• Published 26th Jul 2022
  • 356 Views, 11 Comments

Izzy's Thief - David Silver



Something keeps stealing Izzy's art supplies, and she won't stand for it! Don your detective cap, because it's time to figure this out.

  • ...
3
 11
 356

3 - We Must Go Deeper

Throwing caution to the wind, Izzy bounced down the hole leading further into the depths. The floor proved way slippier than she had guessed, causing her to careen wildly down along it with an emphatic, "Whee!" as the wind rushed past her.

She jumped over a lump of whatever in her way and did a twirl on the landing, giggling wildly as she almost flew down the pipe. It evened out under her, causing her to slow down until she was properly standing on her hooves again. "Now where am I?" She had no idea, but it wasn't diminishing her cheer as she resumed her forward walk. "Mousey?"

The tunnel opened up into, well, a much larger tunnel. She didn't even need to be small anymore, so she stopped being small. Full sized, Izzy looked about in the sewer tunnel she had found. "Neat!" And something was shining against her horn-cast light. "Hm?"

There was a little mound of things that shone when her light reflected off them just so... Wait... "My filings!" The little hut was constructed of assembled metal bits, taken from her supply! "Why would...?" She tilted her head left and right, trying to get a better angle to the little thing. It was so small! Like... "A house?" A house for a mouse? Did mice make hices? Er, houses?

A small furry snout peeked out suddenly, peering at her with little mouse eyes behind it.

"Oh, hi there!" She waved at the teeny thing eagerly. "Sorry to bother, but you took my stuff. What's up with that?"

The mouse withdrew back into its hut, vanishing from sight instantly.

"Um..." That didn't go as well as she had hoped, but she wouldn't give up! "Nice place you've... built here." She crouched down to be closer to the level of her stuff. Could she just take her stuff? Probably. What would a mouse do to stop her? But that also felt super mean to snatch a little critter's house, even if it was made of her art supplies. "A little minimal... but..."

The mouse peeked out at her. Was it curious she was still there? Maybe it was less scared with her admiring the mouse house! "I could make it even fancier if you want. A few buttons would really make it pop."

But it didn't come out to discuss housemaking tips. It hissed at her! Izzy backed up a step from the irate rodent. Apparently pleased, the mouse withdrew into its house. A small form poked free for just long enough for the larger mouse to grab it in its teeth and pull it in.

"Oh gosh!" That mouse was a mom. That was a little baby mouse! Aw, so cute! "Look at you!" Which was hard to do, as momma mouse had already brought them inside to safety. "This isn't just a house! It's a nursery!" She danced in place with a giggle. "You shoulda just said that! I can't..." All will to deprive the mouse of her metal evaporated. As if she could deny the little fuzzy critters of their home. "If only Hitch were here..." He'd be able to chat it up with the mice, and then maybe she'd get to pet a little baby mouse! Aw, that'd be so cute...


Zipp let out a weary sigh. "She's been gone forever!"

Remi shuffled her hooves on the floor. "She has to come back."

"You haven't failed yet," noted the voice in her ear, her cantankerous equine boss. "So, probably?"

"I have a good feeling." It was all Remi could do to pass on what she had heard without being too obvious. "She's a clever pony."

"I'm not sure clever is the word I'd use." Zipp folded her arms. "But she can make it... She's hard to keep down." She smiled with surfacing memories. "I bet she's doing something dumb... but amazing."

"I know a pony like that..." Remi thought back to her energetic earth pony of a friend. "Somehow just as magic..." Anyone that tried to claim Pinkie wasn't magic was blind, or lying. "If they have the same energy, or color as they put it, they'll be fine and we're silly for even worrying, but we should root them on."

"Yeah... How do we do that? Shouting into the pipe feels kinda silly." Zipp considered the hole in the floor. "We really do need to fix those holes. Sunny would be upset to hear we have holes so far. It shouldn't be hard to fix..."

Remi perked. "I'd help, but let's not close anything until after Izzy is back."

"Good call." Zipp hopped to her hooves. "So, instead, let's make Izzy's favorite snack so she has something to look forward to."

Remi rose in a smooth motion and a swish of her fox-like tail. "That sounds like a great idea. Let's do it."

The two went to the kitchen to make something sweet for their sweet friend.


Portholes were made to be heavy and secure. This did not stop Izzy from crashing up through one. It flipped in the air, coming down right behind her right back over the hole it started in. "Ta da!" She was back on the streets of Maretime Bay. "Now let's see..." Fortunately, the lighttower was... kinda bright, making starting her way back towards it easy to do, with a free giggle tossed in at no additional cost.

She reached the lighthouse to teasing scents coming from within. "Mmm! Somepony's been cookin' something great!" she declared, throwing the door open. There were her friends, all of them, gathered around a table with a fresh blast of tastiness reaching her from the food upon it. "Wow! This day just can not get any better!" She rushed over to sit between Sunny and Hitch. "You would not believe what I've been up to."

Zipp waved Izzy closer. "I was just telling them about the whole thing, at least until you vanished. Why don't you pick up there."

Izzy shoveled some tasty food into her mouth, chomping noisily a moment. "With pleasure! So there I was..."

Sunny looked over at their new guest. "You showed up at just the right time. You're--"

"A kitsune pony," noted Zipp with a knowing nod.

"Kitsune pony... That's new. But if you don't have a place to be, why don't you stay around here?"

"I don't need that." Remi waved away the idea. "I should--"

"--You're not done. The timeline still needs repairs, and you're already there."

"--probably stick around, on further thought," allowed Remi with a defeated sigh. "Thanks for being awesome."

"And she had the cutest little baby mouse!" Izzy had not paused her retelling of her adventure. "Can we get a pet mouse? They're so cute!"

Hitch rubbed at his right cheek slowly. "Wild mice and mice you get at a pet store are't the same thing you know."

"They'd be just as cute." Izzy nodded, confident her match checked out. "So can I?"

Apparently the one being asked, Hitch chuckled nervously. "We'll see."

Pipp looked up from her phone. "I can't give much help taking care of it, but if it's well trained and wants to show up, it'll probably draw in a few hits if it's half as cute as you claim."

"The cutest!"

Sunny was looking at Remi. "We'll get a bed for you then. Any idea how long you'll be here? Wow, this is the first new tribe we've hosted before." She rubbed her hooves with growing excitement. "I look forward to hearing all about you and your ponies."

"You had to tell her this, and now you have to make up more lies. Coulda just stayed quiet," chastised the voice in Remi's ear. "You deserve what you get."

"Well, right now, I'm tired... It's been quite a day!"

Zipp raised a hoof at that. "No arguments there. Hey, Remi. Come on, let's get your bed ready and then hit the hay."

Thankful for the excuse, Remi went off with Zipp to prepare sleeping arrangements.

Sunny patted Izzy gently. "I'm glad that had a happy ending. We should fix things so that never happens again. All that effort remodeling, and we have mice holes? We can't let that continue."

"Nuh uh, even if they are cute." Izzy saluted sharply. "Consider me ready for duty. Tomorrow." She took another big chomp of her food. "Today's all done."

That would be a project for after all the ponies there got some sleep, even if one of them wasn't entirely a pony.

Author's Note:

End arc, but there's still at least one thing to be fixed. What will Remi shove her nose into next? Comment darn you all. So quiet :D

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own written here at atreon!

Join my discord to chat!