Sweetie Spade and the Diminutive Dozen

Chapters

From Start to Crusader
Cutie Mark Crusader Interrogators, Yay!
The Royal Reveal

From Start to Crusader

The whole thing started on a Sunsday.

On this particular Sunsday, it was a real downpour. It was really raining cats and frogs on that dark and stormy day (or however else those sayings went). Crusading had been called on account of rain, doubly-so because Rarity wanted her to stand for a fitting later. There was no chance Sweetie would return unsoaked or unmuddy, no matter how many of Scootaloo's plans she turned down, nor how many raincoats her sister wrapped her in. Since they both knew that a clean post-Crusading Sweetie was a lost cause, Rarity found it far easier to just put her hoof down and keep her inside for the day.

When she looked at the bigger picture, Sweetie didn't really mind. She wasn't too keen on playing in the rain, and staying around the boutique had benefits: she got to have tea with Rarity when she took her break, she could sneak a few extra cookies once her sister was ' in the zone', and best of all, Rarity had given her a treat for being so agreeable: one of her old Shadow Spade novels to read.

So Sweetie had curled up by the window, the plate of cookies in hornsreach, and set to reading.

Shadow Spade was so cool. Applebloom would love how clever she was. Scootaloo would love all the dangerous stunts she pulled off to prove her hunches. For her part, Sweetie was amazed by how skillful everyone in the stories were - the barmare mixing drinks, the racing cabbies, the hornplayers, the socialites - every character dazzled in their own way, when she turned the page, as Shadow's keen eye for detail caught everypony at their best. Even when somepony was making sandwiches, the food in this book sounded delicious! As the filly got deeper and deeper into the story, she was thinking about the gloomy shadows that stretched outside the window, the tension of a fan brush on a snare drum – or was it the cocking of someone’s trusty revolver? Sweetie was ready for danger, just like Shadow Spade.

"Sweetie, dear! Could you come here, please?"

And that's when the whole thing started.

Sweetie Belle stars in
a Zebrarian production:
Sweetie Spade and the Diminutive Dozen

The first dress - the Sunsday dress - caught Sweetie's eye right away. Her sister was a creature of habit, almost as much as Twilight Sparkle was, so even though she wasn't sure why it grabbed her attention, something about it seemed ...off.

"Wow Rarity! Its b-"

"Ah, ah, ah! Rule number three, Sweetie?"

The filly bit her lip and had the grace to look apologetic. Her sister had rules when it came to helping in the boutique, and rule number three was one of the harder ones: 'do only what Rarity says'. When Rarity wanted her opinion on how the dress looked, she'd ask for it. Just like if she wanted the teapot brought over or the room straightened up, or, in this case, Sweetie Belle to put a dress on, she'd ask for it. The filly trotted up onto the little platform and patiently let Rarity help her into her latest creation.

Sweetie couldn’t remember the last time she’d broken rule three when she stood for a fitting. Rarity sometimes needed her when she was still working on a concept, to see how panels of fabric draped or how lines of the dress flowed against the body. This was usually done with half-finished dresses, easy to pull apart and re-pin while a pony was still wearing them. What had happened just now?

A little thrill ran through Sweetie as she realized that there was something off about this dress. In the book she'd been reading, Shadow Spade had only been given a moment to see the room she was in before those thugs pulled the hood over her head. She’d thought the same thing: something was off, just like that. She had decided it was the size of the ransom. While being dragged down the hallway she was dissecting everything she knew about the kidnappers: their accents, the amount of bits sitting in that briefcase, the recent whispers in the news - by the time she'd been dumped in her cell, she'd been confident enough to start speaking perfect Bovin to the minotaur princess, even though the cow hadn't made a sound. While Shadow still had a blindfold on.

So cool.

Could Sweetie do that? What did she know about this dress? Could she weave the story together the same way Shadow did in her books?

This dress was weird because it was done. If it wasn’t a finished dress, then she wouldn’t have thought to compliment it, right? Sweetie glanced down to confirm her suspicions. Her sister's latest work was a study in restraint: layers of multicolored fabric, but all in those cooler hues that showed up in the sky while the sun was on the horizon. It wasn't too frilly or stuffy, either: Sweetie could feel she has some range of motion, proper for an active filly - but it still felt... sedate. All of its layers were light, with just enough ruffle to indicate it was meant more for sitting to tea than for climbing a tree. There wasn't any beading or finishwork on the front, but it didn't look like this one was going to need that. It was so nice already… yeah, it had to be done!

So what did that mean?

Was Rarity super-inspired about this dress, and hadn't been able to pause sooner? She stared down at her hooves while Rarity's field tickled the fabric near her hindleg, then her flank, then placed a pin. No, it wasn’t that. This was the sort of fitting she did for a customer. Maybe it was for someone who lived far away - if that was the case, she couldn't come all the way to Ponyville just to fit a dress, right?

The filly smiled. She had a mystery on her hooves: Sweetie Spade was on the case!

A suspicious package, for a suspicious mare! While the innocent and talented Miss Rarity worked her craft, she would never realize...

Realize what? Sweetie frowned, and thoughtfully tapped one hoof against the platform she stood upon.

"Careful, Sweetie." Rarity admonished softly. The filly bit her lip – was Rarity stressed?

Hmm.

...worked her craft, worked herself to the bone, pouring her soul out for a mystery patron who would never appreciate the intricacies of her work...

"Bend your knees, Sweetie?"

She bent.

"A couple more times?"

The felt-covered platform squeaked merrily as Sweetie Belle rocked atop it, bending and straightening like a runner before a race.

The shifty platforms on the catwalk kept Sweetie Spade out of the rain, but that was the only nice thing she could say about them. With every step, it sounded like her hoof would go right through the rotting wood...

Rarity's field pinched the back of the dress just past her shoulders. "Flex, dear?"

It finally clicked, as Sweetie recognized these exercises. No wonder this dress felt lighter than her sister's usuals. These motions were to simulate how wings pulled on fabric, so this must be for a pegasus filly. "Are you going to lift me?"

