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[1] and Johnny Castuciano[2]
Featured characters:	Prim Hemline Suri Polomare Coco Pommel
Song:	Generosity
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous Bats!	Next Pinkie Apple Pie

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; the name is not a reference to the 1989 slasher film Jason Takes Manhattan.^[3]

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^[4] before its name was replaced with "New Episode 2014" on the Amazon listing^[5] in late October 2013.^[6]

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".^[7]

The pony to whom Rarity gives her scarf during the song is voiced by songwriter Daniel Ingram.^[8]

Summary

Welcome to Manehattan

At the train station, the Mane Six and Spike are about to board the train to Manehattan, with Rarity excited about Fashion Week and her friends tagging along to support her. Rarity is so pleased that her friends will be there with her that, as a token of her appreciation, she gives them tickets to see Hinny of the Hills, the most popular musical on Bridleway.

When the seven friends reach the bustling metropolis, Rarity mentions to her friends that she was able to get tickets to a sold-out musical by doing something nice for the musical's costume designer.

"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 is so excited about being in Manehattan that she can't help but sing about it. During the song, she shows generosity to a hotel bellhop, a grumpy stallion in a fedora, and a cabbie pony. Later, Rarity's friends ask if there's anything else they can do. Rarity states that all that's left is for her to check in at the Fashion Week runway plaza by 2:00pm. A quick glance at a clock tower indicates that it's now 1:50pm.

As rain starts to fall, a now panicked Rarity tries to hail a taxi. However, there's a long line of ponies all waiting for taxis as well, and none are generous enough to allow Rarity to cut in front. Just then, the cabbie that Rarity had shown generosity to earlier pulls up to give Rarity a lift to the plaza. Her friends soon follow once they realize Rarity had forgotten her dresses.

Suri Polomare

Rarity enters the plaza to check in for Fashion Week, but discovers she'd forgotten her dresses. As she despairs, the hotel bellhop from earlier wheels her dresses in. After giving another huge tip to the bellhop, Rarity joins her fellow designers onstage just as Prim Hemline, the host and judge of Fashion Week, enters to greet them. She briefly chews out Rarity for arriving only seconds before being late and tells her she'll be displaying her designs last.

Prim dismisses her and the other designers, and Rarity is greeted by an old acquaintance, Suri Polomare, who's also competing in Fashion Week. She offers Rarity help by moving her dresses backstage and marvels at the dresses' fabric. Mentioning that her own dresses need a little touching-up, Suri asks Rarity for a swatch of the fabric, which Rarity is more than happy to give.

The next day, when Rarity checks in at the plaza for her run-through with Prim, she discovers that Suri has created an entire line of dresses with Rarity's fabric and passing it off as her own. When Rarity confronts her, Suri—after putting down her assistant Coco Pommel—callously remarks that "it's everypony for herself in the big city." Rarity gallops out of the plaza in tears.

"Everypony for herself"

Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies return to their Manehattan hotel room after an afternoon of fun, still looking forward to the rest of the day ahead of them, including Hinny of the Hills. When Rarity enters the room in tears, Rainbow Dash asks what's wrong, and Rarity dramatically bawls over how much her generosity backfired on her. Naturally, her friends are all more than willing to help her through her dilemma. Rarity looks at the fabric in the hotel room all around her and is struck by inspiration.

The ponies thus spend hours sewing and putting together Rarity's new fashion line, and looking quite unhappy doing it. Having already missed their salon appointment and restaurant reservations, the ponies remind Rarity of their plans to see Hinny of the Hills, causing Rarity to snap at them. The ponies feel guilty about "abandoning" their friend before quietly going back to sewing. When the dresses are finally finished the next morning, Rarity takes them and heads for the plaza without bothering to thank her friends for their help.

Fashion Week

At the Fashion Week show, the crowd cheers for Suri Polomare, and Prim Hemline commends her for her unique fabric. As Suri walks offstage and taunts Rarity, Prim presents Rarity's new line, which grabs the crowd's attention in an instant. Rarity is excited that she might actually win, but she notices that her friends are not in the audience and is stricken with remorse over how poorly she'd treated them.

As Prim expresses her approval over Rarity's dresses, Rarity's eyes flicker with a rainbow-colored aura. She suddenly races out of the plaza and toward the hotel looking for her friends, but the bellhop informs her that they've already left. Thinking they've gone back to Ponyville, Rarity dejectedly walks through a rainy Manehattan, singing about her sorrows.

