Act II:
“Who Are You”
Chapter Thirteen:
“Bonding/Sheer Heart Attack”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes opened to the sound of the television, which had apparently been left running.
“InuYasha! Come back here! Sit boy!” the mare shouted on the television, and there was a comical crashing sound from the television as Sweetie Belle’s eyes blinked sluggishly. She felt around, noticing an empty space on the bed where somepony had been sleeping.
She propped herself up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she looked around the room.
I must have fallen asleep in Rarity’s room… she thought, sitting up on the bed properly. She looked at the television to see the brightly colored cartoon characters running about, jabbering adimately. Memories of the day before came shuffling back, and Sweetie Belle bit her lip slightly.
I’d better apologize to Rarity, she thought. I probably caused her a bunch of trouble for staying over. Sweetie slid off the bed, quietly shutting the television off, and heading out the bedroom and down the hallway. She entered the living room, looking around.
“Hello? Anypony home?” she called out, surprised by the empty nature of the house. During the few times she had stayed over, she’d always remembered the mornings being busy, with Written Script usually busy working on breakfast. But now the house seemed empty, with no one there besides herself.
“Written? You there?” she called out, peeking her head through the various places where Written usually frequented. Nothing.
Maybe Rarity’s working in the lab… Sweetie thought, walking down the hall towards the lab. She wondered if the events of yesterday would make any difference between her and Rarity. She was tired of fighting with her, tired of getting yelled at. She ended up in front of the door, and, just as she’d suspected, muffled music was playing from behind the doors. She looked down at the welcome matt, internal pondering why Rarity felt the need for such a thing inside a house. Sweetie looked back at the door, and lifted a hoof tentatively, preparing to knock on the door.
Maybe she’ll let me in now. Sweetie thought hopefully, remembering how Rarity finally seemed to warm to her, even going as far as to eat some ice cream with her. Maybe that meant things had changed. Sweetie hoped that maybe,the two of them having finally found some common ground, Rarity would be a little more flexible with her. With that hope in mind, she began to knock. It was a brief one, and she didn’t want to ruin any of the paint on the door by knocking too hard. She waited for a response.
Nothing.
Sweetie’s shoulders sagged slightly. A part of her wanted to turn back, and go watch television, and just live with the status quo. But...I don’t want to, she thought, looking down at the ground. I want things to change. I want stuff to be different.
She took a breath, reaching up to the door again. Her finger paused, when she caught sight of the small button. She scrunched her eyebrow slightly. Who has a doorbell on a door inside their house? she thought, before reaching out to press the button. There was a muffled buzzing sound, and Sweetie Belle felt her lips turn upwards in a slight smile. So, she pressed it again.
Nothing. The music still continued just as loud as before, apparently none the wiser to the doorbell. Sweetie Belle huffed. She looked over at the glass plate built into the wall, with the words ‘Palm Scanner’ printed on the top. She reached a hoof out, pressing it against the screen. A small light appeared, not unlike that of a photocopier, and ran down the length of her palm. There was a brief pause before a harsh buzzing sound came from a small speaker.
“Palmprint not recognized. Entry unauthorized” A computerized voice stated dully. Sweetie Belle’s expectant expression collapsed.
“Stupid scanner…” Sweetie Belle muttered, flopping down onto the welcome mat. She felt something poke her in the flank, causing her to let out an involuntary yelp. She looked down at the welcome mat, raising an eyebrow. It was then that she noticed a small, oblong shape just barely poking up from underneath the matt.
Wait a sec… she thought, carefully moving the mat with her feet to reveal, hidden underneath, a small key. Attached to a small length of string was a piece of paper, with the words ‘Use if palm-scanner malfunctions’ printed in ornate purple cursive text.
Well that was unexpected, Sweetie thought, quickly putting the key into the lock and turning it. With a click, whurr and beep, the door popped open. The music’s volume dropped off, and the first sound Sweetie Belle was greeted with was Rarity’s voice.
“Who’s there?” Her sister called out, and Sweetie Belle swallowed.
Here goes nothing, she thought, before opening her mouth to speak.
“Um...it’s me, Rarity,” she said as she made her way to the bottom of the small staircase.
“Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?” Rarity called back, and Sweetie was greeted by the sight of Rarity turning around from the worktable, her labcoat covered in grease stains and goggles perched over her horn. In her magic, and still glowing faintly, was what looked like a welding torch. A lit cigarette was in her mouth.
Sweetie Belle took a slight step backwards, opening and closing her mouth slightly, already feeling as if she were walking on very thin ice. “Well, I, um, kinda wanted to say th-thanks for sti-sticking up for me yesterday…”
Rarity’s expression, which had been vaguely critical, became somewhat puzzled. “Well, you’re welcome, Sweetie,” Rarity said, before putting the cigarette out in an ashtray. “Is there anything else you want?” she asked, turning back towards whatever she was working on.
“Can I stay here?” Sweetie Belle asked, and Rarity looked over her shoulder.
“What do you mean ‘stay here’? You mean the house?” she asked, eyebrow arched.
Sweetie Belle took a breath. “Um-well, uh, no, I meant, here, with you in the lab,” she then braced herself, dreading the response Rarity might concoct.
Rarity’s expression soured for a moment. “Why? Don’t you have television to watch? I even left it on for you.”
Sweetie Belle pawed at the floor. “Um, well, I kinda already saw that episode...seven times…”
Rarity’s shoulders visibly sagged somewhat. “I see.” her expression was muddled, as if she were internally debating something. Sweetie Belle let out a sigh.
“I guess not then,” she said quietly, turning to walk up the stairs. “I’ll leave you alone. I’ll probably just screw something up anyways…” She started up the stairs slowly, head hung low.
Who are you kidding, Sweetie? She’d never let you stay. You’re lucky she didn’t scream her head off at you for breaking in. she thought glumly. Just go back to your room and--
“Sweetie, wait,” Rarity called out, and Sweetie Belle halted. She looked back to see Rarity standing behind her, her expression noticeably emotional.
“I’d just like to apologize. I’ve been... an absolutely abhorrent pony to you my whole life, and, well, I’m trying to change,” Rarity said, her voice halting and emotional. “And, um, yesterday, what with that whole fight with…” she practically spat the word out, “her, I kind of realized that, really, I’m treating you exactly like she did, and, well, that got me thinking,” she fiddled with a pen she held aloft in her magic. “And I realized that you’ve never done anything to me--to deserve such treatment from me. I mean, I went on and on about changing myself to those cameras, but I was still treating you exactly how I did before--well--before all of this craziness in my life. And I want that to stop. If I’m going to be a better pony, I’d might as well start right here, at home right?” she let out a long sigh, rubbing her eyes. “Do you forgive me?”
Rarity was greeted by Sweetie Belle practically throwing herself the five feet or so to embrace the older mare in a shockingly tight hug. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes I forgive you!”
“Really? That fast?” Rarity asked, blinking in shock. Sweetie Belle simply nodded. Rarity felt that strange empty feeling her chest, one that had still plagued her ever since she got home, fill up just a little more. She found herself returning the hug just as tightly, and the two simply sat there, hugging each other tightly for Sweetie Belle’s grip tightened, and Rarity shifted slightly. As much as she appreciated her sister just forgiving her so quickly, she didn't want to die of strangulation.
Fortunately, that was when Written Script entered the room. “Hey Rarity, did you leave the door open?” he asked aloud, coming to a stop when he saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle.
“Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I take it she found the key under the matt?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yup.”
Rarity looked at Written Script. “Which is a rather odd occurrence isn’t it? I have it on good authority that the key was, quote ‘never ever in forever going to be found--ever.’” she gave Written a knowing grin. Written let out a sigh.
“Well, it hasn’t been found until now, so it’s not like I was exactly lying. Anyways, I had suggested hiding the keys in that ficus you have sitting right next to the doorway.”
Rarity’s eyebrows drooped. “I thought I got rid of that last year?”
“I put him back, he really brought the room together.” Written said glumly.
Rarity rolled her eyes, and turned back to her worktable. She motioned for Written Script to come over, and looked down at Sweetie.
“Sweetie give me a moment please, just sit over there by the coffee machine.” she pointed towards the machine, and Sweetie Belle nodded, turning and walking away, a little downcast. As soon as she knew Sweetie was out of earshot, Rarity turned back to Written.
“Written, aren’t you supposed to be going to talk to the board today? I thought we talked about this this morning,” she said quietly.
