Generosity of a Mare

Makeshift huts, bamboo shacks and parked wheelbarrows sat busily under the afternoon sun. Being a favorite area for socializers, no place else in Ponyville was more populated than the town's marketplace.

A bubbly mare trotted happily down the center of the path, looking to-and-fro at the lively merchant shacks and splotches of social groups. Her pink, frizzy hair bounced with every small impact her hooves made with the cobblestone. Assuming she knew virtually every citizen living in Ponyville, an endless smile beamed across the rotund mare's muzzle as she waved hello at everypony in sight.

Pinkie Pie's serial greetings went on hold after glancing forward at an intersection, surprised to find Rarity. This would not have stopped Pinkie from greeting her best friend as well if not for the relatively-bizarre scene taking place. Of all things, Rarity's body was hooked up to a fairly large wagon full of stuffed bags and bits of protruding merchandise, showing apparent struggle with every step she took. While the load was sizable enough to cause strain for the little mare's body, Pinkie observed that wasn't the complete source of her pain.

Rarity's mane drooped down in its naturally untreated waviness, lacking the impervious curl of her trademark hairdo. The white unicorn's eyes were vacant of mascara and eye shadow, revealing the true appearance of her wildly exhausted face, muffling Pinkie's slight fascination with seeing her friend without makeup. This, combined with lugging an oversized cart of various items through town, as well as knowing she never carries her own belongings, mixed into a palette of highly confusing, pitiable sights.

A random stallion appeared from the crowd, addressing Rarity as they engaged in a relatively casual conversation. Though Pinkie couldn't hear her, she could tell from Rarity's hunched posture and drooped facial features that she wasn't brimming with any level of elation about selling her items.

Pinkie double took her surroundings. Even though Rarity had yet to discover her location, Pinkie took caution and trotted briskly to the side of a gingerbread shop. She stood just enough out in the open to see.

The plump mare watched Rarity dig through the mysteriously bulky bag, pulling out a small lamp with her jaw. The stranger held out a few bits in his right hoof as he extended it forward, only to find Rarity wouldn't accept them. The stallion insisted but she just wouldn't comply. She sat the lamp in front of the lime-coated stallion, and almost defeatedly, he lowered down to clamp it in his jaw, nodded courteously to her and walked off.

Retreating behind the gingerbread shack, Pinkie navigated the backstreets of the marketplace as cobble and hard dirt turned to weeds and dried mud. She finally made it out of the semi-maze, spotting Rarity's lamp-lugging buyer from before. Keeping to the side of another shack, she peeked down the path to find Rarity was no longer present, and walked forward into the street, confronting the stallion.

“Hey, mister!” Pinkie shouted, though he was relatively close.

“Uuugh?” Shocked, he turned around to face a panicked mare. He quickly placed the lamp base-down on the stone-y ground. “Yes?”

“Do you know why Rarity is going around selling stuff in a big, giant wagon thingy?”

“Rarity?” The approached lime stallion scratched his chin. “Oh- ohh, oh yeah, duh! Of course, the young unicorn I just got this lamp from. I was just asking her if she had anything on sale, but she told me it was all for free. She actually offered me this really nice lamp out of the blue, practically brand new. I insisted she took my bits, but she refused.”

Pinkie jumped in before he could finish. “Yeah, but do you know why she's doing it?”

“Umm... no, not really, but it didn't look like it was making her very happy. I'm pretty sure she's the town's dress maker, too. Pretty funny seeing her doin' that and- oh yeah, look at the bottom here-”

Picking up the lamp again, the morning stallion tilted the bottom of its base into her vision.

[Property of Rarity Belle. If found, please return to Carousel Boutique.]

He put the lamp back down. “I guess that's your answer.”

“What could be wrong with her?” Dejectedly, Pinkie's front shoulders hunched down, her eyes no longer teeming with any level of joy or excitement.

“If you're looking for her...” He raised his hoof, pointing down the west end of the path. “She went that-a-way.”

Pinkie gave him a warm smile, followed with a bear hug. “Thank you so, so much, sir!”

After parting ways with the kind stranger, she followed in the direction he pointed, weaving in and out through studded crowds until her eyes met with Rarity's backside, still lugging her heavy wagon.

