It was a grey afternoon, the massive landscape passing by the windows of the train car seemed to go on forever. It was a big change from a place like Manehatten, but, at least it would be quieter. Time Turner, or Doc, as he was being called, liked the quiet.
As an inventor he liked the quiet. Ponyville was an ideal place for his work, and the town was filled with nice ponies. It was a quiet town, and a friendly place. A perfect place for...Him.
He looked to his side, seeing a young colt staring out the window. He had a light amber colored coat and a brown mane and tail. His most distinguished feature was his eyes. They were cold, not full of life and wonder like any foal his age should have. Instead he seemed so distant, like his foalhood had been ripped away from him. In some ways, it had..
It had only been a few days ago when Time Turner received an urgent letter telling him about the suicide of Star Chaser, the colt's father. It had shocked him beyond belief and, as he read about the events and how they unfolded, he could only think about his nephew and what he was going through.
Years earlier the colt's mother, who had been Time Turner's sister, had been killed in an accident, leaving his nephew alone with his father. It had been hard, but the colt still had his father, who he admired and could draw strength from. Time Turner, however, hadn't seen his nephew since his sister's funeral, and now he was only showing up again at another one. It shamed him to think about it, shamed him to think he never reached out.
So when the letter asked if he could become the legal guardian of his nephew, he jumped on the first train to Manehatten in order to collect him, and to attend his brother in law's funeral.
During the ceremony, the young colt never spoke. It was not an unusual thing, but he never cried either. He never showed any emotion. He had simply stared at the casket as it was lowered into the ground and, to be honest, the look he had in his eyes had disturbed him.
Still, he was determined to help his nephew and give him a warm and loving home. His marefriend, Ditzy, had been nothing but supportive of his decision to get his nephew, and she had promised to prepare him a room. She had just moved in along with her daughter, Dinky. So all of this was quite overwhelming to them, but Time Turner needed to do this, his sister would have wanted that.
Turning his head, he looked at the colt. "Well lad, soon we shall arrive at the splendid town of Ponyville, I'm sure you will love it there!" Time Turner said, trying to put enthusiasm into his voice, but he was pretty sure his nephew could tell that he was forcing it.
"Mhmm... Okay.." That was the colt's only answer. That had been his only answer ever since he picked him up. He was never impolite per say, but he was distant and only used the minimal amount of words.
'Poor boy, he must be distraught. I wish I could do something, but I guess it is still too early to expect anything. Best thing I can do for him is to be there. I just hope he will come to like his new home..'
Clue Chaser, or Chaser as ponies called him, hadn't really spoken since that day. The police had refused to listen to him. He had kept telling them that his dad wouldn't kill himself, of course he wouldn't! But what shocked him the most was their refusal to investigate it. His dad had served the police department dutifully for as long as Chaser could remember, so was this the only level of loyalty his service he had earned?
Finally, after much arguing, crying, and begging, he had simply given up, knowing full well it was out of his hooves. Nopony would listen to a foal, and so he had simply drawn back into himself. He spoke, but only when he needed to, and even then he only used as few words as possible.
He had been surprised when he saw his uncle Time Turner come to collect him. At first he thought he was only there for the funeral, but he told him he was also there to bring him back to Ponyville. In truth, he thought his father's brother would have let him stay with him, but maybe that was too much to hope for.
Chaser didn't really remember much about his uncle. He had been to see him along with both his parents when he was very little, but of course he could not recall it in detail. Another time, the last time, was at his mother's funeral. After that, they hadn't really spoken.
Not that he thought it was wrong. They had never been close and they lived so far apart, so maybe that was only natural. He didn't really have any affection or dislike towards his uncle, he just didn't know him. He knew he was an inventor, specifically a scientist. He also knew his mother and him were close, she always spoke fondly of him, but that didn't really have any impression on Chaser other than, if his mom liked him, then he could be trusted...
His uncle was polite, and cheery, or at least he tried to be. Chaser appreciated the effort, but he was simply too tired, too drained and disappointed. His family, his life, his dreams, they all seemed to have been ripped away. Before, he had dreams of becoming a detective, just like his hero, Phillip Finder. He was a private detective with a keen eye for detail, and a strong sense of justice, Phillip Finder was his hero.
There was a nice stack of books published, though his favorite had to be Equestria Noire, Volume One: Tails of Two Private Eyes, it was the first book where he teamed up with Daring Do! Funny, A.K. Yearling had authored both books, and he wondered if Yearling always had this romantic tension planned between her two heroes.
