The Everfree Forest Affairby Leaf WhisperChaptersPart 1: Just BusinessPart 2: InformationPart 3: MessagesPart 4: ConfrontaionPart 5: IntruderPart 6: ConfessionEpilogue: SacrificedChapter notesPart 1: Just BusinessThe morning sun shone down on Ponyville, bathing the town in light and warmth. The bell over the door at Hay Treat's Animal Care shop jingled loudly and Fluttershy walked out of the store, balancing a couple of large bags of birdseed on her back. "Oh, these are heavy," she said to herself, struggling under their weight. "Perhaps I should—oh, no!" she gasped as one of the bags started to slip. A hoof reached out and grabbed it before it fell off. "Need a hoof?" a familiar, flat voice asked. Fluttershy turned to see an older stallion in a gray trilby and a green vest lifting the bag onto his back. "Oh, thank you, Phillip," she said. "That's very kind of you." "No worries," Phillip Finder said, giving her a small but genuine smile as he began to trot alongside her. They walked in silence, passing other early morning pedestrians opening their shops and starting their shopping for the day. The two reached Fluttershy's cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, near the edge of Everfree Forest. Birdsong and the happy chittering of animals reached them as they made their way up the dirt pathway. Suddenly, a little white rabbit came hopping towards them. "What's wrong, Angel?" Fluttershy asked, bending down to her rabbit friend. Angel made a series of rapid gestures. "Somepony's here? They want to speak to me? They're waiting inside? Oh, my!" Fluttershy gave a little squeak and quaked in fear. "I haven't invited anypony. Why do they want to talk to me?" "Best way to find that out is to talk to 'em," Phillip said, already walking towards the door of the cottage, followed by Angel. Fluttershy trailed behind, terrified at the prospect of speaking to a stranger who had come into her home without invitation. Sure enough, inside the living room of the cottage was another pony, sitting stiffly at one of the tables atop one of the wooden chairs. He had pale blue fur, a silver mane and tail that was cut short, and icy blue eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue business suit with a green tie. His cutie mark was of an open sack of bits. "Ah, this must be Fluttershy," the pony said in an upper-class accent, standing up quickly. Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face underneath her mane. "And who are you, sir?" the pony asked Phillip, turning to him with a look of irritation. "Name's Phillip Finder. Friend of hers," Phillip said, touching the brim of his trilby as he dropped the bag of seeds off his back. He extended his hoof to shake. "All right," the pony said with a nod. He ignored Phillip's outstretched hoof, which he retreated. "I'm sure you know who I am," the stranger said, raising his chin proudly. "No," Fluttershy squeaked out nervously. "Should I?" "Aside from the facts that you came from Manehattan on the early morning train, slept late last night, are unmarried, have two cats, and are currently staying at the Starhoof Hotel, I know nothing about you," Phillip said. The pony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you—?" "There's a train ticket stub in your pocket," Phillip explained, nodding to the clue. "You have a bit of shaving cream beneath your right ear that nopony has pointed out to you. There's cat fur on your suit from two differently colored cats. You did not brush your teeth. And there's dirt splatter on your left sleeve from the southern side of town from when you called a taxi." "Um...excuse me?" Fluttershy said in a low voice. "You'll have to speak up. I can't understand you," the other pony said, leaning in close. "Um...could you just...tell me who you are and why you want to talk to me?" Fluttershy said, still unable to make eye contact. "Right," the stranger nodded. "My name is Monopoly, and I am a dealer in property and business. I am here because you have something I want; specifically, this property." "This property?" Fluttershy said in surprise. Monopoly took a blueprint out of his coat and unrolled it on the table. It was a map of Fluttershy's cottage and the land surrounding it. "Yes," he explained. "I wish to acquire a section of the Everfree Forest, and you own part of the section that I wish to own." He circled a rather large part of the backyard with his hoof. "Oh, but that's my butterfly garden, bird sanctuary and chicken coop," Fluttershy said. "I couldn't possibly—" "I'm willing to pay any price you ask for," Monopoly said, taking out a checkbook and pen with his magic. "But all those poor animals that I'd have to displace...I couldn't," Fluttershy shook her head. She cleared her throat and stood up a little. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to sell any of my property. It wouldn't be nice to the animals." "I can pay to have them to sent to someplace else where they will be well taken care of," Monopoly replied, a rather forceful tone added to his voice. He tried to smile reassuringly, but the smile didn't quite make it to his eyes. "You needn't worry your pretty little head, Miss Fluttershy. I will see that your animals will be taken care of." "No," Fluttershy answered, a bit more firmly. "I don't want to sell." Monopoly opened his mouth to continue, but Phillip cut him off sharply. "She said she's not interested and she meant it. Now I suggest you go back to the Starhoof before I'm forced to escort you off this land." Monopoly gave Phillip an icy stare. Phillip looked back at him, emotionless, but the veiled threat in his voice lingered. Finally, Monopoly gave a little grunt and folded the blueprint back up. "Very well," he said, turning to go. He opened the door to the cottage and stepped out, but paused on the threshold. "You both should know, I'm a pony who's used to getting what he wants," he said over his shoulder. "In that case, I'd say it's time you learned that the sun doesn't rise and set on you," Phillip replied coolly. Monopoly sniffed. "In any case, I hope you change your mind soon, Miss Fluttershy. Goodbye." He stepped out the door and started walking away, his head held high. "Do you think he'll stay away now? Was I firm enough?" Fluttershy asked. "I hope so," Phillip said. "If you don't mind, I'll head off now so you can take care of your birds." "Thank you for helping, Phil," Fluttershy said, floating off to feed the birds. Phillip headed out the door and headed down the path towards his home. With every step, he turned over the strange encounter in his mind. The image of Monopoly glaring at Fluttershy when she refused his offer stuck in his mind. The sound of his voice made his stomach clench. He glanced back at Fluttershy's cottage, a small house sitting in the midst of a pristine green pasture, surrounded by animal pens and keeps. It was pretty, but he doubted it would be worth anything in terms of real estate. So why would a rich pony like Monopoly want it? Whatever it was, it would definitely make him richer. Phillip walked back into Ponyville. The more he thought about the circumstance, the less he liked it. Something about Monopoly struck him as fishy; an inner instinct warned him that the business pony was not to be trusted. He looked up and saw that he was standing in front of the Golden Oaks Library. An idea struck him; he could enlist Twilight's help in checking the collection of periodicals for any references on Monopoly. He walked up to the door and knocked. Twilight answered the door, blinking in surprise at the sight of the other stallion. "Hello, Phillip. What are you doing here?" "Need your help on something," Phillip said, entering the library. "Need you to help me check up on a pony named Monopoly from Manehattan." "You need help with some research?" Twilight said in delight. Immediately, she dashed over to the periodical section and started pulling out stacks of Manehattan newspapers. "Is this for a case?" "No," Phillip said. "It's for Fluttershy." With that, he grabbed the first stack of newspapers and started flipping through them. Author's Note The beginning of a new story following a period of writer's block. I hope you enjoy! Part 2: InformationOne hour later, Phillip and Twilight compared notes over the stacks of periodicals spread out across the table that creaked beneath the weight of dozens of papers. "This Monopoly is not a nice character," Twilight stated, holding up a financial magazine that had the silver-maned unicorn's face plastered across the dark background. "He's a very rich pony who owns land all over Equestria, and runs several businesses. In fact, he's been named the fifth or sixth richest pony in Equestria." She held up another paper that had a picture of a smirking Monopoly leaving the Manehattan courthouse, accompanied by a smaller but arrogant-looking bespectacled pony that must have been his lawyer. "But he's been linked to organized crime for years," she added. "He's been in court dozens of times, but the charges have always been dropped." "Either due to lack of evidence, witnesses or victims recanting...or disappearing," Phillip observed, flipping through another paper that detailed Monopoly having been found not liable in a lawsuit brought against him by a pony that claimed had been threatened into handing over some of his property. "Why would he want to buy some of Fluttershy's land?" Twilight asked as Spike brought her another stack of papers. "Whatever he wants it for, it'll make him richer," Phillip said, continuing to read the paper. Twilight set down her papers for a moment. "This crime sense of yours," she asked. "How does it work?" "It sounds like Pinkie's Pinkie Sense," Spike said, climbing up a ladder and replacing some books back on the shelfs. "Pinkie Sense?" Phillip asked, looking up. "Every so often, Pinkie Pie will get these little twitches that warn her about something that's going to happen in the future," Twilight explained. "Like if her tail twitches, that means that something's going to fall. I still haven't figured out how it works; all we know is that it does." Phillip raised an eyebrow. "Yes, really," Twilight said in answer to the unspoken question. Phillip chewed his lip in thought for a few seconds. "It's not exactly like that," he said. "It's...how do I describe it? It's an instinctive feeling more than anything else. It just tells me that a crime has been, is, or will occur, either at a specific place, or by or against a specific pony. But it doesn't tell me anything more than that. I don't know how it works, nor do I care to know; it's sufficient for me that it does." "Fascinating," Twilight murmured, placing her chin on her hoof. "I wonder if it's connected to your cutie mark, or if it's part of your earth pony magic...I bet this would make an interesting case study..." A smile spread across her features as she started to imagine experimental designs, surveys and paper outlines. Spike brought her back to earth by clearing his throat loudly. "What?" she started. "Oh...oh, right." She