Written Script nodded. “No, I know, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything before I left. I was heading out, saw the door, and figured I’d come check.” he then smiled. “I see you took my advice about Sweetie Belle.”
“Yes, yes I did. No use holding the grudge anymore right?” she answered contently, looking towards Sweetie Belle, who was idly fiddling with the plastic espresso cups. She frowned. “I’d better get back to work. I don’t want Sweetie getting wired on espresso.”
“That’d be a horrifying sight, now wouldn’t it,” Written shot back with a wry smile. Rarity gave him an unimpressed look.
“Just make sure the board approves the order for materials, okay?” she said, unamused.
“Sure thing. If anything, I’ll say you’re working on a new prototype or something.” Written answered, jotting something down on his clipboard.
“That’s my boy,” Rarity nodded, giving him a pat on the back. “Now off you go, you know I hate being watched while I work.”
“Sure thing.” Written chuckled, turning to trot out of the workshop. He passed Sweetie Belle, deftly pulling an already filled cup of espresso out of her hooves and downing it one shot. He then crumpled up the small plastic cup and plopped it into the wastebasket. “You’re not old enough,” he added with a smile, and Sweetie Belle huffed.
“Why doesn't anypony let me drink coffee?” She wondered aloud.
Suppressing the shudder of fear of the potential national disaster that might occur lest the filly have access to the hyper caffeinated beverage, Rarity motioned for her to come to the worktable.
“Come on, I was just working on a pair of boots.”
Sweetie Belle arched an eyebrow. “Boots? What kind of boots?”
Rarity motioned to the table. “These,”
Sweetie looked at the alleged boots curiously. While they did look like they would fit over a ponies fore leg, they didn’t really look like boots. They looked more like...
“Are those rockets?” she asked, pointing towards the complex mess of wires that surrounded a softly glowing metal disk. Rarity shook her head.
“No, that’s not a rocket. It’s an anti-gravity repulsor device,” Rarity said proudly, pushing her reading glasses up her face slightly.
“So it’s a rocket.” Sweetie Belle insisted, looking back up at Rarity. Rarity blinked.
“I...suppose...in laypony terms, yes, it’s somewhat akin to a rocket, yes--”
“But how is it powered” Sweetie asked, tilting her head. “I mean, something that small can’t really carry much, unless it’s output is, like, really really powerful. And if it did have that much power, then it’d need a ton of fuel.”
Rarity blinked. “How did you figure that?” she asked, shocked that Sweetie had such an intimate knowledge of rocketry. Sweetie shrugged.
“I read about it. I always liked rockets.”
“Well...okay then,” Rarity said, not sure how exactly to continue the conversation. She really is smart, she thought, now feeling an extra dollop of guilt for her past actions being dropped on her. She blinked again, clearing away the thoughts. New start Rarity, it’s a new start. Now you know something about Sweetie Belle. Keep it up.
“Um, right, um, the power supply, that’s what you wanted to know about right?” she asked, and Sweetie nodded. Rarity put a pen to her chin. “Well, I’ve been doing some preliminary sketches, um, most likely I’m just going to use this,” she tapped the glowing diamond in her chest. “For the power source, but I first want to see if all the systems are working correctly.”
Sweetie frowned. “But, don’t you need that to keep you from, ya know...dying?”
Rarity’s expression briefly grew worried, but she shrugged it off. “Well, I know that this is producing at least three gigajoules per second, so I’m pretty sure it can handle the rocket.”
Sweetie Belle paused, nodding her head slightly. She looked over at the computer screen. “What’s the suit for? You gonna go kick the flanks of the guys that ponynapped you?”
Rarity looked at the screen, the fact that the suit’s schematics had been displayed there having completely slipped her mind. She wondered what Sweetie thought.
“Uhhh…” she involuntarily said, unsure of how to continue. Now hearing her own motivations coming from another pony’s mouth, made them sound somewhat selfish. Like some kind of immature school filly who wanted to beat up a bully.
Nonsense Rarity! They deserve whatever you plan on doing to them. They shot a hole in your chest, locked you in a cave, tortured you, and killed your only friend. They deserve the very worst. Her mind told her. Anyways, it’s not like you were the only one who got hurt. They killed both Kili and his family. And nopony did anything about it. It’s up to you to avenge him.
