Canterlot High
Chapter 3: Canterlot High
It was all clear and beautiful near the educational institution known as Canterlot High School. Every student was looking forward to preparing for the Fall Formal which was coming up soon and the excitement in the air was palpable. That was, until a smack could be heard in front of the main entrance.
"Owww", Twilight Sparkle, now a human rubbed her head after she bumped into the see-through door, "I should've used some magic", she groaned as she slumped to the floor.
"Uh...I think that may be a bit hard", the purple canine near her said. By some weird means, Spike had also been transformed and unlike Twilight, he was now a little dog, not that he was complaining though.
Twilight hadn't anticipated the transformations so she had a hard time figuring out how to walk on two legs. She was shocked by her new bipedal form but slowly she managed to get the hang of it which was a bit of an overstatement to be honest.
"Huh!?" Twilight asked herself when she touched the top of her head, "Where's my horn!?" she yelled, frantically searching ever part of her cranium for the extension.
"I guess horns and wings don't come with this form", Spike chuckled nervously. He wasn't feeling as uncomfortable as Twilight was since he was used to getting around on all fours.
"We better find the crown quick", she told her canine companion, "I don't think I could stand another hour looking like...like...this!"
With that, she tried to stand upright, only to find herself uncontrollably staggering backwards. Just as she was about to fall down the steps behind her, two arms grabbed her, preventing her from making an unpleasant contact with the concrete floor.
"That was a close one", Twilight took a deep breath as her savior helped her get to her feet, "Thank you", she turned to face whoever had caught her.
"Thank me for what?" the tall figure asked, "For saving you? Please, I was merely stopping you from crashing rather unceremoniously right on top of me".
"Huh?" Twilight took a better look at the stranger. He was definitely taller than her and he appeared to be the male species of whatever creature she was. He had curly black hair and he wore a brown trench coat and he had a black scarf around his neck.
"Miss Sparkle, I would very much find it more comfortable if you learned to control yourself before you proceed", he told her with an unimpressed look on his face.
"I guess I should", she smiled nervously before she realized something, "Hey! How did you know my name?" she asked accusingly.
"Why wouldn't I? You gave it to me yourself back when you were enrolled into Celestia's school for gifted unicorns", he replied with a half-smirk.
"Sherlock?" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise before her mouth curled into a smile. The famous Sherlock Hooves was standing right in front her. And not only that, it was obvious that he was there to help get her crown back.
"It's been a while since we've met, little sister of Shining Armor", Sherlock said, giving her half of his attention as he continued to observe the behavior and movements of the nearby students.
He had just arrived nearly a minute ago and he was already accustomed to his new body, being able to walk properly without falling over and being able to grip things with the new appendages on his upper limbs.
"Little? Just because you're three years older than me doesn't mean you get to call me little", Twilight retorted while smiling. She was actually having a conversation with one of the best minds in the world; in short, it felt like she was in nerd heaven.
"Three years, a month, fourteen days and six hours", Sherlock corrected her.
"He's real, Spike", Twilight whispered to Spike excitedly. It was a dream come true for her, meeting a real crime solver up close and personal.
"Um...pleasure to meet you, sir", Spike chuckled nervously. He didn't know why but he felt unnaturally uneasy around Sherlock Hooves.
"Wish I could say the same", Sherlock muttered under his breath. In an instant, he shifted his focus back to the place they were in. Everything looked like it was the same as Equestria except for the fact that this realm was dominated by advanced primates which was his primary assumption when he first saw them.
"This is a large place. I wonder what it is", Twilight said on purpose, wanting to hear another precise observation from Sherlock.
"You know you could figure it out yourself", Sherlock sighed while Twilight blushed in embarrassment, "It's not a castle, it's an educational institution", he told her.
"Do you mind telling..." Twilight was about to ask before she was interrupted.
