//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Stolen Money // Story: Colt Detective // by DanishDash //------------------------------// To say Clue Chaser wasn't exactly popular after his outburst at school would be somewhat of an understatement. While he wasn't being bullied anymore, neither did anypony, especially the cutie mark crusaders, try to approach him again. He was left alone, just as he had told everypony to do. He felt bad for hurting the three fillies, seeing how their club meant a lot to them, and they had only tried to include him. His uncle and Ditzy had of course heard about the whole episode, and it took some effort to get them to let him go back, despite knowing he had overdone it, he knew nopony would bother him after that. The rest of the week was spent alone, none of his classmates approached him, and as the day of the yard sale grew closer, it seemed nopony wanted to be in his group. So Chaser would have to work alone, even if Cheerilee didn't like it very much. He should be happy, he had the peace he wanted, and even at home it seemed they were giving him space to think. Though the impression he had left on his schoolmates bothered Chaser more than he thought, and at times he found himself thinking about apologizing. Then his more stubborn side would kick in, reminding him it was better to be alone, to shut other ponies out. However, as the days passed, he grew less and less convinced, and more and more lonely. He'd had friends back in Manehatten, but the last time he saw any of them was the day of his father's death. He could write to them, but what was he going to say? How do you start a conversation when life has changed so dramatically? At times he tried to write a letter, but he just stared at the paper, never once putting a single word down. After a while, he just gave up, figuring it was better to just vanish from their minds. When the weekend came around, Chaser found himself more bored and lonely than he could ever have imagined. Having nothing else to do, Chaser decided to leave his room and go and explore Ponyville more thoroughly. So far he had only gone between his uncle's home and school. He had never really taken the time to really get to know the place. He passed the kitchen on his way to the door, and Ditzy stopped to look at him. "Are you heading out?" Chaser stopped, turning to look at her. "Yeah.. I thought I'd go and explore the town." For some reason he felt slightly embarrassed, or timid. He knew he hadn't exactly been a very friendly or easy guest, and having already made a bad impression on his classmates, Chaser felt a bit more aware of himself. Ditzy smiled warmly however, and nodded. "Of course you can, just don't be home too late, okay?" "I won't," promised Chaser, feeling relieved, if not slightly surprised she could still smile so warmly to him, even after the cold shoulder he had been giving them. "Thanks.." She waved him goodbye, and Chaser left the house. It was sunny, and a lot of ponies outside to enjoy the weather. Not knowing where to start, he just decided to walk and see where that would take him. It was a strange experience, for years he had only known the city, and now he was in this country town. There was not much traffic, more greenery than concrete, and more pleasantly, it was quieter.  That was not to say Manehatten didn't have its charms, it would certainly always hold a place in Chaser's heart, but this place had its own charm. He didn't see it before, but the more he trotted around the place, the more he started to notice. Ponies seemed less busy, more open towards one another. In Manehatten, ponies liked to keep to themselves, go to where they needed and not stop in the middle of the street to chat. Here, that didn't seem like an issue. Ponies all over stopped to chat, waved to one another, and wished each other a good day. Maybe that was to be expected in a town like this, most ponies probably knew each other by name, or at the very least knew who was local, and who were not. It made him feel out of place, like he didn't belong here, at least not yet. The cutie mark crusaders had tried though, they had reached out, offered him a hoof so he could become part of the community. He'd slapped it away, and being justified or not didn't change the fact he'd hurt them. So what should he do now? He thought back at what the imaginary Phillip Finder had told him that day. 'You know that they'd want to help you. Bottling it up isn't gonna solve anything.' Was that the solution? Just open up to them? Chaser shook his head, snorting as he did so. It was too late, he had burned whatever bridges there were, and he was on his own, that's how he saw it. He had no dad, he was not a detective, he no longer had friends, and the ones he could have didn't want anything to do with him as per his wishes. This was how things were, and this was how it had to stay.  "HEY YOU!" A cheerful voice suddenly greeted right behind him. "Argh!" Chaser yelped, quickly turning around to face a pink pony. She was an adult, smiling widely at him. "You must be Clue Chaser! Welcome to Ponyville, I'm Pinkie Pie!" "Uhm, okay, hi?" Chaser replied, a little reluctant and disturbed. "Can I help you?" "Help me?" She repeated, thinking for a moment, then shook her head. "Nope! But how about I'll help you?" Chaser raised an eyebrow, not sure what this mare's deal was, but he was not sure if it was safe to hang around her. "No thanks, I don't think so." "Don't be silly! Everypony needs help once in a while, and you look like you're down on your luck." Before Chaser knew it, she had put him on her back, and trotted into some sort of café. He was too confused to react at first, and really first reacted when he was sitting in a booth. "H-hey!" "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie cheered, throwing some confetti into the air. Chaser sent her a flat and slightly annoyed look, but either she didn't notice, or she ignored it, because before he knew it, she had placed a cupcake in front of him. "Here you are! In the house, do you want a milkshake too?" "I didn't ask for-" His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten breakfast today. He blushed, stopping his protest and just mumbled a small annoyed thank you. Pinkie just giggled. "Soooooooooooooooooooooooo, do you want a milkshake? Come on! What's your special super favorite flavor?!" "Strawberry..." He mumbled under his breath, not looking at her. Pinkie turned her head, putting a hoof close to her ear as she leaned in. "What was that?" Chaser's blush increased, why was she doing this to him?? "Strawberry.." "Just a tiny bit louder, Click-Clack-Clue~!" The pink mare said in a sing-song voice. He turned to look at her, his eyes glaring. "I said Strawberry!" "Strawberry!" Pinkie cheered. "Those are yummy!" She seemed to vanish from sight, confusing Chaser even more, but before he knew it, she was back, and had placed a large strawberry milkshake on his table. "Here you go! This is a bit of a welcome to Ponyville! If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen! See you later Cluedo!" "Ergh.. Weirdo.." Chaser mumbled to himself, looking at the cupcake and the milkshake. "But, It was nice of her to pay for this." He wasn't sure if he should be annoyed, disturbed, or happy. Letting out a reluctant sigh, he took the cupcake and took a bite. "Mm?!" His eyes widened, as the piece of cake hit all the right spots. Quickly he took another bite, and pure satisfaction soon followed. This was delicious, and when he added the cold milkshake into the mix, it became a snack shock of blissful deliciousness!  "Oh.. Wow.." This beat a hayburger any day, and while he still felt kinda low, his lips soon moved up into a smile. For about fifteen minutes he sat and enjoyed himself, almost forgetting about his worries and troubles. At least, like so many times before that, he was reminded when three fillies stepped through the doors to Sugarcube Corner. It was The Cutie Mark Crusaders, all three seeming happy and excited to get some snacks. They didn't see him as they trotted towards the counter, and having finished his own cupcake and milkshake, Chaser found it best to leave before they noticed him. With his cupcake and milkshake being on the house, Chaser could quietly make his way to the door and leave with the CMC being none the wiser. It would have worked perfectly, had it not been for a voice calling his name from the counter when he was about halfway to the door. "Hope you enjoyed the cupcake and milkshake Chaser! Come again soon!" Turning his head back, he saw Pinkie Pie behind the counter, grinning and waving at him. The three fillies looked confused, then turned around and spotted him. They looked surprised, then unsure on how to react. Chaser felt the same way, and the four foals fell into an awkward silence. "Uhm.." Chaser mumbled, trying to figure out if he should try to apologize or not. This wasn't exactly how he had imagined it, and it was clear they were in the same boat as him, trying to figure out what to say or do. Of course it was Pinkie who broke the silence, perhaps in an attempt to push the foals to make up. "Oooh, do you guys know each other?" No one answered, instead Apple Bloom took a deep breath, and stepped forward. "Chaser we.. Uhm.." Panic and dread filled Chaser, he couldn't do this. It may be a coward's way to deal with things, but he just couldn't get himself to face this problem right now, and here of all places. "I have to go!" He turned, trying his best not to run, but failed. He was gone before any of them to call out to him. He ran away, this time not as far as he had done when he was late for school, but enough so he was sure he was out of sight. Gritting his teeth, he stomped his hoof on the dirt. "Dammit!" He'd run, afraid of facing them, afraid of opening up, he was nothing more than a good for nothing foal! Helpless! He hated the feeling! Chaser could of course go back, but that would just be too weird. No, instead he decided to head home, deciding it was better to not do anything for now. Letting out a sigh, he left for home, and a boring weekend ahead. When the first day of the week came, Chaser wasn't exactly hugely enthusiastic about it. Today they wouldn't have normal lessons, but instead have a yard sale so they could raise money for the