And that pony, the second of the sorcerer mares, was very attractive in her own right: a mix of natural beauty and elegance and a great deal of effort invested in maintaining her looks. Rarity was her name, bearing the Element of Generosity. Just like the blue hybrid mare—who I was starting to believe wasn’t on board at all—this Rarity had far more to her than just the outward appearance of a vapid, high-maintenance mare: there was an incredible degree of social intelligence shimmering in her eyes as she scanned our ranks. If she was a social climber, I had no doubt that she was a damn good one. Small wonder that plains mare looked so envious: she was clearly outskilled and threatened by her.