Rarity - I was born Rarity Belle to my loving mother and father in a quaint little suburb of Manehatten I shan’t bother you with naming. My father, bless his old fashioned heart, wanted me to get the same kind of upbringing that he’d gotten from his own parents. So they sold their house and brought me to a place called Ponyville, a little farming community that lived in the shadow of Canterlot.

My mother and father are actually both rather well off, believe it or not. My father having had a remarkably successful acting career, and my mother being a much sought after makeup artiste. They’d met on one of father’s shoots and had spent their lives in quite the whirlwind romance trying to one up the other before finally giving in and getting married shortly before having myself. And ponies wonder where I get it from.

You’ll note that most ponies never use my full name. Once I discovered my special talent as a filly, I decided that ‘Rarity’ was more than enough to convey my fabulousity. Only mother still uses it when addressing me, but I suppose all mothers like to imagine their children as still being young and silly. Still, it’s a reminder of a simpler time for me. A time before I was… well, I suppose that’s getting ahead of myself, now isn’t it?

We all dream as fillies and colts. We dream of the lives we’re going to live, and the adventures we’re going to have in them. We dream of valiant knights and fair maidens, and quite often vice versa do we dream of fair knights and valiant maidens. We dream of besting nefarious creatures of the dark and obtaining treasure and fame, and finally being recognized for the beautiful creatures we all are inside.

Most ponies abandon those dreams, though. They find their special talent, or their special somepony and they are content to settle for the wonders both can provide. Let me stress I find nothing wrong with the simple life much of Equestria enjoys, nor do I judge those who have settled for ‘good enough’ for themselves. They are welcome to their happiness and in a way I envy them their ability to let go of their dreams. It is a talent that, I must confess… I never was quite able to develop myself.

As I grew into my ambitions, I never let go of those fillyhood dreams. Movies, novels, and even the stories my father would tell me about his time in Hollymare inflamed my imagination. I was a beauty amongst unicorns, and I knew it well. So why could I not dream of a prince charming waiting at the end of the rainbow for me? Surely if I were to bring myself forward enough, were I to prove my genius in the realms of creativity and business that I would find my way to the Prince that so surely awaited me.

I grew from filly to stumbling mare, to a graceful and elegant lady of fashion. And every step I took, I turned aside ‘good enough’ with the belief that ‘the best’ was awaiting me at the end of the path. When I took my first job, repairing garments for the local residents and doing little flourishes on commission, I refused several opportunities to work for other well known designers in Manehatten and Baltimare. I was going to make my own way and forge a reputation on my own four hooves, you see. The sparkling lights of Canterlot glimmered in my eyes every night before I went to sleep. There, I thought. There is where I am meant to be.

While many unicorn traditionalists like to say a white coat is a sign of noble blood amongst our race, I was as far from the glimmering lights of high society as one could get. But I knew those heights could be ascended if one had the drive and the will to do so. So I worked tirelessly honing my skills and creative talent, I received my first business loan from Filthy Rich and opened the Carousel Boutique by the time I was old enough to move out of the house.

You’re all wondering what this could possibly have to do with what’s happened to me and Fluttershy, now aren’t you? Well, I’ve been telling you. It all comes back to dreams.

For all of my life, I wanted a Prince. Somepony like in the books, who would treat me like the Lady that I was and be the perfect stallion. As I grew, that vision tarnished a bit as I learned how ponies really are behind closed doors. But still, my hopes were high. Perhaps I could never have true perfection, but I was going to get as close to it as existed. It was here that two very important things happened, and that I met two Princes. One was the prince of my dreams, and one was the prince of my nightmares.

Perhaps I was a trifle naive. Certainly I had allowed decades of dreaming to blind me to the true worth of a pony like Prince Blueblood, and yet never the less I was badly wounded by his behavior at the Gala. For a time, I moped and brooded and felt betrayed by the world. I was supposed to have met my prince charming, not that foppish oaf. But all wounds heal in time, and I began to hope again as a certain Royal Wedding was announced and my own self chosen to play a part in the festivities. Surely there, I thought, my prince would be present. Surely there, I would be able to wow him with my talents. Surely there, I did meet that prince. The only complication was that… well, he was the groom.

