"I'm telling you, Rarity, at a certain point it doesn't matter how skilled you are, or how big your repertoire of spells is," Twilight protested. She held an extendable pointer in her magic, the rubber-end insistently tapping on the graph that was at the centre of their discussion. She had spent the better part of the last half hour staring, at first confused, and then indignantly at Rarity who kept insisting that skill in magic would always overcome raw strength, even when her scientific studies proved otherwise.
"You're quite right, Twilight, at some point it doesn't matter. However, to reach that point you would have to be able to raise and lower the sun or moon." She snaked her own magic around the handle of the pointer, taking it from Twilight's grip and gently tapped her on the nose with the tip. "Strong as you may be, you're not quite there yet, I'm afraid."
Twilight scrambled backwards a few steps, rubbing her nose with a fetlock. "My calculations say otherwise," she insisted and took back the pointer when Rarity offered it to her. "I don't mean to brag, but—"
"You are."
"But!" Twilight continued, pausing a moment to give the seamstress a hard stare, which she answered with a flutter of her eyelashes. "I am several times stronger than you." Rarity nodded. "And according to my calculations, which I double checked—you can ask Spike about the details, he has the report—at two-point-eight times the global average, you would be able to overpower someone of average wellspring with even the simplest spells." Here, she placed the pointer at where the two lines in the graph crossed each other. "The mathematics proves it, Rarity! I am four-point-three times the global average in terms of wellspring size, and I'm telling you—"
"You are telling me what, Twilight?" Rarity asked, one eyebrow rising up under her perfectly curled bangs. "That you could beat me in a duel?"
"I am," she said, closing the pointer and laying it on her desk. "I was taught some combat magic by Celestia and Shining. I may only know the basics, but I am certain that I would win if we duel."
A slow smile spread across Rarity's lips, making her eyes glitter almost like twin sapphires. She stood up slowly, stretching like a cat as she did, and enjoying Twilight's not to subtle attempts at looking while also not staring. "Is that a challenge?" she asked.
Twilight whipped her gaze back to Rarity's, a blush still faintly tingeing her cheeks. "What? No! I don't want to hurt you, Rarity!"
A series of indignant huffs and other noises passed between her lips, before Rarity got her voice under control. With a more composed tone, she continued, "Twilight... Dearest, darling Twilight, stop worrying for a moment will you? I may just be a seamstress by trade, but a lady must know how to defend herself against any would-be ruffians. And I guarantee you I am no slouch in that regard, something my grandfather made certain of." She stomped her hoof on the ground for emphasis, determined to make sure her point had been made.
Sitting down, Twilight let out a sigh. "Even then, I know what the mathematics say. You won't convince me otherwise."
Rarity levelled her lover with as deadpan a look as she could. She held it for a moment before a glimmer, a small devious spark, lit in her eyes and tugged at the corner of her lips. "Very well, then. I do happen to know a thing or two, that you might have failed to consider, but I'm not certain I should share it." She hummed, tapping her chin with a hoof. "After all, someone truly dedicated to science wouldn't be scared off by the risk of a few scrapes and bruises."
She paused and let the words sink in, watching with predatory glee as each of her words wormed their way into Twilight's mind, eroding her resistance bit by bit. It was almost like watching a seam unravelling; each thread trying its best but ultimately failing, until it simply fell apart. Time for the Coup de Jarnac.
"Of course any decent scientist would know to develop countermeasures. So as to protect themselves in their pursuit of every variable there is, no? After all, you can't say your calculations are complete, if you are missing half the numbers." Rarity delivered the last word with a deviously innocent smile and a flutter of her eyelashes.
At last, Twilight could withstand no longer and let out an exasperated groan—the kind you got only from somepony at their wit's end. "Fine! I'll bite. I'll duel you, but on two conditions!"
"Anything for you, my love."
"Don't push it." Twilight snorted when Rarity only smiled in response. "Condition one, we use protective amulets. I can probably get Shining to send me some, but it will take a few days."
"That won't be necessary," Rarity interrupted, waving a hoof. "I have two at home, given to me by my grandfather for when I need to teach Sweetie Belle a few things."
"You? But... Right, military family."
