“So, don't you think it was weird that, when we all switched our cutie marks with each other, Twilight kept hers?” said Rainbow Dash, with all the subtlety and gentleness of a brick thrown through a window.

Rarity blinked, which made the cucumber slices on her eyes fall into the hot tub she was sharing with her friend, who for once had decided to beautify herself. Rarity counted it as a great personal victory.

“Whatever do you mean, darling? Once all that unpleasantness was over I looked at the spell, and I can tell you that it was an honest mistake. Twilight couldn't possibly have known what would have happened in trying to cast it.”

For a moment, Rainbow looked slightly relieved, but then her expression turned somber again.

“The Princess might have, though. Remember how she explained to us that the spell was made by that old wizard coot-” “Starswirl” interrupted Rarity, “Yeah, him. Well, isn't it kinda weird that of all the things he was working on, he had a ready made Princess-making spell he couldn't finish?”

Rarity felt an odd shiver down her spine, completely at odds with the steamy water she was immersed in up to her neck.

“Rainbow, what are you saying, exactly? I'm starting to get...a bit worried, let's say.”

Rainbow appeared to mull over something, chewing on her bottom lip for a few seconds.

“I...I don't know either, Rares, it's just...look, how many days have you had to close down your shop because you were called to do something as an Element of Harmony?”

Rarity giggled, the image of the lazy pegasus being prodded by her work ethic in her mind.

“Seriously? I wouldn't have pegged you for a stakanovista, you kn-” “Could Kicker told me yesterday that I'd actually managed to run out of sick days for the whole year. And Applejack was telling me the other day that she couldn't come see me practice because she needed to make up some work she hadn't been able to finish in the last couple of weeks. Pinkie had to actually postpone one of her parties a month ago.”

“The point is, Twilight doesn't actually need to work for a living. Ponyville was running along just fine when Cheerilee ran the library. And I think that she doesn't even need to do that; she gets some kind of stipend from the Crown just for being Princess Celestia's student.”

Rarity straightened herself up, looking at Rainbow more intently.

“Are you saying she's a bad friend?”

“What? No! Look, I'm the friggin' Element of Loyalty, I can tell you that she loves us to bits! She would never do something to hurt us, you know! At least, not intentionally.”

She stayed silent for a beat.

“But, you know...isn't it weird that after she got her wings, she didn't even think of, I dunno, reverse engineering the spell and make us all Alicorns or something? I'm not saying she used us, I mean, you're the Element of Generosity, you know what I'm talking about? Just...isn't it strange?”

Rarity thought it over for a moment.

“I'm sure it's all in your imagination, Rainbow Dash. It has to be.”