• Published 28th Aug 2013
  • 7,112 Views, 85 Comments

What was said over tea - Aburi



Rarity is known throughout Ponyville and Canterlot as generous, beautiful, and a notorious flirt. Twilight has something she wants to clear up about that last part.

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What needs to be said

“Why must the Wonderbolts use blue and yellow? It does nothing for your striking coloration!”

Thunderlane nervously chuckled as the impossibly lovely fashionista took every conceivable measurement, becoming quite close as she wrapped the tape measure around his frame using her hooves. “Not that I’m complaining, but I would think you would use your magic for that.”

“What, and miss the chance to get my hooves around such a fine stallion? Perish the thought!” Rarity chuckled as she batted her eyelashes at her flustered customer.

“Say, miss Rarity… would you happen to be free tomorrow evening?”

“As flattering as that is Thunderlane, I’m afraid I’m not available,” she replied with a small smile.

“Ah… um, sorry about that.”

“Ah, ah, ah, I said I was flattered and I meant it,” Rarity said as she put a hoof to his chin to raise his eyes to her own. “You are one of the most handsome stallions in Ponyville, and strong and courageous too. Any mare in this town would be lucky to have you. Myself included. I am simply not available.”

“Can I ask –”

“Now, now, my reasons are my own, and I ask that you respect that.”

“I can do that.” Oddly enough, Thunderlane was able to say this with a smile on his face. And even more surprisingly, he found that he didn’t need to fake it.

Conversation did die a bit after that exchange though, enough that Thunderlane became a little uncomfortable while the fashionista continued her work. But once she finished her measurements and he was allowed to step down from the podium, she again surprised him.

I may not be available, but I happen to know another lovely mare who may be more than willing to give you a try.”

~ 3 weeks later ~

“I can’t thank you enough for setting me and Thunder up!” Roseluck gushed for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. “He’s so wonderful, so handsome! How can I ever repay you?”

“My dear, you are letting me make a dress for your big date! That’s repayment enough!” Rarity laughed with the blushing mare. She may have felt the tiniest trace of jealousy over how well and quickly those two had hit it off, but mostly she was just plain happy to see such a lovely couple falling in love.

“Alright now, to business. With the materials running 35 bits, and the tailoring fee of 30, and the fitting fee of 10 bits it’s going to cost 75 bits total.”

Rarity knew there would be a problem the moment Rose’s ears folded back and she looked back at the large sign with all the prices laid out on the back wall.

“Oh no, I think I misread your prices… I-I don’t think I can quite cover that… I’m sorry.” The dispirited mare’s head fell almost to her knees.

After some quick thinking, and quicker calculations in her head, Rarity spoke up. “Perhaps we can barter a little. Haven’t you told me you usually have some extra roses at the end of the day?”

Rose looked up and quickly nodded.

“Well, I happen to love your roses. In place of the tailoring fee, how about a couple of your extra roses a week for the next two weeks?”

“B-but, my roses are only two bits each. That doesn’t cover… Four roses. For four weeks.”

“Certainly not dear, no more than two roses per week. And don’t try to make it for longer, I’ll not have you paying for this dress forever!”

“Fine! Two roses per week for a month, but I insist on delivering them!”

The mares had gotten quite into their odd reverse-haggling, soon standing almost nose to nose trying to stare each other down. They could only keep each other's gaze for a few moments before both of them broke down into a fit of giggles

“All right Rose, you win. Let me add that to the receipt.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not five minutes after Rose left, the door chime rang again. Rarity looked up from her work as a familiar lavender unicorn entered the boutique.

“Twilight! Come in, come in! I’ll be with you in a minute.” As Rarity finished the finance paperwork that goes with any transaction; Twilight casually roamed the showroom, appreciating all the fine works of art adorning the space.

“Thank you for waiting darling. What brings you by this wonderful afternoon?”

“I hope you don’t mind, but there’s something I’d like to speak with you about.”

“Of course Twilight, you hardly need to ask. Would you like some tea?” Rarity said as she led the way into the private areas of her home-slash-business.