"Indeed. Although my true passions lay elsewhere." She shrugged. "C'est la vie."
"Fair enough, then. Second condition: No pyromancy or electromancy. I do not want to start a fire, and lightning is notoriously difficult to control; best not risk hitting anypony else."
Rarity nodded. "Acceptable conditions. I suppose, then, it is customary that I decide the time and place?" Twilight nodded slowly, still looking somewhat reluctant about the whole affair. "Very well then. I choose the plains outside of Whitetail Woods, in..." She glanced at the calendar hanging from the wall. "Two days, is that acceptable?"
"Alright... And what time?"
"Why, at high noon of course." Twilight's groan had Rarity giggling, her mirth poorly hidden behind her hoof. "There are certain conventions one simply must obey, Twilight. Surely you know this."
"Outside the Whitetail Woods, two days, twelve O'clock sharp. I got it," she said while massaging the bridge of her muzzle. "I need to go read some advanced physics to get that annoying trope out of my head."
She lifted her head at the sound of Rarity's approach, looking up just in time to feel lips against her own, and her vision filled with purple and white.
Rarity pulled away, smirking. "You love it, don't pretend otherwise."
"Shut up," she shot back half-heartedly, trying hard to convince herself she didn't want to lean in again. "Got more teasing to do, or can I get to purging my mind of your dated tropes?"
"Of course. I'll leave you be, then." She turned around, flicking the end of Twilight's snout with her tail. "See you in a few days. Remember, high noon."
"Get out."
Dodging the flying pillow coming her way, Rarity quickly exited through the front door. The sound of her giggling lingered in the library for a minute.
"I hate it when she does that," Twilight grumbled good-naturedly, and pulled a book from one of the shelves.
"Hooo?"
"Rarity."
The heat of the late morning sun warmed Rarity's back as she waited for Twilight to arrive, atop a small hilltop outside of Whitetail Woods. Beside her lay two amulets, rune-inscribed, platinum discs attached to thick silver chains. They had lost their lustre long ago, and gone dull in the years since they were made, but they still retained some of their old beauty. They were, to Rarity's fashion oriented mind, a perfect mix of form and function; the inscriptions especially. That was something that always fascinated her about arcane runes, how they could intertwine so as to form mesmerising patterns and images, and yet be none the weaker or less efficient.
She smiled as she held one in front of her with her magic, watching the sun play off of the surface, then fastened it around her neck.
The space immediately around where the amulet touched her chest shimmered, then started to spread across the rest of her body. With it came the feeling of a slight weight on her haunches, and the feeling of something very faintly touching her. It was not unlike being covered in fabric, but it was omnipresent rather than just where the clothes would usually be in contact with her.
She shivered as it slid along her spine and over her hips. There hadn't been enough occasions to use them of late, so she was no longer quite familiar to the sensation. Fortunately the feeling never remained for long, and by the time a few minutes had passed the only reason she knew it was still there, was from the slight weight of the amulet on her chest.
Several more minutes passed, her only companion being her shadow cast by the sun rapidly approaching its zenith. She looked towards the town, watching for the telltale splotch of light mulberry, that would herald Twilight Sparkle. She cared not if she did not put stock in certain literary conventions, but some things had to be done properly, and a duel was only ever proper when done at the stroke of noon.
On a more practical note, it prevented anypony from getting the sun in their eyes, and thus eliminated any advantage that might be gained from that.
On the topic of blinding, a sudden flash of magenta heralded the arrival of her fillyfriend.
"Goodness sake, Twilight, couldn't you appear behind me?" Rarity demanded while trying to clear the spots from her vision.
She was offered a sheepish apology by the time her vision had fully cleared, and she could look up at her soon-to-be adversary.
"But you should know you can't just pick and choose where you land," Twilight added once she had gathered herself.
"That is horse-feathers, Twilight, and you know it... Pardon my tone."
Twilight grimaced. "On short-range teleportation, yes, but long range you're reliant on familiarity, and you can't be in perfect control of where you appear around somepony."
"Be that as it may, here," Rarity said and held up the remaining amulet.
She held it up before her, inspecting the inscriptions and the make of the amulet before slipping it on. Where Rarity had just shivered at it, Twilight yelped as it shimmered and coated her in a film of arcane protection. "That... Ugh. I did not like that."