“Rarity? You okay?” Sweetie Belle’s voice snapped her back to the real world. Rartiy nodded slightly.
“Um, yes, yes I’m fine. What were you saying?”
“I was saying that I think what you’re doing is really cool.”
“You do?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. Sweetie Belle nodded.
“Yeah. I mean, they hurt you right? I know that if I could, I’d totally go and kick their flanks.”
Rarity tilted her head slightly. “You would do that?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yup. You’re my sister, and that means I stick up for you. That’s what sisters do right?”
Rarity felt a tear come to her eye. Even in spite of all the meanness and, at times, downright cruelty Rarity had shown Sweetie Belle, Sweetie still thought of her as a sister. She smiled, and dropped her welding mask back into place as she lit her torch and cut into a sheet of metal, sparks flying.
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Across Town
Light Bright hissed in pain as sparks from the welding torch burned at his skin. He simply shrugged off the sparks, instead keeping his attention focused on the small, glowing crystal that was laying before him. Fifteen hours of non-stop labor, and he had finally done it.
“Yes...a working independant mana generator…” he giggled, running a hoof through his mane to brush it out of his field of vision as he carefully placed the crystal into the stainless steel housing. His magic was weakened by the hours of work, but he didn’t care. Just one small spell, and he would finally be recognized as the genius he undoubtedly was. He held his breath as his horn glowed softly and the whole assembly before him lit up with a soft blue glow.
“I DID IT!” he cackled, shooting his hooves into the air as he let out a loud whoop of enthusiasm.
“Did what?” Came a familiar voice, and Light Bright spun around to see Fancy Pants standing in the doorway, his eyebrow raised critically.
“Mr. Fancy Pants!” Light Bright stammered, “Yo-you’re here!”
“Yes. Yes I am. Let me see it.” Fancy Pants stated plainly, already walking towards the table. Light Bright slid to the side, allowing Fancy to observe the reactor. Fancy Pants at first, said nothing, instead carefully scanning and inspecting the device. His eyebrows lowered over his eyes, and he adjusted his monocle slightly.
“What is this shit?” he said with almost horrific bluntness, peering at Light Bright with palpable disappointment. Light Bright blinked, completely at a lost.
“Um..excuse me sir?” he asked meekly, lowering his head slightly. Fancy Pants let out a grumbling sigh, motioning towards the diamond.
“I asked ‘what is this shit’. This,” he held the diamond up in his magic. “Is most certainly not what I requested.”
“B-But Mr. Pants, I did exactly what you asked--I gave you a mana reactor,” Light Bright replied meekly, taking a step back slightly as his anxiety overtook him.
Fancy Pants rolled his eyes. “Don’t take me for a fool, Dr. Bright. I can tell just by looking at this--glorified pebble that it only has a fraction of the mana energy that Rarity was able to harness. Do you wish to know why I know this?”
Light Bright simply stammered, words failing him.
“Fine then, I’ll inform you, since you obviously don’t have enough independent thought to deduce it for yourself. When I was standing next to Rarity, I could actively feel the mana from the reactor at the base of my horn. You’re a unicorn aren’t you? You should know first hoof that, the more mana an object contains, the easier it is for one’s cranial mana fluid to sense it. And, quite frankly Dr. Bright, mine was buzzing.” he then held the diamond in front of Light Bright’s face. “This on the other hoof, barely gave me a tingle. I want a buzz, not a weak, spineless, simpering tingle.”
Light Bright took a deep breath, and rubbed the back of his neck furiously. “B-But, sir, I d-did my very best with what you’ve given me--”
“Do better! Might I remind you that Rarity made hers in a cave? She made it with a piece of rock attached to a stick. I , on the other hoof, give you the most advanced laboratory in Equestria, and you can’t even make a power battery good enough for a wind up colt’s toy!”
Light Bright stammered, looking around at the reference photographs Fancy had provided for some kind of excuse. “W-well…”
“Well what, Dr. Bright?”
“Well, Miss Belle’s reactor utilizes her body’s latent magical field to create a reciprocating feedback loop--”
“So? What does that mean?” Fancy interrupted, his tone harsh.
“It means that the magical field within her own body is fed through the diamond and the vibranium in the reactor to create an energy field that is two hundred percent more powerful than if it were not in her body.”