Minutes later tea was served, complete with dainty cookies on a silver dish. Twilight however, did not seem to know where to start. Several times the librarian looked up from her untouched cup and opened her mouth, only to look back down and stare intently into her tea as the silence dragged on.

Finally, she worked up her nerve. “It’s about Spike.”

“He has been quite helpful recently. Is everything alright?” Rarity asked as she calmly sipped her tea.

“Yesterday he came home dirty, tired, and practically floating on air he was so happy about helping you out with your gem hunting.”

A small smile graced the white mare’s lips. “He’s always so eager to help me. Honestly he sometimes tries to take on more than he should. He’s such a dear. But I don’t imagine you are here about him tiring himself out or getting dirty,” A tiny giggle escaped “That’s more my department.”

Twilight’s expressions didn’t lighten. “Rarity, I–”

“Twilight. I may not be as brilliant as you, but I can put two and two together. You’ve been wanting to talk to me about this for quite some time. The only thing I can imagine keeping you quiet this long is a promise.”

“Spike released me from it.” For the first time that evening, Rarity’s guest was smiling, although it was more of a smirk. “I told him I wanted to consult a friend. I just didn’t tell him which friend.”

“Normally I’d chastise you for deceiving poor Spike in such a manner, but I understand that you feel this talk is a bit overdue.”

“Rarity, I’m concerned. I know you like to flirt. An-and there’s nothing wrong with that! But I just don’t want Spike to get hurt.”

Rarity was silent for a long moment, idly stirring her tea. “Twilight, please wait here a moment,” she said as she stood and left for her room. Twilight was not kept waiting long. Moments later Rarity returned, carrying a pair of books littered with bookmarks in her translucent blue aura.

“What’s this? Growth of the Beast and Ancient Minds?” Seconds later Twilight had both tomes open and was skimming the contents. “Rarity! These are books on the physiological and emotional growth of dragons! Where did you find these?!”

“Well, when you could not find anything useful during the dragon migration, I knew that no library would have the knowledge we needed. Thankfully, I have some friends in Canterlot that could point me to several curio shops that cater to the more esoterically inclined. Oh, I see that look in your eyes. You needn’t worry. I will be donating both to the library once I am finished with them. Such knowledge is meant to be shared.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to start studying these!” Twilight took a deep breath, forcing herself to put the books aside for the moment, “You brought these down for a reason, and I don't think it was to distract me with new literature.”

“Quite right, darling. There are two things I need to talk with you about.” Growth of the Beast opened to one of the many bookmarks littered throughout the tome, displaying a simple chart. “First, while I am not one hundred percent certain as to what type of dragon Spike is, the youngest a dragon can reach sexual maturity is fifty years of age.”

Despite the near clinical tone Rarity was using, her normally lavender friend quickly became cherry red. Tactfully ignoring Twilight’s discomfort, she continued on.

“And while most dragons can in fact have foals with ponies, I would be nearing the end of my childbearing years should we ever become a couple. Spike is a gentledrake of the highest caliber. He is courteous, giving, and brave. He showers me with compliments every day and he means every word. He is a true prince. But we could only truly be together just in time for him to watch me wither and die. This is not a fate he deserves.”

“So why haven’t you told him this yet? Why is he still following you around like a lovesick puppy? If you know you are going to turn him down in the end, then why are you still LEADING HIM ON?”

The slam of Twilight’s hoof on the table shocked them both into silence.

She abashedly sat back down, “I-I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have shouted.”

“No, Twilight. It’s perfectly understandable. But this does bring me to the second thing I need to tell you.” The first book quietly closed and was joined by the second before the librarian. “According to these books, while young drakes are impressively resilient physically, they are shockingly vulnerable emotionally. Prone to fits of greed, jealousy, and anger. As unpleasant as this is to admit, we have both seen that Spike goes dangerously overboard when he has cause to feel such negative emotions.” Rarity paused to give her friend a moment to reply.

“Well, that’s true I guess..., ” Twilight gave a hesitant nod as she spoke.

