Lovely, Darling
I don’t think you can know Rarity without being at least a little bit scared of her. I know Rarity really well, because she’s my sister, but I think I wasn’t afraid of her until last week, because that’s when I saw her save Ponyville all by herself.
This is how it went:
Rarity said: “Daaaaaaarling.”
And that’s how she saved Ponyville.
It was pretty scary.
I love Rarity a lot (although sometimes I don’t like her) but I always thought she was kind of dumb. So one day I told Twilight during Twilight Time.
“I don’t know, Twilight,” I said. “I think Rarity is kind of dumb.”
And Scootaloo said: “Yeah! Rainbow Dash is the smartest one of the Elements of Harmony, right?”
I think there was, like, an actual conversation going on, but I don’t really remember it. I don’t think it even matters, it was probably just Scootaloo talking about how great Rainbow Dash is. She goes on like that for ages now and then.
“I hope one day I’ll be as great as her!” Scootaloo said then. “And as smart, I guess.”
“Are you sure?” Oh, and Apple Bloom was there, too. “Ah don’t know. Ah think you gotta study a lot to get smarter. That’s what Applejack says all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Well. Studying is kind of boring.” Scootaloo looked at Twilight. “Isn’t there a way to become smarter by doing something that’s at least a little bit cool?”
“Nah, gettin’ smarter’s inherently lame. You gotta study.”
“Shoot.”
“…On the other hoof, I don’t think you need to study a lot if you want to be as smart as Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said then, and I think I saw her smirking but I’m not really sure, and Rarity said I shouldn’t start gossip like this without a verified source unless it’s about Prince Blueblood, so I guess I won’t say anything. “Don’t tell Dash I said that,” she added. “Applejack and Rarity, though, you can tell.”
And then Twilight shook her head and sat down in front of us, and I remember that she looked at me here.
“Speaking of which,” she said, “I wouldn’t go saying things like that, Sweetie Belle. Rarity is a really smart mare!”
“Eeeeeh.” That was me talking. That was me going ‘eeeeeh’. “I don’t think so.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s always talking about dumb stuff!” I said. “Like, like thread counts, and accounting! And fashion trends!”
I remember that Twilight smirked here, and this time I’m sure. “Oh, and you find that dumb? Sweetie Belle, if you asked me, I’d say your sister is the smartest mare out of all of us. If not the smartest mare in Ponyville.”
“What?”
“What!” That was Scootaloo yelling. “No way!”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. She was frowning in that way she frowns all the time, and Rarity says she’s trying to look like Applejack and is pretty cute, but I don’t see it. “What about you, Twilight?”
“Yeah! And what about Rainbow Dash?”
“Okay, Scootaloo, Ah’m pretty sure blind admiration can only carry you so far.”
“Let me dream, Apple Bloom.”
“Girls.” Twilight used that voice that makes her sound like a teacher. I think Miss Cheerilee taught her how to do that. “Every member of the Elements of Harmony is an irreplaceable part of our group. Each one of us is necessary and unique in their own way, and while I can’t talk about myself that way—”
“Rarity says you’re also unique,” I said here, because Rarity did say that. “And magnifique. But you’re not chic, and that’s why she’s one of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Well, your sister proved her worth by understanding the fashionable concerns of a giant sea serpent, so I guess I’ll give that a pass. Which brings me to my next point.” She took air, then, and said: “Every single one of my friends, I’m proud to say, is a genius in their own right. Yes, Apple Bloom, that includes Rainbow Dash.”
“Ah’m scared and confused by that statement.”
“As you should be. And, Sweetie Belle, Rarity is definitely the smartest.”
So I asked: “Why?” Because I love Rarity but she’s my big sister, and that means I’ve seen her cry and eat a lot of ice cream because she read a bad review once, and after seeing that you can’t really say a pony is smart. She also forgot that unicorns aren’t supposed to fly, once, and Rainbow Dash had to save her. And Dad once told me she was really bad at Math as a kid.
So after that I said: “No, really, why?” and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded behind me, and we all looked at Twilight.
And Twilight just patted my head. “Girls,” she said. “Do you know what Rarity’s dream was at your age?”
We didn’t.