“Rarity!” Pinkie called.

The unicorn looked over her withers, slightly apprehensive. “Oh, dear Pinkie, how are you this fine afternoon?”

“What are you doing selling all of your stuff?”

Standing in place, Rarity wobbled slightly. “Heh heh, oh, just getting some extra clutter out of the house, you know. Spring cleaning and the like.”

“It’s September!”

The unicorn waved her right hoof whimsically. “Spring, summer, fall, winter, doesn't matter to me, darling!” She gave her friend a serious glare. “Now listen closely, Pinkie. You're my best friend in the whole world and it's sad we haven't spent more time together on a daily basis. Allow me to give you something to make up for my mistakes." Using the same hoof, she dug into the wagon's holstered bag, tugging out a pink ragdoll. It had a few stains and exposed seams but, for its age, remained in excellent condition. She hugged it longingly against her chest as she pressed its head with her cheek. “I had this dolly when I was just a filly, and now I want you to have her.”

“Rarity, seriously, what the heck's going on with you? I'm, like, super-duper confused right now!” Pinkie came within touching distance of her distraught friend. “No, I don't want to take any of your stuff! Keep it, it's yours for a reason!”

“What good is keeping so much for so long when you don't share it with others, my dear?” She pinned the doll against Pinkie's chest. “Please, it's the least I can do.”

“No, Rarity, I-”

“Please,” she pleaded. Pinkie read fear in her face.

Unsure of what else to do, the party mare approached Rarity, hugging her around the neck with both forearms, careful to avoid the wagon chain. Rarity returned the same gesture, hugging firmly around Pinkie's withers as they were both forced to stand on their back legs. The pitiful unicorn melted into her friend's embrace, absorbing as much warmth as possible as she lovingly pressed into the side of Pinkie's face. After a minute passed, they parted, landing back down on all fours, but before the earth pony had time to react, Rarity shoved the doll into her unwilling grasp.

“I must go.”

Pinkie quietly watched as Rarity walked off with her wagon, still holding the ragdoll in her forearm.

It was a brilliant afternoon, Twilight thought, to be out and about relaxing in the dry summer air with Fluttershy. Sitting under the protective shade of an oak tree's fully-bloomed leaves, the lavender alicorn valued the absence of the torrid heat she normally experienced within seconds of stepping outside of her nestled library, feeling just enough of the tingly warmth sheeting her fur but not enough to become sticky and sweaty. Twilight left her brain-training books at home, instead preferring to lay sprawled out on her belly for the past thirty minutes, leaving her eyes shut as her consciousness threatened to put her to sleep. Fighting the prospects of mid-afternoon slumber (and potential insomnia as a result), Twilight slowly opened her sensitive eyes, adjusting to the light.

Her sight followed a gravel pathway waving over hummocks, passing by and twisting around short fig trees, healthy pachinas and finely-trimmed shrubs. A few hills away, a mare and a stallion were both leaning on each other in a gazebo next to a small lake, watching a fountain. Near the edge of the park, just before it went back into Ponyville proper, was a wide cobblestone bridge.

“Umm...” a demure voice spoke up, “Twilight?” Fluttershy pointed her hoof down the pathway leading back into Ponyville proper.

Rolling over, Twilight looked at her butter-coated friend. It was hard to make out Fluttershy's expression due to the long, carnation pink hair that covered half her face.

“Wha- huh?” Blinking out her tiredness, Twilight looked down the pathway to see her other two friends, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, coming into view over the forested hills. Running side-to-side, they kept a good pace, but uncharacteristically enough, the two mares didn't seem to be racing.

Applejack, the amber-colored mare with a blonde ponytail, kept her head tilted forward so the flowing wind wouldn't threaten to blow off her stetson. Rainbow Dash, the blue pegasus with a prismatic mane, was packing saddlebags. Both mares charged for Twilight and Fluttershy's picnic spot.

“Hey, guys!” a grainy, high-pitched voice blurted from Rainbow Dash as they both approached. “Have you seen Rarity, today?”

Twilight sat up off the picnic cloth, her front legs supporting her height. “No, what's the matter? I thought she was still supposed to be coming back home from Canterlot, today.”