Rarity returns to the plaza to thank Prim Hemline for her time, but Suri Polomare enters, saying that Prim is furious. Twilight and the ponies then enter; they apologize to Rarity for missing her show because they overslept, and state that they were informed by Suri that Rarity lost. Rarity doesn't care that she lost and apologizes to her friends for how she treated them, and she arranges for the seven of them to see an exclusive showing of Hinny of the Hills.

The magic of generosity

As the musical comes to a close, Rarity tells her friends that she was able to arrange an exclusive performance for them by agreeing to make the dresses for the costume designer's next show. When her friends realize this means Rarity will be away from Ponyville for some time, they express sadness but are otherwise happy for her.

At that moment, Suri Polomare's assistant Coco Pommel enters the theater. She presents Rarity with the Fashion Week trophy, revealing to her that she had indeed won. Coco explains that Suri lied to Rarity and her friends about her losing in the hope that she would win by default after Rarity's "forfeit". Coco herself had gone along with the ruse until she saw the generosity shown between Rarity and her friends, and thus quit her job as Suri's assistant. As a token of gratitude, Coco presents Rarity with a small gift. In return, Rarity gives Coco her position of making dresses for her costume designer friend's next show.

Epilogue

Rarity and her friends wave goodbye to Coco Pommel at the train station and return to Ponyville. Later, at Carousel Boutique, Rarity writes down the lesson she learned in the friendship journal before opening Coco's parting gift: a spool of rainbow-colored thread. She puts it on her shelf with six other spools that match the Mane Six's coat colors. The rainbow thread then emits a strange glow.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

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

Applejack: [about Rainbow Dash] 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!

Rarity: Fashion runway plaza in seven minutes. Can you make it?

Cabbie: Hang on!

Rarity: Ta-ta!

Rarity: I gave you the fabric for accents! Not for your whole line! And how could you possibly make all of those outfits out of it so fast?!

Suri Polomare: Fast? Hah! 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?

Suri Polomare: [To Coco Pommel] Now get me some coffee!

Twilight Sparkle: Oh, my gosh, what a great afternoon! That was almost too much fun!

Rainbow Dash: Better pace yourself, 'cause the rest of the day is jam-packed!

Applejack: First there's the salon appointment to get our manes done.

Pinkie Pie: Then our fancy dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern!

Fluttershy: And after that...

Main cast sans Spike: Hinny of the Hills! [laughing]

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?!"

Twilight Sparkle: Rarity, calm down. What's gotten into you?

Rarity: What's gotten into you?! Oh, go ahead! See your little show! Congratu-pony-lations, fillies! Sounds like you've all figured out already it's everypony for herself in this town!

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

Applejack: [to Rarity] Yeah, you were pretty rotten.

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

Rainbow Dash: [about the musical] I loved it!! [beat] Uh, I mean, it was a'ight.

Rarity: Manehattan was simply grand. It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends.

Gallery

Rarity Takes Manehattan image gallery

References

1. ↑ Sabrina Alberghetti (2013-04-05). @BaloneyBrony Unlucky for you, I'm NOT! 402, 408 and 415 starting Monday.. Retrieved on 2013 July 21.
2. ↑ Sabrina Alberghetti (2014-1-2). "@TheRealSibsy Make sure you check out the new #MLP. Twitter. Retrieved on 2014 January 2.
3. ↑ Dave Polsky (2014-01-04). DavePolsky: @TheVooJooze @MMeghanMcCarthy .... Twitter. Retrieved on 2014 July 18.
4. ↑ Sethisto (2013-10-09). Two Upcoming Books - The Mane Event and Rarity Takes Manehattan. Equestria Daily. Retrieved on 2013 December 4.
5. ↑ My Little Pony New Episode 2014: A Panorama Sticker Storybook. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2013 December 4.
6. ↑ Sethisto (2013-10-21). Rarity Takes Manehattan Sticker Book Name Removed. Equestria Daily. Retrieved on 2013 December 4.
7. ↑ Meghan McCarthy (2013-11-22). HubTVNetwork: Project Runway has Heidi Klum.... Twitter. Retrieved on 2013 December 20.
8. ↑ Daniel ingram (2014-1-4). @dannyismusic “@Saxm13: @dannyimusic "Wow ok" guy.... Twitter. Retrieved on 2014 January 4.