“To be a princess. To be somepony important. Maybe even an alicorn, who knows?” Then Twilight pointed at her wings. “I managed to do that, but only because I studied a lot of magic, and I worked really, really hard. You can only become an alicorn if you’re really good at magic, did you know?”
“No.”
“Nu-uh.”
“Applejack says that’s classist but she likes you so it’s okay.”
“Applejack is a rich real estate owner whose entire fortune was a direct present from Princess Celestia to her family, so she’s really in no position to talk,” Twilight said. “But anyway—you need to learn magic to be a princess. But Rarity isn’t really good at magic, is she?”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at me.
“She says any spell stronger than levitating a spoon is just there for show unless you’re Twilight, and even then it’s a bit of a stretch,” I said.
“Boy. From the mouths of the children indeed.” Twilight sighed. “Rarity is not good at magic, so she couldn’t become a princess, not realistically. But you know what happened then? We became friends. Best friends!”
“And you saved Equestria?” I asked.
“Yes. And then I became a princess. And suddenly, Rarity is an extremely important mare, and she’s on a first-name basis with every Equestrian Princess, and she gets every benefit from being a royal without worrying about the paperwork.” She paused. “She’s also far richer than me, too. Being a businessmare pays far better than being royalty. My only income comes from selling diamonds I chip from this castle’s walls.”
“But Applejack’s your friend too, right?” Apple Bloom asked. I remember that she was doing that frown again, and I still didn’t see it as cute, but Twilight really liked it, so I guess it was. “Ah don’t get why Rarity’s special here.”
“Oh, of course.” Twilight shook her head. “But being a princess wasn’t Applejack’s dream, right? It was Rarity’s. And here’s the thing—unlike me, she never had to work on her magic. She focused on her clothes, and her boutique, and everything that made her happy. She found her own way to chase her dream, which didn’t work, and then she became a princess by proxy anyway. That, girls? That is being smart.”
I like Ponyville. Canterlot is better, because it’s bigger and it has more stuff, but Ponyville is pretty cool. All my friends are here. I guess that if they all moved to Canterlot with me I wouldn’t mind leaving this town, but Rarity says it has rural charm and that one day it will become the cultural capital of Equestria, so I guess it’s nice.
So I was really scared when Rarity said Ponyville was in danger. She said it like this:
“Is that Prince Blueblood at my doorstep?” And then she frowned, because she was looking through the peephole of Carousel Boutique and hushing at me. “I think that’s Prince Blueblood at my doorstep.”
And I asked: “What?”
Then Rarity didn’t say anything, because Prince Blueblood knocked pretty hard on the door, even though Carousel Boutique has a doorbell, and then he yelled “Open up! I know you’re in there!”
“Okay.” Rarity didn’t open up, she just talked to me. “Sweetie Belle, I promise I won’t get mad. Is this your doing? Did you bring Prince Blueblood to Carousel Boutique without my knowing?”
“How would I even do that?”
“Darling, I truly have no idea, but we both know I’ve seen you do far, far worse.”
And then Prince Blueblood said: “Open up in the name of Princess Twilight Sparkle!” and knocked some more, and Rarity rolled her eyes really, really hard.
Then she said: “Ugh." Although she made it sound like: “Uuuuuggggh.” Then she patted my head. I don’t like it when she does that, but she does it anyway. And then she fixed her mane. “Well, never mind, Sweetie Belle. I suppose this wasn’t your fault, and I’m sorry for doubting you.”
“Open up already! I don’t care if it’s Sunday, this is royal business!”
“I think you should open up.”
“Any moment now, darling. I need to prepare for this a little.” Rarity sighed. “I truly have no idea what’s going on, but I am going to assume it isn’t pretty. With Blueblood here, why, Ponyville itself might be on the line.”
“What! Ponyville? But why?”
“Darling, if I know Blueblood at all—and I sadly do—that is the best possible scenario. Of all the possible ponies…” Then she pushed me towards the kitchen. “Never mind. Sweetie Belle, be a dear and brew some tea, please? Three cups. I believe we’ll soon need it, and I think you've become good enough at cooking not to burn the water this time.”
“Tea? For him?”
