//------------------------------// // Sherlock and Cinnamon Rolls // Story: Of Hooves and History // by Ahmad J Charles //------------------------------// Aside from using their horns in fearless defense, the second trait I noticed with unicorns was their love of freshly brewed tea – and strong tea at that! It felt like a botched Starbucks order on my tongue, but a few extra sugar cubes did the trick. The atmosphere in the elderly pony’s – who I got to know as Alphabittle – tea house was also strong. I could feel the tension, shame, and agony amongst the dozen or so unicorns present as Sunny let ‘em have it. “What has happened to you all? Have you forgotten everything I taught Izzy? We are supposed to learn and extend hooves of understanding and love to one another! No one, pony or not, deserves to be atta –” “Enough, Sunny,” I ordered, giving her the same I-mean-it face my dad gave me when child me was incensed. Putting a comforting arm around Izzy, I turned to address the other ponies. “I can only presume that you all were alerted to my impending presence, and that I was some sort of big, dangerous threat. The real question is, who or what alerted you?” Once again, the night air fell silent, devoid of voices. I could tell many of them were already sleepy, but I wasn’t letting anypony go until answers and a common peaceful ground were collectively established. Two full minutes passed before a thick-eyelashed pony from the back spoke up. “Shootie.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, and she paused for a moment before elaborating. “An earth pony. He came to us with a warning about the arrival of a large foreign creature that would seek to trick and steal from us.” I sputtered a muffled laugh. “And you believed a skinflint mare’s tale like that?!” Alphabittle sighed sadly. “Yes, we did. He… just sounded so sure, so definite.” I swallowed back any inclination to berate them and put on my detective hat. “What did he wear?” “A short cloak. You could just about peek at his cutie mark.” “What did he look like?” “V-shaped bangs, like a swept-back mane pulled forward. Tail wavy, kinda like your hair. Bluish-beige in color.” “How long was the mane?” “Just stopped above the shoulder.” “Anything else?” “Hoof feathering was the same as body color – that’s very rare among all ponies,” Izzy added, finally finding her voice again. “A dull reddish-black color.” After asking a few more questions, it became apparent that unicorns were not familiar with the tactics of manipulation. “You all look tired, but bear with me for a few more minutes,” I announced, “because this is very important. At a younger age, I lost things that were dear to me. A good number of potential friends, savings of money, and valuable items. How? I did not understand how to read people, and they took advantage of that in evil ways. For the sake of emphasis and time, I’ll give just one example – what just occurred here. Tell me, how would you verify if what Shootie said is true?” Izzy eagerly opened her mouth, but I pushed her jaw up shut. I felt there was much more to her mental abilities I could learn about but refused to let it sabotage the moment. “I would ask him where he obtained the sources of information,” said one unicorn. “I would challenge his claims.” “I would go out and ask around if anyone else knew about what Shootie spoke about – and also if he had already spoken to them before I did.” I let out three short claps. “Bravo. Last question: where is Shootie now?” “He mentioned heading to Zephyr Heights to warn them of the incoming danger.” Izzy and I shared a look. This was not good. If Zephyr Heights had an established kingdom and an IT infrastructure, clearing up the whole misunderstanding would be even harder. But recovery was still needed – in a different form. Alphabittle gave an open-hoof gesture, as if to request something, and I gave him the go-ahead to contribute. “Anything else, Aiden?” “Yes. Sleep. You need it, and so does Izzy and me. Also, the pony whom I struck across the horn? I’ll be paying him a visit first. He can get all the hugs he wants from me.” “Noted,” Alphabittle replied with a grin. Sunny, Izzy, and I all left the teahouse. Outside in the grass, my dagger was still where I left it in the grass. After some searching, I found the sheath near my backpack. Picking both up, we all headed for “La Villa Izzy”. As we entered, I didn’t even bother to request a spare bed and just flopped down on the floor, completely exhausted from climbing, walking, and brief armed combat. Unbeknownst to me, an orange and a purple pony rested my head on a pillow and draped a cloth over my form. I awoke to the sound of rolling castors and some mechanical gears turning. My droopy eyes shot open with awe as I watched a table unfold like a flower to reveal six “leaves” – each with a little tea cup. “Wow.” “Oh, good morning, Addie!” Izzy exclaimed, happily trotting over and brushing the straggly hair out of my face. “Care to join with tea?” “Sure. Just… you got a bathroom?” “Absolutely! Down the hall, first door on the right.” “Thanks.” After a quick wash-up, I sat on the colorful stone floor and sipped some fresh, warm herbal tea with Izzy and Sunny. This time, it was considerably less potent than Alphabittle’s brew, and savored every swig in silence. I looked over at Izzy, who just beamed back at me in a comforting way, as if she had never attempted to kill me less than 24 hours ago. Even after our healing hug, I still felt I owed it to her. “Let’s see if it’s survived the ordeal…” I grimaced, opening up my backpack and sifting through it, before my hands landed on a sheet of cool, smooth metal and glass. “Ah, here it is!” I pulled out the iPad Pro, checking for any damages. There was a slight dent on the underside edge, but the screen was fine. Hardly had I held the power button did Izzy come scooting over in excitement. “That’s the logo – Apple.” “Speaks for itself,” Izzy mused with a tiny chuckle. “Wow! I didn’t know phones could be so big!” “Haha! This is a tablet,” I explained. “Almost like a phone, but has a few minor differences – well, besides size, of course.” With the lock screen now lit up, I quickly typed in the password. Izzy’s eyes lit up like gems as the apps zoomed into view like little multi-colored dots. “You’re just a precious cinnamon roll, Izzy,” I cooed, tickling her behind the ear, resulting in sweet giggles and a bodily nuzzle… and a question. “What’d you mean?” “If you love someone you tend to refer to them by something sweet, case in point…” I tapped the Photos app, flicked to the Food album, and opened up a photo I took at a bakery shop in New York. Both ponies’ eyes and mouths bulged like balloons… and a shriek rang out. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOMGTHISISSOBEAUTFIULANDSWEEETICOULDJUSTTASTETHOSESOFTPASTRIESWITHALLTHESUGARAND –” “I can make this,” I interrupted, holding Izzy’s bouncy leg in an attempt to calm her hyper-stimulated nerves. “Provided you have the ingredients, of course.” “Tell me!” Izzy asked eagerly. I flicked the Photos app closed and pulled up a PDF document of recipes I had collected, scrolling through them until I found one titled “nyc cinna rolls”. “Okay, let’s see, milk, sugar plus the brown type, baking powder, salt, oil, cream cheese... yep! This is doable.” I slipped the iPad into a clear bag so it wouldn’t get dirty and let Izzy go ham in the kitchen. “How do you get those ingredients here?” I inquired, nervously side-eyeing the kitchen to ensure my precious tablet didn’t get smashed. “After magic was restored, a small effort was made to form trading relationships and agreements. Farmers in the northern hills of Maretime Bay started exporting grains and milk products to Bridlewood, who provided spices, herbs, nuts, and some fruit in return. And the result was exactly as you have tasted in that soup café – an exceptional increase in quality food across both towns. A discussion with Zephyr Heights about metals and rare earth materials is in the works too.” “Amazing. Collectively enacting agreements and terms with trading is a great way to ensure all sides of the economical polyhedron are effective, beneficial, and just.” It seemed like Sunny and I had a lot in common, and that our passions would only bring us closer together. But I still had ways to go in learning about and adjusting to my new horned purple friend.