As we left the building, Nightcap stood at attention and saluted. I took a quick glance at his weirdo fuzzy ears. Maybe they were sort of cute? Eh, I didn't really know. If I were the type to get 'turned on' by other ponies, it'd be for their brains, not their bodies. The brain is the primary sexual organ, after all.

Twilight carefully carried the dress with her magic. I brought something with me as well.

"What's that?" asked Twilight, craning her head to see what I was holding on the other side of my body.

"Don't you remember?" I said, with a smirk. "It's that piñata stick from the party you threw for me. I don't know if you realized it, but at the time I was so angry I had half a mind to clock you with it! But I'm really glad things turned out the way they did." I raised it higher into the air, and for a moment I thought I saw Twilight wince.

"Oh. But why are you bringing it to the store?" she said.

I shrugged. "Paranoia, really. In a pinch, I know I'm better with magery; but on rare occasion a mace will do what a mana bolt can't. It's more accurate for moving targets, can more readily cause physical damage to inanimate objects, and could be used to block some kinds of magic."

Twilight looked very concerned, but the look quickly softened. "I hope it doesn't come to something like that, but you may have a point," she said. "You really might be in danger, Moondancer. I don't want to think about it, because I feel like it's my fault." She frowned with her eyes downcast.

I stopped walking and reached around her withers to pull her into a hug. "It's okay," I said. "A little danger is worth being your friend." I wasn't certain I actually felt that way, but it was stupid for Twilight to beat herself up over being my friend.

She smiled weirdly—shyness, perhaps?—and we continued our walk. "You should probably leave the stick inside the entrance, though," said Twilight, with a nervous chuckle. It's not like she'd needed to tell me, though. I was already worried about making her look bad in front of one of her other friends.

Canterlot Carousel was a quaint little lilac-colored two-storey building at the edge of the business district. I'd seen it before, and I'd heard that Twilight was involved in promoting one of the dresses. That's pretty much all I knew. It was evening now, and it looked like we'd arrived just in time. A tall, slender pony was flipping the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed'.

"Hay, Sassy Saddles," said Twilight. "Can my friend Moondancer and I come in and chat before you close up for good?"

Sassy Saddles smiled. Despite wearing heavy makeup, she was very pretty, and that was saying a lot because I wasn't attentive to those kinds of social details. Ironically, judging from the state of her horn, she didn't have a special somepony. It was common knowledge that unicorns who leave their horn with a sharp tip are single and looking, because there's no way they could be intimate with another pony without accidentally poking their eye out. Sassy's horn looked sharp enough to pierce ears with. I found it to be an unpalatable fashion, personally, not to mention tacky as wet hay. Not only was it garish advertising that made a pony look desperate, it was something of a public health hazard... as well as disturbingly reminiscent of the sorts of regrettable wartime soldiery images one can find in dusty history books. Sassy was already big-boned enough to vaguely resemble an emaciated stallion, so the horn wasn't helping any.

I wondered why I had to be so critical of everypony before I met them. I realized it was probably a defense mechanism from back when I was avoiding social situations. If I could shut somepony down right up front, I wouldn't need to be disappointed later. Old habits die hard, I thought.

"Pleased to meet you, Moondancer!" said Sassy Saddles. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends are always welcome in Canterlot Carousel, even after hours." She led us inside and locked the door. I dropped my mace by the entrance.

"Thanks Sassy. Moondancer and I were wondering..." began Twilight.

"Oh, I can see! Darling, we simply must get you out of that itchy-looking navy sweater and alter this marvelous dress to fit you," Sassy said to me, to my immediate annoyance. "I might even be able to find some glasses frames more suited to your lovely muzzle..."

"Not why we're here," I said, in a voice that did nothing to hide my displeasure. On the bright side, I no longer cared about making a good first impression on Miss Saddles.

Her delicate face fell like a stone. "Oh... oh no, I've done it again," she said. "I'm so, so sorry. I'm such a foal..."

"It's okay, Sassy, it was an honest mistake," said Twilight, attempting a lightning-quick intervention. "You saw the dress, so naturally..."

I sighed. "It's fine. I know I don't look like much," I said, spitting the words out so we could move on.

Sassy's eyes widened. "Oh, goodness no! It's just the opposite," she said. "You're such a pretty young mare, but it's almost like you're hiding it."

I gritted my teeth and looked down at the floor. I hated being complimented, especially on my looks. She was right about one thing, though. I was hiding myself, because I didn't want to be noticed. But now that I have friends, maybe... maybe the idea was something I should learn to be okay with.