“Well... actually, we saw her earlier in town and, umm... well...”

“Girls,” the country Earth pony said, “somethin's seriously wrong with her."

“Yeah... like, you may wanna see this.” Turning her head around to her side, Dash dug into her left saddlebag. Pensively, she pulled out with her mouth a perfectly new set of mascara, not even yet to be taken out of its cellophane.

Applejack took up for Dash's temporary muteness. “She was luggin' around this big wagon full of stuff, handing things out to ponies round' town like furniture, makeup, fashion things, fabrics, you name it. She was practically forcin' RD here to take that case of mascara, and then she gave me some stuff, too.”

“Huh...” Twilight responded.

“Ah almost didn't recognize her. Hair was totally flat an' messy, droopy eyes and looked barely strong enough to stand up. And ah ain't sayin' it's bad she ain't wearin' any, but she had no makeup on, either.” Somberly, she pointed her head down to the ground. “And we're pretty sure she was cryin', too. Somethin' is really botherin' her, Twi. I mean bad this time. Somethin' really terrible must've happened while she was in Canterlot and we was wonderin' if you two and Pinkie would come help us talk to her.”

Fluttershy panicked. “I feel like this is my fault. If I had just gone with her to Canterlot, I could've at least helped in some way. I might've even been able to stop whatever it was.”

Twilight put a forearm around her. “Don't worry about it, Fluttershy. This wasn't your fault, and besides, you were babysitting Sweetie Belle, so either way, you were helping her.”

Fluttershy looked at her and smiled.

The young princess addressed the group. “Okay, first thing's first: do you guys know where she is now?”

Rainbow Dash, now absent of the mascara case in her mouth, stared intently at Twilight. “We were with her near that coffee shop close to the park, but when we left and came back, she was gone. The wagon slows her down so you know she can't be going anywhere too fast.”

“Huh...” Twilight replied. “I wonder if she'll try to hide from us now. I mean, she knows you girls know something's wrong, and obviously that means the rest of us will know, too, but it's just so strange of her to hide her emotions, especially from her friends. After all, she's always the first one of us to let somepony know if she's upset.” She flinched. “Er, well, not that I mean anything by that...”

Dash budded in just before anypony else could talk. “Do you want me and Fluttershy to patrol the park area? We can get a good view from above.”

“I'm not sure. Again, something tells me she's going to hide from us now, but only because she wants private time to herself. Maybe we should just leave her alone for a while and help later?”

Applejack stood contently. “Well, ah don't wanna hurt the poor girl's feelings more than anypony else here, but ah' don't wanna waste any more time before she's done throwin' away all her belongins'.”

“Are you sure they're hers?”

“Who else's would they belong to, Twi?” She responded impatiently. “Half the things she was givin' out had her name on em'.”

Dashie jumped in once again- “If she's gonna force me to take anything, why mascara of all things...?” -though it was more intended for herself. “Um, er, sorry. I promise I'm really worried, too. It's just, ugh, stupid, I'll be quiet...” she facehoofed.

“Okay, girls!” Twilight said. “Dashie and Fluttershy, I want you two to fly above the park, while Applejack and I will look below. It's more likely she'll be in town, but since she was so close to the park, we can still clear this place out first, just in case. Also, it'd be a great help if you guys could find Pinkie. We need all the girls here for this one.”

“Got it!” Dash confirmed

After finally standing up, Fluttershy waltzed clumsily towards the daring pegasus, still shaking the tiredness from her limbs. “I'm game!”

And thus a search commenced. Twilight and AJ scanned the park from below, while Dash and Fluttershy looked down from above, acting less than conspicuous to on-looking ponies. Both parties searched every corner and questioned every pony in sight.

“Rarity!”

“Rarity, are you there?”

“Hello, Rarity?”

“Have you seen a white unicorn around pulling a wagon?”

“Rarity, c'mon!”

Questions and shouts were voiced, both to park patrons and empty spaces, but their efforts proved to be fruitless. From a gazebo sitting next to a small lake, Twilight signaled the girls to come back down.

“It looks like we're not gonna find her here, everypony. We'll just have to go into town.”

And as the small group left, an audible “phew” could be heard from underneath the gazebo.