“Oh, no, no. Definitely not for Blueblood.” Then she fixed her mane again, and opened the door, and said: “Sorry for the wait, my dear. What can I help you with?”
“Hmph. Took you your time, I say. I was told to come here by Princess Twilight Sparkle for… official business.” Prince Blueblood looked around. “Apparently, this is the best this sorry town has to offer, and—hmm?” And he looked at Rarity. “Do I know you?”
“Oh, I’m afraid I don’t have the honor, your Highness.” Then Rarity pushed me aside a little. “Sweetie Belle, darling, come on. Your Highness, please be my guest?”
So Prince Blueblood came in, and I just went to the kitchen and boiled some water. Because I really like Ponyville, and I was a little scared, so I wanted to help.
“Wait, wait, wait. Wait a minute.” Scootaloo raised a hoof and shook her head, and I think she was imitating Rainbow Dash because she reminded me of her a lot and Rarity says I have a very good visual memory.
“Yes, Scootaloo?” Twilight asked.
“How’s that being smart? Rarity is—uh.” She looked at me. “Sweetie Belle, can I?”
“Insult my sister?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Thanks! Rarity is always talking about being pretty and fashion and trying to give me clothes, Twilight.”
“They’re pretty clothes,” I said.
“I guess? I’m not into them.”
“Ah like ‘em,” Apple Bloom said. “They can’t get dirty, so Ah don’t have to help at the farm when Ah’m wearin’ them!”
“And they’re pretty clothes,” I said.
“Applejack told me if Ah have nothin’ good to say Ah better stay quiet, so Ah guess this is when our conversation about your aesthetic sense ends.”
“Oh,” Twilight said. She did this thing where she arches an eyebrow even though ponies have no eyebrows. It’s all in the eyelashes, Rarity always says, unless you’re Applejack. If you’re Applejack then you’re so good at it anatomy doesn’t matter. “And you think that means she’s not smart, Scootaloo?”
“Yeah!”
“Yeah.”
“I mean, a little,” I said.
“I see.” Twilight sighed. “Girls, this is a very important lesson you need to learn—Rarity cares about beauty, because she’s an artist. She makes others feel beautiful. She also makes herself beautiful, because that’s what makes her happy, and that’s a good thing.”
So I smiled at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Toooold youuuuu,” I said. “Pretty dresses!”
“But,” Twilight continued, “there’s a… sadly common idea out there, that says pretty ponies—especially mares, or fillies like you—can’t be smart. Some ponies think that you have to choose between beauty or brains. That beautiful ponies need to be dumb, because otherwise life is unfair.”
“That sounds dumb,” Apple Bloom immediately said.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo said. “You’re smart and pretty, Twilight!”
“Really pretty!” I said.
And Twilight smiled really, really hard, and she went all ‘aaaaw’. “Why, thank you very much, girls,” she said. “But—would you say I’m prettier than Rarity?”
“Uh. No.”
“Nah.”
“Not really.”
“Exactly. See, it’s never good to judge, or to insult ponies behind their backs?” Twilight shook her head. “But I find that most ponies who think beauty never comes with smarts always happen to be really, really insecure. And really, really ugly.” She thought about it. “And I’d add that they’re dumb, too, but I suppose you already know that.”
I giggled, but Scootaloo didn’t. “Wait, so why are you telling us this?”
“Because you are three really beautiful fillies—yes, Scootaloo, even you, stop making silly faces—and I think one day you will become three really beautiful mares.” Twilight sighed. “And I’m afraid that you might find ponies believe this about you—or worse, that you believe it yourselves. Because it’s a wrong thing to believe. And you should know that.”
“So Rarity’s not dumb just ‘cause she’s pretty,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah guess that makes sense. She’s nice, so Ah like her bein’ smart.”
“Rather,” Twilight said, “I’d say she’s pretty because she’s smart, Apple Bloom. Nopony can look that good naturally. Rarity takes care of her mane, of her skin, of her eyes, of her figure… That’s a lot of effort. That’s a lot of things you need to know to make it work, and she makes it work constantly.”
And then Blueblood came in, and I could see them from the kitchen so I know that he looked around like he didn’t like Carousel Boutique. I’m pretty sure Rarity also saw this, but she just closed the door and smiled and fluttered her eyelashes a lot.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to answer the door, your Highness,” she said. “I was, ah, a little bit busy. What can I help you with?”