Ah, Prince Armor. There is so much I could say about you that so many years of fantasizing would absolutely love to express. But I’ve too much admiration for Princess Cadence and I am far too aware of the bond that holds you together to do so. And it is here, my dearest friends, that the true tragedy of my story now comes into full view. At last I had met my prince charming, and I was far too late to ensnare him for my own. A decade or more too late, should the stories I have since heard be true.

I confess that I fell into a despair that I dare not speak overly much of. I shall not recant to you the story of Trenderhoof, or that disastrous little indiscretion with another close associate. Suffice to say, I could not replace the dream I had held onto for so very long. Even dear little Spike’s attempts, for all of his big heart and sincerity could not satisfy the burning desire within me.To finally be validated in my quest to become the Lady I had always seen myself as being, I needed a prince and there were no princes to be found. Not here, and not elsewhere.

Oh, I searched. You would not believe how far I searched, nor the depths to which I was prepared to sink for that search. I spoke to creatures of every shape and size and temperament, and no answer would present itself for all of my work. The depression became worse, and it became harder to hide it. I began to hold my friends far closer than I had before, for they were the buoy that kept me afloat. But even dear Applejack couldn't…

Ahem.

My apologies. I shouldn’t dwell on the things that cannot be, and could never be in the first place. At any rate, I was not precisely in the best of places when I recieved a message from Fluttershy. She has always been a dear friend, and she wished to unburden herself to somepony who might understand. Obviously, I raced over to speak with her immediately. When I arrived, I found poor Angel Bunny sitting outside the door and looking very concerned. That rabbit never looks concerned for anypony, so the sight of it…

I feared the worst. I ran inside to see my dear friend weeping her heart out. She was surrounded by letters that she’d written and then torn to shreds. She was almost done with another one, and I managed to just barely catch some of the text… It appeared to be some kind of letter of confession to somepony. She stared at it for a full thirty seconds, before noticing me standing there and she tore it to shreds again.

It took me hours to calm her down. She’s never been especially well wound, the poor filly, but right then she was… well, I’ve rarely seen her worse. “It’s all wrong. It’s always all wrong, and I don’t know what to say.” she told me, before dissolving into tears again. It took me nearly till dinner to get sense out of her. And when I finally did…