At any rate, Clue Chaser wanted to be like Phillip Finder, he had even gotten his very own trilby hat! Though, right now, he didn't feel like wearing it. To be honest, he was not even sure if he ever would again. His father had been a cop, and look at the lack of loyalty his fellow cops had shown him. Chaser still believed his dad was murdered, but nopony listened to him.
It had given his belief in the justice system a crack, it had made him doubt everything he knew. Philip Finder had to deal with that too. Everything from corrupt cops, to cracks in the justice system. Chaser wished he knew what Phillip would do. But, maybe he was simply not meant to become a great detective, maybe that was never his purpose. He couldn't even get the police to investigate his father's death. And what if he was wrong? What if it was just like they said? What if he had been reading too many books and fabricated a case where there was none? What if his dad really did...
Letting out a sigh, he looked back out at the landscape, then noticed a town coming into view.
"Next stop, Ponyville!" The conductor called out.
Clue Chaser watched as his uncle stood up. "Well it seems we have arrived at our destination! Come come, nephew! It is time to inspect your new home.." He stopped, frowning as he realized he might have said too much.
Chaser however, didn't react in any negative manner. He simply nodded and got down from his seat, taking his saddlebag in the process. They got ready by one of the doors as the train slowly came to a stop. Outside were ponies waiting on the platform, ponies waiting to get on and ponies waiting for friends or family.
There didn't seem to be anypony waiting for them as they got off, his uncle had told him about his marefriend and her daughter, but they seemed to be at home as nopony came to greet them. Then again, it was a little past dinner time, so most ponies were likely at home eating.
They picked up Clue Chaser's small suitcase, filled with what few items he had wanted to bring. Though, it was not much, he didn't want everything, and he was not sure why. Maybe because it now all felt, tainted... He had taken his Philip Finder books, feeling too nostalgic to leave them behind. A few pictures and mementos, and of course his magnifying glass and fedora, but again, he was not sure if he would ever use them again.
Letting out a sigh, he tried to push the thoughts from his mind, trying to be in the here and now. His uncle led him down the streets of the small town, which seems quieter than Manehatten. Smaller, but it had great charm. The houses were small, but they had a warmth to them that made him feel relaxed.
All the ponies they passed close by greeted his uncle, and he greeted them back, but did not stop to chit chat. Clue Chaser could see them wanting to ask about him, but his uncle apparently did not want to stop, seemed he wanted me to get home, and avoid all the attention for now. His intention was good, but Clue Chaser figured all of the questions would have to be answered sooner or later, if not by his uncle, then by him.
They walked for a bit, passing a lot of houses, shops, and whatever that round carousel tower was. Ponyville wasn't the smallest town for sure, but it wasn't large either, they had a fire department, a police station, hospital, a market and several shops, so it was certainly not out in the middle of nowhere, in fact, he could see Canterlot mountain from here.
He had heard of the town before, it had been in the newspapers more than once as six of its residents had been honored by the princess herself. Elements of Harmony, true enough, they had saved Equestria from the likes of Discord and the changeling invasion, but those were obvious threats... No, as important as they were, the powers of the elements could do nothing for the common pony. He did not dislike them, nor did he discard their importance, but he knew that everyday heroes worked in the blue uniforms of the Equestrian police force. The fire departments and hospitals, to him, those were the everyday hero the common pony could relate to the most.
"And here we are!"
His uncle exclaimed, bringing the colt to a stop. Chaser looked around, having not paid too much attention. To his surprise, his uncle had quite a nicely sized house, and behind it was what looked like a big garage. Chaser had no idea his uncle made this kind of money, then again, he had no idea what he did for a living.
The front door opened and a grey mare with a blonde mane and tail stepped out. Though, what captured his attention the most were her eyes, they didn't seem to look the same way, and it made her kind of look like a derpy kind of character.
"You're home!"
The mare exclaimed and quickly trotted over to his uncle, the two of them sharing a nuzzle before both of them turned to face him. "This is my marefriend Ditzy Doo." Chaser was tempted to say that it was quite obvious, but he didn't want to be rude to his uncle, or his special somepony.
Ditzy looked at him with a kind warm smile, the sort of smile only a mother could give. She looked a bit, goofy, but even Chaser could feel she was a kind and gentle mare. "And you must be Clue Chaser." She greeted, and it was nice to see she wasn't nervous about talking to him. He wished he could do the same, but he simply couldn't. "It's so nice to meet you."
Chaser nodded a little, not even bothering giving her a smile. He wanted to, but he simply didn't have the energy or will to even force one. "Nice to meet you too, miss Doo..."