"First time?"
Twilight rolled her shoulders uncomfortably, lips pressed into a thin line. "Well, no. It's just been so long I forgot what it felt like." She looked off to the side, where the hill levelled out into a wide, grassy plain. "Do you remember the rules?"
"I believe you said no pyromancy or electromancy," Rarity replied stepping up beside Twilight. "Anything else you want to add?"
"Well, in the interest of not having a drawn out duel to exhaustion—where I have the advantage—we should limit how long the duel lasts." She thought for a moment, eyes trailing skywards. "How about this: First to get three clean hits is the winner."
"Acceptable."
"And, well this affects me more than it does you, but we should limit how strong we make our spells. I don't want us to accidentally harm each other."
Rarity clicked her tongue critically at Twilight , giving her head a small shake. "You worry too much, and stop assuming you're going to win so easily. Not only is that not a guarantee but the amulet also takes the brunt of anything we do, magic or otherwise." She gave Twilight a look. "Plus, it's not the size of the spell that matters, but how you use it."
Blood immediately rushed to her cheeks, colouring them a deeper purple. "Rarity!" She exclaimed indignantly.
"What?" the seamstress in question asked, with as much innocence as she could muster.
Twilight grumbled something unintelligible. "Nothing, just... Let's get on with it."
The corners of her lips tugged upwards, but she held her tongue. "I thought so," Rarity said and proceeded down the hill, adversary-to-be following behind her.
They split off at the foot of the hill, continuing until they both felt there was an adequate distance between them. They faced each other, both of them crouching down.
"I expect you to take this seriously, Twilight," Rarity called.
"I wouldn't dream—" A bolt of light whizzing past her ear interrupted her, eliciting a yelp from her as she jumped sideways. She looked back at where the spell had passed, now harmlessly dissipated mid-air, and then back to Rarity. "Okay," she muttered under her breath, "if that's how she wants it." Her own horn lit up in a blaze of light, dwarfing that of Rarity. She had asked for it, literally, and she would get it.
Two lances of purple light rocketed towards her, but Rarity was ready. A jagged, crystalline shield intercepted the attacks, dispersing them into harmless aether on contact.
She noticed a flash of light in the reflection of her shield and immediately extended it to a sphere. The shield and the earth under her shook as a force slammed into it from behind. Whirling around, she saw a surprised Twilight a distance away, horn still ablaze.
"I thought I blinded you," she exclaimed.
"I told you not to underestimate me, Twilight," Rarity retorted. She dismantled the shield around her, splitting it into several geometric shapes, and sent them hurtling forward. Twilight yelped and erected a shield just in time, causing them to just bounce off. Not even a scratch, Rarity noted.
Rather than answer, Twilight disappeared in a flash of light again.
"Don't tell me I scared you off?" Rarity asked, tauntingly while she turned around looking for Twilight. Except, she was nowhere to be seen.
Not behind her, not flanking her.
She realised the obvious almost too late. She poured magic into her horn and channelled it into a shield above her. It felt like a waterfall fell on her; the pressure of the blast coming from overhead had her knees buckling. She strained against it, trying to push it off, but she had been too late.
She heard the crack just in time to look up, eyes widening.
The shield shattered and a wave of magic washed over her, pushing her into the ground and battering every inch of her body. It lasted for but a second, but a dent had been left where she lay. The amulet had protected her, but everything still ached.
Twilight must have heard her groans of pain, for she called from above on her cloud. "Are you okay, Rarity? I'm sorry!"
Indignation flared in her chest, but she kept it down as she rose to her hooves again, and shook the dirt out of her mane. "Worry about yourself," she answered and lit her horn. A brilliant beam of blue shot upwards, past Twilight, and higher into the sky.
Almost immediately after, Twilight's back started getting warmer. She looked up, and spotted the huge lens hanging in the sky. By the time she realised the purpose of it, the clouds had already begun to evaporate, and her cloud-walking spell no longer worked.
She fell, wind rushing past her.
A blue bolt whizzed past her again. Not wanting to get hit, she blinked out of existence, reappearing on the ground.