Rarity, who had moved around to her front, smiled. "Yes dear. Are you ready?"

"Okay." Sweetie nodded, and a moment later was wrapped in her sister's glow. Both of them tried to stay quiet - Rarity because grunting was unladylike even though her sister was a growing filly - and Sweetie because no matter how many times Rarity did this, it always tickled.

Dangling helplessly above the harbor, Sweetie Spade struggled against the snare while she tried not to fall into the icy waters below!

"Right. Again?" Rarity prompted, her tingly field doing a great deal to stimulate Sweetie’s best imitation of a pony in flight with more mid-air knee-bends and shoulder-wiggles. The fabric gave where it needed to, and could cling where it didn't. Once she had lowered Sweetie Belle back to her hooves, the filly was squirming and huffing her way through the invloluntary smile she was trying to suppress. She felt a hoof stroke her mane - and saw that Rarity looked as pleased as Opalescent with a bowl of fresh cream.

"Perfect. Thank you, Sweetie Belle.”

“You’re welcome! What else?”

“Well I would like to finish this one up, it would be quicker if you wear it though..."

The tailor was practically in tears. She stood on the other side of the desk, purse tight in her hooves. Sweetie Spade flinched, knowing that her curiosity was going to get the best of her. She couldn’t just leave a new friend out in the cold, not after she’d gotten involved…

Sweetie pouted a little. Rarity wanted her to spend another twenty minutes of standing like a statue while she threaded her needle and replaced pins, and finalized all her paneling? She nodded. “Okay,” but before Rarity could squee and thank her and dive back into her work, "…could you bring the book over though? We can find a good place for me to read from?"

Rarity only hesitated for a moment - bad posture could ruin the whole exercise, after all - but Sweetie clearly knew that or she wouldn't have asked so carefully. Generosity won out, and her copy of Shadow Spade and the Branded Boxes floated over.

"Enjoying it, dear?"

"Uh-huh! She's really smart!"

"She certainly is. An eye for detail!"

"And she remembers everything! And knows, like, everypony!"

"Truly a mare of the world. I think you'll like some of the other dresses in this commission, Sweetie. They're eclectic, but some are quite cosmopolitan, just like her!"

Alarm bells went off for Sweetie Belle. Other? That didn't sound right. ‘Other’ like a line of dresses? But… she'd said it was a commission.

When the other shoe dropped, Sweetie was ready to kick herself. How many times was she going to fall for a couple of tears? There was always a catch, and some days she was sure her cutie mark should have been a fish on the hook, because she always ended up caught!

"How many?"

"Oh dear..." Rarity tittered, and gave Sweetie Belle a sneaky look. "...well I suppose it is as good a time to tell you as any. I'm going to have a lot of work for you this week.” Her blue eyes glittered. "There's a dozen."

Sweetie did a double-take. "A dozen?" No, a triple-take. "Wait. Rarity. But they're-"

"Mmmhmm...?" Sweetie could hear her sister's tongue as it merrily rolled around in her mouth. It was like she was enjoying a bite of the world's tastiest cake. Wow. She couldn't believe that Rarity had been able to keep quiet about this for so long - she was always such a blab when she had good news! An order for a dozen dresses on commission? That was half a season's work! Maybe a whole season's!

This dress wasn't just odd, it was a full-on weird now. The number of dresses had turned her triple-take into a quadruple-take, and she still hadn't gotten to react to the triple-part! "But they're sized for a filly!" she exclaimed, trying to catch up to her own surprise.

"I know!" Rarity's forehooves jittered up and down, nearly pulling her into a Pinkie-pronk. "Isn't that fabulous? I so rarely get to work for juniors, especially ones with such marvelous taste."

Sweetie had to make a face at that. 'Juniors' would also outgrow those dresses super-fast. Every bit of allowance Sweetie had ever earned was probably enough to buy one of the bolts of fabric that would go into a dress like that. A filly rich enough to earn a dozen would have to be-

The mysterious heiress to the Pegasus fortune was asking for more than the tailor could provide, and wasn’t used to hearing anyone say ‘no’. She needed help. Sweetie needed information.

Sweetie wriggled on her hooves, trying to think. Rarity happily started in on the dress again, humming delightedly to herself. She was in all her glory at the moment (Sweetie even though she detected some Minnesoatsan twang in her notes). Her smile was getting confident, too. Smug, even, nearly reaching Opalescent levels.

Sweetie knew just how important commissions were in the grand scheme of things for Carousel Boutique. It was a song Rarity had played on a particularly small and well-tuned violin (or however the saying went) before. The mare had explained that there was a difference between merely being known as an excellent dressmaker and being well-known as a famously fantastic fashionista. No matter how Rarity adapted things for the Boutique's newest line or season, the showroom was a funny thing, a sort of insurance - it protected her reputation, not her purse. At the most, by updating it she was making an effort to not let her brand degrade.

Day-to-day, the real bits were often in commissions. Whether Pinkie's balloon needed an industrial patch job or Bonbon needed a new apron, Silver Spoon had outgrown last year's whatever, or a pony in town to visit Mayor Mare had ripped a seam on something and had a fashion emergency - it was the little jobs which added up. Rarity was generous with her time, which at least meant that the citizens of Ponyville were generous with their business. A few extra bits a week often turned into bigger projects down the line, but that was where Sweetie’s problem came up.

Sometimes, a pony had a 'confidential' order, which her sister delivered during an evening stroll after supper, with a paper-wrapped parcel balanced on her back. Those always paid the best. A dozen of those was going to be a huge boost to her purse, but since it was a private request, Rarity probably wasn’t going to say anything about who it was for.

So what would Shadow Spade think?

Rarity was super-excited about this project. Super-worried about it, too. All the bits that were coming in for this one had to be significant. Super-rich, super-snooty ponies that would order a dozen foal-sized dresses at once would have to live somewhere like Canterlot, wouldn't they?