Blueblood looked at Rarity. I think her she liked, even if he found the store ugly. “Well,” he said. “I’ve been told you’re an acquaintance of Princess Twilight Sparkle?”
“We do know each other, yes. Lovely pony, isn’t she?” And Rarity giggled. “And so beautiful, too! Oh, we are so lucky to have her here in Ponyville.”
“Yes, yes, sure.” Blueblood shook a hoof and I think he also rolled his eyes, but I couldn’t see him well from the kitchen. I’m going to say he did that, anyway. “Whatever. She refused to see me today—apparently the occasion calls for formal attire, and my clothes aren’t fit to the task. Supposedly you can help.”
Rarity giggled again. “I do dabble in the matters of fashion, your Highness. However… The occasion, you said? What, exactly, are you talking about? If you don’t mind my asking?”
“Hmrph. My proposal, of course! Princess Twilight Sparkle and I are getting married!”
I counted. Rarity was quiet for almost five seconds after this.
I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it felt like it was a super long silence.
And then she said: “Why, really?”
“Indeed!” Blueblood said. “You see, it is hardly surprising if you are a connoisseur of Canterlot’s high society. There are countless reasons why a marriage between me and Princess Twilight would be beneficial to both parties. We could tear down this place, build a real city around the castle—I’m sure between the two we have more than enough funds, and my family’s reputation would only soar—”
“Ooh, your Highness.” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes some more and fixed her mane again. “Everything you just said sounds wonderful, for sure, but I must admit, I’ve never understood politics,” Rarity said then, and she fluttered her eyelashes a bit more and fixed her mane again. “They just seem so complicated, don’t you think?”
“…Yes, I assume that for a simple tailor as you, these matters are hard to grasp.” And Blueblood looked at Rarity’s face, and her mane, and her body. And then he said “You don’t look like the thinking type.”
He said that.
Rarity always says that ladies don’t start fights, but they can end them if necessary. I once asked Mom what this meant, and she said it was just something Rarity said to give herself an out when she wanted to kick somepony. But I don’t know if that’s true. I know I would have tried to punch Blueblood if he had said that to me, but Rarity would say that’s unladylike.
And Rarity is never unladylike.
So she didn’t punch Blueblood.
She just smiled and said: “Absolutely! And I can’t wait to see the wedding. I’m sure Princess Twilight will be so, so relieved to hear that you accepted her hoof in marriage. You’re such a generous gentlecolt, your Highness.”
Blueblood frowned. “Generous?” he asked.
And then Rarity saved Ponyville.
“See, girls,” Twilight said, “beautiful mares—especially the ones like Rarity—are always the smartest ones. You should always treat them with respect. Because they chose to be pretty, and they’re clever enough to make it work. And even though they say they don’t, and even if they act like this is not true? Beautiful mares like Rarity are perfectly aware of how good they look.”
And then she winked at us.
“I was so smart they made me a princess, but Rarity can do things I wouldn’t even dream of, girls,” she said. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with caring about dresses and being pretty, but there’s a lot wrong with thinking that means somepony is stupid. Just be glad Rarity is on our side.”
Rarity said: “Daaaaaaarling!”
And that’s how she saved Ponyville.
I was taking the water off the stove when she did this, so I don’t know how she looked, but I know Rarity didn’t say daaaaaaarling like she usually would. She sounded like she was laughing, or maybe sharing a secret.
And then Blueblood said “What?”
And he didn’t sound happy at all.
“Well, you know,” Rarity said, giggling. “I’m sure Princess Twilight would love to marry a rich stallion like you, your Highness! Being a princess doesn’t pay well. Why, she’s barely scraping by, isn’t she? Last time she told me that I was probably richer than—Ah!”
Then Rarity pressed a hoof against her cheek, and said “Oh, no, no, I was not supposed to talk about this. I’m so sorry, sometimes I forget myself...”
“You…” Blueblood looked around the boutique again. “You are… richer than Princess Twilight.”
“Well, I—I shouldn’t say, your Highness.” Then Rarity made a pout. “She will get angry with me if I talk more!”
