Police and Thieves in the Streets

[chanceofgriffons]

[When the scroll flares to life, it's Ironclaw once more. His expression is grim.]

We have completed our search of the Griffaltar weather factory without success. There are several ponies we still intend to question, but there were a number of ponies offering to investigate alongside us. I was hoping, perhaps, that you might have uncovered something in your own hunts while my officers were more heavily focused elsewhere.

[[OOC: This is a post for information sharing. PLEASE feel free to threadjack, start a conversation among multiple characters, theorize. Several ponies have valuable information. Let's try to piece it together to identify the most likely suspects!]]

Comments

[angry_jerk]

I've actually discovered something really important.

You're a jerk.

[chanceofgriffons]

[Ironclaw sighs.]

Unless you would like me to end this communication right now, rabble-rouser, you'll find something useful to say.

[angry_jerk]

[He pauses for a moment.]

No, that's pretty much it actually.

[robotfightclub]

[Arcee cannot be any less elegant. In fact, she happens to be very loud. How something so small can make so much noise is forever a mystery.]

Someone better tell me who Pitch Black is right now. I got a bone to pick with them.

[She's also sporting a very interesting pair of goggles. They are her friends now, she's become attached.]

anonymous text

[hattrickery]

It's likely Detective Ironclaw's real name, actually.

By the way, Detective? Give Elinor my regards.

[robotfightclub]

[Oh, well, that was fast. Arcee gives the text a quick read before looking back up.]

That makes things a whole lot easier.

[callmeyork]

[Squinting. Squinting hard. Arcee what is that on your face.]

Where did you get the name "Pitch Black", Arcee?

[crapfully]

A lame band who only thinks they're metal?

Someone going through an oh-so-edgy cookie cutter discount black clothing store phase.

Look for the painful jewelry creating cupholder-sized holes in his ears.

[polyturtle]

...We might have found a possible suspect, Inspector. No, actually...we think we might have found the likely culprit.

[bluesuit_hoofy]

Who? [Andrew's had his own thoughts about the reason for the theft, but hopefully the culprit isn't who -- or what -- he thinks.]

[Private]

[stormbroken]

I'm waiting on a confirmation from York, but I got word of who... had the gem.

Not sure if it's still in their possession, especially given the standing orders to "keep tensions high".

Twenty bits says the Pony's got her owl-eyed talons in that Elinor bird.

[private]

[chanceofgriffons]

And who would that be?

[forwantofapartycannon]

It was a dark and stormy night in Cloudsdale, that afternoon...

I was hot on the trail of a suspect, and I was out of candy corn, when suddenly, a stallion cried out in distress. His voice was hot and heavy, like the weight of twenty thousand Celestia suns, and weighed just as much as cakes on cake day.

He was trying to find the perfect gem, a lustrous sparkling gem that shone in the sun.

[The lights went on in a dim room, black and white tones as a gray mare dressed in fedora and trenchcoat was pouring a drink of some unspecified concoction. She took a sip and proclaimed,] Tasty! Now then...

It was a dark and stormy day, and the sun was shining, and it was hot, or maybe cold. We couldn't tell, because of the furnace blowing on us from the nearby bakery was covering the clouds in a rich creamy frosting smell. I stumbled upon the lead, as he was exiting the donut shop, and grilled him as best as I could.

"What do you know about gems...?" I asked in a deep voice, worthy of Phillip Marlowe.

"Gems," he said, "I've been looking for gems. You the one who's been cutting them for ponies lately?"

"Maybe," I replied, lighting up the candy cigarette. "But you must know of the chaotic state of Griffitar lately. What do you know about gems?"

"Aw shucks," replied the pegasus, and his badge shone. "I was looking for a gemcutter, and someone to get me one. I've been looking for a gem to propose to my mare friend."

"Mare friend, huh," I replied, taking a puff of sweet candy coating. "Don't talk about your mare friends on duty, rookie, that leads ponies into bodybags. You know the standard tropes."

"Why do you think I'm in plainclothes?" grinned the stallion. "I'm looking for a gem myself, but if it were up to me, I'd give the lost one to my marefriend to propose."

Taking a drag, I blew a cloud of candy smoke. "For the road, rookie," I replied, tossing him a flawless sapphire I had gotten from the nearby digs. "It's a Pie Cut. One of the best. Don't let me catch you talking bout marefriends on duty."

"No ma'am," he replied. "Names' Crescent Moon."

"Call me Deep Pie."

And that is what happened, and how Equestria was made. [And the screen pans out as music played and the scroll faded to black.]