school. It wasn't because they needed money for supplies or anything like that, but the idea was to get a little extra to the budget, and perhaps invest in a big field trip, or perhaps something awesome for the playground. Students had brought things from home to donate, with the help of their parents of course. Chaser didn't really have anything he could sell, he hadn't really brought much from the flat he lived in with his dad. Luckily His uncle and Ditzy had a few things, and happily donated. Ms. Cheerilee had used the last day of the week to sort through the items with her students, all of them coming up with stalls, and how to divide the items. His classmates had thought it good fun, while Chaser just did what was required, and so focused on building and painting the stalls. He obviously wasn't alone in that task, but he didn't contribute creatively like his classmates eagerly did. After his breakfast, Chaser went to school by himself. Dinky was disappointed he went off early, she wanted to walk with him, but other than a pout, she hadn't said anything. When Chaser arrived at school, the usual morning energy had totally shifted. Instead of being tired and half asleep, his classmates seemed positively energized by the events of today. Cheerilee trotted inside, smiling, as she seemed as excited about today as her students. She greeted them like she did every morning. "Good morning class!" "Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee!" Came an eager reply. She giggled. "My, my, you all seem much more awake today. Are you all excited for the yard sale?" The class cheered, and the overall mood was just positive. "Very good. As you know, we are trying to raise money for something benefitting the school. We could perhaps go on an exotic fieldtrip, or get some new playground equipment." Another cheer went out, and Cheerilee waved her hoof to get them to settle down, but she did it with a smile, happy to see her students excited. "After today, we will know how much we earned, and then I will start coming with some suggestions based on the budget that you can vote on. And the suggestion with the most votes, wins!" A third cheer, and this time Cheerilee let it go on a little longer. Once the class had settled down however, she continued. "Right, we have a busy day ahead of us. First, we need to get our stalls outside and set everything up. Then you will be allowed free play until 10, and then we will open up. I will be with you all the way, and if you have questions or are in doubt, you just swing by me." She went on about some of the details of the day, setting up the groups, and their duties. Chaser listened, but only with half an ear, he knew full well none of his classmates wanted to work with him, which suited him fine. Even so, the incident at Sugarcube Corner the other day, had made him glance once or twice at the cutie mark crusaders, and he was sure he had caught them glancing at him as well. There were some unresolved issues there, but Chaser didn't know if they would be able to solve them today, or if ever. "Right then," Ms. Cheerilee finished. "If there aren't any questions?" She waited, giving her students a chance to speak up, when nopony did, she clapped her hooves together. "Then let's set up shop!" As foals started moving outside, she quickly called. "Remember to take anything you need, as the classroom will be locked while we're out there!" And so the day began, the students went outside, and on their way grabbed everything that they needed for the stalls. Their spirits were high, and they all had a blast setting this yard sale up. Some even started to play pretend, like construction ponies, or merchants.  Chaser did of course not partake in any such games, instead he just focused on bringing the stuff they were putting on sale out with Cheerilee. She had of course tried talking to him after the incident, and had been worried about his relationship with his classmates. Chaser had assured her he was fine, and for now had at least closed the conversation. Things went pretty smoothly, before long they had a little mini market of their own. Five stalls, all moved in a half circle pointing away from the school house. They'd spent some time setting everything up, and having already put price tags on the items, all they had to do was to put them on display. Recess came, and most foals stayed near their mini market, loving to perfect their stall and make it as unique as they could. Others did decide to go to the playground, but Chaser decided to find shelter near a thick tree and read the book he had brought from home. He sat in such a way that the tree hid him from view, which meant if somepony was looking for him, they would not see him until he moved. It could be because he figured the CMC would try and approach him during free play, but still he chose to put it off. He simply didn't want that confrontation right now. If they did look for him, he didn't see, and soon enough it was time for the yard sale to open. Chaser was surprised with how many ponies that came around, many of them seemed eager to buy something. Some were his classmates' parents, they probably showed up to support their foals, and support the school with a nice donation. Neither his uncle or Ditzy showed up, but that was okay, he knew they were both busy. Ditzy had enough trouble doing her job without flying into stuff, or delivering the wrong mail.  