The school day had come to a close, and all over town, there could be seen students of every place from Canterlot High all the way to Crystal Prep, hanging out with one another and simply relaxing after a long day. On the far edges of the town of Canterlot, far from a lot of the hustle and bustle of the rest of the place, was a small café. This place, in stark contrast to a lot of other venues in the town, was far more refined and elegant in its look, boasting a lot of fancy-looking teas and food items for its customers. Into this environment was found Rarity, noted fashionista of Canterlot High, who was currently sharing a pot of tea with a girl from Crystal Prep, Sugarcoat. The two girls sat in silence together for a while, simply sipping from their cups and enjoying the relative peace of the café. However, after some time had passed, it was Sugarcoat who broke that silence.

“Most enjoyable.”

Putting down her cup, Rarity broke into a small smile.

“Indeed. I must say it’s nice to get out to a place like this every once in a while.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t come here with your friends?”

Rarity considered that before letting out a sigh.

“I tried introducing them to it a few times before, but it wasn’t exactly their cup of tea, if you’ll pardon the pun. Fluttershy, bless her heart, she does try to like it. But she much prefers her own company when doing things like this.”

Sugarcoat nodded as she considered those words.

“And, if I may ask, why ask me to come here?”

Rarity shrugged her shoulders a little.

“Well…are you not enjoying yourself?”

Sugarcoat nodded.

“I am indeed. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

Rarity paused for a moment, looking at the inquisitive way Sugarcoat was looking right at her, before letting out a long sigh.

“The truth is…I always want to come to places with a friend, and since most of my friends aren’t all that interested, I figured I’d look to your group. And out of all of you, you seem the most inclined to enjoy it.”

Hearing that, Sugarcoat gave a brief nod before taking another sip of her tea.

“You thought correctly.”

A silence fell between the two girls, during which they occupied themselves mostly with their respective drinks, as well as a few small cakes that had been served alongside them. After a few minutes, Rarity looked to her companion and spoke up.

“I must confess, Sugarcoat, you hold yourself to a far more dignified manner than your cohorts.”

The Crystal Prep girl nodded.

“True. Though I still count them as friends, in spite of their…shall we say, more unrefined qualities.”

To that, Rarity stifled a brief giggle.

“Preaching to the choir on that one.”

Had Sugarcoat been one to do a lot of smiling, that response might have elicited one. And yet, she remained as stoic as ever, taking a moment to instead regard the café around them, as well as the other customers it was hosting. The way they spoke to one another, the décor, the general feel of the place, it just oozed aristocracy and elegance, and as such, a thought began to grow in the girl as she turned to Rarity once more.

“You enjoy this kind of thing, don’t you?”

Looking up from her tea, Rarity’s expression was one of slight confusion, prompting Sugarcoat to elaborate.

“All this class and high society. The trappings of those at the top.”

Leaning back into her chair, a small smile crept onto Rarity’s face as she thought on that.

“I do. From the time I was just a little girl I’ve always dreamed of being among those types of people one day. The kinds of people that everyone else looks up to, respects, admires, and always carry themselves so…so nobly.”

Sugarcoat remained silent as the Canterlot High girl had spoken, listening to it all and taking great interest in it.

“I think you may be disappointed if you ever did achieve that, Rarity.”

The young fashionista looked to her companion with a degree of surprise in her tone.

“Disappointed? Pray tell, Sugarcoat, what on Earth makes you say that?”

Turning, the girl gestured to some of the other customers of the café.

“Look around you. What do you see?”

Although still unsure about all of this, Rarity did as requested, turning her attention to the other people nearby. She regarded each one in turn, looking at each in a way that might give her some clue as to what Sugarcoat was talking about.

“Well…they certainly carry themselves in a more professional manner than what you’d find in the rest of Canterlot. They all look like they should be here.”

Looking back to her, Sugarcoat nodded.

“Exactly…they look the part.”

Turning to her, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“I do hope you’ll explain.”

Sugarcoat nodded.

“What you want from this…what you’ve always dreamed of…it’s all surface. These people make an image of themselves to show to the world, to make them seem more impressive than they really are.”

To that, Rarity rolled her eyes a little.

“Oh come now, Sugarcoat! I’m sure they aren’t all that bad!”

But Sugarcoat frowned slightly.

“Believe me…I’ve spent years studying alongside such people. Those of the so-called elite…when they come to Crystal Prep, they view themselves as better than everyone around them. The kinds of people you admire, they’re actually among the most insufferable types you can ever meet.”

Folding her arms, Rarity frowned right back.

“Well…you're not like that, are you?”

Sugarcoat, took a sip of her tea before responding.

“Maybe not…but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my fair share of moments when I felt superior. It’s the kind of thing that kind of environment breeds. And I don’t just mean going to Crystal Prep, I mean spending any amount of time with people like…them.”

Turning, she looked upon the fancy-looking customers of the café.

“Thankfully for me, I always found that constant need to feel better to be rather…dull. It bored me. So I often avoided a lot of the more active attempts by my colleagues in…shall we say…reinforcing their sense of superiority.”

Rarity took on a look of uncertainty at that.

“What do you mean?”

Looking back to her, Sugarcoat maintained her frown.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of many of the things my school has done over the years. The pranks the students pulled on your school for example?”

To that, Rarity looked far less sure of herself now.

“Well…yes…but… I always assumed that was merely a few bad apples.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.

“You admired Crystal Prep for being a place of refinement and high class…did you never stop to consider how such a place produced so many with poor behaviours?”

Rarity, for the first time in all of this, actually looked lost for words. She composed herself as best she could by taking another sip of tea, during which, Sugarcoat looked at her intently. After a good long while of nothing but an uncomfortable silence between the two, Rarity let out a long sigh.

“So…perhaps my hopes for what high society are like were…perhaps more naïve than what I’d hoped?”

Sugarcoat looked at her, at the way she looked upset over what she’d come to consider, and so, after taking a sip of tea herself, began to let out a sigh of her own before looking up at her again.

“What you wanted…was an ideal. You believed in something that was better than it really was. You hoped for the best. And that…that is no vice.”

Rarity turned to her, actually looking surprised to hear what sounded like outright praise from the girl. But, she remained silent as Sugarcoat continued.

“It is a good thing for you to feel that way. I assure you, very few of the people who actually have what you wanted actually seek to be as good as you’ve always hoped they are. You…you are a better person than they are, Rarity.”

Another silence fell, and as it lingered, Sugarcoat looked unsure of how best to say what she needed to, but in the end, simply came out and said it.

“If those at the top actually had someone like you among them…they might actually be worth respecting.”

To that, Rarity broke out into a small smile, reaching forward and placing her hand upon Sugarcoat’s, which had been resting upon the table. The girl, naturally, was surprised by this, looking up to the fashionista as she finally responded to all of this.

“Thank you, Sugarcoat. And if I may say…if they have people like you already among them…then perhaps they’re not as bad as you think they are.”

The Crystal Prep girl, having heard that, looked about as surprised as she was capable of looking. Her face, though still lacking a lot of the overt emotion most of Rarity’s friends would display, nevertheless looked far softer than it had been before, and before long, she gave a brief nod, giving a sense of having appreciated what had been said to her. Nodding back, Rarity leaned back into her chair, picking up her tea cup and realising that it was now empty, after which she looked to her companion with a smile.

“So…another pot?”

Looking down at her own empty cup, Sugarcoat held it up, gently clinking it against’ Rarity’s before nodding.

“Always.”