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// To the Asylum via the Boutique? 
// Story: Rarity dates Prince Nightshade 
// by Dream Volt 
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	I had a very impressive inhibitor on my horn and was chained to the floor of the boutique.  It was also a horribly ugly thing I was glad I couldn’t see right now.  The manacles were heavy actually quite comfy, lined with a nice material.  I tried not to think too much about why Twilight knew such a spell.  Of course even more impressive was I was burning though the inhibitor with little effort, despite my best estimate putting it above what I thought unicorns were capable of, or Twilight when she first came to town.  Needless to say I no longer counted her even if she doesn't have wings yet.  It's just a matter of time and why the princesses seem to disagree I have no idea.

Next to me was dear Nightshade.  He wasn't restrained in any obvious way, in his natural changeling form.  I still wasn't fond of the holes, but I did always like tall stallions and really the colors are nice.  He was just sitting on a cushion.  A few times he had stood to move toward me, but he then stopped, ears pinning back as he cringed, as if there was horrible noise only he could hear.  Then he would look at me longingly and return to his seat.  How did it come to this?

"Rarity, are you even listening?"

Twilight was taking the lead, with Applejack acting as her second.  Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were here to support them but I don't think the three of them felt quite so strongly, albeit for different reasons.  Fluttershy was worried about me moving too fast, but felt this was taking things too far.  Pinkie was being surprisingly reasonable and decided since we're both happy it's fine, but less surprisingly didn't see why she should attempt to remove my restraints, or try to convince Applejack and Twilight to stop.  Rainbow seemed entirely apathetic about the whole thing and from what I can tell only helped because she thought this would be funny.

"Twilight, I am listening just fine.  You are the one that is not."

"I'm am sorry Lady Sparkle, but I must agree with my love.  You have been nothing but rude, and completely refused to listen to a word we've said."

"One date."  Said Twilight  "You can not get married after one date.  That's ridiculous."

"It ain't like it's a real complicated idea to get sugarcube."

"I just worry about you." Added Fluttershy

"Hmmm, does baking muffins with love really make them food for changelings?"

"There can be small traces of love in a well made item, food or otherwise, but not enough to feed off of.  However we are fond of sweet things.  Just go heavy on the sugar."

"You know for some reason most ponies ask me to go light on the sugar, I never have understood that.  I mean…"

"Pinkie, for the last time, we are trying to stop the wedding."

"Oh silly filly, I know that, I just know you're going to fail."

Everyone stared at Pinkie.  Honestly even I wasn't sure of that.  I certainly had no plans to do so at the moment, but when Twilight puts her mind to something most often it gets done.  Dash groaned.

"Ugh, this is boring.  Look just let them get married, then just have Celestia zap it out of existence."  Dash looked up.  "Or whatever the paperwork equivalent of zap is."

"Rubber stamp maybe?"  Twilight put her hoof on her chin.  "You know I've never thought of it before but there probably is a paperwork equivalent of zap, but I'm not entirely sure what it is."

Applejack rolled her eyes.  "Focus Sugarcube."

"Right."  Twilight nodded and turned to Rainbow  "Dash how do you know about that law, assuming its real.  I think it is, but I'm not sure."

"Not what ah meant."

"Oh, mom had to do that once.  I mean he was all like marry me or die and had this long speech explaining what he'd do, but she just said sure, and then got Celestia to blast the marriage apart once we were both safe.  He shouldn't have been so surprised."

"True enough." I added  "You are talking about an annulment, correct?"

"Maybe?  I think it's more like some super annulment with a different name, but I forget why it's different and what the name is."

"Because you weren't actually paying attention at the time." Twilight then sighed

"Duh, I mean it's not like it was important or anything."

Applejack sighed.  "So could you explain why you want to do this dang fool thing Rarity?  It don't make no sense."

I turned to Nightshade.  "Oh it makes perfect sense Applejack.  He is everything I ever truly wanted in a stallion, even the things I didn't even know to want."

"Really now, and ya'all figured this out all from one date?"

"Why would it take longer?" asked Nightshade  "You can't understand because you've never been so lucky.  You haven't yet met that one stallion that truly completes you.  That stallion that makes every day brighter, and every night darker." He then blinked

"That doesn't make any sense." Said Twilight  "Just like none of this makes sense."

"Why are you so sure it should?" asked Nightshade  "I certainly think it doesn't"

I felt my eyes begin to tear up  "You don't?"

"As I said my love, why should it?  Love isn't logical.  It's an emotion, but not something you truly choose.  Hate is the same that's what makes it so dangerous.  There are ways to avoid either, but you can't really choose to love, you simply do."

