//------------------------------//
// Rarity: The Most Fashionable Failure 
// Story: Derby Dilemma 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
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                Rarity couldn't wait to get back to her boutique. Now that the Applewood Derby was over, she was looking forward to a nice hot bath to help her unwind. And goodness knows how much she needed it, the entire derby had been a stressful experience for the fashionista in more ways than one.

"I hope word doesn't get out about the way I acted during the derby," Rarity thought to herself. "I could lose a lot of customers with that kind of bad publicity. To say nothing of what Sweetie Belle's friends will think of me."

But upon entering her boutique, Rarity's hopes for a relaxing bath were quickly dashed. For standing beside her little sister, were a stallion and mare that were instantly recognizable to Rarity. It was her parents, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles (though Rarity was more fond of their nicknames Magnum and Pearl)! "Mother, Father, what an unexpected surprise," Rarity greeted, a look of shock appearing to briefly cross her face. "I thought you were on vacation?"

"Oh we were, but when we heard about the Applewood Derby, we decided to come home early," Hondo replied with a cheerful smile. "Unfortunately, our carriage was delayed, and we missed the whole thing."

Rarity was about to let out a sigh of relief, before a stern glare from Cookie silenced her. "However, Sweetie Belle here told us all about what went down at the derby."

"Sorry, sis. They asked for the whole story." Sweetie Belle sheepishly confessed.

"It's alright, Sweetie Belle. Mother and Father probably would've found out the truth eventually," Rarity reluctantly replied to her sister. "I wouldn't expect you to lie for me. You did the right thing."

"I guess so, but I didn't mean for you to get into more trouble," Sweetie apologized. "I just want to say I'm sorry for however Mom and Dad decide to punish you."

"Your concern is greatly appreciated, but whatever fate awaits me is a result of my behavior. You needn't worry yourself about it," Rarity said to Sweetie Belle in a gentle tone. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I believe Mother and Father would appreciate it if you made yourself scarce."

"Your sister is right, Sweetie Belle," Cookie agreed. "The grown-ups are going to be talking, and we'd like some privacy. Just go upstairs and occupy yourself for a while. Okay?"

"Okay." Sweetie Belle reluctantly replied, and made her way up to the guest bedroom she frequently occupied when staying the night.





Now, Rarity and her parents were alone on the ground floor of Carousel Boutique, which was still currently closed (much to Rarity's relief). Clearing her throat, the fashionista turned to her parents and asked them. "Shall we adjourn to the kitchen for our discussion? I'd be happy to cook something for the both of you, or even just put on a spot of tea."

"Thanks for the offer, Rarity, but your mother and I already had lunch." Hondo replied.

"But if you feel more comfortable in the kitchen, we'll gladly hold our discussion there," Cookie offered. "I know you and Sweetie Belle already sorted things out a little, but there's still some stuff we need to talk about. Especially concerning how your behavior affects Sweetie Belle."

Rarity's face immediately adopted a rather telling frown. "If you're going to yak my ear off about my behavior, just go right ahead and get it over with. I know my behavior was bad, and there's nothing I could say or do to justify it," she instantly told her parents. "But you should know that Cheerilee agreed to hold the derby again, and Sweetie Belle and I worked together that time around to design the cart she wanted. In fact, it even won 'Most Traditional', despite placing third to last overall." (Rarity decided to leave out the fact that this was because two of the carts had suffered a breakdown mid race.)

"We're well aware of that fact, Rarity. But there's still the issue of your behavior before and during the first derby," Hondo said seriously, "Especially the fact that you took control of the cart, even though the rules state the younger pony is supposed to be the driver."

"I didn't forget that rule, I was well aware of it," Rarity confessed. "But I wasn't sure if Sweetie Belle would be able to touch the pedals of the swan cart with her hooves, since it wasn't your usual sized cart. And we all know what happened when I tried to steer a derby cart with my magic."

"You certainly gave your old stallion quite the scare." Hondo replied, remembering the frightening experience from the first time Rarity had entered the Applewood Derby.

"As a matter of fact, Sweetie Belle tells us you initially agreed to help her with her cart, solely so you could make up for the fact that you didn't win 'Most Creative' with your own cart as a filly," Cookie said with a glare. "What were you thinking?!"

"We are very disappointed in you for that, Rarity!" Hondo scolded. "Haven't we taught you not to live your dreams through other ponies?!"

Rarity hung her head in shame, as she reluctantly responded with. "I just didn't want Sweetie Belle to suffer the same disappointment that I suffered. Anypony could win 'Most Traditional', it's 'Most Creative' that really makes the derby so unique. It's a chance for ponies to show off their artistic visions, and maybe even change the world as we know it! On top of that, Sweetie Belle went along with helping me when we designed the swan cart, and not a lot of her additions would've helped it win 'Most Traditional'. To say nothing of how those ribbons she attached would've made driving and entering and exiting the vehicle more difficult."

"Sweetie Belle definitely could've tried to communicate more clearly and more frequently about what she wanted, and could've even tried to tell Cheerilee. And you're right about the additions she was making to your cart. If she didn't like the cart as it was, she could've easily chosen to sit out the race, or swap with somepony else," Hondo agreed. "But that doesn't mean your refusal to listen to what she wanted, or your taking over the building and racing was acceptable!"