Twilight looked afraid to say anything, so I spoke up again. "Again, it's fine," I said, looking back up to Sassy Saddles. "You're right: I'm shy, and I hide my looks. And trying to offer me your time and assistance is generous. I'm new to being social with other ponies at all, though, and it's a little too soon for me to work on something like that." What an immense relief it felt to say all that! Even with the sweater on, I somehow felt naked and vulnerable; but it was okay. The honesty helped me feel like a 'real pony', meaning I no longer felt like I had to pretend to be a person in order to fit in. I cracked a genuine smile, and it was contagious. Sassy and Twilight smiled back at me.

"If you ever change your mind, or even if you just want to stop by and say hello, I'd love to get to know you better," said Sassy. I nodded, and at that moment I stopped hating her. It came with a price tag, however. While the socializing felt nice for the most part, this friendship thing was emotionally taxing to the point of affecting me physically. I was starting to feel very hungry. I'd have to raid Twilight's fridge later tonight. I wasn't surprised by this, however. As a perpetual student, you quickly learn that too much study or magic use can be physically draining. I was starting to realize that social encounters were no different, at least not for an introvert like me.

Twilight held the dress up to Sassy. "We found this dress... somewhere very strange," she said. "We're concerned somepony may have left it behind as a kind of threat directed at the two of us. When I saw Rarity's mark inside, I wondered if maybe it came from here?" Quick and to the point, I thought. I silently enjoyed Twilight's efficiency in those moments when it surfaced. Conversations are so rarely efficient.

"A threat? Oh my Stars!" gasped Sassy Saddles.

"It's kind of a secret, but the Royal Guard already knows," I said. "No need to worry."

Sassy nodded. "I won't tell a soul. Let me see," she said, taking the dress from Twilight as the aura around it swapped pale olive for Twilight's magenta. I was stunned, and resolved to stop prejudging ponies so much—I never would have pegged Sassy Saddles for a yellow. I'd always presumed ponies with auras similar to Celestia's would be stuck up, since the ones I'd met were, but Sassy was warm and giving. She set the dress on a dress form and examined it closely.

"Rarity's mark is in the collar," said Twilight. "I was pretty sure it was hers even before I looked."

"It's definitely her work, and we must have sold this one recently. I remember it distinctly because it's perfectly symmetrical, which is a departure from most of her recent works. Oddly enough, her mark is the right way around from within the lining, which is the opposite of the way she usually does it—generally you want to see the maker's mark from the top down. She's just adding variety, I suppose," said Sassy. "I don't remember selling this dress personally, but it must be from one of her last two shipments. There are two ponies who work for me here who might have sold it. Let me look in the back room to see if I can find the purchase order. I'll just be a moment." She trotted quickly into the back area, and Twilight turned to me.

"I'm sorry about that," Twilight whispered. "Sassy means well, but she's... a little insecure."

"It's fine. It forced me to admit something about myself I didn't want to face, and I actually feel better for it," I said, and smiled. "Maybe there really is something to this 'socializing' thing."

Twilight giggled. "I'm glad. And I think you're beautiful just as you are—if you're trying to hide it from me you've failed," she added.

My cheeks burned like fire. Fortunately, I was saved from my embarrassment by a whooping sound from the back area. Sassy Saddles came galloping back to us with something in tow. It was an identical copy of our dress.

"Oh!" said Twilight. "Well, I feel like an idiot. I didn't even stop to think Rarity might have made multiple copies."

Sassy shook her head. "I didn't know that she did! The shipment she sent me had only one dress like this. Rarity only does copies for special orders. Uniqueness is kind of her thing, and it's one of the major selling points of the shop," she said. "I'm surprised she made a second copy. I might need to take this one off floor rotation until I get confirmation from her, because I don't want to sell it as a unique garment if there's a second copy also intended for sale."

"So why would there be two copies?" I asked. "Maybe the one we found is a prototype?" I figured complicated dresses probably had those.

Sassy scrunched her muzzle up in thought, which was amusing to watch: for a mare, she has an awful lot of muzzle to scrunch. Then her eyes opened wide, and she grabbed a second dress form to place the dresses side by side. "Let's see if we can find anything unusual, then?" she asked.

"Sounds like a good idea. You probably know better than we do," said Twilight.

"Of course!" said Sassy. She probably didn't intend that to sound as egotistical as it sounded (at least to my ear). We watched as the resident dress expert examined both dresses. She compared every detail on the outside of the garments, then lifted up the hems to check for stitching. Several times, she appeared to be sniffing the dresses, which struck me as weird.

"They're almost exact duplicates, right down to the measurements, except that the one from the back room has the mark facing the normal way," she said. "Rarity must have made both, or else somepony out there is a master forger. The stitching is virtually identical, and the pattern is exactly the same. Even the tiny details in the ruching are identical. However, there's something very strange about the silk. Have either of you tried smelling the dress?"

