My Little Pony and the Thievius Raccoonus

Chapters

Warm Welcome
New Surroundings
On the Other Side
Settling In and Waking Up

Warm Welcome

Mchawi. Not a person that I would like to dwell on. A ruthless warlord that controls a huge criminal empire that stretches from Jamaica to Central America, and all the way to Southern China. A mongoose so ruthless and brutal that he has been known to use torture and brainwashing on anyone that gets in his way. His intolerance of failure is so extreme that he will kill anyone that fails him even once.

Not much is truly known about Mchawi's early life, but what is known is that as a young man he joined a small gang in the heart of Jamaica. He soon climbed up the ranks and took over the gang through a mixture of cunning deals and a use of dark voodoo magic. His grab at power didn't end there. He quickly started taking out any rival gangs and used his new found power to expand his empire across the entire island. He expanded it even farther into Central America and started taking over any crime syndicate that refused to join him out right.

He seemed content with this for almost three years but then he decided that China was ripe for the picking and moved there to personally oversee the takeover of the major gangs. Until recently he has been hiding out in southern China but when Interpol started closing in he fled to his home of Jamaica.

Now how does that tie in with me, Sly Cooper, the world’s greatest thief? Well Mchawi stole a set of prayer beads from a Buddhist monastery that are said to be beyond priceless and I think they would look much better in the Cooper Vault than in the hands of a warlord like Mchawi. For a first gig coming out of retirement this seems pretty tame.

Sly Cooper in:

The Forest of Terror

Sly Cooper landed on the roof of a small hut. His gaze fell onto the large wall just a few yards ahead of the hut. He pulled out a small device similar to binoculars; however this device also served as a visual communication device. He looked through the Binocucom and scanned the walls of the fort in front of him. It was a primitive structure but formidable with all the more modern add-ons such as S.A.M launchers and automated gun turrets looking over the fortress gates.

A voice from the device in his hand buzzed in. "Sly are you there? Sly?"

Sly couldn't help but smile at the sound of his oldest friend’s voice. Oldest if only by a few seconds. "Read you loud and clear Bentley. I'm in position."

Sly looked at the image of his turtle friend as another imaged flickered in. His second oldest friend Murray, a pink hippo, appeared with a smile on his face.

"The Murray is ready. Good to see you back in the field again Sly."

Sly gave a small smile back to the hippo. "Good to be back. So how are things holding up at your end Bentley?"

The turtle turned away from the camera for a moment and talked to someone off screen. He turned back with a dopey grin then his business like look returned. "Penelope and I are ready to go on this end. Murray?"

The hippo flexed, regardless of the fact his friends couldn't see anything other than his head. "I have dispensed justice on the security guns and The Murray is ready to start phase... uh three right?"

Sly tried his best to contain his amusement as Bentley sighed. "Yes Murray. Anyways Sly you better get ready. Penelope is itching to give her newest RC chopper a spin."

Sly nodded. "Over and out."

He put the small device away and moved closer to the wall. He placed the old cane he was carrying into his mouth and grabbed hold of a brick. Old. At least fifty years. Should be strong enough to climb up. Easy.

Sly moved up the wall with little effort as a lifetime of thievery had given all the training he needed. He reached the top and checked the walkway. An alligator was walking toward him but had failed to notice Sly's head on the side of the wall. Sly waited until the reptilian guard had slipped by before he made his move. He leaped on the walkway, landing on his toes as to make a little sound as possible.

The poor guard never saw it coming. Sly swung his cane hard into the back of the alligators head. A soft *Whump* filled the air as the guard slumped to the ground unconscious. Sly looked at the guard for only a moment before he glanced over the side of the wall towards the inner fortress. There were several smaller buildings and on many of them there appeared to be several working crews attempting to fix the scrap piles that used to be the automated guns.

Sly smirked. "Nice job Murray. Now all I have to do is wait for the signal."

As if on cue Sly heard a small whirring sound and glanced up. Above him was a small RC chopper heading towards the work crews. Sly gave the chopper a quick wave before he backed away from the parapet. He took a running start and leaped off the parapet and onto a low hanging rope. He landed on the rope and a moment later he leaped off of it onto a roof nearby.

As he landed one of the repairmen noticed him and for a moment confusion crossed the reptilian face. A moment later a small explosive went off in front of him knocking him backwards into another repairman. As the group scrambled to figure out what was happening another explosive went off in the middle of the group. Sly glanced up as he began his sprint and watched the RC chopper drop another small explosive.

Sly smirked as his path across the roof tops opened. He gazed off to his left as he began to sprint and spotted the orange glow of fires engulfing the buildings. Murry is right on time. This is going surprisingly well. Sly leaped into the air and landed on the next roof. He was nearing the fortress quickly and he readied himself as his grip on the cane tightened and relaxed reflexively. An old quirk he had developed while on a job.

Sly reached the wall of the main fortress building. Not the oldest structure in the compound but still older than the weapons systems that were now in pieces. Sly slipped the cane into his mouth as he found purchase on the wall and began his climb. He reached a low balcony as his ear piece buzzed.

"*bzzt* -ome in! We have a*bzzzzt bzzz* Do you rea*bzzzt*"

Sly grabbed onto the railing of the balcony and moved one hand to the ear piece. "Bentley? Bentley can you hear me?"

Must have a jammer in the tower of the castle. How did we miss that? Great, looks like I'm on my own for now. Sly sighed and lifted himself onto the balcony silently. He moved over to the glass door leading into the castle and crouched next to it. He gently tested the lock and found that it was open.

The raccoon glanced around the room and found that it was a heavily furnished bedroom. Sly slinked his way across the room when movement on the bed forced him to stop. He glanced over and spotted a arm reaching for what looked like a lamp and before he could react light flooded the room.

Sly stood there blinded by the sudden change in the light for a moment before a high scream met his ears and a pillow hit his chest. Sly eye's quickly adjusted and he saw that the thrower of the pillow was a young panther girl no more than sixteen years old. She was in a night gown that was far to revealing for a girl her age.

Sly dodged the next pillow. "Hey, stop that. I'm just in the wrong room."

The girl was screaming at him in a language that he wasn't familiar with but he could tell that it wasn't native to Jamaica. If anything it sounded like a tongue native to South America. Sly dodge the next projectile which happened to be a shoe. Sly moved across the room swiftly and removed the other shoe from her hand. She broke down into terrified sobs the moment he did so and slumped to the ground.

In a very heavy accent she spoke broken English. "Please no touch! He has already ruined me! Please no more!"

Sly stood there for a moment as her words sunk in. From the light of the lamp he could clearly see that the panthers left eye was swollen and she was trembling in terror. I knew he was a messed up bastard but this? She's just a girl. Sly sighed and got down on one knee.

"Hey. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to get something from Mchawi. I promise you that after tonight he will never touch you again. Put on some clothes and wait out on the balcony. I'll send someone to help you soon."

The young panther looked up at him with a spark of hope in her eyes. "Thank you."

She scrambled to the dresser near the bed as Sly moved towards the door. The door opened before he could even touch it and a large alligator was standing in the frame.

"What's all the..."

His eyes widened for only a moment before Sly's cane impacted his head, knocking him out cold. The panther let out a small shriek in surprise and stared at Sly. "You do that to Mchawi?"