“Now, while these fiery emotions are quite destructive; they become obvious quickly, and are therefore easy to spot and address. The more subtle emotions on the other hoof, such as depression, can fester for decades before becoming apparent. Apparently the most common, and least destructive, pattern is for a young drake to hold these feelings inside. Over time they become more and more withdrawn. This usually leads to several decades of a hermit-like life style before recovering and reintegrating into society.”

“Hold on a minute,” Twilight interrupted, “Spike just eighteen years old. Isn’t it a bit extreme to be assuming behavior patterns will last several times his age?”

Ancient Minds opened under Rarity’s influence to a section near the back of the book. “Here are a dozen case studies documenting every known dragon that involved him or herself with pony society. Of these twelve individuals, three spoke of their experiences with various forms of depression. They all followed the same pattern. Every single one. They got hurt, held it inside for a few years, then went off to live alone.”

Silence filled the boutique as it's owner let that sink in.

“Twilight, I’ve had stallions chasing after me ever since I was Sweetie’s age. I don’t really understand why, but for some reason they are hurt the most if I turn them down before they approach me. Many of them start to somehow believe that they aren’t even good enough to ask me out, no matter how far from the truth this is.”

“So, what?” Twilight shook her head, “You’re just going to wait until he asks you out then turn him down gently?”

“That is the general idea.” Rarity’s calm demeanor seemed to frustrate her friend as much as her simple plan.

“But if you’re right, then that could take years!”

“That’s right.”

“But what if – What about…,” Twilight trailed off, eyes jumping back and forth as she put together tiny pieces of this new puzzle, then settling on Rarity for several long seconds. Finally she sat back, her face settling into a calm mask as she slowly took her first drink of the now cold tea. “Fluttershy came by the library yesterday.”

“Oh?” Rarity already suspected where this apparent non-sequitur was leading.

“Yes. Apparently she was rather hopeful that you would start dating Thunderlane, especially since you were so effusively praising him after he saved you at the academy. And she knew he was interested in you.

“But somehow he’s dating Roseluck now. It seems this started a lot of rumors because he never showed any interest in her before. The most common one is that you set them up.” The solid thunk of teacup meeting table was the only indication of the librarian’s frustration through her mask of calm.

“Why, yes. I may have had a hoof in getting that delightful romance off the ground, so to speak.”

“You haven’t accepted any advances recently..., have you?”

“And most stallions are quite understanding.”

Twilight stared into her teacup for a while, apparently trying to come to terms with all this new information.

“Rarity…,” she started unable to complete the thought.

“Twilight, I understand your concern, and I’m touched that you want to help. But what I choose to do with my personal life is my choice in the end.”

“But - this is just... I think I need to think on this for a bit. It’s a lot to take in all at once. Thank you for the tea, and the talk,” Twilight said as she rose to leave.

“You’re always welcome Twilight.” The two books at the root of the discussion once more acquired a pale blue glow as they made their way into a bag. “Here, take these with you. I believe I am done with them for now.”

“And one last thing,” Rarity called out just as Twilight was about to walk out.

“Yes?”

“Please don’t push Spike into anything. He will come to me when he’s ready.”

“Alright. Goodnight Rarity.”

Rarity watched her friend walk into the night before closing up the boutique and heading to bed herself. Her empty bed did not bother her too much anymore. But she allowed herself one small bit of selfishness as she opened her nightstand and took out her most treasured possession. It was a beautiful necklace, the centerpiece of which was a heart shaped ruby.

Instead of wearing it, she simply hugged it to herself as she drifted off.

“Goodnight Spike.”

Author's Note:

Let me see if I can make a short little story speak for itself...

Special thanks to Luminary and MCMackers for taking the time to pre-read this for me!

Comments ( 83 )

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. :twilightsmile:

If you downvote it, please let me know what you didn't like about it.

My Sparity side. It's BURNING WITH RAGE. I enjoyed it overall though. Have a thunbs up.

Well that's kind of depressing, but the end makes the whole story really. Never really cared for Rarity, but fan fiction is slowly changing that. Rarity is cool. Well written I feel.

3117203

I didn't like the fact it ended, but such is life.

+1

This is actually a nice and believable explanation for Rarity's behaviour. The whole emotional Dragon thing, whilst also not without merit, feels a bit forced. But it's a nice and refreshing and somewhat new take on the whole dating a (semi) immortal thing.