Rarity was waiting for her.
Crystalline, geometric shapes whirled toward her, surrounding her before she had a chance to reorient herself. She tried firing a blast to destroy one of them. The blast impacted, but was reflected skyward instead.
She didn't even have time to be impressed before the first bolt hit the ground. She flashed several metres away from the impact, but another followed near immediately, as did the shapes.
She looked up, and stared in horror at the rain of bolts falling towards her, all originating from the lens above. She looked over to Rarity who just smirked.
A shield sprang up around her in time. One bolt hit, then two, then ten. What bolts didn't hit her shield directly were caught by the geometric shapes and redirected towards her. From above, the sides, even at angles that sent them careening towards the horizon.
She was pinned down, and Rarity knew it.
The seamstress in question pressed her advantage, and fired up her horn. Another bolt, much larger this time, flew towards the lens. It hit, and the lens flared. A second later and the rain of magic intensified.
None of the blows were particularly strong, but there were dozens of them. Each strike sent a shock through Twilight's shield, not enough to scratch it individually, but they did damage over time.
Rarity's horn dimmed. She glared towards Twilight, a look of intent upon her brow. A beam of light, thin as a hair, shot forward from the tip of her horn and towards Twilight.
Trusting in her shield and her strength, Twilight waited it out.
A mistake.
It was thin and unassuming, but the power behind it sent a shock of pain through Twilight's horn. A web of cracks spread out from where it had hit her shield, and broke through, slamming directly into her shoulder. Her shield crumbled around her, some of the remaining bolts peppering her while others missed and dissipated.
She was quick to disappear in a flash again, re-appearing atop the hill she had arrived on, a hoof to her shoulder and groaning in pain.
"How?" she mouthed towards Rarity, who shook her head.
"Tell you after!" She shouted back. Another thin beam of purpleish light flew towards Twilight, who scrambled sideways to avoid it.
It was one for one, and not wanting to be beaten, Twilight resolved to end it quickly. It was time to prove to Rarity that she was right.
She dodged another beam and pooled her magic. She reached into the ground and what lay beneath them, compelling the roots to come alive. Around Rarity, dozens of roots, thin and flexible, rose from the ground like so many angry snakes. They grasped at her legs, her tail, her neck.
She struggled, biting and pulling at them to get free, but while weak alone, they were strong en masse. She called upon the shapes she had previously summoned and sent them whirling around her, cutting through the roots and vines.
She ran, jumped, and dodged as many as she could. Those too quick for her legs were cut down by her magic, but where one was severed two new ones took its place. To stay on the ground was a losing fight, she realised.
She jumped, hooves landing on geometric shapes forming together into a hovering disc. Propelling herself upwards and out of immediate range, Rarity allowed herself a small reprieve. A glance upwards revealed the lens to be gone, having run for its duration.
Below her, Twilight concentrated and dug deeper, reaching for what lay further below. Huge roots erupted from the ground and stretched towards Rarity.
She flew higher and out of reach, sending bolts of magic after them, but to not avail. Twilight's grip was too tight. One swung and she dodged, but another was there and struck at her. It missed, narrowly, but sent her disc flying.
The roots and vines surged in, attempting to constrict her. Rarity erected a barrier as a sphere around her. Against one root she would have slipped out, but they were many and they crowded around her. She could feel the pressure in her horn; feel the weight with which Twilight pressed down on her, and the difference in their power.
Through a gap in the roots Twilight was visible, standing on the ground. She didn't even look like she was struggling.
Overpowering the python-esque grip was out of the question. She would have to get serious.
She held the shield, but changed its shape. Round surfaces changed to jagged edges and points, some already poking into the flesh of the roots and vines. Cracks appeared in the shield, but it would have to hold.
It started to rotate, slowly at first as it fought the grip of the tendrils, but quicker and quicker. It was a vegetable grinder that tore to pieces the offending vegetation. The small that approached were eviscerated, the larger ones lost grip and were pushed off. She fell, but she was free.
A projectile slammed into her shield.
Rarity didn't see the stone pillar that shattered her shield, before it knocked the air from her lungs and sent her sprawling. She fought to reorient herself in the air even as she struggled for breath. It was all she could do to land on her hooves, eyes watering.