Sly looked back at her then to the guard. "Maybe once or twice."

The panther girl walked up to him, now wearing a closed bathrobe and a small smile. She hugged him tightly then took a step back. "Thank you. Who are you?"

Sly tilted the hat back and gave her a smile of his own. "Just a thief doing the right thing. Now go wait for help on the balcony. It'll be safer there."

The young girl nodded and headed to the open glass door as Sly moved into the hallways. Sly looked around the hallway for a moment as he jogged his memory for the floor layout Bentley had stolen for him. As the floor plan came to mind Sly headed down the hallway and up the staircase at the end. He reached the top of the stairs and moved along the end of the hall.

Sly tried his best not to look at the decor of the hall but just couldn't keep his eyes off of them. On the wall were well over twenty masks, each more grotesque than the last. Along a long table underneath was what looked like a collection of hands, feet, organs, and even a few fetuses preserved in strange liquids of a variety of colors. Sly swallowed as he forced his mind off the memories of Madam Ruby and her swamp of undead nightmares.

The door to his shrine should be just up ahead. Ah ha! There it is. The door was slightly ajar as Sly approached it and he could hear voices from within. Sneaking up to the door Sly listened in on the conversation.

A deep voice that dripped with malice reached his ears first. "And what if the houses burn? You deal with your own damn troubles but I want those turrets back up tonight and I want the saboteur found NOW!"

A much more worried voice drifted out next. "Sir we are trying our best but there’s someone in the compound hindering the work crew. We can't get anything done until we deal with that."

A small growl was all the other voice got in response. A small green glow came out from the door for a moment then faded away. "Kill the intruder in the hall and I might spare your miserable hide."

Crap. Sly leaped away from the door and moved under one of the tables. The door was tossed open and a monstrously large alligator walked out of the door. Sly tucked his tail under the table as the large creature looked around the hallway.

"There nobody out here."

The menacing growl of a voice came out of the room. "You saying I lied?"

The alligator shook his head. “No sir, I'll look around."

The large guard walked down the hallway with a pair of pistols drawn. "Where are ya trespasser? I promise not to kill you slowly."

Sly waited under the table until the large guard pasted He slipped out and reached into a small pouch at his waist. He grabbed a small pellet. "What you don't want to do it slowly?"

Sly smashed the pellet on the ground and a sudden burst of smoke filled the hall. Sly rolled to the side as the large guard turned around and opened fire toward where Sly had been standing. Sly grabbed one of the jars from a nearby table and tossed it at the guard. The glass shattered and the green goo inside splattered all over the alligator.

"Ahh! Get it off me!"

Sly ran up to the double blinded guard and leaped in the air. For a brief moment everything seemed to freeze as Sly readied himself. He tightened his grip on the cane and brought it crashing down between the eyes of the guard. Sly landed softly as the guard stood there for a moment dazed then fell backwards onto the ground.

Sly stood up and took a small breath as he glanced over at the open door. Best to get this over with.

He walked to the door and stepped inside the large round room. The center of the room was lower than the rest of the room and was separated by a few steps. The walls were lined with what appeared to be hundreds of candles that rested on the floor, burning dimly. The walls were lined with even more of the disturbing masks that had lined the hallway.

Standing in the center of the room in front of a table that held an alter with black candles and a doll wearing the prayer beads was the mongoose Sly was looking for. The dark furred mongoose's back was to him as he spoke in his deep voice.

"Do come in Sly Cooper. I am honored that you have returned from the dead to rob me."

Sly tightened his grip on his cane but stayed in his spot. "You can't come back from the dead if you never really died."

Mchawi nodded. "True. Not without a little help from some friends. I trust that yours are the reason my guards are running round like the brain dead morons that they are?"

The mongoose turned to Sly with a small grin on his face, but his eyes were filled with a cold hate. Sly merely shrugged. The mongoose chuckled darkly.

"Man of little words, or perhaps your guarding them from me. Either way it doesn't matter." Mchawi waved his hand at a small blue candle that wasn't lit and the wick burst into flame. "I will offer you this one time Cooper. I'm in the need of some rather skilled assistants but can't seem to find the right bunch. Maybe you and your gang would care to do some jobs for me?"

Sly crossed his arms and gave a small snort of contempt. "We wouldn't be caught dead working with you. We have some morals unlike you. We don't hurt children and we defiantly don't work with insane men like yourself."

The grin on Mchawi's face turned into a scowl. "Very well then. I shall kill you then, I will kill every last one of your friends and that little number you have been hiding with."

The mongoose's paw burst into a black flame that he threw at Sly. Sly barely managed to roll out of the way and reached into his pouch to grab something to help him out. Tight space, angry mongoose, and I'm on my own. Perfect odds for this heist it seems.

Ten minutes ago

Inspector Carmelita Fox was angry. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence when she was on a job but this day was really upsetting for her. She had hoped to spend the day at the beach with her boyfriend of two months, Sly, on her rare day off but instead Sly had been called away by a messenger mouse. He had said it was a business call and he couldn't ignore it. She had tried to protest but Sly had told her not to worry and that they would spend the night together.

The fox checked the safety of her pistol as she let out an annoyed sigh. She had been waiting in the hotel room when the phone rang. Much to her anger her vacation had been called off as Interpol had gotten a very good tip that could lead to the capture of the criminal warlord Mchawi.

At least I can do something good for the world before my vacation restarts. To bad I couldn't reach Sly. He would have loved to help me catch this guy. He's been studying this guy for months. She looked out the side of the helicopter and spotted the castle looming in the distance. A small voice came on the speakers inside the vehicle.

"E.T.A. is one minute. Lock and load ladies."

Carmelita looked down and smirked at the five large gorilla's that were hanging onto the landing gear of the helicopter. The Sargent of the mercenaries glanced up at her and grinned.

"We’re gonna have a good night. Ready the jetpacks boys! We’re going in hot!"

The fox moved up to the pilot and looked out from the windshield to see the fortress coming in quickly. Something caught her eye in the air. It looked like a small RC chopper flying around. She tapped the pilot on the shoulder and pointed to the small device.

"You seeing what I'm seeing?"

The wolf pilot glanced at it and shrugged. "Maybe it's part of their security. A birds eye view is the best."

The helicopter slowed down and began to hold still above the compound of the castle. The gorillas dropped down guns blazing as Carmelita surveyed the scene. Several buildings were on fire and there were close to hundreds of people running around, trying to get the fires under control. She spotted a scrap pile on one of the roofs that wasn't burning. She looked at it a little closer and noticed what looked like barrels of large caliber guns.

"Hey, Ralph. What does that scrap heap look like to you?"

The wolf looked over after moving the helicopter so he could look. "I'd be willing to bet my copter that used to be an AA gun. I've been shot at by those to often when helping you out."

The inspector felt a familiar shiver go up her spine as she spotted more dismantled guns. This was all starting to look and feel like a rerun of a older job. In fact the whole scene was reminding her of a particular job she had done in India. The only difference so far was a masked ball and a certain Cooper stealing something.

She looked over at the castle and noticed a panther sitting on a balcony in a bright green bathrobe. "Hey move close to the balcony there. I have a feeling something’s going on and that panther knows."

