The Steve-Caper

Chapters

Why me?!
The suspect
On the Run
The dectective Squad

Why me?!

It was a very sunny day on the edge of Ponyville. The birds chirping, the wind gently blowing. What could possibly go wrong? Suddenly, the phone rang. The yellow pegasus lazily got up from the couch and fetched the phone.

"Hello? Who's calling me at 7:00 in the morning?" She asked with a yawn. No answer.

"Hello, umm, is anypony there?" Fluttershy asked again. In the phone, a rustle was heard, followed by a thumping noise. A faint sound echoed the phone.

"Hey, Fluttershy... my house... NOW!" The sound said. Fluttershy recognized the voice, so right away she packed some honey sandwiches and galloped out of the cottage. The sky was still bright and sunny. She spotted a few birds sitting on the branches of trees. Fluttershy smiled and took out a diary from her saddle bag and wrote:

Dear Diary,

It is a lovely day out here in ponyville, and I got an emergency call from my friend. I have no idea what it could possible be, but I know that she is my friend and I should help. I do not have much time, so I must get going and save this writing for later. Maybe she could wait a bit, but risking my friend's life would be really, really mean.... Well, I must go now.

Sincerely,

Fluttershy

Fluttershy finished off her entry and stuffed her ink and feather into a plastic bag, and trotted off. A blue color zipped by her and returned, revealing a cyan mare who was flipping her multi-colored mane. She spread her wings and flicked her tail, looking at Fluttershy. The pegasus smiled, noticing who this pony was.

"Oh! Good morning Rainbow Dash. I was just on my way to- Mmfh!" Rainbow stuffed a hoof in her mouth and smiled. Picking her up over her back, the pegasus flew over the clouds, and spotted a large cottage around the Town Square. She slowly landed, making sure Fluttershy would safely reach the ground, she waved and zipped back off into the distance. To Fluttershy who just landed, the whole sky was a merry-go-round, spinning, not seeming to soon stop. The clouds were like bright, blinding lights which flashed into her eyes. Then, she fainted.

"Wakeey, wakeeeeey! Does she know it's morning?"

"No, I don't think so..."

"That was a pun, you rock brain!"

Fluttershy's eyes forced themselves to open. They burned and hurt like they were on fire. A grey mare and a lavender Alicorn were standing in front of her. They frowned and at the same time said, "Steve has been foal-napped!" Fluttershy tilted her head and got up.

"Who in Equestria is Steve?" she asked again. "And, why me? I am no detective when it comes to ponies," she said remembering the last time she was asked to find a filly who had been 'foal-napped' but really got stuck in a long line at the amusement park. Fluttershy's eyes watered and she shouted," WHY ME?!"

The suspect

After 3 hours of searching for Steve, Fluttershy stopped to the Ice cream Parlor with her friends. She ordered a strawberry Swirl in a cone with a cherry on the top. Twilight and Derpy shared a sundae as they sat under a shady table. Before even tasting her ice cream, Twilight put her hoof to her chin and hummed. Out of nowhere, she brought out a stack of photos.

Derpy stared down at them, shuffling them and noticing that one was a criminal pony. She shuddered and thought for a minute.

"Who's that? Um, who are they?" Derpy asked tilting her head. Her eyes tried focusing on the pictures, but they would not work with her. Twilight shook her head, her mane swishing side to side.

"These... are my suspects. I interviewed them an hour ago and these guys and girls are suspicious..." She said, narrowing her eyes. Fluttershy shrank back into her chair and looked up at the sun. They all sighed and then Derpy took out a notepad. She wrote down some things and dotted it, putting away the ink and feather. Curious, the other two sneaked a peak at the notes and then heard a hoof clopping noise behind them. An orange filly drinking a slushie stared up at them with big purple eyes.

"Scootaloo!" The trio yelled, smiling. Scootaloo slurped her drink and sat down casually.

"Sup." She said slurping again. Derpy gasped and was about to blurt out the whole situation. But she was interrupted by an orange hoof stuck in her mouth. Scootaloo gagged at the pony drool over her hoof, and she wiped off.

She shook her head and a cloud drifted over her head. She stared at a black cloud and a shadow bolt hovering over it. Scootaloo spat out the drink and her heart went "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!" but her body hesitated. The pegasus filly's eyes went white wit little purple specs in the center. Unsure what to do, she played dead. The shadow bolt started giggling, noticing that she was faking. It turned into a full laugh soon enough, then she pulled herself together and sighed, wiping sweat from her head. Flying down, her mane was seen to be multi-colored, and Scootaloo jumped up grasping onto the mare.

"Rainbow Dash! Oh, it's so good to see you!" She said, bear hugging the pegasus.

"I would..... too, if.......I.....could..... Breathe..." Rainbow Dash said, between gasps of air. Scootaloo quickly let go and smiled sheepishly.

