//------------------------------// // Guilty pleasure // Story: The Alchemist // by Hummingbirds //------------------------------// Rarity hummed a familiar tune, trotting about her boutique, picking up the various clutter that was strewn about the floor during her daily dressmaking. Today was one she had been looking forward too all week, and she knew it. Quickly flipping her doors sigh to “closed”, she turned around, and kicked the door shut, heading off toward her kitchen. Approaching her pantry, letting her excitement grow, she opened the door. Inside was a large walk in pantry, stocked with various dry goods and canned fruits. Turning to her left, she pushed aside a small burlap sack of sugar, revealing a trap door. Unlocking the tumblers with her magic, she opened the hatch, to reveal a small rack of various drinks, and more interestingly, assorted glass medicine bottles brimming with colored, luminescent concoctions swirling with the soft glow of infused magic. Turning the circular rack around a little, she reached what she had been looking for- A small, pear shaped bottle with a simple label, a crescent moon encircling a clover symbol. She had been saving this for when she finished her newest line, which she had been working on for over a month. Much to her liking, it had placed first in the Canterlot fashion magazines, and ever since, she had been too busy filling out orders for the new dresses, leaving her no time to enjoy her little guilty pleasure. A soft blue glow emitted from her horn, surrounding the bottle and gingerly removing it from the rack. Closing the hatch, locking it, placing the burlap sack back into its original spot, and finally exiting the pantry, she walked briskly to her bedroom, and closed the door with a light *click*. Her room was, surprisingly, rather strange, with arts from the lands of the zebras, and furnishings, which were rather hard to obtain, from the underwater colonies of the sea-faring unicorn tribes. Lights strewn from the ceiling constructed of bottle shards glued together into ornate orbs, and decorations of tribal pottery and exotic flora were placed here and there. There was a large open area with an exceptionally soft rug, constructed of the fibers that the unicorns collected from shedding sea creatures. A large, top of the line magic-infused stereo sat in the corner of the room, next to what was her favorite feature. A large circular bed, encased in soft corals and sea flora, as a luminescent, ever cool gelatinous orb, glowing a soft blue sat in the center. It was far beyond the softness of quality sheets, as the water-bed like mass was incredibly slippery, almost like you could glide across the surface. To keep from drifting about, she had enchanted some clouds herself, and managed to fabricate a blanket of them. It was almost like heaven, and she knew of two things that made it better. The first, and most common, was her usual red wine. The dizzying sensation of a few glasses made her feel like she was drifting about, but her favorite, a single sip from her little bottle, and when she fell into her bed, it would feel like she was soaring. But that would wait. Walking over to her stereo, she began to play the newest record from none other than DJ P0n3 herself. Nobody would have guessed, but she never was a fan of classical much, although she acquired a taste while on her trips to Canterlot. The music began to hum a simple synth melody, as a hi-hat quietly echoed in the background. She had one minute, and she knew it. Uncorking the bottle, she stole a light whiff of its aroma, immediately feeling the blissful euphoria of its effects kicking in, though weak in comparison to its full potency. She had ordered this one special from none other than Zecora herself, infusing some passion flower and sulphur, the former adding a light romantic effect, while the yellow powder, while poisonous to others, merely elongated the effects of any concoction it should be added too for the species of equestria. In the background, the music began to build, and she could feel the bass humming to life. She had maybe twenty seconds now. She tapped her hoof in time to the beat, and waited. Then, just before the song went to deafening silence, she took a great swig. Her eyes rolled up slightly as a blush spread across her face, just before the bass dropped, sending its low vibrations throughout her body. It was, to her, worth the wait. She lost herself, swinging madly to the music, her mane falling into disarray as she danced furiously, waves of euphoria coursing through her form. Normally, she would die of humiliation if someone saw how she danced, but she had watched Rainbow Dash at their rare outings to clubs, and found the style to do justice to the fast paced music she’d come to love. And so she went on for hours, until she was panting and exhausted, and the record had played through. The effects were still strong, and she noted that the sulphur was now a must, as she might have had to have another swig without it. Collapsing into her bed, she slowly regained her slow, steady breaths. Her body felt like it was flying to and fro, switching directions occasionally. Normally, she would spend this time reading, but she found that literature was almost impossible to read under the effects of this potion. So, instead of her usual soppy romance novels, she simply decided to look through some of her more.. secret magazines. With an unsteady grip, a set of “PlayMare” magazines came floating out from under the bed, and she looked at the cover of her newest issue. She nearly dropped it. With a bead of sweat forming on her forehead, she looked upon the well built red stallion on the cover, wearing a tight dress suit. Come to mention it, Applejack had a few more bits lately, and she remembered Big Macintosh saying he did a few “Side Jobs”, though he quickly changed the subject. She sighed with a shaky breath as she felt the potions effects still coursing through her. Tonight was young, and she was going to enjoy it. She awoke late into the noon the next morning, cool, thanks to her wonderful bed, yet absolutely drenched in sweat.. amongst other things. Walking upon shaky hooves to her bathroom, she failed to notice the opened bedroom door as she made her way out to the main hallway. Taking a left, she entered her more..normal..bathroom, and stepped into the large tub. Quickly turning on the showerhead, the water came out cool, almost frigid, but quickly warmed to a comfortable setting. Showering off, and doing a light wash, she stepped out, and began her usual routine. Walking out, looking more like her usual self, she approached her living room, and saw the front door wide open. And then she remembered her bedroom. Quickly running back to her room, she was relieved a little to find things the way she had left them, with no foreign scent amongst her things, or her bed. However, that did little to relieve her frightened mood. She quickly set off to find one of those new self-locking doors.