The wolf gave her the thumbs up and moved above the balcony. The inspector dropped out of the helicopter and landed with a small thud on the balcony, which caused the already nervous panther to jump and cry out in shock.

"I'm Inspector Carmelita Fox of Interpol. Tell me everything you know about what's happened tonight."

The panther tried her best but kept slipping into her native tongue. However there was a single bit of information that Carmelita caught.

"The thief told me to wait here on balcony."

The fox eyes widened. "Thief? What thief?"

The panther girl pointed to the room. "Thief came in. Scared me but said was friendly. Fur was grey and wore mask."

Carmelita stood there for a moment as alarms went off in her head. Sly wasn't a thief anymore. He lost his memory after the events at Kane Island. There was no way he was here stealing something from the most dangerous man in the entire world right now, during an Interpol raid.

The panther's ears perked and a small smile came to her face. "Wore blue cap and had weird stick with gold end on it."

The fox's blood ran ice cold. Any doubt in her mind was demolished instantly. She knew that Sly had been here and that meant she was going to have to capture him. He had lied to her for two months and was now stealing something right under her nose. Carmelita quickly motioned to the helicopter.

"Get in the helicopter and do what the pilot tells you. You'll be safe there."

The girl nodded and moved towards the edge of the balcony. Carmelita used her radio to contact the pilot and get him to lower the helicopter down. She helped the girl into the helicopter and readied her weapon. She moved through the bed room and heard something very close to an explosion from above her.

"Ring tail I swear if your here I'm going to make you wish you hadn't lied to me."

Back with Sly

I hate my job some days.

Sly jumped away from another large fireball that impacted on the wall behind him and destroyed several of the masks and candles near the wall. Sly brought his hand up from the pouch and tossed the first thing he had grabbed at Mchawi. Unfortunately for Sly the item he had grabbed turned out to be a small alarm clock that began ringing midway through the flight.

A soft *Thump* sounded in the room as one of the black fire balls hit the clock before it could make it to the mongoose. "You will have to try much harder than that to survive."

As the melted and silenced slag that was once the clock hit the ground Sly had grabbed a handful of the smoke pellets and smashed them on the ground. The room quickly filled with smoke as Sly made a quick dash to the table. He found the doll wearing the prayer beads and stuffed both the doll and the beads into an empty pouch on his leg.

Time to leave. Fun meeting you Mchawi. Sly grinned and crouched low to the ground as he tried to spot the door way. However all he found was a strong hand on the back of his head. This feeling lasted for only a moment as the hand forced his face hard into the wooden floor.

Sly groaned as his head was lifted up and he came face to face with the black, smoking eyes of a very angry mongoose. Sly tried to swing his cane at his captures head but was stopped when Mchwai's free paw landed hard in his stomach. The wind driven from Sly's lungs brought his swing to a pathetic halt. The hammer like fist drove itself into Sly's stomach and ribs multiple times then once to Sly's jaw.

The power of the final blow was enough to launch the barely conscious raccoon into the air. Sly landed on the unyielding floor with a pained gasp. Sly looked up at the ceiling and only vaguely aware that the smoke had vanished somehow.

"Pathetic. You could have had power and all the money in the world. Yet you want to stay with your little gang instead of having an empire. I will kill you only after I have found all of your friends and force you to watch them die slowly and painfully."

A voice that made Sly's blood run cold, far more than Mchwai or any other crime lord every could. "Step away from the raccoon and put your hands in the air. You're under arrest."

Sly looked up and spotted the calm and collected Carmelita fox. Despite the pain he couldn’t help but smile at her. Lovely as ever. I almost missed seeing her working and being on the receiving end. Almost.

Mchwai growled at the inspector. "I didn't realize Interpol was coming for a visit. I would have cleaned this filth out much faster."

The fox's aim didn't waver. "Hand's up or I will shoot."

The mongoose merely smiled as his eyes burned with hate. "My dear madam, I was being robbed. I have broken no law and was merely defending myself. You have no grounds to arrest me."

Carmelita smirked at the crime lord. "You may not have broken any laws when attacking this man but the weaponry outside is illegal and so is the lack of fire control you have. Hands. Up."

The crime lord scowled at the cop then slowly raised his hands. "Shame you have to die tonight as well. I was looking forward to killing you in a much more creative way, Miss Fox."

The mongoose brought his right hand down fast and launched a black fire bolt at the inspector. At the same moment Carmelita pulled the trigger of her pistol. A blue bolt of electric energy flew through the air and collided with the black flame. For a moment the projectiles mixed in the air and shrank as if they would just dissipate, but a moment after the collision they collapsed and formed a small reflective sphere.

Sly had moved to his hands and knees to move away from the mongoose when the shots had been fired and was looking at the orb hanging in the air like the other two occupants. However his amazement at the event was quickly ended when he thought back to every time he and magic interacted. He moved to his feet, his ribs and stomach screaming in pained protest as he made a dash for Carmelita.

He was nearly to her when the orb in the room exploded in a black wave of energy. The screams of Mchwai were heard by the fox and raccoon but they were looking at each other. Sly reached out to grab the inspector when the energy hit his foot and tail. Everything seemed to stop at that moment as he looked into the frightened eyes of Carmelita. He opened his mouth to say something but the wave of energy had moved up his body and to his chest. A burning sensation was the only thing his mind could focus on as the wave moved up to cover his head.

The pain was unbearable but only lasted for a moment or two before Sly's mind went blank and he lost all consciousness.

A couple made their way through the streets of beautiful city of Canterlot. They had just finished attending a charity event hosted by a wonderfully talented seamstress from Ponyville. The mare of the couple leaned over and placed her head on the stallions shoulder as they made their way through the park.

"This was a wonderful night. I must order a dress from Rarity before she become far too good for us."

The white stallion chuckled. "I think she will be able to find time for us. I dare say she see's us as friends. Don't worry Fleur; I'm certain that she will be willing to make time for us."

The pair nuzzled as they walked through the dark park. The stars shone brightly this night as the moon was new that night. Fancy Pants stopped for a moment and loosened the tie and undid one of the buttons on his suit. He looked at his wife and smiled lovingly at her. She smiled back and leaned forward to press her lips to his.

The couple stood there in the star light just holding each other and kissing when a bright beam of light lit up the sky above them. The pair pulled apart and Fleur let out a small scream as the light began to fall towards the couple. Fancy Pants leaped in front of his wife and shielded her from the light as it crashed in the tree that was less than a few yards from them.

The light faded from the fallen object when it hit the first branch of the tree. The object fell through the tree and landed in a small heap at the base of the tree. The snow white stallion shook his mane to dislodge some small pieces of wood that have splintered off the tree. Fancy Pants glanced over at now ruined tree then checked Fleur to make sure she was okay.

"What was that?"

The stallion shook his head and looked at the object laying in the grass by the tree. "I don't know, but I daresay that I will in a moment or two."

The white stallion took a few steps towards the object when he his nose was met with the smell of burnt cloth and singed fur. Fancy Pants stopped for the moment and gave a small cough. Must have been a meteor... but meteors don't have fur to burn.