quickly started studying the newspaper in front of her again. "So if this Monopoly guy set off your crime sense, why don't you keep an eye on him and catch him in the act?" Spike asked, climbing down from the ladder. "It doesn't work like that," Phillip answered. "In the past, I've found that I usually can't do anything to prevent the crime from occurring. I have no idea what he's going to do, or even if he's done anything yet. And I can't follow somepony or have them arrested for something that they haven't done, especially based on nothing more than what boils down to a hunch." "What's this about Fluttershy?" a voice came from the door. "G'day, Rainbow," Phillip said without looking up at the pegasus who had just walked into the library. Twilight filled Rainbow Dash in on Monopoly and his offer to purchase Fluttershy's land. "So he's trying to get Fluttershy to sell her land to him?" Rainbow said in confusion. "What for?" "We don't know yet," Twilight said. "Maybe I should go over there and scare him off," Rainbow grunted, cracking her hooves. "He'd just have you sued for harassment," Phillip said, continuing to study the newspaper article. "And his pockets are much deeper than—" He suddenly froze. His head snapped up towards the Everfree Forest, his eyes narrowing. Shivers went down his short tail. The others stared at him in confusion. "Fluttershy's cottage," he said, and sprinted out the door. Rainbow Dash and Twilight hurried after him. Author's Note Intended as a "bridge" chapter to set up Monopoly and explain more about Phillip's crime sense. Going slightly off-topic, I've noticed something odd about Feeling Pinkie Keen. I found myself asking, "If Pinkie hadn't said or done anything, would those things have still happened?" Ask yourself that the next time you see the episode. Updates soon, hopefully. Part 3: MessagesThe group raced to Fluttershy's cottage. As they approached, they were greeted by several of Fluttershy's animals, having been sent into a panic by something. Heading up the bridge, they found that the door had been knocked off its hinges. Phillip held up a hoof to signal the others to stay back, drawing his baton as he entered the cottage. Furniture had been knocked around, vases smashed and drawers yanked out, their contents scattered across the floor. Phillip made a quick examination of the house. "He's not here," he said, folding his baton back up. "Neither is Fluttershy. She went out shopping." "How do you—?" Rainbow started to ask, but was cut off when Phillip pointed at a note laying on the floor, having been knocked off the door. The note read, "Gone shopping, be back soon." Rainbow internally cringed. "You think this was a burglar?" Twilight asked, examining the room in shock. "Not likely," Phillip said. "First, this is poor pickings for a thief; isolated, but not many valuables and too many animals to make noise. A burglar wouldn't have kicked in the door when it's fairly obvious that Fluttershy keeps a spare key underneath the doormat (the mares noticed the distinctive shape beneath the mat), nor would they have wasted time in the kitchen and pantry. And those phonograph records?" He pointed at the shards on the floor, remnants of what had been recordings of Fluttershy's favorite music. "Worth plenty of money. He would've taken them instead of wrecking them." He shook his head. "No. This is somepony who just wanted to come in and trash the place." "Why?" "To send a message, obviously," Phillip said, stooping down to examine the floor. "A theatrical message." A gasp from the door told them that Fluttershy had arrived. "Oh, my goodness! My house! Who did this?" She flew about, fussing over her still distressed animals, who were hiding in various nooks and crannies. "Twilight, stop Rainbow," Phillip said, without looking up. Twilight looked up in time to telekinetically pull Rainbow out of the sky; she'd started to fly away. "Hey, let me go!" Rainbow shouted, struggling against Twilight's magical grip. "I'm going to teach that rich snob a lesson!" "Rainbow, you don't have any proof that he's responsible for this," Twilight pointed out. "You'd just get into trouble!" Rainbow grumbled, but allowed herself to be placed back on the ground. "Yeah, but you'll find something," she said to Phillip. "And once you do—" "A professional will take care of this, not you," Phil replied without looking up, putting on his loupe glasses and adjusting the magnification. "Now, hush." Rainbow fell into a very reluctant silence. Fluttershy having managed to calm her animal charges, the ponies stood back to allow Phillip to examine the crime scene. I've never had my tail shiver like that when my crime sense went off, Phillip thought to himself. Could it be because—? He suddenly realized it was that annoying voice in the back of his head talking again. Shut it. I'm working. His examination of the cottage and the surrounding grounds took about half an hour, passed in silence. He moved from room to room, sweeping the floors and walls for clues. Pausing at the doorway, he examined the lock where it had been kicked open, then plucked some black fibers off of the wall and examined them intently beneath the glasses. He held them up to his nose and sniffed them, then dropped them into a plastic baggie from one of his many pockets. Moving to the outside, he swept his gaze across the muddy ground, peering at faint tracks in the ground. Finally, he removed his loupe and stowed them back in his case, looking vaguely irritated. "Didn't have the courtesy to leave some decent evidence," he muttered, mainly to himself, before clearing his throat and speaking directly to the mares. "One intruder, likely a stallion. Above average height, but below average weight, judging by hoofprints outside, but the mud makes it impossible to determine exact height and build. Was wearing a black sweatshirt, possibly hooded, from fibers left behind on doorframe. Smoker, based on smell of nicotine on fibers." Twilight frowned. "Not much help." "Somepony knows who he is," Phillip said, turning back to the road. "The pony who hired him. Monopoly." Author's Note Admit it, I had you worried that something was going to happen to Fluttershy. More soon... Part 4: ConfrontaionRainbow and Twilight followed Phillip to the Starhoof, a higher-class hotel for passing travelers to stay at Ponyville in four-star comfort. The four-story glass building stretched well above the other houses of Ponyville, the windows shining beneath the sunlight. Pushing through the golden revolving doors, Phillip walked across the carpeted floor and approached the front desk. "We're looking for Monopoly," he said. "We're business partners of his, and he invited us to talk to him about a real estate deal." The clerk, a young, pretty blonde unicorn, smiled and looked at the register. "Yes, sir. Mr. Monopoly is staying in room 324." Phillip headed up the stairs with the two mares following. They reached the third floor and trotted down to the door marked "324." "Let me do the talking," Phillip said, glancing pointedly at Rainbow. Twilight nodded, but Rainbow didn't react. Phillip knocked on the door. Monopoly opened the door. His ice-cold eyes met Phillip's, showing no sign of surprise. He held a martini glass and shaker in his magic. "Mr. Finder. Has Fluttershy changed her mind about selling me her property?" "No. In fact, we've got something to talk to you about," Phillip replied. "Fluttershy's cottage was broken into." "Oh, really?" Monopoly said, obviously not caring one whit. "Yes. Know anything about that?" Monopoly poured himself a drink with his magic before answering. "What makes you think that I have anything to do with it?" "You have means and a motive," Twilight answered. "And a reputation." Monopoly scoffed. "If you're as smart as they say you are, Princess Twilight, you should know that all those bogus charges have been dropped," he said coolly, obviously not intimidated by the fact that he was speaking to royalty. "I'm a legitimate businesspony. I would never have anypony break into Fluttershy's home." "Aha!" Rainbow suddenly declared, flying up into Monopoly's face. "How'd you know that somepony broke into Fluttershy's home?" Monopoly's face went from shock to annoyance in the blink of an eye. Twilight facehoofed. "We told him that when we came in here, Rainbow, remember?" "Darn it," Rainbow muttered, retreating. "It worked in Daring Do and the Kingdom of Ice Ponies." "I think you've wasted enough of my time," Monopoly said coldly, glaring at Rainbow. "You should leave before I decide to call security." With a grunt, Phillip turned and left. Twilight followed. "Come on, Rainbow." Rainbow Dash glared at Monopoly. "I'm watching you, mister," she warned, pointing at her eyes, then at him. He looked down his nose at her, then shut the door. "Well, that was a big waste of time!" Rainbow said as she followed after Phillip and Twilight. "We got virtually nothing out of him!" "I wasn't trying to," Phillip replied without turning around, heading back down the stairs to the second floor. "What?" Rainbow said, catching up with him. "Then why—" "Information," Phillip replied. "Somepony like Monopoly always gets away with stuff because he doesn't get his hooves dirty. Hires local help. I initially just came here to scout out the room, but I saw something; a note about a meeting at the lounge here about an hour ago." "How—?" "Speed reading upside down. Useful skill," Phillip interrupted Twilight, heading down the hallway to a lounge used for meetings and relaxing. He doffed his trilby, tucking it into his vest, and snatched a duster and rag from an idle cart of cleaning supplies. Signaling the two mares to hang back, he entered the lounge through its open doors. "Here to clean up after that meeting at one," he muttered to the attendant on duty behind the desk, keeping his head lowered. The attendant, who was bored and not paying attention to anything except his novel, gestured to one of the private meeting rooms. Phillip entered, nodding to the mares. They followed quietly. The small meeting room was bare and undecorated, with gray carpeting and six crimson cushioned chairs around a dark wood table. A large clock was set up high on one wall, providing a constant, rhythmic ticking noise in the background. A pair of ashtrays were on the table, both partially filled. "Monopoly sat here," Phillip said, indicating one seat that had been pulled away from the table. "This is cigar ash, same kind that he smokes. I saw a pack in his room." He examined the other seat. "The other pony sat here." He took a plastic bag out of his vest and scooped some of the ashes from the second tray into it. "I'll analyze this back at my place," he said, turning to leave. "Anything we can do?" Twilight asked. "Twilight, I want you to go through every record on Fluttershy's land that you can get your hooves on. Find out why Monopoly wants that land. Rainbow, I want you and the other sheilas to keep an eye on Fluttershy. There's no telling how far he'll go to get that land." "What about