Allure of Generosity

by PaulAsaran

Rating: everyone
Tags: Scootaloo, Slice of Life, Sweetie Belle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rarity
Length: 5206

Sweetie is ready to show Scootaloo what it means to be beautiful! That is, until they get to the Carousel Boutique. Rarity has some opinions about Sweetie's methods; this time she's got a lesson for both fillies.

After months of watching Scootaloo and Spike, Sweetie concludes it's finally time to educate Scoots on the fine art of being beautiful! Scootaloo isn't so enthusiastic, especially given how Sweetie seems to treat her suitors.

Rarity noticed this as well. She feels it's time for an intervention: Sweetie needs to clean up her act, and Scootaloo needs to learn what really makes a mare alluring. There's no better time than now to teach them both a valuable lesson.

The Generosity Series
Chronological from Top to Bottom:
Lessons in Generosity
Study of Generosity
Friend of Generosity
Allure of Generosity
Heir of Generosity?
Triangle of Generosity

Special thanks to DragonGeek and Cosy Purity for their insights regarding beauty, and especially to Monochromatic for helping me visualize Rarity for this story.

Cover art by one Mr. Sugar, whom I was unable to get in touch with.

Published 2017-12-19 03:50:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-12-19 03:50:06 UTC

Not All that Glitters...

I finished off my tea, watching from over the cup's rim as Green Daze plodded out of the café. Tail between his legs, ears low, shoulders slumped. Another potential suitor foiled, but not before getting a free meal out of the deal for Scootaloo and myself. A shame Apple Bloom hadn’t been there, but I figured I’d make it up to her later. I’d have to make it up to Green Gaze later too, otherwise I’d lose a perfectly good meal ticket.

“That wasn’t very nice, Sweetie.”

I turned my attention to Scootaloo, who was poking her half-eaten sandwich and looking more than a little guilty. I smiled and shrugged. “So? He’s the one who offered to pay.”

“You didn’t have to drag me into it, either,” Scootaloo grumbled, not making eye contact. She was half-sunk under the table, looking like she’d have rather been anywhere else. “He asked you out.”

I rolled my eyes at her unreasonableness. “If a stallion wants to spend time with a pretty mare, he’s gotta pay the price. So what if I turned him down flat afterwards?”

Her eyes met mine, but only for a fleeting instant. “You could have turned him down earlier. You know, before he wasted his money on a mare who didn’t want anything to do with him. And her friend.” She cringed at that last part.

Setting my teacup and empty plate aside, I leaned on the table and studied her. I wasn’t used to seeing Scoots look so small and anxious. What was her problem? “If I turned him down earlier, we wouldn’t have had this meal, which was way better than what we could have had. It’s his own fault for aiming too high.”

“I don’t know about that. It doesn’t seem very honest.” Scoots rubbed her forehooves together as she stared at her plate. “Or loyal. Or generous.”

I scoffed and flicked my mane. “You just don’t understand the strength of beauty. You could have Spike wrapped around your hoof if you just took advantage of him a little more.”

Now she really looked at me. Her narrowed gaze gave me pause, but not so much as her firm tone. “I would never treat Spike the same way you treated that colt!”

Oops. I guess my intentions didn’t come out right. I let out a nervous laugh to buy time to think. “O-of course not, you actually like Spike. I don’t like Green. It’s a big difference, and how you treat Spike would be different because of that. But still…” I leaned over to prod her shoulder playfully. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t like to tease him a bit? Get him to do a few things for you?”

“What? No!” She shook her head frantically. “I want him to desire me, sure, but I don’t want him to think he’s gotta buy me stuff and obey my every whim just to keep me. That’s… that’s just wrong.”

Her words were confusing, to say the least. What was the point of making yourself attractive if not to get what you wanted? But I set that aside for something far more important, something that Scoots had never admitted to me in the four months she’d been dating. Waggling my eyebrows, I leaned a little closer. “So, you want Spike to desire you, huh?”

The little squeak that came out of her lips was so cute that I immediately resolved to working to bring it out at every available future opportunity. With cheeks pink, she turned away from me and hopped off her chair. “Nope, not having this conversation.”

“Oh, no you don’t.” I followed her to the door, grinning all the while. “You want to be pretty for once. My Scootaloo’s all grown up at last!”

She peered at me from over a scowl. “Your Scootaloo? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means it’s finally time to take this to the next step.” I tugged on her shoulder until she followed me down the road. “Come on, we’re going to the boutique.”