"Canterlot High School", Sherlock pointed to a banner above the main entrance. Twilight's cheeks reddened even further. She really wished she had her horn right now so she could cast some invisibility spell but unfortunately, Sherlock managed to see through her attempt at hiding the reaction.
"Shouldn't we head inside? We need to get the crown as soon as possible", Spike said in order to snap Twilight out of her brief state of embarrassment.
"Yeah, Sherlock, d-do you mind helping us find my crown?" she asked politely so as not to make it seem like she was ordering him around.
"Boring", Sherlock simply replied much to Twilight and Spike's disappointment.
"Please, we can't do this on our own", she pleaded, standing in front of him to gain his attention.
"You and I both know you can", Sherlock turned away. He never liked having help or being a mere second fiddle to anyone. No, all he wanted was the main credit, no sidekick business, just pure credit for everything.
"Please, since we're the only ones from Equestria, we have to stick together", Twilight made one last attempt at persuading the detective, "Couldn't you at least do this once?" she said with puppy eyes. By some strange reason, Sherlock couldn't help but take a small glance at her.
"This...this is strange", Sherlock mumbled to himself. It was the second time he had experience something like this, which is, having the urge to do what somepony asked. First it was his mother, then it was Cadance and now it was Shining Armor's little sister.
"Huh?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fine...I'll do it. Just stop pestering me with trivial matters", Sherlock gave in, knowing he had no choice but to admit defeat, "Whatever bloody mess that made me do that, screw you", he silently cursed whatever mystical force that caused him to agree to Twilight's demand.
"Um...okay", Twilight said awkwardly as Sherlock opened the door for her.
After taking a deep breath, Twilight took a better look at the interiors of the school. Students were running around here and there doing their usual things. Twilight and Spike stared in awe at seeing such advanced species while Sherlock merely gave a yawn of boredom. All he wanted to do was have a little talk with Sunset Shimmer, nothing more.
"This is so grand", Twilight squealed, looking around in every direction and not even taking a clear look at the hallway in front of her.
"Watch your path, Twilight", Sherlock warned her without even giving her the smallest glance.
The next second, Twilight bumped into a blue haired boy rather hard and the two of them fell to the floor after the collision. Both were a bit shaken but otherwise unharmed in any manner.
"Told you", Sherlock said while he continued to observe the actions of the creatures in front of him, making a mental note at almost every turn of his head. He needed to make sure he had all the information he needed before he could make a move.
"You okay?" the boy asked politely, helping Twilight get to her feet.
Twilight nodded her answer, standing straight while staring at the boy as he walked away. The place truly seemed like a school although it was a whole lot bigger and way more sophisticated than any school she had ever known in Equestria.
"It appears Sunset Shimmer is here", Sherlock told Twilight and Spike as they walked down the hallway in the pretense they were actually one of the students. For them, a blown cover would mean they would have no chance in hell at getting the crown back and getting Sunset Shimmer to spill the beans.
"Huh? How? I mean, I don't see her anywhere", Spike looked around him, searching for any signs of the amber unicorn-turned-human he had seen the night before.
"That jock's discussing with his friend about the actions of a certain crimson haired friend of ours while that photographer holds some pictures of her which were obviously taken recently and to top it all off, that girl with the blue jumper is talking about her slim chances of being crowned Princess of the Fall Formal as long as Sunset Shimmer is around", Sherlock ended the brief monologue with a disgusted tone.
"Wow, Sunset Shimmer really must have some kind of problem with everyone here", Twilight deduced. Judging from Sunset Shimmer's actions the previous night, it was safe to say that she was somepony willing to do anything to get what she wanted, probably making her all the more harder to beat.
"That's a good assumption, Twilight. But in actuality, Sunset Shimmer is only the root", Sherlock corrected her after he eavesdropped on the conversation of a nearby group of eco-kids, "It appears everyone here has some sort of animosity towards one another".
Amidst the somewhat hate-filled atmosphere, Sherlock and the duo of Twilight and Spike managed to find their way to a more secluded area, away from all the bustling noises and the students.