Well, that’s when the story gets interesting.

~~~~Canterlot Guard HQ~~~~

Crown V. NLPA, Investigation Recording #41

The tape is silent for a few moments. Then there is a muttering, and a clear voice speaks. It is Princess Celestia, her voice professional and firm.

“This is Princess Celestia Solaris. I am present with defendant Fizzy Pop and his attorney, Mister Disaster Chaser.”

A brief moment of muttering again, then Disaster Chaser’s voice.

“Princess, my Client has indicated that he’d rather I wasn’t present for this conversation. He’s been duly informed of his right to have me present, and has indicated that he is aware of the possible risks. By your leave?”

Celestia speaks again here, still sounding clipped and professional. All further dialogue will be presented in court format, by request of the Princess.

Princess Celestia - Yes, Dizzy. I think this is a conversation you’d rather not hear anyway.

The sound of a door opening and closing, then five minutes of silence before the Princess speaks again.

Princess Celestia - Give me one good reason why I should not revoke my own thousand-year long ban on capital punishment and allow my beloved sister to have you de-horned before staking your body out to be consumed by the crows.

Fizzy Pop - Rather violent for you, isn’t it Princess Celestia?

Princess Celestia - I have spent much of the past few centuries enjoying the benefits of an Equestria that is no longer quite so dominated by the necessities of violence. That does not mean I do not understand the occasional necessity of it, merely that there are finer tools to be used.

Fizzy Pop - Fair enough. Here’s my reason: I can solve Icarus Syndrome within the next six months.

Princess Celestia - … How?

Fizzy Pop - My serum is not quite complete. I have spent most of the past three years slowly working out the problems inherent in such a substance through my work at the Agency. I am aware of what you think of such work, but it would surely be rather terrible were so much suffering to have occurred without some gain.

Princess Celestia - I had heard you repeatedly flouted my ban on Pony alchemical experimentation, but I had never thought…

Fizzy Pop - Of course not. Neither you, nor any of my teachers understood that if you wish to destroy something horrible, you must attack it at its source. Concern for the suffering of others is useless if you are unwilling to do what is necessary to help them.

Princess Celestia - You have destroyed almost three thousand lives, and you expect me to allow you-

Fizzy Pop - Only I am aware of how my serum was created and how it works. Only I know the formulae, the ritual, the precise nature of my work. Only I can grasp the golden kernel of progress from the offal of failure, and I can only do so if I am permitted to continue my studies. I do not care what you think of my methods, only my results.

Princess Celestia - You have destroyed countless lives, and set countless more down paths of suffering and you show not even the merest hint of remorse. I will spend a century trying to undo the harm you have done to those precious to me, and even then the cure may never be truly found. I have confronted the very worst our world can place before me. I have stood before Discord, dark king and damnation itself, and none of them compare to you, monster.

Fizzy Pop - I care nothing for what history judges me as, Princess. Decry me as a monster. Lavish my name in filth and depravity until all schoolchildren everywhere fear my name. So long as my work can save others the pain and suffering I and others like me have endured, I can accept that.

Princess Celestia - … What do you want?

Fizzy Pop - Two years, a laboratory with suitable equipment, the impounded Discordite flower petals and sufficient supplies to further my research. Access to volunteers for testing. The serum is useless on the unwilling, so I shall need those who are prepared to accept the risks of my serum. If I cannot succeed within the next two years, I shall never succeed and will have to live with the shame of my failure. Or die, as you might will.

Princess Celestia - Wait a moment. Go back. What do you mean it is useless on the unwilling?

Fizzy Pop - The serum is based on the thoughts of ponies, Princess. Without the desire to have things be different, the serum would be powerless. It would be useless on the truly content, on those ponies who are happy with their lives and all things in it. The effects are weak on those ponies who desire something small and petty, who are essentially content but have minor quibbles with their day to day lives.

But on those with a deep-seated desire for change, it takes the things we wish for, the things we desire the very most and it shapes them into reality. The fact that so few of my subjects achieved what they thought they desired is a testament to the fact that our conscious minds lie to us every single day. We are never wholly honest with ourselves, Princess. That is why I have sought to tie the effect to the subconscious mind so that our bodies would not create dreams, but rather make themselves whole.

All pegasi have a deep instinctual need to fly. All unicorns, a need to cast magic and shape the world. All earth ponies, a desire to till the earth and grow things. Icarus Syndrome, Brittle Horn Disease, Natural Disjunction Condition. Three terms for the same meaning, our instinctual magic damaged by effects beyond our control. I can solve those problems, Princess, if I have but the time to do so.

Princess Celestia - Hrgm.

Fizzy Pop - Allow me to assuage your sense of justice. Give me my two years, and afterwards I shall accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate for me. I shall not contest my conviction in court, and you may grant credit for my discoveries to whomever you may please.