She lagged behind, hooves shuffling in the dirt as she continued her scrutiny. It seemed my tried and true 'innocent' facade was having no effect. “Why?”

I turned about so I could canter backwards. “You want Spike to find you attractive, right? Rarity’s is the place to go for that kind of thing. I’m gonna give you a makeover!”

The most telling sign regarding how much Scootaloo has changed in the last six months: she didn’t immediately run away. She did get this sour expression on her face though, and her pacing didn’t improve a bit. “You’re worse than Rarity. At least her ‘lessons’ make me feel good afterwards. Something tells me this is just gonna make me feel guilty.”

“Guilty? Why would it make you feel guilty?” Facing forward once more and slowing so I was beside her, I wrapped a leg around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, Scoots. I’m not gonna lead my best friend astray. I just wanna help.”

“I know.” She heaved a deep sigh and let herself be pulled along. “I appreciate it. I’m just not sure a makeover is what I need. If it was, wouldn’t Rarity have given me one by now?”

I had to admit that was a good point. Why hadn’t Rarity done this? It didn’t make much sense to me. Well, I figured we could ask when we got there.

I might have been a little unnerved when the door to the Carousel Boutique opened before I even had a chance to knock. Rarity had probably seen us coming from one of the windows. Putting my moment of uncertainty aside, I urged my less than enthusiastic companion in with me. “Hey, Rarity, have I got a fun afternoon planned for us!”

My sister was already coming down the stairs, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed in a cool expression. “I am well aware, little Miss Heartbreaker.”

Okay, now I was on full alert. I froze in the middle of the showroom floor, peering at her as she reached the last step. “What do you mean, ‘you’re aware’?”

“I’ve been hearing some disturbing rumors as of late, but I wasn’t inclined to believe them.” Rarity cast a glance over my shoulder. “Good afternoon, Scootaloo. Do be a dear and set the sign to ‘closed’ for me. Don’t you go anywhere, because I think you need to hear what is about to be said.”

None of this boded well for me. But it wasn’t as if I’d done anything wrong recently, so I didn’t think I had any reason to be on defense. Which is why I said, “I don’t know what rumors you’re talking about, but whatever it is it’s all lies.” Rarity studied me with her trademark Stare of Disdain. I knew it well, but couldn’t fathom why it would be aimed my way.

“A shame,” she said at last. “You don’t understand what you’ve done wrong. Clearly, this intervention is long overdue.” Her horn flashed, and the next thing I knew one of my clip-on earrings removed itself and floated over to her.

“Hey!” I reached for it with my magic, but she swatted my attempt away with a simple dispel. She always had been stronger than me, even when I finally learned to use my horn properly. “Are you just taking things that don’t belong to you now?”

Ignoring me, Rarity focused her attention on the earring, lightly tapping it against her glowing horn. My annoyance was lost in my surprise as the entire earring abruptly began to glow orange. The fiery glow dissipated, like smoke caught in the wind. “It was enchanted? How did you know?”

“I’ve been getting a great many complaints about you, Sweetie.” Her manner still cool, she set the earring aside and focused all her attention on me. “I didn’t want to believe them, but they were so common and distressing that I finally caved. I had Twilight teach me a simple eavesdropping enchantment.”

When her meaning registered, it was like flicking a switch. Lowering to an aggressive pose, I scuffed at the floor and snorted. “You invaded my privacy because of some stupid rumors?” I stomped and turned away, not wanting to let her see how her lack of trust hurt. Unfortunately, I ended up facing Scootaloo, who was watching with ears tucked back and concern in her eyes.

“Rumors that proved true. I heard what you did to poor Green Daze.”

Confusion and anger warred for supremacy in my mind for a little while. Confusion won out. I turned back to her to ask, “Wait, you’re upset because of that? Why? I was just using my looks. It’s practical.” She opened her mouth to counter, but I spoke over her. “You do it all the time! Just last week you did it to Karat.”

“You saw that, I remember.” Rarity pursed her lips, a sure sign that a lecture was imminent. “So tell me, did Karat leave the shop sad?”

I started to answer, but had to pause and think about it. I mean, it had been a week ago. When I looked back, I realized that Karat had actually seemed pleased with himself. That struck me as important, though I wasn’t yet sure why. “Huh. No, he seemed kinda happy.”

Rarity promptly turned her attention to my companion. “Scootaloo, you’ve seen me work my charm on occasion. Have you ever seen a stallion walk away from it unhappy like Green Daze was today?”