Fancy Pants took a few steps closer and summoned a small orb of light from his horn to provide light so he could inspect the object and once he did he realized that it defiantly wasn't a meteor. on the ground was a large creature of some kind that was curled up on the ground holding a gold tipped cane in its paw. It was wearing blue clothes that were badly singed and had a few pouches at its hips and leg. Fancy Pants moved closer and gently touched it to see if it was alive.

A groan from the creature and it curling into an even tighter ball told him that not only was it alive but also in pain. The stallion looked back at his wife that had moved up behind him as her curiosity overrode her fear.

"What is it?"

The stallion shook his head and moved close to the strange creature and tried to lift it up. "I don't know but it needs help." Another loud moan and a pained gasp from the grey furred thing made Fancy Pants stop and stand back up. He turned back to Fleur with a set look.

"I need you get to the mansion and tell the maids to get ready for a guest and call Blue Cross and tell her to get to the house immediately."

Fleur looked at him for a moment and nodded. "Okay but shouldn't we take it to the hospital?"

Fancy Pants shook his head and bent down next to the creature and used both his magic and forelegs to lift the creature onto his back.

"No. Blue Cross has the best knowledge of bipedal creatures in all of Equestria, save any bipedal doctor. If there's anypony that can help this creature it's her."

Fleur nodded and gave her husband a quick kiss. "Don't strain yourself."

Fancy smiled under the weight of the large creature. "You kept telling me I needed to get a workout and now I guess this counts."

They shared a quick smile but it ended as Fleur turned and began to run down the park path. Fancy began to walk after her as he adjusted the weight of the creature on his back. A small groan reached his ears and out of the corner of his eye he spotted the paw, no hand, of the creature tighten on the cane.

"This wasn't how I imagined spending my night and I'm certain you didn't want this either." A small groan came from the creature a few moments later. "Hang in there, I promise you'll be just fine."

New Surroundings

Sly's mind was slowly becoming aware once more. The first thing he noticed was the warm softness that surrounded his body and beneath his head. He slowly moved his limbs to test them. His legs and arms were sore, his back ached, and his chest gave a dull throb when he exhaled. Sly slowly moved his head from side to side as he moved his neck. Much to his surprise it was the only part of his body that didn't feel bad when it moved. He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

He was greeted by the sight of a dark colored wood. Sly shifted his head a little and followed the wood to the edge of a four poster bed. The edge held brass colored rings holding up a deep blue cloth that had small patterns of what looked small birds. Sly sat up, with no small protest from his ribs and stomach, and shifted in the bed and noticed that it was a relatively small bed. I must be in the home of a... wait, how did I get here to begin with? Sly felt the blanket slip off of his body and felt his toes on the cool sheets underneath as he moved to the side of the bed.

Where are my clothes? Better question; Where am I?

Sly opened the curtain and was momentarily blinded by the light pouring in from the window across the room. As Sly's eyes adjusted he stood up from the bed and nearly collapsed as his legs buckled. Sly grabbed onto the small nightstand of the same dark wood color to keep himself from falling to the ground.

"Okay... that's not going to work."

Sly sat back down on the edge of the bed and stretched out his toes on the soft carpet of a deep shade of red. "This is a really nice way to welcome someone that just died."

A gentle voice came from his left. "Then I guess you'll be glad to hear that you not dead then."

Sly turned quickly, which was a major mistake, and spotted the slightly pink pony walking towards him. As his body began a new protest he stared at the slender creature in complete astonishment. Three things registered in his mind. First was that she was white with a slightly pink tinge and had a horn on her head of the same color. The second was that she had no hands and was walking on all four limbs. The third and final was that she was completely naked and so was he.

Sly looked up at the ceiling in respect of this fact and cleared his throat. "You're naked and I'm indecent as well."

The pink mare stopped walking for a moment and looked at him confused. "Why would I be wearing clothes? There is no special event I must attend. Why would this... oooh..."

She walked out of Sly's sight for a moment and passed him a small bundle of blue cloth. "Your clothes were really badly burned so we hired a friend of ours to make you a new set. Here you are."

She placed the small bundle down on the bed and move back out of sight, giving Sly some privacy. Sly quickly picked up the bundle and undid the small knot of string holding it together. He put the outfit on and was amazed by the quality of the work and cloth that had been used. It was obvious that this wasn't cheap.

He started putting the clothes on and looked at the shadow of the pony near the foot of the bed. "Thank you. May I ask you a few questions?"

The mare nodded. "Yes, but only if I may do the same."

Sly chuckled a little. "Fair enough. I guess since I'm the guest I'll let you have the first question."

The mare used her magic to pull a chair over to herself and sat down. "What's your name?"

Sly fastened the belt and reached for the pair of gloves. "Sly Cooper."

The mare was still out of sight to the raccoon but he could she her shadow move a little. "That's a nice name. I'm Fleur de Lis. I'm a unicorn in case you wanted to ask that."

Sly finished getting dressed by placing the replica mask in the pocket if the new coat. "Well that's helpful. Where am I?"

Sly got up slowly as Fleur spoke. "You are in the home of my husband Fancy Pants. We found you in the park after you crashed into a tree." She paused for a moment then spoke again. "Canterlot is the name of the city you are in and you are in the peaceful nation of Equestria."

Sly slowly took a few steps forward and stood still for a moment. Fleur got up from her chair and walked around to see him standing.

"My next question; what are you exactly?"

Sly slowly flexed his arms and tested his motion ranges, only stopping when he felt strong pain. "Fair... enough. I guess the question is mutual at this point. I'm a raccoon from Paris. Not much else to say."

Fleur watched him stretch and move for a moment before she answered him. "I'm not familiar with Paris. Is that in Prance?"

Sly shook his head. "My turn to ask a question. Why aren't you wearing clothes?"

Fleur started circling him, looking him up and down before she stopped in front of him. Sly made a point not to look down at her and instead focused on the window.

Fleur watched his motions for a few moments then shrugged. "I suppose it’s a difference in society and culture. Ponies don't wear clothes unless it’s for a special event. Otherwise we go about in just our given fur. I would like it if you would do me the kind respect of looking at me while we talk."

Sly noticed the irritated tone in her voice and glanced down at her. For the first time since she spoke he got a chance to look at her and study her form. He couldn't deny that she was a lovely lady and that she had a certain grace about her. The thing that made him both embarrassed and fascinated was the shape of her body. It was completely alien to him but was undeniably feminine.

Sly gave her a roguish smile. "Of course. Might I say you have very lovely eyes."

Fleur smirked at him and rolled her eyes. "I have heard that one to many times to fall for it from a stranger. Only one stallion can flirt with me and get something in return."

Sly grin grew wider and he chuckled as he moved back to the bed. "Fair enough." Sly let out a long sigh and started rubbing his neck. "Thank you for helping me. How exactly did I get here? To Equestria and this city I mean."

Fleur moved to the bedside and up onto the bed. "Lift your arms please I need to check you bandages." Sly did as she said and while she worked she spoke to him in a slightly concerned tone. "I have no idea how you arrived here. You fell out of the sky and crashed into a tree into in the Canterlot Park. My husband and I brought you here and called a doctor to heal you. I was hoping to ask you that question."

Sly winced as the light pink mare checked the bandages on his chest. "I haven't a clue. Last thing I remember was..."

Sly stood up suddenly, which startled the mare attending to him. Fleur moved off the bed as Sly walked towards the door of the room.

