Behind the Scenes Part I

To write a stronger basis of my planned sequel, I must look back at my first work and learn what I had originally planned this "Ponified Sherlock" thing to go. I looked at my original notes and saw how each phase of the story eventually evolved into the one I have written. I smile when looking back at it, seeing how far I've gone. Perhaps it may be the amateur writer in me (which I am), but I sorta feel proud of my work. I've gone from the "spoon-fed" exposition to a more "showing rather than telling" way of writing. I've also seen the early vision in which "Pony Holmes" would take. But I've been too engaged in writing Pinkie's Cupcakes' final phase, and had forgotten to consider how it would be beneficial for my originally visioned "epic-action-packed" sequel. I'm working on it now (in intervals from school), but I would like to share how I conceived of this "Pony Holmes" idea.

It began when I had been conducting research on the early days of the Brony Fandom, out of curiousity. Pony videos made out of love for the show such as My Little Dashie and other works by StormFX. Fanmade musical compositions by the Living Tombstone, BronyDanceParty, and Mando and other independent works. This then lead to the discovery of Friendship is Witchcraft, then to other pony parodies. This lead to Bronies React, which, in turn, due to a word uttered in a particular video, lead to fanfics, particularly, creepypastas. I looked up on Google "MLP Fanfics," and clicked on the first page that caught my interest. It was called "Cupcakes." Well, you could guess what happened next.

Once I read it, Sweet Celestia, I was horrified, but also curious. I conducted research on this grimdark fan-fic and found out it was posted by a user in 4chan named on the January of 2011. Incredible, I thought, I wasn't even 4 years old when this was written!

As I was reading the original 60 Sherlock Holmes stories that time, I thought what I great case this would make if Holmes were to solve it! I thought how the case would be presented by the usual naive witness, and how Holmes, with his swift and efficients methods of deduction, would cleverly bring the murderous Pinkie to justice. I thought it to be absurd, for it would need for Sherlock (and possibly all the characters in the Holmesian Universe) to be somehow rewritten in order to be woven in perfectly into the FiM Canon...as if they were actual characters that existed within the show. I put it aside in my unconscious, thinking that it would be such a Herculean task to ponify Sherlock Holmes. But, as the thought grew like a sprouting seedling, I took up a metaphorical pen, and began ponifying Sherlock Holmes.

I first begun by with their names. I found some difficulty with Holmes, however, for I wanted a clever pony pun for him. But then, as I listened to the Gypsy Bard, I thought of its composer's name..."Sherclop Pones." I looked at the profile picture and found a literal horse with photoshoped Holmesian accessories from "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" (pipe and deerstalker hat.) Then I looked at the bio, and read "horse pun." So it was indeed ponified Holmes! I then used this decade-old pun for my "Pony Holmes."

I then thought of Watson...what could be his ponified name? I had nearly copied the name "Trotson" from B_25's story for his story was about a ponified Holmes too. I didn't want to appear like I stole his work, so I thought of "Watcolt."

I then thought for Mrs. Hudson, which, functioning similarly as to "Watcolt," she's now "Mrs. Hudcolt."

221B Baker Street is still 221B Baker Street, but I decided to locate in Canterlot, for Holmes resides in London. London is Britain's capital, and Canterlot was essentially Equestria's. Therefore, Baker Street is in Canterlot.

Mycroft, like to Sherclop, was "Myclop."

The Diogenes Club is "The Caballus Club."

Scotland Yard was "Cloudsdale Yard;" Lestrade was "Lestrot;" Stanley Hopkins as "Stanley Trotkins;" Gregson as "Gregcolt"

Professor Moriarty is Professor Mareiarty (ha, pun.)

Having done this, I know must ponify them...what kind of ponies would they be?

Holmes, I thought, would do well as a Unicorn, for magic could do him well in the field of Equestrian detection.

Watson was a bit tough, for Watson is a war veteran (the Second Anglo-Afghan War, if one wonders), and I had to look for a pony equivalent to his services. Since he was a soldier, I thought what could be Euqestria's equivalent of a military? The Wonderbolts. So Watson would be a Wonderbolt Medic. But he would be an ex-Wonderbolt, if I were to follow the lore of the books, and he would need to also sustain a crippling injury that compelled him to retire. What more tragic an injury could befall upon a Wonderbolt than losing a wing? But in order for for him to sustain this injury in a similar fashion as to how he did in the books, he would need to be a veteran of a war. But what war, I thought, Equestria isn't prone to them! I then thought of Nightmare Moon's return...what if Watson's batch had been sent to fight her? After all, the Wonderbolts are basically a branch of the E.U.P, which was created to protect Celestia from threats such as Nightmare Moon. So, Watson was to be a member of batch, sent to fight Nightmare Moon in her return in the first episode, lost, and lost a wing. And just like in the book, it is because of sustaining a battle injury that lead him to be meet the acquaintance of Holmes. So, there! I wanted "Pony Holmes" to exist during the Mane Six's time, so I deciced for this Holmes and Watson's relationship to start around the same time Twilight did to her friends.

Mrs. Hudson would be still be the motherly landlady of 221B, but as an Earth Pony.

Mycroft, since he's a Government official, was to be in league with Equestria's Government. His Club would also be a Governemt one. Since he's Sherclop's brother, he would also be a Unicorn.

Scotland Yard, aside from the change of its name to "Cloudsdale Yard," would still function as the official police force, but that of Equestria. Its detectives, while great within their own rights, are still reliant on Holmes' methods.

Moriarty, while still retaining Conan Doyle's portrayal of the criminal mastermind of ruthless mathematical efficiency, I've decided to portray him with my own little twist. Wanting to have some poetic value between him and Holmes, I made him a Unicorn, for they are portrayed to be euqals. Conan Doyle had left Moriarty to be anything you want him to be. He could be this gentlemanly arms dealer such as what Guy Ritchie has, or a Joker wannabe such was what BBC Sherlock has, but I want to stay accurate to the original Canon, but also with my own creative liberties. I won't reveal them just now, in risk of SPOILING the sequel, and I don't want that. But you can be assured that he would still be the same classic Napoleon of Crime, but rewritten to be a pony.

That was their respective ponified roles in a nutshell, now I had to find a way on how to include them in Cupcakes.

That