Scootaloo perked her ears and smiled, wasting no time. “No. Never. Heck, I’d say they were all in better moods than they were before you spoke to them.”

Traitor. We’re supposed to have one another’s backs when the adults get involved! Clearly, she’d been spending way too much time with my sister.

Oh, Rarity was looking at me again, though by her voice it seemed she was still addressing Scoots. “And has any pony Sweetie ever manipulated walked away happy?”

Again, no hesitation. “No.” And she was giving me the scowl and narrowed eyes once more.

I looked at Scoots, ready to correct her obviously faulty memory. As if I’d hurt every colt I’d ever toyed with! There had to be one I didn’t hurt… right? But the more I thought about it…

Out the corner of my eye, I noticed Rarity’s smug smile. “And there you have it. I applaud you, Scootaloo, for recognizing my sister’s flawed behavior. The question now is what to do about it.”

Scootaloo looked pleased with herself. I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Sweetie Belle! Is that any way for a lady to behave?”

I sucked my tongue back in quickly, cheeks burning from Rarity’s admonishment. “B-but, I was just trying to take a cue from you! What’s wrong with getting what I need from a few colts with their hearts on their sleeves?”

Rarity reared her head. “Need? Did you need to get lunch from that café on Green’s hard earned bits?”

“Well…”

“Or three days ago when you got Rumble to clear a portion of the sky so you and Apple Bloom could enjoy that picnic. Was that a need, too?”

“M-maybe not exactly—”

“Do you know how much trouble Rumble got in with Rainbow Dash over that? Not to mention putting the town behind on its rain schedule.”

I blinked, the words sinking in slowly. “Really? Just because one part of Ponyville went without clouds?”

Flicking her mane with a hoof, Rarity trotted for the showroom stage, using a light tug of magic to get a visibly wary Scootaloo following her. Still struggling to deal with the floundering ship that was my moral position, I hurried after. “And what about Karat? Are you telling me you needed to bat your eyes at him for a bunch of rocks?” I knew that would needle her; one doesn’t call gemstones ‘rocks’ around Rarity.

To my annoyance, she didn’t even acknowledge it. “I had a valuable order from a Seaddle client with very specific tastes on a tight deadline. I needed fifty trilliant-cut sapphires within two days if I was to complete the order on time. That, Sweetie Belle, is a business need.”

That explained why she’d been up until the early morning three days in a row last week. That sounded a lot more like a ‘need’ than my excuses. I could feel the already rumbling ground of my indignant frustration turning slippery, but I wasn’t ready to give up the cause just yet. “So what makes your teasing a stallion better than mine?”

“And there, dear sister, is your fundamental flaw.” Giving Scootaloo a warm smile, Rarity helped her onto the stage. Scootaloo eyed the mirrors as if she expected a monster to jump out at any second. “You tease. You fill the colts’ heads with false ideas, intentionally misleading them into thinking there’s more going on than there is. You toy with their emotions and their hopes, only to crush them later.”

Stopping beside the stage, I cocked my head at Rarity. “Uh, yeah. I still don’t see how that’s any different from what you do.”

At last turning from Scoots, Rarity turned that same smile on me. It unnerved me, because not two minutes ago she’d appeared real mad. “I compliment. I encourage. I praise.” With a hoof to my chin, she lifted my head slightly and looked me in the eye. “But I never give them false impressions, and I don’t string them into seeing something that isn’t there. I left those tactics behind long ago.”

I pulled my face away, escaping her grasp. “Now, hold on! Are you suggesting that it’s… wrong to be desirable?”

Rarity giggled. If there’s anything about her that annoys me, it’s that giggle. I mean, it’s perfect, or at least better than my own squeaky noise. It didn’t do a thing to improve my mood. She began trotting around Scootaloo, eyes narrowed in that studious look I’ve seen so often. Ears perked, lips set in the smallest of devilish smiles, shoulders set and tail flicking. My sister was going into fashionista mode. Scootaloo must have recognized the signs, for she abruptly went stiffer than Tom.

“Alright, Scootaloo. It’s time I taught you about beauty. What it really means, how it really works, and why you can be the most lovely creature in the world if you only desire it. And—” Rarity cast me a glance that threatened ruin should I ignore her words “—what Sweetie here is doing wrong.”

I sat and crossed my hooves with a scowl. “I’m not doing anything wrong.” I wasn't sure I believed that anymore, but I wasn't ready to call it quits just yet.

