We often see heroes risking their lives for whatever cause or thing they deem a worthy equivalent. Within fantastic worlds inhabited by ageless monsters wielding powers beyond mortal comprehension, trivial professions, though needed, are even less exciting than when being looked upon through the lens of our own real world where protagonists like doctors and detectives reign supreme. Given their rigid and mundane interests, Mane 6 of the current generation never truly had any reasonable incentive to willingly and continuously venture out of their comfort zones in an attempt to obtain their desires. Everything they ever wanted is readily provided by their modern civilization to anypony or anyone with similar ambitions. G4 Rarity perfectly embodies this philosophy. A beautiful creature from inside and out that can gain nothing from exposing herself to dangers of the great unknown, she is Dorian Gray whose crippling faults have been surgically removed for the sake of easily digestible morals wrapped inside mundane plots that may as well belong into our world. All the imperfections are superficial and all the answers readily reside within their pony hearts. If you want these characters to be noticed and loved by the majority that is perfectly capable of affection beyond crude compassion based on lived experience, then let them be loved for their pervasive imperfections lodged deep within their cores. However, for that to happen, these imperfections must inspire awe and admiration of a more primordial kind. For G5 Rarity to regain her arrogant nature without boring the audience with constant interjections of obligatory lesson-driven niceness, or annoying them with her shallow bourgeois behavior, the writers should admit to themselves that they are actually writing a refined and sophisticated villainess and not just another pure, uptight lady who likes to dress up.

 

MARE IN THE MIRROR

Not all unicorns are born equal. Some are destined to wield the power of the stars; to weave mind's magic. Such are the potent gifts placed inside their cribs by chance and ancestry. Others are blessed with great artistic genius through which they seek to elevate the unicorn culture into even greater heights. These young prodigies grow to become pillars of unicorn society, governing the impotent masses and steering the sylvan realm towards the ever brighter future.

 

Rarity had once belonged to this group of renowned individuals. Jewels, fashion, sculpting, painting, she had been an artist of unparallel talent. Many a nobleman's abode was adorned by the extravagant works created by her swift and skillful horn, and many a renowned pony had been seen dressed in her splendorous designs. However, as such skill paves path to fame, so does such fame invite envy. Her peers had not been pleased with her success and so they had devised a plan to rid themselves of this splendid thorn. The false evidence had been placed, the trap had been sprung, and the young mare had been found guilty of witchcraft. In order to deal with transgressors who freely wield their magic, the Celestial Council, outraged by her supposed crimes, had unanimously sentenced her to a place of delirium lodged between the shifting dreams of the waking world and the lightless void of the dark abyss: Mirror Maze. Magic and mental faculties abandon all who loose themselves on these perplexing crossroads.

 

Helpless and betrayed, the young mare wondered the shifting paths. She was not alone. The stumbling, skittering husks of those who had lost themselves in darkness still craved for her light, and those whispering things writhing in deep shadows abhorred it with great passion. Fear, fatigue, illusions, voices in her mind, the Maze began to take its toll on the pony. Her magic has been drained. Her beautiful forest hues have faded into shades of grey. Her intricate cutie mark began to vanish. However, still clinging to her eroding memories, she managed to remain herself. She has found that the shadows respond to her thoughts and emotions. In absence of magic, the darkness itself became the canvas for her frustrations. These actions were not left unnoticed. One time, after she had mastered how to create shapes of living things, a heinous black hound revealed himself to her. He was a giant shadow made flesh, his eyes hollow pits of deathly balefire. There was no outrunning this threat. No matter how fast she stumbled through the shifting labyrinth, the hound was always waiting for her, silently sitting on every possible route of escape. Finally she gave up, but instead of death she received a gift of words. The hound expressed his interest in her little art project and offered her a way out of this wretched place. All she needed to do was to master what she has already begun to learn: the dark art of shadowmancy.