Fancy blinked. “You mean that if you were to place this very reactor into somepony’s chest, it would enhance the energy?”
Light Bright nodded mutely.
“Do you have a way to recreate that without open heart surgery? Because if I were to try to weaponize this rock, I’d have to find a much easier method of power enhancement yes?”
Light Bright opened and closed his mouth dumbly for a few moments, desperately searching his mind for a solution. He mentally scanned through dozens of his own projects, especially the ones he knew were meant to enhance natural mana levels.
“I have it!” he blurted out, a brilliant smile exploding across his face. “A helmet!”
Fancy squinted slightly. “What?”
Light Bright rolled his chair over to the table, pulling out a pen and quickly drafting up a rough sketch. “I can use another design of mine...it’s a clamp that is attached to the horn of the user, and, when coupled with the pony’s natural mana levels, is designed to enhance it at least one hundred times over. All I need to do is modify the designs to better accommodate a gem of that size, most likely in some sort of vest worn on the chest…” he then rolled back slightly. “And there you go,” he finished, revealing a rather simplistic looking design. A small clamp was attached to the horn of the unicorn, and running from it were several cables of various sizes, which all linked to the large vest the unicorn was wearing. In the center of the vest, surrounded by a metal ring, was a glowing diamond, not unlike the one that Fancy held in his magic.
Fancy was silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating the design. “And what advantages would this present?”
Light Bright swallowed, motioning towards some jotted down calculations. “Um, well, like I said, it’s a magic amplification clamp. It goes on the horn of a unicorn, and enhances any spell the unicorn is creating at least twenty times over. If coupled to a sufficiently powerful source, such as the gem, it can enhance it by at least two hundred times.”
Fancy was again, silent for a moment, before he clapped a hoof on the floor sharply, causing Light Bright to jolt. “Excellent. Get to work on it immediately. Get it out by Friday.” he then spun around, walking towards the exit, a dazed Light Bright left dumbstruck in his chair.
“B-But, Mr. Pants, I haven’t had any rest since Wednesday, can I at lea-”
“Nonsense. If you can craft that pebble from raw materials in fifteen hours, then you can make a vest and a clamp in a week. You rest when you’ve accomplished your job, my friend; I expect nothing less.”
“B-Bu-”
“But nothing, Dr. Light. If you wish to gain that precious amount of respect you so obviously lust for, I suggest you haul flank and get to work. Or I shall have to find another means of achieving my goal. Good evening.” And with that, the door to the laboratory slammed shut, leaving Light Bright alone again.
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“Okay, tie that wire there,” Rarity said, motioning at the spot where the wire Sweetie held was supposed to go. Sweetie nodded, tying the wire into place, which was a small metal ring that they had (very gently), welded into place on the metal ring that surrounded Rarity’s diamond arc.
“You sure about this?” Sweetie asked, her expression concerned as she took a step back to look at Rarity. Rarity nodded.
“Yes of course I am. I did the math--which is always right--and the gem should support the energy output necessary for powering the gauntlet without any real harm towards me,” she stated confidently. “So, yes, I am sure. Now,” she slipped the gauntlet on, flexing her foreleg to adjust to the odd feeling of having it completely covered in a sleeve of steel. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
With those words, her horn glowed, and the glow of the diamond brightened as well. At the time of the gauntlet, a ring of white appeared, increasing in brightness with each passing second. A huge grin broke out across Rarity’s face.
“Wha-ha-ha-ha!” she cheered, “I’ve done i--” her celebration was cut off by a sudden low drone coming from her chest, coupled with the feeling of her chest tightening like a vice was crushing her ribcage. She let out a croak, and her vision started to go dark. Next thing she knew, she was falling sideways, slamming to the floor with a smash. As her vision faded in and out, she saw Sweetie Belle practically leap from her place by the table, and practically rip the gauntlet off of her arm and toss it away, pulling the wires attached to the diamond arc with it.
“Rarity! Rarity you alright!” Sweetie cried out, rolling a gasping Rarity over onto her back and leaning over her, her eyes wide with panic. Rarity gasped and heaved, her hoof sloppily yanking the last of the cables off of the diamond arc. As soon as she did so, the droning noise stopped, and she felt her energy returning to her.