Monopoly?" Rainbow asked. "Let me worry about him," Phillip said, heading for the exit. Author's Note Phillip's hot on the trail...but what will come next? Part 5: IntruderNight had long passed. In the basement at 221 B Boulevard, Phillip sat at a table loaded with bottles, microscopes and other laboratory equipment. He loaded some of the ashes that he'd collected onto a microscope slide and placed it beneath the microscope, examining it intently. Selecting one of the many bottles of chemicals from the table, he filled up an eyedropper with the clear liquid and squeezed out a drop onto the sample. The ashes hissed and bubbled, letting out a faint aroma of burnt toast. Phillip turned to a large notebook which contained his study on different types of tobacco ash (the result of two and a half months of research and experiments). Hmm. Blue Camelback cigarettes. Same brand I used to smoke. There was a knocking at the door. Phillip headed upstairs and opened the door. Twilight was standing outside. "I think I found what Monopoly is after," she said, holding up a geological survey of the Everfree Forest that she'd found. Several sections had been underlined in red ink. "That area that he's trying to get, including Fluttershy's property, has a vein of silver underneath it." "As expected," Phillip nodded. "Suggest you get some rest. I'm going to need all of you sheilas' help tomorrow." "All right," Twilight said, turning to fly back to the library. "Good night, Phillip." "G'night," he called after her. Shutting the door, he retreated back into his living room and laid on the couch. Plan for tomorrow, he thought. Find stores in area that sell Blue Camelback cigarettes. Have the girls probe for information while I search Monopoly's room for more information. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There's always another clue. Always... He froze, his eyes snapping open violently. His head snapped up, turning towards the Everfree Forest. This time, his tail didn't shiver: his whole body did, a feeling of icy cold gripping him like a wendigo's embrace. Fluttershy. He leapt up from the couch, tore through the door and raced towards Fluttershy's cottage, moving faster than he had in years. Sitting on the couch in her living room, Fluttershy looked up from her book as there was a clattering from somewhere in the house. "What was that sound?" Angel, who was dozing heavily, did not react. Fluttershy waited, but she did not hear anything more, so she simply shrugged it off. With a content sigh, she returned to her book. "Oh, it's so nice and quiet," she sighed happily. "Not for much longer," a voice behind her snarled. Gasping in shock, Fluttershy looked up to see a black-furred pony wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, as well as a mask that covered the lower half of his face and a set of dark pants standing behind her. Beneath the hood, a pair of bright green eyes glared sinisterly at her. Fluttershy stared in mounting horror for moment, then turned to run. Immediately, the intruder leaped on her, pinning her to the ground. "Now listen up," he snarled into the whimpering pegasus' ear, his reeking breath in her face. "You're gonna talk to Monopoly tomorrow. And you're gonna sell. Right?" "Please..." Fluttershy begged. Suddenly, the intruder cried out in surprise: Angel, having been awoken by the struggled, had leapt onto the back of his head and started pounding on him as hard as he could, squeaking loudly. With a snarl, the pony seized Angel with one hoof and threw him against the wall. Angel slid to the ground and didn't move again. "Angel!" Fluttershy cried out in horror. "Your turn," the intruder growled, seizing her. He slammed her against the wall, then threw her to the floor. Seizing her by the hair with one hoof, he started slapping her in the face with the other. He paused for a moment, tilting her face to force her to look into his eyes. "You're going to sell your property. In fact, you're gonna sell all of it." "Please stop," Fluttershy whimpered. "I'll do anything." "Wrong. You'll do anything, and then I'll stop." With a low, sinister chuckling, the pony pinned her down and pulled a knife out of his pocket. Fluttershy began to sob, shaking. No, no, no, please, please don't let this happen... Her thoughts were interrupted by a whirring noise. They looked up to see something flying right at the intruder, who didn't duck in time. The object struck him right in the face, knocking him off of Fluttershy. The object, which Fluttershy realized was a boomerang, banked in midair and flew right back into the hoof of its owner. "Fluttershy, move!" Phillip shouted, leaping onto the intruder. Fluttershy rolled out of the way and went to check on Angel while the two fought each other. Phillip seized the other pony around the back of the neck and repeatedly brought his face down onto his knee. As he pushed him back up, he pulled back the hood of his sweatshirt, revealing his dirty blonde mane. The intruder glared at Phillip and slipped out of his grasp, shoving him back. Immediately, he grabbed a knife out of his sweatshirt and tossed at Phil, who twisted to avoid it. The knife flew past him and stuck into the wall with a loud thump like a heartbeat, eliciting a startled cry from Fluttershy. The attacker swung wildly at Phillip, who dodged to the side and sent a roundhouse kick to his face, knocking his enemy to the ground. Before he had a chance to get back up, Phillip pounced on him. "Don't you ever hurt her," he growled in a voice like thunder. "Or anypony else in this town. Not in my town. Do you understand?" The intruder's eyes widened in horror as he stared up at the raging storm before him. Phillip drew back a hoof and punched the pony beneath him in the face, sending him sprawling to the floor. Lifting him back up, Phillip punched him again: the intruder's nose broke with a loud crunching and blood sprayed out of his face. Growling, Phillip punched him again, and again, and again, grunting fiercely with every blow. The intruder stopped struggling, flinching with every blow. "Phillip, no!" Fluttershy shouted. Phillip paused and looked up at Fluttershy cringing in the corner, wide-eyed in terror. "No more violence," she begged softly. "Please?" He glared down at the disgusting semi-conscious vermin beneath him. It was what he deserved for trying to do what he did...for hurting her... But the frightened, sky-blue eyes brought him to the realization of what he was thinking, of what he was doing. He shook himself out of whatever state he'd been thrown into, regaining control of himself with a slow breath. Stepping over the feebly groaning body beneath him, he walked over to Fluttershy. "Are you okay?" he asked, examining her face. There were tears running down her badly bruised and slightly bloodied face and he did not envy the headache she must be having, but she was not seriously injured. She began to sob again, clutching him in a hug. Stiffening in surprise, he patted her on the back reassuringly, checking on Angel over her shoulder. The rabbit was groaning, rubbing his head as he regained consciousness. There was a noise behind them and they both spun around to see the black-clad intruder running away out of the open window. He disappeared into the trees of the Everfree Forest. "He's getting away!" Fluttershy cried. "It's all right," Phillip said, picking up one of the knives. "I've got him. And Monopoly." Author's Note Something unexpectedly dark for a change; it's rare to see Phillip actually lose control like this. But he's closing in on the trail... Part 6: Confession"You know who the burglar is?" Twilight asked, standing in the living room of 221 B Boulevard. "No, but I know what he is," Phillip said. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie had gathered in his home for a briefing bright and early the next morning. "Besides a low, stinking rat?" Rainbow snarled, predictably and understandably angered by the burglar's treatment of her friend. Fluttershy's bruising had gone down, but her face was still a rather nasty purple discoloration, marked with bandages. "Besides that," Phillip said calmly, spinning the knife that the intruder had left behind in his hooves. "He is physically fit, above average height but below average weight, green eyes, sandy brown mane and mud brown coat. Left hooved, low income, but can afford custom-made throwing knives, single, lives alone, smokes Blue Camelback cigarettes, face will be badly bruised after last night." Even in the middle of a fight, he noticed all that, the mares reflected. "Now here's the plan," Phillip said, producing a list. "These are all of the stores in Ponyville that sell Blue Camelback cigarettes. This stallion is a long-time addict: he'll have been buying them for years. I need your help to find the store that he buys cigarettes from." "And then what?" Applejack asked. "You bring me a list of names and addresses, and then I'll deal with them," Phillip said, gesturing into the next room. Looking up, the group saw a writing desk and filing cabinet tucked into the corner of the room. Dozens of folders, papers, photographs and newspaper articles were scattered on the desk, floor and walls, most of which had notes scrawled on them. "Those are all the files from Monopoly's court cases," Twilight said, examining one of the papers on the floor. "How did you—?" "There may or may not be a court clerk in Manehattan who owed me a favor," Phillip shrugged. "The point is, I've managed to establish that this stallion, whoever he is, is Monopoly's primary henchpony in this area, which makes him the missing piece; the thing I need to put all the dots together." He paused, looking around the room at the six mares. "Listen, Monopoly's beaten the rap a dozen times. The only way we're going to get him is if he confesses. And the only way he's going to confess is if I know everything. And that means that I need to know who this stallion is." He looked each of them in the eye. In each face, he saw the same determination reflected back at him. "Are you in?" Six voices replied as one: "We're in!" The clock was chiming noon when a stallion emerged from his home on the western side of Ponyville. A stallion with mud brown coat, sandy brown mane, and green eyes set in a bruised face. His cutie mark was of a silver barbell and he was sucking on a Blue Camelback cigarette, sending puffs of smoke into the air. He thought of the pony from last night. The pony with the hat and vest and the terrifying expression, one of pure rage. A small part of him shuddered, but a much larger part of him desired revenge, both for the beating and for the loss of some of his "pension." The stallion growled to himself, clenching his teeth around the cigarette. If he ever saw that pony again... He turned the corner and found himself staring into a pair of cold gray eyes. The cigarette was plucked from his mouth and ground out against the wall. "Those things will kill you, you know, Muddy," said the familiar, foreign-accented voice. For a moment, Muddy