Shadow: for this part, I’m going to break it down into three POVs; Carmelita, Bentley, and Murray.

And I guess I never mentioned this. But My Little Sly Cooper: Thievery is Magic will only be about 20 - 25 chapters, depending on alternate endings and the author’s final note.

So, happy reading, everypony. :3

My Little Sly Cooper: Thievery is Magic

XI - Rundowns

“Okay, so what is it to be a pegasus?” Carmelita asked Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, brow raised in curiosity as the group of ponies split up. The pegasi trio walked towards Fluttershy’s cottage, the polychromatic pegasus flying backwards in a laid-back pose.

“Pegasi are the winged ponies of Equestria,” explained Fluttershy. “They help control the weather around here.”

“Control the... weather?” Carmelita was confused. “Doesn’t the weather... you know, control itself?”

“No way!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Without pegasi, the weather would always be outta wack! Plants would die from drought, or snow or rain would always be affecting a certain place forever! I mean, the only place where the weather works all on its own is the...” she gulped before she continued; “the Everfree Forest.”

“The Everfree Forest?” Carmelita looked toward the distance, squinting to improve her vision. “Is it that huge forest over there next to...er, Fluttershy’s cottage?”

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “But... nopony ever goes in there. It’s too dangerous for us: the clouds move all on their own, animals care for themselves, and the plants grow all by themselves. Plus... there are so many m-m-monsters in there.” The craven yellow pegasus shuddered.

“Well, the occasional animal exits the forest, and they come to my cottage,” explained Fluttershy. “Usually, they’re injured, so I help mend them up, and send them back on home to the forest.”

“Pegasi are also in control of the seasons, hence the city of Cloudsdale is providing us with rain or snow.”

“Me? I work as a weather manager over Ponyville. But someday, I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!”

“A... Wonderbolt?” Carmelita was even more curious than prior the conversation. ‘What the Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo is a Wonderbolt?’

“Yep! The most awesome, fastest flying team in all of Equestria, hoof-picked by Princess Celestia herself!”

“Sheesh. What, do you live under a rock or something?” Rainbow Dash was getting a bit agitated at the ex-fox’s questions.

“Well, Princess Celestia is the ruler of all of the Equestria,” began Fluttershy in an attempt to remedy the situation, “and she’s the reason why there’s daytime. Her sister Princess Luna is in charge of the night.”

“I see...” Carmelita looked up at the full moon, the spherical ball of reflected light bleeding indigo. “Hey, Fluttershy. What do you do?

“Flutershy is like... an animal caretaker,” answered Rainbow Dash in the butter-yellow pegasus’s place.

“Yes,” piped in Fluttershy, “Like I said, any animal that comes to me gets treated for and taken care of. All the cute little bunnies, and squirrels, and bears, and-”

“H’okaaay, moving on!” interrupted Rainbow Dash quickly, with a muffled “sorry” coming from Fluttershy. “SO, anything else you wanna know?”

“Yeah! It’s over by the hospital. Just stop by Twilight’s place tomorrow for a map and-” Rainbow Dash paused when she saw Carmelita’s expression sour. “Say, what’s wrong?”

“It’s that Twilight girl... she both scares and irritates me,” answered Carmelita with a shudder. “There’s just something about her that just rubs me the wrong way.”

“Well, you may not like Twilight now, but over time, you’ll learn to like her very much. She’s such a sweet, smart, and amazing pony,” explained Fluttershy reassuredly.

“I’ll take that with a grain of salt...” murmured Carmelita almost silently.

“Oh! Did you say something? I’m sorry I didn’t hear it....” apologized Fluttershy.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-flight for a second before resuming her flying, catching up to the two ponies who had left her at a temporary standstill. “Why?”

“Well, what’s the point of being a pegasus if I can’t fly?” reasoned the fox-turned-pony.

“Now that’s the spirit!” declared Rainbow Dash, the biggest and most devilish of grins on her face. “Tomorrow, you’re gonna be in for the lesson of your life!”

“Thank you once again, Ms. Rarity, for allowing me into your household for tonight,” thanked Bentley again as the two entered the Carousel Boutique, its name apparent due to the sign out front. “It’s a lovely place you have here.

Rarity only giggled. “Oh, don’t mention it, darling,” she said, leaving Bentley blushing slightly at being referred to as ‘darling’. “Besides, it’d be positively rude of me to just simply not take you in for the time being.”

“Regardless, this is indeed very nice of you; is there any way I can pay you back?” asked the ex-reptile.