 

After a thousand years the unicorn civilization is still thriving under the watchful eyes of Celestial Council. Lately, the forest is abuzz by gossip of the most intriguing kind: a mysterious and bewitching young mare has been quickly ascending the social ladder much to the chagrin of many a lesser noble. She is a vision of beauty with a coat as white as snow adorned by the most elegant cutie mark. Those who are not immediately subdued by her exterior are enchanted by her extensive knowledge of arts and politics conveyed to the listeners with charming wits and playful humor. No vile gossip can derail her path to the very highest of unicorn echelons as her many adversaries are sooner or later visited by misfortune. Taking all that she has experienced to heart, the pale shadow comes to claim her long awaited compensation.

 

However, not even the most carefully designed schemes are invulnerable to the unforeseeable. An unsightly herd of intruders that have barged into her shard are chased by a great and malicious power. She has to make a choice: fall with the rest of her kind, or lead the strangers into the relative safety of uncharted woods. If push comes to shove, they will serve as acceptable shields against ferocious maws of forest inhabitants.

 

(Origin after the Movie)

 

SHADOWPRANCER

Shadowmancers are artists of the witching hour and masters of lesser things that go bump in the night, but once you get over the whole darkness thing, this magic comes across as a theatre where its practitioners command their shadows into fantastic forms and elegant routines. To cast is to sculpt, to fight is to dance; such art can hardly be compared to the crude, unspectacular light shows conjured by pretentious unicorns of Celestial Court. Given her talent and passion that have persevered even through the Mirror Maze, Rarity is a potent practitioner of utmost skill who, unlike her G4 version, needs neither luck nor leniency when dealing with adversity of any kind. And if she does find herself cornered, her black hound is often willing to provide assistance. He is her only true confidant: a menacing silhouette hiding far beyond the reach of mortal eyes. Still, creatures from beyond can rarely physically interact with mortal realm. The lesser things can be summoned through the cracks but greater beings can only come across in special circumstances. Indeed, this industrious pony has a lot of tiny tenebrous spies and her private abode is well-haunted. Of course, all this wondrous magic is never observed by others as Rarity has gone to incredible lengths to weave the narrative of her poor health that can deteriorate if she is to perform magic without proper preparations which include solitude, incense, and meditation.

 

What kind of a fabulous style fits a villainous hero?

MOONFLOWER

Rarity is a white flower dipped in the darkest of poisons. To the eyes of strangers she appears as a charming, composed, and intelligent young mare shrouded in mystique. Though social, she keeps all at a comfortable distance away from her personal affairs. After all, in this bastion of starlight and logic the elegant magic of shadowmancy is even more dreaded that the uncouth ways of wild witchcraft. Beneath the elegant glamour, Rarity is a vengeful nightmare who has supplemented her haughtiness with patience and humility unique to those touched by the abyss. A smug, playful nature of a pony who understands the superiority of her ability and position is never allowed to cross into overconfidence and complacency as is so often the case with powerful unicorns. The creativity and precision that have once been giving birth to works of fine art now help shape her elaborate machinations to overthrow the rigid system held together by and for great unicorn scholars made untouchable by their tremendous magical prowess. That said, Rarity is not averse to friendship. It's just that she is far too paranoid and detached from common affairs of oblivious citizenry to be capable of accepting anypony into her circle. In the end one cannot truly escape the Mirror Maze. One can only add to its twisted paths.

 

Turning Rarity into a villainess who is able to weave her bygone negative traits that had once cost her many a fan into an interesting mask is playing with some dangerous magic. She would become an alluring dame whose power and cunning would enable her to step not only into the rusty horseshoes of her old self but also in those of Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon. Baking some of their villainous traits into an unlikely hero who not only gives them a more positive and persistent spin but who also removes the urgent need for redeemable villains is a risky maneuver with the potential for great payoff. Shaping G5 Rarity into another fashionista with no incentive to become an active participant in the wider, darker world will turn her into another Applejack that is happy as long as she has her own little corner where she is free to do her thing. Hero fashion in fantasy is a thing. Being a fashion expert is also a thing. Having your destiny revolve around fashion should never be considered as a valid option.

 

MEGHAN DID NOT ASK FOR THIS

Rarity can have any kind of VA that can sound like a posh bitch. Moreover, you can give her a more sophisticated repertoire of words woven into age-appropriate eldritch content elegantly concealed beneath the air of hollow aristocratic drivel. Indeed, this pony will undoubtedly be very urban in all iterations, including yours. What now Meghan?