froze, then turned to run. But he found himself surrounded on all sides by six angry-looking mares, including the pegasus that he had attacked last night. This time, there was no fear in her eyes; only a look of terrifying, steely determination. He looked back at the stallion, the gray eyes hypnotically freezing him in place. "Monopoly. Start talking," Phillip Finder said in a voice that could have frozen the air around him. The Starhoof hotel chain prided itself on its attraction to a wide variety of ponies. Hundreds of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns from all trots of life went through golden revolving doors in Ponyville, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus and Canterlot every day. But for two Royal Guards to walk through the doors that evening, accompanied by a stallion with a gray hat and green vest and a yellow pegasus mare, was highly unusual, particularly in the Ponyville hotel. Without a word, the strange entourage headed up the stair to the third floor and went right to Room 324. The stallion pounded on the door. "Monopoly. I want a word." The door opened and Monopoly appeared, holding a martini glass in his hoof. "Oh, you again," he said in a bored voice, ignoring Fluttershy and the two stone-faced guards. "What do you want this time?" "I want you to confess," Phillip said. "To what?" Monopoly sneered. "To legitimately wanting to buy the property of a poor mare who has unfortunately and coincidentally had her home broken into?" "That," Phillip said, advancing slowly, his voice lowering. "And to the money laundering business you're running out of Superior Quills and Matresses." The martini glass fell to the floor, its contents staining the immaculate carpet. Monopoly's icy blue eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "And to the bank robbery you arranged three months ago," Phillip continued, advancing with the heaviness and force of an oncoming thunderstorm. "The insurance fraud by burning down the Iron Storage. The illegal casinos. The gem smuggling in the mail department. The blackmail and extortion." He leaned in close to Monopoly, who had backed up against the wall. "The ponies you've had buried. I know about them all, and I can prove all of them." Monopoly stared in growing panic at Phillip for a few moments longer, who remained as stoic as ever, though his mouth thinned a bit as the corners raised the slightest amount. Finally, Monopoly managed to compose himself to some degree, straightening back up, but his eyes blazed with fury. This was a negotiation, but he already knew what the choices were. "What do you want?" "Confess to everything and I'll petition for lighter sentence. If you don't," Phillip stated, his voice completely matter-of-fact, "I will personally throw you in a hole so deep you won't know which way is up." For a moment, Monopoly looked like he might seize Phillip around the neck and add attempted murder to his list of charges. But then he slowly nodded. "Fine." He turned to the Guards. "Take me away then." The two Guards stepped forward and placed shackles around Monopoly's legs and started to lead him away. As he left, he turned and glowered at Fluttershy. "You should have accepted my deal," he growled. Fluttershy looked up at him without the slightest trace of fear in her eyes (even if one of them was a little swollen). She never said a word as the businesspony was lead away. "Well," Phillip finally said as soon as he was gone. "There's still that silver vein. You're a rich pony, Fluttershy." "Oh, I don't care about that," Fluttershy said with a small smile. "All that matters is that my animals are happy." "And that you're safe," Phillip said softly. "Hmm?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at him. Phillip didn't reply, choosing instead to examine the stain on the carpet. "That's not going to come out," he muttered. He left quickly, leaving Fluttershy standing in the empty suite, looking rather confused. Evening had stretched across Equestria. Twilight was stretched across her bed, reading a book, when there was a knocking at the door. "Come in," she shouted, trotting downstairs to greet her visitor. The door opened and Phillip walked through. Immediately, Twilight could see something was up; his step, normally so sure of himself, was slower, almost hesitant. "Can we talk?" he said softly. Moments later, Phillip and Twilight were sitting in opposite chairs. Twilight looked at Phillip. Phillip looked at the floor. "Something's changed about me," he said. "Something that I'm not really sure what to do about." "What has?" Twilight asked. Phillip bit his lip, an expression of uncertainty that only made Twilight more concerned. "I've always prided myself on my business being never personal. Nothing was ever personal with me. It's all just part of the job. But now...here..." He took a breath, seemingly struggling to come up with the words. "When I got my crime sense from Fluttershy's cottage, I was...afraid. That's why my tail shivered. I was...worried about her. And then last night, when I found Muddy attacking her, I was...enraged. I was so angry that he would try to hurt her that I lost my temper and began to beat him." "You've been angry before," Twilight pointed out. "Remember that time with Heavyhoof?" "No, that was disgust and an act," Phillip said. "Anypony who would dare attack a foal is both the lowest of the low, and a coward. This...what I did to Muddy...was rage. I was so upset...so worried..." "Because you care," Twilight said, suddenly beginning to understand. Phillip nodded. Give him a case, give him a mystery, give him clues and suspects, and he was in his proper place, doing what he was good at. This...feeling, emotion, care...was everything that he wasn't good at, that he had no experience in: this was completely uncharted territory for him. "Not just her; all of you," he said, finally looking up at her chest. "You are the first ponies in a long time to offer me friendship, to treat me as a pony. You all...you..." Twilight looked at the stallion across from her and remembered when she'd first came to Ponyville: quiet and detached from everything around her, forced to enter the world of other ponies, where she'd never gone before, a strange, intimidating world with a set of rules that could not be learned, that had to be experienced to be understood. She smiled internally, even as she understood how difficult and embarrassing this must be for him, especially since he was so much older than her. He took a breath and looked in her dead in the eyes for the first time since he'd came in. "You matter to me. I want to matter to you. I want to be...to..." "To be a friend," Twilight finished with a smile. After a long silence in which Phillip resumed staring at the floor, he nodded. "Yeah. I guess you could say that." "Well, you're in luck," Twilight smiled. "I may have learned a thing or two about friendship over the years, and I might have a story or two. Spike?" she called. "Yes, Twilight?" Spike bustled in from his position outside the room where he'd been subtly eavesdropping, eager to help as always. "We're going to need some hot chocolate and those nachos that I like so much," Twilight said. "But first..." "Way ahead of you!" Spike said, producing a quill and the a thick journal. Opening the journal up to a blank page, he began to dictate Twilight's entry: Making friends can be difficult, even intimidating, for somepony who has no experience in that area, who may be confused about what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to act. Somepony like Phillip Finder, who has never had a friend in his life until he came here. But Phillip believes in responsibility, and considers it his responsibility to be a friend to us. And it is my responsibility, as his friend, to teach him how to be a friend. Friendship is a mystery, and a mystery that cannot be solved alone, but it is a mystery that has a very rewarding answer. Author's Note And that's the end of this story line. Hope you enjoyed! And I'm thinking of calling this series, "MLP: Friendship is a Mystery." What do you think? Josiah Epilogue: SacrificedA single black pawn floated in midair, held in the grasp of an aura of pale golden magic. Its master studied the pawn intently, considering what he had learned. So Phillip Finder truly had chosen partners in his private war. The white pawns were under his control, freely allowing themselves to be maneuvered into the line of battle. This was a tad surprising, he had to admit, but it did make the game a bit more interesting. He considered the state of the board now. With Monopoly out of the way, he had been able to move in and take control of the former crime boss' assets. Mountains of wealth, an entire web of criminal contacts, a key into the underworld maze of Equestrian crime: all his now, his to command as he saw fit. And he was going to put it to good use. Looking up at the wall, he studied the photographs tacked up over the peeling white wallpaper. Phillip's face stared at him from a dozen different images. Joining him were images of Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Spike. His friends. His allies. His weakness. The chessmaster smiled. This game was becoming more and more interesting by the moment. Author's Note Well, now, who's this? Chapter notesPart 1 —"No worries": common Australian term, "don't worry about it." Shows a feeling of friendship. —The name Monopoly refers to the economic term, which describes when a single person or company controls a commodity, not the board game. —Note that the Golden Oaks library is still intact in this story. This takes place during Season 4, before the finale. Part 2 —Witnesses disappearing: I think we all know what that implies. —Phillip's crime sense is explained here. What is not explained is a rather important point: Phillip's crime sense only goes off when he needs to intervene. —Phillip shivering when he gets a crime sense warning only happens when somepony he cares about is in danger. The greater the danger, the more he shivers. Part 4 —Rainbow Dash attempts the old "How did you know something specific that I didn't tell you" trap on Monopoly, but it doesn't work. Part 5 —Like Sherlock Holmes, Phillip has a well-stocked personal laboratory in his home, where he performs experiments, research and analyzes evidence. —Same brand I used to smoke: Phillip used to smoke, but quit before he came to Ponyville. This is another reference to Sherlock Holmes, who was known for his drug use. —Again, Phillip shivers, signaling that friend is in danger. —In the original text, the intruder would reach for his pants, implying that he intended to rape Fluttershy. I cut this as it was too obscene. —I gave Phillip a boomerang as a long-range weapon, deciding that he is not the kind to use a gun and that a bow and arrows would be too large for him to carry. It is a reference to both his Australian heritage and Batman. —"Not in my town": notice the phrasing here. Phillip sees himself as a defender of the town and it's citizens.
