Is it just me, or does Spike’s mouth look a little weird in this pic?

And here, I will explain the episode. And pinpoint the problems with it.
 
Rarity has always wanted to be a Canterlot pony. Early in the episode she is rejected by Canterlot ponies and this almost makes her cry, so the rejection clearly hurts.
 
Later she meets Fancy Pants, who invites her to the derby. There she is put on the spot and lies out of panic that Dash is the wonderbolt’s trainer.  
The fear is obviously the result of being rejected before, since no other explanation is tenable really.
 
Later, the elites guilt her into spending time with them.  
She agrees out of a misplaced obligation to them (the same people she lied to in fact)
 
Afterwards she tries to rush home to finish Twi’s dress but is stopped by an invitation.  
Rarity surmises that if she fails to attend the Garden Party, her reputation (and dreams) will be ruined.
 
Now I should point out that this is never explained. And in general, the script for this episode sucks IMO.  
However rarity believes it and there’s nothing to suggest she is being disingenuous in doing so.  
Rarity lies to Twilight about this, both because there needed to be something to extend the episode and being in the other ponies but also because she is afraid of disappointing Twilight as she alludes to early and later in the episode.  
^again, this is underexplained by the script.
 
So she tries to attend both parties since she still feels that she has to attend the garden party. And there is still 5 minutes of the clock.  
But when the moment of truth comes she picks her friends, introduces them to Fancy Pants and writes her friendship report.  
She isn’t shown telling Twilight the truth, but considering that Twilight is the one who convinced her to stick with her friends, is presented as having learned her lesson and wanted to introduce them to Fancy Pants one can assume that she disclosed that info.
 
The overall point is that she learns not to look down on where she’s from, or feel ashamed because of others.  
However the episode does deviate from that message quite a bit.  
I honestly suspect that the episode underwent rewrites simply because of how schizophrenic the message and conflict is.
 
And in general the episode suffers for this. Plot points aren’t well explained, character motivations are ambiguous at times, and the moral only applies somewhat.
 
So I certainly understand the episodes divisive nature, however, the problems with the episode are not Rarity’s doing

@Nero-Inferno  
In reverse order.  
Saying that you don’t understand the character is fine.  
That’s your argument. Not moralizing.
 
Thank you for agreeing that it is silly to blame a character for a weakness in the script.
 
No one is saying that what she did was good, but one should understand that it was done out of fear and anxiety.  
She does not want to disappoint/be rejected by people.
 
And finally, the point of the ending is that she stands by her friends while autonomously learning the lesson she was supposed to learn.  
She got off easy because she was willing to lose everything she wanted for her friends.
 
^that character growth is the crux of the episode. Everything else is build up. By admitting that she’s common she subverts her lie about being well connected (despite being well connected in reality, logic lapse in the part of the script) and by standing by her friends she subverts not standing by them earlier.
 
Now undo feel that S&E has a lot of problems, but I don’t think Rarity is the source.
 
And as a final word, the other ponies have done worse things than simply lie.

@Whatevs  
First off, yes the show has a problem with facing consequences.
 
2nd; My problem was that I didn’t feel that rarity should of gotten away with what she did which was to lie to her friends and at least a small party of nobles.
 
3rd; I never questioned if she had “malice” in her actions. Which she didn’t but it doesn’t mean I have to like what she has done.
 
4th;Yes the resolution did annoy me and I do feel the writer could of handled it better.
 
5th; that whole last part, were you call me a liar. I watched both the episodes and I still stand by what I said,that being that I don’t feel there is enough reason/emotional connection for me to want her as a character to get out of this bad situation thats she has gotten into.
 
All my problems extend to I just have no real way to connect to her on any level, be it morally, emotionally or intellectually by the actions she took.
 
But this is why I like sisterhooves social, as an older sibling I can more or less do all three of the above with her in this episode and maybe some more. So I can feel there could be a risk or a danger in this episode which helps me to connect to rarity and feel what she is feeling.
 
So to end, I just don’t experience the same reasons you like rarity as a character or how her episodes are written and so I have a different view point…man I believe we have looked to far in for a show about colourful talking ponies?

@Nero-Inferno  
No, however I think that being surprised that her flaws revolved around such behavior is ridiculous.
 
