““The stars are our destiny.” - Unicornian Motto  

 
From a young age, Rarity always supposed herself to be a generous lady. It was what she was always taught when she was young and it was what was natural to her. “Always help others for they may one day help you in return.”
 
Something her parents didn’t tell her though was that generosity and character only came second place to ability in Unicornia.
 
After her Magical Alliteration Exam, Rarity was unceremoniously given a Class Three badge - a “middle” class ranking. For most unicorns, that would be enough, but for Rarity, it was… ‘dissatisfactory’. Her place was with the elite, the upper class. The Class Fours and Fives, the politicians and scholars. The fancy dinners, the royal balls, the garden parties - THAT was where she belonged. There had to be some mistake. Her place wasn’t with the common folk, the… plebeians! So what if her parents were only Class Twos! She was different. She was special.
 
Dissatisfied, Rarity packed her things, moved from her home, and started her career as a dress maker for high-paying customers. Her reasoning was that if she couldn’t BE an elite, then at least she could get as close as possible to them. To work for them - to become such a success story that her dresses would make her famous - make her the talk of the Principality! Her creativity would MAKE her elite! She could work for it.
 
And so she made. And made and made and made. She made beautiful dresses. Lavish, elegant, awe-inspiring dresses that would make any mare weep at not being able to own it, or have their hearts melt at the mere sight of them. But Rarity was not dealing with ‘any’ unicorns. Her customers were rich, demanding, tough and unappreciative. To them, Rarity was just another designer. Another Class Three with big, ambitions, hopes and dreams that would all go nowhere if they didn’t approve of her work. And so they didn’t. They bought their dresses, stuck up their noses, and only donated common courtesies. At fancy dinner events, Rarity would try her luck and flaunt her career, talk to the guards about how she was famous. But her three-pointed star would always betray who she was. She could never escape the stigma.
 
And so life went on, until Rarity’s little sister, Sweetie Belle, turned up on her doorstep, looking for help in her upcoming Magical Alliteration Exams. Rarity laughed and welcomed her inside and generously helped her as best she could. When she last saw Sweetie Belle, it was with well-wishes, with good lucks, and with a door-click.
 
But then the news hit. Sweetie Belle had failed her exams - she was a Class Zero. Her parents quickly snatched her up, packed what little they could, and ran with her to the borders, trying to give her over to Earth pony authorities as a refugee. But they were stopped in their tracks when they were just moments away from Shiverpoint. Her parents got arrested by awaiting Ministry guards but in the brawl, Sweetie Belle escaped into Earth, her fate unknown.
 
Rarity had to pay for her parent’s release. When she asked what had happened to her sister, she was given blank stares and ‘don’t know’s. She gave up her career, packed her things once again, and was about to head to Shiverpoint when Ministry members forbade her. She then turned to other, less lawful ways. She went to the lowest areas in Unicornia and asked for help. She hired bounty hunters, paid crooks and thieves and dealt with griffons. She gambled, won and lost, and took up sword fighting for defence. Every bounty hunter that she approached would always ask if she wanted to kill somepony - she would always reply that she wanted them to find somepony instead.
 
In that year, she spent nearly all her savings but never was there a hint of her sister. Not a whisper. It was as if she had disappeared into the ground. All her efforts came up blank. Emotionally exhausted, Rarity gave up on ever finding her sister. She moved into the new city of Clock Work and started up her business again where she unpacked her things. And there she remained.
 
Until a certain Class 5 unicorn moved next door…”