Dear Twilight (formerly delightful student),
Always good to hear from you. A sapient magic item? I have seen that before. You are already linked to one such thing, if you include the elements of harmony, which are now ingrained in the very living tree of harmony. Have you found another? While I am curious, you did ask your question first. I have no objection to any creature in my kingdom, even if they may lack a pulse or other things we might consider required to live.
So long as they obey the laws of the land and the place they live, and they come with friendship, why should I turn them away? Now, just in case, if you were considering creating such a thing, please don't. That path is filled with perils of both philosophic and practical natures and your time could be better spent on other projects.
On the other hoof, if you have simply located one, welcome them with open arms, but do gently dissuade whatever pony fabricated them. We should not get in the habit of creating people on a whim. It's a bad habit.Delighted to Hear From You,
Princess Celestia
Spike rolled up the scroll he had just finished reading. "And there it is." He hiked a brow at Twilight and Sunburst in turn. "So..."
"Thank you, Spike." Twilight took the scroll with her magic, tucking it away on a shelf. "That means the law won't be what decides this."
"I will be," came the voice in Sunburst's head. "Ugh, my fate decided by Celestia of all ponies, but at least she didn't get in the way. How the country hasn't fallen to pieces already is beyond me."
Sunburst canted his head faintly. "She's awake, and heard."
Spike rolled a small claw. "So is she doing it, or not?"
"Your dragon servant is completely lacking in etiquette... This is a momentous consideration... To start, a body. I can create one on my own, I've done the spell through you before. But the crown, me, doesn't make magic. It only focuses and channels it. I work with my wearer's magic."
Twilight was watching Sunburst. "She must be active, with how distracted you look."
"Very," he agreed with a quirked smile. "She's saying she could create her own body, but needs a source of magic power."
Twilight frowned a little. "I can imagine that would be an issue. Most magic items draw from the power of the pony they are being used by. A magic item that wants to use... itself, would have to resort to self-cannibalization, and that would hardly be productive for long. Hm." She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Or I could just stay here. Dear, for how little skill you had, you have a reasonable amount of power to draw from." Platinum's contentment echoed over the line easily. "Would that be so terrible?"
Sunburst flinched back. "I mean, you could, but you deserve better than that, Platinum."
"Princess Platinum," she sternly reminded him. "Are you going to find an even better royal consort for me to coach?"
Spike rubbed behind his head. "This is kinda weird. It's like there are four people here, but I can only see, or hear, three of them."
"Put the crown on and I can fix that for our pushy little dragon."
Sunburst hopped to his feet. "Sure. Where is her crown?"
With a sudden pop, Twilight summoned it from where it had been resting. "Right here."
"Fantastic." She took hold of Sunburst's horn and casually lifted the crown and drew it over. With it resting on his head, her voice became more clear. "That's more like it. Now..." The spell began, slowly forging the body of magic that would be Princess Platinum.
Spike cocked a brow at the sight. "I'm going to guess that isn't Sunburst doing that."
Twilight shook her head as she sat back down. "I should imagine not, but we'll soon be able to speak properly with who is in a moment."
Knowing what to do, the forged body didn't even have a chance to fall over before Princess Platinum hopped into it, blinking open her eyes. "There we are." She reached over and casually plucked the crown off Sunburst's head, popping it on her own. "It was made for a stallion, but it is still a crown."
Sunburst smiled as he settled back down, glad the strange sensation of someone else using his horn had faded. "It looks lovely on you."
"I can make any crown look good, dear. It's just a thing I do." She smiled confidently before turning towards Twilight. "Fellow Princess, you seem to be a source of many answers. What do you recommend?"
Twilight smiled radiantly, surprised that Platinum would consider asking her. "A self-filling magic item would be impractical, but something that can hold magic, far less so. You would need to have it refilled by unicorns when it started to run low."
Spike shrugged softly. "So you'll have to eat like the rest of us, you just eat magic."
Platinum tilted her head a little left, then right. "Well... That could be part of those fees Sunburst was mentioning."
"Fees?" Twilight shook her head. "I'm afraid I missed that conversation."
Platinum idly waved a hoof once towards Sunburst. "He recommended I offer my services as a stallion tutor with a considerable fee to dissuade uncouth souls from wasting my precious time. Including a 'refill' as part of that fee would also dissuade pegasi and earth ponies."
"And dragons?" Spike shrugged softly. "Not that I need advice on how to be a stallion."
Sunburst canted his head a bit to the right. "You sound happy about that. I mean, dissuading pegasi and earth ponies."
"And why shouldn't I be?" She rolled her eyes. "I know... it seems more common for the various tribes to intermingle, but I still prefer the company of fellow unicorns. That is just the way I am and I don't see that changing any time soon. Hmmph, as if I'd have much to discuss with a random mud pony or a bird brain."
Spike hiked a thumb towards the door. "And that's my cue to take this show on the road." He walked out with a loud whistled tune, the door slapped shut behind him.