His uncle in the meantime always seemed to work on some new gadget, he was either too busy to show, or was simply too distracted with whatever he was doing, which was fine. Chaser didn't have a need for them to show up, and he doubted he would feel like his classmates did if the two did decide to show up. To his surprise, they actually sold a lot more than he thought they would. Even Ms. Cheerilee seemed surprised, but nonetheless pleased. Before they knew it, the yard sale was over, and they were left with very few items in stock, and with a nice big bag of bits! Cheerilee congratulated them all for their hard work. "Very good work, all of you. Thanks to you all, I'm sure we'll be able to spend this money on something fantastic for the whole class!" The foals cheered. "Now, let's get this money inside, then we clean everything up, and head home for the day." The students all nodded, and did as asked. Cheerilee unlocked the classroom, placed the bag with Bits on her desk, and told her students to clean up their desks, and make sure the windows were closed. It all took less than five minutes, and after locking the classroom again, they all went outside to begin taking down their stalls. Dividing themselves into groups, the foals moved around, cleaning up everything. Some focused on the stalls, while others focused on trash, or sorting the items that weren't sold. Everything seemed to go well the first half hour, then Ms. Cheerilee called them together again. "Children, have any of you seen my keys?" She asked, frowning. She pointed to her saddlebags, then looked at them all again. "I could have sworn I put them in there, but I must have dropped them. If you happen to find them, please bring them to me." The foals nodded, then went back to work, with the added task of finding the keys. Chaser continued to take down one of the stalls, figuring she must have dropped her keys, and they would be found quickly. By the stall next to him, the cutie mark crusaders were hard at work themselves. "No, you have to hold it up while I'll remove this plank." Scootaloo told Sweetie Belle. "But it's heavy.." Sweetie Belle whined. Apple Bloom sighed. "That's because you still haven't taken down the sign yet. If we take that off first, then we can take the rest of it down easier." "Oh!" The two other fillies exclaimed. "Yeah that makes much more sense!" Scootaloo grinned, then she turned around, moving towards the school house. "Where're you going, Scootaloo?" Asked Sweetie Belle. "Gotta use the little fillies room, I'll be back soon!" She ran off, and passed Chaser on her way. Their eyes met for a brief moment, but she didn't stop to speak, nor did she say hi. Instead he was now facing her two friends, who had now spotted him as Scootaloo went inside. The three looked at each other for a few seconds, but then Apple Bloom went back to work, Sweetie Belle soon doing the same. This time they didn't try to approach him, or strike up a conversation. Chaser wasn't sure how he should feel about that, but there was nothing to be done about it. He had kept dismissing them, and if they'd given up he could hardly blame them. Chaser returned to his work, finishing up soon after. About two minutes later, he noticed two colts, Snips and Snails, running towards Cheerilee. "Ms. Cheerilee! Ms. Cheerilee! We found your key! We found your key!" The little one exclaimed, nudging the taller one. "Show her!" "Oh, yeah, here you!" Cheerilee let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Celestia, you found them! Where were they?" "Over by the front door, Ms. Cheerilee."  Chaser raised an eyebrow, they seemed to be panting, and it was not that long a run from Ms. Cheerilee to the door. Then again, they could have done something before that, and Snips was not the most healthy looking colt, so it made sense that he was not a good runner. He returned doing his own stuff, finishing up, and soon enough Scootaloo returned to her own friend. The rest of the clean up effort went off without a hitch, and once they were all done, Cheerilee took them all back inside the school house so they could get their saddle bags and head home. Everypony was pretty happy with how today had turned out, and many talked about what they could use the money for. Everything from the possible, to the absurd. However, as the door to the class room opened, Ms. Cheerilee let out a startled gasp, as did the rest of the class when they looked too. "The money!" One exclaimed. They were gone, the big bag of bits had vanished from Ms. Cheerilee's desk. Chaser was the last one to see, because he always walked behind the crowd, so once everypony else was inside, he too saw the Bits were missing. "Oh, this is terrible, just terrible!" Cheerilee said, sounding slightly panicked and unsure of what to do. "Class, do any of you know what happened to the Bits?" Everypony denied ever having seen the money after Cheerilee locked up, and since there were no signs of a break-in, she was at a loss. She wasn't sure how to handle this, and so decided to check every student out. "Alright class, empty out your saddle bags, I need to be sure none of you are lying to me." Under normal circumstances, such a demand would have annoyed the entire class, but everypony wanted to know what had happened to the Bits they'd worked so hard for, and so did as asked without any complaints. They all went to their seats, took their saddlebags, and emptied them. Scootaloo gasped, because when she tried to lift hers, she found herself dropping it as if it was too heavy. The bags landed on the wooden floor, and out spilled a wave of shiny coins. The entire class gasped, and Cheerilee looked shocked beyond belief.  "Scootaloo?" "Wait what?!" Scotaloo looked even more shocked, taking a step back away from the many coins. "No! I didn't take the Bits!" She yelled, looking first up at Cheerilee, then at her fellow classmates.  Cheerilee looked at the money, then at the class. What could she say? It wasn't like she could point to another student, and Scootaloo did have the Bits in her saddle bags. While she wasn't sure about this, she couldn't hold the rest of the class up.  "Scootaloo, you need to stay with me, then we-" "I swear, it wasn't me!" Scootaloo begged, looking like she was about to cry. Ms. Cheerilee didn't look anymore happy about it than she did, she looked disappointed, and why wouldn't she? She had just found the stolen money from the school yard sale in her saddle bags. The other students looked shocked, and Scootaloo's two friends seemed outraged. "She wouldn't do something like that!" Sweetie Belle insisted. Apple Bloom nodded, then added. "That's right! She was framed!" Her eyes flicked around the classroom, as if looking for the answer to this whole affair. Her eyes landed on Diamond Tiara, then pointed at her. "You framed her!" The filly jumped, surprised, then angry. "Me!? I didn't do anything! Your friend is a thief!" "I am not!" Cheerilee Tried to calm everypony down, but so far, she had a hard time with it. Clue Chaser just sighed, packing his stuff into his saddlebags. Those three fillies had been nothing but trouble, they'd kept chasing him around, asking him to join that stupid club they had going. Chaser didn't want to play with them, nor did he think any of this was his business. Even so, the suggestion that somepony would actually take the time to frame Scootaloo was just laughable. He couldn't blame Cheerilee for thinking it was just a simple theft, because it was. "Your father would be ashamed of you." Said a voice he was very familiar with. Chaser didn't look up, he just focused on his work. "Go away.." He mumbled. "You know she's innocent. You saw proof." Chaser's eye twitched, he knew what he saw, and it was true, things did not line up. Looking up, he found the pony he expected to see. Phillip Finder, a reddish-brown earth pony stallion. He had a midnight black mane, it was long and untidy. Most ponies did not wear clothing, but Phillip did, he wore a pale gray short-sleeved shirt with an olive green undershirt. Though maybe the most notable about him was his headwear, a trilby, just like in the books. Lastly, plastered on his flank was his cutie mark, a magnifying glass. Chaser sighed, feeling a pang of guilt raising. "I don't know what I saw.." It was a lie, and he knew it, and his imaginary manifestation of Phillip knew it too. His eyes bored into his, almost raging like thunder clouds. Finally, he gave in. "The window, the paint cans, the key and the timeline, it doesn't match up.." "So why aren't you doing anything?" "Because I can't be a detective. I'm just a foal who reads too many books.." Phillip Finder seemed more than annoyed at him, but why should he care? This was all in his mind, he wasn't real! "You know this is wrong, and you're not doing anything to stop it. Know what we call ponies like you?" Before Chaser could tell him off, he suddenly vanished, then appearing right in front of him, glaring at him with the most judging eyes he had ever seen.  "Cowards." Chaser almost took a step back, as if Phillip was really there, in the flesh, scolding him. He couldn't look away from the imaginary detective's eyes, it was like he was being forced to face him, face himself. He looked like his hero, but his eyes, he did not just see Phillip, but his father's, and his own. Chaser remembered when he found his father, laying in a pool of his own blood in their apartment. His own screams echoing in his ears, the iron smell of the blood. He had been so desperate, he had tried for hours to convince the police his dad would never kill himself, that this was murder. But no one listened, not one of his dad's former colleagues listened to him, or even considered murder. It was around that time, in his despair and sorrow that Phillip showed up, or at least, this manifestation of him. He had been the only one he could confide in, but after the funeral, he had just suppressed that part of him, until now. He looked at Scootaloo, the world wasn't moving, it was like as if it was standing still. This was all in his head of course, he knew that. Time hadn't suddenly slowed down at his whim, but it was a place of his creation, a place for him to focus. Chaser frowned, seeing how desperate she was to convince the reluctant teacher that she was not guilty. Of course she wasn't, it was so simple if the ponies around him just opened their eyes. Then he understood, if he walked away now, if he kept silent, he would not only leave an innocent to pay for a crime they did not commit, but he would be just as guilty as the one who caused all of this. No, it couldn't stand, and as his guilt of leaving her alone grew, so too did his determination.  "Scootaloo is innocent." Clue Chaser suddenly declared, entering the real world again. Everypony in the class became silent, looking at Chaser with puzzled looks. He could understand their surprise, so far he had been very quiet and closed off, so for him to suddenly boldly declare something like this out of nowhere must startled them. "Scootaloo couldn't have been the one who stole the money, it doesn't add up." "How? She was the only one in here, and the Bits were found in her bag." Diamond Tiara pointed out, like if she had just told him the sky was blue and he needed air in order to breathe. "First." Chaser started, looking directly at her. "There is no proof Scootaloo was ever in the classroom, or that she was the one putting the money in her own saddlebags."  Diamond snorted. "I saw her trot into the school house." "You saw her trot into the school house after Miss Cheerilee found out the key was missing, Scootaloo was looking for the key just like the rest of us." Chaser continued. "The key was already stolen, and the theft already underway when we found out the key was missing." "How do you know?" She then asked, almost mockingly.  Chaser sighed, looking at the row of windows at the left side of the classroom. In one reflection he saw Phillip looking back at him, his eyes, they were watching him, almost like a school teacher watching his student at an exam. How did he know Scootaloo did not do it? A passage from his favorite book came back to him. 'Every detail, even the innocuous ones, tells a story. No matter what we do, we always leave a trace everywhere.' Phillip Finder. Yes, the clues were all here, and they all told a story. All he had to do was link them together and reach the conclusion. Turning around, he looked at the group of foals, and their teacher. Taking a deep breath, clearing his mind of doubt, he began to explain. "At the end of our sale, we all returned here to the classroom. Ms. Cheerilee asked us to clean our desks and close the windows. We did, and we all left to go outside and clean up after our yard sale. Ms. Cheerilee locked the door, and none of us returned to the classroom before now, except for the thief of course."  "We already know this," said Diamond Tiara, but Chaser ignored her. "We began the clean up, many of us working in groups. It was then the key was stolen." He noticed how they all glanced towards Scootaloo, who seemed to notice it and lowered her ears. "Not by Scootaloo." Chaser pointed out. "Remember, when Miss Cheerilee found out her keys were missing, Scootaloo was still with us." "She went to the bathroom!" A colt said. "I saw her!" "Yes, but that was after we knew the key was missing," replied Chaser. "And remember, we found the key while Scootaloo was still in the bathroom. She what? Unlocked the door only to throw the key out next to the main entrance?" No one answered, so Chaser continued. "No, the thief was already in the classroom when Scootaloo went to the bathroom."  He turned, walking to Cheerilee's desk. "The money was all up here, the thief grabbed the bag full of Bits, and made their way to the painting table." He started to walk towards the desk with the paint brushes and paint cans, but then stopped when she came to Scootaloo's desk, the desk closest to the painting table. "But he stopped, something made the thief put the bag of Bits in Scootaloo's Saddlebag." At this point Cheerilee was too invested in this investigation nonsense, she almost forgot his age as he explained. She couldn't help but ask her young student. "Why?" Chaser shrugged. "Panic. Something scared the thief into making a rash decision, to rid himself of the evidence before he risked being found out, and I think that something was the sound of Scootaloo's hooves as she made her way to the bathroom. The path she would have needed to take leads right past the classroom door." Now understanding started to spread through the group, but of course he still hadn't proved a thing, and so skepticism rightfully remained. "The thief panicked, there was no time to put it back on the desk, and would not risk trying the escape route with the large bag of Bits, too much risk." Apple Bloom tilted her head. "What escape route?" "The door was locked when we arrived at the classroom, so the only other way to exit was through the windows." He pointed towards the painting desk. "The window behind that table." Before anyone could ask him how he knew that, he trotted up to it and gestured to the cans and glasses filled with all sorts of pencils. "Notice how far the cans