"What's the matter?"

Sly stumbled for a moment and grabbed the edge of the bed to steady himself. "Where’s my stuff? My cane and all the pouches that were on me?"

Fleur motioned to foot of the bed. "In the chest there with your older clothes. We didn't know if you wanted to keep them or not. You're not thinking of leaving in such a terrible state are you?"

Sly moved to the chest Fleur pointed to and opened it. He began to pull out his equipment and rummaged through the pockets of his singed clothes pulling out everything and placing them in his own. He attached the pouches and reached for the cane. He barely noticed that it was polished to a keen shine as he used it as support to stand back up.

"Carmelita was in that room when it went up. If I'm here then she has to be here as well and if she is then I need to find her."

Fleur used her magic to close the door that Sly was hobbling towards. "I can't let you leave in such a state. If you leave the work of myself and the doctor Blue Cross will have been a waste. Please just calm down and stay here."

Sly turned to argue with her but stopped once he saw the concerned look on her face. She motioned to the bed. "Please. If she has come to Equestria like you have then somepony will have found her. When you are well we can search for her but for now, please, relax so you can heal as quickly as possible."

Sly stood there for a moment leaning heavily on his cane. He fought a war within his mind. On one hand he knew she was right, he was in no condition to be moving around more than he needs to. However on the other hand he knew that if he was this beaten up the Carmelita couldn't be in much better shape.

He let out a heavy sigh and moved back to the bed. "Fine, but only if you promise to keep an ear out for news of a fox that looks sorta like me. She has to be somewhere in... Equestria."

With that Sly slumped onto the bed with a heavy sigh. Fleur moved off the bed so he could lie down. "If you need anything just ring the bell on the drawers and my servants will get you what you need. I will try my hardest to find your friend as quickly as possible."

Sly stared up at the ceiling of the four poster bed as Fleur left. She's more than a friend.

Far across Equestria a very angry and hurt Carmelita Fox walked through a forest while fixing a bandage to her arm and adjusting the sling she had made from her jacket. Her arm was mostly likely broken if she judged the amount of pain correctly. She drew her pistol as she edged toward the gap in the trees. She had been walking for hours after waking up at the base of a large tree in a crater.

How could he? What was his game anyways? Using me like that, the nerve of that raccoon. Probably using his cover as a member of Interpol so he could steal around the world without having me try to hunt him down. We spent so much time together; he was so kind to me. We even...

She forced the thought from her mind as she moved under a low branch, a scowl on her face. "He always was a smooth talker. Never should have believed him."

She stopped walking for a moment and her expression softened. The last two months had been the happiest of her life. Sly had helped her solve plenty of cases and they had fallen deeply in love. A small smile came to her lips as she recalled a brilliant night they had shared in Paris. Sly had join Interpol as a consultant, with a little help from Carmelita behind the scenes, and they had celebrated the achievement with dinner in city.

The fox continued to move as a pang of pain shot up her arm. She needed to find a doctor to set her arm, and quickly, before shock set in. She moved as swiftly as she could with her ankle stinging at every step. She moved through the trees and spotted a edge to the forest. She moved to the edge and saw a large meadow that had a pond and a large tree sitting in the distance.

"That's a start. Maybe there's a village nearby... if I find you Ringtail..."

She let dark thoughts of revenge fill her mind as she made her way to the pond. She sat at the edge of the pond and reached out to the water but her hand stopped as her head began to spin. She shook her head and tried to keep a clear mind but her vision began to swim.

Carmelita heard a distant voice before she fell forward into the pond. The last thing she felt was a strong set of hands pull her from the water before her vision went black.

On the Other Side

Static. Never a noise that made Bentley comfortable. It always meant that something had gone wrong, or worse was about to. Bentley moved the binocucom up to his eyes.

"Murray, come in Murray!"

The face of the hippo appeared in the small view port in the bottom left side of the lens. "I'm here Bentley. What do you need me to do?"

"I lost contact with Sly. I think there is a jammer in the tower and I need you to get in there and break it. It should be in the east tower."

The hippo nodded. "Right. Uh..."

Bentley rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "It's the tallest tower."

Murray shook his head. "I know which tower it is, but I think you should look at it right now."

Bentley used the binocucom to focus on the tower in question. He zoomed in a little and watched. The tower was dark for a moment then he spotted a helicopter moving away from one of the balconies. He zoomed in even further on the helicopter and studied it. He recognized the markings, the pilot, and office it belonged to.

"Oh boy, Murray you’re gonna need to get in that tower and get Sly out. Carmelita is here. I can see her pilot flying near a balcony."

The face of the hippo turned from the confident smile to a look of concern. "Okay. What happens if she spots me?"

Bentley thought for a moment. "Well... I think we should be fine. As long as she doesn't see Sly I think he could keep his cover with her. This may get a little tight but we've had worse."

The hippo nodded and his face turned to static. The turtle lowered his own binocucom and looked to the mouse near him.

"I take it you know already?"

The mouse nodded and pointed to the small screen on the controller in her hands. "I spotted some of those gorilla mercs. Should we move in and try to help?"

Bentley rubbed his chin for a moment. "I'll move in to help Murray. If Sly is in there we may need to distract her. Also with you out here you can help us with some air support."

The mouse gave him a thumb up and watched at the small thrusters on the wheelchair powered up. Bentley moved the chair forward and pressed a tiny red button to activate the thrusters. A small beep and a low *foowsh* was all Penelope heard as the turtle moved into the air and onto a low lying building. She looked at the castle in the distance and let out a low hum of worry.

Bentley landed on the roof and wheeled himself across it. He pressed the small button again once he reached the edge of the building, launching himself off the roof and towards the wall of the fort. He hit the button again to keep himself airborne and hit it a final time to clear the edge of the wall. With a slight *Thud* he and his chair landed on the walkway on the top of the wall.

Well I know the new shock absorbers work well. Bentley pulled up the binocucom and opened the channel to Murray again.

"Murray where are you right now?"

The pink face of the hippo appeared. "I'm almost to the castle. Why?"

"I'm going to join you up there. Carmelita's up there and we need to make sure she doesn't see Sly."

Murray nodded then gave the turtle a small smile. "Hey if this goes south on us it will be like old times, the three of us on the run from her. We've yet to be captured by her, for long that is."

Bentley nodded and closed the channel. I'm not worried about getting captured. I'm worried about Sly. He's been dating her for months now and I'd hate to think about losing someone I love like that. The turtle moved his wheel chair to the edge of the walkway and readied the thrusters. I hope you know what you're going to do this time Sly. I don't want to see you lose her.

Bentley made a few short thrusts from one building to the next as his mind worked on all the possible escape routes they might need. Something reflected on his glasses causing him to look up. One of the rooms in the east tower lit up and a moment later the window shattered and a loud explosion reached him a moment later. Bentley covered his eyes at the bright white light, despite how high up the tower was.

What in the... Oh no.

Bentley started pushing the wheels on his chair as fast as he could. Something had just gone off in the tower that Sly was in and now Sly might be hurt. He reached the side of the castle and started moving along the side. He spotted a large form ahead and moved his wheelchair to the shadows. He watched the large figure and recognized it as one of the gorilla mercenaries that had worked with Carmelita in the past.

