That was not the sort of tone Rarity was expecting to hear at all. The rather delighted expression that had come over her face at the mention of a date - because romance was a wonderful thing, even if she didn't quite know the context - fell a bit at that rather biting tone. "Well," she tried again, "you do have to admit that dress is quite fetching."

Her desire for answers as to how exactly she'd wound up in this rather stark place momentarily forgotten, it took her a moment to really consider what that tone of voice might mean. Just about everypony she knew would be happy to see a good romance, so either this nonpony didn't like romance or...oh, that was an option, even if it could be troublesome in these sorts of situations. "Don't tell me," she gasped, "that you're jealous of them."