And Lure Me In With Their Olfactory Ways
Rarity's hooves took her along the pavement on the cusp of sunset in Ponyville. Her entire being, of body, mind and very existence, shimmered with life and eagerness.
Today was the day.
As she came closer and closer to her destination, a pleasant smile formed on her face. In a similar manner to her friend Pinkie Pie, ponies who passed by her and gave her their greetings were swept up in her infectious joy, and their moods instantly lifted. Some were curious about where she was going, but she refused to tell them, citing that it was a secret.
Finally, she stood at the front doors. Posture straightened, mane and tail slightly billowing in the breeze of said doors opening whenever somepony walked in or out. The excitement began bubbling up within her.
She took her first hoofsteps inside. Almost immediately, an Earth pony with yellow-orange fur and a teal mane and tail stepped forth and very nearly blocked her path.
"Greetings! Welcome to The Lavender Leaf!" The mare smiled. "My name is Tropical Essence. May I help you at all today?"
Rarity shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm quite fine."
"All right! Just let us know if you need anything."
In that moment, Rarity thanked Celestia that Tropical Essence wasn't one of the more chatty ponies who worked at the establishment. As much as she loved a good conversation, for this particular activity, she was keen on talking less and smelling more.
She made her way to Aisle 5, marked with a huge sign hanging from the ceiling that read only two things, left to right.
"Body Care"...and "Mane and Tail Care".
A shiver of anticipation coursed through her body. Eagerly, she entered the aisle and kept to the right, turning her head to look at the various products that lined the shelves. There were all sorts of shampoos and conditioners, each in an array of scents and each providing various bodily benefits. Some were moisturizing, others refreshing. But at the moment, Rarity cared little about what each shampoo and conditioner would do to her fur.
No...she only cared about the scents. The scents were invigorating enough.
Her head moved from side to side as she made sure no one was watching. Then, in one quick swoop, she scooped up one of the bottles and examined its front. Manely 'Mazing Ocean Breeze, a shampoo she had seen before but never tried. She opened the cap, held the bottle up to her nose, and took a whiff.
The ocean materialized in her mind. Softly-crashing waves, palm trees, and of course, her in a beach chair and a one-piece. It was a heavenly utopia, one that only lasted for a few seconds but felt like forever. As the memory faded away and her nostrils were filled with the stale scent of the store, she put the bottle back and grabbed the next one.
Strawberry Blossom.
Another sniff.
Now, she was walking under trees with pink leaves, fluttering about in the inviting air. A euphoric laugh slipped from her lips as she stared ahead at the sidewalk full of trees that never seemed to end.
Another bottle of Juicy Apple, which took her to Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack.
Another bottle of Rosemary and Mint, which took her to a quaint flower shop on the edge of Equestria.
Another bottle of Tangerine Tango, which took her to a juice stand at the entrance to a beach.
She sneezed. Her mind became entangled, unable to separate each smell any longer. Such was the price of filling your nostrils will all sorts of chemically-induced smells, but the feeling would go away. It always did.
"Ma'am? May I help you find something?"
Another mare approached Rarity, looking rather concerned. Rarity's eyes widened as she hastily backed up, eyeing the employee with worry. If anyone caught her doing this, it would ruin her reputation, especially since the easy option of "just buy the bottles and smell them at home" was off the table. She had her favorite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, and didn't need to buy more until Smooth 'n Silky went out of business, in which case she would bulk-shop with every bit she had in savings.
"I, um..." Rarity stammered for the better part of half a minute. "Er, no thank you. I am quite fine."
"Are you sure?"
Oh. A persistent one. What a joy. Rarity's ears folded downwards as she gave an annoyed "Yes."
The clerk didn't look convinced, but began to walk away regardless. "All right. Just let us know if you need anything."
Rarity waited until the mare was out of sight before sighing and turning back towards the selection of shampoos and conditioners. Out of her peripheral vision, a stallion was to her left, eyeing the section of the aisle where shampoos, conditioners, and body washes made for stallions were placed. He hadn't noticed her, but she was actively waiting for him to haul his flank out of the aisle so she could get back to one of the few things that alleviated her stress. As a cover, she grabbed a random bottle of body wash and began reading the back, all while keeping her ears erect for any sign of retreating hoofsteps.
It felt like forever before the stallion left the aisle, and after a quick check, she got back to the grind.
Coconut. Mandarin Orange. Wishy-Washy Watermelon. Fragrant Forest. Each one took her to a different paradise, where she thrived in environments created just for her by her very own mind. It was a way of escapism from the stress caused by the minutiae parts of the day, from a wrongly-placed stitch to an unhappy client to an annoying little sister caked in brown stuff she was too scared to identify.
She was broken out of her trance by an insistent pulling need to get said little sister some things in the aisle. Spotting a collection of baskets near the endcap, she grabbed one and began making her way down to the Fillies and Colts section. She grabbed the shampoo, conditioner and body wash she knew Sweetie liked.
And then, of course, it was back to it. There were only a hoofful of scents left, by Rarity's calculations. Like a drunk to alcohol, she was drawn to one marked Springtime Frolic. When she was sure her nostrils had returned to smelling the dank scent of the store, she opened the top of the bottle and gave a sniff.
It lived up to its name, for sure. Rarity found herself in a sort of meadow, her view dotted by a cliff face, a few trees, and a lazy river running through the middle. She moved forward a few steps, watching the birds go by and the rabbits graze, only stopping short of settling down when she saw a mysterious equine-shaped figure galloping through, their mane and tail flowing out behind them as they gave whinnies of excitement. Somehow, Rarity felt compelled to do the same, galloping parallel to the river and laughing in a jolly but still quite elegant way.
A sharp sensation jerked her out of her fantasy. It crawled up her spine and began initiating her fight-or-flight response. She knew it all too well.
Who was watching her?
Her head slowly turned. Pale fur, a blue-and-pink mane...and those three wrapped candies on the flank. Of all the ponies she expected to see, Bon Bon was one of the la-
"You need to get some professional help, Rarity. I like these scents too, but they're just as addictive as inhalants. Also, the store's closing in five minutes."
Rarity's fur blanched, not that Bon Bon could see it.
"Have a good evening."
It was over as soon as it began. The mare was trotting away. And as soon as she was out of sight, Rarity's hooves trembled.
Bon Bon knew the secret. She knew what Rarity was doing. And that meant Rarity couldn't be here anymore.
The unicorn's eyes drifted towards the basket, filled with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash for Sweetie Belle. Taking a deep breath, she made the difficult decision to put all three items back, because she didn't know if Sweetie needed more of anything or not and Rarity could send her in to buy her own mane and tail care items if she needed some more.
Hastily, she began moving out of the aisle at a brisk trot, placing the basket back where she got it from. No one spoke to her, not even to accuse her of stealing. She weaved through the streets with her head held high, and made her way back to the Boutique.
"Hey, Rarity." Sweetie met her older sister at the door as she walked in. "How was it at The Lavender Leaf?"
Rarity froze.
"Oh yeah, by the way, Twilight stopped by. Said she needed to talk to you about 'the dangers of sniffing', whatever that means."
The consciousness went right out of Rarity's body as she toppled over backwards.
Author's Note
This is what happens when I binge a 5-hour-long video covering every single Partnership for a Drug-Free America PSA across three decades. Multiple times. As background noise.
I hadn't exactly planned for this to be an allegory, but the more I was writing it, the better of an idea it sounded, and I just rolled with it.