Part 1: Just BusinessThe morning sun shone down on Ponyville, bathing the town in light and warmth. The bell over the door at Hay Treat's Animal Care shop jingled loudly and Fluttershy walked out of the store, balancing a couple of large bags of birdseed on her back. "Oh, these are heavy," she said to herself, struggling under their weight. "Perhaps I should—oh, no!" she gasped as one of the bags started to slip. A hoof reached out and grabbed it before it fell off. "Need a hoof?" a familiar, flat voice asked. Fluttershy turned to see an older stallion in a gray trilby and a green vest lifting the bag onto his back. "Oh, thank you, Phillip," she said. "That's very kind of you." "No worries," Phillip Finder said, giving her a small but genuine smile as he began to trot alongside her. They walked in silence, passing other early morning pedestrians opening their shops and starting their shopping for the day. The two reached Fluttershy's cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, near the edge of Everfree Forest. Birdsong and the happy chittering of animals reached them as they made their way up the dirt pathway. Suddenly, a little white rabbit came hopping towards them. "What's wrong, Angel?" Fluttershy asked, bending down to her rabbit friend. Angel made a series of rapid gestures. "Somepony's here? They want to speak to me? They're waiting inside? Oh, my!" Fluttershy gave a little squeak and quaked in fear. "I haven't invited anypony. Why do they want to talk to me?" "Best way to find that out is to talk to 'em," Phillip said, already walking towards the door of the cottage, followed by Angel. Fluttershy trailed behind, terrified at the prospect of speaking to a stranger who had come into her home without invitation. Sure enough, inside the living room of the cottage was another pony, sitting stiffly at one of the tables atop one of the wooden chairs. He had pale blue fur, a silver mane and tail that was cut short, and icy blue eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue business suit with a green tie. His cutie mark was of an open sack of bits. "Ah, this must be Fluttershy," the pony said in an upper-class accent, standing up quickly. Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face underneath her mane. "And who are you, sir?" the pony asked Phillip, turning to him with a look of irritation. "Name's Phillip Finder. Friend of hers," Phillip said, touching the brim of his trilby as he dropped the bag of seeds off his back. He extended his hoof to shake. "All right," the pony said with a nod. He ignored Phillip's outstretched hoof, which he retreated. "I'm sure you know who I am," the stranger said, raising his chin proudly. "No," Fluttershy squeaked out nervously. "Should I?" "Aside from the facts that you came from Manehattan on the early morning train, slept late last night, are unmarried, have two cats, and are currently staying at the Starhoof Hotel, I know nothing about you," Phillip said. The pony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you—?" "There's a train ticket stub in your pocket," Phillip explained, nodding to the clue. "You have a bit of shaving cream beneath your right ear that nopony has pointed out to you. There's cat fur on your suit from two differently colored cats. You did not brush your teeth. And there's dirt splatter on your left sleeve from the southern side of town from when you called a taxi." "Um...excuse me?" Fluttershy said in a low voice. "You'll have to speak up. I can't understand you," the other pony said, leaning in close. "Um...could you just...tell me who you are and why you want to talk to me?" Fluttershy said, still unable to make eye contact. "Right," the stranger nodded. "My name is Monopoly, and I am a dealer in property and business. I am here because you have something I want; specifically, this property." "This property?" Fluttershy said in surprise. Monopoly took a blueprint out of his coat and unrolled it on the table. It was a map of Fluttershy's cottage and the land surrounding it. "Yes," he explained. "I wish to acquire a section of the Everfree Forest, and you own part of the section that I wish to own." He circled a rather large part of the backyard with his hoof. "Oh, but that's my butterfly garden, bird sanctuary and chicken coop," Fluttershy said. "I couldn't possibly—" "I'm willing to pay any price you ask for," Monopoly said, taking out a checkbook and pen with his magic. "But all those poor animals that I'd have to displace...I couldn't," Fluttershy shook her head. She cleared her throat and stood up a little. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to sell any of my property. It wouldn't be nice to the animals." "I can pay to have them to sent to someplace else where they will be well taken care of," Monopoly replied, a rather forceful tone added to his voice. He tried to smile reassuringly, but the smile didn't quite make it to his eyes. "You needn't worry your pretty little head, Miss Fluttershy. I will see that your animals will be taken care of." "No," Fluttershy answered, a bit more firmly. "I don't want to sell." Monopoly opened his mouth to continue, but Phillip cut him off sharply. "She said she's not interested and she meant it. Now I suggest you go back to the Starhoof before I'm forced to escort you off this land." Monopoly gave Phillip an icy stare. Phillip looked back at him, emotionless, but the veiled threat in his voice lingered. Finally, Monopoly gave a little grunt and folded the blueprint back up. "Very well," he said, turning to go. He opened the door to the cottage and stepped out, but paused on the threshold. "You both should know, I'm a pony who's used to getting what he wants," he said over his shoulder. "In that case, I'd say it's time you learned that the sun doesn't rise and set on you," Phillip replied coolly. Monopoly sniffed. "In any case, I hope you change your mind soon, Miss Fluttershy. Goodbye." He stepped out the door and started walking away, his head held high. "Do you think he'll stay away now? Was I firm enough?" Fluttershy asked. "I hope so," Phillip said. "If you don't mind, I'll head off now so you can take care of your birds." "Thank you for helping, Phil," Fluttershy said, floating off to feed the birds. Phillip headed out the door and headed down the path towards his home. With every step, he turned over the strange encounter in his mind. The image of Monopoly glaring at Fluttershy when she refused his offer stuck in his mind. The sound of his voice made his stomach clench. He glanced back at Fluttershy's cottage, a small house sitting in the midst of a pristine green pasture, surrounded by animal pens and keeps. It was pretty, but he doubted it would be worth anything in terms of real estate. So why would a rich pony like Monopoly want it? Whatever it was, it would definitely make him richer. Phillip walked back into Ponyville. The more he thought about the circumstance, the less he liked it. Something about Monopoly struck him as fishy; an inner instinct warned him that the business pony was not to be trusted. He looked up and saw that he was standing in front of the Golden Oaks Library. An idea struck him; he could enlist Twilight's help in checking the collection of periodicals for any references on Monopoly. He walked up to the door and knocked. Twilight answered the door, blinking in surprise at the sight of the other stallion. "Hello, Phillip. What are you doing here?" "Need your help on something," Phillip said, entering the library. "Need you to help me check up on a pony named Monopoly from Manehattan." "You need help with some research?" Twilight said in delight. Immediately, she dashed over to the periodical section and started pulling out stacks of Manehattan newspapers. "Is this for a case?" "No," Phillip said. "It's for Fluttershy." With that, he grabbed the first stack of newspapers and started flipping through them. Author's Note The beginning of a new story following a period of writer's block. I hope you enjoy!
Part 2: InformationOne hour later, Phillip and Twilight compared notes over the stacks of periodicals spread out across the table that creaked beneath the weight of dozens of papers. "This Monopoly is not a nice character," Twilight stated, holding up a financial magazine that had the silver-maned unicorn's face plastered across the dark background. "He's a very rich pony who owns land all over Equestria, and runs several businesses. In fact, he's been named the fifth or sixth richest pony in Equestria." She held up another paper that had a picture of a smirking Monopoly leaving the Manehattan courthouse, accompanied by a smaller but arrogant-looking bespectacled pony that must have been his lawyer. "But he's been linked to organized crime for years," she added. "He's been in court dozens of times, but the charges have always been dropped." "Either due to lack of evidence, witnesses or victims recanting...or disappearing," Phillip observed, flipping through another paper that detailed Monopoly having been found not liable in a lawsuit brought against him by a pony that claimed had been threatened into handing over some of his property. "Why would he want to buy some of Fluttershy's land?" Twilight asked as Spike brought her another stack of papers. "Whatever he wants it for, it'll make him richer," Phillip said, continuing to read the paper. Twilight set down her papers for a moment. "This crime sense of yours," she asked. "How does it work?" "It sounds like Pinkie's Pinkie Sense," Spike said, climbing up a ladder and replacing some books back on the shelfs. "Pinkie Sense?" Phillip asked, looking up. "Every so often, Pinkie Pie will get these little twitches that warn her about something that's going to happen in the future," Twilight explained. "Like if her tail twitches, that means that something's going to fall. I still haven't figured out how it works; all we know is that it does." Phillip raised an eyebrow. "Yes, really," Twilight said in answer to the unspoken question. Phillip chewed his lip in thought for a few seconds. "It's not exactly like that," he said. "It's...how do I describe it? It's an instinctive feeling more than anything else. It just tells me that a crime has been, is, or will occur, either at a specific place, or by or against a specific pony. But it doesn't tell me anything more than that. I don't know how it works, nor do I care to know; it's sufficient for me that it does." "Fascinating," Twilight murmured, placing her chin on her hoof. "I wonder if it's connected to your cutie mark, or if it's part of your earth pony magic...I bet this would make an interesting case study..." A smile spread across her features as she started to imagine experimental designs, surveys and paper outlines. Spike brought her back to earth by clearing his throat loudly. "What?" she started. "Oh...oh, right." She quickly started studying the newspaper in front of her again. "So if this Monopoly guy set off your crime sense, why don't you keep an eye on him and catch him in the act?" Spike asked, climbing down from the ladder. "It doesn't work like that," Phillip answered. "In the past, I've found that I usually can't do anything to prevent the crime from occurring. I have no idea what he's going to do, or even if he's done anything yet. And I can't follow somepony or have them arrested for something that they haven't done, especially based on nothing more than what boils down to a hunch." "What's this about Fluttershy?" a voice came from the door. "G'day, Rainbow," Phillip said without looking up at the pegasus who had just walked into the library. Twilight filled Rainbow Dash in on Monopoly and his offer to purchase Fluttershy's land. "So he's trying to get Fluttershy to sell her land to him?" Rainbow said in confusion. "What for?" "We don't know yet," Twilight said. "Maybe I should go over there and scare him off," Rainbow grunted, cracking her hooves. "He'd just have you sued for harassment," Phillip said, continuing to study the newspaper article. "And his pockets are much deeper than—" He suddenly froze. His head snapped up towards the Everfree Forest, his eyes narrowing. Shivers went down his short tail. The others stared at him in confusion. "Fluttershy's cottage," he said, and sprinted out the door. Rainbow Dash and Twilight hurried after him. Author's Note Intended as a "bridge" chapter to set up Monopoly and explain more about Phillip's crime sense. Going slightly off-topic, I've noticed something odd about Feeling Pinkie Keen. I found myself asking, "If Pinkie hadn't said or done anything, would those things have still happened?" Ask yourself that the next time you see the episode. Updates soon, hopefully.