Aburi #6 · Aug 28th, 2013 · · 12 ·

3117830 Honestly, I really dislike the canon Rarity. She's amazingly selfish and manipulative and has few redeeming traits. This story happens to be my take on how I feel the representative of Generosity could be.

3118300 I was unsure whether to use the sad tag, I was aiming for a more bittersweet feeling. But with two out of the five comments mentioning this I think I'll use it. Thank you for the feedback :twilightsmile:

3118247 Thank you, I find that quite flattering :raritystarry:

3118316 yea, I'm not too happy with that part either. Thank you for your compliments and feedback :twilightsmile:

This is probably the best-written treatment of the Spike-Rarity dynamic I've seen - and it also addresses a question Twilight honestly should've asked a long time ago.

Well done.

3121063 Thank you very much! That is high praise indeed :twilightsmile:

Wow, what sacrifice, she truly loves him, but knows they'll never be. This is the heart of Rarity, truly beautiful, thank you.

Always got time for a Rarity story where she isn't just characterised as a one-dimensional ice-queen leading Spike on for her own gain.
I love her portrayal here mate, and I really enjoyed this even though I'm not really a fan of Rarity x Spike.
What else can I say except: Element of Generosity indeed.
Nice job man, keep up the great writing :twilightsmile:

3122888>>3123373>>3125058
Thank you so much you guys! :pinkiehappy:
It's comments like these that make me want to write more! :twilightsheepish:

3125112
You should :twilightsmile:

i don't know much about love but its apparent that rarity loves spike:heart:, talk about personal sacrifice. this story was beautifully written LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :raritywink:

:raritycry: So much FEEL!:raritycry::fluttercry::fluttercry::fluttercry::raritycry::raritycry::heart:
... Great ending, bro.

Wow...this was outstanding. A wonderful piece of art! :raritystarry:

The feels ... good god, the feels! I cannot even imagine how much loneliness Rarity will have to live with. :raritydespair:

There is an obvious answer to this. Rarity simply needs to become an alicorn. :raritywink:

3128598 But then she'll have to watch Spike die instead of the other way around:raritydespair:

3127528>>3127608 Thank you so much! :raritystarry:

3128469 Don't feel too bad for her - there is a kind of happiness that comes from doing what is best for others.

3128598 Yes... Just call me Hasbro :ajbemused:

3130796 At least They'd have a few millennia before having to worry about it

3131294 Actually I just read somewhere that aside from Celestia and Luna no other Alicorn is actually immortal so Rares would in fact join Spike in the afterlife.

Wow, never before have I felt anything about much anything Sparity related, but this... Beautiful.
Also, I love it when Rarity is shown to be generous to an extreme like this.

Huh. Didn't see that one coming.

I'm not a huge fan of Spike/Rarity, but this... this was brilliant! It really shows Rarity's true character, that self-sacrificing generosity that the show touches upon only every now and again. The whole story felt earnest and true, and I couldn't help but feel sad for both Spike and Rarity, and even a bit for Twilight who now has to live with the knowledge. All in all, awesome job!

Wonderful story! Congrats on making Equestria Daily, by the way.


World's greatest wingpony. Support your Lead, give them everything they need to succeed; relegate your own hopes and dreams below those of others.

It's Rarity's reason to be.

WOW, Rarity really does love Spike, doesn't she ?

However, she knows that they cannot be together. :raritydespair:


You should place this tale under Sparity group, for it sad background. :raritydespair:

Truly a great story...and thank you for that emotional read.

This. Is. Brilliant. :raritystarry:

You've addressed several of the key Sparity issues and done so in a way that doesn't make Rarity, Spike, or Twilight into either jerks or idiots. Good show.:moustache:

Yikes, that's tragic. Silly Rarity. Like that's really going to fix things.

Beautiful. If they would make me feel that Rarity is really like this in the show, she would be my favorite character.

Almost wish we could see what happens should Spike find (and read) those books.

