A Canter down the Highstreet (Private)

[Zealot]

It was another fine day in Canterlot and Rarity was out and about once more. The sun was shining bright and the sky was slowly being cleared by the local weather Pegasi. The ground was slightly wet under-hoof as the scheduled rain-shower had just ended an hour ago. The Pegasi would definitely have their work cut out for them for the rest of the afternoon to properly clear the sky after that much rain. Still, the recent rain meant the streets were fairly quiet, more so than they normally would be in the afternoon. Most ponies are still at home, or just starting to go about their daily errands. The idea of starting the rain in the morning and continuing to the afternoon meant that the worst part of the summer's heat was lessened, for now. 

 

Still, such a situation had proven a little annoying for the fashionista. After all, she had and afternoon's worth of important shopping to do. The elegant white unicorn smiled as she remembered why she was here. There was a shipment of precious gemstones coming in from the lands to the east, and Rarity had placed a reserve order for the first stones in the selection to be used for her upcoming line. No doubt there were all kinds of gems in those crates, though Rarity was only after the very best for her designs. Something to inspire and something to shine for her clients, that was what she needed.

 

Thus, the unicorn came to her favourite gemstone shop. It was small, but everything about the place was pristine, polished and glittered with light. Well, it wasn't like a store on Canterlot's high street wouldn't be. Still, there was a humility about the place. It was small, professional but it wasn't showy or brash. Not to mention it was the place to get the finest crystals or gemstones in Equestria, short of the Crystal Empire of course. If they didn't have what one was looking for, well, they would certainly know where you could get it. With a small sigh of satisfaction, Rarity strode through the door of the small shop, fascinated to see the crystals that had been reserved for her.

[AlextheAngel]

It was indeed a beautiful day in Canterlot. However, Solar could not find it within himself to enjoy it. For the past two weeks, the young stallion had been holed up in his house working on a rather difficult experiment, but one that could prove very useful in dire situations. He strolled through the small shop, glancing frantically at each gemstone twice over. One thing particularly noticeable about him today was how unorganized he seemed. His flowing yellow mane seemed frazzled, his shirt was wrinkled and seemed to be on backwards, and his saddlebags were half open, every once in a while dropping valuable blueprints from his previous experiments. As he studied each gemstone for the third time over, his movements seemed rather sudden and jumpy, almost bird-like. For anyone who knew him personally, they would find this behavior rather strange. Usually, Solar seemed calm and collected, exactly the opposite of how he seemed now. It was clear to anyone that something was wrong.

As he examined each gemstone, he spoke in frantic, hushed whispers... also strange for someone who rarely speaks at all. "This one, maybe? No... No, no, no. Not enough... Ah! This one! No... Still not enough.... This? No... None of them work! I'll look them over again, perhaps there's one in there that I missed... What time is it? Bah... Why did I leave my watch behind...?" A few more papers dropped out of his disorganized saddlebags, yet he paid no mind. He barely even noticed the unicorn newcomer.

[Zealot]

Well, it seemed like somepony was in a tizz. Indeed, the first thing Rarity noticed was the white unicorn inspecting the gemstones, muttering to himself. What were those papers on the floor? And why was he so undecided about those crystals? Rarity had no idea and briefly shook her head at it. After all, she had business to attend to. Still, perhaps he needed assistance...

 

The shop itself was small, built mostly of wood. The gems themselves were lined on shelves on the opposite wall as well as the right wall by the door. The wall to Rarity's left held the counter and was currently manned by a kindly looking and well dressed cyan earth pony mare. Rarity nodded at the stall clerk as she came in, after all, she could have sworn she recognised her from somewhere. There was also a stack of more interesting stones separating the counter from the wall on Rarity's right which held yet more gemstones. As Rarity had thought, the shop was professional and clean rather than overbearing. They sold gemstones, diamonds and crystals. Nothing else. Still, all of the bright and shining rocks gave the place a very nice feel. 

 

Rarity took a few cautious steps towards the other white unicorn and looked down at the papers. Yep, he was leaving them all over the floor. It was most uncouth to leave one's litter around and Rarity felt that he needed to be corrected. After all, it would then be the poor clerk's job to clear it up. She coughed slightly to get his attention before saying, "My good stallion. You appear to be dropping quite a few loose sheets of paper from your saddlebag." She smiled and picked one up with her magic, floating it up to eye level and chucked. "While I admit my own residence can be cluttered at times, I do not think it fitting to leave a place of business in such a state." The more she thought about it though, he seemed a little frantic, confused. Perhaps he really did need her help. "In fact you seem a little flustered darling, is something the matter?" Just the state of his mane was telling, Rarity thought that perhaps she needed to drag him off to a boutique to get it sorted once more. It wasn't fitting to be outside and look such a state.