Scootaloo scuffed the stage, staring down at her hooves. “Um, Rarity, I know you mean well. I appreciate the thought. B-but, I think you exaggerate a bit. More than a bit. And I don’t wanna embarrass you or anything so… do we really need to do this?”

“Pish-posh.” Rarity waggled her hoof in Scoots’ face, then used her magic to gently coax that face straight. “Eyes forward, chin up! This may be the single most important lesson I can give you. You do trust me, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah. I guess.”

Rarity was in her face, so close their muzzles were almost touching. There was an edge to her voice as she asked, “You guess?”

“I m-mean, I do!” Scootaloo went stiff once more, head high as she’d been told.

“Good! Because there’s a lot more to being beautiful than mere makeup and clothes.”

Scootaloo and I gasped in unison. She gaped at me, and I’d bet anything my eyes were as big as hers.

“Oh, yes, I know.” My sister paused to raise her hoof high as if dictating to a classroom, annoyance painted across her features. “Rarity is nothing but fancy clothes and makeup! Why, if she didn’t sit in front of the mirror two hours every morning with all her cosmetics, one with a hairbrush and another one in her closet, her entire day would be ruined!” She turned to us both, taking on a collected, high-browed manner. “Is that not an accurate depiction of your view of me?”

Scootaloo, face red as a beet, shook her head frantically. “Nuh-uh!”

Suck up. “Yes.” I nodded firmly. “That’s it exactly, more or less.” At Rarity’s playful smile, I glanced aside with ears flat against my skull. “N-not that I have any room to judge.” I’d only spent an hour at my vanity though, and didn’t bother with the closet. That morning.

Rarity’s horn ignited. Soon a wide array of cosmetics were floating around her head: makeup, eyeliner, blush, lipstick, glitter, mane dye, the works. As she started circling an ever-more fidgety Scootaloo, she asked, “Tell me, Sweetie, just how many hours did you spend getting yourself looking as you do now?”

I scowled at the query. “About an hour, but it was worth it to look this good.”

Without glancing my way, she replied, “What if I said you could look ten times better with only ten minutes of preparation?”

I shook my head vehemently. “No way! It takes a lot of makeup to achieve this.”

“And there’s your problem.” Assorted cosmetics returned to their places nearby; it seemed Rarity was deciding what items to use on Scoots. “You rely entirely on makeup and manestyles.”

Despite her constant fidgeting, Scootaloo was the one to ask the obvious question. “But what else is there?” She yelped and closed her eyes when a dab of blush tapped her cheek.

“Personality.” Rarity paused, inspecting Scootaloo’s face with a hoof to her chin. “Hmm, not quite the right shade.” The powder was banished from their presence, only to be replaced a second later by a color that looked exactly the same to my admittedly untrained eye. Scoots came under the assault of a towelette that wiped away the original material in less than a second. “Personality is everything. Without it, you have no beauty.”

Another mental battle waged in my head. This time confusion was defending its title against offense. “But I have personality.” I sat on my haunches, took on my most regal pose and flicked my mane, muzzle held high. “Don’t I just exude charm?”

“You exude arrogance.” Rarity took my sharp inhale in stride, not even granting it a glance. “And that arrogance is a mask, much like the makeup you lather on yourself every morning. You wear both to hide your worst traits. The makeup covers your insecurity, and the arrogance covers your desperation.”

I seethed, tail flicking as I tried to form some kind of response. Who says something like that? And so bluntly! I forced a low, quiet query. “Desperation for what?”

“You tell me.” She still wouldn’t look my way. If she hadn’t answered, I’d have thought her to be ignoring me. “Attention? A sense of power? Or perhaps just the need to keep your wickedness a secret.”

“I am not wicked!” I stomped my hoof. Why didn’t she understand?

Scootaloo flinched at my shout, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. I was almost glad for that; she was getting all the attention while I was standing on the sidelines like some… some reject! She’d been the focus of Rarity’s attention for months now, and it had been steadily getting more and more on my nerves. But I didn’t want that to come out, so I forced my temper down and took a few calming breaths.

“Which of these do you think I should use?”

It took me a moment to realize the question was aimed at me. I refocused on Rarity and saw her levitating three types of eyeshadow before me. After a moment of befuddled staring, I looked to Rarity. “You… want my advice?” When she only offered a warm smile, I turned my attention to Scootaloo. She returned my look out the corner of her eye, appearing no less uncertain than I felt.

Rarity had never asked for my advice before. As angry as I had been just a moment ago, I was no less frightened by this situation. Painful though it was to admit at the time, Rarity was definitely the expert compared to me. What if I picked the wrong one? She might never ask for my help again!

