Rarity was the most nervous she had ever been in her life. Sitting here in a waiting room while Spike prepared the door way into Twilight’s room to allow an unknown visitor or so she had been told. She had always feared her big mouth might get her in trouble one of these days but the most she expected was to get on the wrong side of an angry wife or husband caught up in a scandal for spreading what happened. Not possibly being vaporized by a look from the single most powerful mortal pony in the nation for failing to live up to her expectations.
She knew the tales of the rather curt letters Twilight had sent out as her form of interaction with the world when she needed to communicate. Supposedly half the staff at the Sisters’ Magic school in the field of experimental magics had a break down when she had torn into their theories. If mere words on a page from such a pony could do that then surely the only thing more nerve wracking than meeting her would be waking up to find you had a one night stand with Princess Luna. This was all without considering the surely exaggerated tales that if she got angry while in her youth Twilight would shift colors and her hair would blaze with the flames of wrath.
“Are you Rarity Belle?” questioned the dragon.
“Yes. I am. How might I help you sir Spike?”
“It has come to my attention that you have a bit of a reputation for achieving miracles, miss. If it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition, I was hoping you could perhaps work one for my boss.”
The light gray unicorn tried not to show her heart stopping at those words. ‘Well I’m doomed.’ “How could a mere artificer of bits and bobs of metal and gems possibly help Lady Twilight?”
“I’m sure you know that she suffers from a small problem. One of not being able to travel past a small contained room in her mansion for fear of her magic retention over swelling her capacity to contain it. I wanted to ask you to come and speak with her. Perhaps you can help her with her issue. If not, you will be compensated for your day. If you can help her though I can assure you that you will have the Patronage of House Star from here on out.”
Forget the heart attack Rarity was about to lose all her blood flow to her now saucer wide eyes. Patronage from one of the greater noble houses was a dream of anyone working in Canterlot. Patronage from Twilight Sparkle, grand mage of Canterlot, Celestia’s Favored, Luna’s Champion, and the unicorn that almost single hoofedly powered the entire city would shoot the reputation of whoever earned it into the realm of legend. There genuinely was only one answer she could give.
“Lea… lead the way.” Rarity gulped just barely avoiding swallowing her tongue in the process.
Spike coughed to get Rarity’s attention. “Miss Rarity, Twilight will see you now. Just follow me and I will lead you to her.” The little whelp waited until Rarity rose from her seat and lead her down a singular hall to a door covered in more sigils and wards than she had ever seen. He opened the door and lead the unicorn past it before closing it behind them. Another long hall lead to another door that he pushed open and led her into what appeared to be an antechamber of a bedroom.
There at a small desk only marred by reams of paper and ink stains sat a mulberry unicorn reading over some tome and comparing it to some report that was next to her. ‘She is smaller than I expected.’ This distracted creature, Rarity’s mind supplied in counter point, could boil her alive if its concentration slipped for even a moment. In fact the only reason she could get this close to Twilight was due to the effects of the wards and material the room was made up of. Rarity immediately held still thanks to that thought trying not to make any sudden movements while the dragon approached the busy mare.
‘Well they do say dragon’s are magic resistant and bold. I guess there is truth to that after all.’
Spike began to poke at Twilight trying to get her attention. He knew he would find her busy doing something like this. Judging by the fact that she was failing to use ink he supposed she was simply burning her displeasure into the page. ‘Must have been helping to grade some reports for a teacher at the school again and found someone who could not cite properly.’ After about a minute of this failing to get her attention he flipped the book she was using to verify the citation closed.
“Spike!.” Twilight jumped in startlementand a small spark of energy burned another smudge into her desk. Apparently there was quite a collection of them that Rarity could spot now that had been covered by the book earlier. “Don’t do that! You remember the last time you spooked me I teleported you into one of the palace walls.”
“Twilight, I have someone I would like you to meet.” The dragon ignored Twilight’s warning as he had dozens of times before.
“If it is that idiot Blueblood you can tell him to go hang before I ice him. For the last time I will not consent to a marriage between our houses. No way am I letting that flank wipe have the resources of our house behind him. He already has more power than a moron like him should have anyway.”
“No Twilight, this is something important. I want you to meet someone who might be able to help you. According to the grape vine she is an up and coming miracle worker in magical trinkets.”
As the two discussed these things between themselves Rarity blanched about as well as a white coated creature could. ‘The rumor was only that my creations could work miracles for my clients. And I only spread that around with the express intention of meaning it would help them look better. I guess this explains some of those clients before.’ While she was distracted realizing how bad her tales would backlash on her the two finished talking to each other and turned their attention upon her.
“So Miss Rarity, my assistant tells me you could help me with my problem. Are you aware of what you are being set up to do? Do you understand what the problem is?”
“I think most of Canterlot is aware at least in part. As I understand it, your ability to hold magic is growing at a slower rate than you regenerate it.”
“That is more or less it but I don’t think it covers how severe this situation is. As you know, all magic users regenerate their magic over time by taking in the ambient magic of the world around them. The problem I have is the rate at which I regenerate my magic grows ever greater by exceedingly small units of time versus my set growth rate of containing it. I can’t even set hoof outside the sealed hallway leading into this room without the limb almost rupturing from magical build up within it.”
Spike weighed in at this point. “Don’t forget the fact that even in this area cut off from ambient magic you still regenerate magic so fast you have to go out of your way to bleed it out but this isn’t going to remain viable for much longer.”
The jeweler considered this situation for a moment. “Have you considered using something to augment your ability to hold magic? I don’t mean just a shunting it into a battery but rather jewelry that could sap away your regenerating magic faster than your body takes it in?”
“Is that possible? I’m rather familiar with enchantments and various methods of transferring and containing energy but I have never ran across anything that could do this outside of something made by Tirek that I’d rather avoid using.”
“I have a friend who I could get in contact with who knows all about gems. If I ask her she may know of a gem that could do most of that work on its own. Even if she doesn’t she may know of something that could do better than this room at least.”
“Then please do contact her. If you need anything my resources are available to you. Simply notify Spike and we will make it happen.”
The three began to talk to each other well into the evening tossing theories and ideas back and forth on how to make Twilight not a ticking weapon of magic destruction. At the end of the night and on her way home Rarity had realized that she would try to do this. Not for her reputation or for wealth but simply because she found herself having enjoyed the conversation this night. She did not have many real friends here in Canterlot and this looked like it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.