“But you are?” Then Blueblood coughed. “I mean, I’m a prince. I’m sure you can tell me.”
“Hnng.” Rarity did a little anxious dance—she said that’s what it’s called, and that I shouldn’t say she looks like she wants to go to the bathroom when she does it—and then looked at Blueblood. “You promise, your Highness? Not to tell anypony?”
And Blueblood smiled. “Why, of course. Your secret is perfectly safe with me, my little pony.”
I remember that Rarity’s eye didn’t twitch. She just looked as pretty as ever, and fixed her mane a bit.
Then she said “Well, your Highness—I don’t really know about finances, you see? Oh, I was never good at Math. But I heard…” And Rarity got closer to him and whispered the next words, so I had a hard time hearing them. “I heard she still owes money to Princess Celestia herself! That can’t be good, can it? I’ve always been afraid to ask, but it does sound worrying…”
And then Blueblood smiled a little, and went: “Hmmm.” And then he said that he had to leave and he left.
Then Rarity looked at me and she was still smiling. “How is the tea coming, darling?”
“Uuuuh.” It was ready. “It’s ready. Is Ponyville still in danger?”
“I very much doubt so, darling.”
Then the doorbell rang.
“Well.” And Rarity went to the door. “Just in time, then.”
“Glad she’s on our side?” Apple Bloom asked. “Why? What is she gonna do, be pretty against us?”
“Actually, yeah!” Twilight said. “Rarity is a wonderful mare, but she can be really, really dangerous if she wants to. In fact—you know what?” She smiled. “I don’t think you can really know Rarity without being at least a little bit scared of her. Even if you love her as much as I do, which is a lot. Don’t you agree, Sweetie Belle?”
I frowned. “Uuuuh. I don’t know. I don’t think so?”
And then Twilight giggled and patted me on the head. “Oh,” she said. “Maybe you’re too young. Just know that your sister is really, really smart, Sweetie Belle. You’ll get it one day.”
And then Rarity opened the door and it was Spike, and he said that he was really sorry because Blueblood had popped up at the castle and Twilight hadn’t known what to do, so she had sent him to Carousel Boutique.
Rarity said it was fine, and invited Spike over for tea and said his cup was ready, and also asked him if Twilight could tell her these things in advance first. She also asked if Twilight cared too much about her reputation in Canterlot.
Spike said Twilight did not.
Then we had breakfast again, because I hadn’t really finished my cereals, and we also drank the tea. And I asked Rarity if she had saved Ponyville for sure, and she told me that she had.
Only she said it like this:
“Oh, of course, Sweetie.” And she fixed her mane again. “Don’t you worry about it, your big sister has taken care of it. Not being the thinking type has its upsides, don’t you think?”
And that was it.
But she fixed her mane a couple more times, and I think that’s because her mane doesn’t really look that good by itself. She has to take a lot of care of it, to make sure it’s perfect at all times.
Because Rarity always looks good. I think she does it so ponies stop thinking she works for it. She makes ponies believe that beauty just happened to her. Even though she spends a lot of time every day to take care of herself and do her makeup, and even though she does a lot of exercise to have a good figure.
It’s just that you never see Rarity not looking good. I’ve seen her being ugly, but only because she wanted me to. Other ponies haven’t, and they think pretty mares can’t be smart, so they think all my sister does is care about fashion, and clothes, and that there’s nothing else to her. They think she’s pretty and that’s it.
And Twilight says Rarity knows this. She knows, and that’s why she works so hard to be pretty. She talks a lot about fashion, and never stops smiling, and then she does things like saving Ponyville from Prince Blueblood. And nopony really thinks twice about it.
So she just keeps doing it.
I am her little sister, and I’ve seen her being ugly, but I didn’t know this. Twilight told me Prince Blueblood isn’t the first time it’s happened, and that Rarity always gets what she wants because she doesn’t mind ponies thinking she’s dumb. She’s smart enough to be pretty.
That’s a little bit scary.
And I think Rarity knows that, too.
I guess that’s why she looks so good.
I like Ponyville, though, so I’m really glad that she’s that smart. I really hope one day, I’ll get to be as pretty and clever as her.