[AlextheAngel]

Before Solar could waste another valuable few minutes searching the gemstones for a fourth time, a sudden voice from right next to him made him yelp and spin around. He sighed with relief at seeing the other white unicorn, before a light blush formed on his cheeks once he realized he had been dropping his notes everywhere. He was always nervous around new ponies, and the fact that she could clearly see the state he was in made him all the more embarrassed. Instead of speaking like any normal pony would, the words materialized in front of him, and seemed to be glowing in a bright shade of blue. "Forgive me, I don't know what's gotten into me." They said, before the young stallion began moving quickly to gather up the precious blueprints that had been scattered about on the floor, stuffing them back into his saddle bag. Before he could go back to studying the gemstones, he heard the mare's second question and looked up. "No, no..." He wrote, the dancing blue letters hanging in the air for a moment, before dissipating. "I'm fine, thank you." He went back to studying the gemstones as if nothing had happened.

Then he sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Yes, something is wrong." He wrote, glancing at the other unicorn before turning his attention back to the gemstones lined up neatly on the shelf. There was no use in pretending like everything was just fine and dandy, and his current state- especially his mane and clothing- could definitely attest. "I'm working on something. An experiment, if you will, but I don't have everything I need."

[Zealot]

Oh dear, she had startled him. No matter, it seemed it was just an accident rather than an absence of care about what he did with his papers. Still, instead of speaking words formed in front of him for her to read. Rarity blinked at that then smiled. Well, this was certainly an interesting pony. One who didn't speak, but instead cast a spell for her to read words. Peculiar. "Oh, how droll," she exclaimed then read what he had to say for himself. After all, she didn't know a single pony who did anything of the like. A unicorn who relied so heavily on magic? Fascinating.

 

Well, at least he was putting his blueprints and diagrams back. That would be less work for the proprietor at least. He must have been enraptured by the crystals to be distracted so. Well, who wouldn't be. To Rarity, they were wonderful. Though clearly they weren't what he was looking for. Though if they weren't what he was looking for, what was? Still. he 'said' he didn't need help, and if he didn't tell Rarity what he needed then she couldn't help. 

 

Still, she stood there for a moment to give him a little time. After all, he might simply turn around again and ask for help. She gave him a kindly smile and low and behold, text appeared before her.

 

"An experiment?" she asked, quite delighted that she was at last getting to know what was going on. After all, the business of other ponies was rather fascinating. Not that Rarity liked to pry of course, but their lives did interest her. If she knew about their lives, she could help them. "I have been privy to several experiments myself. My friend is quite fond of them. What kind of experiment are you performing dear? What is it you need?" she asked. There was a tone of mixed curiosity and concern from the unicorn. Not that she thought he was up to anything untoward, but even some of Twilight's experiments had proved to be somewhat messy affairs. Even so, Rarity wanted to help if she could.

[AlextheAngel]

Solar glanced back at the mare with an expression resembling a mixture of both surprise and confusion. No one had ever cared enough to take an interest in his experiments, so he became so used to keeping them private. Not that he did not greatly appreciate the acknowledgement, but it did surprise him more than a little. Who knows, perhaps she may be able to help him?

"Yes..." Solar wrote, the dancing blue letters disappearing rather quickly, due to his jumpy attitude at the time. "It's a little hard to explain..." He continued scanning his eyes over the many different gemstones, before continuing. "I specialize in light magic, you see. And I have something new I'm working on... and it may be quite useful for those in combat." He glanced at his wrist, looking for his watch, then huffed once he remembered he had left it in his house. "There is a way, to actually make light seem solid enough that it could be used as a shield. Don't ask me how I found this out, it's an entirely different story." He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "I have the spell itself down, but the real problem resides in how much energy is used. I have no problem getting the energy, but I need something to hold it. That's where these gemstones come in." He said, picking one up and studying it a bit, before gently setting it back down. "I can't use any of these, because too much energy being stored in one will cause it to combust. Basically, I need a gemstone or crystal that is large enough to hold the energy used to power the spell." The young stallion rubbed the back of his neck and glanced back at the mare, wondering if she understood everything he had written.