Part 3: MessagesThe group raced to Fluttershy's cottage. As they approached, they were greeted by several of Fluttershy's animals, having been sent into a panic by something. Heading up the bridge, they found that the door had been knocked off its hinges. Phillip held up a hoof to signal the others to stay back, drawing his baton as he entered the cottage. Furniture had been knocked around, vases smashed and drawers yanked out, their contents scattered across the floor. Phillip made a quick examination of the house. "He's not here," he said, folding his baton back up. "Neither is Fluttershy. She went out shopping." "How do you—?" Rainbow started to ask, but was cut off when Phillip pointed at a note laying on the floor, having been knocked off the door. The note read, "Gone shopping, be back soon." Rainbow internally cringed. "You think this was a burglar?" Twilight asked, examining the room in shock. "Not likely," Phillip said. "First, this is poor pickings for a thief; isolated, but not many valuables and too many animals to make noise. A burglar wouldn't have kicked in the door when it's fairly obvious that Fluttershy keeps a spare key underneath the doormat (the mares noticed the distinctive shape beneath the mat), nor would they have wasted time in the kitchen and pantry. And those phonograph records?" He pointed at the shards on the floor, remnants of what had been recordings of Fluttershy's favorite music. "Worth plenty of money. He would've taken them instead of wrecking them." He shook his head. "No. This is somepony who just wanted to come in and trash the place." "Why?" "To send a message, obviously," Phillip said, stooping down to examine the floor. "A theatrical message." A gasp from the door told them that Fluttershy had arrived. "Oh, my goodness! My house! Who did this?" She flew about, fussing over her still distressed animals, who were hiding in various nooks and crannies. "Twilight, stop Rainbow," Phillip said, without looking up. Twilight looked up in time to telekinetically pull Rainbow out of the sky; she'd started to fly away. "Hey, let me go!" Rainbow shouted, struggling against Twilight's magical grip. "I'm going to teach that rich snob a lesson!" "Rainbow, you don't have any proof that he's responsible for this," Twilight pointed out. "You'd just get into trouble!" Rainbow grumbled, but allowed herself to be placed back on the ground. "Yeah, but you'll find something," she said to Phillip. "And once you do—" "A professional will take care of this, not you," Phil replied without looking up, putting on his loupe glasses and adjusting the magnification. "Now, hush." Rainbow fell into a very reluctant silence. Fluttershy having managed to calm her animal charges, the ponies stood back to allow Phillip to examine the crime scene. I've never had my tail shiver like that when my crime sense went off, Phillip thought to himself. Could it be because—? He suddenly realized it was that annoying voice in the back of his head talking again. Shut it. I'm working. His examination of the cottage and the surrounding grounds took about half an hour, passed in silence. He moved from room to room, sweeping the floors and walls for clues. Pausing at the doorway, he examined the lock where it had been kicked open, then plucked some black fibers off of the wall and examined them intently beneath the glasses. He held them up to his nose and sniffed them, then dropped them into a plastic baggie from one of his many pockets. Moving to the outside, he swept his gaze across the muddy ground, peering at faint tracks in the ground. Finally, he removed his loupe and stowed them back in his case, looking vaguely irritated. "Didn't have the courtesy to leave some decent evidence," he muttered, mainly to himself, before clearing his throat and speaking directly to the mares. "One intruder, likely a stallion. Above average height, but below average weight, judging by hoofprints outside, but the mud makes it impossible to determine exact height and build. Was wearing a black sweatshirt, possibly hooded, from fibers left behind on doorframe. Smoker, based on smell of nicotine on fibers." Twilight frowned. "Not much help." "Somepony knows who he is," Phillip said, turning back to the road. "The pony who hired him. Monopoly." Author's Note Admit it, I had you worried that something was going to happen to Fluttershy. More soon...
Part 4: ConfrontaionRainbow and Twilight followed Phillip to the Starhoof, a higher-class hotel for passing travelers to stay at Ponyville in four-star comfort. The four-story glass building stretched well above the other houses of Ponyville, the windows shining beneath the sunlight. Pushing through the golden revolving doors, Phillip walked across the carpeted floor and approached the front desk. "We're looking for Monopoly," he said. "We're business partners of his, and he invited us to talk to him about a real estate deal." The clerk, a young, pretty blonde unicorn, smiled and looked at the register. "Yes, sir. Mr. Monopoly is staying in room 324." Phillip headed up the stairs with the two mares following. They reached the third floor and trotted down to the door marked "324." "Let me do the talking," Phillip said, glancing pointedly at Rainbow. Twilight nodded, but Rainbow didn't react. Phillip knocked on the door. Monopoly opened the door. His ice-cold eyes met Phillip's, showing no sign of surprise. He held a martini glass and shaker in his magic. "Mr. Finder. Has Fluttershy changed her mind about selling me her property?" "No. In fact, we've got something to talk to you about," Phillip replied. "Fluttershy's cottage was broken into." "Oh, really?" Monopoly said, obviously not caring one whit. "Yes. Know anything about that?" Monopoly poured himself a drink with his magic before answering. "What makes you think that I have anything to do with it?" "You have means and a motive," Twilight answered. "And a reputation." Monopoly scoffed. "If you're as smart as they say you are, Princess Twilight, you should know that all those bogus charges have been dropped," he said coolly, obviously not intimidated by the fact that he was speaking to royalty. "I'm a legitimate businesspony. I would never have anypony break into Fluttershy's home." "Aha!" Rainbow suddenly declared, flying up into Monopoly's face. "How'd you know that somepony broke into Fluttershy's home?" Monopoly's face went from shock to annoyance in the blink of an eye. Twilight facehoofed. "We told him that when we came in here, Rainbow, remember?" "Darn it," Rainbow muttered, retreating. "It worked in Daring Do and the Kingdom of Ice Ponies." "I think you've wasted enough of my time," Monopoly said coldly, glaring at Rainbow. "You should leave before I decide to call security." With a grunt, Phillip turned and left. Twilight followed. "Come on, Rainbow." Rainbow Dash glared at Monopoly. "I'm watching you, mister," she warned, pointing at her eyes, then at him. He looked down his nose at her, then shut the door. "Well, that was a big waste of time!" Rainbow said as she followed after Phillip and Twilight. "We got virtually nothing out of him!" "I wasn't trying to," Phillip replied without turning around, heading back down the stairs to the second floor. "What?" Rainbow said, catching up with him. "Then why—" "Information," Phillip replied. "Somepony like Monopoly always gets away with stuff because he doesn't get his hooves dirty. Hires local help. I initially just came here to scout out the room, but I saw something; a note about a meeting at the lounge here about an hour ago." "How—?" "Speed reading upside down. Useful skill," Phillip interrupted Twilight, heading down the hallway to a lounge used for meetings and relaxing. He doffed his trilby, tucking it into his vest, and snatched a duster and rag from an idle cart of cleaning supplies. Signaling the two mares to hang back, he entered the lounge through its open doors. "Here to clean up after that meeting at one," he muttered to the attendant on duty behind the desk, keeping his head lowered. The attendant, who was bored and not paying attention to anything except his novel, gestured to one of the private meeting rooms. Phillip entered, nodding to the mares. They followed quietly. The small meeting room was bare and undecorated, with gray carpeting and six crimson cushioned chairs around a dark wood table. A large clock was set up high on one wall, providing a constant, rhythmic ticking noise in the background. A pair of ashtrays were on the table, both partially filled. "Monopoly sat here," Phillip said, indicating one seat that had been pulled away from the table. "This is cigar ash, same kind that he smokes. I saw a pack in his room." He examined the other seat. "The other pony sat here." He took a plastic bag out of his vest and scooped some of the ashes from the second tray into it. "I'll analyze this back at my place," he said, turning to leave. "Anything we can do?" Twilight asked. "Twilight, I want you to go through every record on Fluttershy's land that you can get your hooves on. Find out why Monopoly wants that land. Rainbow, I want you and the other sheilas to keep an eye on Fluttershy. There's no telling how far he'll go to get that land." "What about Monopoly?" Rainbow asked. "Let me worry about him," Phillip said, heading for the exit. Author's Note Phillip's hot on the trail...but what will come next?