Also, I fail to understand the issue with “not facing consequences.”  
I guess it escaped your notice but the ponies often get off lightly for their transgressions, if they are punished at all.  
Rarity, in Sweet and Elite, was not motivated out of any malice and ultimately merely made poor decisions which didn’t amount to any real damage since she put and an end to her own charade.
 
If the resolution bugs you then that is an indictment against the author rather than the character since the point of the resolution that that Rarity learned the lesson without needing to be told.
 
I go further, since the aforementioned thing is so obvious and the issue so minor, I think you are lying when you cite that as your reason.  
I think you heard this proclaimed by someone who willfully misunderstood the episode and parrot it as your mantra.

@Sjogre  
Apparently. That was hella-fast!

@Jellypony  
Thank you, I’ll be here all too often.

@Whatevs  
So by saying she designed towards “young pretty alpha females” makes any less annoying when she does do that young pretty alpha female way of thinking?
 
My problem with rarity is that she hasn’t faced really long last consequences to her actions; like for example sweet and elite, how come she was let off so easy with the whole lying to everyone and getting away with it. The most we got was sisterhooves social when she didn’t look at sweetie belles picture and almost lost a sister.
 
If there is more episodes like that in season 4 then rarity might not be my least favorite mane 6 and over all lest favorite cannon personality.

@Sjogre, @Whatevs  
You two took a show aimed at little kids and over-analyzed it, which by the way, was completely unnecessary.  
(Claps slowly)

@Background Pony  
Yes? None of the manes are perfect. I was never saying that.

@Sjogre  
All of the ponies have problems, often with worse consequences.

@Whatevs  
I’m coming across as overly critical. Rarity does have problems with vanity and priorities, and she does overcome them, but she still has those problems in the first place.
 
My point is that she’s far from perfect. She’s neither saint nor monster.

@Sjogre  
>shallow  
That must be why she didn’t go for those guys because of their personalities.
 
Sorry, but the common thread between those characters is that they at least appear to be masculine and alpha.  
And it isn’t shallow to want that and then not go for them when you don’t like their personality.
 
I’m also confused by your remark about sweet and elite, an episode where Rarity makes a bad decision but is motivated out of her insecurities, fears and desires more than anything else only to later turn around and grow as a character.
 
Honestly, it’s almost as if you’re surprised that a character designed to appeal to young pretty alpha females has issues with vanity and priorities.
 
Then again, this kangaroo court mentality is nothing new.

@Whatevs  
Fine. Her taste in males has been shown to be fairly shallow, consisting of a high society pretty boy, a charismatic conman, and a somewhat dim hippy.
 
Not exactly the deepest of tastes. Especially given her actions in Sweet and Elite.
 
I like Rarity, but she’s no saint.

@Background Pony  
and she only showed any affection AFTER he was cool to her, whereas before she merely regarded him as an authority

@Whatevs  
This. Hell, the Fancy Pants example barely counts since he was kind of a mentor/father figure more than a sugar daddy.

@Sjogre  
>all that we’ve seen in Rarity’s taste in men is that she’s a gold digger  
The only proof of that is that Blueblood happened to be rich,  
Not enough unless you define gold digger broadly.
 
Not to mention that she’s shown interest in one of the Flim Flam brothers and a filthy hippy.
 
Honestly, like most of the criticisms of Rarity, it isn’t only untrue but there actually isn’t any good reason to think so.
 
Come back later

This is ridiculously hot.
 
Sub Spike and Dom Rarity is the best Sparity.

@Sjogre  
And a bit of a perv, considering the Sparity ship has been given some small buildup in-show. XD

@Background Pony  
All we’ve seen of Rarity’s taste in stallions is that she’s a gold digger.
 
Rarity might be a good catch, but she’s still kind of a bitch.

@Background Pony  
I’m sort of in that position, but I’m competing with the loser.
 
He’s a sneaky bastard.

We all know that second half of this pick-up line. ;3

So you ever see a girl that is insanely hot, insanely intelligent, insanely nice, and just an insanely great catch, and then find out she’s after the loser who barely knows how to talk to her and only wants her cuz she’s pretty?
 
…Yeaaaaaaah. :(

this isn’t my fetish, but I still like it.