There was a long stretch of fearful silence, broken only by the sound of Rarity’s deep, heaving breaths as she slowly recuperated. Sweetie sat next to her, tensely nibbling at her nails, her eyes darting between the gem and Rarity’s face. After several minutes, Rarity finally felt as if her energy was back, the crushing pain in her chest having finally ebbed away.
“Well--*gasp*--I think that could have gone a little better--*cough*” Rarity finally said, letting out several coughs as she motioned for Sweetie to prop her into a sitting position. Sweetie was visibly teary-eyed as she slid Rarity upright and clutched her tightly.
“Are you dying?! Are you okay?!” The filly asked, once again panicky looking over Rarity. Rarity shook her head, still taking deep breaths.
“No, no, I think I just--*gasp*--miscalculated a tad bit. It seems I was wrong about our little crystalline friend here,” she let out a whispery chuckle as she gently motioned towards the gem. “Apparently, three gigajoules is nowhere near enough energy for powering the gauntlet.” She motioned for Sweetie to help her stand up.
“Are you sure you’re alright? You nearly died!” Sweetie said, her voice having calmed somewhat, but still obviously frightened. Rarity nodded.
“Yes, yes, i’m quite alright now--just give me a moment to catch my breath and the gem should do the rest…” she said, finally standing upright and leaning against the worktable for support. She took another couple of breaths, and she could feel the regenerative properties of the gem steadily building her energy back. “See? All fine and dandy now,” she finally said, brushing herself off and sitting down.
Sweetie walked up to her, looking between the gem and the discarded gauntlet. “So...what do we do now?” she sat down next to Rarity, who pulled out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling slowly.
“I don’t know Sweetie,” Rarity finally said, having been silent for a few moments. “I honestly don’t. I mean, my calculations were perfectly correct...” she mused, furrowing her brow as her eyes drifted back and forth between the gauntlet and gem.
“I mean, it’s either the boots or the reactor...” her voice trailed off. “Unless…” She glanced at the diamond in her chest, the gears in her head turning. Without saying a word, she stood up, trotting over to the Mana Meter, and deftly attaching the black and red cables to her reactor.
“What? Half a gigajoule?” she muttered, leaning in closer to the display and reading the numbers on the small screen. Her eyebrows raised as the realization hit her. “Oh of course! That’s why it’s not up to specs, silly!” she said, leaning back and facepalming. “You built it in a cave with a rock on a stick, of course it’s not up to specs!”
Sweetie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “So what’s the problem?”
“Simply put, when I was in the cave, I cut some corners. And now it seems they’ve come back to bite me.”
Sweetie blinked, her expression still as confused as before. Rarity bit her lip slightly.
“Right, Sweetie, when I made this,” she motioned towards the gem. “It’s first and foremost task was to keep me alive. However, once I saw it complete, I realized I had a way of escape. So, I set about crafting an armored suit to use in my escape--”
“Like Gundam?” Sweetie interrupted, causing Rarity to blink dumbly.
“Uh….I...suppose….whatever that means,”
“It’s an anime,” Sweetie shrugged. “They got these big robots that fight monsters in it.”
Rarity nodded slightly, still not quite understanding the reference. “Well, alright then, like that.”
“Then why didn’t you finish it?” Sweetie asked in a tone that Rarity could tell was only innocent curiosity, but caused Rarity’s memories of a bleeding Kili to come seeping back. Rarity’s expression grew somber, and Sweetie visibly grew uncomfortable.
“Oh...I forgot...your friend…” the filly said, looking down at the floor. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make--”
Rarity waved a hoof. “No, no, it’s not your fault. Curiosity can’t be helped.” she sighed, shrugging slightly as she sat down back at the worktable. “Either way, the gem obviously still has some major flaws. I suppose that’s to be expected. No need to worry though, thanks to you, we spotted the issue before something truly awful happened.”
“What do you mean ‘because of me’?” Sweetie asked, her eyes widening slightly. Rarity smiled, rubbing the filly’s head.
“Simple, you made me double check my work. On top of that, when I fainted, you were the one who helped get the gauntlet off, which probably saved me tons of work, and not to mention my life. Excellent work, if I do say so.”
Sweetie’s eyes were now as wide as saucers. “Really?” she asked in a whispered, awestruck tone. Rarity nodded again.