No further attacks followed for a moment, she must have worried Twilight. The thought made her chuckle.
"You okay, Rarity?" she heard her, predictably, shout from a distance.
She didn't answer. She forced a breath into her lungs and blinked her vision clear.
"I am," she said and lit her horn, vanishing, reappearing behind Twilight, "just fine!"
"You can teleport?!"
Rarity did not wait to savour the shocked look that greeted her. Several discs of power formed around her and instantly started hurtling towards her target.
Twilight hastily erected a bubble around herself, but attacking wasn't Rarity's intent. The discs latched together outside of the sphere, interconnecting until they formed a veritable prison. She sent her creation spinning for a brief moment, disorienting its occupant and preventing her teleportation.
She twisted the shape of the shell; surfaces became needles. A dozen of them each pressing into Twilight's shield. Rarity grit her teeth and put as much force into it as she could, forcing cracks to appear in the purple barrier. Focusing, a bead of magic appeared at the tip of her horn, and like before she fired off a hair-thin ray of concentrated force.
Twilight had learned her lesson, and though her shield crumbled under Rarity's assault, the unicorn within regained her bearings and vanished in time.
She didn't give herself time to think. Rarity whirled around and fired a bolt behind her, the needles she sent upwards. The latter met nothing but air, but the former struck Twilight square in the chest as she re-appeared.
Dazed, it took Twilight a moment to stand back up. By the time she recovered it was almost too late. She yelped and teleported again, but Rarity had learned what to expect and was ready.
The needles rained down from above, called by her magic, striking the ground around where Twilight appeared, and melded together. A rope of power surrounded Twilight and reached for her. She jumped away, but it followed where Rarity looked, chasing her even when she tried to teleport.
When escape proved fruitless, she resorted to power.
The rope neared her yet again, chasing her down like a rabid dog. Twilight lit her horn, letting it blaze like a second sun, and sent forth a stunning strike stronger than any before.
The rope disintegrated on contact, but as it hurtled towards her, Rarity did not move from her spot.
Eyes narrowed, horn dimly lit, she walked forward as the spell approached.
She tipped her head down, presenting her horn.
The titanic bolt disintegrated on impact, hitting Rarity with no more force than a puff of mist, flowing around her as harmless aether.
Twilight's eyes, wide with concern a moment ago, now with shock, reacted on instinct when Rarity blinked out of existence.
She made to turn around and guard her flank, when a third and final bolt hit her square in the jaw—point blank from right in front of her.
"And that's three," Rarity said, breathing deeply. "I do believe it's my win."
Twilight groaned and rubbed her jaw with a hoof, slowly turning back to face Rarity. "That hurt," she grumbled.
"Says the one who rammed me with a pillar of rock," Rarity countered drily, eliciting a sheepish look from Twilight.
"I'm sorry," she said, offering an apologetic smile.
Rarity pursed her lips, pretending to think it over for a moment. "Apology accepted," she said at length and stepped closer. She leaned in and pecked Twilight on the lips. "That being said," she continued and leaned her forehead against Twilight, their horns crossing, "I do believe you have something else to tell me."
Twilight's apologetic look had faded almost as soon as she saw the coquettish look on Rarity's face, and just made her expression morph into a deadpan stare. "Really?" she asked, then sighed when those azure eyes just narrowed coyly. "Fine. You win. Power does not trump skill. Happy?"
Rarity smiled widely and gave a still exasperated Twilight a nuzzle before stepping back. "Most definitely, and—oh stop looking so glum, Twilight, it's not the end of the world."
"I know," she said with a small stomp of her hoof, "I'm just... My pride is just a bit hurt. I was so certain of my calculations, but you still beat me." She sat down with a huff, giving Rarity an uncertain look. "What did I do wrong? What variable am I missing?"
Rarity sat down beside her and felt Twilight leaning into her almost immediately. "Do you want me to tell you?"
Twilight gave her a sidelong look. "I wouldn't be a proper scientist if I didn't seek to include every variable, now would I?" she asked, echoing some of Rarity's words from the other day.