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Who said I was a cat?
Alternative Title: Rubberducking feat. Estee
The cover art is scary. She looks like she knows where I sleep.
I did nothing.
Nothing.
Okay, I suggested one word swap during edits. But that's it.
This was just wonderful and sweet.
This is surprisingly accurate to the show if you take a minute to think about it. Look at where Rarity is in her life now and take a moment to ponder how she got there. It's quite terrifying really. Like what happened with the Diamond Dogs for example. And of course there's the newest Rarity centric episode, she was upset not just because she thought she was ugly without her mane, but because without her mane she feared she had lost part of her arsenal. Of course her new look turned out to be amazing, but I digress. This was a great story told from an interesting perspective. I wish you the best of luck in the contest. Well done Darling.
Heehee. Between this and the ass story I can tell you have fun writing Rarity.
Oh thank God someone pointed this out. :D
orig00.deviantart.net/43ec/f/2017/237/6/b/got_mine_too_by_hillbe-dblbxqj.jpg
This is such a wonderful character portrait, Aragon. And not just of the titular character! All the little interactions were entertaining and well-represented. Like...
Such beautiful little exchanges.
How do you do it, man?!
It's only the begining and I'm alredy dying of laughter! LMAO!! XD
Oh man, I loved the tone of the story and Sweetie Belle's voice is adorable. A couple of lines were amazing, and the rest of the story is splendid too.
This is also a pretty good life lesson in general, something to keep in mind.
And yes, Rarity can be quite scary, that's a given.
You know it's good when you can actually hear Tabitha St Germain saying " Daaaaaaarling". And how she is so secure and confident in the way she is going to destroy Blueblood that she's timed it so that so tea is ready for Spike afterwards.
Ara’s fanfiction is so bomb, that the bombs I keep in my room detonated with envy.
I'm homeless now.
Well, that was lovely.
Oh, SNAP!
.....Holy crap that's a lotta 'between the lines' you don't really think about. Yeah .... yeah, she a little scary yo. D:
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:O Kitty! <3
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Rarity as Equestria's éminence gris blanc...
I think I would love to read more politically themed stories about the true ruler of the nation.
This was great. The only part I didn't like was Twilight saying she only makes money by chipping off bits of her castle. I mean, come on, she'd have access to the Royal Treasury for harmony's sake.
*Reads A/N, reflects on own childhood.* oh, that makes sense.
Great story by the way.
This is an absolutely darling story, and if it doesn't win at least some type of award, I shall be very cross indeed.
Now, while watching Equestria Girls: Everfree, Rarity struck me as a one-dimensional character, opposite of everything they had built of her in the show. Reading this story, one could think that I see her with other eyes. I do not.
However, this story perfectly applies for the Rarity we have come to know and love. The Rarity that lives by herself, that has created an empire of boutiques and fashion by herself, that can come across as frivolous and dumb, but always knows what to do and say, and always gets what she wants.
Not the idiotic teenager that tried to calm a raging magic-corrupted adult saying she'd miss her spa trips, but the mare that became one of Equestria's all-too-powerful guardians, expanded her business to the point where she can only grow and get richer, and could become a princess any time if she wanted to.
And all just by fixing a gay serpent's mustache.
Kudos to your story!
Season 1 Rarity was the voice of reason. Even Twilight looked up to her and deferred to her. Go Watch a Dog and Pony Show when she was abducted into slavery by diamond dogs, remained completely calm and in control, and walked away having mastered the situation. Watch the opening of the Gala episode when Twilight was panicking about not knowing how to get there. Rarity just gives her this looks, mocks her for being a helpless, panicky female, then solves the problem in 20 seconds, leaving Twilight all embarrassed about her overreaction.
Season 1 Rarity was calm, collected, capable and intelligent.
Abducted into slavery? "Ho hum, darling, whatever are you going on about?"
About to be eaten by an insane, giant Spike dragon? "Oh, I do hope poor Spike will be ok.".
Crack a nail? "NOOOOOO!!!!!!11!!!!!!"
That's why she was funny. She was an intelligent, hyper-competent nearly-always-in-control character who only lost her sense of decorum over trivial things, never over important things. End of the world? "That's no big deal, darling. Do please relax and have some tea. The mushroom clouds really are quite lovely, don't you think?"