Sweetie Spade watched as the glittering nobles stepped out of their carriages. Each pony was more beautiful than the last, and richer than the whole crowd of onlookers that she was bunched up with. Why in the world had she taken a job like this? There was no way she could-

Ooh. Sweetie put the brakes on her train of thought. She was so excited about this mystery-fitting, and all the strange stuff collecting around it, that she was getting distracted from the important part. Rarity had said she had a lot of work for her, didn't she? She finally connected the dots.

"Wait! You want me to fit a dozen dresses?" That would take forever! Sweetie huffed, and lowered her head slightly, ready to withstand the onslaught of big, sad eyes and pitch-perfect whining which Rarity would use to make her surrender.

"I do." Uh-oh. Far worse than begging, that sneaky look came back all double-Opaly and confident and proud. Sweetie tilted her head. Now Rarity had her interest. Whatever this big, weird, sneaky, mysterious deal was, it had been important enough that Rarity had kept all of it a secret until the last minute, and now she wanted Sweetie in on it? Foalish excitement was a tough thing to turn away from. Shadow Spade would be proud.

"But.. isn’t that a lot?" Sweetie suggested, not sure how nice that sounded once she say it out loud. It wasn't really hard to do, and usually she didn't mind doing it, either! Putting a price on the not-chore when she had always been happy to help out before seemed wrong. ...except that she would have to do it all week! Sure, her hooves would hurt from standing still all this time, but she didn't want to be so ...mercenary?

"Oh you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, don’t you?" Rarity winked and went back to work, her field aglow all around them. "Trust me, it is definitely going to be worth it."

They both knew that talking about it was just a formality. Less because of Rarity's promise, and more because a certain little filly loved knowing she was able to help her sister out. The smaller of the pair carefully reached up to brush her mane back. She knew the steps in this dance even better than Shadow knew how to tango. This time, she had an ace up her sleeve, too: a mystery she wanted solved.

Sweetie Belle's ears rapidly switched between perking up in excitement and flattening in consternation. How was she going to angle this to solve her problem?

"...And, if you agree to it, we can go to the bookstore and buy the new Shadow Spade novel when you finish with my other ones." Rarity continued, not yet realizing that she’d already made the sale. Her field primly tilted The Branded Boxes up a bit, putting it in slightly better light for Sweetie to focus on again. "And it isn't like you'll be bored while I work, with plenty of time to catch up on your reading."

The sob story didn’t work on Sweetie Spade, but cold hard bits had a way of calling out to her. Besides, if there was one thing she hated, it was never seeing how a story ended.

Sweetie nodded. "Deal!"

Cutie Mark Crusader Interrogators, Yay!

The next few days flew by like a montage, a mix-up of flowing fabrics and turning pages as Sweetie's field got almost as much of a work-out as Rarity's did. All week, Sweetie Spade was on the case, asking so many questions that even her sister realized she was trying to channel the detective. Rarity wasn’t surprised by that, not with all the reading she was doing: even when Sweetie wasn’t spending time in one of the new dresses, her nose was in a book, and when she wasn’t doing that, she was trying to learn more about the commission, instead.

Applebloom and Scoots had been disappointed to hear that Sweetie wasn't going to be around very much after school the next few days, but they agreed that a quadruple-take mystery and a new super-awesome spy novel were powerful incentives. They gave Sweetie their full support.

Over alfalfa sandwiches and turns on the swings during recess, the girls were enraptured by Sweetie's retelling of Shadow Spade's adventures. On Hornsday, since she hadn't been able to start Shadow Spade and the Moscolt Connection, their conversation instead turned to the other big mystery: who was this filly?

For Rarity, keeping another pony’s secrets was just as much a part of her job as the rest of it, which meant she was very close-lipped about the whole thing. This added up to a big bunch of question marks once the girls sat down and really talked about it.

"I feel like these are nicer dresses, too! Like, the one I wore yesterday looked like something a Princess could get away with wearing!" Sweetie blurted, holding her head in her hooves. "What is with this filly?"

"She's super-rich, of course!" Applebloom pointing out, prodding Sweetie in the shoulder. "There can't be that many super-rich ponies in Canterlot who have fillies, right? I bet if you had a list you could figure it out!"

"Wouldn't that be like an investigation?" Scootaloo's wings buzzed. "And then you could find her parents in Canterlot, and be all like, 'hi-yah! I caught you! Now you're under arrest!'" she punctuated the sentence with one of those Catrate chops she'd been doing all week (hearing that Sweetie was reading Shadow Spade, Rainbow Dash had let Scootaloo borrow her collection of 'Moose Lee' martial-arts comics).

"Uh? What would they be under arrest for?" Sweetie looked up at her pegasus pal, uncertain. "Being rich? Paying Rarity lots of bits for all that work she's doing?"

"Well... no. ...but it's still a really weird thing!" Scootaloo crossed her forelegs, cheeks flushing under that tangerine fur.

"Why not just ask your sister?" Applebloom pointed out. "AJ keeps telling me that ponies who keep secrets just need a hoof so they decide to tell the truth."

"Rarity's being all sneaky again! That's the worst part!" Sweetie huffed. "She's always kept all of these special orders private. I don't know what's so embarrassing about getting a dress for some ponies, but she says they, 'value her discretion'. Even though this is really special and different, she said the same rules apply and that I'll just have to wait to find out."

"Wait up. How would you find out if it's a secret?" Scootaloo asked, leaning in across the table.

"I... uhm?" Sweetie went silent for a moment. 'Bloom and Scoots, always there to help a friend, stayed quiet. Various fillies poked-tongue-into-corner-of-cheek, scratched mane, and crossed their eyes as Sweetie tried to recall last night's conversation more perfectly.

"...Rarity said that... er... oh, okay: so I was wearing this flowery dress -- its got a lot of scalloping and flaring bits, and the whole thing sort of looks like petals, all pink and gold - but there's this underlayer that they tumble off of sort of like-"

"Sweetieeee!" Scootaloo's forehead thunked against the table. "We've got like three minutes before Miss Cheerliee calls us back inside. C'mon!"

"Mh!" Sweetie stuck out her tongue. "It was just a really pretty dress, okay?! And when she had me taking it off, she looked really inspired and proud and stuff. And she said she was certain this dress would look especially good on 'her' at the next… something, and then she stopped herself, like she didn't want to spoil it."