I swooned.

"Ugh, gag me." Said Rainbow

"That was terribly rude." Said my noble Nightshade.

"That doesn't really make sense.  I mean I can choose to hate.  I do hate your mother for instance because she tried to ruin my brother's wedding and…"

"Everything else.  Yes, but in the end you didn't really choose it.  You certainly can say you did, and acting as if you hate someone is easy, but truly hating them?  Their can be reasons for it, but hate is free of that process as love.  That is why you must welcome in love whenever it comes, for only it can banish hate."

"The annoying thing Twi is they ain't lying about nothing."

"That just means their both crazy." Said Twilight

"Duh, they're in love, of course they're crazy."

Everyone else stared at Pinkie.  She was being incredibly sensible.  This suddenly worried me.  I suppose the phrase is crazy in love for a reason after all.  It's not as if we didn't know this wasn't a somewhat extreme course of action, we just felt it was worth taking.  I then flared my horn one more time with the simple and surprisingly powerful spell I have been casting all this time.  I'm still amazed at the increase of raw power I've come to possess.  Compared to Twilight I still feel insignificant, but compared to any other unicorn things are much better.  Thus everyone ended up in dresses when the horrid thing on my horn burned out with a shower of sparks and a pop.  Oddly it didn't feel that hot, merely warm.  I then quickly cast a spell to unlock the chains.

Twilight sighed  "I guess that's it then."

"Sugarcube, just cause she got out don't mean you can't put her back in."

"Actually darling the rules about restraining unicorns, for their own good…" I scoffed  "…are quite clear.  You would be outright breaking the law if you went further.  Also it's terribly rude."

"Wait, you mean like there's a not rude way to tie somepony up?" asked Dash, somehow already out of her dress.

"Obviously." I rolled my eyes

Twilight sighed.  "Honestly unicorns have come up with proper etiquette for everything.  This is actually one of the less silly things as it serves a clear purpose.  In this case we've reached a threshold where I would have to risk permanent damage to keep her properly restrained.  Obviously I don't want to go that far."

"Course from what you been telling me even permanent harm ain't so permanent for the lot of us no more."

"Actually I really just meant you and Pinkie, though I guess it might be possible for the rest of us too.  That just makes it worse really."

"Come on Fluttershy, rescind your order to Nightshade and so we can leave."

"Oh so sorry my white perfection, but sadly she gave no such order, merely told my subjects where this event was taking place."

I blinked, then turned to him.  "And you cannot stop them?"

"I can, and mother would have no qualms about doing such a thing, but I told them I would be no tyrant, and will stand by it, no matter the cost."  His eyes began to water, and he looked away  "I am so sorry my love, but duty must come first."

"I understand.  Oh crewel fate, why must…

Dash let out an unladylike inarticulate yell.  "Come on, enough of that.  Fix it Twi."

Twilight predictably blinked and looked at Dash as if she were mad.  "What?"

"You're good at this sort of thing, since they're clearly going be all lovey dovey stupid and not budge we need to compromise."

Twilight stared for a moment, then smiled.  "Why Rainbow Dash that is a surprisingly mature and thoughtful solution.  What do you suggest?"

"Suggest?  I dunno, you're the egghead.  That's why I said you should fix it.  Duh."

"Right."  Twilight's ears briefly folded back.  "Okay, lets see."  She turned to Nightshade and I  "Obviously you don't want to stop the wedding, while we think you need to at least date more before you make such a decision."

"But Twilight, if we don't start planning right away we may miss our window.  We simply must…"

"Okay, so that sounds like the solution is fairly easy, if odd.  You simply have to set the date many months in advance, and you date in the interim."

"Hmmm, a winter wedding would be an excuse to wear fur." I said

"Fur?" asked Fluttershy

"Fake of course darling."  I turned to Nightshade.  "What do you think?"

"Luna was always fond of winter, and I was thinking we could get married under the moonlight.  It would be even better in winter."

I frowned.  "But also colder."

"Oh that's hardly an issue, even if we do go with an outside venue.  Warming the area is a simple task for my changelings, and they'll come around once they're convinced you  haven't case some strange spell on me to make me love you."

"Spell?  That's why they're nervous?"

"Yes, it's terribly silly of them, but they'll see in time, trust me."

"Okay, problem solved.  I'm gone."

And she was.  There wasn't even a gust of wind, the door to my shop was simply open and Rainbow gone.  Pinkie hugged the two of us, it wasn't the first time today, and once when I was in chains.  She muttered something about happiness, but honestly she was talking so fast it was hard to make out.  Then suddenly she gasped.