Twilight's ears twitched for a moment. "Hmm. I guess we didn't think to," she said. "In retrospect, that was an oversight."

"Come over here. This is really interesting," she said, her eyes bright.

We both headed over and smelled each dress. Sassy's dress was just a little perfumey, probably from being in the store. Apart from that, I couldn't tell any difference.

"Do you mean the perfume from the store?" asked Twilight.

"I'm not getting anything other than the perfume scent, either," I said. "My olfactory capabilities must not be on par with yours, Sassy."

Sassy looked surprised for a moment. "Well, I do have a better sense of smell than most ponies, and the odor is very subtle. Under the perfume of the store dress there's a very, very slight fishy smell," she revealed. "It's too weak for most ponies to detect, although some of us can smell it when we sniff the fabric directly. The scent comes from bits of chrysalis that inadvertently become part of the silk. Now, there is a kind of high-end silk without the scent, but it's extremely pricey; and as I said, nopony actually notices the scent unless they try."

Twilight leaned in and smelled again. "Wow. I can't even tell it's there when I try," she admitted.

Sassy smiled and nodded. "This is exactly why the expensive silk is only used for special orders. Even then, most of those orders are from ponies who can't smell it themselves, but just want the best material available. Vanity is pricey."

"It's also stupid," I said, immediately regretting it. Open mouth, insert hoof. "Um, I'm sorry I said that," I added.

Sassy Saddles laughed. "Not at all! You're right, it is silly. Even though I can tell the difference, I wouldn't want the special silk myself, except maybe for a wedding dress if I decided to splurge for perfection; but profit is profit and we aim to please," she said. "Anyway, even if you can't smell the silk, take another sniff at the dress you brought in. Close your eyes and sniff right up against the silk portion of the dress. Then try to describe it," she said.

I shrugged. Twilight took another whiff of our dress, and then I followed suit. It felt ridiculous, but I closed my eyes and concentrated as best I could as I sniffed at the silk. It actually helped a little: I noticed something new.

"It's strangely sterile," I said. "It doesn't smell like much of anything."

Sassy Saddles nodded. "Yes, that's one important detail. It suggests that the silk used to make this is the very expensive kind. But there's another detail. Can you smell anything at all?"

Twilight took yet another sniff of the silk. "Wait, I think I can. Is it naphthalene?" she said.

I thought Sassy momentarily looked like a deer frozen in a flashlight, and then I wondered if that was racist. "I'm afraid I have no idea what that is," Sassy finally said.

"Primary ingredient in low-grade mothballs," I offered. "I didn't smell it, though. I probably don't have a nose for this sort of thing."

Sassy nodded. "That's not bad, Twilight. It's a little reminiscent of mothballs, yes. But it isn't mothballs. It's a distinctive but odd smell, and frankly, I've never smelled anything quite like it before," she said. "What's more, that smell is only in the silk and not in the rest of the dress, so it isn't something the dress absorbed. That's because the cotton would absorb scents more readily than the silk. I don't know what the scent is, but there's something in the silk of your dress that is not normal fabric, nor is it anything normally used on fabric. I suspect the silk was chemically treated in some fashion, or woven with a tiny impurity. I have no idea why somepony would do either of those things. I'm aware of different kinds of chemically treated fabric, and as I said this isn't a normal treatment. You might need a chemist to tell you more about what this is."

"Oh Celestia no!" Twilight yelped, then quickly cast a spell on the dress. I didn't have to ask which spell it was, because it dawned on me at the same time. Finally, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

"What in Equestria was that about?" asked Sassy Saddles in a hushed tone.

I planted a hoof over my face. "Something we should have checked beforehand: the possibility the dress was a vector for a biological weapon. We really need to be more meticulous than this, Twilight. We can't assume any unknowns."

"Wait, is there some kind of contagion?" asked Sassy Saddles. She looked horrified, and I can't blame her—particularly in light of all of the repeated inhaling she just did.

Twilight shook her head. "We're completely safe. There's biological contamination on the dress, but there's nothing alive or growing on it. It's undoubtedly just run-of-the-mill microbes you find everywhere," she said. "I'm really sorry about the scare, Sassy. We've been a little paranoid ever since this thing started. For all we know, there's no real danger and we're all overreacting."

Relief washed over Sassy's face. "Oh, thank goodness," she said, then looked nervous once again. "What about a chemical toxin?"

I shook my head. "Highly improbable. We'd notice the effects by now, and it would be all over the dress, not just infused into the silk."