"Didn't want to spoil what?" Applebloom shook her head. "Ah don't get it."

Sweetie shrugged. "I think she meant the event would be a hint? If it was a library opening, it'd be a dress for Twilight? If it was for a you'll-never-guess-how-many-surprise-parties-I've-surprised-people-at-so-this-party-is-celebrating-the-hundredth-time-someone-surprised-me-at-a-party-instead-party-"

"That would be for Pinkie Pie. We get it! And you're still wasting time." Scootaloo reminded Sweetie Belle, causing a brief raspberry-blowing war to commence between the two.

"So whatever she was saying the fancy, flowery dress would be perfect for would have been a hint... But that could be anything." Sweetie amended once she conceded, recess being the better part of valor.

"An' then what?"

"Well then I realized she wasn't going to give me a hint anymore, so I just asked her who they were all for again! Instead of answering she started taking the dress off me - and while it was still stuck around my head and I couldn't see, she said I would just have to be patient and see." the white filly blinked. "I thought she meant that I was just going to have to wait forever. Like how your sister said you'd have to wait and see when you asked her if you could save up enough money to buy that thingy you wanted last summer.

"A trebuchet!" Applebloom declared, eyes shining wistfully.

"Yeah. That. So I figured 'wait and see' meant 'not in a hundred years'." Sweetie shrugged and Applebloom pouted. "...but maybe she meant I would see. Like maybe the filly's going to come here to pick up the dresses!"

"Ooh! Then we could hide near the Boutique like real spies and see who it is!" Scootaloo exclaimed with an excited grin.

“Or maybe she’s super famous, so we’ll see a picture of her wearing one of Rarity’s dresses in the newspaper!” Suggested Applebloom.

That was when Cheerilee started ringing the bell to call everyone back into the schoolhouse. The three fillies rose from the table as one - except that now Sweetie was picturing Scootaloo dashing Rarity's dream (and a window, and maybe even the client) with a pair of nunchucks. "Or we could just ask her? Come over with me after school, and we'll see what she says!"

Disaster averted, Sweetie didn't even notice when her friends started passing notes during their math lesson. Not even the one with 'good cop/bad cop?' written on it, which Applebloom replied to with a big wink.

***

"Oh! Hello girls!" Rarity's horn darkened and the sewing machine at her hooves stilled. The glasses perched on her nose glimmered briefly before being left to hang down around her neck by their chain as she carefully turned and stood, trotting towards the three fillies entering the shop.

Just after school was one of the only times Rarity failed to welcome a potential customer with her usual 'Boutique, chic, magnifique' greeting. It was almost invariably Sweetie, and this time was no different - except that her crusader friends were with her! Rarity favored them all with a smile as her sister trotted up and shared a quick nuzzle.

"Hello!" Applebloom chirruped as she and Scootaloo diverged in the middle of the room, the latter's attention caught by Sweetie's first ensemble for the afternoon, a smart tartan skirt and vest which would be accented by the cutest little hat - but the young Apple's eyes remained focused entirely on herself, instead.

"How are you, Applebloom? I don't think I've seen you since last Sunsday when we visited."

"I'm good! We’ve gotten all that rain for the south orchard since last week, and we've been real busy with that," said the yellow filly. "How about you?"

The dressmaker made sure to keep eye-contact and to set a good example for all three of the girls as she answered. "Very busy as always, dear. You know how-"

"Yea, Sweetie told us you were really busy!" Scootaloo piped in from somewhere closer to Rarity's cutie mark than she was expecting the little pegasus to be by then, causing the mare to turn rather suddenly. "She said you've got a really big commission you're working on?"

"She mentioned that, did she?" Rarity peered over Scootaloo's violet mop at her sister, who seemed particularly interested in the thread-count of the vest she'd be wearing soon.

"Well she told us she's been helping you out a whole lot." Applebloom amended quickly, shuffling a few steps closer.

"She's been a great help." Rarity assured the filly, her proud expression faltering as she detected more than a hint of embarrassment on the part of her sister.

"But we were trying to figure out why you needed so much help all of a sudden." Scootaloo cut back in, doing a frighteningly good impression of Rainbow Dash trying to trick Twilight into taking extra flying lessons. "Is there something special happening soon?"

Two bright pairs of innocent filly eyes blinked up at Rarity. She felt her hackles rise with suspicion... and there. A third pair of anxious eyes joined them from the other corner of the room. Those sneaky little fillies! If the Crusaders wanted to turn up the heat, they'd better be ready to handle it.

"Oh, I don't think I could say, Scootaloo." Rarity's hoof struck like a snake, wrapping around the filly's neck and pulling her in a bit closer. She absentmindedly patted her on the mane in exactly the way that Opalescent hated, channeling every bit of 'confident big sister' she could into her words. "My business has its busy seasons, just like Sweet Apple Acres does. There's nothing too remarkable about me asking for a little help, is there?"

"No, but-!" Scootaloo was summarily ignored, as Rarity repeated the motion to pull Applebloom in on her other side.

"And since you two decided to come visit, I can only guess that you wanted to know more..." Rarity murmured slowly, almost drawling the world like a certain yellow-furred farmer filly.

"Y-yes!"

"...about how you could help?" Rarity continued, before smiling brightly. "Oh! You would? How splendid!" She gave Sweetie Belle a fierce grin as the trap was set, sprung, and struck all off the cuff. Rarity's horn ignited as the two fillies peered around her barrel to look at one another, extremely confused.

Rarity had been planning to save the worst for last, and to make Sweetie Belle struggle through these dresses on Hoofsday, before giving her Catbirday off - but now she wouldn't have to. Two ponyquins stampeded into the room while the careful application of a magic field to the tail-end of three fillies herded the girls up onto the large platform Rarity usually reserved for fitting ballroom gowns and similar, oversized pieces of couture.

"Now then!" she announced, smiling devilishly. "Let's get your friends set up first, Sweetie."