[Zealot]

Hmm, why was he acting surprised? Had nopony ever shown interest in an experiment or something? Well, that was a surprise for Rarity. After all, experiments could be quite fun. Though in truth, perhaps it had just been getting to spend time with Twilight. Oh, or perhaps she had just asked him something personal and she had unwittingly put him in an awkward position. She didn't know, and simply read what he had to say for himself. Hard to explain? Well, it couldn't be all that bad could it? "Have no fear my good gentlecolt, I am well used to my friend rambling on about this and that. I am sure I can keep up," she encouraged before hastily adding, "for the most part of course."

 

Still, the white unicorn read his explanation. Light? As a solid object? Indeed, how was such a thing possible? She had heard of and even seen protective shields and enchantments. Twilight had babbled about them at some point, she was sure, even practised them. Making light solid though? Rarity wasn't sure how that was possible. She felt like she wanted to ask, but like he wrote it was likely a story for another time. In fact, he seemed quite excited about it, so why question it? If it can be done, then it can be done. 

 

Rarity thought a moment as he mentioned that he needed a gemstone to help power the spell. She wouldn't have been able to help on the spell front, even if he needed it. "So... pardon me, but let me get this clear in my head," she said, closing her eyes and looking down. "You need a large gemstone to hold energy for this powerful spell?" she asks, looking up again. "And none of the gems here fit the description? Well, it just so happens you're in luck. I have a reserve order with the store owner. Perhaps there you will find the gem you need." Rarity smiles at that and trots towards the counter with a happy grin on her face. "Come along now darling," she called with a beckoning hoof, then turns her attention to the store clerk. "Umm, excuse me sir?" she asked. "May I have my advance order? Lady Rarity of Carousel Boutique," she informed him.

 

The stallion at the counter frowned, then seemed to register what was needed and started to head into the back room to collect her order. 

[AlextheAngel]

Just as Solar had thought, it seemed that the mare was indeed very happy to help him. He smiled as he followed her to the counter, trying to keep calm even though he was ecstatic that he would actually have someone helping him with an experiment this time. In the short time he had lived in Canterlot, he had created and published many spells, all of which he had to come up with by himself. He wondered if she would also be willing to test the experiment out, but decided that would be thinking too far ahead. First, he had to see if it would actually be possible to gather the necessary and proper items. That, and he did not want to overwhelm the mare with requests, especially considering the fact that they barely knew each other. Speaking of which...

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "By the way... M-my name is Solar Flare... It's very nice to meet you." He stuttered a bit, taking a moment to abandon his usual method of communication. However, whenever he did that, it rarely lasted very long, and he would always resort back to writing instead of speaking.

[Zealot]

Rarity waited for a few moments for the stallion to return with her advance order, shuffling on her hooves slightly and running her hoof through her mane to correct a stray hair. She was quite happy to help the stallion, even if she didn't really know who he was. It would be a pleasure, and no doubt she would make a new friend out of it. Perhaps he could help her someday as well. Still, for now she was helping him get a gem, a jewel, a power source for his spell. Yes, she was sure the jewels in her advance order would do. She'd ordered a few to be large after all, perhaps he could find one more to his needs. From the sounds of things it would serve him better.

 

Still, she turned in surprise to find him talking to her. Not writing like he had done before, but actually talking. She smiled kindly at him and nodded. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Solar Flare. I am Rarity, fashion designer by trade." She gave him a sultry look after that, quite curious about his speech now. After all, she had figured that perhaps he was just unable to speak, this though was confusing. She wanted to know more. "Pray tell," she began with a look of curiosity. "If you can talk, why do you choose to use your... arcane writing?" she suggested. "I do not mean to pry of course, that is your business. I am curious though about this habit of yours, would you care to sate my curiosity?" she asked, keeping her smile pleasant and calm. After all, she didn't want to offend him, oh no. She simply wanted to know more about her friend.

 

While she waited for him to respond, the stallion returned with a heavy bag of gems. There was a slight glitter from the flap of the saddlebag as he walked, then stood behind the counter. Rarity looked up at him and smiled as he started to take out some of the contents of the bag for her to inspect. While he was doing that she turned back to Solar Flare, wondering what he might write in reply. 

[AlextheAngel]

As soon as the mare stated her name, Solar blinked in surprise. He had definitely heard the name before... in fact, her work was quite popular. Almost immediately, he began biting his lip and blushing. It was always difficult for him to socialize, but with somepony so popular? The young stallion felt as if he should present himself as best as he could. He even reached his hooves up and tried to straighten his shimmering yellow mane while she was not looking. Don't get too worked up... He told himself, trying to slow his racing heart. She's just a normal pony, just like everypony else... Don't make yourself look like a fool.