“Sweetie.” I met her gaze and saw nothing but trust in those blue eyes. “Don’t think too hard on it. You’ve known Scootaloo all her life. You know her face, and you know makeup. Be sure of yourself.”

“But I—”

“No buts. You know you know what to do, so do it.”

Biting my lip, I took a closer look at the three bottles. Jungle Green, Sunset Red, and Nightingale Blue. Carefully, I took them in my magic and raised them so that they were by Scootaloo’s face. Scoots stared at me, her eyes full of concern and self-doubt, but I kept my attention on her features. Which would go best with her mane, her eyes, her coat? A glance at Rarity yielded no clues.

I knew Scootaloo. I’d seen her in so many situations. I stared at her face and wondered about it; under the shade of an apple tree at the clubhouse, the wind whipping through her mane as she rode her scooter, the blush that lit up her cheeks whenever Spike came around, the way her eyes could pierce you when you tried to get her to talk about her feelings. That stuck with me the most. Scootaloo was so animated, so aggressive, so straightforward. And she looked her best when she was getting ready to win.

With that face in mind, I set aside the green and blue bottles.

“Alright.” Rarity smiled and gestured. “Go ahead. Apply it.”

At first, my heart was pounding. If I screwed this up, what would Rarity do? I wanted to show her I was learning, that I had figured out her methods. She needed to see that. Knowing Rarity only bought the most high quality of products, I made sure to open the bottle very carefully. Scootaloo closed her eye as I worked the small brush, trying to get just the right amount of the eyeshadow on it. Then, I placed a single stroke of red on her eye.

A pause. Yes… yes. This color would do nicely! It would blend well with her regular colors, but it was darker than her normal coat. It would certainly bring out her eyes. This could only be the right color, and I moved on with confidence. Scootaloo watched me work with one eye, then the other. I barely noticed her slightly parted lips and breathlessness, but didn't think on it.

The task completed, I stepped away and admired Scootaloo’s face. It was just the faintest change, but it made a huge difference. Scoots, cheeks red, fidgeted and said nothing.

My sister stood beside me, her warm smile unfazed. “Scootaloo, how does she look?”

I looked up at her. That couldn’t have been the right question… could it? She was supposed to be asking me how Scoots looked, not me.

“She looked… pretty.”

Now I goggled at Scootaloo. “W-wait, what?”

She turned her face away and lowered her head. “Well, she asked.” At Rarity’s prodding, she stutteringly continued. “It was like… real, y’know? You looked happy and confident and eager and… and stuff.”

“And there you go.” My sister’s leg wrapped around my shoulder, squeezing me in a tender hug. “For just a moment there, you had everything you needed to be beautiful. It had nothing to do with makeup, you didn’t have to fake your attention, and that beauty was instantly recognizable. And the best part?” She lowered herself so she could look me in the face with one eye. “Nopony had to get hurt.”

I didn’t know what to say. The part of me that liked to argue had nothing to add. Hay, it wasn’t even there. I just felt… happy. There was no need to ask if I’d picked the right color; just like when I was applying it, I knew it could have been no other option. I could feel myself grinning, and didn’t care.

“So, wait. The key to beauty is being happy?”

Leave it to Scoots to ruin my mood. Well, only a little.

Rarity laughed and patted Scootaloo’s head, an act that made my friend scowl. In that moment I was able to reassure myself that, yes, I had picked the perfect eyeshadow. “Oh, Scootaloo, of course not! Beauty is not happiness.”

“So what is it?” Scootaloo and I asked in unison, her with an edge of frustration.

“Now, now, we’re not done with the example.” Rarity pointed to the clock on the wall. “Sweetie, I want you to watch the clock. You’re going to give me two minutes. Scootaloo, you are going to close your eyes and keep them closed even after Sweetie calls time.” She shushed our arguments before they could properly form. “Trust me, darlings! What I do, I do for a reason.”

Curiosity drove me to do as she wished, although part of it was an appreciation for… well, I guess for how she’d just made me feel. I’d always known I could be attractive, but for a brief moment I felt attractive, and that’s an entirely different feeling. So I watched the clock’s seconds tick by, refusing to give in to the temptation to watch my sister work her magic. Two minutes didn’t seem like enough time at all, especially considering it took me over an hour most days.

The second hand pointed straight up. “Time!” Turning about, I felt my breath leave me.

