~~~~~Canterlot Guard HQ~~~~~

Crown V. NLPA, Investigation Recording #41, Part B

The recording cuts in on a conversation already in progress. It is possible the recorder was turned on by accident. Princess Celestia is speaking.

Princess Celestia - -aying that it’s possible?

The next voice is scratchy and slightly wry, identifiable as the Royal Alchemist, Razzil Dazzil.

Razzil Dazzil - Theoretically, yes. Assuming what you’ve told me about his formulation is correct, he could very well be on to something rather revolutionary. He isn’t wrong that most of the Order tend to be disdainful of the use of fermentation as a catalyst. It is devilishly difficult to control even under the most astringent lab conditions, but if he’s managed to do this much so far…

A sigh, and a faint squeaking sound. Razzil is likely cleaning his glasses.

Razzil Dazzil - I remember when Fizzy Pop was a student. We met briefly after a lecture I’d given during his junior year, and I can distinctly recall his zeal. He was a frighteningly brilliant young unicorn, and I am not surprised he has managed to master this particular facet of our art. He was a relentless perfectionist in the pursuit of his craft. I only wish we could’ve been able to curb some of that. Perhaps he could have succeeded me, someday.

But yes, Princess. He could very well be correct. I would need to see his methodology in action before I could give you a one-hundred percent accurate assessment, but with the limited information available to me I would have to say it is not likely he is outright lying to us.

There is a brief moment of silence, then Razzil coughs softly.

Razzil Dazzil - Princess, we have been acquaintances for how long?

When the Princess finally responds, her voice is warm.

Princess Celestia - Almost sixty years now, you old coot. A term of service nearly unmatched in the court.

Razzil Dazzil - Yes, your highness. And in all of those sixty years, I have not once seen you give into your anger when another solution presented itself. Ah! No, Princess. I am not saying what Fizzy Pop did was not monstrous. I daresay even he would agree with that assessment. Only that we must consider more than the heat of anger and the desire for grim justice. What was done has already been done, and it cannot be undone.

Princess Celestia - There may very well be ways to undo all of this madness, Razzil.

Razzil Dazzil - You already know my feelings on that subject, Princess.

Princess Celestia - … What are you suggesting I do, Royal Alchemist?

Razzil Dazzil - As your friend? I recommend you think before you act. As your advisor? I would recommend you do not throw away a panacea because it was made from rotten fish entrails.

Princess Celestia - …sigh Thank you, Razzil. I will try to keep that in mind.

There is a brief muffling noise, then hooves leaving an echoing hallway. Silence for several minutes follows, until…

Princess Celestia - Detective Tracer, what are you doing here?

Detective Rich Tracer - Elegant tried to escape this morning. Emphasis on ‘tried.’

Princess Celestia - Oh, for pity’s sake…

Detective Tracer - I warned you that she was terrified of you, ma’am. Relocation to Canterlot Castle holding cells? Must’ve sounded like a death sentence to her. She’s been returned to isolation holding for now, until we can clean up the mess she made.

Princess Celestia - …. Detective, what should I do about Fizzy Pop?

Detective Tracer - You want my professional opinion, ma’am, or my personal one?

Princess Celestia - Both.

Detective Tracer - Professionally, I think that bastard needs only two fuckin’ things. A long drop with a sudden stop at the end, preferably at the end of a rope. But speakin’ personally? Ma’am, I seen worse than him in my time on the beat. Most dust pushers ain’t got half his brains and… Look, all the guards know somepony with the Big Three, okay? If he isn’t just blowin’ smoke about being able to fix one of those, I’d wanna know a little more before I wrapped a noose around him and shoved him off the western wall.

A deep inhaling sound, and the sound of a striking match. Detective Tracer is smoking in the station…. again.

Detective Tracer - I can’t tellya how to handle that one, ma’am. He’s nuttier than a fruitcake, an’ fruitier than one too. Shit he’s done ain’t gonna play well in the papers, an there’s gonna be tartarus to pay before its all over. That’s why I’m just a detective, ma’am. I ain’t cut out for those kindsa decisions.

Princess Celestia - You ought to be Guard Captain, Tracy. But that’s water under the bridge. I’m going to need you to unlock the door to holding for me.

Detective Tracer - No problem, Princess. And hey, if you wanna slap ‘im around a little, I promise I won’t tattle.

~~~~Canterlot General Hospital~~~~

The room smelled like home.