Rarity sat in a small patch of wet grass, listening to the hoofsteps of her friends going away. She kept her head just below the gazebo floor so she wouldn't scrape any dirt or mildew into her already limp hair.

Well... I finished giving out everything... the rest of it's just sitting out in the market, so I guess that makes up for it. Rarity hunched over, taking in the slightly sordid conditions (for her standards) of the gazeebo's under workings. But nothing's going to take back what I did. I don't even know if I'll get to go on adventures with my friends, anymore...

“Hi, Rarity!”

“WAHH!” Her reverie was epically destroyed by a random filly's surprise greeting. Moving backwards into a supporting wood beam, she sees the culprit hiding with her under the summertime house. Her coat matched exactly with Rarity's, and her perm-curled hair grew in two tones of lavender pink and purple.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle...” Dropping her hostility, Rarity was relieved to find it was just her little sister. “How did you get under here, darling?”

“I was following you around the park and saw you go into a hole under this house thing. Funny to see you go hole exploring after coming back from a fashion show.”

“Yes, I guess so...” she replied, attempting to change the subject. “How did you enjoy staying at Fluttershy's while I was gone?”

“Meh,” the filly commented. “Pretty boring. Apple Bloom was grounded and Scootaloo is still getting over the cold, so it was just me and her.” But then her eyes grew wide. “Say... you don't look so good, big sis. Are you okay?” The little girl's adorably stubby legs carried her forward to get a better look at her poor sister. She could make out facial details from light peeking through cracks in the floor as well as the exposed dirt entrance. “You look like you're sick or upset or something.”

“Oh, well...” she responded apprehensively. “That's because I am, honey.”

“What is it, Rarity? Do you need help? I can get my friends together, uh, somehow, and we can help out-”

The big sister raised her front hooves, waving them dismissively. “No, no, no, no, no! Definitely do not do that. It's not that kind of problem, Sweetie. Trust me. I prefer having some time alone for this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I'm sorry.”

“Is that why you're down here? So your friends won't try to help either? You know I saw them looking for you, too.”

The fashionista-turned-earthworm scratched her chin. “It's not that I don't want to tell them, daring, it's just... I don't want to tell them right now. I'm too afraid of what they'll think.”

“Is it something you did in Canterlot?”

“Yes, unfortunately. I did something very shameful. You would be embarrassed of your big sister if she told you.”

Sweetie Bell unintentionally gave her older sibling the puppy dog-eye stare. “You sure you can't tell me? I promise I won't say anything mean.”

“Of course I'll tell you, it's just... well... I don't know about now but...”

“Pleeease?” Sweetie Belle frowned.

Rarity sighed again. “I... I guess. You are my little sister, after all. Just don't tell anypony until I say so, understand?”

And just at the exact same moment, Pinkie came hopping over the park bridge from town, intercepting the rest of the gang.

“Hey, guys!” Pinkie called. “Are you busy?”

Twilight stood ahead of the group. “Yes, Pinkie. I'm sorry but we're trying to find Rarity; she's in bad trouble. No fun and games, today.”

“I was just getting ready to tell you! I was talking to her earlier this morning at the marketplace and she was all upset and depressed and everything, but she wouldn't tell me what was wrong and just walked off! Seriously, you guys need to listen to me cause' I know what to do!”

Dash butted in. “Um, Pinkie, we appreciate that you want to help out Rarity, too, but right now we're just worried about finding where she is. You'd probably make more progress helping us.”

“Well, could you guys at least hear me out?”

Thirty minutes later...

“...you even gave out your dresses?” Sweetie questioned.

“No, no, not all of them! Just a few, and the ones I gave out were either old or inexpensive, anyway. In total, I may have not given out over a dozen things, but irregardless, the rest of it is sitting out in the streets somewhere in a wagon with a 'free' sign. I gave out many things I wish I didn't, but... if it means making up for what I've done and getting to be with my friends, then that's all that truly matters.”

“That's crazy, Rarity! I can't believe you gave out all your stuff!”

She sat silently, looking down at the dirt floor between her legs. Mixed regrets were seeping in.

