Clover Clues and the Fugitive Fawn

"I hereby declare the Winter Solstice Festival...begun!" said Princess Luna in her loud Royal Canterlot Voice. Ponies cheered and stomped the cobblestone square with their hooves. Fireworks shined brightly like shooting stars against the Maretropolitan skyline as Luna slowly raised the moon, marking the beginning of the longest night of the year. The City had always held a festival to mark the solstice, and this year we were lucky enough to have the Princess of the Night to officiate the ceremonies. Luna exited the stage and was replaced by the mayor of Maretropolis, who launched into a considerably more boring speech about the importance of community and friendship. Luna walked regally into the crowd, ponies bowing respectfully in her wake. I trotted behind the Princess, honored to be part of her security detail. It was really a formality, as Princess Luna was more than capable of protecting herself--and everypony present for that matter--from any possible threat.

After the all-night festivities, most ponies slept until noon. Princess Luna was no exception. Her security detail stood outside her bedchamber in the penthouse suite of the finest hotel in Maretropolis. Some of the officers yawned into their cups of coffee. My eyes felt heavy, but I had to uphold my duty to our Princess. A few hours after Luna's sister had risen the sun, there was a noticable click that came from inside the royal suite! I quickly swung open the door to check on the Princess.

There was a masked figure clad in black looming over Luna as she slept. It had opened her window from the outside and was currently putting the royal crown, necklace, and hoof ornaments into a saddlebag. The crown jewels were being stolen!

"Don't move, thief!" I shouted, hoping to wake up Luna and the rest of the guard. The dark, lithe figure threw something at me, and I cast a magical barrier just in time for three small knives to bounce off my glowing green bubble. "Guards! I need backup in here!"

The thief then threw something at the ground, which caused a plume of dark smoke to fill the room. I coughed, my eyes stinging as I saw the figure leap out the window through the haze. It was then that Luna's personal guards ran past me and followed her out the window, taking flight on their batlike wings. I ran to the window after them, only to catch a glimpse of the skinny thief running along the edge of the building and jumping to the adjacent rooftop. I fired a stun spell, which flew over the thief's head as it performed a nimble rolling dodge. I gingerly stepped out onto the ledge and began pursuit. As I neared the edge of the building and prepared to jump, the thief suddenly turned and threw something else at me. A spinning bolo hit my legs, the rope weighted at both ends quickly binding my forelegs.

I pitched forward and tumbled off the high-rise building into the open air.