“Oh, don’t worry about the payment: it is all my pleasure.” Rarity smiled at Bentley. “Now come, I shall prepare us some tea.”

“Er, alright,” murmured Bentley as he followed her into her kitchen. Bentley smiled at how impeccable it was: orderly lilac cabinets, clean white tile floor, lovely table with a set of chairs, and impeccable countertops.

“Sweetie Belle!” exclaimed Rarity. Bentley turned his head to see who the white unicorn mare was talking to. He saw another white unicorn; a filly, by the looks of her, with lavender and pink curly hair, acid green eyes, and a coat as white as Rarity. But unlike her, the filly’s flank bore no strange mark upon it. “What are you still doing up?”

“Oh!” Rarity’s eyes went wide for a second. “This is Bentley, Sly’s friend. He’ll be staying with us for a while until... er...”

“Until we can find the necessary materials to return us back home,” finished Bentley.

“Correct; since childhood, actually!” Bentley smiled at the pride flowing through him. But a question soon flitted into his mind that he felt that the older sister Rarity could only answer at the time being. “Say, Rarity... I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Rarity mulled it over, the gears in her head working and grinding to create the correct answer. “Well, it’s simple. Unicorns are capable of perform feats of magic, be it small and modest to immense and showstopping. Twilight Sparkle and the princesse are good examples of incredibly powerful magic.”

“The princesses?” Bentley was more curious. Who were these princesses that the marshmallow-colored mare was walking about?

“Yes: Princesses Luna and Celestia. They are both alicorns, or ponies with the wings of a pegasus and a unicorn horn. Princess Luna is responsible for creating the night, and Celestia is responsible for the day time.”

“Ah yes. Since ‘Luna’ is Latin for ‘moon’ and Celestia is Latin for ‘heavenly’, referring to the heavens, or sky, that bores the Sun,” said Bentley automatically, his more-than-highly-advanced brain creating the sentence in milliseconds; “that would make sense.”

“Yes....” said Bentley, smiling, puffing out his chest, and raising a hoof in a naïve attempt to perform a Vulcan salute. “Yes. I. Am.”

Sensing how upset the ex-reptile was, Sweetie Belle tried to remedy the situation. “I-it’s not like that that’s a bad thing! I mean, my friends call me a dictionary every now and then!”

“Demure: characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved,” answered the filly.

“Paradigm: a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme.”

“Sure! One good example is the word ‘girl’. ‘Girl’ could be written by itself, in plural form, in singular-possessive, or plural-possessive.”

By then, Rarity was shocked at how extensive and great her little sister’s vocabulary is. Even Bentley himself was impressed.

“Alright... how about ‘socialism’?” Bentley grinned in victory: surely, she can’t know what-

“Socialism: a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, et cetera; in the community as a whole.” Sweetie smiled brightly, like she had won the lottery.

“Oh, you’re good,” Bentley murmured, staring into her eyes with vigor, scanning for any weak points in her proverbial armor. Sweetie Belle did the same, the two ponies so close that sparks could possibly start flying between their eyes.

In the end, the two started laughing heartily. As it went on, Rarity set down the ready-made tea, as well as three ornate teacups, a small tin of sugarcubes, and a few silver spoons.

“It’s well and dandy that you two are bonding so well alraedy, but enough is enough for tonight. You can pick this up tomorrow,” admonished Rarity playfully. “Have your tea, and then it’s off to bed.”

“So, lemme get this straight,” Murray began, “You, your big brother, your little sister, and your grandma help out that huge of a field?”

“Heh. Eeyup.” Applejack chuckled as she, Murray, and Pinkie Pie entered the large, gingerbread house-shaped facility.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, Murray!” chimed Pinkie Pie, still in her Sly Cooper clothing. The second they stepped inside, warmth from the kitchen ovens wafted into the room, trying to escape through the open door. Applejack closed the door, however, trapping the warm air inside the bakery. Murray sniffed the atmosphere, shuddering as the scent of cupcakes, candy, and other sweets and confectionaries were detected by his brain.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” called Pinkie Pie into the bakery, her voice rupturing the rather quiet din of the building. “Anypony home?”

“We’re in here, Pinkie Pie!” A slightly scratchy male voice - ‘Mr. Cake’, thought Murray called back from the kitchens. Pinkie Pie bounced inside the kitchens.

“Well, I’d better get back t’ th’ farm,” announced Applejack. “See ya ‘round, Murray, Pinkie.”

“Bye, Applejack,” replied Murray, inspecting his hooves up close. His eyes went wide in remembrance. "Wait!" Applejack froze in her tracks, curious as to what Murray had to say next. "Applejack... can you please tell me what an Earth Pony does?"