Which wasn’t to say it smelled like her library loft, but rather that it smelled like a ‘home’. Fresh flowers were everywhere, and the faint scent of animal feed and the fragrance of Angel Bunny’s latest salad disaster lingered in the air. The subject and source of those smells sat with a book cradled in her lap as she hummed a beautiful little tune. The aforementioned bunny rabbit protector was nowhere to be seen, although his role had been somewhat upset as of late given… well, Twilight wasn’t quite ready to parse that one yet.

Even now, all these weeks later, it was almost unnerving to see her like this. Fluttershy was utterly relaxed, turning pages in her book even as the world whirled around her. Outside her window, the sounds and sights of bustling every day Canterlot intruded with predictable regularity. Yet the sudden bangs, yells, and window-buzzing pegasi going at top speed to various parts of the hospital complex didn’t so much as ruffle her mane. It was unnerving. Fluttershy ought to be hiding under the bed, not just… sitting there and taking it like a normal pony.

“Morning, Twilight.” She piped up, as chipper as a filly at breakfast. That was unusual too. Her voice was as clear as a clarion call to arms, and she didn’t once stumble over her words. She looked right into Twilight’s eyes and smiled happily. “I’m afraid Rarity’s not here. She said she had something important she had to go do. Probably gawking over the fashion magazines she’s missed.”

Twilight swallowed her concern and fear, and put on her very bravest smile. But before she could even open her mouth, Fluttershy was speaking again. “No, Twilight. The answer is still no, and It’s going to stay that way.” Her tone was firm but not bullying. Twilight could feel her teeth snap over the words she’d tried saying for nearly three weeks now, and they almost ached from the taste of them.

Fluttershy sighed faintly and closed her book, looking up at her with a touch of pity. “Twilight, I know you only keep bringing it up because you care. This is all rather new for us too, and so many of the others. But I’m not going to do it, and Rarity agrees with me.” Fluttershy’s maddening calm was driving her a little bit mental, and she wanted to reach over and shake her. She wanted to demand to know what this creature had done with Fluttershy, but Twilight already knew the answer to that.

“And what about Daisybloom?” Twilight instantly regretted the words as they poured out of her mouth, but her logic-driven brain was running away with her today. “Or Bluefeather? Have you asked them what they think about your opinion?” She nearly swallowed her hoof trying to shut herself up, and couldn’t help but look down to the tiled white floor in shame.

But a moment later, gentle and warm hooves were hugging around her neck. “It’s okay, Twilight. We should have come and spoken to you, and I am so very sorry for that.” It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be the one ponies came to for comfort and aid. But here she was, nearly weeping into Fluttershy’s shoulder because… why? Because she couldn’t fix everypony’s problems? “But you need to understand that it’s not a good idea.”

“It could work, Fluttershy.” She whispered, unable to keep her mind off of it. They had always worked before after all. When the chips were well and truly down, and when the world had seemed unfixable, they had saved the day. She knew they worked against Discord, why would they not work now?

Fluttershy sighed softly. “Twilight… I’ve already had this discussion with Discord, you know.”

That shocked her. Shocked her so badly that the tears stopped and she couldn’t help but jerk her head up. “What?!” She blurted like a little foal, but there was a tiny smile on Fluttershy’s face afterward that made her blush.

She nodded solemnly. “It was actually his first suggestion. He was quite certain it would clear everything up, just like it always did. But when I asked him what that might mean, he balked." She crossed her hooves over her lap as she sat, looking quiet and serene. "Twilight, even he has no idea what the effects might be. There’s no way of knowing what it might do to us, or to them until we actually try to use them. For all we know, we could all end up ensconced in stone for a thousand years and more.”

Fluttershy bit at her lip for a moment. “Twilight, given that neither Rarity nor I wish to change back I'm not even certain they'd work properly for us, and given what that might mean... No, I’m not going to take that risk, Twilight. Neither is Rarity. And without all six of us pitching in, you won’t be able to get it to do diddly as it is.” Her eyes hardened slightly, and she spoke in a much more testy tone than before. “There’s no easy answer to this one, Twilight. We’re just going to have to do things the hard way for once.”

And with that, she was checkmated. Any hope she had of wielding the elements began and ended with the willing participation of all of her friends, and two of them had just decided to stonewall her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t sympathetic to their concerns, but maybe if she could just get her crown back together… “Twilight!” Fluttershy spoke in the sharpest, hardest tone she’d ever heard Fluttershy use. “Please.” Her voice softened, nearly instantly. “Respect our wishes. We have so many ponies who need our help now. They’re going to need us to be strong for them. All of us, together.”