"Omigosh, you are going to let me help, right?  I mean I have to at least do your reception.  I'll make sure it's super duper fancy even if it's not fun, even thought that's super hard and…"

I summoned a plush muffin into her mouth I had created for just this purpose.  "Yes of course, and while I think I'll be in charge of the decorations myself, you may certianly help me with that as well."

"And remember, we also will have a largish army of ponies to help once they are convinced I have truly fallen head over heels in love with you."

I nodded "Yes that…"

"This is going to end badly, isn't it?" interrupted Twilight

I gave her a short glare, but said nothing

"Ah dunno sugarcube, love moves fast sometimes.  My folks got hitched after just a month of knowing each other.  Though ah course they didn't do no fancy wedding, they just got granny to marry them."

"She's qualified for that?" asked Twilight

"That and more sugarcube.  Way I figure it even if all they do is plan Rarity's fancy pants dream wedding they'll get to know each other real well."

"By the way did I ever tell you…"

"Yes." Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack said at he same time

"I'm sorry." Added Fluttershy

"Ya'll have gabbed on a whole lot about yer dream wedding sugarcube.  I imagine there isn't a single one of us that doesn't know all about what you want."

"Hmm, yea, strict limit on the balloons.  That's a must."

We then all stared at Pinkie.  Not because she seemed to have simply eaten the stuffed muffin, it wouldn’t be the first time, and her comment wasn't too surprising.  It was certainly odd, but not surprising.  It was the incredibly serious and calm look on her face.  I had seen it before, but not often.  It was always, disquieting.

"Right, parties are serious business." Said Twilight

"I need my catalogs."  Then pinkie was gone in a blur.

"Uh, I guess it will be okay."  Fluttershy wouldn't look up at me.  "I mean, we can always change our mind if things still look bad and do something more later right?"

"Of course, but obviously that won't be required.  Our love shall never fade."

"Unless Luna is wrong about the immortality." Said Nightshade  "Which I doubt."

"Ah reckon that's it for now then.  Ah got work to do, so I'll see ya later."

"I need to go talk to Princess Celestia."  She looked toward me eyes going wide.  "On a completely unrelated matter of course."

Twilight then vanished.  Applejack let out a little laugh and left.  That just left Fluttershy who slowly made her way over to us.

"Well that could have gone better." I said

"Considering the last wedding related disaster I was involved in, hmm, well second to last if you count mother's meddling, ended with me being beheaded I think it went very well."  He then laughed.

"Ah yes, I suppose that is an issue.  When we say eternal, it most likely truly is."

He nodded  "Yes, I imagine you still aren't used to the idea of not being mortal, are you.  Don't worry my jewel, I will be here to help always."

Then Fluttershy gave me a brief hug, and moved on to Nightshade.  I thought she was going to hug him, but instead she looked him strait in the eyes.  She smiled.

"If you hurt her in any way, you will regret it for the rest of eternity."

Then she left.  For a long time there was nothing but silence.  Finally Nightshade collapsed on the floor, legs splaying out, shivering lightly.

"Maybe it's just me but somehow the pleasant tone and lack of hesitation made that all the more terrifying."

"Oh my, was that actually the stare and…"

"No my dear, just words.  No magic of any sort.  Merely a reminder that Lady Fluttershy has terrifying power and will, despite much evidence that suggests otherwise."

I smiled  "Yes, she is a velvet covered steel boot, isn't she?  But your worry is of course ridiculous.  You would have hurt me either emotionally or physically.  I am more than capable of insuring you do neither."

"I could argue the capable, to a degree, at the moment, but in time yes, I certainly would have no hope at either.  Though obviously I would not want to.  So, lets get to work."

Then he was standing, and with a blue flash of flame a perfect copy of me save cutie mark.  I was about to ask him what he was thinking, but then I had it.  I smiled.  I have a wedding dress to make, and obviously it would be far easier with a proper model.

"You truly understand me my darling."

"And you my princess, accept me faults and all.  Truly there can be no act more generous than that."

We both laughed.  Sometimes you simply know.  There is no force that could ever hope to draw us apart.  And if I'm being foolish as long as I go though with it I will still be a princess who enjoyed a lavish wedding.  However in truth the other thing that really bothers me at all is those holes.  Everything else is certainly a bit unsettling, but it gives him a sort of feral nobility.  But the holes just add nothing.  Still, after Blueblood I realized that letting physical features take highest priority can only result in tears.  I was tempted to kiss him, but that would be Narcissism on top of kissing a mare so instead I simply gave him a hug and smiled.  I found my handsome noble prince, and now know the noble part is far more important.