and glasses have been spread to each side of the table, as if clearing a path." He moved beside the table, stood on his hind legs and observed the window, and just as he suspected, it was unlocked. "And see, it is the only window unlocked." Now things were falling into place, but there were details missing. He needed to make certain that the right foal was punished, because the only one who could have done this, was a foal his own age, but he had to prove it, and he needed to make damn sure the evidence was solid before he accused anypony. Then a voice cut through the silence, once again bringing her skepticism to the full attention of everyone. "We could just have forgotten to lock it." "No," answered Chaser. "Because out of all those windows, we never open that one, and the reason is very simple. In order to reach the window in the first place, you would have to reach over the table, which is simply too much effort for one simple window."  Diamond could suggest magic was used, but even she knew if windows could just be opened with magic that easily, then there would be a lot more break-ins. All windows had a small lock that made it hard for anypony to focus their magic so precisely that it would unlock. It was too much effort, and took too long. No, it would be faster to open it with your hooves. "How do you know the thief was panicking?" Sweetie Belle suddenly asked, to which Chaser simply shrugged. "In all honesty, I don't know for sure that the thief did panic. I think the thief panicked because the thief is a foal, likely this is the first time he or she has ever stolen, so understandably nerves are going to be running high. Hiding it in Scootaloo's saddlebags was just the first place that popped into their mind, likely the thief did not even remember that it belonged to a fellow student." The mood became tense, Chaser had claimed Scootaloo was not guilty, but he was also claiming one of them, a fellow classmate, was the one to do it. They were all nervous, because if Scootaloo could be wrongly accused, then so could one of them. For now though, Chaser finished going over the events as he had deduced they took place. "Panicked, the thief hid the money in the first spot he could find. He made his way to the table, climbed up, and moved out the window. From there it would have been easy to walk past the door, toss the key aside and let somepony find it." His eyes turned to Snips and Snails, who both seemed to shrink as he looked at them. "And after you found it and took it to Ms. Cheerilee, Scootaloo trotted out from the main entrance, after the key was found." Things started to line up nicely, they all seemed to be listening and the doubts seemed to vanish little by little, but of course, his fellow classmates were still nervous of being accused. Luckily, there was not going to be much doubt in this matter. "You two did it, didn't you?" He looked directly at Snips and Snails again, and this time, they did not look nervous, but scared and desperate. It made him certain that one of them had panicked, that this was their first time, and none of this was supposed to have happened. "Wait a minute!" Snips said, holding out a hoof as if to stop him. "We never went inside." "Y-yeah!" Snails agreed. The other foals thought about, then one said. "I didn't see them go into the Schoolhouse.." Chaser shrugged. "You would likely not notice, why would you? Seeing two students, fellow classmates going into the schoolhouse, why would you make a note of that. If it was an adult, or even Miss Cheerilee, then you would likely notice. Scootaloo said she was going to the bathroom, that is why we know she went inside. If she had slipped off without saying anything, then we would likely never have noticed." Both of the colts bit their lips, but that still didn't prove any of them was involved, which they made sure to say out loud. Chaser however had proof, he gestured to the painting table again. "I have all the proof I need, because both of you left hoofprints. Stepping in paint, some dry, some still gooey and slightly wet." He looked back at them, his eyes hardening. "I saw traces of paint under your hooves as we went inside!" He pointed at them. "You two stole the money and didn't speak up when Scootaloo was blamed!" Both of them went stiff, as none of them had thought about stepping on the paint. Chaser knew they could not claim it was old, and they could not claim to have played with paint today of all days either. Miss Cheerilee seemed to come to the same conclusion, she looked at the two colts, and without accusing them of anything yet, she did need to see if what Chaser had said could be right. "Snips, Snails, show me your hooves." There was a moment of hesitation from them both, but knowing there was no way out, they sighed, sat down on their flanks and showed all fours. There it was, the paint, sticking to the underside of their hooves like a big red marker of guilt. Both of them started to sniffle, likely none of them had ever done this before, or had wanted Scootaloo to get blamed.  