Rarity Takes Manehattan

Rarity Takes Manehattan
Season №:	4
Season episode №:	8
Overall episode №:	73
Original airdate:	January 4, 2014
Written by:	Dave Polsky
Storyboard:	Sabrina Alberghetti and Johnny Castuciano
Featured characters:	Prim Hemline Suri Polomare Coco Pommel
Song:	Generosity
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
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Rarity Takes Manehattan is the eighth episode of the fourth season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the seventy-third episode overall. In this episode, Rarity gets into a fashion show competition in Manehattan against another designer. The name is either a reference to the 1984 movie The Muppets Take Manhattan or to Leonard Cohen's song "First We Take Manhattan", which specifically refers to the fashion industry; it is not a reference to the 1989 slasher film Jason Takes Manhattan.

Production and development

The title of the episode was previously revealed on Amazon in early October 2013 as the title of an upcoming June 3, 2014 24-page panorama sticker storybook before its name was replaced with "New Episode 2014" on the Amazon listing in late October 2013.

On November 22, 2013, Meghan McCarthy wrote on the Hub Network's Twitter account "Project Runway has Heidi Klum but she's not nearly as harsh a critic as #MLPFIM Fashion Week judge Prim Hemline #MLPseason4".

The pony to whom Rarity gives her scarf during the song is voiced by songwriter Daniel Ingram.

The scenes when the Mane Six and Spike arrive at Manehattan, including the song Generosity, and the scene when Rarity gets the Mane Six overworked reappear in A-Dressing Memories.

Summary

Welcome to Manehattan

Rarity with the tickets to Hinny of the Hills.

At the train station in Ponyville, the Mane Six and Spike wait to board the Friendship Express to Manehattan, where Rarity will compete in a fashion contest. To show appreciation for her friends' support, Rarity reveals that she got them tickets to the sold-out musical "Hinny of the Hills", causing the group to break out in excited cheers.

The group arrive in Manehattan, and when asked how she got the tickets, Rarity explains how the musical's costume designer "pulled a few strings" in return for her providing some designs.

"That is what makes Manehattan so splendid and amazing: you do something nice for somepony, and then you never know when they'll do something nice for you."

— Rarity

Rarity being generous.

In a song, Rarity expresses her intent to be generous towards others in the city and performs several acts of kindness. As the Mane Six promenade around, Rarity suddenly realizes that she needs to be across town in ten minutes for the contest and tries hailing a taxi, only to find a long line of ponies already waiting for one. The friends are rebuffed when they ask to cut in line, though moments later, a cabbie that they helped earlier pulls up and offers Rarity a lift to the runway plaza.

Suri Polomare

Upon arriving at the plaza, Rarity realizes with horror that she forgot to bring her dresses. A hotel bellhop who she generously tipped earlier wheels them in seconds later, explaining that he was happy to assist "that nice mare" after her friends realized the mistake and asked for help. Rarity rushes to join the other designers onstage, where the host, Prim Hemline, explains that contestants will prepare for a run-through appointment before the next day's competition. She chews Rarity out for nearly arriving late and informs her that her designs will be displayed last.

After Prim dismisses the group, Suri Polomare approaches Rarity and offers to help move her dresses backstage. She marvels at the clothes' unique fabric, which Rarity says took her months to create. When Suri requests a swatch of the fabric to use for accents, Rarity readily hands one over.

How would you feel if your generosity has been taken advantage of?

Later on, Rarity checks in at the plaza for her run-through appointment only to find Suri presenting an entire line of dresses made with the gifted fabric and passing it off as her own. She casually brushes off Rarity's indignation and remarks that "it's everypony for herself in the big city," leading Rarity to run out of the plaza in tears.

"Everypony for herself"

"My generosity has ruined me, I tell you! Ruined!"