3266781>>3266863>>3266927>>3266980>>3267237
Wow, thank you all for your kind words! I'm really glad you liked my take on Generosity's bearer :raritystarry:

3267241
I'm sure he will soon enough, but that's another story.

3266834
Thank you! I had submitted this on a whim, and never really expected it to be approved, let alone garner so much attention.

3118435

Honestly, I really dislike the canon Rarity. She's amazingly selfish and manipulative and has few redeeming traits. This story happens to be my take on how I feel the representative of Generosity could be.

Honestly, you need to analyze her character a bit further. Ta-ta.
Have n'other
And yet n'other

Still not convinced? Okay then.

Hm. Something seems to have gone wrong with the code in the author's note; I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to look like that.

3267591
Your first two points are quite good, not sure if I agree with the second two though.

You would have me convinced but for the following things:
Sonic Rainboom - When she gets a little attention, Rarity upstages Rainbow with absolutely no consideration for her friends feelings. And Rarity herself pointed out RD's self confidence issues, so it's not like she didn't know what she was doing to her friend.
Sleepless in Ponyville Everything she did in this episode...
Just for Sidekicks While all her friends gave generously to Spike for his services without needing any prompting, Rarity hesitated to pay at all, and when she did it was with a tiny flake of a crystal compared to the massive jewels given by the others.

But thank you for linking those commentaries. I enjoyed them a great deal. :twilightsmile:

3267784
Fixed, Thank you for pointing that out!

3267789

My interpretation is that Rarity has the weakness of being easily overwhelmed by fame. You see that in Sweet and Elite when she forgets about the reason she came to Canterlot in the first place when she gets noticed. I think the same thing happened in Sonic Rainboom, and she basically got carried away, forgetting about why they were there. The fact that she was the first to show concern for Rainbow and insist on doing something tells me that she is very caring and self-sacrificing about her friends, but she's got that weakness which overwhelms her usual sense (like Twilight and the t-word). At least she recognized her mistake.

Sleepless in Ponyville... and Season 3 as a whole, really... did portray her badly, but I take it as an exaggeration of her high maintenance attitude for the sake of a gag. I wouldn't take it too seriously.

The gem thing has actually been analyzed as well, and if you'll notice, her tiny gem bought the most expensive stuff, and it was one of the bigger ones she had on her dress (and just imagine, a mare like Rarity defiling her art for anypony). I viewed her hesitation as being taken off-guard that Spike would ask for payment up-front, as she would normally be the one to offer something for his trouble, and seems to give it to him after he's done something for her. Spike's behavior was apparently obviously unusual that episode, as I get the feeling that before his b-day in Ponyville, he never really felt the emotion of greed to any significant extent.

Anyway, aside from my required justification of canon Rarity, you've accomplished you mission of inspiring feels. I don't know that it makes complete sense with canon, especially the implication of Secret of my Excess that a) Spike's hit dragon puberty and b) dragon growth can apparently be rapid and reversed. There are a lot of justifications that can be made for that, of course, not the least of which is simply that Spike is just unique, what with the magic fire breath.

3268004
Perhaps it's kind of a cheat, but I don't really put much weight into what is canon and not. In my mind the fact that there are so many different authors to MLP makes the show inconsistant.

Look at the difference in Rarity in Art of the Dress and Dog and Pony Show versus Sleepless and Rainboom - They may as well be different individuals alltogether.

So like I said, I cheat. I take the parts from the show that fit, put them together with fanfics that compliment her personility, and discard those that don't fit.

Perhaps it's not the most fair way to treat the characters, but otherwise I would dislike them all at some points... :raritydespair:

Thank you for your thoughts :twilightsmile:

3268164

I understand. As I said, I don't take Sleepless in Ponyville's characterization of Rarity too seriously, and I definitely don't take Spike at Your Service characterization of Spike or Rarity at face value. Basically, I look at some of the weird characterizations as exaggerations or an incomplete look at what "actually" happened, or at least accept it as an aberration of one's usual character which does happen in real life even if it's highly inconvenient in fiction.

What a sweet little story. I really felt for Rarity at the end of this one. And you presented her longing with just the right amount of subtlety, while having her conduct herself with grace and dignity: exactly as a lady would. Good work!