“Yes. Really,” she then pulled Sweetie into a hug, closing her eyes. As she did so, several ideas popped up into her mind, coalescing and mixing in a vibrant cocktail of inspiration. Rarity’s eyes bolted open and she sat bolt upright, a brilliant smile on her face. “Idea!”
Sweetie meanwhile, suddenly felt the warm embrace come to an end and Rarity let go, only to blurt out the phrase and almost instantaneously hunch over the worktable, sketching fervently. Every so often, Rarity would mutter an expletive as her pencil broke or her pen went dry, tossing the object aside to replace it with a new one.
“Um...you okay?” Sweetie asked, taking a step backwards as Rarity nodded harshly, waving her away slightly.
“Yes, but please, I need room,”
Sweetie nodded slightly, taking a seat a few feet away as Rarity continued to sketch and plan in a wild fervor. After quite some time, and several dozen notepads later, Rarity let out a satisfied sigh and sat upright.
“Behold! The new and improved Diamond Arc Mana Reactor!” she said theatrically, waiving her hoof at the sketch before her. Sweetie walked over, looking down at what looked the same kind of gem Rarity already had in her chest, but with several dozen minor differences, such as a more refined carving style and a ring of metal around it.
“So what’s different?” she asked, looking up at Rarity. Rarity simply smiled, already trotting over to a large metallic crate labeled ‘Raw Gems’. She popped it open, pulling out what looked like one big diamond.
“The difference, Sweetie, is in the details,” Rarity answered, laying the heavy gem on the table and opening the drawers beneath to pull out what looked like jewelers tools. “Simply watch, and learn.”
And with that, she set to work carefully and steadily carving the large rock, Sweetie watching attentively.
////////////////////////
“Alright then,” Rarity said, leaning back in a chair, chest up. “Let’s do this,”
Sweetie shifted uncomfortably. “Um Rarity, I’m not really a nurse or an electrician. Are you sure I have to do this?? Written’s gonna be home in like a hour, so-”
“Sweetie,” Rarity interrupted, smiling slightly as she shifted slightly. “It’s fine. What’s important is that I trust you, and, on top of that, most of the hard work for this is already done.” She smiled reassuringly. “All you have to do, is unplug this old thing,” she motioned to the gem. “And plug in the new one. It’ll be easy.”
Sweetie rubbed the back of her neck. “But my telekinesis isn't all that good and-”
“That’s okay because I don’t want telekinetic grace. I want nimble fingers. And you have those, if all that wire attaching we did this morning was any indication.” While the compliment did bring a smile to Sweeties face, she was still shaking quite visibly. Rarity frowned, trying to think of a way to reassure the filly.
“Sweetie, you like to build erector sets correct?” Rarity asked and Sweetie Belle nodded.
“Well, this isn’t any different from that. It’s simply a case of unplugging it, and then plugging the other in. Just like the toys. That make you feel better?”
Sweetie Belle nodded slightly, looking a little more comfortable. “Okay...but can I have it in steps? Just in case?”
Rarity let out an involuntary huff. “Alright then, I’ll walk you through it. First, let’s gently unclip the clamps holding the old gem in place.”
Sweetie nodded, reaching over and gently unclipping the small clamps that were at each corner of the diamond. “Okay, now what?” she asked, looking back at Rarity. Rarity motioned towards the diamond.
“Grip the outer edge of the diamond with your hooves and pull. It should pop out with minimal effort.” Rarity instructed, and a tentative Sweetie did as she was told, pulling at the diamond with her hooves. With a ‘pop’ the diamond became unfastened. Rarity smiled at Sweetie, who looked positively beside herself with worry.
“Relax, you’re doing a great job, darling. Now, gently pick the diamond up.”
Sweetie swallowed, once more pulling at the diamond and lifting it into the air slowly. However, she didn’t get far, as it came to a sudden halt as a copper wire revealed itself. Rarity winced slightly at the sharp tug in the depths of her chest, and Sweetie let out a worried murmur.
“What’s that wire?” she asked, looking at Rarity with worried eyes. “Is it important?”
Rarity nodded slowly. “Yes, it is. But don’t worry, it’s just a magnet. It helps regulate the flow of electrons. All you need to do is detach it from the diamond.”