From what he saw and heard, Sherlock stuck to an assumption that every wrong thing in the school was instigated by Sunset Shimmer in some way. Though he hated hanging onto such a tangible fact, it seemed like the only logical reason as to why anyone didn't even bother to scout them out since they were undoubtedly new to this school.
"Finally, peace and quiet", Twilight heaved a sigh of relief as they stopped moving forward.
"It appears the office of the head of this institution is located a few rooms away", Sherlock said, holding a map of the entire school and studying every nook and cranny which he could utilize later.
"Where did you get that?" Spike asked Sherlock. He didn't see him carry the map before so he was wondering where he got it from.
"Did you steal that?" Twilight asked as well. A hint of accusation could be heard in the way she inquired the taller human.
"Doesn't matter", Sherlock replied without even gracing the duo with a simple glance. He needed to make sure he had knowledge of how things worked around the school he was in before he would be able to make a decisive move.
Twilight Sparkle was about to ask again when she heard some voices around the corner. She slowly crept forward, careful in case she was about to intrude in some private conversation or something. It might lead to her coming as rude or nosey so she wanted to avoid that, especially when she was near Sherlock.
"You really are pathetic. No wonder your best friends are stray animals", a familiar voice echoed in the empty hallway. Sherlock quickly shifted his attention to the source with a scowl on his face.
He slowly walked forward, standing behind Twilight who was fuming after seeing the sight before her. A denizen of the world who closely resembled Fluttershy was being berated by a crimson-haired girl. She didn't know why but she felt she needed to intervene, probably because the girl reminded her of one of her closest friends.
"Don't", Sherlock whispered, placing his hand in front of Twilight when he saw that she was about to dive right in and give the crimson-haired girl a piece of her mind.
"But can't you see what's happening?" Twilight protested while pointing at the scene in front of her. She gritted her teeth in anger but she controlled herself, deciding to let Sherlock make the call.
"I'll handle this", Sherlock simply told her before handing her the map and walking forward and between the two girls, "That'll be enough, miss", Sherlock said to the offending girl who shot him a puzzled look.
"Who in the world are you? Huh? Her boyfriend?" the girl crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the intruder. The other girl immediately shied away as she blushed at the mention of the word "boyfriend".
"The question is: Who are you?" Sherlock placed his index finger on her forehead which the girl quickly brushed away.
"Yeah, that's right", she smirked, "You should know better than to confront me. Do you even have any idea who I am?" she asked proudly.
"I have twelve but I'm gonna go with the most logical one and say you're Miss Sunset Shimmer", Sherlock replied, unimpressed by the superiority complex the girl possessed.
"You bet I am and if you're gonna keep up that rude attitude we're gonna have a problem", Sunset Shimmer shot a glare at Sherlock who wasn't fazed one bit.
"Your attempt at making that hollow threat is so hilarious I forgot to laugh. Try harder, you might just make me flinch", Sherlock said with his usual expressionless stare. Sunset Shimmer was starting to feel a bit weirded out by the situation but she managed to keep a straight face. Then it came to her.
"The Great Sherlock Hooves I presume?" Sunset Shimmer said in an unimpressed tone.
"Don't try to flatter me, it won't work", Sherlock replied sternly, "I suggest you start giving me answers or I'll have to force it out of you".
"Oh really? Do you even know what I am capable of? I can make you fall before me just like that", she snapped her fingers for emphasis. Despite Sherlock being a cold-hearted and slightly sociopathic individual, she knew that he could still be cracked like everyone else. Besides, there was nopony who knew him like she did.
"I'd love to see that", Sherlock said sarcastically. He didn't want to admit it but he was really keen on hearing about what kind of pony Sunset Shimmer was probably working for judging from her past actions, "Tell me, who are you working with?"
"Dream on, Sherly. You're not getting anything from me", Sunset Shimmer scoffed at Sherlock's question.