Part 5: IntruderNight had long passed. In the basement at 221 B Boulevard, Phillip sat at a table loaded with bottles, microscopes and other laboratory equipment. He loaded some of the ashes that he'd collected onto a microscope slide and placed it beneath the microscope, examining it intently. Selecting one of the many bottles of chemicals from the table, he filled up an eyedropper with the clear liquid and squeezed out a drop onto the sample. The ashes hissed and bubbled, letting out a faint aroma of burnt toast. Phillip turned to a large notebook which contained his study on different types of tobacco ash (the result of two and a half months of research and experiments). Hmm. Blue Camelback cigarettes. Same brand I used to smoke. There was a knocking at the door. Phillip headed upstairs and opened the door. Twilight was standing outside. "I think I found what Monopoly is after," she said, holding up a geological survey of the Everfree Forest that she'd found. Several sections had been underlined in red ink. "That area that he's trying to get, including Fluttershy's property, has a vein of silver underneath it." "As expected," Phillip nodded. "Suggest you get some rest. I'm going to need all of you sheilas' help tomorrow." "All right," Twilight said, turning to fly back to the library. "Good night, Phillip." "G'night," he called after her. Shutting the door, he retreated back into his living room and laid on the couch. Plan for tomorrow, he thought. Find stores in area that sell Blue Camelback cigarettes. Have the girls probe for information while I search Monopoly's room for more information. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There's always another clue. Always... He froze, his eyes snapping open violently. His head snapped up, turning towards the Everfree Forest. This time, his tail didn't shiver: his whole body did, a feeling of icy cold gripping him like a wendigo's embrace. Fluttershy. He leapt up from the couch, tore through the door and raced towards Fluttershy's cottage, moving faster than he had in years. Sitting on the couch in her living room, Fluttershy looked up from her book as there was a clattering from somewhere in the house. "What was that sound?" Angel, who was dozing heavily, did not react. Fluttershy waited, but she did not hear anything more, so she simply shrugged it off. With a content sigh, she returned to her book. "Oh, it's so nice and quiet," she sighed happily. "Not for much longer," a voice behind her snarled. Gasping in shock, Fluttershy looked up to see a black-furred pony wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, as well as a mask that covered the lower half of his face and a set of dark pants standing behind her. Beneath the hood, a pair of bright green eyes glared sinisterly at her. Fluttershy stared in mounting horror for moment, then turned to run. Immediately, the intruder leaped on her, pinning her to the ground. "Now listen up," he snarled into the whimpering pegasus' ear, his reeking breath in her face. "You're gonna talk to Monopoly tomorrow. And you're gonna sell. Right?" "Please..." Fluttershy begged. Suddenly, the intruder cried out in surprise: Angel, having been awoken by the struggled, had leapt onto the back of his head and started pounding on him as hard as he could, squeaking loudly. With a snarl, the pony seized Angel with one hoof and threw him against the wall. Angel slid to the ground and didn't move again. "Angel!" Fluttershy cried out in horror. "Your turn," the intruder growled, seizing her. He slammed her against the wall, then threw her to the floor. Seizing her by the hair with one hoof, he started slapping her in the face with the other. He paused for a moment, tilting her face to force her to look into his eyes. "You're going to sell your property. In fact, you're gonna sell all of it." "Please stop," Fluttershy whimpered. "I'll do anything." "Wrong. You'll do anything, and then I'll stop." With a low, sinister chuckling, the pony pinned her down and pulled a knife out of his pocket. Fluttershy began to sob, shaking. No, no, no, please, please don't let this happen... Her thoughts were interrupted by a whirring noise. They looked up to see something flying right at the intruder, who didn't duck in time. The object struck him right in the face, knocking him off of Fluttershy. The object, which Fluttershy realized was a boomerang, banked in midair and flew right back into the hoof of its owner. "Fluttershy, move!" Phillip shouted, leaping onto the intruder. Fluttershy rolled out of the way and went to check on Angel while the two fought each other. Phillip seized the other pony around the back of the neck and repeatedly brought his face down onto his knee. As he pushed him back up, he pulled back the hood of his sweatshirt, revealing his dirty blonde mane. The intruder glared at Phillip and slipped out of his grasp, shoving him back. Immediately, he grabbed a knife out of his sweatshirt and tossed at Phil, who twisted to avoid it. The knife flew past him and stuck into the wall with a loud thump like a heartbeat, eliciting a startled cry from Fluttershy. The attacker swung wildly at Phillip, who dodged to the side and sent a roundhouse kick to his face, knocking his enemy to the ground. Before he had a chance to get back up, Phillip pounced on him. "Don't you ever hurt her," he growled in a voice like thunder. "Or anypony else in this town. Not in my town. Do you understand?" The intruder's eyes widened in horror as he stared up at the raging storm before him. Phillip drew back a hoof and punched the pony beneath him in the face, sending him sprawling to the floor. Lifting him back up, Phillip punched him again: the intruder's nose broke with a loud crunching and blood sprayed out of his face. Growling, Phillip punched him again, and again, and again, grunting fiercely with every blow. The intruder stopped struggling, flinching with every blow. "Phillip, no!" Fluttershy shouted. Phillip paused and looked up at Fluttershy cringing in the corner, wide-eyed in terror. "No more violence," she begged softly. "Please?" He glared down at the disgusting semi-conscious vermin beneath him. It was what he deserved for trying to do what he did...for hurting her... But the frightened, sky-blue eyes brought him to the realization of what he was thinking, of what he was doing. He shook himself out of whatever state he'd been thrown into, regaining control of himself with a slow breath. Stepping over the feebly groaning body beneath him, he walked over to Fluttershy. "Are you okay?" he asked, examining her face. There were tears running down her badly bruised and slightly bloodied face and he did not envy the headache she must be having, but she was not seriously injured. She began to sob again, clutching him in a hug. Stiffening in surprise, he patted her on the back reassuringly, checking on Angel over her shoulder. The rabbit was groaning, rubbing his head as he regained consciousness. There was a noise behind them and they both spun around to see the black-clad intruder running away out of the open window. He disappeared into the trees of the Everfree Forest. "He's getting away!" Fluttershy cried. "It's all right," Phillip said, picking up one of the knives. "I've got him. And Monopoly." Author's Note Something unexpectedly dark for a change; it's rare to see Phillip actually lose control like this. But he's closing in on the trail...