“And what do you mean 'getting to be with my friends'? Do you think they'll hate you from now on? Cause' I seriously doubt that, even over something so bad, if it was even that bad in the first place,” Sweetie disapproved.

Rarity's eyes, once again, threatened to perspire. “If you're the Element of Generosity and you commit theft, what do you think is going to happen?”

“Y-your eleme-” cutting herself off, Sweetie Belle went silent, then her eyes widened in shock. “Oh no...”

“Yes...”

A gentle wind flowed above the wooden floor, squeezing through the gazebo's banister support beams. The filtered glow of the sun's rays disappeared, instead replaced by a soft light. Sweetie broke the silence.

“Rarity, I don't care if they take your element or not. You're the greatest, most generous pony in the whole world! I know it and your friends know it! And even more than that: you're the best big sister anypony could ever ask for, and I mean it!”

“Sweetie...” the older mare felt a familiar pressure in the back of her eyes. She could feel tiny tears forming at the corners and, after blinking, a blurry filter came over her vision. Rarity watched as Sweetie Belle jumped into her arms, grasping around her neck with the type of loving embrace only two sisters could ever understand. Rarity laid back against the dirt wall. They hugged for several minutes, giving no care to how long time passed, nor to the mildly saturated dirt their bodies met with, until they detached.

“You know what, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity proposed. “Forget all of this. I'm just going to go home. After a good rest, I'm going to get all of them together and just tell the truth. If they'll accept what I did then, hopefully, I won't lose my element. Either way, they will still remain my best friends in the whole world.”

Sweetie smiled. “Great!”

“Still, I would do anything to take back what I did. I would gladly return that bottle and accept whatever punishment they intended.”

“Hrmm.” Gears in Sweetie's head were turning. “I still don't think you're too much to blame, big sis'. Just from judging by the way you described things, that griffon lady sure didn't sound too innocent, either. She just kicked you out cause' she didn't like you, and over something you didn't even do! That was really mean! And you were also... umm... drunk, so I guess that had a lot to do with it?”

“Yes, Sweetie, I wholly appreciate that you want to defend your big sister, but that still doesn't justify what I did. As imprudent and unjustified as that bar owner behaved, I am still in the wrong.” She heard another breeze go overtop the gazebo and smiled. “Hmph, how about we finally get out of this rancid little dirt hole and go home?”

“Aww, I kinda liked it in here...”

It was the first time since last night Rarity's mind felt at ease. Trotting casually next to her diminutive sister, the fashionista passed by several beige cottages, adorned with polished oak wood frames and hay-lined roofs as they sat relatively close to each other in no particular order or pattern. After living close to Downtown Ponyville for several years, Rarity learned there was almost no time during the day, except for the dead of night, when the small city wasn't defined by the livelihood of its citizens. Roseluck watered flowers out in her yard, some elderly mares were taking down wire-hung clothes, carriages occasionally passed on the main road, and familiar citizens trotted about.

Thoughts of just going home with Sweetie Belle and laying down, casting away the foreboding bundle of fear and regret she carried for most of the day, could not have sounded more satisfying. It was the perfect way to end this trepid experience.

After leading out of downtown through a couple of modest alleyways, the white mares were not but a street-cross away from the Carousel Boutique... as well as a conspicuous stranger sleeping at its front door.

Wordlessly, Rarity and Sweetie Belle synchronously looked at each other, bearing looks of apprehension.

“Just an evening customer, I'm presuming...” Rarity weakly assured her sister.

As they gradually closed the distance between themselves and the other side, Rarity could make out in the figure more than just a few splotches of orange and white. The stranger was definitely not the common sort to be seen in Ponyville: resting on the front step like a scolded dog, he sported attributes Rarity had no trouble recognizing right away. Rarity's eye shadow-less eyes widened as she came to a quick halt.

“It's that bartender!” She exclaimed horrifically, taking careful steps backwards. “No! Sweet Celestia, no! They've come to get me! They knew where I went! I knew I'd never get away from this!” Fresh tears built up out of the corners of her eyes. Sweetie, who was already in close proximity of her terrorized sister, once again embraced her around her neck. The filly was at a loss of words, so she let her unspoken concern do the talking as Rarity kneeled down to her for another hug.