"I was expecting that", Sherlock said with a bored sigh.
"What?" Sunset Shimmer asked.
"That a quintessence of failure would come up with a weak reply like that", Sherlock replied indifferently, not even giving a single buck about what Sunset Shimmer might say.
"That's rich coming from somepony who's always gonna live in the shadow of his brother's success", Sunset Shimmer shot back with a smirk on her face. Sherlock was a bit surprised by the mention of his personal life.
Yes, although he never admitted it to anyone, he had always had this fear that he might never have the success his brother, Mycroft Hooves had. Mike was the Hooves family's golden colt, a stallion suited for success while he was just an afterthought.
"Struck a nerve didn't I?" a grin of devious delight came across the face of Sunset Shimmer. She had anticipated that somepony like him was gonna show up sooner or later so with some "special" assistance, she was prepared for any situation.
"Don't press your luck", Sherlock growled before he controlled himself, "I must say though, I do admire your disregard for the opposite's emotions".
"It's none of your business, thank you very much. I'll deal with you later. See ya, losers", Sunset Shimmer walked away with her head held high. One way or another, Sherlock was going to pay for interrupting her conversation with Fluttershy.
Well played, Miss Shimmer", Sherlock mumbled before he turned to Fluttershy, "Do you know her?" he asked bluntly.
To his surprise, Fluttershy quickly turned away and cowered while trembling. Apparently according to Sherlock, she must've been a bit intimidated by the exchange between him and Sunset Shimmer. Sherlock shrugged before he signaled Twilight and Spike to come and try to strike a conversation with Fluttershy since she probably knew a thing or two about Sunset Shimmer and what kind of effect she had on the school.
"Why'd you let her off like that?" Twilight asked Sherlock, surprised that the detective had dismissed Sunset Shimmer.
"Don't fret about it, try to get some information out of her", Sherlock quickly changed the subject as he pointed at Fluttershy.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked the pink-haired girl. Fluttershy slowly took a peek at Twilight and after she saw the friendly smile on her face, she stood up although she was still shaken after being berated by Sunset Shimmer.
After a few seconds, Fluttershy merely nodded, not even daring to talk to Twilight face to face.
"For the love of", Sherlock groaned. Things were gonna go much slower and harder than he expected and working slow was one of the few things he wanted to avoid. After all, a good detective always has the answers as soon as possible.
"Can you tell me your name?" Twilight asked calmly as she didn't want to accidentally scare the shy girl away.
Fluttershy muttered some inaudible syllables while she slightly turned her head away. Twilight sighed as she realized it was just like the first time she had met her world's Fluttershy in Ponyville. She couldn't even introduce herself properly and she could only speak normally when she saw...
"Spike", Twilight suddenly had an idea. The next moment, Spike quickly rushed next to his friend after hearing his name. He didn't speak though as Twilight told him that it might be really weird if everyone knew he was a talking dog.
"Aww...who's this cute little fellow?" Fluttershy instantly squealed as soon as she saw the purple dog before she patted his head, "Is he yours?" she asked while she caressed the canine in her arms.
"Umm...kinda", Twilight said with a nervous smile while Spike raised his eyebrow. For her, it was really strange to address her most trusted assistant as a mere pet in this world.
Suddenly, the school bell blared all around, indicating to everyone that lunch-time had arrived already. Before long, the hallways were filled with students all wanting to get to the cafeteria as soon as possible.
After exchanging formalities, Fluttershy told the trio about why Sunset Shimmer heckled her. She had found a crown a few hours back and she gave it to the principal of the school. Later on, Sunset Shimmer heard about it and demanded that she gave it back to her since it belonged to her but she told her that she didn't have it. That was when Sherlock barged in and made Sunset Shimmer go away.
"And where's the crown now?" Twilight asked.
"I gave it to Principal Celestia", Fluttershy replied causing Twilight to exchanged puzzled glances with Spike.