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Season one
Episode 1 Friendship is Magic, part 1	Episode 2 Friendship is Magic, part 2	Episode 3 The Ticket Master	Episode 4 Applebuck Season
Episode 5 Griffon the Brush Off	Episode 6 Boast Busters	Episode 7 Dragonshy	Episode 8 Look Before You Sleep
Episode 9 Bridle Gossip	Episode 10 Swarm of the Century	Episode 11 Winter Wrap Up	Episode 12 Call of the Cutie
Episode 13 Fall Weather Friends	Episode 14 Suited For Success	Episode 15 Feeling Pinkie Keen	Episode 16 Sonic Rainboom
Episode 17 Stare Master	Episode 18 The Show Stoppers	Episode 19 A Dog and Pony Show	Episode 20 Green Isn't Your Color
Episode 21 Over a Barrel	Episode 22 A Bird in the Hoof	Episode 23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles	Episode 24 Owl's Well That Ends Well
	Episode 25 Party of One	Episode 26 The Best Night Ever

Season two
Episode 1 The Return of Harmony Part 1	Episode 2 The Return of Harmony Part 2	Episode 3 Lesson Zero	Episode 4 Luna Eclipsed
Episode 5 Sisterhooves Social	Episode 6 The Cutie Pox	Episode 7 May the Best Pet Win!	Episode 8 The Mysterious Mare Do Well
Episode 9 Sweet and Elite	Episode 10 Secret of My Excess	Episode 11 Hearth's Warming Eve	Episode 12 Family Appreciation Day
Episode 13 Baby Cakes	Episode 14 The Last Roundup	Episode 15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000	Episode 16 Read It and Weep
Episode 17 Hearts and Hooves Day	Episode 18 A Friend in Deed	Episode 19 Putting Your Hoof Down	Episode 20 It's About Time
Episode 21 Dragon Quest	Episode 22 Hurricane Fluttershy	Episode 23 Ponyville Confidential	Episode 24 MMMystery on the Friendship Express
	Episode 25 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1	Episode 26 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2

Season three
Episode 1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1	Episode 2 The Crystal Empire - Part 2	Episode 3 Too Many Pinkie Pies	Episode 4 One Bad Apple
Episode 5 Magic Duel	Episode 6 Sleepless in Ponyville	Episode 7 Wonderbolts Academy	Episode 8 Apple Family Reunion
Episode 9 Spike at Your Service	Episode 10 Keep Calm and Flutter On	Episode 11 Just for Sidekicks	Episode 12 Games Ponies Play
Episode 13 Magical Mystery Cure

Season four
Episode 1 Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1	Episode 2 Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2	Episode 3 Castle Mane-ia	Episode 4 Daring Don't
Episode 5 Flight to the Finish	Episode 6 Power Ponies	Episode 7 Bats!	Episode 8 Rarity Takes Manehattan
Episode 9 Pinkie Apple Pie	Episode 10 Rainbow Falls	Episode 11 Three's A Crowd	Episode 12 Pinkie Pride
Episode 13 Simple Ways	Episode 14 Filli Vanilli	Episode 15 Twilight Time	Episode 16 It Ain't Easy Being Breezies
Episode 17 Somepony to Watch Over Me	Episode 18 Maud Pie	Episode 19 For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils	Episode 20 Leap of Faith
Episode 21 Testing Testing 1, 2, 3	Episode 22 Trade Ya!	Episode 23 Inspiration Manifestation	Episode 24 Equestria Games
	Episode 25 Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1	Episode 26 Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2

Season five
Episode 1 The Cutie Map - Part 1	Episode 2 The Cutie Map - Part 2	Episode 3 Castle Sweet Castle	Episode 4 Bloom & Gloom
Episode 5 Tanks for the Memories	Episode 6 Appleoosa's Most Wanted	Episode 7 Make New Friends but Keep Discord	Episode 8 The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone
Episode 9 Slice of Life	Episode 10 Princess Spike	Episode 11 Party Pooped	Episode 12 Amending Fences
Episode 13 Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?	Episode 14 Canterlot Boutique	Episode 15 Rarity Investigates!	Episode 16 Made in Manehattan
Episode 17 Brotherhooves Social	Episode 18 Crusaders of the Lost Mark	Episode 19 The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows	Episode 20 Hearthbreakers
Episode 21 Scare Master	Episode 22 What About Discord?	Episode 23 The Hooffields and McColts	Episode 24 The Mane Attraction
	Episode 25 The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 1	Episode 26 The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2