"We- huh?" Applebloom boggled, inadvertantly volunteering herself. Magic wrapped around the earth pony, forcing her to rear onto her hind legs ("Hooves up, dear!") as a corset slid around her barrel, and the rest followed. Done in the study of some old style, the layers of copper and red (which would have eaten Applebloom up if not for her mane) climbed up the wireframe, all but swallowing her tail as they shaped a massive bustle and splashed around her flanks like a waterfall, catching the light as the little Apple wiggled.

The filly's first instinct was to turn to the mirror - doubly-so because of the way Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gasped when they saw their pal, bow and all, squeezed into such a big 'frou-frou' number - but Applebloom's hooves gleamed with the pearlescence of Rarity's field so that she couldn't lift them, and the dressmaker gave the girl an encouraging smile.

"Would you explain the rules to your friends, Sweetie?" she trilled, her magic hefting the second dress and a tiny pegasus even while it kept Applebloom rooted in place.
"Oh, right. Be careful, be honest, do only what Rarity tells you-"

"That's the one. And I'll give you both a moment to look in the mirror when I'm done, girls, but first I need you to be still. No wriggling, no chatting, and no turning your heads, okay?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Applebloom's hooves lost their binding glow as she answered. No surprise there, she had to be used to such instructions from her siblings at Sweet Apple Acres, after-all, didn’t she.

There was a muffled sound coming from beside her, and a little gasp for air as an orange head finally popped through the neck of her dress. "Uhm! Y-yeah, sure!" Scoots agreed, still squirming while Rarity tugged and set the gown around the athletic filly. It was a confection of quicksilver gauze and pearl beading, less a wedding dress, and more the silhouette of an impossible star that lived beneath the waves - sleek lines that crossed, built, and climbed into a dramatic arc behind the little pony, rather giving the illusion that their anchor was all that kept her earthbound. While it didn't look like it, this dress was in fact made to be flown in. The filly who wore it would give the impression that she had the wingpower of a Wonderbolt reservist if she was seen hovering in such a dress.

Rarity's eyes sparkled proudly as she looked upon the uncertain fillies. She was unable to take her gaze off of the dynamic figure Scootaloo cut in spite of her squirming, not even as she lifted the urban, tartan number and slipped it around Sweetie Belle in seconds.

"Alright girls, keep your hooves on the ground, and I'll warn you if I need to lift or tickle, but you must be patient with me, hmm?"

"Yes, Rarity." Sweetie chimed, a soft smile impressed on her muzzle: she was rather certain she looked quite handsome in this piece, and it didn’t hurt that her friends were going to be really warm and itchy after standing in those dresses for a while. It seemed to her like a fair payment for the 'interrogation' they tried to pull on her sister.

Sweetie stiffened slightly when she realized that she didn't have her book, but quickly relaxed. Maybe that was to 'get' her, too? She was with her friends, so that was alright.

Sweetie Spade looked on with dismay as her kidnapper pointed a lantern at the far corner of the room. The cage had been steeped in shadows, the night outside so dark that even the little barred window was invisible until illuminated. A fierce wharfside chill filled the damp cellar, and the occupied cell, too. Ambassador Appletini and Pegaprincess Scootalala, the two 'run-aways' she'd been hired to find, were already sitting in it. And she was to join them.

Rarity was good, but she wasn't a superhero. It took over an hour before the three fillies were allowed to defrock, and that was with Sweetie's entire fit taking about five minutes. It was pleasant, all in all, Rarity thanking all three of them profusely and interrupting herself only for a prim apology to Sweetie that she might be needed, however briefly, on Herdsday so Rarity could check her adjustments to the other dresses. Now the Crusaders found themselves sprawled out in the upstairs room, an emergency plate of chocolate chip cookies under steady assault from three pairs of hooves. The Monopony box sat on the floor next to them, taken from the little chest of things Rarity kept for Sweetie's visits, but they were all too tired to set it up. Opalescent had even been drafted as a stand-in Winona for Applebloom, (now hiding beneath Rarity's bed, glaring at the yellow filly with her usual contempt).

"You've been doing that all week?" Scootaloo moaned at the ceiling. "You're nuts!"

"It wasn't that bad." Sweetie insisted, rolling back onto her stomach. "I've been doing two or three a day for her."

"What?" Scootaloo's eyes bugged out. "No offense, Sweetie, but you really are a crazy pony!"

"Well I'm betting they weren't all as fancy as the ones we got to wear, right, Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom suggested. She was still excited by the whole thing, and had strutted up the stairs once out of her dress, extremely proud that she'd been able to play at being a fashion model for a little while.

"And you're crazy too! Why do you look so happy after that?" Scootaloo asked, exasperated, twisting to look at the earth pony.

"Because Rarity's dresses are neat! And I think I looked good in it. I never get to wear stuff like that, and now I got to try it on even before some high-and-mighty Canterlot filly. Prob'ly look better than she will in it, too!" Applebloom winked at Sweetie and reached for another cookie.

"I still think that the one you had on is the best of the bunch, Scootaloo. Sorry you didn't like it." Sweetie's legs stiffened as she stretched each of them out as far as she was able.

Scootaloo looked over in surprise. "Huh? The dress was really cool, Sweetie, I just hated that I had to wear it. Like, standing there like a statue! That took all the fun out of it." Scootaloo, having rolled onto her belly, flicked her tail and buzzed her wings to emphasize. "I just don't get how you could stand there like that so much. It's like being in trouble and getting sent to your room, or something. Being -stuck- there."

The room fell into a companionable silence as the girls commiserated and munched. Applebloom and Sweetie had both relaxed once Scoots explained herself. Another cookie swayed in the air as Sweetie awkwardly floated it over, but it was easier to catch it between her hooves once it was close enough. The unicorn smiled a little, glad to just hang out with her friends again.

Sweetie Spade didn't have many places she could call 'safe', but The Room Upstairs was as close as it got. The place was quiet, the patrons kept to themselves, and the cookies were fresh. She didn't even bother to sweep the crumbs away before she reached for another, looking through the gloom of the room to see how her 'guests' were doing. As daring and dangerous as it had been, she could barely remember how she'd gotten the princess and the ambassador out of the dungeon - but after all that, they definitely deserved some sugar.

