The Jewel Within

Neutralizing

Sapphire fell to her knees as her Nightmare Form faded away. The blood below her was growing. She felt dizzy and lightheaded. Her mind was numbing and she was starting to slip.

Someone was talking, but she couldn't hear from where.

"Sapphire! Sapphire" they called, an echo from somewhere. "The white book!" It was Ruby. She could recognize the voice, but it sounded so far away.

Then the words really got to her. She was bleeding and dying. Weakly, she pulled her book from her saddlebag, but something was keeping her from opening it. Almost like a whisper in the back of her mind.

"Don't listen to it. Just do it, Sapphire!" Ruby yelled.

She finally flipped the book open and read a sentence, it was a healing spell. Slowly, it started to heal her, stopping her from passing out, but just barely.

After an hour of exhaustion, she finally sat up, then put her books back. Her thoughts came to her as less evil now, but she could still feel the evil and hatred coursing through her.

"I have noticed something." Sapphire stated.

"And that is?" Ruby asked.

"The more I use the black book, the more I feel evil and want to do evil. The more it corrupts me. And the more I use the white book, the more I think of only selfless acts." Sapphire proclaimed as she sunk into deep thought.

"And what do you plan to do with it, sister?" Ruby asked, checking her hypothetical mane inside of Sapphire's mind.

"I need to neutralize the evil effects. Perhaps we can wait a day as the threat is now gone." Sapphire said. "I am gonna go back to my room." She said as she turned back to the hotel.

She had a lot on her mind, but eventually fell asleep after a couple of hours.

Waking up with hope in her heart once more, she set out to help whomever she could. And it wasn't long before she found somepony who needed their help.

Sapphire noticed a distressed mare walking down the street, and after asking her about it she found out that she was on their way to get medicine for her child. They were trying to treat an infection from a break in their leg. The infection had gotten worse, and they had spent the last of their bits for the week on the medicine. And it wasn't really helping.

"I can help, Ma'am. I have a book that can help with both of her problems." Sapphire smiled.

"I don't have any bits..." The mare said.

"No worries. Free of charge."

"I don't believe you. You are planning to get something later, after everything when you have a problem." The mare stated with an awful tone.

"I swear I'm not. But if you don't want your child to get help, then fine." Sapphire said, starting to walk away.

"W-wait! Fine. I accept." She sighed. "Follow me." The mare then made her way to her house, where she showed her child to Sapphire.

"Give me just a moment. I will need two spells." She said as she grabbed her white book. She quickly found the two spells she required.

After the spells took effect, she closed her book and she set it in her bag. She then smiled and nodded.

"Thank you very much. If there is anyth-" Sapphire stopped the mare.

"I said free. You owe me nothing. I just get my payment in happiness." She smiled again, then left.

After a few more hours of helping folks, she took a seat at one of the benches. She sighed and felt herself calm.

She sighed contently, laying down fully on the bench. And just as she closed her eyes, she jolted upwards as she heard a familiar voice shout out her name.

"H-how? What?!" She asked. "B-but you died!"