"Twilight, I thought you said we were going to Manehattan?" asked Spike bewildered.

"We are, but first I need to check on something," Twilight responded trying to concentrate on her mental To-do list.

"At Rarity's boutique?" Spike asked looking at it. "What does Rarity's boutique have to do with anything?"

"A lot, Spike," Twilight sighed loosing her train of thought. "Look, I really need you to trust me on this."

"Alright," Spike said in an unreassuring tone. The drake yawned.

Twilight focused on her thoughts. As she approached the boutique, she began wondering if she should tell Raritiy about this? What if she did? What if she was the Mare-Do-Well? Would Rarity admit to being a criminal if Twilight told her that she was a suspect? What if she wasn't? Rarity doesn't take bad news very well. She probably would be heartbroken and maybe might just ruin thier friendship! Twilight then began contemplating what would happen if she told the others. She shook her head. There was no other way around it.

"Spike, when we get to Rarity's don't tell her anything about what we're doing," Twilight instructed climbing the stairs.

"Gotcha," he said obediently. He then asked, "Umm, what are doing again?"

"Exactly," Twilight answered knocking on the door.

"Twilght!" Rairty said in a surprised gasp.

"Hey, Rari-"

"Oh, darling! Where have you been? We recieved the letter from Canterlot explaining how you would be gone for a few days-- oh, where are my manners. Please come in! You simply must tell me about all your travels!" Rarity said, with an excited eloquence. Twilight smiled and stepped inside. Rarity led her friend into her kitchen. Twilight took a seat at the table accepting her friend's offer for some tea. Spike sat to the side, puzzling out what the lavender alicorn had said and how not to screw it up.

After several cups of tea, Twilight had explained where she went, what she did, and answered all of Rarity's questions about the fashion of the other nations at the World Summit. Halfway through Twilight's description, inspirartion struck Rarity much like a bolt of lightning strikes a tree: quickly, and all at once. She had hastily moved Twilight and the now sleeping dragon to her boutique where she was in the process of creating a shiny yellow dress with lightly crimson colored sleeves.

"Sorry to have to do this to you Twilight," Rarity apologized stitching a a shallow teal ribbon around the waist of the dress. "

"No worries," Twilight said with a smile.

"Please do continue."

"Well, the Sea Pony ambassador was wear--"

"No, I meant what happened after that," Rarity said rolling her eyes under her glasses.

"Oh, well..." Twilight thought back to the World Summit. "After the summit, I think I came back to Ponyville for the meeting with Mayor Mare. We disussed resources and town income, after which I can honestly say," Twilight paused for dramtic effect. Rarity turned her attention to her. "It was more fun at the Grand Galloping Gala."

The two chuckled for a bit. "Well, at least your home for good," Rarity said still giggling.

"Yeah," Twilight said looking at reflection in the cup.

What do I do? Should I just ask her? No, that'd be too obvious, she thought to herself. Her eyes slid from the reflection to her friend. Ask what she was doing last night, but don't make it sound like we're investigating.

"So, Rarity," Twilight said in a nonchalant way. "What time did you go to bed last night?" Twilight's face contorted after the last sylable, and she hastily brought the tea to her lips. Oh drat!

Rarity craned her head Twilight in a perplexed gaze. "Why... do you ask?"
Twilight's mind raced. she had bought herself more time by drinking the tea, but she could only do it for so long before it became suspiscious. Think, Twilight, think!Then it came to her. she relaxed and placed the tea on a nearby table.

"I'm only asking because Spike and I arrived home at about midnight," she answered.

"Oh, I see," Rarity turned her attention back to the dress. "If you must know, I go to bed every night at nine-o'clock, sharp."

"Oh," Twilight answered. Okay, she has an alibi. That's good, but were there any wittnesses? "Did anyone go with you?"

"Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed turning around hastily. She raised a questioning brow to her friend. "Isn't that question a little personal?" Twilight blushed realizing what she asked.

"I-I'm sorry Rari--"

"And besides..." she continued. "A lady kisses and never tells." She smiled wickedly and rolled her eyes.

"Well, er... What I meant was... uh," Twilight stammered. "D-Do you send Sweetie Belle to bed at the same time as you, because that's what I tend to do with Spike," Twilight quickly justified while wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Yes, I do send Sweetie Belle to bed around the same time I do, but..." Rarity sighed. "I don't know whether she gets all that energy from her youth, or if it's from the caffine she drinks. I know she drinks coffee because I can never find it in the morning but, Celestia help me, I can never catch that filly in the act of doing it. Why just last night..."

Twilight took Rarity's idle rambling for an opportunity to gather her thoughts. Right now, her mind was like a tornado of new and lingering questions. She attempted to answer a few questions to obtain some mild organized chaos.Hehe, `organized chaos' she mused. The first thing that came to mind was the image of Discord folding laundry. As quickly as it came, she shook her head. Focus! Then, the first question came:

Is Rarity the Mare-Do-Well?

Okay, bad first question. What's next?

Can I cross her out as a suspect?

Well, not really. I have her alibi, but no witnesses to confirm it.

Does she still have the suits?

Twilight stopped at that question, wavering. How was she going to ask that question? She had been putting it off until now. She groaned and rested her head on her hoof. Rarity snapped her out of her stupor. "... and after screaming like a banshee, she tries to convince me there's a monster out- Twilight? Are you alright?"

"Huh, oh! Yeah," she said sheepishly. She rubbed her hoof against her forehead. "Just a... little headache is all." after a moment of concern, Rarity asked, "Is there something on your mind?"

Great... now she's suspicsious. Wait! Maybe I can use this to my advantage! Twilight beamed. "Yes," She began, raising her head. "Do you have-" No! Don't ask directly! "Our old Nightmare Night costumes?" she quickly changed.