Cheerilee let out a sigh. "Boys, you will be coming with me." She looked at the rest of the class, with a tired expression. "The rest of you, go home." She escorted both the colts out, and likely they were both going to cry, and they were likely feeling very badly.  Thankfully, they were both foals, and the Bits had not been taken away, so what had happened was not as serious as it could have been. In truth, Chaser had probably done them a favor, if Scootaloo had been dragged off instead of them, then they would have trotted around with that knowledge, feeling it weighing down on their continence. Hopefully now, they would learn a valuable lesson, and not continue down the road they had nearly started on. "Wow, Clue Chaser.." A timid voice said from his side. He turned, and found Scootaloo looking at him with a grateful smile. Her eyes were red from the crying, and she was still feeling a bit vulnerable from the whole ordeal. "You saved me." Chaser felt his cheeks burn slightly. "Saved you? That might be going too far." The other crusaders joined their friend, all grinning at him. "That was amazing! You are like a real detective!" Sweetie Belle declared with awe in her eyes. Apple Bloom nodded. "Darn tootin'! You really helped our friend out there." Clue Chaser chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed, but also happy. He had actually done it, he had solved a case, small though it may be, he had solved it! Maybe, maybe he could do this, maybe he could follow clues, put the story together, maybe there was a chance, a real chance for him to become a real detective! He heard the three fillies gasped, gaining his attention. "What?" "Look!" Scootaloo exclaimed, pointing to his flank. Chaser did, and his eyes went wide at what he saw. His cutie mark, he had earned his cutie mark!  HE HAD DONE IT! Clue Chaser looked at his awesome cutie mark, a magnifying glass, just like Phillip Finder! Though unlike him, he had three question marks inside of it, making it all his own. He couldn't believe this, he really could become a detective! Looking up, he spotted his imaginary friend in the window, smiling at him.  "You need help, you know where to find me." Chaser smiled back, almost feeling a tear reach his eyes, as it almost felt like his dad's spirit shone through Phillip, telling Chaser he was proud of him. He gave a single confident nod, and Phillip vanished, but Chaser knew he would be there when he needed him again. Everypony in class went outside, all saying their goodbyes before heading home. Chaser stayed back however, looking back at the school house, thinking about what had just happened. Then the fillies approached him, and he in turn looked at them, this time not with annoyance, but with a small smile. Scootaloo pointed it out with a smirk, and a small laugh. "What's this? He can smile!" She teased, and Chaser chuckled, slightly embarrassed. Then he sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, listen.. About last week, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off on you like that.. I was acting like.. Like.." He tried to find the right word, but thankfully the three fillies helped him, and knew just the right words to use. "A jerk?" Scootaloo smirked. "Yeah.." Chaser nodded. "A meanie?" Sweetie Belle put in. Chaser nodded again. "Yeah, that's fair." Apple Bloom too had something to add. "A stubborn fool?" "Exactly, and I-" "A giant stupid meanie ultra non-cool total lame dork?" Scootaloo interrupted. "Yes! Okay, I get it!" Chaser said, glaring at her, but this time it was more of a playful glare. The three were quiet for a few seconds, then burst out in giggles and laughter. Once it died down, Apple Bloom offered her hoof. "It's alright, we were being a little too pushy." "Yeah, maybe just a little bit.." Scootaloo reluctantly admitted, then putting out her own, joining Apple Bloom. Sweetie nodded, looking a little guilty. "We didn't mean to be annoying, we just wanted to be your friend. Honest." Then she put hers out, the three of them offering their hooves as one. Chaser looked at them, then smiled and reached out with his own, touching their hooves with his own. "I know, and I'm sorry. Mind if we start over..?" The three fillies smiled, giving him a nod. His own smile grew. "Hi, I'm Clue Chaser, I'm ten years old, and when I grow up, I want to be a detective."  The three fillies smirked, sharing a knowing look. Then Apple Bloom looked at him. "Hey, Clue Chaser, I'm Apple Bloom." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Scootaloo." The fillies started. Then Apple Bloom continued. "And we are..."  There was a dramatic pause, and Chaser expected them to do their pose again. Only this time, they jumped him. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders Group Huggers!" "Whoa!!" He fell back onto his flank, surrounded by these three giggling fillies. "I didn't ask for a group hug!" He yelled, blushing, but still couldn't help but smile. The three fillies just squeezed him harder, then proclaimed. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Group Huggers!" Chaser rolled his eyes, then started laughing too. He still had a lot to deal with, but at least now he had a fresh start, and some new friends. Maybe things would get better? Only time would tell.