Fire Opals

Rarity tried not to pace anxiously in place as the two princesses stared at the finished set of armor. Before she could break the silence herself, however, Luna suddenly broke into a huge grin and stamped her hooves.

“Put it on, put it on, put it on!”

Relieved at the moon princess’ obvious glee and her sister’s resultant smile, Rarity let out the breath she’d been holding and lifted the cuirass off the ponyform. On it and the cuisses, the three largest fire opals had been shaved into center circles, ringed and patterned by the rune-carved clear opals and white opal chips to form reverse-color versions of Celestia’s cutie mark that set over her actual cutie marks and at the front and center of her chest.

Delicately, carefully, Rarity settled the pieces in place, fastening the latches of the cuirass under the princess’ wings after making sure they wouldn’t catch feathers. Other much smaller fire opals were nestled in the black mosaic of lightning opal chips, standing out as the forerunner stars of white chip constellations in the pattern. When she was finished with that, she went to strap on the cuisses, making sure the suns laid in place and the leather straps and metal buckles didn’t chafe or pinch.

“After Luna told me about Queen Sunsparkle, I was rather inspired,” she said as she worked. “Especially after I found records of the armor of the period and how they used the cutie marks of the wearers as enhancement. If I did this right, you should start feeling it becoming in tune to you as the pieces settle.”

“I believe I already am,” Celestia said, stretching out a wing to see how well she could move in the cuirass. “It’s rather warm… Like sitting in a sunbeam. I like it.”

“Oh.” Rarity bit her lip, trying to hold in the giddy swell in her chest as she picked up the two sets of golden shin guards. “That’s… that’s  good. Very good. Ah- the, um, the rune design is a shielding ward, but I attuned those for Princess Luna.”

“Hm?” Luna asked from her sister’s other side where she had been inspecting the constellations in the cuirass. “You did what now?”

“Well, I- I assumed you would know much more advanced shielding magic than I did, and you did say that you wanted to give your sister some support power…” Rarity said hesitantly. “I can change it if you don’t think it’s a good idea. I think there’s still enough ti-”

Celestia stopped her by putting a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “It’s a fine idea.”

“Indeed,” Luna said, coming around to take a better look at the runes. “Since I cannot go up to aid my sister myself, being able to provide her with shields is a good second best. May I?”

Rarity nodded and stepped back out of the way, and Celestia tilted her chin up to allow her sister more light. After a bit more inspection, Luna lit up her horn. “The spellwork looks good, but a test might be in order. What do you think, Sister? A thirty second shield, just to be sure?”

“I agree, but it might be best to wait just a minute until all the armor is on. Rarity?”

“The only absolute necessities are the cuirass and the cuisses. The shin guards are just extra protection and the helmet is an additional magical enhancement,” Rarity said, holding the guards tightly against her chest.

“Just the helmet, then,” Celestia said, and Rarity nodded, laying the guards down to fetch it. Unlike those that the castle guards wore, it fully covered the face, the ears sheathed in decorated gold with little hinges to allow movement and gold brows to protect the eye holes. The opening for the princess’ horn was ringed in a carefully drilled fire opal, and the entire upper helm was decorated in panels of white and black lightning opal chips. A carefully-guarded cut down the back allowed for the flowing mane to be drawn through- with some magical effort.

“You look fearsome, Sister,” Luna said, and it was hard to tell whether the grin on her face was joking or not. “But it is beautiful work,” she added, acknowledging Rarity, and she smiled in return, nodding gratefully at the compliment. “Shall we?”

“Go ahead,” Celestia replied, standing straight and flaring her wings, and Luna touched her glowing horn to one of the runes on her sister’s chest.

Rarity held her breath again.

One by one, each rune in the ring on the cuirass lit in a soft blue glow, and then each one on the left haunch, then the right. Then Celestia’s horn flared its bright sunny aura and all of the runes switched to match, before little beams of light shot out and coalesced into three discs that grew until they met and formed a protective globe around the princess.

After thirty seconds, it popped like a soap bubble, and Luna stamped her hooves again before hugging Rarity tightly. “Excellent.”

Rarity yelped at the tight squeeze, then started giggling almost hysterically. Shielding runes. A ward spell. A fully-functioning ward spell. She’d done it. She’d never done any kind of magic that complex before, and to pull something like that off on the first try-

Luna set her back on her hooves, and only then did she realize her eyes were wet and her laughter was turning a little watery. “I’m sorry, your highnesses, I don’t know what’s come over me. I-”

Mindful of the armor’s catching bits, Celestia wrapped a foreleg around her and pulled her into a warm hug. Hiccuping a little and glad she’d foregone makeup for the day, Rarity buried her face into soft warm fur until she could get herself back under control. “Thank you,” she mumbled against the princess’ neck.

“Thank you,” Celestia said gently in her ear. “I knew I was making the right choice when I asked you to take this project, but you have gone above and beyond anything I could have expected. This is a stunning work in both its function and its beauty.”

Rarity pulled back, trying to hide a small sniff behind her hoof. “May I stay to see it finish its job?”

Celestia smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. “I would be honored, my little pony.”

