(Set five to seven years before 'The Magic of Friendship', depending on how old you think the cast is.)
Warning: contains an underaged Rarity and a rubber costume.
Little Waiwai is a colt in need of a foalsitter. Why should Rarity have to foalsit him? Because her mother said so, and like any teenage girl she can't really refuse a direct order from her mom. He won't be any trouble, or at least that's what the grownups keep saying.
And yet Waiwai has somehow managed to drive away every single foalsitter in town. This does not bode well for the aspiring fashion icon, nor does the fact that Sweetie Belle sort of knows him and definitely hates him.
Steeling her resolve, a young Rarity must face the horrors of foalsitting a no doubt unmanageable colt and hopefully keep her mane intact during the process.
Can her hair survive the horror that is little Waiwai?
A/N: Submitted to the third Author Support Prompt, and it won.
Yeah, I'm as confused as you are.
It's listed as 'Slice of Life' because it's a mix of comedy, light sadness (philosophical/psychological stuff, I guess) and...well, to say more would spoil it. Suffice to say it primarily tries to approach the show's look and feel, so the other tags don't really match up on the whole. Hope you enjoy!
Now edited for accuracy's sake, the mention of gems and crystals is mixed. In hindsight, this fanfic actually contains fanon that was made canon with the Season 3 opener. Oh well...
'Unacceptable.' Anyone else thinking of Lemongrab?
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Oddly, I was thinking more of Leo from VGCats. Anyways, thanks for liking the story (I was getting worried for a bit, there
1370732 No problem although I think it might be wise if you updated the description so everyone KNOWS Rarity is only in her teenage years as opposed to her age in the show which if I had to guess wold be early to mid 20's.
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It does say 'a teen Rarity', but I suppose it's not completely clear. I'll remedy that this instant, thanks for the tip.
Yet another reminder that we are all human, and as such, we are quite prone to making mistakes.
Rarity, because her mother is a closet sadist who wants nothing more than to see her children suffer, is forced to foalsit Live WIre, a.k.a. "Waiwai" (just got the nickname, btw. Yes, I am rather slow sometimes). The two, despite their own worries and concerns, actually get along pretty well... even if Rarity's just demonstrating her innate skill at hiding frustrations. Eventually, Rarity feels compelled enough to find a solution for Live Wire and effectively stop his problem of being so much of a... well... live wire.
I'm always interested in a story that can teach me something as well as making them. What I learned in this one was the way magic can work. I liked the explanation with the use of elemental magic being physical and not magical, though I can't say for sure whether I know a lot about what the exact guidelines for Equestrian magic are. That being said, I appreciate you actually putting forth an explanation for at least a portion of its universe. Probably opened up ideas for a reader or two in that regard. In addition, and I will repeat this because it's probably the most important thing I got out of this story, I was reminded of just how prone we are in making errors in judgement and perception. Poor Live Wire had to wear that uncomfortable suit because of his foalsitters' fear, ultimately causing him to fear getting too close to anyone. Rarity didn't have some change of heart in her experience with him, and she still hates foalsitting as much as she did before. The foalsitters themselves didn't seem to emphasize with the child's plight. All of these are understandable and justified to at least some degree.
Did I mention that I like the fact you didn't include any teen or mature-rated stuff? If you did, you certainly disguised it well.
That being said, I really enjoyed this story. Adding to my favorites is imminent.
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Thanks again for an in-depth review. I should point out, though, that the main problem wasn't that his foalsitters couldn't empathise. The main conflict of this story is that here you have a child who cannot show any affection and who cannot be shown any affection, because of something he can't help. His foalsitters do empathise, Cheerilee flat-out says she understands, but can't do anything about it. But empathising doesn't remove the problem. Being careful avoids shocks, but means you can't pat his back or ruffle his mane. You can't reward him for being good, for example, not without keeping your distance. Can you imagine how Pinkie Pie would act in this situation? It's like a Pavlovian nightmare
The suit was brought in so he could interact normally with his parents and foalsitters, but that still meant he couldn't feel a loving touch on his fur. Because the doctors thought he'd just accidentally cast a spell that makes electric energy, his parents tried to go along with it. Since it's a really obscure thing he has, Occam's Razor just screwed him over. It's an honest mistake, and he suffered for it, but clearly he's okay with how things turn out in the end. He's not abandoned or hated, Rarity does what she does because she knows he'll be happier that way. At least, that's what I was going for
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The thing about crystals was taken from occultism, and this headcanon predates the S3 opener. The principle is that the electric field of certain crystals affects the electric fields of internal organs. It also entails that crystals (especially quartz, and salt to a lesser degree) can hold emotional charges. Apparently, in the Rennaissance era it was customary to give crystal rings embued with love to one's significant other. Crystals were allegedly put under the thrones of kings so they'd charge up their *ahem* fertility. I'll leave you to ponder any potential fics about what Celestia might have lying under her throne (hint: the crystal caves under Canterlot? I was laughing when I realised what that meant).
And if you want a good tip for storywriting: watch little details of the show and try to find an explanation for them. Doesn't matter how small or inane. For this story, the detail is: why does Celestia wear crystals right over her third eye chakra and her heart? Apparently, kings of old used to put crystals in their crowns and thrones for the same occult purpose.
Plus, this fix just seemed exactly like what Rarity would do. Even before she became an Element, this sort of thing must have come up once or twice. Not to mention the fact that Waiwai getting an outfit like a Royal Guard already gives some hint for his future life. It just seemed too perfect an idea to go to waste. And the judges agreed, apparently.
As for how magic can work, this is one of my interpretations, based in part on Naruto mechanics and an anecdote about some Austrian guy who could control his heart rate and somehow generate electric current on his skin because of it. Don't know if it's true, but it makes for a good story. It helps when you know things about magic systems and the like, even if you don't believe in them.
Awww, this story was really cute. Glad I read it
I suppose it took Twilight some maturing before she got organized, eh? Funny that Rarity's shop is always a mess nowadays.
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Please, darling, that is merely 'controlled chaos'. *hypocrisy detector explodes somewhere*
But yeah, it struck me as a neat little headcanon that The chaotic Twilight we see on the show was her default, and she only learned to clean up after herself when a neat freak suggested a spell. Rarity is always perfectly capable of leaving things behind neatly, she just doesn't always seem to choose to.
At any rate, glad you enjoyed this, it remains the least of my stories. And yet it won the prompt
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And I was like "He's electric!" I said it like they say electric on the electric company. Man, referencing children's shows makes me sound old. But I really liked this story.
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And coming from a fellow Raichu, that's saying something. Glad you enjoyed it!