"Do you remember that year when you built your very own cart for the derby, and took second place to that cross eyed filly?" Cookie asked Rarity, to which the unicorn with a pristine white coat nodded ever so slowly. "Do you remember what it is that we told you when you brought home that second place ribbon?"

"You told me, that sometimes we learn just as much from our failures as we do our victories," Rarity remembered, and then realization struck her hard. "And as I told Sweetie Belle, I learned a lesson about understanding what your audience wants. I just didn't understand that bigger and bolder isn't always the way to go, sometimes it's the simple approach that works the most effective. Besides, whoever says a traditional cart has to look drab? There can be plenty of glamorous old style carts out there."

"We're glad you still remember that memory, but we also told you that second place is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when you work so hard on something," Cookie told Rarity. "That second place ribbon proved that your cart had a great design, and it didn't mean that your cart wasn't creative. It just meant that the judges felt somepony else's cart was a little more creative."

"But it wasn't just the fact that you tried to make up for your so called 'failure' that we're not pleased with your behavior, Rarity," Hondo said with a stern glare. "I suppose you'd like to explain why you thought it was a good idea to use your cart's swan wings to block the other racers? You know that's cheating!"

"You're supposed to be a role model for Sweetie Belle, and you're supposed to try and set a good example for her," Cookie added. "You proved that when you rightfully scolded her for the Gabby Gums incident, and emphasized how much she didn't like when you snooped through her saddlebag without permission. And yet, you were perfectly willing to cheat in that race, knowing full well that your little sister was with you the entire time you were doing it! Not to mention the fact that you were more worried about your ruined cart than your sister's wellbeing, even though she could've gotten hurt!"

"Definitely not my finest moment," Rarity agreed. "I know I can't possibly defend my behavior in that moment, and I'm very much ashamed that is so. I am relieved that Sweetie Belle wasn't hurt though, and I have to wonder who thought it was a good idea to design a race track with so many cross-roads? I don't seem to recall the derby having so many when I was a filly, but then again I only raced once or twice, and things have changed a lot since then."

"You're definitely lucky Cheerilee didn't have Sweetie Belle disqualified because of your cheating, and that she agreed to hold the race again," Hondo said seriously. "I think what surprises me most though, is that you somehow thought cheating was okay, even though you were once on the receiving end of it."

Rarity went from feeling guilty, to feeling confused. And her face changed expression to reflect such a turn of emotions. "What exactly are you referring to?" she asked her father.

"Remember when you told us about fashion week in Manehattan?" Hondo replied.

"Yes, that was when I first met Coco Pommel, my newest business partner," Rarity recalled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you remember how you told us about Suri Polomare? And how, after you gave her some of your one of a kind fabric, she went and used it to steal your planned line of fashion?" Hondo asked, explaining himself in greater detail.

Rarity sighed, and went back to frowning. "Oh, how could I ever forget that?! And to think we were friends back when she lived in Ponyville! What's even worse is that she didn't even do any of it herself, she had poor Coco do it all for her, then she took all of the credit! And to top it off, she nearly tricked me into walking away from my well earned victory. If it weren't for Coco, I would've had to stay in Manehattan for who knows how long? That Suri is such a.... well I shouldn't even say the word!" she remarked.

"Exactly! So after Suri almost got away with cheating, on top of everything else she did to you, why did you think it was suddenly okay to turn around and do it the other derby racers?" Cookie asked her daughter.

Rarity paused, and pondered the question for several minutes. But then she reluctantly responded. "I wish I had an answer, but I don't. I know nothing I say or do can justify such a harsh mistake, and I can't believe I ever thought it was acceptable," then she asked. "Do you think Sweetie Belle's going to start doing it now? I didn't exactly set the best example for her, and I still haven't told her about Suri."

"Hopefully, she won't try to do so. But just to be on the safe side, your father and I are going to have a talk with Sweetie about cheating," Cookie told Rarity. "And that, just because somepony else does it, doesn't automatically make it okay."

"You'll probably make a stronger argument than I could ever present," Rarity reluctantly acknowledged. "I really don't want to become one of those 'Do as I say, not as I do' kind of ponies. And I'll understand if you want to start bringing Sweetie Belle with you on your numerous vacations from now on. As her big sister, I should've done a better job of listening to her, and should've tried to set a more positive example. I'm glad we got to work out our differences and start again, but I know that doesn't completely make up for my actions before and during the first derby."

But to Rarity's surprise, Hondo immediately said in response. "Rarity, you've been pretty good about setting a good example for your little sister for years. This is the first time you've truly slipped up to the point where your mother and I noticed."

"As long as you make sure this doesn't happen again, we're still going to trust you to look after Sweetie Belle whenever we go away," Cookie added. "If anything, this derby incident should serve as a wake up call for us to spend more time with her, instead of constantly leaving her in your care. We are her parents, and we need to start acting like them more often than we have."

"Just do yourself a favor, Mother, and take some cooking lessons yourself," Rarity suggested. "Sweetie Belle's constantly coming over here to have breakfast, because you burn it all the time. It's not healthy for her to be eating so much sugary cereals."

"Don't worry, Rarity," Hondo reassured his eldest daughter. "Signing up for cooking lessons is most definitely high on your mother's to do list. Even I've started to grow tired of burnt food all the time."

"Hey, my cooking isn't that bad!" Cookie protested, before she, her husband, and her eldest daughter all began to laugh.