[chanceofgriffons]

[Ironclaw stared. Well, then. Okay. That was... Crescent Moon accounted for? He makes a mental note to mark the stallion off his list completely.]

[Private Visual]

[cape_and_wizard_hat]

Ah, The Great and Powerful Trixie is contacting you via moon, and she did indeed find something of great importance and intrigue! Though it goes without saying that such folly should have never been recorded in the first place, there are but two people that should remain under extended suspicion.

[Get on with it!]

[Private Visual]

[chanceofgriffons]

You actually found something on the moon? [Color Ironclaw surprised.] What evidence was there?

[superstylishsquid]

*He has seen that letter now, but frankly? He gets where Ironclaw is coming from. Sometimes you have to play along with a plot you don't like to stay on track for something you do want. His bigger question is why Griffaltar seems to think peaceful relations with Equestria would be dangerous.*

I cleared most of the names on your list, but there was one that I couldn't get ahold of. Cloud Kicker's conveniently gone on vacation. Apparently she does that a lot, looking for rare gems.

I also found this.

*He holds up a picture from the Griffaltar weather factory. It's mostly normal, but there's one griffon that completely lacks on expression. Red feathers, a tan body and an oddly stiff tail.*

It looks like one of the griffon costumes from the local costume shop. They were apparently pretty popular around the time of the theft.

[chanceofgriffons]

Yes, we've been informed of Mrs. Kicker's disappearance. I'm having my officers talk to her family and canvas in the hopes of finding where she might have gone.

[When the picture is held up, Ironclaw squints before motioning off-screen.] Stormy Skies, please come look at this. Can you identify that griffon?

[Stormy shuffles into view and leans in close to look at the picture. He cocks his head.] It looks almost like Strawberry Rocket, but she quit... [Something appears to dawn on him.] She quit the day of the theft, just left in the middle of her shift and we received her resignation by mail. She said she was going off to the land of dragons to study them. When we didn't hear from her again, I, er... I assumed she'd... [His face falls as he motions vaguely.]

text

[twotonehoofbeast]

where ii2 my lii2t.

[visual]

[chanceofgriffons]

You have five seconds to say something relevant, or I am ending this communication.

[He is not in the mood to deal with this.]

The Kicker Lead

[faunafriend]

Um. I heard something. There's a pegasus in Cloudsdale named Cloud Kicker who really really REALLY loves to collect jewels. But um it could just be a hobby.

[chanceofgriffons]

A very relevant hobby, mare. She is on our list of prime suspects, but seems to be missing. Have you heard anything about her whereabouts, by chance?

Cloud Kicker and the "Imaginary Friend"

[trustme]

((ooc: Bolded for reading convenience.))

I can confirm this, and York can tell you also. Cloud Kicker really does have the jewel collection of Equestria. And a charming little family as well.

Apparently Mrs. Kicker wasn't around to explain herself- but I strongly suggest everypony look for her and hold her for questioning. York and I had a very interesting conversation with her daughter Rainbow.

A funny thing about Imaginary Friends. Sometimes they're real. Little Rainbow has one who will come to the Kicker household and swap out jewels in her mother's collection for other "better ones." More recently the imaginary friend came by with gloves to take away a large bread-shaped sapphire that had previously been swapped into Cloud Kicker's collection.

[He pauses, brows raised, and nods in case anyone is confused. Yes yes that matches the weather gem's description to a tee.]

I must say it would be a disappointment if the future president of the Minerals club were not good enough at identifying rocks to realize jewels in her own collection were being traded out for different ones, including the stolen weather gem. There is still a chance she really is oblivious, but considering that Cloud Kicker has never been in the house when little Rainbow's Imaginary Friend visits, there is of course a chance that she is the Imaginary Friend. Then again, someone else could be. Whoever she is, I believe she's the thief.

As for Mr. Kicker, we would have spoken to him as well had he not been knocked unconscious. Rainbow says he always sleeps when her friend visits.

At Cappuccino's House

[holyfight]

Ne, ne, everypony! I found something here!

[She's using the scroll to show a column in front of a pegasus's house. It's hollowed out, and there appears to be smears of something inside]

My friend Smooth Slide-san was showing me around Cloudsdale, and we found these chalk stains inside a column! The pony who owns the house is gone right now, but maybe this is something important?

[chanceofgriffons]

[Ironclaw's not sure what that is supposed to mean.]

It's a gem, miss. I don't think it would have chalk on it.

[He glances off-screen for a moment as if looking for confirmation on that.]

Is there any ice around? That would be more likely.