"We did it, girls." Sweetie murmured, pushing to her feet and licking some crumbs off her lip. That was a pretty good fade-to-black for a scene, but it wasn't the end of a Shadow Spade novel, not by a longshot.

"Did what, Sweetie?" Applebloom asked, flexing her knee as she sat up.

"We escaped from the clutches of that double-agent, of course! You two pushed too hard, and you got burned."

"Burned?"

"Yeah! Its what they say in spy stories. It means that the spy is abandoned by their organization - they don't have anyone they can trust, anymore. It happened to one of them at the beginning of The Moscolt Connection – I read it on the back."

"Ohhh." Both fillies' eyes widened as they realized what Sweetie was doing. The fluffy white filly started to pace back and forth, making a little path for herself between the Monopony box and the cookies. Scootaloo pushed herself to her hooves, grinning: when even Sweetie started getting into a game, it was going to be fun.

"So when we went to Double-Agent Rarity for some information, she betrayed us, right?" Sweetie asked, arching an eyebrow at the pegasus.

"Right! Even the kung fu of the great Scoo-tee wasn't strong enough to escape her clutches." Scootaloo admitted, striking an action pose.

"But Agent Rarity's hostage got us out of there!" Sweetie agreed, winking at Applebloom. "After all, you tricked her into thinking you were on her side - what with wearing that dress and putting on such a great performance." Sweetie's eyes widened. "Like Marety Hara!"

"Whossat?" Applebloom cocked an eyebrow as she was given a role she didn't know anything about.

"She was an actress who was so good that everyone fell in love with her, so no one suspected she was a spy, too." Sweetie explained, pointing at the little bookshelf that held all of Rarity's other Shadow Spade books. "She even fooled changelings!"

"Whoa..." Applebloom's eyes widened. That was one heck of a powerful character!

"So what's the plan now, girls?" Sweetie asked excitedly. "Even though we don't know who Double-Agent Rarity's target is, we know all about her plans, now, right?"

"Right!"

"Oh? Do you?"

Three fillies gasped as Rarity's bedroom door swung open, timed for maximum dramatic effect, thanks to a touch of magic. The pony strutted in with her most daring chapeau tilted rakishly upon her head, and tapped one manicured hoof against the wooden floor. Three heads had swiveled towards her, and braced themselves for a surprise entrant into their game, Sweetie in particular grinning with excitement. At the hoof-tap, Opalescence dashed out from beneath the bed and started to writhe and snuggle between her legs.

"Ohh, yes Opal! That's mommy's good girl!" Rarity cooed happily, leaning down to nuzzle the fussy animal, giggling like a foal.

Three smiles faltered, just a little. Sweetie Belle raised a disapproving eyebrow. Scootaloo cleared her throat. Rarity glanced up - and pouted. "Right! That is- Hmm." She ran a hoof down Opalescent's side, and the creature plunked down on the floor and began to purr contentedly. It was a disarming sound, a masterful noise that no amount of Applebloom cuddles had been able to produce. A hooded expression and a sly smile were shared with the fillies as Rarity set the mood once more.

"You'll forgive my distraction, won't you, Sweetie Spade?" she asked, batting her eyes. "Since my ‘removal’ from the Canterlot Shadow Agency, there are so few pleasures in life that one must take them where she can." Rarity smirked and looked down her nose at the girls, her glasses still swaying softly around her neck. "Chief among those pleasures, of course, is explaining my plan to would-be heroes like yourself, by way of a wildly self-aggrandizing monologue!"

"Noooooo!" Sweetie wailed, shaking her hooves at the heavens. Or ceiling. Yup. That was a ceiling.

"Yes!" Rarity insisted with a little stomp and a soft muwah-ha-ha, neither of which Opalescent particularly liked (she hated to be upstaged). "So while you three may think you know my plans, I'm afraid you are sorely mistaken."

"Well whatever it is, you'll never get away with it, Double Agent Rarity!" Applebloom declared with a giggle.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo reared back, forehooves lashing in the air in a way that made her look a lot more like Pinkie Pie playing the tuba than Moose Lee.

"Foals, all of you!" Rarity snorted with a toss of her mane. "I already have!" Her horn ignited and the drawer of her vanity slid open, an envelope floating out and beginning to spin above the girls' heads. "Now that I've taken your measure, all of my preparations are made. I'm going to make my mark on Canterlot, and none of you can stop me!"

The girls’ expressions grew solemn as the tension in the room built. And built. And… built? They all looked at each other.

“So… do we fight, now?” Scootaloo asked, confused.

“What? You can’t fight her! She’s my sister!” Sweetie huffed.

“So what, then?” Scootaloo pouted. “Does she give up, and tell us?”

“I’m sorry dear, but I really can’t do that.” Rarity admitted with a shrug. “I normally pride myself on confidentiality, but here I don’t really have a choice. I was asked to keep this hush-hush.” The unicorn waggled the envelope to illustrate the point. “I thought I could give the three of you a fun way to put it to rest, at least. When I saw Sweetie’s expression downstairs, I knew she didn’t mean for you two to ask questions like that, so I had a little fun… but I know you’re all curious.” She gave a sympathetic smile. “When the mystery is over, I’m sure Sweetie will tell you all about it.”

“Aw. So now what do we do?” Scootaloo asked, scuffing the rug softly with one forehoof.

“I’ve got to head back home soon.” said Applebloom. “I’ve only got an hour until supper, and I think I have some chores to do.”

“Awh. Well, I can walk with you.” Scoots agreed, hip-bumping her pal as they all headed back downstairs.

“See you tomorrow, girls.” Sweetie said, as the quartet walked to the front door of the boutique, and two fillies headed out into the sunshine. She stepped back, and found herself bumping against her sister, who smiled down at her and gave her a soft nuzzle.

“Thanks for playing with us, Rarity. That was nice of you.” Said the filly, leaning lightly against her sister.