Season six
Episode 1 The Crystalling - Part 1	Episode 2 The Crystalling - Part 2	Episode 3 The Gift of the Maud Pie	Episode 4 On Your Marks
Episode 5 Gauntlet of Fire	Episode 6 No Second Prances	Episode 7 Newbie Dash	Episode 8 A Hearth's Warming Tail
Episode 9 The Saddle Row Review	Episode 10 Applejack's "Day" Off	Episode 11 Flutter Brutter	Episode 12 Spice Up Your Life
Episode 13 Stranger Than Fan Fiction	Episode 14 The Cart Before the Ponies	Episode 15 28 Pranks Later	Episode 16 The Times They Are A Changeling
Episode 17 Dungeons & Discords	Episode 18 Buckball Season	Episode 19 The Fault in Our Cutie Marks	Episode 20 Viva Las Pegasus
Episode 21 Every Little Thing She Does	Episode 22 P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)	Episode 23 Where the Apple Lies	Episode 24 Top Bolt
	Episode 25 To Where and Back Again - Part 1	Episode 26 To Where and Back Again - Part 2

Season seven
Episode 1 Celestial Advice	Episode 2 All Bottled Up	Episode 3 A Flurry of Emotions	Episode 4 Rock Solid Friendship
Episode 5 Fluttershy Leans In	Episode 6 Forever Filly	Episode 7 Parental Glideance	Episode 8 Hard to Say Anything
Episode 9 Honest Apple	Episode 10 A Royal Problem	Episode 11 Not Asking for Trouble	Episode 12 Discordant Harmony
Episode 13 The Perfect Pear	Episode 14 Fame and Misfortune	Episode 15 Triple Threat	Episode 16 Campfire Tales
Episode 17 To Change a Changeling	Episode 18 Daring Done?	Episode 19 It Isn't the Mane Thing About You	Episode 20 A Health of Information
Episode 21 Marks and Recreation	Episode 22 Once Upon a Zeppelin	Episode 23 Secrets and Pies	Episode 24 Uncommon Bond
	Episode 25 Shadow Play - Part 1	Episode 26 Shadow Play - Part 2

Season eight
Episode 1 School Daze - Part 1	Episode 2 School Daze - Part 2	Episode 3 The Maud Couple	Episode 4 Fake It 'Til You Make It
Episode 5 Grannies Gone Wild	Episode 6 Surf and/or Turf	Episode 7 Horse Play	Episode 8 The Parent Map
Episode 9 Non-Compete Clause	Episode 10 The Break Up Break Down	Episode 11 Molt Down	Episode 12 Marks for Effort
Episode 13 The Mean 6	Episode 14 A Matter of Principals	Episode 15 The Hearth's Warming Club	Episode 16 Friendship University
Episode 17 The End in Friend	Episode 18 Yakity-Sax	Episode 19 Road to Friendship	Episode 20 The Washouts
Episode 21 A Rockhoof and a Hard Place	Episode 22 What Lies Beneath	Episode 23 Sounds of Silence	Episode 24 Father Knows Beast
	Episode 25 School Raze - Part 1	Episode 26 School Raze - Part 2

Season nine
Episode 1 The Beginning of the End - Part 1	Episode 2 The Beginning of the End - Part 2	Episode 3 Uprooted	Episode 4 Sparkle's Seven
Episode 5 The Point of No Return	Episode 6 Common Ground	Episode 7 She's All Yak	Episode 8 Frenemies
Episode 9 Sweet and Smoky	Episode 10 Going to Seed	Episode 11 Student Counsel	Episode 12 The Last Crusade
Episode 13 Between Dark and Dawn	Episode 14	Episode 15	Episode 16
Episode 17	Episode 18	Episode 19	Episode 20
Episode 21	Episode 22	Episode 23	Episode 24
	Episode 25	Episode 26

Feature films
Equestria Girls	Rainbow Rocks	Friendship Games	Legend of Everfree
My Little Pony The Movie

Specials
Dance Magic	Movie Magic	Mirror Magic	Forgotten Friendship
Rollercoaster of Friendship	Best Gift Ever	Spring Breakdown

Animated shorts
Rainbow Rocks shorts	Friendship Games shorts	Summertime Shorts	Equestria Girls: Better Together (season 1)
Equestria Girls: Better Together (season 2)	Equestria Girls: Choose Your Own Ending	Equestria Girls Minis	Baby Flurry Heart's Heartfelt Scrapbook
Rarity's Peek Behind the Boutique	Fundamentals of Magic	My Little Pony Established 1983	Friendship is Magic shorts