hurting too?”

He asked, tilting his head to the side, and Sapphire just shook her head,

“oh no, of course not, little Mantis, I just miss home”

He scratched his head in confusion when she said this, and noticed how focused on the sky she was.

“but, isn't this home? Do you have more homes?”

Sapphire frowned, she wanted to say why she had called it home, but she worried about him feeling like she was leaving him,

“well, it is but at the same time it's not, soon I'll get too big to live here and I'll have to go to my other home, with my own kind,”

Sapphire didn't dare to look down at him, for fear that he would look extremely disappointed, but instead, the feeling of being hugged snapped her out of her attempt to be stoic.

“I don't wants you to leave, you is the best sister ever”

Sapphire smiled, and hugged him back,

“I'm not going to leave you, I promise you that I'll be here until I can't anymore”

She picked him up and felt a single tear roll over her scales,

“I promise.”