She closed her eyes, and leaned her forehead against Fluttershy’s. “Why was I not good enough to help you?” She couldn’t help but ask. It was the question she’d been struggling with for the past month, and she needed an answer. She needed it now. “W-why didn’t you j-j-ust… c-come and ask for help?” She was crying again. Stuttering even. Some Princess she’d turned out to be…

But Fluttershy’s answer… she wasn’t expecting. “Oh, Twilight... You were always good enough.” Twilight looked up to see her friend smiling, a faint sadness in her eyes. “It’s the two of us who weren’t good enough to ask you for help. ”

~~~~~~~~~

Rarity - What became of me? Life. That’s what became of me.

I wanted something so badly for so very long that it infected every single part of my life. Everything was slanted towards my desire for a Prince and to become the royalty I had so long assumed was something anypony could attain should they be determined enough. It was my obsession, and it was not until Blueblood that I had realized how deeply that obsession went.

Oh certainly, I had other reasons for wanting it. I wanted it for the prestige, for the grand wedding I’d imagined, for the boons to my business that a true royal name would lend. But… It all came back to that silly fillyhood dream. A dream I could not renounce no matter how much I tried to move on from it. When I began to discard that dream, my life fell apart. It had been the glue holding together my single-minded pursuit of perfection in my craft and in my life. And when the glue was removed, it all came crashing down.

The incident with the puppet theater was the biggest of the warning signs. I had dismissed practical concerns in favor of gaudy showiness. When Spike brought me that book… I realized how desperate I was to recapture that old drive. No longer did I have an over-riding goal, no longer did I have a star far above my head to strive for. The clouds had set in and my future was too murky for me to understand.

For a time, I could ignore it. Tirek’s little invasion and the months spent in the cleanup did not hurt. Our work across Equestria and beyond bringing the magic of Friendship to so many creatures kept me distracted for a while, but those were bandages over the wound. They stemmed my bleeding, but I still bled. When we returned home to Ponyville, to our lives and to our jobs I found myself standing amidst my fabric and my ponyquins and I knew that I had nothing to create. No spark or desire of creativity lived in my soul. I did not know where I was going, nor did I know what I was going to do. My star had vanished, and without it to guide my hooves whatever could I do?

That set it all into motion. And now, I am going to tell you the why you have all come to hear. Whyever did this beautiful mare leave the hospital, and refuse any further attempt to treat her horrifying condition? The why is simple, my delicious darlings. I no longer need a prince for, as you can all plainly see, I am not fit any longer to be a Princess.

Look at me!

Double Scoop’s Notes: Rarity stands up in the witness chair, and strikes a pose. The full extent of her strange transformation laid bare before us. Her supple mane and tail moving with a life all their own, the strange horns that are braided through her mane and dangling golden chains and twinkling sapphires. Her sharp hooves digging into the wood of her chair and her eyes blazing defiantly.

What prince would have me but some dread demon prince out of nightmares? What royal blood would dare take me for its own but those of the blackest hearts? I was the perfect little mare. Waiting for her prince to come forever and aye, and I might as well have been living my life in chains for all of that waiting. I had staked myself to a single vision of the future, and by the time I realized the foolishness of such an act it was far too late.

After all, who else would be able to love me but a Prince? Who else would deserve me but one of royal blood? Nopony beneath me dared try to break through my shell, and nopony I desired existed for me to pursue. I became the victim of the very mythology that had kept me going for so many years, so desperately seeking the validation of my Prince that those who might’ve been able to bring me true happiness could not conceive of me loving them in the first place.

I lived in a prison for most of my life, trapped in equal measure by my single greatest driving force and the expectations I had set not just for others but for myself. I could not accept anything less of myself than total success, and while my talent and effort took me places far beyond many other ponies it could not carry me forever. I was bound to hit this wall sooner or later, and all that would be different is if I had achieved my goal of a Prince before or after I did.

Perhaps that’s selfish. Perhaps that was naive of me, but what can I say? I sought to be a character in a fairytale of my own writing. I sought to be the beautiful heroine who through her own gumption and skill attracts the eye of the fine Prince, and with her new lover and husband by her side they can change the world together. I costumed myself with the self-assuredness that only a young filly can manage and I sewed myself into that costume so tightly that…. that…

No. I am not going to dwell on this one moment longer.

I am free, now. There is no fairytale ending for a creature like me, no shining Prince to gallop off into the sunset with. No. I am no longer fit to be the Princess I had so long dreamed of, and never have I been so glad for it. Now I am a demon, a figure out of the dark dreams of those precious colts and fillies who dream darkly of strange carnal pleasures. I shall be the sweet night wind, the temptress who slips past all guards of virtue to draw the innocent away from their quests and their purity for our own… enjoyment in corrupting them. I will sweep along dark paths that lay empty in the still of the evening, gliding gracefully beneath the pale moon to seek out those who will slake my thirst. I shall come to those I choose, and give them a night of dark pleasure they could only begin to dream of, only to vanish with the dawn... Mhm. Hee hee… Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

Aha… hahahah.... Ahh… It’s nice to be able to laugh like this again, you know? To not need to worry about seeming uncouth or inappropriate. Freed from all those silly social conventions and expectations. No longer tied down by the worry that my Prince would see me behaving like quite the peasant or the seductress and be repulsed. That was the depth to which I suffered, friends. I was a prisoner in my own life, lacking any hope or means of escape.

Oh, and I can already hear the questions… Why not simply change my life myself? Well, darling, how about you uproot everything you have ever dreamed about. Toss aside all of your lifelong plans into the rubbish and proclaim that suddenly, you are a different somepony now. I would absolutely adore seeing one of you sticks in the mud try. I’d pay good money to see the effort!

But in truth, I’m not going to make excuses. I took the easy way out darlings, and obviously I’ve paid for it with my so-called purity. But why should I be so bothered? My true friends will remain beside me, the ones whose love is real for me will not throw me aside because I am now different. And looking down upon my new, beautiful form I can tell you for true that there is one very special someone to whom I owe so very much that I shall be exercising my newfound freedom with enthusiastically and as often as possible. I rather expect that he shall enjoy the experience, once I have introduced him to the many pleasures I can now provide.

Not appropriate you say? Not proper or socially acceptable? Piffle! Feh! And to quoth dear Dashie, Fuck. That. Noise. I do not care any longer. I have paid my dues, I have given so much for Equestria that I do not think it is wrong to demand the right to be happy on my own terms. And as for the others who were not so fortunate as I? For those who have suffered from the actions of that manipulative and sly bitch Elegant? I shall not abandon them, either. They are my brothers and my sisters and I promise you they shall be well cared for. I shall provide them the example they need to move on in their lives. A symbol of the strength they can seize for themselves if only they have the will to do so.

Princess Luna. Judge Rock. Prince Armor. I come before you today not to absolve those who did this to me of their guilt in the horrific things they have done to others, but rather to show you that even out of the darkest depths a beam of light can shine. I have made my decisions, and I made them as an adult mare. Perhaps I did not understand the depth of my choices, but given the chance to make them again? I would not hesitate.

I do not hate what I have become. I instead celebrate it, accept it, own it and reclaim it. I shall bring hope from the jaws of despair, and I shall forge forward anew. I have been given the chance to fulfill a new dream. No longer waiting for my prince charming to come and save me, I shall instead be the savior for others. I shall be the prince that now lives inside of me, and I shall not be conquered. For Elegant may have created me, but she does not own me. Nor shall she own the minds and souls of those who have suffered from these horrible circumstances.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