Applejack grinned at the question. "Aw shucks. Well, that's real simple, sugarcube. Earth Ponies're responsible fer takin' care o' th' land they live on. They have magic in their hooves, lettin' em tune in with nature. That's purty much why Sweet Apple Acres has some o' th' best apple produces in Equestria.

"Now, if y'all will excuse me, Ah gotta git up early tomorrow fer work. I'll talk t' y'all tomorrow." This time, she exited out the door. "G'night, Murray!"

Murray returned the farewell before facing the kitchen's general direction again. “I want you all to meet my new friend and roommate!’ Pinkie Pie said happily as she bounced out of the kitchen (now out of her costume), with a teal mare and a yellow stallion in tow. The mare had on a yellow apron with pink frills and large pink spherical earrings. Her features consisted of rosy eyes, a hot pink mane and tail styled to look like cupcake frosting, and a Cutie Mark featuring a trio of cupcakes; the yellow stallion had on a white apron with a dark orange-and-white striped bow tie and cap. His characteristics consisted of forest-green eyes, an unkempt orange mane and tail, orange freckles on his boxy muzzle, and a Cutie Mark of three squares of carrot cake with white frosting.

Murray would’ve greeted the two ponies with gusto, but stopped when he heard “roommate”.

‘What?! I’m rooming... with a girl?!’ Murray thought uncomfortably. He had roomed with others before, yet those others consisted of just Bentley and Sly. While he knew that living with a pony as energetic as Pinkie Pie under the same roof was destined to have its ups and downs, he had not been counting on the possibility of the exact same pony sleeping in the same room as him.

“Well, it sure is nice of Pinkie to have a roommate of her very own,” the stallion, Mr. Cake, said jovially. “I’m Carrot Cake, and this is my wife, Cup Cake.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr... er...” Mrs. Cake’s sentence trailed off, for she had not heard the fuchsia Earth Pony stallion’s name.

“Well, then, Murray,” Mr. Cake began, “allow us to fix you up some food! You must be at least a little hungry.”

Murray nodded vigorously, his mouth already salivating at the prospect of sustenance. “Sure! That’d be nice!” And to punctuate his eagerness to eat, his stomach growled, as if it had heard the proposition of feasting. “Heh... sorry about that.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” squeaked Pinkie Pie. “I wanna make the treats! I wanna make the treats!”

“Yay!” Without so much as a warning, Pinkie Pie barreled into the kitchen, and returned in seconds with a small tray of six cupcakes, steaming hot and fresh, the green icing holding small apple slices in them.

“How did she-” started Murray, bamboozled by how quickly the cupcakes were prepared.

“Yepper pepper! Don’t you fret about a thing, Murrinator!” giggled Pinkie Pie in reassurance, probably due to the look of anxiety plastered upon the ex-hippopotamus’s face. Murray’s face grew questioning and weirded out at the nickname “I’ll make very sure I’ll be the best, super, most spectacular roommate ever!” She ended it in a smile so large that black holes would be envious of its size.

“Er... alright, then,” concluded Murray in slight discomfort. He reached for a cupcake, ignoring the fact that hooves could not grab anything. His hoof nearly squashed the cupcake he wanted so desperately to eat before he realized it.

“Uh... Okay, Pinkie...” Murray reached out and placed his hoof on the cupcake. He lifted his hoof up, and the cupcake followed suit, attached to his hoof like the suction cup of a squid’s tentacle. He placed the cupcake into his mouth, and chewed voraciously. The confectionary tasted like apples and cinnamon, but intensified by tenfold.

Before long, Murray and Pinkie had finished the six cupcakes, their stomachs satisfied... well, at least Murray’s stomach; for the pink mare had reached into her poofy mane, withdrew a small slice of blueberry pie, and greedily devoured it in one go.

“Again: it’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” answered Mr. Cake. “Just... try not to question her logic, or lack thereof.”

“Ahh~!” Pinkie Pie sighed in content from the food she had quite literally inhaled. “Now, c’mon!” She bounced merrily up the stairs towards her sleeping quarters. “Let’s get you upstairs to our room, Murray!”

Murray sighed. The actions of what had transpired in the past five minutes were already taking a toll on the poor ex-hippopotamus’s brain. He walked upstairs, where the double-edged sword of both sleeping and being with Pinkie Pie awaited him.

My Little Sly Cooper: Thievery is Magic

by Deyeaz

XI - Rundowns