Hair with split ends? "PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!"
Season 1 Rarity was awesome. Unfortunately when Lauren Faust was removed from the show, Jayson Thiessen didn't understand her character. He only saw her overreactions. So she became the helpless, panicky female that she used to mock.
It's nice when an author looks a little deeper into a character. Given that Rarity is still a young mare, who owns a small chain of boutiques and is probably on her way to founding some sort of RariCorp International business conglomerate, yeah, I'd say she's smart.
I'd say that part about Twilight having to sell chips of castle was kind of a throw-away joke. Even if she's not being paid as a librarian and as the leader of a paramilitary rescue/strike team of sorts, you know her skills would be in demand. She could probably pull in a decent income doing the lecture circuit going from one prestigious university to another, with ponies paying out the nose to be bored half to death.
This sort of SHREWDNESS is not something that is often touched upon. Though we have certainly seen her manipulate others before, like how she saved herself from the Diamond Dogs AND got a bunch of gems as payment. I mean she LITERALLY got paid to get OUT of slavery! That's not even counting just how INTELLIGENT you have to be in order to be such a successful business mare. I mean she's in a town where ponies don't really buy or wear much clothes typically...but she still manages to have PLENTY of money to live off of.
Hey, I'd kill for my big sister.
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Somehow I get the feeling there was one quote in particular that stuck out to people. Call it a hunch.
This was absurd and funny but also cute and wholesome and thoughtful and I really appreciate that little insight at the end.
I have never seen someone so effortlessly make Rarity at once delightful and yet terrifying so well well done.
man, that was deep
Wonderful, darling.
An exquisite celebration of Fashion Horse and siblinghood. My sister is nothing like Rarity, but Sweetie's sense of awe is very familiar. Great stuff; best of luck in the judging.
As for me, Eldest, that's what I am. Alondro remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... he knew the night in Hollywood when it was fearless... before Weinstein came from the Outside.
I think my words per minute slow by at least half while reading an Aragon fic. Further, the reason I haven't read everything by said author yet is an assumption about the dangers of such an aggregate lack of oxygen.
I feel like a contest portraying Rarity as 'not garbage' is a bit too easy in itself, but that's personal bias and anyway it sounded more like an excuse to get some great Rarity stories.... such as this one.
Funny enough, Twilight might have been the strongest voice here for me, with Rarity a close second. Perhaps that's because she got the best lines in terms of pure snark while genuinely defending Rarity from the slings and arrows of the misguided. She even managed a nice message to the fillies. Meanwhile Rarity saved Ponyville, by being exactly the amazing mare that she is.
This line made the fic for me. Well played!
That was awesome. Do disagree with Rarity being the smartest, that is definitely Book Horse, and I'd make a case for RD actually being the second most intelligent, at least as far as raw mental processing ability goes. It's just she needs something that interests her to focus that on. But that's just if we're pretty much going by pure INT score more or less.
When it comes to social savyness, and knowing how to use other's expectations for your own benefit, how to manipulate without even seeming to be doing that, just anything in general that deals with social situations, yeah she's the one that is best at doing it. Going with the above D&D reference, while Twi certainly, and I'd even argue RD have higher INT scores, Rarity likely has the highest, overall mental scores. RD took WIS as her dump stat, and Twi's CHR isn't all that good either.
Still, really fun story, and yeah, nice job Rarity!
This was great in every way possible. And I like that.
This was cute, sweet, and pretty funny at that.
An excellent portrayal of a child's perspective while keeping the plot engaging.
...and reminding me of my mother. Thank for this.
Rarity can't be the smartest, because Pinkie Pie.
You can has review!
So here I am, at long last, after like a dozen people over the years telling me to check you out.
This is the first story of yours I've read all the way through.
Character is perfect.
Rarity is perfect.
Message is perfect, if a little sparse.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and Twilight are perfect.
Apple Bloom... is a transplant from Earth #719 where Kevin Smith made this show instead of Lauren Faust? It's nothing if not interesting, but I'm so lost.