“You’re welcome, Sweetie. While you were all upstairs, I prepared a response to that letter I just showed you. I’m going to let them know that I’ll have the last dress prepared by tomorrow evening, and that they can come any time.”

Sweetie looked up, surprised. “Oh! So they’re coming here?”

“Yes. From Canterlot. And in the letter I asked if it would be alright if my assistant was present.” Rarity smiled. “You have been a big help, after all. I think that’s only fair.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! After all, Sweetie Spade befriended the double agent and helped her put everything the way it should be, right?” Rarity nodded. “I’m very proud of you for all the help you’ve given me this week, and I’m happy that you’ve been so curious about this job, considering how important it is.”

Sweetie Belle launched herself into Rarity for a hug. It looked like her persistence had paid off. And at least now she had a huge bunch of books to read until the big day, and two less dresses Rarity needed help with. Soon, she’d have this case wrapped up!

The Royal Reveal

The wind howled through empty streets like Rainbow Dash does after missing a mug of cider.

"No, that isn't it..."

"What was that, dear?"

"Uhm, nothing, sis."

Tonight was the big night. The pair had gone out to one of Rarity’s favorite cafes right after Sweetie got out of school, celebrating with an early supper. Now they were both back at Carousel Boutique, each doing their best to stay calm. Sweetie had tired of helping Rarity re-tidy the place up when there wasn't anything left to clean, so she knew was just staying out of her mane. At the moment, she was trying her best to start writing a story of her own. It was a whole lot different (and a bunch more work) than just reading a book – she couldn’t even decide on a first sentence!

"How long do you think we're going to have to wait?" she asked, once she heard Rarity stepping closer.

"I don't know, Sweetie. It's only a while until sundown, though so not too much longer.” Rarity crossed over to one of the mirrors and looked over her reflection uncertainly.

“Why sundown?” Sweetie asked, rolling onto her side, cheek pressing down against the piece of paper she couldn’t write anything clever on.

“Well this is a private order, and she did ask for our discretion. Why would she want to be seen walking down the street to us if she could simply wait until everyone’s back in their homes?”

“She’s a filly too, so she probably had to get out of school. You think it’ll be her and someone else?” Sweetie frowned. “It isn’t like I would take the train to Canterlot all my myself.”

“Exactly.”

Sweetie Spade turned the page in her notebook, looking over all the notes. On a stake-out, there wasn’t anything else to do except think. All the pieces were falling into place: the double agent, the clandestine rendezvous, the secret exchange. Now that she and Double Agent Rarity were finally on the same page, they were going to solve this mystery, and maybe even find a way to welcome her back to the Canterlot Shadow Agency, and the thanks she deserved. If she was going to solve this case she was going to need constant vigilance.

It wasn’t long after sundown before the tinkling bell at the door began to ring, startling Sweetie from her nap in the window.

“Good evening! I’ll be right there!” Rarity called from the other room, while Sweetie blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked at their guests.

A filly and a mare stood side by side in the doorway, both looking very excited. The unicorn was quite tall, her coat a brilliant white, while her tail and mane were a streaked mix of pink and sky-blue. The pegasus filly beside her was, strangely, black as ink, with a mane like sea-foam. She didn’t appear to have a cutie mark yet, either.

“Hiya!” Sweetie chirped to the two, climbing off her cushion and trotting over. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! My sister Rarity will be out in one second!”

“Why thank you, Sweetie Belle.” The strange unicorn said with a motherly smile.

"Oh! You're welcome!" Sweetie straightened a bit, surprised: how did this unicorn know her name?

"Rarity wrote to us all about you," the unicorn continued, apparently some kind of mind-reader. She really must have been a fancy Canterlot noble - her posture was perfect, and she spoke like she was addressing a whole crowd of fillies, not just herself. It made Sweetie feel bigger and smaller all at once. “We heard that you were a big help.”

“She certainly was! Thank you so much for letting her join us, we’ve been talking about this for days!” Rarity explained as she walked in, her horn aglow. Behind her marched a dozen filly-fitted dresses which made the pegasus gasp in surprise.

“Oh, sister! Look how wonderful they are!” the filly exclaimed, bouncing on her hooves.

Sweetie Belle beamed with pride as the pair stepped out of the doorway and began to examine the ponyquins that Rarity had prepared for them. One by one, a dress neared the pair, did a slow turn, and carefully removed itself from the ponyquin, sliding neatly into one of the wheeled chests Rarity had waiting by the door.

“So you think these are acceptable, little sister?”

“Indeed!” the filly agreed, stomping a hoof in her excitement. “They will be perfect for the court.”

“For… the court?” Sweetie gasped. “You mean the royal court? At the castle?”

The unicorn smiled. “We do, my little pony. My sister is going to make her debut in court very soon, and all of the nobleponies will be there.”

“Wow…! That’s great, Rarity!” Sweetie pranced over to her sister, nuzzling her excitedly. “That’s almost like making a gown for one of the princesses!” the unicorn filly beamed at her pegasus counterpart, who laughed happily to hear that.

“Actually, I hope that with these beautiful gowns, they will think I am a princess.” The pegasus explained, cheeks aglow. “We certainly hope to act like one.”

“Are you going to see them?” Sweetie asked, feeling very excited for the filly. “The princesses?”

“Every night!” she replied with a little laugh. She sounded so happy about it that Sweetie wouldn’t think for a second she was bragging or fibbing. Instead, her eyes were wide with awe: these two really were fancy nobleponies!

“Every night? How?” she asked.

The pegasus’ eyes shone. “Do you not know? Perhaps word has not yet reached Ponyville.” she looked back at her side, hesitated, and then her ears flattened against her head. “Ah- sister? Do you have one of the - er - ‘flyers’?” she asked, pronouncing the last word like she was unfamilar with it.

“Indeed I do.” the unicorn’s elegant little saddlebag popped open, and out came a scroll bound with a beautiful length of indigo ribbon. “Have you found a new guest to invite, little sister?”

The pegasus nodded excitedly. “Yes, very much! Do you think it will be improper?”