===

After triple checking to make sure that there would be no interference with the magic, Rarity opted to send Kibitz for some filling and polish to coat the armor with. After all, it wouldn’t do for something as small as a snared ethereal hair to hinder all the work she’d put into the gem work she’d done on the armor. A few coats to make everything even and give it some extra sheen wouldn’t hurt.

Humming to herself, she carefully worked the filling into every nook and cranny and crack, a feeling of contentment and pride settling in her mind as she tended to the armor.

Her most ambitious project for her most prestigious client, completed. How many ponies alive could say they’d built magical armor for an immortal princess? No famous name that she could think of, that was for sure.

Filling in the spelled cutie marks reminded her just what this commission was for, however, and her mood turned more serious. As pleased as Celestia and Luna had been, she still had to hope that her efforts would be enough, after all, or the entire world would pay.

===

The moon was high in the sky when she had finished polishing the last inch of the armor to a high mirror shine, and she levitated the ponyform behind her as she slipped out of her room. She hated to possibly wake Celestia up, but after a good half hour of debating it with herself, she’d decided it was best to deliver the final product when there were fewer ponies awake to catch her taking it through the halls.

With a mirror to help peek around corners -who said detective novels didn’t teach anything useful?- she tip-hoofed her way towards Celestia’s room. She was just about there when noises from behind the parlour door distracted her.

Visitors this late? Perhaps another emergency meeting like what Celestia had requested of her. It wasn’t very ladylike to spy, but her curiosity refused to abate. Just a teensy moment to find out what was going on wouldn’t hurt anything, would it? With a cautious glance around to make sure no one was coming, Rarity set down the ponyform and put her ear to the door, only to start back in surprise.

Twilight’s voice? In what sounded like an argument with Celestia?

Rarity swallowed nervously and took another hesitant step back from the door. Should she knock? Should she just go deliver the armor and duck back to her room before anyone was the wiser? It would probably be for the best if Twilight didn’t know she were here, so-

Before she made up her mind, the door opened and the decision was made for her as she froze, wide-eyed at the sight of her friend.

“Rarity? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, then her eyes narrowed.

Uh-oh.

Rarity attempted to magically push the armor back around the corner out of sight, but it was too late, and the purple alicorn rounded on her teacher, ears flat. “Her? You told her about all this and not me?”

It wasn’t like Rarity hadn’t asked something similar when she’d been given the assignment, but the underlying derision in Twilight’s voice  stung, and her own ears laid back in anger at the insult. “Now you see here, Twilight Sparkle-”

“Girls.”

There was just enough stern undertone in Princess Celestia’s voice that both of them went very still. And when the sun princess motioned them into the parlour, they meekly went, heads low like chastised foals and Rarity tugging the armor behind her.

“Now, Twilight, as I’ve already explained, the reason I did not bring you into this project is because of the exact reaction you’re having now. You are a brilliant magical mind, but you overthink and overstress and I did not want to put that additional burden on you when you already have so many duties keeping Equestria safe.”

“But you thought Rarity could help,” Twilight replied, and Rarity occupied herself with examining the armor to keep from reacting to the bitterness in her voice.

Celestia made a noise that sounded like a sigh, and Rarity chanced peeking over one of the wing fastenings to see the white alicorn regarding her former student with an expression of fond exasperation, one not unlike that she often gave Sweetie Belle when the latter wasn’t listening. “Tell me, Twilight,” the princess said. “Had I requested magical enhancement from you for this, what would you have done?”

Rarity looked in Twilight’s direction, careful to keep her interest hidden by the armor, and the other princess’ expression was startled, caught off guard. “Well… w-well, I…” Twilight said, evidently already running through a hundred options in her head at once. “There’s the Karabair Method, or the Narym Heirglyphs, or Copper Glow’s Fire Mane spell...I don’t even know where I’d begin to choose. And then there would have to be the empirical tests, and then running tests on you to see which methods work well together and which clash, and-”

And clearly Celestia’s point hit home when the other pony’s mouth closed with a practically audible snap. After a moment of silence, Twilight wilted a little. “And I could end up making us both exhausted or sick in the process of testing, and then we’d be in even worse shape than when we started.”

Celestia got up from where she had taken a seat and went to wrap a comforting foreleg and wing around her former student’s shoulders. Rarity chose to stay quiet in the background to let them work it out, pretending to still be fussing with the armor.

“Can’t I at least fly up with you in case something goes wrong?” Twilight asked, voice very small.

“I have every faith that with your talent and knowledge, you will cut the time it took Luna and I to survive the space vacuum in half, my dear Twilight,” Celestia said gently. “However, that is still fifty years.”

The crushed look on Twilight’s face made Rarity forget all her ire at her friend, and she quietly made a polite cough. “If I may?” she asked, and Celestia made an inviting motion for her to continue. “The helm has no shielding on it, just the arrangement of opals for enhancement. It probably wouldn’t hurt if somepony were to add a little additional protection, just to be safe.”