The only reason this isn't in my Favorites (and I really wish I could put it there) is because I found this really hard to read. I don't know if this will make any sense, but given the prose and word usage (and lack thereof) I'm seeing here, this fic, for me, flip-flops between reading like a pointed Douglas Adams book aimed straight at the snappy wit center of the brain... and reading like a Discord chat log where all you see is usernames and blather. The only conclusions I can draw are that this is either your usual style, or that you were really running up the contest deadline for this one. Either way, congrats on winning.
But yeah, I had to do more backtracking than I'm used to just to make sure who was talking and which points were being made about whom.
Either way, glad I got to look at this, and I look forward to reading more of your stuff soon!
(P.S. I'm Team Weiss but god damn do I miss your userpic ;_;)
The message in this is just lovely. Rarely is it shown that someone (girls, usually) can be pretty and smart, it's usually just if you're one, then you automatically can't be the other. Or, that those who are more outwardly feminine are snooty or stuck-up, and don't care about others because they think they themselves are better than them. You did an excellent job of subverting that claim, showcasing that you can be both, and that you can be strong because of your beauty and femininity, not in spite of it. Also, I really like how you touched down on how beautiful people (and ponies, as is the case here) aren't just pretty by some wondrous fate, but that they have to work on it, just like anything else, to be attractive. It lets people know that anyone can look really good, if they just put the effort in the right place.
Not to mention, this piece was just riddled with comedy that was right up my alley. I was smiling the entire time I read this, and outwardly giggled multiple times. You really have a skill for writing, but I'm sure you know that.
Thank you for writing a piece as good as this. It's not often I find a story that reads this way and sends this message, and I really enjoyed it!
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Oh, hey, I hadn't noticed it teaches this. The moral I was going for -- adjacent, so it's kinda impossible to talk about one without implying the other -- was that there's this weird narrative going on saying that pretty people are just pretty naturally, when the truth is supermodels spend so much time at the gym they could probably beat the shit of any of us at any given moment, and the level of discipline one needs to diet so hard for so long is legitimately insane.
This fic is honestly me sorta low-key rampaging against that fucking "oh I can eat whatever and I don't get fat! Tee hee!" trope I see so often in comics and shitty books and the like, because they really overemphasize the fact that you're just naturally born pretty and you can -- and sometimes should -- be looked down upon because, shit, you just got lucky with genetics, lass. You didn't WORK for it. Your beauty is just FAKE.
And like, fuck off, no. That shit requires effort. A character like Rarity sorta embodies that particular pet peeve of mine 'cause I like to picture her as an endlessly hard worker. Seeing how this was literally a contest on how Rarity is not garbage, I chose to go in that direction and add some little sister idealization to the mix to see what we could end up with. Glad ya liked it!
“Applejack is a rich real estate owner whose entire fortune was a direct present from Princess Celestia to her family, so she’s really in no position to talk,”
Ouch. Very true, though.
There is a reason why there is a stereotype about pretty people being dumb, and it didn't just spring up from the ground or something. Rarity is, as her name suggests, a rare exception to a commonly observable personality trait among attractive people, one which the rest of us reinforce in them because we treat them like they are better than us purely because they look better than us. In doing so, we grant them credibility that neither their intellect nor personality normally merits, and thus teach them that simply looking good is a replacement for being smart and capable, and so they work to remain pretty and not on being smart or capable, both of which require at least as much work as looking good.
Honestly, true in all the parts where it hurts
When I was a wee one, I wanted to be a princess too. Then I realized how much better it would be just to be one of the one who worked behind the scenes
Applebloom! Be nice!
And honestly, the bit with the dresses applies to so many hobbies or likes or personality traits nowadays. Funny enough to not hurt. (Or maybe just a little.)
Overall, this story was hilariously witty and smarmy enough to make me have to rein it in for the somewhat serious bits. Wonderfully done
This is the third story of yours I’ve read in about an hour, maybe two. Without a doubt, you’re one of my favorite authors on here, and I very much so intend to check out your other works.
The roasts are reeeaal haha. What a fun story. Sibling stuff is great. There's a special bond there.
And Rarity being awesome is so cool. It's a genre I didn't know I loved until fairly recently (This Platinum Crown helped there).
There's too much to appreciate here. Thank you for this one.