The unicorn shook her head, still sharing that calm, warm smile with the room. “I think it is a wonderful idea. I want you to have as many friends to give you support as you can.”

“I read the Canterlot Herald, but I’ve not heard a word of this yet.” Rarity admitted as Sweetie pulled the ribbon off of the scroll with her teeth and unfurled it for the pair to read. It wa a beautiful sketch of Canterlot at night, lit from above by a cascade of shooting stars and the light of a full moon. A sample of brilliant (if dated) calligraphy had been faithfully reproduced by the magic of unicorn scribes to advertise beneath: The Return of the Night Court, and in far more legible print beneath that, a brief description.

“Princess Luna, Warden of the Moon and Protector of Dreams, wishes to revive the ancient Equestrian tradition of Night Court,” Sweetie read aloud. “A judgement-free place for all citizens of Equestria to network and seek each other out to help share solutions and solve problems. To celebrate the court’s re-opening, all are invited to attend a grand celebration to mark its rededication in the Western Pavillion!”

“I see! So you’re going to go in front of all those ponies for the first time at the Princess’ Night Court?” Rarity asked the pegasus filly.

“I am! I do not think I will fit in with all of the nobles in the Day Court, but perhaps other ponies will feel more welcome to come, and to ask for help, at the Night.”

Sweetie clapped her hooves together. “That’s really generous of you! Wanting to help regular ponies even though you are - I mean - all fancy, and stuff, yourself.” she explained, stumbling a bit as she strove to keep hoof out of mouth.

“Well... I hope I can help them, at least.” The pegasus admitted, wings fluttering anxiously. She smiled in a way that Sweetie could only describe as humble, and the little filly nodded, determined.

“Of course you can! And if there’s anything I can do to help, you can count on me!”
“Truly? Then! Then you shall be my guests of honor, the both of you!” she declared with a firm nod.

“Oh! Can we Rarity?”

“Well of course, Sweetie. How could we turn down such a generous invitation?” Rarity smiled down at her sister and nuzzled the grateful little unicorn. “...of course, it would only be polite if we knew of whom we were accepting an invitation from...” she added, smiling at the pegasus.

“Hey! You’re right!” Sweetie gasped, looking back a their visitor. “I still don’t even know your name! After I spent all that time trying to figure out who the noblefilly ordering a dozen dresses was!”

The pegasus stared at the two unicorns with a blank look, momentarily stumped. She glanced back over her shoulder at her sister, who, still smiling, was quietly manuvering trunks newly-filled with fine dresses out the front door. “Well, are.... Are you sure you want me to ruin it?” she finally asked.

“Ruin what?” Sweetie asked.

“Your mystery! It would be unfair of me to spoil your game now, wouldn’t it? I would much rather play it with you!” The pegasus’ eagerness came back at full force, her little voice actually quite loud when she put her mind to it. “Yes! You have yet to learn just who I am. For now, you only know me as- Er...” the filly paused, and blinked. “…uhm-“ she glanced back behind her, from her cutie mark, to her wings, and back to Sweetie Belle. “Ah… Dark Feather!”

“Dark... Feather?” Sweetie made a face. “Did you just make that up?”

“Nonsense!” the fiilly laughed. “You have until the Night Court to discover my identity, Sweetie Belle! The fun shall be doubled, as both of us shall play a game together: We shall write to each other, and you shall ask questions, and I will give hints, and perhaps you will prove yourself to be a great detective after all!”

“I—but—” Sweetie’s forehead crinkled so much that she wasn’t sure if her horn would start to spark. She’d finally gotten to meet this mystery-filly, and what did she do? She was giving her another mystery? Why was life so ironic?!

“Oh dear, she’s turning red! You shouldn’t tease other ponies like that, sister.” The pegasus’ older sibling chided, still smiling.

“Oh, it is just a little fun!” The pegasus trotted back towards her sister, tail swishing victoriously. “We will have a new pen pal, besides!”

Rarity patted her sister on the back, but the little filly was quiet for a moment, looking at the noble pegasus’ hooves.

Sweetie Belle slowly lifted her head, sizing up the Pegasus Crime Queen, the Dark Feather, with her steely gaze. The gauntlet had been thrown down, and now she had no choice but to pick it up. If she couldn’t solve this mystery, how could she ever face her friends again?

The little unicorn nodded, filled with determination. “Well… fine! I’ll figure out who you are, and you’ll tell me when I get it right.” She stuck out her hoof. “Deal?”

“Huzzah!” the strange noblefilly cheered, smiling excitedly at Sweetie Belle. All at once, the little unicorn had to smile back – she really did seem so happy to have someone agree to play along with her. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad – and like she’d said, now she had a new pen pal, too! “It is a deal!” the blue pony agreed, meeting her hoof with a firm bump.

“Well I am glad that our little visit has sparked a new relationship, but I think the two of us have to be getting back home.” The older of the sisters said, her horn igniting brilliantly. “I’m going to have to be up with the sun, after all.” She said, winking playfully at Rarity as she did so.

“Oh! Of course..!” The fashionista agreed, smoothly. “Why don’t I help you with your things, then? It is getting rather late, Sweetie, and I know you’ll want to stay up and read a little, so why don’t you go get ready for bed, and I’ll be up to check on you once I get our guests settled?”

“Uhm… fine! Yeah, I’ll just… do some research! Shadow Spade will inspire me to figure out your mystery, whoever you are!”

The pegasus looked back over her shoulder, nodding eagerly. “It will be a glorious contest!” she proclaimed with a stomp of her hooves. “Farewell, Sweetie Belle!” And quickly scampered out the door after her sister, leaving Sweetie alone in the boutique.

“Huh. Dark Feather, huh..?” Sweetie sighed, then turned and headed up the stairs. Maybe she could finally finish The Moscolt Connection tonight. And tomorrow she’d figure out who the heck Dark Feather really was: Sweetie Spade was on the case!

Author's Note

Will Sweetie get her mare? Will 'Dark Feather' get her cutie mark? Why has Luna decided to wait so long to start the Night Court?

Find out next time, in--

Sweetie Belle and the Great Wane!