Princess Celestia - I ought to… I ought to… Grrr!

There is a slamming of hooves on the desk, then silence for a time.

Princess Celestia - Guards! I need a moment. Watch the prisoner closely!

The muffled sounds of the recorder being picked up, and a few words just before it cuts off.

Princess Celestia - Get me the Royal Alchemist, I need to confer with him on somethin-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity Belle - My dearest little Fluttershy… I had thought I knew her as well as I did anypony. But she’d been hiding secrets of her own. Secrets I’m not terribly inclined to share with you lot. If she wishes to speak, she can come here and speak for herself. Today, I am here to speak of myself.

So, after her confession to me I knew something had to be done. There we were, two hearts united in our sorrows and what sort of friend would I be if I could not find a solution? I began to spread the word amongst those I knew, I began to search for the means to aid us in our plight. Oh certainly I considered consulting with Twilight, but… Well, Twilight is a wonderful mare but she has no concept of the pains we were going through. She has never been a mare overly concerned with amorous needs, they are simply outside of her purview.

That is not a dig against her, I stress. She is more than a dear friend, and I would trust her to aid me in any number of endeavours. But this… She would all too likely panic, and seek some solution from her much vaunted tomes. But books cannot cure a wounded heart, darlings. They cannot offer solace in the cold night, and they are no comfort when your life and dreams have been shattered before your hooves.

No. I love Twilight, truly I do. I love all of my friends with a warmth and intensity that I cannot deny. But none of them could help us on this, and even now on the other side of the river… I would say it the same way. Perhaps it was fate that led us to this. Perhaps it was the way it was always meant to be. But I shall be an adult, and own up to the decisions I have made and make the best of them.

Elegant. I knew her before all of this occurred, you know? We met during Fashion Week last year just after that little debacle with Suri. She was very kind to me, wanted to know what sort of works I was intending to bring to market in the future. New materials, new designs, we spoke for ages and never once did she bring up her little side business. I’d like to stress that, actually. Not once did she nor any of her compatriots try to seduce us into her den of devilry.

No, I found out about that on my own time. Through some… less than prudent contacts of mine, I’d heard rumors of strange new ponies becoming involved in the Canterlot party scene. Ponies with odd ‘enhancements’ that were quite the rage amongst certain individuals I knew of who enjoyed a good romper-party. I was curious, but that scene had never been to my taste until… Well I did not know at the time, but I met a young Daisybloom and instantly realized something was wrong with her.

She was between jobs, and very much in something of a daze. At first, I believed she was under the spell of one of many club drugs popular with the Canterlot youth. She was staying with a mutual associate, and I was informed she was the employee of a ‘placement agency’ that specialized in providing work and other lifestyle adjustments to discerning customers. I had no idea of her true purpose there, and I did not find it out until much later.

Instantly, my fears vanished. Obviously, this poor wretch had been through some sort of addiction and was working to clean up her life. The dazed look, the unfocused eyes… yes, I knew those signs all too well. Days later, I saw her with another associate and as bright eyed and bushy-tailed as any mare could ask to be. You can imagine the impression this left on me as to the efficacy of the Agency, so I began to do a little research.

Things got more and more intriguing as I did. They were terribly private for a company that was gaining such a positive reputation. Oh certainly, there were some dark stories, but I dismissed them. Nopony who works in Canterlot doesn’t have a black story or two about them. I should tell you about some of the absurd rumors they’ve spread about me over the years someday. Whatever, they simply were jealous of my fabulosity and are irrelevant now.

But the more I learned, the harder it became to arrange time at the Agency. Surely they would enjoy the publicity boost from a pair of well known ponies attending their business. Yet every time I attempted to make a reservation, I was mysteriously informed that they were far too busy. It was maddening and reeked of something secret going on behind the scenes. Naturally, I decided I needed to find out what that something was.

It was a trifle to arrange disguises and references for myself and Fluttershy. We walked right in past the very secretary that had been turning us away for weeks. When I met with Elegant, she was quite different than when I had met her a year or so previously. She had changed in a thousand subtle ways, but the most glaring of which was her bearing. She had obviously become quite taken with her business.

I nearly walked us out of there, do you realize that? I nearly walked us clean out of that place and straight to the Princess. What stayed my hoof… I don’t honestly know. We were taken to Fizzy Pop’s lab. We told him of the things we so desperately desired. We drank his mysterious fluid and he told us to check back in within a week or so to make certain there were no off side effects. By the time Fluttershy and I left, I had wondered why so many ponies were so raving about the place. A drink of some sort of potion? And this was supposed to solve our concerns? I was obviously rather suspicious.