My Sparity love hurts a bit. But it was a good story.

Depressing, fluffy (in a romantic way, and full of awws both of sadness and cuteness.

I find myself conflicted. On the one hand this is a very lovely story. you capture Twilight and Rarity beautifully and this is an interesting take on their relationship dynamic.

At the same time its slightly creepy that she's essentially waiting for him to grow up.

Still a thumbs up but a slightly unsettled one all the same.:twilightsmile:

3268779

My read isn't that she's waiting for Spike to grow up, it's that she's waiting for him to ask her out.

When he does, she'll let him down as gently as possible.

In the meantime Rarity's not seeing anyone because she knows it would break Spike's heart.

So sad. I disagree with the way you see Rarity in the show (or at least, as much of your views as you vocalized). I find her the most real because of her instances in Sonic Rainboom or Sweet and Elite. She tries to do the right thing, but she has flaws. A lot of flaws, and they sometimes get the best of her. I always imagine her being her own worst enemy, berating herself for all of the failures she's made.

After all, what is more inspiring? The pony that never fails (They have to dedicate entire episodes to the idea of Fluttershy not being kind, and I don't think they ever had a Non Loyal RD when she wasn't brainwashed), or the one that does but keeps on trying? I love her because she is greedy, vain and pompous, but she really tries to do the right thing.

Back to why I cam here, the story! I normally like happy endings, but this man. Shot right to the feels. I think Rarity is being pretty foolish here, but not for the reasons everyone else might. If she fully intends to live out her life alone so as not to break Spike's heart, why would it matter? You do not need to have children to be happy. You don't even need sex to be happy. Perhaps she feels it might be 'robbing the cradle', but let's be honest. Spike has proved many times that he is an adult. He fights to save his friends, makes huge sacrifices for them, and deeply cares about all of them. How could one possibly say his biology means that he isn't entitled to spend Rarity's life with her?

It's a sad story, but something tells me this isn't the end of this little tale. I've got my eye on you, because you are certainly somepony worth bumping into. :P
-Lumino

3131320
If Cadance ascended at the fall of the crystal empire 1000 years ago from a pegasus (Canon, Hasbro book approved!), wouldn't this make her immortal? If so, that statement gets ruled out.Sorry. :scootangel:

3267789
I'm glad you enjoyed the commentaries, at least now you see a more generous, in-depth side to Rarity. I will just retort what you said, but I mean no ill will against you:

Sonic Rainboom - When she gets a little attention, Rarity upstages Rainbow with absolutely no consideration for her friends feelings. And Rarity herself pointed out RD's self confidence issues, so it's not like she didn't know what she was doing to her friend.

You have to understand that Rarity really is a drama queen sometimes. And, although she works hard to keep those "urges" under control, we have to take into account that this was the first time she went up to Cloudsdale. Not only that, but with a beautiful pair of butterfly wings (I almost, almost wrote "fluttershy wings"... what have I done?) to boot. This would be more than enough for her to go completely overboard with everything and just start prancing around going "Me, goddammit!". I will concede that, even for me--a Rarity appreciator--she acted like a real fucking bitch this episode. That is 100% true. But this only brings more depth to her character: she could be giving in to her urges and become a successful fashionista anywhere she went. And yet... she choses to remain in little old Ponyville... a one-horse trick town. Why? For her friends. She is more selfless than we give her credit for.
(This exact same thing is further developed in Sweet and Elite, where she, at first, is torn between her professional life and her lifelong dreams, but then she throws it all away in favor of her friends.)

Sleepless in Ponyville Everything she did in this episode...

Likewise in Sisterhooves Social, Rarity is busy with all her dresses and Sweetie Belle comes to her and emotionally blackmails Rarity into going camping, something Sweetie knows Rarity despises and abhors (like every other kind of physical activity). This, in and on itself, makes Sweetie Belle a bitch. :rainbowlaugh:
Still, Rarity goes and ties Sweetie to the carriage pulling all her luggage. This, you may think, is something that is bad. And, well, do you have any younger siblings? If you do, tell me, what's the most enjoyable thing to do to them?
You fuck with them (for heaven's sakes, not in the sexual sense!)!