Twilight smiled nervously. "You... really shouldn't call anypony either of those things."
"What, the truth?" She arched a brow at Twilight. "Really, dear, you know you're better." She suddenly stopped. "Wait, maybe you don't... Were you born like... that?" She gestured towards Twilight's wings.
"I was, and still consider myself to be, a unicorn, thank you. That doesn't change the point."
"Nor does it mine. You know unicorns are better. We're the ones with magic." She put a hoof on her chest. "Now, don't get me wrong. The other tribes have their place, of course they do, and they are delightful in their own, lesser, ways. I'm not suggesting we harm them or anything. It's just that if I were to spend time with a pony, why would I pick anyone not a unicorn?"
Sunburst stood up with a slow breath. "I'm not sure how to reply to that..."
"Fine fine, let's focus on the matter at hoof." She pointed one of those up at her crown. "You'll make a reservoir for magic, yes?"
Twilight smiled nervously. "I'll have to look into it. Since you've already gone through the effort of making a body, why not enjoy yourself for today?"
"Fabulous idea." Platinum fluttered her lashes at Twilight. "There is a lack of nobility in this town, but there is at least one pony I feel at least a small bit of connection with." She trotted for the door, closing it far more gently than Spike had.
Sunburst glanced after her. "Rarity?"
"Rarity," agreed Twilight with an awkward smile. "That got... interesting..."
"She's from a different time, literally." He rolled a hoof. "We literally tell cautionary tales about how the pony she's modeled after was so incredibly tribal she considered freezing better than getting along with the other tribes at one point."
"I thought she got better..." Twilight shook her head. "I mean, the tribes did come together during her lifetime."
"Out of necessity." Sunburst tilted his head. "It may have taken a few generations for it to really sink in. That first one... well, you have her." He gestured where Platinum had gone. "'They're perfectly lovely, so long as I don't have to deal with them.'"
Twilight made a face. "I can't say I'm sad those days are behind us. Now... that makes things tricky. Do we still set her loose on Equestria?"
Sunburst frowned at that. "Of course. I mean... she's still a pony and deserves our help, even if she has antiquated views. If we stopped her from living just because of that, we wouldn't be much better."
Twilight grunted with annoyance. "We need to make it perfectly clear that she just can't... say those things. It's awful. Can you imagine Fluttershy being called a 'bird brain' or Pinkie being called a 'mud pony'?"
Sunburst smirked a little. "Fluttershy might take it as a sort of compliment. She likes birds. Pinkie would correct you that she comes from proud rock farmers, not mud ones."
Twilight applied a hoof to her face, snorting softly. "You may have a point there, still, you just don't do that."
Sunburst shrugged softly. "Just telling her not to say what she thinks isn't really fixing anything though." He suddenly clopped his forehooves with a smile. "Why don't you make whatever reservoir you plan to make work with any tribe? If an earth pony or a pegasus can recharge it, she'll end up interacting with them a little."
Twilight tilted her head. "Which could go very poorly."
"It could." He shrugged. "But what can we do other than give her a chance? We should introduce her to the rest of the girls too. They're all heroes of Equestria, and more of them are not unicorns."
"That is true." She tapped her chin. "One of them is an ambassador as well, a royally appointed position."
Sunburst laughed at that. "She's also Pinkie, and you're the royal that appointed."
"That changes nothing," sang Twilight, sticking out her tongue. "And with Rarity there, she can help smooth things over. If even Rarity, prissy little lovable pony she is, can see the qualities in, say, Applejack, maybe she can help Platinum come around."
Sunburst rose to his hooves. "That all sounds great. How can I help?"
Twilight frowned a little. "The next step involves tricky spell work..."
"And tricky spell work requires exact knowledge." He raised a hoof. "Don't presume I can't help. You'll want a proper metal and gem combination that can hold the magic reliably and won't degrade with successive charges. I have a few ideas, but I'm going to defer to another pony that would know even better."
He leaned in a little. "It will also help with the other concern."
"Oh?"
"Not telling!" He trotted for the door with a cocky smile.
Twilight shook her head at his departing form. "Spike?!" she called out.
Starlight appeared instead. "He stepped out. What's up?" She glanced around suspiciously. "Already done studying?"
"We've changed projects, for the day at least." Twilight smiled a little. "Actually, you're perfect come to think. Sunburst is researching materials for this, but we'll need to create an enchantment that can reliably hold, release, and recharge with magic given by any pony of any tribe."
Starlight's brows raised together. "You want something that'll suck the power out of an earth pony? Why are we creating a Tirek spell?"
Twilight shook a hoof quickly. "From a willing pony. Ideally, the pony should have to specifically set out to give some of their power to it. It shouldn't harm the pony or hinder their natural regeneration of that power. It's a donation, not an attack. Are you up for the challenge?"
"Does Celestia raise the sun?" Starlight cocked a brow. "A magic challenge worth sinking my teeth into? Let's do this."