Part 6: Confession"You know who the burglar is?" Twilight asked, standing in the living room of 221 B Boulevard. "No, but I know what he is," Phillip said. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie had gathered in his home for a briefing bright and early the next morning. "Besides a low, stinking rat?" Rainbow snarled, predictably and understandably angered by the burglar's treatment of her friend. Fluttershy's bruising had gone down, but her face was still a rather nasty purple discoloration, marked with bandages. "Besides that," Phillip said calmly, spinning the knife that the intruder had left behind in his hooves. "He is physically fit, above average height but below average weight, green eyes, sandy brown mane and mud brown coat. Left hooved, low income, but can afford custom-made throwing knives, single, lives alone, smokes Blue Camelback cigarettes, face will be badly bruised after last night." Even in the middle of a fight, he noticed all that, the mares reflected. "Now here's the plan," Phillip said, producing a list. "These are all of the stores in Ponyville that sell Blue Camelback cigarettes. This stallion is a long-time addict: he'll have been buying them for years. I need your help to find the store that he buys cigarettes from." "And then what?" Applejack asked. "You bring me a list of names and addresses, and then I'll deal with them," Phillip said, gesturing into the next room. Looking up, the group saw a writing desk and filing cabinet tucked into the corner of the room. Dozens of folders, papers, photographs and newspaper articles were scattered on the desk, floor and walls, most of which had notes scrawled on them. "Those are all the files from Monopoly's court cases," Twilight said, examining one of the papers on the floor. "How did you—?" "There may or may not be a court clerk in Manehattan who owed me a favor," Phillip shrugged. "The point is, I've managed to establish that this stallion, whoever he is, is Monopoly's primary henchpony in this area, which makes him the missing piece; the thing I need to put all the dots together." He paused, looking around the room at the six mares. "Listen, Monopoly's beaten the rap a dozen times. The only way we're going to get him is if he confesses. And the only way he's going to confess is if I know everything. And that means that I need to know who this stallion is." He looked each of them in the eye. In each face, he saw the same determination reflected back at him. "Are you in?" Six voices replied as one: "We're in!" The clock was chiming noon when a stallion emerged from his home on the western side of Ponyville. A stallion with mud brown coat, sandy brown mane, and green eyes set in a bruised face. His cutie mark was of a silver barbell and he was sucking on a Blue Camelback cigarette, sending puffs of smoke into the air. He thought of the pony from last night. The pony with the hat and vest and the terrifying expression, one of pure rage. A small part of him shuddered, but a much larger part of him desired revenge, both for the beating and for the loss of some of his "pension." The stallion growled to himself, clenching his teeth around the cigarette. If he ever saw that pony again... He turned the corner and found himself staring into a pair of cold gray eyes. The cigarette was plucked from his mouth and ground out against the wall. "Those things will kill you, you know, Muddy," said the familiar, foreign-accented voice. For a moment, Muddy froze, then turned to run. But he found himself surrounded on all sides by six angry-looking mares, including the pegasus that he had attacked last night. This time, there was no fear in her eyes; only a look of terrifying, steely determination. He looked back at the stallion, the gray eyes hypnotically freezing him in place. "Monopoly. Start talking," Phillip Finder said in a voice that could have frozen the air around him. The Starhoof hotel chain prided itself on its attraction to a wide variety of ponies. Hundreds of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns from all trots of life went through golden revolving doors in Ponyville, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus and Canterlot every day. But for two Royal Guards to walk through the doors that evening, accompanied by a stallion with a gray hat and green vest and a yellow pegasus mare, was highly unusual, particularly in the Ponyville hotel. Without a word, the strange entourage headed up the stair to the third floor and went right to Room 324. The stallion pounded on the door. "Monopoly. I want a word." The door opened and Monopoly appeared, holding a martini glass in his hoof. "Oh, you again," he said in a bored voice, ignoring Fluttershy and the two stone-faced guards. "What do you want this time?" "I want you to confess," Phillip said. "To what?" Monopoly sneered. "To legitimately wanting to buy the property of a poor mare who has unfortunately and coincidentally had her home broken into?" "That," Phillip said, advancing slowly, his voice lowering. "And to the money laundering business you're running out of Superior Quills and Matresses." The martini glass fell to the floor, its contents staining the immaculate carpet. Monopoly's icy blue eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "And to the bank robbery you arranged three months ago," Phillip continued, advancing with the heaviness and force of an oncoming thunderstorm. "The insurance fraud by burning down the Iron Storage. The illegal casinos. The gem smuggling in the mail department. The blackmail and extortion." He leaned in close to Monopoly, who had backed up against the wall. "The ponies you've had buried. I know about them all, and I can prove all of them." Monopoly stared in growing panic at Phillip for a few moments longer, who remained as stoic as ever, though his mouth thinned a bit as the corners raised the slightest amount. Finally, Monopoly managed to compose himself to some degree, straightening back up, but his eyes blazed with fury. This was a negotiation, but he already knew what the choices were. "What do you want?" "Confess to everything and I'll petition for lighter sentence. If you don't," Phillip stated, his voice completely matter-of-fact, "I will personally throw you in a hole so deep you won't know which way is up." For a moment, Monopoly looked like he might seize Phillip around the neck and add attempted murder to his list of charges. But then he slowly nodded. "Fine." He turned to the Guards. "Take me away then." The two Guards stepped forward and placed shackles around Monopoly's legs and started to lead him away. As he left, he turned and glowered at Fluttershy. "You should have accepted my deal," he growled. Fluttershy looked up at him without the slightest trace of fear in her eyes (even if one of them was a little swollen). She never said a word as the businesspony was lead away. "Well," Phillip finally said as soon as he was gone. "There's still that silver vein. You're a rich pony, Fluttershy." "Oh, I don't care about that," Fluttershy said with a small smile. "All that matters is that my animals are happy." "And that you're safe," Phillip said softly. "Hmm?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at him. Phillip didn't reply, choosing instead to examine the stain on the carpet. "That's not going to come out," he muttered. He left quickly, leaving Fluttershy standing in the empty suite, looking rather confused. Evening had stretched across Equestria. Twilight was stretched across her bed, reading a book, when there was a knocking at the door. "Come in," she shouted, trotting downstairs to greet her visitor. The door opened and Phillip walked through. Immediately, Twilight could see something was up; his step, normally so sure of himself, was slower, almost hesitant. "Can we talk?" he said softly. Moments later, Phillip and Twilight were sitting in opposite chairs. Twilight looked at Phillip. Phillip looked at the floor. "Something's changed about me," he said. "Something that I'm not really sure what to do about." "What has?" Twilight asked. Phillip bit his lip, an expression of uncertainty that only made Twilight more concerned. "I've always prided myself on my business being never personal. Nothing was ever personal with me. It's all just part of the job. But now...here..." He took a breath, seemingly struggling to come up with the words. "When I got my crime sense from Fluttershy's cottage, I was...afraid. That's why my tail shivered. I was...worried about her. And then last night, when I found Muddy attacking her, I was...enraged. I was so angry that he would try to hurt her that I lost my temper and began to beat him." "You've been angry before," Twilight pointed out. "Remember that time with Heavyhoof?" "No, that was disgust and an act," Phillip said. "Anypony who would dare attack a foal is both the lowest of the low, and a coward. This...what I did to Muddy...was rage. I was so upset...so worried..." "Because you care," Twilight said, suddenly beginning to understand. Phillip nodded. Give him a case, give him a mystery, give him clues and suspects, and he was in his proper place, doing what he was good at. This...feeling, emotion, care...was everything that he wasn't good at, that he had no experience in: this was completely uncharted territory for him. "Not just her; all of you," he said, finally looking up at her chest. "You are the first ponies in a long time to offer me friendship, to treat me as a pony. You all...you..." Twilight looked at the stallion across from her and remembered when she'd first came to Ponyville: quiet and detached from everything around her, forced to enter the world of other ponies, where she'd never gone before, a strange, intimidating world with a set of rules that could not be learned, that had to be experienced to be understood. She smiled internally, even as she understood how difficult and embarrassing this must be for him, especially since he was so much older than her. He took a breath and looked in her dead in the eyes for the first time since he'd came in. "You matter to me. I want to matter to you. I want to be...to..." "To be a friend," Twilight finished with a smile. After a long silence in which Phillip resumed staring at the floor, he nodded. "Yeah. I guess you could say that." "Well, you're in luck," Twilight smiled. "I may have learned a thing or two about friendship over the years, and I might have a story or two. Spike?" she called. "Yes, Twilight?" Spike bustled in from his position outside the room where he'd been subtly eavesdropping, eager to help as always. "We're going to need some hot chocolate and those nachos that I like so much," Twilight said. "But first..." "Way ahead of you!" Spike said, producing a quill and the a thick journal. Opening the journal up to a blank page, he began to dictate Twilight's entry: Making friends can be difficult, even intimidating, for somepony who has no experience in that area, who may be confused about what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to act. Somepony like Phillip Finder, who has never had a friend in his life until he came here. But Phillip believes in responsibility, and considers it his responsibility to be a friend to us. And it is my responsibility, as his friend, to teach him how to be a friend. Friendship is a mystery, and a mystery that cannot be solved alone, but it is a mystery that has a very rewarding answer. Author's Note And that's the end of this story line. Hope you enjoyed! And I'm thinking of calling this series, "MLP: Friendship is a Mystery." What do you think? Josiah
Epilogue: SacrificedA single black pawn floated in midair, held in the grasp of an aura of pale golden magic. Its master studied the pawn intently, considering what he had learned. So Phillip Finder truly had chosen partners in his private war. The white pawns were under his control, freely allowing themselves to be maneuvered into the line of battle. This was a tad surprising, he had to admit, but it did make the game a bit more interesting. He considered the state of the board now. With Monopoly out of the way, he had been able to move in and take control of the former crime boss' assets. Mountains of wealth, an entire web of criminal contacts, a key into the underworld maze of Equestrian crime: all his now, his to command as he saw fit. And he was going to put it to good use. Looking up at the wall, he studied the photographs tacked up over the peeling white wallpaper. Phillip's face stared at him from a dozen different images. Joining him were images of Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Spike. His friends. His allies. His weakness. The chessmaster smiled. This game was becoming more and more interesting by the moment. Author's Note Well, now, who's this?
Chapter notesPart 1 —"No worries": common Australian term, "don't worry about it." Shows a feeling of friendship. —The name Monopoly refers to the economic term, which describes when a single person or company controls a commodity, not the board game. —Note that the Golden Oaks library is still intact in this story. This takes place during Season 4, before the finale. Part 2 —Witnesses disappearing: I think we all know what that implies. —Phillip's crime sense is explained here. What is not explained is a rather important point: Phillip's crime sense only goes off when he needs to intervene. —Phillip shivering when he gets a crime sense warning only happens when somepony he cares about is in danger. The greater the danger, the more he shivers. Part 4 —Rainbow Dash attempts the old "How did you know something specific that I didn't tell you" trap on Monopoly, but it doesn't work. Part 5 —Like Sherlock Holmes, Phillip has a well-stocked personal laboratory in his home, where he performs experiments, research and analyzes evidence. —Same brand I used to smoke: Phillip used to smoke, but quit before he came to Ponyville. This is another reference to Sherlock Holmes, who was known for his drug use. —Again, Phillip shivers, signaling that friend is in danger. —In the original text, the intruder would reach for his pants, implying that he intended to rape Fluttershy. I cut this as it was too obscene. —I gave Phillip a boomerang as a long-range weapon, deciding that he is not the kind to use a gun and that a bow and arrows would be too large for him to carry. It is a reference to both his Australian heritage and Batman. —"Not in my town": notice the phrasing here. Phillip sees himself as a defender of the town and it's citizens.