“Safety’s always important,” Celestia agreed, giving Twilight a little nudge. That earned a small, watery smile, and the smaller alicorn got up, coming over to look over the armor. Rarity moved out of the way, letting her scrutinize the constellation patterns -”All correct,” she wanted to say, but kept her mouth shut.- and the rune matrices in the cutie marks.

“How long have you been working on this?” Twilight asked, putting out a hoof to touch one of the runes.

“Just shy of a month, why?” Rarity asked, then squeaked when Twilight rounded on her, nose to nose.

“You designed and constructed a complete, functioning, accurate rune matrix in a month?! Why didn’t you ever study with me?!”

“Because I’m not a mage?” When it looked like Twilight might explode at that, Rarity quickly continued. “Twilight, darling, researching magical theory is your forte, not mine. The only reason I was able to manage at it this time was because it was for an important design. If I had to do it just for the sake of doing it, my eyes would probably cross five minutes in.”

Twilight backed up, expression calculating as she put a hoof to her chin. “That… makes sense. Your talent involves finding gems and using them in designs after all. And a piece like this…” she said, waving her hoof at the armor, still deep in thought. “It’s all coming together now. I.. I’m sorry I was so short, Rarity. I see why Celestia picked you for the job now.”

“All forgotten,” Rarity said, giving her friend a nuzzle. “Now how about we pick out that shielding spell?”

She noticed Celestia smiling faintly after them as they left.

===

Rarity genuinely hadn’t meant to fall asleep in the archives. But it seemed she’d gotten so used to having a pot of tea at hoof that without it, functionality had gone right out the window. She was roused by a wing nudging at her shoulder, and raised her head with a wide yawn. “Whazzit?” she asked, finding it was still mostly dark after she’d rubbed her eyes.

“After going over your notes, I think Cloud Dreamer’s Boon will be our best option,” Twilight said, a book cradled in her other wing. “It melds easily with other spells, takes only a few seconds to perform, and provides enhancement to other shields as well as acting as its own shield.”

“Excellent,” Rarity said, then tried unsuccessfully to smother another yawn. “I do hope it doesn’t need two horns to cast, though.”

“Just one.” Twilight offered her shoulder to lean on and Rarity gratefully accepted, as the walk from the archives back to the parlor was not a short one. On their way back, they both paused to watch the sisters lower the moon and raise the sun. Rarity felt her breath come a little shorter as the fiery orb climbed higher into the sky. It was a little nervewracking, knowing that there were only two days left before it would be time to do or die for her work.

“You okay?”

It would have been so easy to just smile and flip her hair, brush it all off with some airy retort. Maybe it was the exhaustion that had been creeping into her all month that spoke honesty for her instead.

“I’m afraid,” she admitted softly, then immediately regretted it when Twilight’s eyes widened. “I mean-”

“That you didn’t work hard enough,” Twilight said, expression softening, and Rarity nodded.

“The princesses keep saying my work is perfect, but if it’s not, Princess Celestia might die and the rest of us with her,” Rarity said. “The fate of the world is so much less terrifying when you’re carrying it as one of six.”

“I know.” Setting the book down on a fountain ledge, Twilight stepped forward and nuzzled her, wrapping her wings around her. “Believe me, I  know. That’s part of the reason I don’t like having to just sit by and let this go without me. But trust me. I’ve studied every kind of magic possible, and yours is sound. You did great on that armor.”

Warm and comfortable in the winged embrace, Rarity almost immediately felt better. Her head felt clearer. Letting out a held breath in a long, slow sigh, she gently butted her head against Twilight’s and then pulled free. “Thank you, darling. I needed that.”

“At least someone around here needs me,” Twilight joked as she picked up the book again, but Rarity could feel it falling a little flatter than intended.

It got the wheels in her head turning again.

===

“A what?”

“A magical warning system,” Rarity said, telekinetically holding up her notes so that Luna and Twilight could see them better. “One of the things none of us has taken into account so far is what it’s going to look like when Celestia has to go fight her own sun.”

Luna frowned, putting a hoof under her chin. “If it causes an unexpected eclipse, ponies may believe that Nightmare Moon has returned.”

“Changes to the color of the sky might cause panic that Discord has gone back to his old ways,” Twilight said, expression equally somber. “So you have a good point. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I was hoping you two would be able to refine it into something more specific, but the general idea is that you would be able to send out some sort of signal simultaneously to key points that could alert ponies or other races to what’s going on and how bad it is.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but Luna stopped her, then tapped her hoof on the table in thought. “Back before Nightmare Moon, there was a smoke flare system that was recognized by all countries during times of emergency. Blue for all clear, Yellow for stand by, Red for emergency, Black for death. The problem is that I don’t know who still acknowledges it.”

“We could use scrying to find out in just a couple of hours,” Twilight said, scrunching up her nose as she considered the idea. “Everyone who does, we can teleport flares to warn them based on what’s going on. Everyone who doesn’t… we’ll just have to figure something else out.” She stood up, flaring out her wings. “We've got a day and a half! We can totally do this! I am totally not going to overthink it or panic!”

Rarity hid her grin as a storm of paper and pencils flew over from a nearby bookshelf, and excused herself to go get a pot of tea.