Harmony

by All Art Is Quite Useless

Generosity

"Where are my ponyquins?" Rarity asked no one in particular, searching her workshop on the ground floor of the Carousel Boutique. She couldn't fathom a reason for their absence, and the prospect that someone might have broken in and taken them alarmed her. She had a little sister in the house, after all.

"Sweetie Belle!" she called out, her voice slightly hoarse, "Do you know where the ponyquins have been put? I need them for my front of shop display."

At first, there was no answer. Rarity had almost given up asking when she jolted in place, stiffening like a corpse. You gave them away.

Rarity recoiled at the thought, but after a few moments of consideration she realised it to be true. She figured there was no arguing with herself, but it didn't stop her from voicing her confusion. "And why did I give them away, again?"

Her mind was all too happy to accommodate her curiosity. You wanted to make other ponies happy. To give them what they didn't already have. You heard that there was a charity set up to teach disadvantaged ponies design and textiles, naturally you helped however you could.

Rarity gave a stunted nod, her head tilted. "That... Does sound like me, but my ponyquins are necessary as part of my business! I fail to see why I would have thought donating them was a good idea in any sense of the word." Shaking her head, she forced a smile. "In this case, I will have to order two replacements be sent from my store in Manehatten and—"

You mean Sassy's store in Manehatten. Rarity shuddered at the recollection, she felt a physical chill coarse through her body. "I... what?" Tears seeped from her eyes, joining the already mascara blotched fur on her cheeks. "I... I can't have, I musn't have been in the right mind! It's the stress of entrepreneurship, that's all! If I call her, I'm sure she'll understand, I'll—"

Don't be silly. She protested but you insisted. You told her that she had done so much for the company that she deserved a chance at running it. You've already handed her the deed. Are you going to go back on your word? To take away something that you gave to her? This had to be all wrong, it felt wrong. "Sweetie Belle! Come here right now!" she called, shivers wracking her spine as she trembled in place.

Sweetie Belle? Are you sure?

The thought hit her like a train. Her fur blanched until she resembled a spirit, and she keeled over, retching and dry heaving at the recollection, sputtering between coughs: "N-no... I couldn't have... That's monstrous! Not my Sweetie Belle!"

Oh but you did. You saw that there were ponies that could use her, and you saw to it that they could have her. You gave her away, and now those ponies are happy. You're a good pony.

"No!" Rarity threw herself to the floor, rolling and thrashing around as fresh tears seeped out. She smashed her hooves against the ground, bashed her skull, but nothing washed away the memory of just who she had so calmly given her sister to.

Perhaps it was all a dream, a hallucination? Leaving behind the barren and empty workshop, she rushed upstairs to where the house still shockingly had furniture, in sparse amounts at least. Arriving in Sweetie Belle's empty room she let loose a primal howl, knowing then that everything she had done was inescapably real.

Her eyes surveyed the room. She saw a chest full of Sweetie Belle's toys, as well as a very nice bed that she was sure would be appreciated by another filly. Perhaps she should contact the charity shop and—"Get out of my fucking head!" Rarity stormed forwards, levitating the bed high and repeatedly smashing it against the wall. "No... You will not have my Sweetie Belle's things as well!" Only when her horn was red hot from the exertion did she relent, allowing the broken pieces to clatter onto the floor.

How selfish you are.

Rarity hadn't the energy to argue. "How selfish I am indeed."

Another family could have used that.

In minutes, Rarity was calmly attempting to fix the bed, hoping to make it presentable for the charity when she dropped it off. She affixed pieces simply and logically, vocally praising her own work as she imagined the smile on the face of the recipient.

A series of knocks disrupted her work. Coming to the door she found Rainbow Dash, bouncing in place in sheer excitement.

"Rarity!" she jumped up, fluttering her wings as she hovered in place. "Jeez am I glad to see you! I've got a colleague's birthday coming up on the fourteenth, and—"

Rarity didn't have time for the long version, she needed to make this bed ready to give away. "So in two weeks?"

Rainbow Dash paused. Now that Rarity stopped to look at her, she looked quite disgusting.

"No, it's today!"

Rarity was used to her being scruffy, but right now she was downright rancid. "Today is the thirty-first, Rainbow."

"Wha... No, it can't be!" When Rarity nodded, Rainbow started to throw her head against the door. "You missed it! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Gasping, Rarity reached to pull her away, only to find a fresh cut on her forehead. "Rainbow, stop it! Whatever has happened, I'm sure you aren't to blame! Now come inside, and we'll see if we can find you something to stop the bleeding with."

Rainbow shrugged before walking inside, dejected and ashamed. When she walked in, however, her eyes seemed to light up with awareness. "Uhh, Rarity? Why don't you have any of your stuff?"

"That's the spirit of generosity, darling!" she answered, almost instinctively. "C-come to think of it, I may not have any bandages here, considering. Fluttershy could probably help."

Rarity turned to leave, but Rainbow remained in place, turning to face her with a vaguely horrified expression, but it remained blanketed under a sea of reverie. "What about Sweetie Belle?" she asked as her eyes flittered about," Where is she? What is she gonna think about all this?"

"Don't ask. Never ask," Rarity snapped, causing Rainbow to flinch.

"...Rarity? Where's Sweetie Belle?"

"She is making ponies happy," that said, she rushed over to the door. "Come, Rainbow. Let's see about getting you fixed up, we can worry about your friend's belated birthday later."

Just mentioning it was like a trigger. Rainbow sprung up, an idiotic grin on her face as she totally disregarded her surroundings once more. "Right! Fleetfoot wouldn't wanna see me like this, so I'd better get fixed up! That way I'm at least presentable when I give her my gift."

Comments

[FarmFreshAppleTarts]

Rarity can't be generous if she has nothing to give, she won't have anything to give if she can't make money to get more. Gg element