The rest of the Mane Six return to their hotel room after an afternoon on the town and express excitement about their evening plans, including going to see Hinny of the Hills. Rarity enters the room moments later recounts Suri's betrayal between bouts of crying, leading the friends to offer her support in producing a new line of dresses for the contest. After looking around the room, Rarity gets an idea for new designs and sets the ponies to work.

Putting her friends in too much work.

That evening, Rarity informs her laboring friends that dinner will arrive in an hour. When they remark that Hinny of the Hills will be showing at that time, Rarity accuses them of abandoning her in her time of need and runs out of the room, leaving her sympathetic friends to continue sewing until morning. Just as they place the finishing touch on the last dress, Rarity hurriedly grabs the clothes and rushes out the door.

The contest

Rainbow glow on her irises.

At the competition, Suri Polomare's dresses receive acclaim from the crowd as Prim Hemline praises the fabric. Rarity presents her designs next and grows excited when the audience appears even more impressed with her work, though upon realizing that her friends did not show up, she has an epiphany and rushes out the door. Arriving at the hotel, Rarity learns from the bellhop that her friends checked out and assumes they left for Ponyville, leading her to express regret for how she treated them.

Rarity returns to the plaza to speak with Prim but is warned by Suri that the contest host is too upset to talk. The rest of the Mane Six enter and explain that they accidentally overslept but were informed by Suri that Rarity lost. Relieved that her friends didn't leave for Ponyville, Rarity brushes off the news of her loss and apologizes to the others for how she treated them, revealing that she arranged an exclusive showing of "Hinny of the Hills" for the group that afternoon.

The magic of generosity

Coco gives the trophy to the pony who deserved it.

After the musical, Rarity mentions that she agreed to make dresses for the costume designer's next show in Manehattan in exchange for the exclusive showing. As the ponies lament that their friend will be away from Ponyville for some time, Suri's assistant Coco Pommel enters the theater and presents Rarity with the contest trophy, revealing that she had actually won but that Suri sought to prevent her from finding out in order to win by default.

A spool of rainbow-colored thread. Why is it glowing like that?

Coco hands Rarity a small gift box and explains that she had thought it was "everypony for herself in this town" before seeing how generous the Mane Six were with each other. Recognizing Coco's ruptured employment with Suri, Rarity offers her the position of making dresses for the costume designer's next show, which Coco happily accepts. Later on at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity writes in the friendship journal that you shouldn't abandon your generous spirit even when others take advantage of it. She opens the gift box from Coco and finds a rainbow-colored spool of thread, which she places on a shelf.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Pinkie Pie: This trip is fun already! I love jumping up and down!

Applejack: It must be good if Rainbow Dash is impressed. Normally she doesn't even like musicals.

Rainbow Dash: I know. Ponies just bursting into song in random places at the drop of a hat? Who does that?

Rarity: There's nothing left for me to do but check in at the runway with my dresses by two this afternoon.

Pinkie Pie: Oh, that's funny. Because that clock over there makes it seem like that's only ten minutes from now!

Suri Polomare: Coco Pommel here took practically forever. Nearly got me completely disqualified.

Coco Pommel: Well, I wanted to make sure you'd win, so I took the extra time to—

Suri Polomare: Quiet! I pay an assistant to sew and get coffee, not talk. 'Kay?

Rarity: Oh! I see! I go out of my way to get you tickets for a show, and this is how you repay me? By abandoning me in my hour of need? Oh, oh, oh! Fine! Go and see Hinny of the Hills tonight! And then tomorrow morning when you come to see my fashion show without any fashion to show, you can have more entertainment! "Oh, why look, there's our friend Rarity going down in flames! Isn't friendship magic?!"

Suri Polomare: Well, look who's here. Here to show off your copycat collection? Huh?

Rarity: Taking advantage of your friendship the way I did... How could you ever see past it?

Applejack: Yeah, you were pretty rotten.

Rainbow Dash: Wow, Applejack. I know your thing is honesty, but come on!

Rainbow Dash: I loved it! Uh, I mean, it was a'ight.

Gallery

Rarity Takes Manehattan image gallery

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2