Learning Magic

Chapter 1: Prologue

Rarity was tired. More precisely, she was tired and bored. She spent the whole week fulfilling various orders, but kept putting this one off as long as she could. She couldn’t delay any longer, since the dress was due tomorrow – she silently cursed herself for not making it earlier, when she had the time.

It wasn’t because she was lazy, she just didn’t like this particular dress and could do nothing about it – it came as a request from some wealthy noble, about whom she never heard about before, who had the dress already designed on paper and wanted her to simply sew it all together. Worse yet, he specifically forbid her to make any changes to the design or alter the dress in any other way.

This was the kind of order Rarity hated. She wanted to be original and innovative, not just some kind of stupid machine that does what it’s told without thinking. However, what irritated her the most, were the flaws in design she discovered at first glance.

...this seam is wrong and it will scratch the wearer, the material used will be a nightmare to clean, this ornament will look good from profile, but will look plain silly from the front...

Yet, even in spite of that, she accepted the order, since the pay was simply too good to refuse. She could even take a week off with the bits she’ll earn for this.

While she was just annoyed when she started, she quickly became furious when she had to intentionally ruin the dress in order to follow that damned design. After that, she just resigned and continued to make the dress as she was told. While her magic continued to sew the dress, her bored mind started to wander – Rarity had to think about something interesting in order not to fall asleep, but it seemed like all she could think about was boring.

In the end, she decided to think about the first thing she saw, which was her needle levitated by her light blue magic.

Applejack once asked me how does it feel to use magic – what was I supposed to reply to that? It was like describing walking to somepony without legs, or colors to a blind person. Actually, walking is quite a good example: I don´t think about levitating something, I just do it, similarly to how one does not think about using his muscles, he simply walks.

I, however, understand why Applejack asked me. It must seem so unreal to somepony without magic, that when I want something to fly towards me, I can just imagine it flying and it will actually start flying.

I wonder whether Twilight teleports just as casually as I levitate things. Sure, after training, all spells feel natural, but to suddenly appear in a completely different location... Can you actually get used to that? I should ask Twilight about it someday...

———

Rarity awoke with a start. There were needles and spools of thread scattered all around her and certain unfinished dress right in front of her. While she was getting up on her hooves, she noticed the sun shining through the windows of the boutique.

Oh no, how could I have fallen asleep when I was already behind schedule!? What’s the time!?

The clock read 7:43.

“Oh, you have to be kidding me!”

The customer is going to pick up the dress at 8 o’clock, how am I supposed to finish the dress in just 17 minutes!?

When the realization hit her, she almost screamed. She levitated two needles and started sewing with them, while levitating two spools of thread and several other objects at once. Normally, this would make her exhausted in just a few minutes, but since a few minutes were all she had, she didn’t care.

After 10 minutes she made a remarkable progress on the dress, but her magic started to wane; the needles started to move jerkily and the blue aura around the spools began to pulsate. She, however, decided to continue at this mad pace, since she could see that the dress was nearing its completion.

Maybe I can still make it!

Precisely at 7:56, Rarity couldn’t maintain this insane tempo anymore, so everything other than a needle and a thread dropped to the floor.

Whatever am I supposed to do now? I’m doomed!

Sewing with just one needle considerably slowed her progress, so she was finished at 8:12.

While I consider keeping a lady waiting impolite, I think won’t hold it against him this time.

The customer arrived around half nine, giving Rarity enough time to clean up the mess she made.

“I’m terribly sorry for keeping you waiting Miss Rarity, but the chariot flew into a storm cloud, forcing me to get my clothes dried,” the still slightly wet noble said.

“Oh it’s quite alright Sir, I’m just glad you arrived. Come now, I’ll show you your dress. It’s precisely like you wanted it.”

Rarity led him in front of a mannequin, silently wishing he took that ugly... thing away from here as soon as possible.

It’s a fashion disaster.

“Thank you Miss Rarity, it is just as I imagined it. Here’s the payment, I’ll be sure to recommend you to my friends.” he said as he gave Rarity a big pouch full of bits.

If your friends have the same style as you do, then I’d rather you didn’t.

“Oh how kind of you, thank you!”

“It’s nothing, really.”

I have to agree with you on that...

———

After her customer had left, Rarity could feel just how tired she was. She had clearly overexerted herself and now was paying for it.

I have just woken up, and I already feel like sleeping again.

She then proceeded to make herself breakfast and noticed, by the dirty dishes, that somepony else had already eaten here this morning.

Sweetie must have woken up for school and made herself a breakfast. I guess she didn’t want to wake me up after she saw me working late into the night for the past week.

Rarity smiled; while waking her would have prevented all the stress she had to endure this dreadful morning, she couldn’t really blame her. If there was anyone to blame, it would be herself.

If I hadn´t put it off for so long, I would have finished it long before the deadline and if I hadn’t fallen asleep then I’d have been finished long before sunrise. I was lucky the noble was late, or I wouldn’t have managed it.

A new thought had, however, pushed itself in front, probably due to her inner monologue from last night being still fresh in her memory.

If I was better with magic, I’d have managed to finish it long before 8 o’clock, I wouldn’t even have to work late into the night, since I could finish everything much sooner. I could even incorporate some magic into my dresses, making them sparkle, change colours according to weather or even enchant them with some protective magic, making them beautiful and practical...

Rarity continued in her thoughts for several more minutes and was more and more convinced that she should indeed learn more about magic.

...the most important and beautiful mare in all of Equestria! And I know just who to visit in order to learn all about magic.