Bentley sat there for a moment as he watched the ape move along the streets. The mercenary reached up to his ear and held it there for a moment. It was with a sudden shiver that the turtle realized that the ape was wearing a pair of night vision goggles. The large mercenary looked over at the shadows where Bentley was sitting and aimed his rifle at him.

"Hands up, little man." He muttered into his mike "I got a tango in a squatter. Doesn't match any description of any known officers and doesn't fight the profile of a streeter. What should I do?"

Bentley kept hands in the air for a moment as the gorilla nodded. "Yes sir. All right little man. Move into the street."

Bentley slowly lowered his hands and moved the chair into the middle of the street. The ape held his palm out and the turtle stopped his chair. The large ape moved closer and smirked at the turtle.

"Trying to run shorty?"

Bentley shook his head and moved his hands behind his head. He could feel sweat beginning to form on his brow as he looked down at the small control panel. Move a little to the left. Please move to the left. The mercenary started to slowly approach the wheelchair.

"What, no words for me? Tell me, where were you trying to go?"

Silence.

"Very well then, be that way. We have ways of making you talk, but until then I'll just leave you here with a little present."

The mercenary pulled out a pair of handcuffs and moved to the side. Bentley waited until the ape was right in front of his armrest when he brought his hand down quickly on a small button on the keyboard there. The mercenary heard a small *Fwoot* before he felt a small stinging sensation on his leg. He looked down to see a small dart in his leg.

"What wass... th-that?"

The ape eyes rolled up into his head as he fell backwards onto the street. The turtle moved his chair up the street and stopped for a moment to look down at the ape.

"Sleeping dart, little guy."

The wheelchair confined reptile made his way around the building until he came to a familiar sight: A pile of unconscious thugs and a large hippo standing next to them.

"Murray, what are you still doing down here?"

The masked hippo jumped a little and looked over at the turtle. "Oh, uh..." He stood up to his full height and flexed a little. "The Murray was dealing with these pesky guards. I was about to make my way up to the tower."

The turtle moved next to the hippo and motioned for him to follow. "Good. Something exploded us there a few seconds ago. I don't care what it was or who did it, if Sly is hurt he will need us right now."

The hippo nodded and jogged alongside the turtle as they made their way to the large castle doors. Bentley would have been impressed by the architecture if he wasn't in a rush. They made their way into the fortress and Bentley stopped only when he was met with an old foe of his. Stairs, lots and lots of stairs.

Murray stopped next to him and looked up the stairs then back to his friend. The masked hippo wore a questioning look mingled with amusement.

With a sigh Bentley nodded. "Go ahead."

Murray only grunted as he lifted the wheel chair with one of his powerful arms and began running up the stairs two at a time. The turtle in the wheelchair sat there with his arms folded as he looked at his friend. In a way he was jealous of his friend. Murray had always been the strong one of their trio.

Despite how Murray looked, with his large gut and childlike smile, he was a huge mass of muscle and was rather smart in his own way. He always managed to keep calm in most situations and somehow always could find a reason to smile when he was with his friends. It had been Murray's hunger for cookies that had spawned the plan for their first heist together. The same heist that Murray ended up eating all the stolen loot.

Bentley looked down at the wheelchair for a moment and started messing with some of the weapon controls and checked the small cash of explosive devices. His mind briefly flashed back to a very similar situation to this. He, Sly, Murray, and Carmelita had defeated the criminal mastermind Clockwork, an owl that had replaced all of his biological body parts with mechanical ones so he could hunt down and destroy the Cooper clan. However the victory came at a cost. During the fight he had been caught in the jaws of Clockwork and had been paralyzed permanently.

Murray had opened the jaw and carried him to safety. He had been carried by his lifelong friend for hours until they could find a hospital that could help them. Murray had never left his side during the whole night. He had been there when the doctors told him that they couldn't fix his legs. That news had devastated Murray as much as it had Bentley. Murray kept blaming himself for not being able to save Bentley's legs.

Murray's voice brought him out of the past. "Hey, which way should we go?"

The turtle shook his head and looked around for a moment. "What floor is this?"

"The twenty fifth on the east wing."

The schematics of the fortress flashed through the turtles mind in an instant. "To the left. There should be a stair case that way."

The hippo made his way there and spotted the stairs. They made their way up three floors and came out on the hallway that led to Mchawi's private room. As Murray set the wheelchair down they surveyed the damage. The hall was a mess. The wall that was connected to the room was bent at the middle towards the opposite side of the hallway. the floor was covered in strangely colored slimes and liquids along with somethings that they didn't want to think about.

"What happened up here?"

Bentley looked up at Murray and tapped his chin for a moment as he looked as a jar sitting next to the wall. It was filled with a green substance and had what looked like a type of root inside of it.

"I have no idea. If I had to hazard a guess some type of explosion, but if that's the case then we should smell some type of burnt substance."

Both of them took a moment to sniff the air. Nothing burnt but some of the smashed jars smelled rather foul. They moved down the hallway and moved into the small room. The room was worse than the hall. The floor was covered in the strange slime and there were candles everywhere.

"Be careful. If there was a blast the whole room could be unstable. Hopefully the room will hold for now."

Murray nodded and scanned the room. "Sly's not in here. You think he's still on this floor?"

Bentley looked at one of the few intact jars for a moment. He scratched his chin and remained silent. Murray moved over to him and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Bentley? You still with me here?"

Bentley blinked a few times then looked at the hippo. "Yeah." He removed his glasses and wiped them with a small cloth he pulled out of a small pouch. "I'm still with ya, just thinking is all. If we want to be sure that he's not in this tower we'll need to find the jammer in this tower."

Murray nodded and punched his hand. He gave his friend a smile. "I get to smash them?"

Bentley couldn't help but grin at the simple enthusiasm his friend was displaying. "Go get it. If it's not in this tower then it should be in the others, I still had a signal in the lower half of the tower."

Murray headed out into the ruined hallway as Bentley reached down and picked up the small jar on the floor. It was perfectly intact and filled with a purple liquid that looked as thick as syrup. He checked the jar for a moment to make sure that it wasn't cracked or leaking. Placing the small jar down on his lap he moved into the hallway. He looked around until he found the intact jar he had looked at when they first made it to this hallway.

Picking it up he looked at the root suspended inside the green liquid. Interesting. He glanced around at the scattered things that all had been in the jars before, from what he could tell. So... why is this one empty...

The turtle moved back into the small inner room and looked around the floor at the puddles of goo. Rolled himself over to a small table that was flipped over and set it up. He placed the jars down and leaned back in his chair to look at them both, resting his chin in his hand and tapping the armrest of the chair with the other.

Moments of silence passed as Bentley studied the jars as his mind worked out the mystery they contained. There were all the signs of an explosion, from the damage in the hall and room to the flash of light that shattered the window, but none of the more subtle signatures. There was no burn marks, no charred smell, nor were there even remains of an explosive device.

The silence ended as some static buzz filled his ear and Murray's voice came through. "Bentley I think I solved the problem. Can you hear me?"

The turtle brought the Binocucom up to his eyes and looked at the tiny image of his friend. "Yeah. I can hear you. Have you tried to make contact with Sly yet?"

