Rarity walked through the marketplace in Ponyville. A little rain cloud floated above her head.
“Sigh! Why me?”
“What’s the matter, Sugarcube?”
Rarity looked up to see Applejack standing next to her apple stand.
“How am I ever going to find a decent stallion?”
“Ah take it yer date didn’ go so well?”
“He was a self centered bore. I don't understand Applejack. Why are all the stallions I date such jerks?"
"Ah don't really know what to say, Rarity. Ah occasionally date stallions. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it don't. But Ah have yet to find anypony to get serious about.” Applejack thought for a moment. “Ah suppose it's like a numbers game. Ya just keep goin’ ‘til you find the right one.”
“But that could take forever. And what if the right one is there the whole time and I don’t even notice?”
Applejack simply raised her eyebrow in response.
“Sigh! If only there was some way we could know who he was in advance, so that we wouldn't waste our time." Rarity lamented.
"Ya mean like a fortune teller?".
Just at that moment, Pinkie Pie popped out of the bushes. "Did someone say fortune teller?"
"Aah! Pinkie, darling. You are going to give me a heart attack one day." Rarity complained.
"That would be too bad, then we wouldn't know which special somepony you should be waiting for."
"Excuse me?"
Before she could object, Rarity found herself being pushed across town by Pinkie, into the 'Chamber of Madame Pinkie Pie’.
With Rarity sitting across from her, Madame Pinkie waved her hooves over the Mystical Orb of Fate’s Destiny.
"Pinke, there is no need to go through all this fuss. I'm fine really."
"Don't you want to know who you're going to marry?"
"Well, I suppose I am curious, but-"
"Say no more, I will find your one true special somepony."
Continuing to wave her hooves over the crystal ball, Pinkie muttered. "I see ... I see ... I seeeeee ... nothing."
"What do you mean, you see nothing? Are you telling me that I'm never going to find somepony?"
"Ahh" Pinkie related. "Maybe I'm not in the zone today."
“I’m going to be all alone? Become ... become ... a crazy cat lady?”
“Ahhh, why would you say that?” Pinkie asked, sheepishly. She once mentioned to her friends that Rarity was destined to become such.
“I do have ears, Pinkie darling.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, heh!”
“This is an absolute disaster! Am I really so ugly? So repulsive? Of all the worst possible things, this is the! Worst! Thing!” Rarity dropped her head on the table, water collecting in her eyes.
“Ice cream?”
Rarity accepted a scoop out of the offered ice cream tub. “What can I do?”
“Hmmmmmmm. Ooh! I know! Zecora! She can see in the future too.”
“You think so?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t think it, silly!”
“I suppose I could giver her a try”.
"Okie dokie."
Rarity left Madame Pinkie’s Chamber. Despite her flair for melodrama, the prospect of not finding a special somepony actually disturbed her. She normally wouldn’t take Pinkie’s fortune telling seriously, but this time she was genuinely worried.
Making a decision, she trotted her way across Ponyville and into the Everfree forest.
Zecora heard a knock on her door and opened it to find Rarity waiting outside.
"Greetings to thee, dear Rarity."
"Hello Zecora. Terribly sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you could help me with a problem I am having."
“I see, I see. Please do, tell me.”
Rarity related to Zecora the lack of success of her romantic life. How it was weighing on her mind, and asked her if there was a way to see what the future might behold.
Zecora considered the request.
“Searching for love can be heartbreaking,
But seeing the future is not a simple undertaking.
“What you see will not necessarily ease you.
In fact, it may thoroughly displease you.”
“I see.” Rarity thought for a moment. “I want to do it”.
Zecora took out a book to consult, gathered ingredients, and mixed them together into a potion. When it was ready, Zecora gave the potion to Rarity.
“One more thing, the future is not firmly planted.
It can guide you and inspire you, but should not be taken for granted.”
Rarity hesitated for a moment, then swallowed it in one gulp.
Her head began to swim as the affect took place. She moaned and put a hoof to her forehead. Then her sight was taken over by a vision.
Rarity cantered down the hallway in the Canterlot palace. On reaching a certain room, she turned into it and stopped when she saw what was inside.
In the room, in front of a large mirror, was her daughter, Crystal Clarity. She was resplendent in a white wedding gown.
"Do you really have to fuss so much Aunt Twi?"
"Your mother would never forgive me if it was anything less than perfect."
Crystal spotted Rarity in the mirror and turned towards her, a warm smile on her face.
"Mom! You're here! We were worried that you wouldn't make it!". Crystal walked over to her mother and embraced her in a hug.
Rarity had to go to Manehattan to handle a sudden emergency. The return train was, of course, late. She had only just arrived back in Canterlot.
"Don't you worry. Not even a changeling invasion could make me miss this."
She broke off the embrace to look at her daughter. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "This is really happening. You're really getting married."
"Yeah! It took five years, but by tonight he will finally be mine."
"That's my filly! ... Now let me just adjust this..."
"Not you too. Aunt Twi has been fussing over me all morning."
"Well, of course she should. How do you think it would make me look if my own daughter did not look absolutely divine on her wedding day."
Rarity spent the next couple of hours fussing over the bride and her bridesmaids and engaging in small talk.
A head popped through the door into the room. "Ahem! ... It's time ... Wow! You look really great sis!"
"Thanks T."
The entourage made its way to the main hall where the ceremony was to take place. There, waiting outside the entrance, wearing an elegant tuxedo, a Rarity design, of course, was the father of the bride ... Spike.
As always, Rarity's heart warmed upon seeing the love of her life, but his eyes were all for his daughter.
"Claire! My little filly. You look so beautiful."
"Not you too? I already got the waterworks from Mom."
"Well, you're just going to have to get it from your old drake too. Father's prerogative."
Spike and Crystal hugged each other for a long time. Eventually a whisper came out of the hall. "Places everyone."
Rarity locked eyes with her husband for a moment. "Well, I'll leave you two to it." She went into the hall to take her seat as all the other ponies scrambled to their positions.
The vision faded as the music started, but Rarity was able to hear one last exchange.
"So, are you ready to get married?"
"Let's do it, Dad"
Rarity blinked and rubbed her eyes as the potion wore off.
"Oh my!" was about all she could say.
"Remember that what you see, is not a guarantee.
It is just a hint, of what might be."
"Thank you Zecora."
Rarity gave her a bag full of bits for her consultation, and walked back to her home in Ponyville. She did not know what to expect, but she certainly did not expect what she saw.
The next morning, there was a knock on the front door of the castle of
friendship, interrupting Twilight while she was preparing for the day.
"Spike! Can you get the front door?" She shouted.
On hearing no response, she walked to the front door herself. I really need to think about getting some extra staff.
She opened the door and was greeted by a cheerful looking Rarity.
"Hello Twilight."
"Hello Rarity. What brings you here?"
"I was about to go gem hunting, and was wondering if Spike would like to come along ... err, as my bodyguard, of course!"
Alternative Ending
"Hello Rarity. What brings you here?"
"Is Spike home? Um, I realized that I never got a house warming gift for him ... And I also wanted to show my appreciation for all that he has done for me."
"Oh! That's very nice. Come in, and I will try to find him."
"Thank you, darling."
As Rarity walked by, Twilight got a glimpse of the contents of the basket Rarity was transporting ... a freshly made plushie doll that was a miniature of Rarity herself.