"Heehe... Sorry, Dash..." She said. She tilted her head and asked,"What are you doing here? It's not nightmare night, it's March 17th!" She said, her smile growing. Derpy snuck behind Dash, attempting to pinch her, but noticed some parts of her mane was green. Disappointed , she pinched Twilight.

"Ouch!" She yelped, pinching Derpy back. Scootaloo held a three-leaf clover in her teeth and trotted towards a nearby field.

Hours passed, and it was almost night. After Scootaloo and Dash were invited to the team, Pinkie joined and said that after they found Steve, she would start a "Steve is back home and I don't know who he is" Party. She even stopped by her house and claimed to have a 'secret lair' in he basement where she had spy gear.

After practicing and dressing for the steak out, they met each other at the Hay Burger. Pinkie Pie took out a pair of binoculars from nowhere and stared through them. She gave the signal for the others to come, which was a "chicken call", but to the ponies around the block thought it was a cat with a sore throat. Rainbow wore her shadow bolt outfit and Twilight had a royal guard helmet and chest-plate on. Fluttershy and Derpy went casual and they hid behind the restaurant dumpster.

"Gah! It stinks in here! Couldn't you-" Rainbow said, interrupted.

"SHHHHH! WE HAVE TO BE REALLLLLLLY QUIET...." Pinkie Pie said, between a whisper and a yell. Rainbow rolled her eyes and took a walkie talkie from her saddle bag. She tested it and followed Twilight and Pinkie down the block to Donut Joe's , at the rear exit. Scootaloo, Derpy, and Fluttershy stayed behind the Hay Burger dumpster, with pins on their muzzles.

Twilight lifted Pinkie on her back and Rainbow followed. Once they reached the roof of the donut store, they smirked. One of the photos has Joe on it and they were the first suspect. A buzz came behind them and the walkie talkie turned on. Rainbow turned her's on, too and listened.

"Hey... guy, we found our first...... suspect...I-It's Sky Wishes. S-She always comes here every.... Thursday night." Scootaloo said, her voice cracking from fear. Rainbow understood her nervousness so she spoke.

"It's okay, squirt. I understand how ya feel, in fact, I'm a little jittery myself," Rainbow said soothingly. She got a thanks from Scootaloo who turned off the speaker. Twilight's horn lit with it's aurora and a lazer shot from it, which cut a small hole in the roof. She waved a hoof to go in, and they hopped inside. Pinkie landed on all fours, while the rest fell head first on the floor, startling Joe. He jumped to his hooves, getting off the chair. Three other ponies were eating, not minding a single thing. Joe shined a flashlight since most lights were off. The three hid in a shadow, near the bathrooms. Rainbow counted down.

Joe had a bad feeling, so he tried turning on the lights. With a strait face, Twilight quickly whispered," Power surge, ON," Rainbow flicked the lever on the control pad in her hoof, personally made by Twilight. Joe watched in horror as the lights flickered, then faded off.

On the Run

Joe was sweating heavily and his eyes where wide open, ready to spot any burglars. After two hours Joe finally motioned towards the bathroom. That's when Pinkie Pie jumped out. Joe gasped, grabbing his chest with a hoof.

"Oh, Pinkamena... You... scared me." He said, panting. Pinkie laughed.

"Have you ever read 'Cupcakes?' " She asked smirking. Joe grinned nervously and chuckled. " Um, yes, and I think it gave you a bad reputation..." He said backing up away from the pink earth pony. She sniffed the uniform he was wearing and smirked. "Well, I smell a fresh baked platter right here...." She picked up a hacksaw and smiled widely, her mane now flat and dark pink. "And this one's on the house!"

*Thump!*

Joe rubbed his head and groaned. He looked around to see nothing but darkness and some unintelligible whispering. Her whimpered and started panicking. Then, a click was heard, and a small lamp was lit over his head. Three figures came over him and they were not what someone would call "happy faces". Joe's eyes widened and his ears flat against his head. He shivered so much that his fur shook like a wet dog. Over him was a purple alicorn, cyan pegasus, and a pink earth pony with a stick in her hooves. Pinkie's mane was still flat and dark, but she still had a serious expression on her face.

Looking down, he saw his forelegs where in ropes and his hind-legs in metal cuffs. He started crying and begging to be let go. Finally, someone spoke.

"Okay, mister * Bang!* tellmewhereSteveis!!!" Pinkie said, hitting him in the head with the stick. Joe was speachless. He looked up to Twilight with puppy dog eyes, heavily filled with tears. Joe shook his head.

"I-I-I D-Don't know.. where S-Steveee iiiiiisss..." He said sobbing.

"Why did you... h-hit meee with a hack-s-saw, Pinkamenaaa?" He asked with the pleading expression in his eyes. Pinkie broke out into a laugh. The other two smirked as Pinkie almost fell over laughing.

"Oh, silly filly! I didn't hit you with a hacksaw! When I brought it up, you fainted! Then I dropped it....Oopsie! My bad.. heeheehe!" Pinkie said smiling.