~~~~Canterlot General Hospital~~~~

I found myself holding a cup of tea as Fluttershy carefully locked the door. “We started talking when it became clear there was going to be a trial.” Fluttershy spoke quietly, her voice full of a calm authority that could easily have come from Princess Celestia. “We knew what you would do, Twilight. We love you very much, but you’re rather a predictable pony sometimes. You’re still so young at heart, you don’t realize how much somepony can ache for change.”

Fluttershy turned on her hoof and smiled prettily. It was a smile so bright and so warm it seemed to fill up the whole room. “It’s not a bad thing, mind you. You’re a homebody at heart, Twilight. You always have been. You like things to be in neat order, to remain as close to the way they always have been as you can manage. After the past five years, I truly cannot blame you though. Moving away from Canterlot all the way to moving into your own Princess castle… That would be enough to make anypony desperate to try to keep their world sensible whatever way they could.” She shook her head, her bright mane sparkling in the late afternoon sun.

Twilight felt a need to speak up for herself. “I just… You two have become so different, I wondered…” She swallowed her words for a moment, then forged on. She had to be honest. Applejack would beat her flank if she wasn’t. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t be the same friends I’d had before. I know that’s not what a good friend thinks but-”

The hoof pressed into her mouth was firm, and Fluttershy giggled in a high tone. “Twilight Sparkle, you silly pony. It’s okay. We understand, both of us, that you can get your head wrapped up in problems like this.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean, if you didn’t do that you’d hardly be Twilight Sparkle anymore. Which I suppose is the same problem you have with us. However is Rarity still Rarity without her long-held desire for a Prince?”