Sweetie nodded slightly, before peering under the diamond she held in her hooves. “How do I do that? It looks welded.”
Rarity motioned with a free hoof towards the hole in her chest. “The connection is down in here, just reach your hoof in.”
Sweetie swallowed, biting her lip furiously as she reached a hoof in. There was a strange squishing sound and Sweetie pulled her hoof out reflexively.
“Ewww…..what’s this goo?”
Rarity just shook her head. “Ignore it. It’s not goo, its just liquid mana discharge. It’s perfectly harmless. Now just stick your hoof down there and--”
Sweetie’s hoof shot into Rarity’s chest, her eyes shut tightly and, with a sharp yank, out popped a metal ring attached to the length of copper wire. Almost instantly, there was a loud cacophony of beeping and alarm sounds. Sweetie let out a panicked yelp, dropping the magnet to the floor in fear. Rarity felt her heart start to fibrillate wildly.
“What’s wrong?!”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Oh nothing, just me having cardiac arrest--”
“WHAT?!”
Rarity winced slightly, the pain in her chest quickly becoming unbearable. “Just stick the bloody thing back in!” she grunted, and Sweetie plopped the magnet back into Rarity’s chest cavity rather unceremoniously. Rarity ignored the lack of grace and instead beckoned for the new crystal.
“Now plug the new diamond in!”
Sweetie hastily grabbed the new diamond, and hectically attached the wire to the magnet, Rarity’s face contorted in pain the entire time. As soon as the diamond was connected though, it began to glow bright blue, and Rarity felt a cool, soothing aura being to flow from her chest. She smiled thinly at Sweetie, doing her best to remain calm despite her near death experience.
“Good job, good job,” she said, giving Sweetie a pat on the shoulder. Sweetie reached a hoof towards the diamond, which Rarity politely moved asides. “No, no, I’ll do this myself.” And with that, she clicked the diamond into place, a metallic click sounding across the room as she did so. She then refastened the clamps and let out a loud sigh of relief.
“See? Simple as pie,” she chuckled, taking a moment to breath and collect herself before sitting up. Her horn glowed, took the red and black cables from the Mana Meter and clipped them to the new diamond reactor. She carefully walked over to the display and smiled smugly.
“See? There we are, three gigajoules. Mission accomplished.” she then turned towards Sweetie, who had looked like she’d just run five miles.
“You did a great job Sweetie,” Rarity said proudly, tapping her sister on the back.
Sweetie wiped her brow. “You sure? You nearly died...again,”
Rarity scoffed. “Oh don’t worry about that, that’s all just a part of science. Taking risks is quite normal. Just one more little duty, and we can finally call it a day,” she said, motioning towards the clock on the wall.
Sweetie’s shoulders sagged somewhat. “What’s that? Don’t tell me we have to fix another thing?”
Rarity laughed. “Oh no, no, all we need to do, is get rid of this old thing,” she levitated the old, no-longer glowing diamond arc from off the floor where Sweetie had dropped it in the panic. “Just chuck it in my incinerator in the basement, and we’re good.”
Sweetie blinked. “You have an incinerator in your basement?”
Rarity nodded. “Yes indeed. Any old diamonds or gems go down there to get processed. That door right over there is what leads to it.” she indicated the metallic door on the wall that said ‘Incinerator’. “You can handle that right?” she said as she started for the stairs that lead to the living room.
Sweetie looked at the diamond, and then back at the exiting Rarity. “Uh...yeah, yeah I can handle that.”
“Excellent darling! If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen. I think I deserve a good glass of cider after all this…”
Sweetie wasn’t really paying attention to Rarity’s rambling by this point, instead focusing her attention on the diamond, which she discreetly picked up and slipped into a nearby plastic bag, which she bundled up tightly, carrying it out of the lab. She quietly walked down the hall, and into the guest bedroom, where, sitting on the bed where she left it, was her backpack.
“Maybe I can make something out of this.” she said quietly, stuffing the diamond inside and zipping the bag shut. Maybe something for Sisterhooves Social, she thought, a quick glance at the calendar on the wall confirming the date.
Yeah...something...something ‘Rarity’.
“Sweetie? Do you want some ice cream?” Came Rarity’s voice, distracting Sweetie from her thoughts.
“Coming Rarity!” she called back, hopping off the bed and closing the door behind her.