"Principal Celestia?", Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow while eyeing Sherlock who merely gave her a shrug, "Is she the ruler here?"
"I guess you could say that", Fluttershy said.
"So, where is the chamber where this Principal Celestia resides?" Twilight asked the girl. She was a bit surprised at the mention of the name but she figured Sherlock might have a plausible explanation to all of this as he was silent all the while.
"Third door on your left", Fluttershy replied with a smile, "Oh and you might wanna tuck him inside your backpack. That's what I do since there's a "no pets allowed" rule", she added as some chirping and some meows could be heard from her backpack.
"Okay, thanks again", Twilight said, placing Spike inside her backpack before she turned to Sherlock, "Uh...Sherlock, you coming?" she asked the detective who hadn't moved one inch.
"You go and try to find a way to get your belongings back", Sherlock said after his brief state of eerie silence, "I'll accompany Miss Fluttershy as I have some questions I need to ask", he told her before he turned to Fluttershy, "If that is alright with you".
"Of course, we can talk in the cafeteria", Fluttershy replied, a bit uneasy sticking with a complete stranger but he did stood up for her so she needed to be as hospitable and friendly as possible.
Sherlock, on the other hand, didn't share the same mentality. The last thing he'd want to do in this strange world was ally himself with the denizens. Since his knowledge of what Sunset Shimmer was capable of here in this world was bleak, he needed to expand his mind for more ideas and plans so he could know whoever was behind all of this.
"Okay, I'll catch up with you two later", Twilight said, a bit disappointed that Sherlock decided to tag along with Fluttershy. However, on the plus side, if she did manage to get her crown back from the principal, they could focus all their attention on Sunset Shimmer which meant some great deduction skills from Sherlock.
Sherlock and Fluttershy had hardly left the corner when they bumped into an old friend of Sherlock.
"Sorry, Miss Shy. It's all my bucking fault", the red-haired boy said as he held his head, in the pretense that he had actually made contact with the two.
"It's okay", Fluttershy replied and gave him a smile.
"Carbine Hubson", Sherlock said with a low growl when he heard and noticed the boy more clearly.
"Whoa! Sherlock?" Carbine gave a surprised smile as he recognized his old classmate.
"I assume this is the place you said you were going to a few years back", Sherlock said. He recalled Carbine telling him that he had overheard Celestia talk about a portal to another world on the day of Sunset Shimmer's disappearance but he had never expected the red unicorn stallion to actually enter the portal.
"That's right, ol' sport. Been living a bucking good life over here and making friends with the lads and the lasses in this school", Carbine replied, smiling and placing an arm over Sherlock.
"Do you know him?" Fluttershy asked Carbine. She had no idea that Carbine had a friend like Sherlock who knew both him and Sunset Shimmer.
"Hell yeah, did him a favor once and returned it too. Been mates ever since", Carbine gave her a huge smile while Sherlock simply groaned.
"You followed Sunset Shimmer and used her as an excuse to get here, didn't you?" Sherlock asked accusingly.
"Well, I see you're still using your Uncle Ned", Carbine chuckled, "And yes, but can you blame me? After all, she's a..."
"Yes, yes, she's your neighbor and you wouldn't want anything to happen to her. Or are you just infatuated by her?" Sherlock asked with a smirk as he deduced that Sunset Shimmer and Carbine were living together in this world.
"Now, hold on there, mister. I am not in love with Miss Shimmer. I'm just sticking with her, you know, Equestrian to Equestrian", Carbine retorted, crossing his arms while trying to hide the obvious blush on his face with a crooked smile, "Anyway, how'd you get here, ol' chap? I reckon you're not alone".
"That you assume right, old friend. I'm with Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike. We're here to retrieve a crown and interrogate Sunset Shimmer, nothing more", Sherlock told him his plans.
"Twilight's here too? What the buck, mate? Why'd she have to come here?" Carbine asked as his smile turned upside down.