"Good answer," she teased, earning a little slap on her withers from Twilight's tail. "It's experience, Twilight, and knowledge. Your brother and Princess Celestia may have taught you the basics, but my grandfather is a veteran, and he drilled me like a recruit in my teens. Most of the Battle Mages in the Royal Guard are still better than me, but I've fought far more duels than you, my dear." She looked down at Twilight, offering a sincere smile. "You're good, but I could tell you were reliant on your overwhelming strength, rather than skill and adaptability."
Twilight's ears fell back slightly, a modicum of shame mixed with acknowledgement colouring her features. "And knowledge?" she pressed.
At this Rarity chuckled. "That one should be obvious, no?"
A look of realisation dawned quickly on Twilight's face. "Oh." She laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I had no idea you could teleport."
Rarity hummed. "Few do. Which is sort of the point. I knew you were—are—extremely versatile and know dozens of spells that I don't, whereas I am rather limited in what I have managed to learn. But that left you at a disadvantage, if that makes sense?"
She nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Jack of all trades but master of none?"
"Indeed. Your breadth of knowledge leaves you with so many options, that specialising is near impossible. I, however, know only a hoofful of spells, but I can adapt them to fit most any scenario, as I believe you saw."
"I noticed. Those shapes you made; they were both mirrors, lenses, and at one point even a barrier." She looked up at the sky where clouds were slowly starting to form again, thanks to the effort of a duo of pegasi. She could have sworn one of them gave them a dirty look. "Clever to evaporate the cloud, by the way," she said and nuzzled into Rarity's neck.
She smiled. "Thank you."
"But if your speciality is in abjuration, how did you break my barrier?" Twilight continued, her curiosity starting to come back in force now, that the embarrassment of losing had started to abate.
"Efficiency. Or, well, that is the short answer, but I'm sure you want the long one?" The excited look on Twilight's face was all the answer she needed. "Well, you know how the standard shielding spell works, I'm sure?"
A nod. "A standard barrier functions by directing energy towards areas of impact, and—Oh." She grimaced. "Can't believe I didn't figure that out. Multiple sources of impact spreads the force of the shield all over, and makes it weaker against a sudden strong impact."
"Precisely!"
"But in this instance my calculations still hold!" She insisted. "You shouldn't have been able to... Oh fine, just tell me."
Rarity smiled thinly. "Thank you. That part is the short answer; efficiency. A relatively normal kinetic bolt, but concentrated to a very fine point. Costs little energy, but makes it a lot stronger."
Twilight hummed in realisation. "That just leaves me with one question left, Rarity."
"Yes, Twilight?"
"How did you dispel such a strong stunning spell mid-air?"
"That..." Her brows furrowed and she clicked her tongue. "That requires a bit of an explanation. You see, my special talent is not just gems, Twilight." She lit her horn and produced a three-dimensional, pentagonal shape of force in front of them. She lifted it into the air where it caught the light of the sun and showered them in all the colours of the rainbow. "My special talent is what gems represent. Like a prism, I have found that I am extraordinarily good at seeing the parts of a whole. Where some might just see the proverbial light, I can pick out the reds and greens and blues that compose it."
She split the pentagon into pieces, each morphing to become the individual parts of a wide-brimmed hat. "It just so happened to fit very well with my fashionable interests."
Twilight continued where Rarity left off. "And to dispel an enchantment you need to know its components first!" she said, slowly at first, then with rising excitement. She stood up and gave Rarity a pleading look. "Is that also how you made that barrier in the beginning? Like refracting light?" Rarity nodded. "Can you teach me? Please!"
Laughter bubbled in her throat. "Oh, I could never say no to that face." She stood up and cupped Twilight's uninjured cheek with a hoof, stealing a kiss which Twilight, finally, returned. "But you need to pay attention, and on that note, there is one rule to follow if you want me to teach you."
"And the rule is?"
Rarity stood up and turned to face Twilight from a small distance away. "Eyes on me, darling."
Author's Note
Written for Monochromatic's RariTwi Bomb. Been sitting on this very idea for a short while, so I decided to up the romance a little and wrote this.
Man, I haven't had this much fun writing a story in a long while.
I hope you guys have as much fun reading it as I did making it.
Edit: A few typos and such have been fixed.