The hippo shook his head. "I have but I got nothing. Not even static. It's as if his binocucom isn't even in range."

Bentley sighed. "Head on down here. I think I have found something."

"You found something? Do you know where Sly is?"

Bentley shook his head. "Not exactly."

Bentley lowered the device and resumed looking at the jars before him. This is starting to get really weird... not even a shred of evidence that Sly, Mchawi, or even Carmelita from being in the tower. The turtle picked up one of the jars and looked at it for a moment. Bentley was deep in thought when his friend returned.

"What have you got?"

Bentley held up the jar with purple ooze. "What's missing here?"

Murray walked over to his friend and took the jar from his hand. He studied it for a moment then placed it back on the table then picked up the other jar, a moment passed before a confused look passed over his face.

"Uh... one has a root looking thing inside of it?"

The turtle nodded then motioned to the empty one. "I found this one in this room and I got the other one from the hall. None of the broken jars in here have any of the little things in them or on the floor, but in the hall all the specimens are all over the floor or even on the walls."

Murray placed the jar down and looked at them. "So what does this have to do with Sly?"

Bentley picked up the jar for a moment then looked at his friend. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that the reason why is going to lead us to him.

Settling In and Waking Up

As the master thief made his way down the halls, supported by his father's cane, he couldn't help but wonder where, and how he had ended up in a mansion filled with strange horse like creatures. They were so similar to the horses, and ponies that he had met in his travels, but they were so different at the same time. They never wore clothes, had marks on their thighs, and had no hands. To his surprise, there were even some that had wings along with the ones that had horns.

Sly paused for a moment and looked up at a painting that hung before him. It depicted a stallion with a horn on his head casting a powerful spell to defend a mare behind him from a shadowy creature surrounding them. The brilliant, bright green of the unicorn’s magic, and his white coat were a grand contrast with the dark blues and blacks of the shadows.

Wonderful colors and a very fine attention to detail. I can see the fear in the woman's eyes and the bravery in the mans.

"I see you have an eye for fine works."

Sly turned to see the owner of the mansion. "Hello there, Fancy Pants right?" The thief extended his arm for a moment then moved it up to brush his hair. It was hard to get a hand shake from a pony that had none.

The unicorn nodded and noticed the action with a small raise of his eyebrow. "Indeed. I'm glad you know me, I assume Fleur answered some of your questions."

Sly studied the white unicorn with a well-cared for blue mane. He noticed the monocle and the suit top, and much to Sly's chagrin, no pants. The thief found himself wondering what the unicorn did for a living.

"Now, I hope that you are healing up quickly."

The raccoon nodded. "Yeah, your doctor is pretty good at her job."

The stallion nodded and looked at the painting. "Good to hear. I know this may not be the most subtle way to ask, but how exactly did you end up crashing in the park?"

Sly shrugged and took a small step closer to study the painting a little more. "Well, I was working a job, and it went a little south. One explosion later I end up here. A little magic was involved as well but I don't know all that much about magic."

"Hmm, may I be so bold as to ask what your profession is?"

The master thief leaned closer to the painting and gave it a very intense look. "I collect and retrieve rare artifacts, art works, and other valuable objects for myself or for others that want them. I deal with a lot of very influential people regularly, and travel around the world to make my deals."

The stallion took a step closer to the painting as well. "A treasure hunter, to put it in simpler terms. Interesting, to say the least. It's over three hundred years old. It was painted by my great, great grandfather after he read a legend about a shadow demon. I hope it passes your inspection."

"It's a masterpiece. The attention to detail is amazing, and the colors play off each other wonderfully."

The white stallion nodded and studied the raccoon. He noticed that Sly was leaning on the cane heavily, and was stroking his chin as he looked at the painting. Sly took a few steps back to look at the painting at a different angle, and as he did so he winced as he walked.

"Are you alright? I noticed that you seem to be wincing, and have a small limp in your right leg."

Sly took a breath in before he spoke. "No, to be frank, I'm not. It's not the injuries that are getting to me though. I've had far worse than this happen to me." The thief looked at the pony for a moment then sighed. "I think a friend of mine might have come to this place as well, but if I'm here alone, that means she might be alone, hurt, and needs me."

"I understand. Unfortunately, you can't go looking for them in such an injured state. I have talked to a few powerful ponies and they assured me that they will help search for your friend."

That caught the thief's attention. "What kind of powerful friends?" Sly looked at the painting for a moment then back to the stallion. "What kind of work do you do exactly?"

The white unicorn stood up a little straighter and a look of importance came over his face. "I'm the head of the Royal Bank, and I handle the funds of Their Majesties the Princess's."

The raccoon gave the stallion a deadpan look and chuckled. "So, you’re their accountant, and a banker. Must pay very well to own a place like this."

Fancy Pants shared the chuckle. "I suppose that's a simple way of putting it. It does pay the bills, but the home isn't an expense. It's been in the family for almost ten generations now, if I have a foal that is."

Sly looked at the stallion for a moment then noticed that the unicorn reached into his coat pocket. The stallion pulled out a small golden pocket watch and checked it.

"Now, the Princess wanted something of you before she could give you her help."

Sly's grip tightened on the cane. He never had good relations with authority figures. "And what would that be?"

The stallion motioned to the end of the hall. "A little of your time. She wants to meet you, to be fair you are a new creature that nopony has ever seen or met before."

The thief relaxed his grip a little and nodded. "Fair enough. Let's go meet royalty."

Sly and Fancy Pants walked down the hallway and through a pair of large dark oak doors. The pair walked into a large dining room with a deep, rich purple carpet, handsomely carved table and chairs, and a large marble fireplace. Sly only had a moment to study the room before motion at the head of the table caught the raccoon's eye. Sitting there was a large horse similar to the others he had seen, only this one was radiant white, had wings and a horn but that wasn't what made her different. It was the mane that shimmered and moved like it was in a gentle breeze where there wasn't one.

The large mare looked up from the small piece of parchment she had floating in front of her and connected her gaze to Sly. A chair moved out and she pointed to it.

"Good evening Mister Cooper. I hope you are healing well."

Sly gave her a small smile and sat in the seat that she offered him. "I'm doing fine, Princess...?"

"Celestia. I am here because you are a visitor to my kingdom, and one that we have never seen before, so I thought a personal visit and welcome was required."

Sly tapped the head of his cane as he gave the large mare a friendly smile. "Celestia. You all have such interesting names here. It's nice that you saw fit to visit me yourself. I hope this wasn't an inconvenience for you."

The princess shook her head and placed the parchment on the table. "Not at all, I have a few questions to ask you, if you don't mind."

As the raccoon shrugged as a small bowl of soup was placed in front of him by a pony in a maid uniform. The gentle scent of a French onion soup reached him and a small spoon was placed next to the bowl. Sly wasted no time in starting in on the dish. He looked up at Celestia and gave her a small nod to show her that he didn't mind her asking him questions.

"I understand that you came here due to some sort of accident, if what Fleur has told me is accurate. Is that correct?"

Sly swallowed a spoonful of the warm soup then nodded to the princess. "There was a complication to a job I was working... a mad mongoose ruined everything..." The raccoons eyes widened as a thought came to his mind. He stood up as quickly his injuries would allow him.