The changes were faint, so much so that if I didn’t know Scootaloo’s face as well as I did I would never have known the makeup was there. But the difference was there; her face appeared smoother, her cheeks just a little rosier, her lips the faintest touch softer. With only the smallest additions, my sister had made Scootaloo pretty. I was humbled, to say the least.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo’s tail flicked, her shoulder hunched. “Can I open my eyes now?”

I opened my mouth, but Rarity stopped me with a glance. She stepped around so she was at Scootaloo’s side, their cheeks not quite touching. “Keep your eyes closed.” She spoke in a whisper, but there was force behind her words. “I want you to think about the Equestria games. Riding your scooter. The crowds. Can you see it?”

Scoots’ ears perked, but the uncertainty hadn’t faded. “Um… yeah. I guess.”

“You’re back there now,” Rarity insisted. “You’ve got the best show at the Games. Rainbow Dash is watching. She’s cheering you. You remember, yes?”

As if pulled into the memory by my sister’s words, Scootaloo began to smile. “Y-yeah…”

“The wind in your mane. Your wings buzzing, your scooter flying, your tail whipping behind you. You burst through the hoop, and the crowd roars.”

It happened. Before my very eyes, I saw it. Suddenly, Scootaloo was no longer hunched over and fidgeting. She stood tall, spread her wings and raised her head high. Her lips turned up in a confident half-smirk and her tail flicked from side to side. She sucked in a slow breath and stuck out her chest, looking as if she were ready to challenge the world.

Scootaloo was confident.

And by Celestia, she looked good.

“The crowd loves you. Rainbow Dash loves you. Your standing by your friends, listening to the applause, pride filling you to bursting. You are Scootaloo, and you represent Ponyville!”

The smile broadened. She muttered a quiet, “Yeah…”

“Open your eyes.”

She did, staring at herself in the mirror as if she intended to head into battle. Seconds passed in silence. Her smirk didn’t fade. “I… I look…”

“No.” Rarity set a hoof to her shoulder, her face lit with the fire of a commander readying her troops for battle. “How do you feel?”

Scootaloo licked her lips. Flapped her wings. I’d never seen her look so… alluring.

I couldn’t wait for Spike to see this.

“Like I could outfly a Wonderbolt.”

Rarity shot me a triumphant look. “Congratulations, Scootaloo. As of this moment, you are the most beautiful mare in Equestria.”

“I am?” Scoots gave my sister a thoughtful look, but didn’t lose that self-assured poise.

I took a step closer, catching her eye. “You are. You really are, Scoots.” And I meant it. I was actually a little envious in that moment.

“And all you have to do is maintain your self-esteem.” Rarity shook her slightly by the shoulders, grinning all the while. “You are powerful. You can do whatever you want. Beauty is about presence, personality, and drive. You don’t need anypony else to tell you you’re beautiful.” She turned Scootaloo’s face back to the mirror. “You just have to be beautiful.”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo stared at herself, contemplative. “Yeah.” The grin came back in full force. “Yeah!”

“Now I want you to go out there and show the world how strong you are!”

And she did, leaving us in her dust with a flutter of wings. I watched her go, unable to keep from grinning. Scootaloo deserved this, and I couldn’t have been happier for her.

“She’s going to need encouragement.”

I blinked, looked to my sister. Rarity’s calm, warm smile was back, as if her moment of boisterousness had never occurred. “By the time she reaches the castle doors, doubts will be getting in the way. A mare doesn’t change in a day. Do you think you can remind her when she starts to forget?”

My heart swelled. “You trust me to do that? Even though I botched it up so royally before?”

She only smiled.

And me? I went to Twilight’s castle. I was really looking forward to seeing some fireworks.

Author's Note

I really challenged myself with this one. This is, I feel, one of the most important Rarity lessons, but I was determined to keep it in the same wordcount limitations as its predecessors. This is a very hard topic to approach well within a short span of time, and I hesitated posting this story for a solid week due to doubts about the final presentation. Did it meet my goals and give out all the ideas I had in mind in its short space? I'm still not sure. But I couldn't let it waste away unpublished forever, so...

Any time someone asks about beauty, there's a fundamental answer always given: "Beauty is about what's on the inside, not on the outside." My first order of business, then, was to reject that premise for this story. Rarity needed something deeper, yet also in tune with her character. And while the answer given here is indeed a certain form of the original one, it is related less to how 'good' a person is and more to how a person feels about themselves. A person can be good and still not be beautiful. It takes something more than kindness or pleasantness; it takes passion.

Hopefully, I have managed to convey that successfully.