"Curiouser and curiouser," said Twilight, quoting a certain dead author with a creepy fetish for little fillies. I privately wondered if she'd chosen that quote because Sassy was from Trottingham. Her accent was almost invisible, but my sense of hearing was much better than my sense of smell.

"We really appreciate your time, Sassy," I said, trying to be nice. I reached up to shake her hoof, and she took my hoof in hers. She had a firm squeeze, and she looked very happy. Did I make her happy just by being nice to her? Twilight seemed right about her insecurity, but it felt good to get along with her, even if she was a needy sort of mare.

Twilight turned to Sassy. "I'd like to buy your copy of the dress," she said.

"Are you sure? You can borrow it if you like. I can't really put it in the rotation until I hear back from Rarity," she said. "Besides, you are a princess."

"I don't have the bits on me right now, but can you hoof the bill to my castle?" asked Twilight. "I'll include a generous tip for your time and the payment delay."

Sassy smiled from ear to ear. "Of course!" she said, in a voice that sounded half-rehearsed for sales. Then her expression changed. "But please be careful, both of you. I don't like the idea that you might be in danger! I'll check with my staff to see if we had a second copy of the dress that we sold, but I'm 99% certain we didn't, because I open all of the shipments personally."

"It's okay. Don't worry about following up unless you discover something new," said Twilight. "We'll limit our visits here until we know what's going on in order to avoid getting anypony else wrapped up in whatever mess we're in."

Sassy Saddles rolled her eyes. "Now that's overreacting. Princess, if anypony trying to mess with you shows their tail in this shop, I can promise you they'll be hogtied with packing tape and hoofed to the guard so fast they won't know what hit them," she said.

I giggled, despite myself. It was a pleasant mental image.

Sassy gave us two boxes to keep the dresses packaged in so we wouldn't have to float them around in the open like a couple of idiots. Then we said our goodbyes and left the shop. I made sure to take the club with me, but I was starting to regret bringing it. Even with all the weirdness we were facing, I was clearly being paranoid and Twilight was just nice enough not to say anything.

Twilight took an unexpected turn on our way back to her observatory, and I realized we weren't going back to her place after all.

"We're going to my lab, aren't we?" I said, already knowing the answer.

"I have to try something," said Twilight. "You don't have to come with if you don't want to..."

"Ha!" I barked. "Like I'm going to let you run an experiment without me." This was convenient for another reason, too. I decided I might as well leave my stick at the lab, where I could hide it behind my desk. Twilight's observatory already had all sorts of objects I could smack an intruder with. It was weird, but I was starting to feel like my own lab, under lock and key (and now, presumably under guard) was the least safe place for me to be. The reality of the danger we were facing was starting to break through into my conscious awareness. Who knew what experiments Starlight Glimmer had already performed there? What if the next time we opened a door it was a loaded cannon pointed at us? The worst part was I knew neither one of us could turn our backs on my research now. It was too important, and we were both too bucking curious for our own good.

We hastened our pace to a trot. "I can't wait to hear what you're planning," I said, declining to share my trepidation. "I wasn't inspired experiment-wise by our meeting with your friend."

"She's more of a business associate than a friend, but I should probably think of her as a friend," Twilight said. "Sassy's a sweet pony. I mean, not half as sweet as you, or anything."

I wanted to say something, but I just felt really weird inside. Was that some kind of a compliment? Was it a joke? I didn't think she was making fun of me. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I'd decided to wait until we got to the lab to see what Twilight had planned.

True to Twilight's word, there were two guards stationed at the lab. That was something of a relief to see. I let Twilight unlock the door, then I followed her into the building and directly into the experiment area.

"Hoof me the store's dress," she asked me. "This is a crazy idea, but it just might work."

"I have no idea what you're doing, but here you go," I said, taking the dress out of the box and levitating it to her. She took it into her hoof and sniffed it to confirm it was the right one, then opened the door to room zero. There was no discharge this time, and the room was empty.

"First part of experiment two—or make that one, if we're counting from zero. The room appears empty," said Twilight.

"Thank goodness," I said. "I have no idea what we'd do with three dresses."

Twilight laughed. "You know, science probably shouldn't be this funny," she said. I just smiled, and turned on my horn to cast some light into the dark alcove.

"Here goes everything," she said, and she tossed the dress into the room by hoof.

It only took a moment for the dress to hit the floor. It didn't act the way that physics should have dictated, however. It fell normally, but after it landed on the floor the part nearest the doorway scrunched away from us. It looked like part of the dress was getting sucked into place by some unseen force.

Naturally, we were both surprised by this effect. We could hardly be blamed for being caught totally off guard three seconds later when all Tartarus broke loose.