"I suppose, but isn't it a little early to be thinking like that? I mean it's only just transitioned to Autumn," Rarity questioned.

"I like to be ahead of the game," Twilight answered. "Do you still have them from last year?"

"If I recall correctly, you and Spike took your costumes home with you." Twilight's ears folded down involuntarily.

"Actually," Twilight lied. "I was wondering if I could go as the Mare-Do-Well," Twilight felt her stomach churn a bit. "Do you still have my costume?"

Rarity paused in thought. "I probably do somewhere around here," she said, blissfully ignorant to Twilight's near slip up. "In fact, I probably still have all four of them."

Excellent. "Could I see them?"

"Of course. Just let me..." Rarity's voice faded as she placed a few pins in the dress and turned to Twilight levitating her glasses to a desk on the other side of the room. "This way."

She led Twilight to a door in her boutique. It opened to reveal a long narrow dimly lit corridor with a large shelf reaching to the ceiling on one side. Stacked on the shelf were small identical boxes with labels on them. The only covered a portion of the shelf leaving some of it empty. To the side of the door were empty boxes waiting to be used. Twilight looked at the wall, with a confused expression. "This Twilight Sparkle," Rarity began gestuirnfg with a hoof to the shelf. "Is my wall of fashion gems." Twilight just looked at the boxes as Rarity continued to explain. "This is where all the dresses that my clients request are put away, rather having them looking at it with their own eyes than having it shipped. But also, it is the storage for all the dresses, suits, hats, anything really, that I wear."

Twilight shot a glance to her friend. "You couldn't have possibly worn all of these," Twilight stated while shaking her head.

"I know, and you are halfway right. I haven't worn all of these yet, but I plan to do so anyway." Rarity continued her explanation. "It also serves as a storage space for the clothing we wear for special occasions. By 'we' I mean our circle of friends. Remember when we did the Hearth's Warming play? This is where I keep the costumes so that they do not get into harms way." Twilight nodded in understanding. "Now let's see if we can find those suits," she finished while closing her eyes. Rarity's horn began glowing a blue aura. Twilight saw ahshe was casting some sort of spell, but couldn't recognize it. As the blue light faded, a box near the top labeld "MDM" displaced itself and gently drifted down to the two unicorns. The lid opened and revealed some very neatly folded apparel. Twilight stood in shock for a moment.

"H-how did you...?" she said with wide eyes.

"Oh, right. The spell. I learned it while moving into the boutique back in my early years of fashion design," Rarity reflected.

Twilight soon was over her shock. "Really? I never knew how talented you were in magic." In Twilight's mind it made sense. She knew Rarity had the ability to do spells, but never really considered it until now.

"Why, thank-you Twilight," she said regally. "I know I'm not as adept as you when it comes to the subject, but I've learned a spell or two in my life."

Twilight inspected the box. "Are all four costumes in here?"

"They should be," Rarity said as she began levitating one costume out. Twilight looked inside, and sure enough, there was another right underneath it.

"Well, now that that's settled-" Rarity cut herself off as she suddenly realised something.

"What is it Rarity?" Twilight asked as Rarity replaced the suit in the box as neatly as it was before.

"I just remembered that you're an alicorn now. If you planned on wearing this for Nightmare Night, I'm going to have to make adjustments to it." She sighed as the box put itself away. "I hope you weren't expecting to take it home with you today. It's just that I had work I planned on doing-"

"It's alright, Rarity. I wasn't expecting to take it home immediately either," Twilight said placing her forleg on Rarity's shoulder. "That's why I wanted to get this sorted now, so that it doesn't have to be hectic in the future. You can just take your time with it."

Rarity sighed and spoke with determination, "Thank-you Twilight. I'll get it to you as soon as I can."

The two mares left the storage area. Twilight grabbed Spike in her magic and her saddlebags. "I'll just leave you to your work then."

Rarity pouted and sighed as the the dragon awoke. "Well thank you for stopping by, Twilight," she said opening the door to her shop. "If all of those little 'royal escapades' are anything like what you made them sound like," Rarity said as Twilight took a step outside. "I'd just stay at home and relax for the rest of the day."

Twilight answered, "Thanks Rarity. I'll see you later."

"See ya, Rarity," Spike waved stiffling a yawn.

"Twilight, just know that if you need me for anything, I'll be right here." With that, Rarity closed her door and went back to her dress-making. Twilight, however, nearly stumbled on her own hooves as a feeling of disgust writhed about in her stomach.

Twilight knew this feeling. It was her conscience shouting at her. That last statement Rarity made had been enough to bring up her guilt. Twilight had just blatantly lied to her, and her friend was being as kind to her as ever. She felt horrible.

I can't stop now though, I have to protect my friends.

She pushed those thoughts away to the back of her mind. Now was not the time for moping. She needed to figure this out before things get worse.

"Twilight, when are we going to Manehatten?" Spike asked a little annoyed.

"We'll be leaving soon, but I still need to check on a few more things."

"Well, could you tell me about them so that I can help?" Spike was reaching his limit. he was getting tired after getting up so early.

"Okay Spike," Twilight lifted the baby dragon off her back. "I need you to go back home and start packing the nessesary things we need.

"Got it," Spike saluted before taking off down the streets.

Twilight sighed. She had sent her assistant and friend on a wild goose chase. She didn't want him apart of this if her friends find out. Moving into a more rythmic canter, her mind began preparing itself, in vain, for the next mare she was going to.

Author's Notes:

My apologies for this late chapter. I had a hard time with this chapter due to the fact that I don't know Rarity's character too well.