And amongst the emotional mares arose a stirring. The sleeping stranger from before, absent of any tiredness whatsoever, approached the two apprehensively, acknowledging his distance from them so as not to make any potential mistakes.

“Miss Rarity?” Addressed Flicker.

“No, no, no, no-o-o...” she wailed dramatically.

“Eya', look, I know this is weird an' all, but I can fully explain why I'm here...”

While still embracing her older sister, Sweetie Belle shot unappreciative looks at their surprise guest. “Leave Rarity alone! She's not a bad pony! Everypony makes mistakes, don't they? Don't you? Please just go home! Please! I can't live here without my big sister!” For a second, even Sweetie's eyes threatened to perspire.

“Wait, wait, no! You both's gettin' me all wrong! You gotta’ listen to me! I'm not here ta' do anything to her! Nothin' at all! I'm here ta' help!”

Rarity slowly rose her head, showing Flicker her disheveled face, as if she were embarrassed of a disfigurement.

“D-did...” she snorted, “did that lady send you down here to take me to jail?”

“No, Miss Rarity, I would never do something like that ta' anypony, especially not you, but now ya have ta' listen to me cause' this is serious. No screwin' around. Listen ta’ me.” Decrementing the level of tension between them and himself, Flicker walked closer until he was within casual talking distance. “I came down here cause' I got a bad feelin' bout' last night. I know how my sister can be when she gets angry, but this time...”

“Wait, what?” Rarity angrily interrupted. “Are you saying th-that dreadful, abhorrent buzzard thing from your bar is your sister?” And then she realized what just flew out of her mouth.

“Ey! Don't be throwin' insults at my family, hear? You watch what comes outta' that trap of yours, girl. We ain't bird people any more than you all's horse people, got it? I don't appreciate insults being thrown at my sister cause' she's a griffon. That's disrespect.”

Both Rarity and Sweetie Belle flinched. It also didn't help they were already upset and crying.

“Look...” he exhaled, scolding himself internally for almost going too far for his unexpected rant. Past memories of scorn and violence subsided before they had a chance to affect his mood. “I get you both's all angry an' upset an' you've had a bad day an' what not, but I just ain't gonna stand here and accept nasty comments about my family, no matter how they act sometimes. Now, for the second time, listen ta' me.”

Sitting down like trained animals, both ponies stared in patient silence. Rarity was wiping away earlier tears with her right knee.

“First thing to start off: I'm gonna bet da' both of ya's familiar with a certain Gilda. Remember her? That's the name of my sister. Her full name is Gizelda if that helps any.”

Processing his words, Rarity and Sweetie looked into each other's eyes, scanning for unspoken confirmations, then turned to look back at Flicker, shaking their heads.

“Huh...” He scratched his chin with a stray paw. “Weird. What about a party from a year or two ago for a young griffon lady?”

Rarity gave in for a few more seconds, but struggled to recall anything. “My apologizes, Flicker, but here in Ponyville, we have lots and lots of parties for lots of different reasons, so it's hard to pinpoint just one of them out of two years.”

“Okay, hmm...” Flicker dug deeper, adjusting his backwards ball cap. “Here's the thing: what I'm about ta’ tell you two is what Gilda told me, so I ain't claimin' this actually really happened, but...” His eyes shifted between both ponies, reaffirming himself he still had their undivided attention. “When she came back, she told me a bunch of ponies down here threw her a party to get revenge on her or something like that. Said they were pullin all kindsa' mean pranks on her, like rollerskates an' pie and darts an' blindfolds an' other stuff. Can't remember the whole thing, but she was really, really mad about it. Like, vengeful mad. Scary mad.

“If I can recall correctly, she initially came ta' Ponyville ta' see one of her old flight school friends, an' from there, everything got all rancid. She told me some other pony kept buggin' them both, then later on that same pony arranged a party. She told me both ponies were apart of some little clique, somethin' called the Elements of Harmony, an' said she'd pay em' back someday.”

Rarity's lightening mood shifted from lurid tension to pure, distilled terror.

“Wait.” She took a step closer, reading his navy-blue eyes. “Is... is she here?”

