Patience is a Virtue

by Linkinshire

Fortitude

Fortitude

The day is beautiful. The air is cool but not quite holding the same bite as the winter gales of previous weeks. It's finally warming again. The sun is shining brightly and today it is exactly where it belongs in the sky, not too close and not too far. The Pegasi have done a lovely job clearing the clouds as well. The poor weather ponies had been suffering as of late, having to battle through the cold to keep control of the unruly weather.

Rarity rather hopes that it wasn't and isn't so cold as that where her dearest is. She hopes that it's slightly cool with a gentle breeze, the perfect kind of weather for her.

“Rarity...”

She opens her eyes slowly, looking over to the source of the voice and she cannot for the life of herself make head nor tails of Twilight's expression.

“I think- I think I've done it,” The alicorn says, her voice full of wonder and her eyes tired. Rarity's blinks at her, confused. “I think I've found a solution...” Twilight adds then she pauses, hesitating in the midst of her bewilderment. “I think I can stop the war.”

Rarity's umbrella clatters to the ground and a violet hoof rests on her shoulder, steadying her as she gasps, her heart trembling with anxiety and reluctant hope. She takes a deep breath to calm herself then releases it slowly.

“Darling... That sounds absolutely wonderful... but how?” She says, asking because she must and Twilight smiles at her, weary but enthusiastic.

“Well, it's kind of simple really.”

And Rarity knows from those words that it most definitely is not simple but she doesn't care in the slightest because Twilight wouldn't say this if she wasn't certain. She wouldn't raise hopes only to crush them again if she hadn't checked a thousand times over that whatever plan she's created will work.

That is why Rarity can sit and listen to Twilight talk without fidgeting with impatience. It's real, it's going to be over and she wait a little longer...

Luna stands in the center of the library, her expression consisting of stony faced determination despite all that she has been through and she has been through much. Twilight takes plate after plate of carefully and painstaking crafted iridium coated titanium and fits it all together over Luna's lithe form until next to none of her is showing other than her head, her ethereal mane and tail and her hooves. The last is remedied a moment later as she steps onto a pair of gleaming horseshoes.

Twilight's horn glows briefly, her magic encasing the hoofwear momentarily then the magic dies down and Luna knocks one hoof against the floor a few times to test the spell. It's a fairly simple one that should ensure that the shoes remain on and continue to add to Luna's rather impressive punch.

It took Rarity an awful lot of time and magic to get it right; many hours were spent trawling over blueprints and through blacksmith parchments in the hopes of finding a solution. The answer had been rather unsatisfying in that the basic of it seemed to be that you had to hit it... very, very hard and make it very, very hot. The chosen metals certainly weren't the easiest to work with and armour was not something she'd ever have been expected to make come a year or so ago. But alas, she has done, and this set, though her finest, is most definitely not her first and likely not her last.

“I commend thee, Rarity. You have done splendidly,” Luna says with sincerity.

“Thank you, Luna,” Rarity replies with a small and tired smile.

“And to you as well, Twilight Sparkle. These spells are some of the most stable we have felt since our return.”

“It was an honour,” Twilight replies as she adjusts a plate slightly to better cover Luna's throat. Twilight has worked endlessly to ensure maximum strength in those spells and Rarity can only hope that she herself done a good enough job of helping to keep Luna safe. The things she's seen are enough to wear upon her without physical injury being a primary concern.

Rarity hopes that the use of the iridium is worth the work, it should, if nothing else, withstand the temperatures which typically melt most other metals and everypony is well aware of how important that is...

“Is Spike here?” Luna questions and Twilight glances upstairs, concern rising in her eyes.

“He's sleeping. He's been working late with me in testing the armour's resistance to dragonfire,” She explains, her voice lowering a tad and Luna nods understandingly. Rarity has to resist the compulsion to go up the stairs and check on her favourite dragon.

He shouldn't have been forced into this mess at such an age...

But she has work to do and waking Spike just to ease her worries won't help him at all.

“I have something for you, Luna. I hope you don't mind,” She says instead, partially to distract herself and partially because she needed to mention it soon anyway. She levitates her saddlebags into her hooves, dismissing the headache and pain in her horn that the motion creates. She searches briefly then removes a necklace from within. It holds a vial which contains a collection of colourful powders, all of which remind Rarity briefly of their prismatic maned friend. She pushes the thought back in favour of offering it to Luna. The co-ruler of Equestria takes it carefully in her hooves and peers into the vial.

“I took the liberty of putting together something of a good luck charm for you, Luna. Those crystals are deemed to help keep the wearer safe by the word of a few ancient tomes I acquired..." Rarity explains and seeing Luna's raised brow, she smiles gently and glances over to Twilight. "I was informed from a reliable source that you're rather wary of bad luck,” She explains and Luna returns it, if only slightly and looks over to Twilight momentarily.

“We are...” She confirms with a nod before she ties the thread around her neck securely with a thin stream of magic.

“It also doubles as something of a backup plan. If things get... uncomfortable, then all you need to do is pull the cork and let it drop to the ground... Then leave the vicinity quite quickly, it tends to be rather volatile,” Rarity says. 'Rather volatile' is, in all honesty, somewhat of an understatement. It tends to-... well, for lack of a better term, explode... Quite a lot.

“You have my thanks again, Rarity.”

The alabaster mare bows to her daintily with another smile.

“Anything for a friend.”

Luna's smile becomes a little more alive and the stars in her mane sparkle in her eyes, a fresh gleam of vigour within them as she squares her shoulders then tucks the vial safely beneath her breastplate.

“So... what was this I heard about... 'liquid Pinkie Sense', was it?” She prompts and Twilight grins, her tired eyes suddenly far more awake and brimming with building enthusiasm.

“It's our secret weapon, Luna,” She says. “It's how we're going to win.”

Author's Note:

I'm rather terrible at writing multi-chapter fiction so my apologies for the quality. I often have trouble structuring plot lines and sticking to them. I also felt it necessary, as this chapter is where things begin to happen, that I had to fill in many of the blanks presented in the first. I hope it hasn't damaged the flow too badly.
And please do forgive me if I have any of the science wrong when it comes to the metalwork but the metals I chose held the properties I wanted and I thought, 'well, it's magic!' and so decided it wouldn't be entirely improbable.

Thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated.

Comments

[Lucas]

..So, before you continue.. even though I don't predict movement or pattern of a fiction. Perhaps, you will add background as to what started the war?

[Mattricole]

I knew it was a war! Good chapter, but Lucas is right, it would be nice to see more back story told in the form of flashbacks.

[Linkinshire]

2796735
Don't worry, that will all come soon, I assure you.

[Linkinshire]

2796806
Backstory will certainly be on it's way in future chapters.

[Lucas]

Um, sorry but how should we read the accompanying story.

As in should we read this then read the other (Consecutive Updates, In Sync updates)

Or, should we read this to the end then read the accompanying?

[Linkinshire]

2800064
My apologies for not explaining properly.
They should be read at the same time, though this one will be considerably shorter and so the other should continue on after it. The ending will likely occur on this story after the other is finished.
I hope that makes sense. Do let me know if it doesn't and I'll try to clarify as best I can.