10 Days, 3 Adventures - Part 2 - "Manehattan Crime Story"

by TP Night

Chapter 7 - What's Really Going On

“Ok,” Gunny said after Rarity finished talking, “First of all, those two were not the
real Acacia and Hibiscus. They were impostors. We actually know who they are.
They are a couple of sisters who uses some kind of transformation potion to
temporarily alter their appearance, and impersonate others, and use that to
rob others. That’s what happened to you two.”

“So, who are they really, if they’re not Spa mares?” Rarity asked.

“Well believe it or not, they’re actually a pair of Zebras, and twins.”

“Zebras? Aren’t those rare in Equestria?” Pinkie asked, slightly surprised.

“Yes, and that’s what makes these two unique. When they’re not in disguise,
they’re easy to spot in crowds, so they usually stay hidden or wear hooded capes.
As for their potion, we’re not quite sure about all the details, but we’ve managed
to get our hoofs on some of it when we raided one of their hideouts a couple of
days ago. We have our lab guys looking into it, and we’ve also summoned an expert
in potions to help out with it.”

“Hm.. And what about us? What happens now? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“At the moment, no. However, I need you both to stay in town a few days,
so that if we need to contact you, we can. And also in case you remember anything
else that you may have forgotten to mention now.”

“Oh that’s not a problem at all, we already planned to stay a few days.
Like I said, we’re here on vacation for the week.”

“Just one more thing. When you woke up, did you find a note?
Most likely containing some vague directions?”

“Hmm... No, I saw no such note. Pinkie, did you?”

“Nope, no notes!”

“Why do you ask?” Rarity added.

“Because, sometimes when those two strike, they leave some vague clues to their next
hit, and sometimes they don’t, so every time we get reports that sound like them,
we check the crime scene carefully for notes. Usually it’s a piece of paper,
or scribbles on walls, that sort of thing.”

Gun Point turned toward the half-open door and yelled, “Somepony get Storm Feather
to my office ASAP!”

A few minutes later a raven-headed griffin entered the room. He was wearing a dark grey
tie and a trilby hat of the same color, with a silver band.

“You wanted me, Gunny?” He said with a raspy voice.

“Yeah. New Twins case.”

“Damn, another one? And I assume, these two ladies are the victims this time?”

“Yeah.” Gunny said shortly.

“My name is Storm Feather. Pleased to meet you.” The griffin said and extended his
talon toward Rarity and Pinkie.

“My name is Rarity, and this is Pinkie Pie.” Rarity replied, smiling politely.

“So, where’s the crime scene this time?” Storm asked and turned toward Gunny.

“Acacias Spa. I’ll need you to...” Gunny said, and Storm interrupted him mid-sentence,
“...Go there and investigate, and specifically search for notes.”

“Yeah, exactly. Can you get on it right away?” Gunny continued.

“After lunch, I gotta catch up on paperwork which is already delayed.”

“Good enough. And while you’re here, how are the lab guys doing with the potion?
Any news on what the buck that stuff is?”

“As far as we can tell, you need to add something from the pony you wanna copy,
like a strand of hair or something, and mix it into the potion before drinking. And then,
you physically become a perfect copy of that pony. Effect’s temporary though,
seems to last a couple hours each dose, and then you can’t use it for several hours
until it’s completely out of your system.”

“And does it only work with ponies, or can other creatures be copied too?”

“Don’t know yet, they’re testing that later today. I gave them a couple of
my feathers to use.”

“Good. Now then, back to you two...” Gunny said and turned back to Rarity.
“Like I said, I’ll need you to stay in town. I’m gonna need to know where
you’re staying, in case we need to contact you. Also, I’d like you both to return
tomorrow, I might have more questions. And in any case, I want to keep you updated,
since you are now involved in the case, to some extent.”

“Sure, we can come here tomorrow... any specific time?” Rarity replied.

“In the late morning, around 11.00.”

“That sounds doable, yes.. I was planning to go to the Fashion show pre-show meeting,
but that’s in the afternoon.”

“And I have no plans at all tomorrow, so I can come too!” Pinkie said, now starting
to smile again.

“I’ll be here too. And now, I’ll follow you to the door.” Storm Feather offered.
The two ponies both nodded and followed Storm.

“So, Storm Feather.. What is it you do around here?” Rarity asked with a curious yet
polite tone. Storm smiled slightly.

“I’m part of the local C.S.I. team.”

“What’s a C.S.I. team?” Pinkie asked.

“It stands for ‘Crime Scene Investigation’.” Storm explained.
“Basically means that when there’s a crime, me and the other CSI guys search the crime
scene and the surrounding area for clues. Stuff like bullet casings, hoof prints, blood
stains, drugs, weapons, things out of place, and so on. You’d be surprised how much
you can learn by thoroughly searching the scene.”.

“So THAT’S what you’re going to do at the spa after lunch today?” Pinkie continued.

“Yeah, that’s what I’ll be doing today. Hopefully, we’ll find something to lead us to them,
so that we can catch them. Those two should be kept behind bars.”

“Well, Thank you for the help. We’ll return tomorrow as promised.” Rarity said as
Storm opened the door and let her and Pinkie out.

“You both take care now.”
Storm said as they left. “We will.” They both replied, and walked away.

Soon, they reached the hotel, and went upstairs to their room.
The day had been more eventful than either of them had expected,
so they were both tired. The remainder of the day was spent inside, resting and talking.
Time passed, and soon the sun went down. “I think it’s best if we go to bed. Long day
tomorrow.” Rarity said with a small yawn. Pinkie agreed, and so they both went to bed,
but they both found it hard to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, The two ponies woke up at 09.30, and took their time to get ready.
At 11.00, they arrived at the Police station as agreed the previous day.
They went inside and spoke to the receptionist pony again.

“We’re here to meet officers Gun Point and Storm Feather.” Rarity said.

“Sit down an’ wait, I’ll go get Gun Point.” the old pony said and walked away.
Just like last time, a few minutes passed, and the old pony returned, followed by
Gun Point. “Ah, good, you’re here. Sleep well?”

“Not really, but at least we slept.” Rarity replied.

“Well, Storm and his team made some progress. They did indeed find a note.
It was on a piece of parchment under the cash register. There’s a... small problem.”

“What?”

“You said you were going to the fashion show, right? Well, it seems they are too.
We’re not sure what they would want there though, so maybe you can help us
figure that part out, miss Rarity?”

“The Fashion show?! Well... Some of the dresses might have expensive gems,
and the dresses themselves are often expensive and very exclusive too,
and many of them are made of expensive materials...”

“Like we suspected then, but we weren’t sure. In that case, that’s probably what
they’re after this time.”

Pinkie looked around. “Where’s Stormy?”

“...Stormy? Oh, you mean Storm Feather. He’s down in the CSI lab with the other CSI’s,
trying to figure out the potion. Like I said, we called in expert help for that,
but she hasn’t come yet. She should be here any second though...”

A few moments later, the door opened, and a pony walked in.
Rarity turned around to see, and when she saw who the pony at the door was,
her eyes widened in surprise.

“you?!” She exclaimed. “What are you doing here?!”