I consulted with my physician in Canterlot, and he assured me there were no toxins or malignant magics within me or Fluttershy. He was confused by the makeup of the potion, a mix of ingredients he frankly believed would do nothing together. And yet too many ponies I’d spoken to had sung the places praises. Perhaps they had been paid? I didn’t know that either, and I was beginning to become frustrated. We resolved to speak of it in the morning, and I went to bed both perplexed and disappointed.

But… That night…

Mmmmmmh… That night…

Double Scoop’s Notes - Rarity began to writhe on the stand, squirming back and forth in an obviously satisfied way. Her eyes took on an unearthly glow and her smile grew wide, the sign of fangs in her teeth glinting in the dim light of the courtroom. Her voice took on a slinky, slithering quality that was equal parts enticing and frightening.

I’ve been through so many things since little Twilight waltzed into all of our lives and dragged us all along on her adventure. Terror, fear, danger, dirtiness, lack of decent plates and clothing and even worse than that, should you be capable of believing in things worse than a lack of decent plates. But in one singular night, all of those strange circumstances and ill-fated quests were repaid in full. At long last, after so many confrontations with those things which go bump in the night, the night finally brought flowers and chocolates and asked to come inside like a gentlecolt.

Unlike so many of the others, I remember every moment of that first evening. The magic overtook me slowly, like a lover I’d only dreamed of. It was slow and sweet, but so very real. Firm teeth nibbling along my spine, gentle lips pressed to mine. A slow buildup to the thrust of that phantom stallion, and an achingly long moment of intimacy. The darkness of the world around me became a part of me, and when I finally found my release, I realized how incredibly appropriate that word was to how I felt in that moment.

I had been given release from my fears and my concerns. My dreams, shattered before my hooves, now meant so very little. My prince had been inside of me all along, and I had simply been unable to realize it. The potion had come and helped me see the Dark, and my place within it. Of course… Nothing comes without a price, darlings.

Double Scoop’s Notes - Rarity lifted her hoof at this, and it shifts a little. Ethereal green vines slowly and sensually wrap themselves about her forelegs and hooves, like strange stockings that appeared from the very ether. Her eyes fixated on me, and the smell of green fields and musky sex nearly overwhelmed my senses. Then she looked away, leaving only the faint scent of flowers in the air. Gods. Even now, I can smell it..

Some would say it cost me my soul, but they’re quite fools. My body has changed, certainly. My mind, most definately. But I remain Rarity Belle down deep within my soul.

Double Scoop’s Notes - Her voice raises at this, defiantly proclaiming itself into the still air of the courtroom.

All of you… None of you have any idea what it has been like! To stand there, heart in pain as you watch your dreams sauntering off into the sunset with another mare. To feel like you could never, ever find the love your heart so ached for! But I have discovered that one can still love oneself and find room in your heart for others. So many others with love, of course, to fill my heart with. A heart that needs regular filling, you understand.

All mares have needs. Mine are simply a trifle more… unconventional now. At the very least, I am nothing like that soul-sucking leech Chrysalis. I do not leave my little loves drained and broken. I would so much rather they were whole and hearty, that their desires were sated as much as mine were. I leave my little loves well taken care of, secure and snuggled up in the knowledge that the love they have given that night will be put to the use of good.

Do not mistake me with those judging eyes of yours. I have not forsaken the ones I love, or the Harmony I have sworn to protect. Nor have I cast off my passion to bring fashion and fabulosity to all ponies, everywhere! I am still myself in heart and soul, and I shall never be anything different! So what if I am now strange to the eyes of many ponies? I am equally desirable in the eyes of so many more. I have been ridden of my childish dreams, and at long last given the one thing I have desired for all of my life. The freedom to love without concern for childish romance.

For the first time in years, I truly am happy!

Double Scoop’s notes - At this, all illusion and pretense falls away. Her gaze is as terrifying and alluring as that of a fully grown dragon. She radiates sexuality and desire like a living embodiment of both. Her body is perfect yet strange. Even Judge Rock is incapable of doing naught but leaning forward in his bench to be just a few inches closer to the goddess that now stands upon the witness dias, daring anyone to challenge her right to exist.

Moments later, Princess Luna reaches out with a hoof and it is as though all of the energy is sucked out of the room. Rarity remains defiant on the stand, but now she is sitting and watching us all with eyes equal parts sad and courageous. The Princess spoke next, softly and without fear.

Princess Luna - Dame Rarity… Whatever has become of you?

Author's Note

New chapters every day until completion. Part 2 tomorrow. New project to be announced this week.