Of course, he resorted back to his usual method of communication. He feared that if he tried talking again, then he would only start stuttering like an idiot. "Ah, yes! I've heard your name on multiple occasions. I am... quite a fan of your work." He wrote, using every single bit of his mental abilities to suppress the blush on his cheeks. At Rarity's other question, he shook his head. "Oh, no! You're not prying at all!" He "said". "To put it simply, I'm... a massively shy pony. Whenever I speak, I tend to... get extremely nervous. Writing rather than speaking helps to ease that a bit. I've never cared much for social interaction, but unfortunately I can't avoid it. Hence why I keep myself holed up in my house without any friends." As soon as he said that last part, the young stallion bit his tongue to try and avoid rambling any further.

[Zealot]

Well, the mere mention of her name seemed to have provoked some kind of reaction. At least, that was what it seemed. Rarity thought he might have been a little edgy around her, just like some stallions were. Still, if he actually knew who she was then that might be the reason he seemed a little nervous. Of course, she didn't notice him fix his mane quickly but he did seem just generally a little flustered. The mare had noticed that when she'd first started talking to him of course. Perhaps he was a fellow follower of fashion and had seen her works? She'd just have to ask.

 

Rarity smiled as she turned back to him and started to read what he had to say for himself. Oh, well, look at that. He was a fan of her work. Granted she mostly did dresses, though she certainly did quite a few outfits for the dashing gentlecolt. She did wonder how good he would look in a tux of course, perhaps Rarity could even design an outfit which would make him shine as much as his mane. Her thoughts were dashed at that second part though. A shy pony? Well, that was interesting. Sad though that he felt he needed to hole himself up in a house with no friends. Everypony should have friends. "Well good sir, I have a friend who is a very shy pony. Granted she does not have to resort to magic to communicate, though she is very uncertain around most ponies," she informed him with an encouraging smile.

 

While it was true that Fluttershy was very shy, she didn't exactly have the option to resort to arcane writing. Still, she made a mental note that the two might get along and be able to empathise with each other. "Granted I have never been shy, I respect your choice. Thank you for sharing this with me," she said, eyeing the gemstones on the table. The whole reason they were here. "And there's no need to fret about not having friends. I'm sure that's not true. Now, let us have a look at these shall we. What are we looking for exactly. Size?" she asked, not really knowing the requirements for his spell.

[AlextheAngel]

Solar perked his ears a little upon hearing about Rarity's friend, who seemed to be rather shy as well. This more or less relieved the young colt, giving him the comfort that Rarity had seen her share of shy ponies as well. Of course, he very much doubted that she had ever crossed a shy unicorn that resorted to arcane writing in order to keep themselves from fainting in front of anypony at all, especially one so popular and attractive as her. He often wondered how some ponies such as Rarity never get shy, then again, he could accept the fact that not everypony is the same. "Really?" He wrote, feeling a small boost of confidence. "Small world, I say. I would very much like to meet this friend of yours at some point in time."

He followed the other unicorn to the large box containing her special order of gemstones. For a long moment, he studied them with a rather blank expression. "Indeed, I am looking for size. These ones are rather large, but... I don't believe they will be large enough. The gemstone needs to be large enough to contain energy in massive amounts."  He wrote, shaking his head and running a hoof through his mane.

[Zealot]

The white unicorn looked up and away from the gemstones, catching what he was writing and following the trail once again. Well, perhaps it would be good for Fluttershy as well if she met Solar. Some sort of confidence boost for her, as well as making another friends. Granted, Fluttershy had plenty of friends, but one could always use more. Once this was over, perhaps she could talk to the pegasus and introduce the two. Under some sort of pretext of course. Ahh well, that could easily be arranged. She smiled, saying, "I think that's a lovely idea. I'm sure she wouldn't mind having another friend, I will be sure to introduce you to her at some point."

 

She read again, looking at the gems and picking out one of the larger pieces. "Large, hmm. How about this one?" she asked, holding it up to him. It was no doubt the largest of the selection, but even so. Large gems were quite a rarity, and expensive to boot. What kind of power were they talking about? "Not large enough?" she asked a little weakly with a sigh. If that wasn't large enough, Rarity didn't know how she could help. If the store didn't have what he was looking for and she didn't either, where might they get such a large gemstone?

 

"Well, if this isn't large enough, I am afraid I can't really help," she admitted, looking a bit defeated. "You need a large gem. I doubt you will find larger than this, other than perhaps... a geode? A cluster of gems, perhaps? Would such a thing be practical for you?" she suggested, picking an idea out of her head that might assist him. The unicorn frowned then, "How big do you think it needs to be?" she asked again, wondering that herself.