“When I woke up this morning at about five, I couldn't find her anywhere an' nobody else could, either. A bunch of inventory items were missin', too, like buckets, tools, paint, rope, and even some store money was missin'. The night before, I heard her stewing over something out in the street to herself. She said, 'I know where you ponies live.' An’ then she emphasized someone called Pinkie Pie. Put it all together.”

Rarity's jaw dropped.

“We have to find my friends! Now!” She demanded. “Especially Pinkie!”

Flicker's expression went sour. “Well, you'll have to lead the way, Miss Rarity, cause' I ain't gotta clue who or what or where they might be or- oh!” He exclaimed, interrupting his own stream of words. “Stupid! I can't believe I forgot! You two, follow me inside, quick!” As Rarity and Sweetie Belle complied, the trio ran off the streets up to the Boutique. Upon opening the decorated front door, both ponies bared witness to a bag of considerable size, sitting ceremoniously right in the middle of the circular living room.

“By the way, it was already unlocked, so don't be glarin' me any daggers, ya' hear?”

As if approaching a trapped animal, Rarity slowly walked up. Indiscernibly blocky objects of varying shapes pressed outward through the tough fabric, attesting to its durability. At the foot of Rarity's big bag laid a rolled up scroll. Using her magic, she levitated it in front of her and slowly unrolled it. Both Sweetie Belle and Flicker approached from behind, curious along with Rarity to find lines of hastily scribbled mouthwriting inside:

hi, Rarity! me and the rest of the girls got all the stuff back you gave away to everypony in town. it was my idea. I'm so sorry about whatever happened to you this morning!!! we thought something terrible happened to you so we wanted to help as much as possible. please come over to sugar cube corner and tell me whats wrong! nopony else will be there, just me. I won't judge you! I pinkie promise! from your bestest friend in the whole wide world, Pinkamena Diane Pie!!! <3 <3 <4

P.S: we got into your house because fluttershy still has that spare key you gave her, so nopony broke in.

P.S.S: actually, just call me pinkie pie. It would be so weird if you called me pinkamena!

P.S.S.S: actually, I have nothing else to say. I just wanted to add one more P.S. LOVE YOU! <3

“I can't believe it...” She stared at the short message, her magic levitating it almost involuntarily.

Flicker kept his eyes anchored on the scroll. “That's funny. Why did they go back and get all the stuff ya’ gave out?”

Ignoring his question for the moment, Rarity rolled the scroll back up. She looked inside the bag, analyzing its messily-strewn contents. The mare found expensive fabric wrapped up in plastic, the doll she gave earlier to Pinkie, some old clothes, that one lamp...

“I'm not sure,” she responded laggingly, her head still enveloped by the bag. “I feel truly blessed to have such dedicated friends that would go to such extremes to do good things for me, but... I'm not sure if this was really warranted.”

Sweetie was still confused. “How come?” The little crusader watched Rarity pull back from the bag, turning around with a lamp clamped down in her mouth. She placed it on the floor next to her, then sat down looking at them..

“My belongings were originally given out to rectify the mistake I made last night. A self-inflicted punishment, if you will. Giving these things out alleviated my guilt, not to mention it shows I'm still capable of being generous, which balances out the treachery of my deed. After all, what good is an element bearer if she can't live up to what she represents?”

“Uhh...” Flicker butted in. “Ey', I, uh, hope you don't mind me sayin' something here...” His voice seemed to vanish mid-sentence.

“Of course,” Rarity said. “Don't be shy.”

“I'm sure the both of ya's would probably know more about this sorta thing than me, but... the way I look at it is like this...” Flicker paused pensively. “Well... there's more ta’ being generous than just giving stuff out. See, you gave out stuff that didn't matter to ya', right?”

Rarity cut in urgently. “Not necessarily. There was a lot of stuff in there I'm honestly glad I got back, even if I still would've preferred to cast them away. I wasn't in the most conscious of states earlier today, and I probably wouldn't redonate most of this again.”

“I see,” his spirits sunk. “Well, as far as giving stuff you don't want away, that's easy. Just about anyone, or anypony, can do that, even me, but if you ask me what generosity means, it... well, it just means giving up things without expectin' anything back. It's just somethin' you do because you know it has to be done sometimes, get it?”

