//------------------------------// // Framed! // Story: Rarity: Behind Bars // by White-pawPony //------------------------------// Rarity looked up and down the pink filly, evaluating the smooth combination of mane and fur. "Purple, white, pink..." she mumbled to herself. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Aha! Yes, darling, I have just the thing! Olive green will look wondrous on you. I'm sure I have some in the back..." The mother of the filly sneered, "Of course it will. Everything looks perfect on my daughter." The white unicorn tried to conceal her distaste for this snooty mare with an unsincere smile. "Undoubtedly." "And make sure that it has lots of diamonds!" demanded the schoolfilly with an elite tone that matched her mother's. Not bothering to reply, Rarity strode gracefully to a shelf stuffed with folds of fabric, all sorted by color. With her magic, she pulled out two different shimmering forest greens and appraised them. She lifted them up next to the little pony, one at a time, imagining a lovely dress for the bratty thing. Choosing the winning fabric, she smiled, setting it on her work table and putting the other back. Donning her ruby glasses, she went to work. "I'm going to have to measure you now, darling," the white mare informed. "Diamond Tiara," shrilled the mother, "do your pageant pose for mummy!" The girl immediately did so, striking a much-too-sexy-for-a-young-filly pose. While Rarity held her measuring tape up to Diamond Tiara's waist and legs, she secretly rolled her eyes. Of course, this was a pageant girl! I wonder if this filly goes to Sweetie Belle's school, she thought. But just as Rarity had set down her tape and was about to inquire the mother for what occasion this dress was to be made, there was a sharp knock at the door of her boutique. Rarity looked over to the door and laughed an apologetic laugh, "Will you please excuse me a moment? This shan't take very long." The older mare huffed, taking a look at her watch. Rarity trotted over to the door, surprised to see standing there two police ponies, and one handsomely dressed colt. She nervously cleared her throat and opened the door. "H-hello, officer Sour Grapes; officer Mango! Um, welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every outfit is... um..." she began. A familiar-looking yellow stallion with a blue mane pushed his way past her, "Yes, nice to see you, Miss Rarity. But we're not here for clothes, I'm afraid." "Oh, really? Then what would you gentlecolts be doing here, may I ask?" Rarity inquired in a lady-like but quivering voice. For some reason, the air about these ponies was making her exremely nervous. Without answering, officer Mango strode over to Diamond Tiara and her mother, "Ma'am, you and your daughter will have to leave the premises until further notice." At this, both mother and daughter became indignant. "Wait just a minute! We came here expecting a gorgeous new dress for my lovely daughter, and that is what we had better get!" Diamond Tiara, in an obviously perfectly-practiced routine, seemed on the verge of tears, and started to whine with a voice Rarity knew all-too-well. "But I wanna get my dress today! If I don't get it, I won't look more fabulous than cousin Ruby Crown at aunty's party! Mom, you promised!" Rarity exasperatedly explained the situation to the earth pony in a low voice, "Maybe it would be better if you did come back at a later time, Miss Masquerade. I hope you'll except my apologies." With a last huff and a stamp of the hoof, Masquerade led her daughter out of the shop, calling behind her shoulder, "You just see if we ever do business with you again, Ms. Rarity!" The door slammed behind the two ponies, and Rarity could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. She turned to talk to the officials, and found that officer Mango and the mysterious unicorn in the suit were both furiously searching her boutique, tipping over carefully-organized fabrics, threads and patterns. Horrified, Rarity galloped over to officer Mango. "Stop! Stop, please, officers, what are you doing? Just tell me what you are here for, and I'm sure I can answer your every question!" Mango, however, pushed right past her with a scowl that made the white pony's cheeks turn red. "Will somepony please tell me why I am having my boutique invaded by the authorities?!" "Ma'am," officer Sour Grapes said in a deep voice, "we have reason to believe that you have in your posession some stolen and very illegal, dangerous magical items." The fashionista, taken aback, opened her mouth in utter surprise. She stuttered a moment, and then laughed, perhaps a bit too amusedly. "And you think that I, Rarity... what? Stole these items? A lady such as I? You simply cannot be serious!" Sour Grapes opened his mouth to reply, when his associate called over to him. "Hey, Grapes; I think we found what we're lookin' for." The cop's eyebrows raised, and he walked over to where his partner and the other pony stood. Rarity followed, still confused and perhaps just as indignant as her client had just been. The unicorn, whose cutiemark was a gleaming silver badge, had magically lifted up a floorboard. As soon as Sour Grapes looked underneath, he smirked, and all three male ponies turned to Rarity. Slowly, she peered under as well, and her proud demeanor shattered. Her mind buzzed with thought and emotion as her mouth once again dropped open, and her eyes bugged in a quite unattractive manner. I didn't put those there! How could they have gotten there? Do these ponies really believe that I am behind this?! Rarity swooned and nearly fainted. The unicorn came up to her while Mango and Grapes started collecting the evidence. "Miss Rarity; my name is Cuffs Shady, and I'm with the P.C.I. You'll be coming with me." The curly-haired pony barely noticed in all her shock the cold pair of hoofcuffs were magically clapped around her. As two buff stallions in shades came in to drag her away, Rarity remembered herself crying out, "Wait! I didn't do it! I was framed, I tell you! Framed! Framed!"