A Dog and Pony Show

A Dog and Pony Show is the nineteenth episode of the first season and was aired in March 11, 2011

Writter: Amy Keating Rogers

Episode summary
After putting on the last gem onto her latest mysterious garment, Rarity hears a customer walk into her shop and she hides her latest project from view. She casually greets the customer, only to find out in shock that it was Sapphire Shores, Canterlot's famous Pony of Pop. Sapphire explains that she had heard of Rarity's fashion desig from a local magazine back on Canterlot, and browses the shop for designs to show for her tour. Rarity then happily shows Sapphire her latest finished project, a garment covered in diamond colored gems. Sapphire takes an immediate liking to the diamond garment, but then says that she wants five more of them when the pony of pop returns to buy the first one. As Rarity notices that she used the last diamond for her first finished gem garment, she collapses out of shock, and Sapphire remarks about her fans collapsing the same way the unicorn did before stepping out of the store.

Rarity asked Spike to assist her in finding a new load of gems. In return, he would have a few as a snack. While using her magic to track down gems, she chatted with Spike about her encounter with the famous pony, denying the fact that she, in Spike's words, "flipped out" in excitement. Spike managed to curb his tempting appetite, and eventually was rewarded with a stunning blue gem. Rather than eat it right away, he decided to keep hold of it as a gift from his crush.

Hiding in the bushes, a trio of canines known as Diamond Dogs were in awe of the large amount of stones being carried by the baby dragon, mistaking him as a gem tracker. Before they made their move, they heard Rarity's voice, and discovered that she was the one. Ambushed by the mutts, Rarity panicked, but Spike intercepted to get the unicorn to escape. Unfortunately, they succeeded in abducting her before escaping into their hole in the ground.

A moment later, Spike brought the other ponies after his rushed explanation to the spot of the incident, only to see the entire site laden with holes. They encountered the dogs, but were out maneuvered to exhaustion due to a home-field disadvantage. They could only imagine how much suffering their friend was going through, as the primp unicorn could not stand to be stuck in a dirty, humid environment. Spike used his blue gem as bait to catch one of the dogs. Despite snagging one of them, he and the ponies were dragged in a large set of tunnels. They were alone at the moment, with no way to find their friend. Suddenly, Spike and Twilight remembered that Rarity showed her how to track gems herself. They picked up the trail and the rescue was on.

Within the central area underground, the Diamond Dogs' demand was simple: having captured Rarity, they would enslave her into finding all the gems they find. At first, the elegant unicorn was more than happy to oblige. However, she soon learned how greedy (and inconsiderate) they truly were. Despite their digging expertise, they ordered her to dig for them. Begrudgingly, she did, but since she recently had a hoof pedicure, she reminded them that she wasn't going to dig very deep. Frustrated at this pathetically slow pace, the leader called on their comrades to do the digging. They decided to use her to haul carts of the dug up gems instead. As she got to work, she started complaining about their lack of personal hygiene, living quarters and the fact that they failed to treat her as a proper lady, much to their increasing chagrin. The three dogs begged her to keep quiet, that they would do anything for that to happen. A moment later, Rarity was set near the center, treated like a princess while the pack proceeded to dig the jewels she helped to track. Just as she was getting used to the royal treatment, the leader realized that they could actually endure her constant whining as long as she did as they told her. Once more, he did just that, but soon made the mistake of calling her-- of all things-- a " MULE "! Rarity broke down, notoriously offended of being compared with a ugly creature.

Spike and the ponies were ambushed by more dogs as they were close to tracking Rarity. Rodeo-style, Applejack got her friends to buck them off and soon the mutts retreated. Spike hoped to relish the moment of saving Rarity from the dogs. In the end, however, it was the dogs that need saving from the annoying, overly-critical unicorn. They offered to give away all of the gems they found, provided the ponies take their friend along with them.

On their way home, Rarity revealed that she her annoying of her captors was all a ruse to keep them under control, showing that a seemingly defenseless pony can rely on its wits to survive.

Quotes

 * Spike: They call themselves the Diamond Dogs.
 * Spike: Heigh-ho, Twilight! Away!

Trivia

 * The phrase "a dog and pony show" originated in 19th century America as a term for small traveling circuses that toured through rural areas. The modern usage refers to an elaborate display or presentation. The episode's "Diamond Dogs" take their name from David Bowie's famous concept album and its titular song.