"We need to search for Carmelita! If I came through then she did, and that means he did as well. If she is close to him in any way then she might be killed."

Sly tried his best to walk towards the door but was stopped by his cane refusing to move. He looked down and saw that it had a golden aura around it. He looked behind him and saw that Celestia had risen as well and her horn was glowing.

"Mister Cooper, what are you going on about? Who is Carmelita, and why is her life in danger?"

The thief tried to move his cane but found it wouldn't move. "She is the most important person in my life, and at the moment she might be out there right now, hurt, alone or worse. If she is anywhere near Mchawi then she will need help."

"I understand that you are upset but you are in no condition to go out and search for her. You need to be patient and let us help you. I will send out my guards to search the kingdom for her. Is she like you, grey furred and clad in blue clothing?"

Sly sighed, and looked at the princess. Something about the honest way she spoke and the look of concern in her eyes made him trust her. He nodded and moved towards the seat he has so hastily risen from.

"She's got orange fur, deep blue hair, and is a fox."

"I see. If she is as clever as you say then sh—"

Sly tapped his cane on the table to cut the alicorn off. "No, I mean literally, she is a fox, just like I'm a raccoon."

For a moment the princess just gave him a surprised look then nodded. "Of course, now I think we should continue with some of the other questions, and that little correction leads into my next question. What kind of creature are you, I have never met a creature like you, and you only partially resemble the raccoons in my kingdom."

The thief remained silent for a moment then got an idea. "Can I have a map?"

The princess nodded then her horn began to glow. A second later a scroll appeared and floated over to Sly. He straightened up slightly as it came close to him. His reaction wasn't missed by the princess.

"Does my magic make you uncomfortable?"

As he took the scroll out of the air he shook his head. "I've had a very bad streak of luck with magic. Voodoo, flaming fists, and now black magic, almost all the magic users I've met have tried to kill me at one point."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I assure you that I'll not be one of those."

Sly couldn't help but chuckle at her statement. He opened the map and looked at it. In an instant he could tell that he wasn't on his own world anymore.

"Yeah... I thought so, just my luck to. This isn't my world, which means that somehow we need to get back."

Celestia rose from her seat once more and walked over to Sly. "We will find a way to send you home. I have a final question for you and then I shall begin the search for your friend Carmelita. This Mchawi, how dangerous is he? If he is a danger to my kingdom then I must know immediately."

Sly nodded and rolled the map up. "He's a crime lord, and a very powerful one at that. He's trained in hand to hand combat and knows Voodoo magic, as well as black magic. He's armed with a lot of hatred of everything that moves and a very short temper."

For a moment Celestia paled then she regain her composure. "Thank you for the warning. I'll inform my guards of this and they shall search for your friend, and this criminal." There was a short pause then Celestia's voice grew very serious. "I hope for your friend’s sake that they are nowhere near each other."

"So do I, your majesty."

Celestia walked out the doors and began talking to Fancy Pants in a rushed whisper. Sly returned his gaze to the soup in front of him and found his mind focusing on the last image he had seen in his own world. The frightened face of the only women he loved. Suddenly he wasn't all that hungry.

Warmth. It surrounded and comforted the fox that was slowly waking up. She rolled over and reached out, expecting to find her bedmate for the last two months there to greet her into the morning and found empty air. Her groggy mind took a moment to process that information.

Wrong way... strange, he usually sleeps on this side of the bed. Oh well, when in Rome...

The blue haired inspector rolled over and found her face suddenly pressed up against something soft but firm. This set off the first alarm in her head. The second alarm was caused by the sudden realization of humming coming from behind her. The final alarm was the sharp pain in the arm she started laying on.

She sat up quickly only to have her head to begin spinning. She grabbed the arm of the couch to steady herself and the sudden sensation made her feel sick. Her hand went to her mouth and she closed her eyes so that the spinning room would stop assaulting her eyes.

The humming stopped and she heard the distinct sounds of hooves on floorboards. Years of training told her that the number of hooves meant two horses and that the lighter tone of the sounds meant they were small.

A family of horses... they must have found me and brought me to their home.

She opened her eyes as a soft voice reached her. "Oh good, you're awake. I was beginning to get worried that I would need to get help."

The fox stared at the pink maned horse for a moment stunned. She had never seen anything like it before. Standing a few feet away from her was what looked like a very young female horse walking on all four of her limbs. The thing that really stunned the inspector was the simple fact that the young woman was naked.

Carmelita took a small breath as she locked her gaze with the mare. "Hello, my name is Carmelita. What's yours?"

The horse smiled. "I'm Fluttershy. Are feeling alright? I tried my best with your ankle and your arm. I hope they feel fine."

The fox looked at her arm to see a well-made cast and a quick gaze over the rest of her body revealed that Fluttershy had been very thorough with her care giving. The fox noticed something that made her cover herself. Her chest was bare; Fluttershy had removed all of her clothes to apply the bandages but never placed them back on her.

"They feel fine. May I have something to wear, please?"

The small horse nodded. "Oh, of course.” A small frown came over the gentle face. “I don't know if anything I own will fit you, but I'll find something. I hope you don't mind but I sent your clothes to get repaired. They were very badly ripped and worn out."

Carmelita nodded and sighed. "Okay. May I ask you something really quickly?"

The mare nodded. "Sure, anything you need."

"I don't want to sound rude, but are those wings... real?"

Fluttershy turned her head to look at the wings on her back. She blushed a little then nodded. "Um... yes. I'm a pegasus."

The inspector nodded for a moment then sighed. "Right... of course. Thank you."

Almost thirty minutes later Carmelia and Fluttershy converted a few of the pony's dresses into a skirt and a blouse. The fox decided to break the ice with some of the questions buzzing in her mind.

"So, Miss Fluttershy, how exactly did I get to your home, and where is your home? Country and town or village I mean."

"Well, Sebastian saw you fall into the pond and when he brought you here—"

The inspector held up her hand to stop the pegasus. "Who's Sebastian?"

Fluttershy smiled. "He's the bear that lives nearby. I help him with his neck and back problems. He was coming over for a session and saw you fall into the pond. After fishing you out, he brought you to me and I started taking care of you. You are in my cottage in the outskirts of Ponyville in Equestria."

Carmelita sat down on the small chair in the cottages kitchen. She rubbed the bridge of her nose for a moment. She had never heard of a Ponyville, let alone the nation of Equestria.

"Okay, how long have I been here?"

"Almost a day and a half. Would you like some tea?"

"Sure, thank you."

Over the next hour Fluttershy and Carmelita talked about the town and the ponies that lived there. The fox learned very quickly that this place was nothing like anywhere she had ever been. All the ponies looked similar to Fluttershy, never wore clothes, and all had the little tattoos on their upper thighs.

The inspector placed her now empty cup down on the table and was silent for a moment. "Has there been others... like me I mean."

Fluttershy shook her head. "Not that I have noticed. Maybe somepony in town has seen them. I was planning on heading into town tomorrow to get you fixed cloths. If you would like to join me we could ask my friends if they have heard anything."

Carmelita felt her heart sink for a moment then she nodded. She now had a plan and she now had a goal in mind. As Fluttershy got up and cleared the table the fox looked out the window and muttered to herself.

"Stay safe ringtail."