"Now, you gonna tell us where Steve is, or will I have to..." She brought up a hacksaw, and Twilight levitated it over Joe who screamed like a mare. Rainbow Dash just stared and tossed a notepad to Twilight. "Talk NOW," She said holding the feather in her aurora.

Joe sighed.

"I guess I can't hide anymore... Well, Steve and I were trotting to my place for diner. He is a mighty fine pony, if I do say so myself. We were chattin' about stuff, and he said he had a meeting for a job interview in Canterlot, so he said he would be gone out of town for quite a while," Joe said. Twilight jotted down the notes and looked at him. "When did her leave for the interview?" She asked.

"He went an' left just two days ago, I think. Not sure when exactly, cause he injured his forelegs a day before he left in a carriage accident." Joe said shuffling in his place.

"Steve here, he never told me about anythin' and was acting kind strange when he left. I left and went home, finding a note. I always kept it with me and I was real excited the day he'd come home. But days passed and he never returned. I never got letters, nor did I get a phone call," Joe sighed at this last part, and Twilight closed the notebook. The walkie talkie buzzed and a voice was heard.

"Twi, we are outside, let us in! It's freezing out here! Um, please... Now!?" Fluttershy called. Rainbow hit a red button and a buzz was heard, but not the walkie talkie- a door. It was early morning, like 6:00 or something, but it did not take long for Joe to realize that he was in Fluttershy's shed. Derpy, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy walked in, pulling a lever to securely lock the door. It was like a garage door, but smaller. About four ponies could go across it.

Sky Wishes smiled at Joe who sighed in relief. She untied the ropes, but kept on the cuffs. Joe moved around his forelegs and stared at all the mares there. Sky cleared her throat and spoke.

"Um, I have great news and sorta bad news.... Good news is that I know who foal-napped Steve. Bad news is that Steve is not Steve..." The others and Joe stared at her in disbelief.

"Woah, woah, woah... hang on a second. Are you saying that Steve is some sort of..." Rainbow didn't finish, but she knew that Sky understood.

"I'm afraid that 'Steve' is not his real name. Nor is he a colt. Steve is actually a filly, and a job interview of being a part of the undercover team in Canterlot. She faked everything and went to work with Secret agent Sweetie Drops and a few other ponies. If she had beed discovered, she would be captured by another undercover team from Manehattan. Her real name is Agent Arrow Tale. As Twilight tells me, the foal-napping was planned, and the accident, knowing that Joe would have been notified if Aroow's hooves were unusable. Her horn was covered in a poison to stop her magic."

The dectective Squad

Twilight and Derpy exchanged glances and then looked back at Fluttershy who was laying on the floor, looking up into the ceiling. She had just recovered from the shocking, yet horrible news. She did not want to help find 'Steve' no matter what! She continued to lay on the floor, and she mumbled a few unclear words every now and then. Who was this 'Steve' guy anyway? Why was she expected to help some-pony she didn't even know? Where was she supposed to look? All these questions circled her head and she panicked. MMMMM GAHHHHH..... NUUUUUU.... NO, I CAN'T NUUUU..... she thought, but got looks from the other two.

"Um, you know you uh... said that out loud... heehee.." Twilight said covering her face as much as possible. Fluttershy squeaked and got up from the floor, her mane hanging over half her face. "I-I-I, um...." was all she had time to say before she was dragged outside. It was now cool outside and the wind was much colder and stronger. Birds rushed to their nests and squirrels chattered and scurried into holes. To sum it up, it was a disaster, since she woke up from her fainting. It was cold, the clouds were grey, and the sun not nearly shining at all. The sky was more blue than a blueberry, and in fact, it was the color of Derpy and Rainbow's fur mixed together. After a few minutes, she found out that she was dragged over to a bush with leaves covered in dewdrops. Then her pupils shrank to the size of fleas as her brain tried to keep hold of the scene before her. She frantically shook her head, her mane swishing from side to side as tears welled up in her eyes.

"N-No-No.... This can't b-Be... this can't BEEEE! Nooooo! Dear, Celestia, help me! Oh, the poor souuuuul!" She wailed. Twilight and Derpy turned around in shock, staring at Fluttershy.

"Oh my Celestia, Fluttershy! Are you Okay? What happened?" Twilight asked, her whole body shaking from worry. Derpy was on the edge of fainting and her ears kept flicking. Fluttershy pulled herself together and pointed at a body inside the bush. Derpy gasped so hard, her lungs might have shrunk.

"M-Maybe the foal-napper of Steve did THIS to the poor guy!" Derpy said gesturing to the body. It lay there, legs all over itself.

At a graveyard, Fluttershy threw a pile of flowers at the grave. She started to cry as she stared at the stone-carved words. It was too much for her to read it in her mid so she said it with all her heart:

"Died: March, 15th 2016 (sigh) " she said. then turned away to leave the graveyard, off to find Steve. She turned for a split second saying: "Rest in peace, little piggy..."

Yes, it was a pig... O.O