Fluttershy lifted up two hooves and shook her head. “It is difficult when somepony you deeply love must undergo such a radical change. It is even more difficult when you cannot understand the reason why they had to change in the first place. But now… now that I stand on the other side of such a change, I can understand how they are sometimes necessary.” Then she fell back to the ground on all four hooves, and tilted her head to one side.

Twilight drank her tea. Fluttershy smiled. “Discord, would you please join us?” She spoke into the empty air, as if she expected to be obeyed. Twilight prepared to crack wise about that hilarious assumption.

Then Discord appeared in a poof of illogic, with a tender smile on his face and his paws folded together. “Of course, my dear. However can I…? Ah, Miss Sparkle. So good to see you’ve finally decided to join the little freak parade.” His tone went from simpering to sarcastic in nanoseconds, and in a strange way it was comforting. If nothing else, she could always count on Discord to be a jerk to her.

Fluttershy tsked. “Be nice, Discord. This isn’t easy on her, and you know it. It’s not easy on you either, and I know it, but I think it’s past time I cleared the air.” She stomped her hoof on the ground. “I’d like you to take us to the Canterlot Court House, Discord. All three of us. I’m going to say my piece in a place where the truth can no longer be denied.”

I couldn’t help myself. I nearly dropped my teacup. “But Fluttershy, your-”

“Hush!” She commanded, and hush I did. Almost comedically quickly, and not for the first time I was a trifle annoyed. I was supposed to be the bloody wizard around these parts, how was I supposed to compete with the supernatural effects of Fluttershy’s new- “We’re going now, Discord!”

And with a snap of his talons, we were there.

~~~~Canterlot Guard HQ~~~~

Crown V. NLPA, Investigation Recording #41, Part C

The Recording cuts on to silence for nearly ten minutes. Then, Princess Celestia speaks.

I managed to put Discord to good use. Perhaps I should start considering you simply another threat on level with him, and act accordingly.

You will have your two years. But in exchange for my mercy, you will cease to exist. Your name will be stricken from the records in the entirety of Equestria. Your tax records, your degrees, your academic papers, your bank accounts, your library cards. You shall be expunged completely from all public records and all forms of print. Nopony but myself and the select few I choose will even remember you were ever alive. You will have no name. You will have no identity. You will be but a tool upon my workbench and I shall wield you to extract some measure of hope for the future from this tragedy.

You will be kept comfortable enough and far away from the prying eyes of other ponies. Those you interact with will be there to ensure you remain on your task and shall learn from the madness that lurks inside of your mind. I shall ensure that your years are spent putting that insane mind of yours to the benefit of the Equestrian ponies until the day that the reaper finally comes to claim you. Because monster or not, I shall not waste a valuable tool. And in the end, should you accomplish your goals and rid my Equestria of those plagues which have caused so much untold suffering, perhaps you may earn a measure of redemption in my eyes and I shall allow your work to continue.

But should you fail?

Then I will show you why I have ruled these lands unchallenged for two millennia and more.

Your only other option is to face your very imminent death.

Do you accept my offer, Fizzy Pop?

~~~~~~~~~~

The Courtroom had fallen silent once again. But this time… This time what happened allowed my heart to lift, just a trifle, from where it had lain in my hooves these past few weeks.

A lone figure burst from the court observers, and rushed up to the witnesses stand. She wore a house-maids dress, but was impossible not to recognize as Daisybloom. She flung her forelegs around Rarity’s waist and hugged tightly to her. Rarity lowered her forehooves and stroked the poor pony’s mane gently, lovingly. Then she hugged her back and murmured softly. “There there, darling. We’ll find you a nice pony who shall love you as you deserve.”

Daisybloom untangled herself from Rarity’s body, and the strange hybrid of pony and demon stepped down from the stand as a Princess descends from her throne. Like it or not, I could not help but make the comparison to Princess Celestia as she walked towards the court exit. Princess Luna’s eyes following her with a deep thoughtfulness. The court observers and other reporters bowed their heads as she passed us by, regally protecting the poor broken pony beneath her hoof.

And as she passed me, I began to realize that the story could not possibly end with this trial. Thousands of other stories had yet to be told, and thousands of other ponies who had escaped and been ensnared Elegant’s grasp were now out there in the world, hiding from us. What had become of them? What had been done to them? And most importantly of all, what could we do for them?

The answers were coming, weather I liked it or not. For as the doors to the courtroom opened, the final figure in this case walked through it and prepared to finally bring the chaos to an end… her way.

-Reporter Double Scoop, for the Equestria Times. “The Case of the Century, and how it never came to be.”

Author's Note

For those of you waiting for explanations as to the Elements of Harmony, please be patient. The answers are coming.