And, later on, when they reach... Rainbow Waterfalls of Color and Magic and Happiness™, Rarity throws in her usual "I hate physical activities line" just to show us in the next seconds how excited she really is to be around her friends and her little sister. Just because she hates physical activities, doesn't mean she doesn't endure what she doesn't like for the sake of others (a.k.a. Generosity). Like in Sisterhooves Social.

Just for Sidekicks While all her friends gave generously to Spike for his services without needing any prompting, Rarity hesitated to pay at all, and when she did it was with a tiny flake of a crystal compared to the massive jewels given by the others.

Well, he was the one who came to her, asking her to take care of both Opalescence and Tank. If Rarity wanted someone to take care of Opal, she'd go ahead and ask the pony/dragon. Which means that Spike comes, "creates" a problem for the both of them and charge for the solution. Plus, she was on the receiving end of pure, unadulterated dragon greed on Secret of My Excess. She knows very well how Spike can get when he becomes greedy. Like Zecora, on the very same episode.

And, to be honest, Season 3 is well known for being super over-the-top with the characterizations. I don't think Season1&2!Rarity would tie Sweetie to the wagon (or be super precise with her specifications for taking care of Opal). I don't think Season1&2!Pinkie Pie was that obnoxious (even though she still is my favorite pony). I don't think Season1&2!Rainbow Dash would that much of an asshole.

Curiously enough, the only ponies who were OK in Season 3 were the two most shallow ones: Fluttershy and Ehpurru-Jackuson.


This is the last commentary I'll throw your way.

3269176

After all, what is more inspiring? The pony that never fails (They have to dedicate entire episodes to the idea of Fluttershy not being kind, and I don't think they ever had a Non Loyal RD when she wasn't brainwashed), or the one that does but keeps on trying? I love her because she is greedy, vain and pompous, but she really tries to do the right thing.

I agree with this in principle, but I can't really get behind this when the failings are so far over the top. I suppose you could say that I have more issues with the writers and how they choose to caricaturize these faults, rather than Rarity's character itself.

I think Rarity is being pretty foolish here, but not for the reasons everyone else might. If she fully intends to live out her life alone so as not to break Spike's heart, why would it matter? You do not need to have children to be happy. You don't even need sex to be happy. Perhaps she feels it might be 'robbing the cradle', but let's be honest. Spike has proved many times that he is an adult. He fights to save his friends, makes huge sacrifices for them, and deeply cares about all of them. How could one possibly say his biology means that he isn't entitled to spend Rarity's life with her?

I agree with everything you said right there.

3270112

This, in and on itself, makes Sweetie Belle a bitch.

One of the many reasons I have struck that episode from my head-canon. No one is allowed to make Sweetie into a bitch :twilightangry2:

And, well, do you have any younger siblings? If you do, tell me, what's the most enjoyable thing to do to them?
You fuck with them.

Yes, I do. A younger brother and sister. And I have an older brother as well. Perhaps my family is in the minority, but that sort of stuff never happened. I can't really imagine it either, if I saw my brother or sister straining to do something I'd stop and help... not make the load harder by riding it.

And, later on, when they reach... Rainbow Waterfalls of Color and Magic and Happiness™, Rarity throws in her usual "I hate physical activities line" just to show us in the next seconds how excited she really is to be around her friends and her little sister. Just because she hates physical activities, doesn't mean she doesn't endure what she doesn't like for the sake of others (a.k.a. Generosity).

Yes, that was a great moment, but one positive action does not negate a negative one. life just doesn't balance out like that.

Fluttershy and Ehpurru-Jackuson

Did I miss something? Who is that?

Thanks for that link - it was hilarious!

And thank you both for disagreeing with me! It would be a really boring world if everyone thought the same way, and I really like these discussions. Even when I'm on the loosing side like now. :raritywink:

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Pshaw, there ain't no losing side here. Opinions are opinions; merely personal. :twilightsmile:
I'm just trying to show you that Rarity has a side often neglected. And I think I did just that. Hope you appreciate this fashionista a bit more now. :raritywink:

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