Ditzy giggled. "Oh, Ditzy is just fine!" She cheered. "Are you two hungry, I saved some dinner for you both."
"Capital!" His uncle cheered, and looked down at his nephew. "Come along my boy, dinner awaits us, and trust me when I tell you that Ditzy's food is the best!" His marefriend blushed, and they once again shared a quick nuzzle.
Dinner was….awkward...
Clue Chaser could see both his uncle and his marefriend being very careful. They danced around unpleasant questions, he knew they wanted him to make him feel welcome, and not to pressure him into talking about his dad. Chaser was not even sure he wanted to, not with them, not yet at least.
So to give them a lifeline, he threw out a question of his own. "Uncle, you said Miss Ditzy had a daughter, where is she?"
His sudden question took them both by surprise, and for a moment they seemed stunned. By now he imagined they had gotten so used to his silence they simply didn't expect him to speak, but both of them seemed pleased after they overcame their initial shock.
"Oh, you don't have to call me Miss Ditzy, Clue Chaser. Ditsy is just fine.." She repeated while blushing slightly over the formal polite way he addressed her. Not many ponies showed her such respect, something he was bound to find out at some point. "But, my daughter, Dinky. She is upstairs in her room, sleeping. She is younger than you, and it's past her bedtime."
Chaser nodded, not really sure what else to say, or ask. They in turn seemed as stuck as he was, it was awkward, and it just hammered home the point what circumstances brought him here.
It was Ditzy who, once again, broke the silence. "So tomorrow, I was thinking, I could walk you to school.." She seemed a little timid, as if asking him something deep and personal.
His uncle frowned. "You know you don't have to go back to school yet, right?"
Chaser nodded. "Yeah.. But, I just don't wanna sit in my room..." He answered, not looking up at them. "I want a distraction.."
Not wanting to press him on that subject, Ditzy continued. "I'm walking Dinky to kindergarten, and it's on the way to the school. I can show you, if you want."
"Okay.." Chaser simply said. He had no reason to refuse, not that he would refuse even if he had one. Not knowing the town, it would be good to be shown the way, and so he could always go by himself next time if need be.
"I'm sure you're going to like it there. You will be in Ms. Cheerilee's class, she is very nice, and is a great teacher." Ditzy assured him, but Chaser just nodded absently. He was tired, he just wanted to sleep and forget about everything.
As if reading his thoughts, Time Turner cleared his throat and said. "Well, it's been a long day, and you must be tired. How about I show you to your room?"
Chaser nodded once again, and rose from the table. He looked over at Ditzy first though. "Thank you for the meal, it was very good." To be honest, he had not really thought about the taste, but it was still nice of her to cook for them.
Ditzy smiled. "Thank you, Chaser. There will be freshly baked muffins tomorrow for breakfast!"
Her childish excitement couldn't help but draw out a small tired smile from Chaser, and he simply nodded. "Good night Miss Ditzy.."
After a quick shower, and brushing his teeth, Chaser went into the room his uncle had shown him. It was nothing special, a modest room, a single bed, a dresser and a desk, nothing extraordinary.
He hadn't expected it to be, after all, this was his first night, and tomorrow his first day. He hadn't had any time making this room his own, and he had barely brought anything to decorate the place with. His suitcase and saddlebag was on the bed, and he figured before he went to bed, he might as well unpack what few things he had brought.
It was nothing much, some clothes he wore on occasion, a family album he had taken from the shelf. Some of his personal belongings, like his lock picking set, one he had made himself. His magnifying glass, a notebook, some of his pencils. Then he pulled out all of his Phillip Finder books, and placed them on the desk, he would put them in order tomorrow after school.
Lastly, he pulled out a black trilby hat. His dad had given it to him as a gift last year, it had been his pride and joy, his proof that he was going to be a detective. Chaser sighed, even though he was just a foal, he felt like that had been another lifetime, a dream of another. He didn't even have a cutie mark that showed any special talent for detective work.
Maybe it was just not meant to be..
His dad would have laughed, telling him to get back up and keep moving. But he was dead, and no one seemed to take Chaser's theory of murder seriously. He hadn't cried all day, not at the funeral, not at the trip over, he didn't want to cry, but now. Now that he was holding the trilby his father had given him. Now, recalling the words of encouragement his father always gave him, supporting his dreams. Now alone, away from all the pity eyes that looked at him, he finally felt his resistance waver, and so, as the warm tears fell from his eyes, he crawled into the bed, hugging the hat tightly to his chest.
Silently, he cried himself to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be better...