Both Rarity and Sweetie Belle nodded, their eyes wide and attentive.

“But it's not always about things, ya' see. Sometimes it's people. Like, when you were in the bar yesterday, you coulda' just left an' the whole thing woulda' been just fine.”

The unicorn cringed with guilt. Flicker, unfortunately, read it plain-as-day on her face.

“But, see, ya' didn't. You were so angry at my sister, you just had to get revenge on her somehow. Now I get it... we all get mad an' we all do stuff we don't mean. Believe me, I've been there a lot more than you have, Miss Rarity. I wish I could say stealin' some booze was my only crime. If doin' this sorta thing bothers you, I'd hate to see how you'd fare living with my past.”

“I won't judge you, Flicker,” she said.

“Thank you,” the orange bird grinned. “But anyway, the thing I'm tryin' to say is... well, you get now that I came all the way down here, an' I'm not sure if that's what I'd call generosity, but... it's definitely the thought that, uh... ugh!” He wacked his head with one talon. “Darnit, I'm screwin' this up so bad.”

“No, no.” Rarity raised her hoof, shaking it. “You're doing fine. I feel honored that you came all the way here, I truly do. I understand. Anypony who traveled this far for little old me should obviously be allowed to speak his mind. Please continue.”

“Heheh... well... the point is...” His brow furrowed, mentally searching for something, then his eyes brightened. “Generosity isn't just about givin' stuff out, but knowin' that what you're doin' is making a difference, even if nobody knows about it. I think that's about all I gots ta' say.”

What Flicker said unearthed a demon hiding in the back of Rarity's head. A stray thought from last night re-emerged:

When I do something wrong, everypony hates me for it, but when somepony else does it, it's completely okay?

Her tumultuous guilt returned as she silently acknowledged the company within her Boutique, looking over at her little sister with mournful eyes.

“I've often questioned the ways cruel ponies think, about their ruthlessness and violence. I thought I could never understand their motives because I regarded myself as a decent being, so I always felt safe from becoming like them, but now I’ve finally realized the truth. What a fool I've been. It wasn't just that night, but many times during my life where I didn't take responsibility for my actions, and as a result I have hurt others. For somepony who took pride in being the Element of Generosity, I never honestly realized how much I didn't live up to its name.”

She put a hoof under Sweetie's chin. “Like the Sister Hooves Social event, where I acted like a bratty little child instead of a proper older sister, or the time when we went camping and I never offered even once to help carry anything. It's enough to make me sick.” She turned away from them both. “As far as selfishness and egotism goes, I have it all. I must really be a bitch like Gilda says. Considering what happened last night, it's ultimately the fate of people who don't care what they do, just as long as, in the end, they get what they want.

“To the both of you and to my friends who were not here to hear this, I am truly, deeply sorry.”

Her head hung darkly.

Sweetie and Flicker sat momentarily silent, staring at the miserable mare as they finished absorbing her speech. Looking back up, Rarity found it difficult to read what they were thinking.

Sweetie slowly approached Rarity, hugging her around the neck. The recovering fashionista returned the embrace, placing a forearm around Sweetie's little body. Neither pony spoke.

Just before the room fell awkwardly silent, Flicker spoke up. “Ey, s' no problem, Miss Rarity. We live an' learn, we become better people. No need ta' dwell on the past. Live for today.” He drew sharp, invisible lines in the floor with his talons, not eyeing them directly. “And yeah, y'know, I understand whatcha' mean about my sister, she's just... something ain't right about her, y'see. S' been that way longer than I care to think about. When she gets angry over somethin' or somebody, she dwells on it constantly, an' for some reason, it was you guys she always fumed about the most.”

Rarity looked up. “I understand, but we're still wasting our time sitting here. Who knows what your sister could be doing right now?”

She looked down at her little sibling. “Sweetie, I want you to stay here, and don't let me catch you following us, either. There is serious danger involved. Also, make absolutely sure you lock the doors behind us, as well as any windows.”

“Yes, Rarity,” she complied.

Sweetie watched as her sister levitated a saddlebag, putting it on. And from a desk, she pulled out a bottle of alchohol, placing it inside her bags. She looked at Flicker, and they wordlessly ran out of the Boutique.