"The crown belongs to her. And yes, she's a princess. It happened not too long ago", Sherlock said quickly before his friend could ask him another question.
"For buck's sake, she really did it", Carbine chuckled, "Too bad I wasn't there to witness it".
The next second, a faint ringing could be heard from Carbine's pockets. While Sherlock gave him a puzzled look, the red-haired boy pulled out a shiny black slab from his pocket which was vibrating in conjugation with the god-awful ringing.
"What in Equestria is that?" Sherlock asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a phone. Typical means of communication around these parts", Carbine said with the knowledge that Sherlock and Twilight were probably gonna find things awfully strange around the school, "It's a rather neat gadget. I'll tell you all about it later".
"You better", Sherlock echoed Luna's reply to him a few minutes earlier. If this meeting with Carbine was any indication, he had a lot to look into, a whole freaking lot.
"Hello...", Carbine answered the phone before he gave an annoyed groan, "For the last time, mate, you've got the wrong bloody number! And you will not, I repeat, you will not kill me let alone find me!" he yelled, turning off the phone hastily, "Bucking Bryan Mills", he mumbled as he placed his phone back inside his jeans.
"Misunderstanding, I presume?" Sherlock narrowed his eyes.
"One of many. Beg your pardon for that", Carbine said with a nervous chuckle.
"Where'd you get the money for that?" Sherlock asked.
"About that...let's not talk about that heheh", Carbine replied, "Well that's a whole lot of "that"s".
"So, I assume you think we'll be able to get the crown back while simultaneously interrogating Sunset Shimmer", Sherlock said with a rare hint of uneasiness, mainly due to knowing how much of a task it was going to be to get Sunset Shimmer to talk.
"Well, I don't know about the "getting crown back" part but I sure as hell know that you're not gonna get shit out of Sunset Shimmer", Carbine replied honestly.
"Nothing's impossible for me", Sherlock said bluntly and with a strong hint of confidence.
"That's your problem then, not mine", Carbine shrugged, "Anyway, how's my grandma? She's still good and kicking, yes?"
"Mrs. Hubson's still alive. Though I'm not overly fond of her taste in music", Sherlock replied. Miss Hubson was her landlady who lived alone and despite her gullibility, she was a kind pony who cared for her like he was her kin.
"That's a relief heheh. It was really good that I had moved out before I got trapped in this place", Carbine wiped a drop of sweat off his brow, "So, have you got a place to crash?"
"I don't intend on staying for long", Sherlock said, remembering what Celestia said about the three-day window period.
"I'll take that as a no", Carbine smiled before he prepared to walk away, "You want some cider from Miss Jack? They're really awesome", he told his friend.
"Cider? I didn't know you indulged", Sherlock asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It doesn't beat some Thelma Ritter but it sure as bloody hell got a bucking kick heheh. I'll see you later, mate", Carbine laughed a bit before he went away.
"Tell me everything you know about him and Sunset Shimmer", Sherlock said to Fluttershy who hastily nodded. If Carbine was here too, that could mean only two things. One, either he was in cahoots with Sunset Shimmer or two, he was there to keep an eye on Miss Shimmer, damage limitation to be precise.
On the way to the cafeteria, Sherlock continued thinking about the situation he was in just a few minutes ago. Sunset Shimmer's body language suggested that she wasn't under the influence of any mind-altering drug or mentality-changing spell. It appeared like she was acting on her own accord so Sherlock stuck with an assumption that she was manipulated by somepony a few years ago.
The question on Sherlock's mind though was:
What kind of sick bloke would mastermind all of this?
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He is a she and she is called Megan McCarthy. Keeps cards close to the chest, teases people with tidbits of information but never gives them all of it.
Oh shit! Benedict Cumberbatch has arrived!
Don't speak out loud, Miss Shimmer. You'll lower the IQ of the entire school.
Professor James Moriarity.