//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: General Impressions // Story: Sherclop Pones and the Adventure of Pinkie's Cupcakes // by A Sherlockian Brony //------------------------------// I felt I must’ve fallen out of my chair, unable to comprehend on what I just heard. “Oh, no, surely you must be joking” said I. “you don’t mean the Changeling attack?” Pones nodded “Indeed,” “Sweet Celestia; but, Pones, how could you possibly be responsible for allowing such an evil deed to happen?” “For I had agreed to take Ms. Derpy Hooves’ case.” “But how?” said I. “How are they connected?” Pones then turned to me with both fore-hooves clasped together upon the table. Then, he proceeded to speak in unemotional tone, with his eyes full of resentment. “What if I were to tell you, Watcolt,” he began, menacingly. “that the case in which had been presented to us had been artificially designed specifically in order to divert my attention away from interfering with the Queen’s devious plan to take over Equestria.” I placed a hoof to my forehead, finding myself once more at a loss of words. Despite my surprise to this information, I had been somewhat expecting for such an answer. My surprise came from the reveal on how the case and the attack had been connected, but I had not been surprised by the fact that they are connected for that I have already suspected. Nevertheless, I had still been taken aback by this. “Sweet Celestia—then, the case had been bogus the entire time?” said I. Pones nodded. “But how did the Changelings fear that you’ll bring destruction upon their plans? Furthermore, how do you come to know this?” I said this with my hoof raised above my head. “I have seen what you have seen, yet I could barely make anything of the matter.” Pones spun round his chair, then, with an air of a professor addressing to his class, he began to narrate a long and yet fantastic statement— “I will come to that, presently, my dear Watcolt, but first I must explain my line of thoughts throughout this wretched case and how I had eventually uncovered the fantastic truth— “It began when Ms. Hooves—or rather whom we had been fooled to believed to be Ms. Hooves (more on her later)—had presented to us her peculiar tale in which had definitely something of interest, as you may have also perceived, due to its extremely, though also vague, suggestive circumstances in which seem to suspiciously lead to crime. “If one were to pay close attention to it, it really does seem so. Rainbow Dash is declared missing, and the last pony whom had last seen consults us in order to ascertain her whereabouts. Now, it is a grand rule of mine, when solving cases such as this when the results have been presented to you first, to reason backwards. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but ponies do not practise it much. In the every-day affairs of life it is more useful to reason forwards, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are fifty who can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically. “Most ponies, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. There are few people, however, who, if you told them a result, would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backwards, or analytically. Allow me to present to you an example— “If one were to reason forwards, it is like adding the addends in order to receive the sum, where the addends had already been presented to you, and it is up to him find the sum himself. But in the case of reasoning backwards is the exact opposite— “The sum, instead, had been already presented, and it is up to you to find the addends that led to that sum. Hence, reasoning backwards. “In solving cases such as a murder or a disappearance, therefore, I am compelled to reason backwards for only the sum had been presented to me, and it is my task to learn the addends that lead to the murder or the disappearance. The addends could be found within the facts surrounding the murder or disappearance, then, piecing them together with order and method, I would attain the truth. “Now, in the case presented to us by Ms. Hooves—may I ask, what is the sum?” “The disappearance of Rainbow Dash.” said I, comprehendingly. “Yes, precisely; and the addends in which led to it are within the facts of the client’s narrative. And since we are dealing particularly with a disappearance case, we must, if we were to achieve our goal of solving it, follow the rules when solving one. “The grand rule, in which I have learned over the hundreds of cases of the past in which under a similar category, is that there is always something—something that is of the utmost importance that may solve the matter in the last sighting of the missing individual in question. If he or she had been last scene drawing a cheque or buying clothes, or at a train station, or being accompanied by someone in a carriage—there is always something there that may lead somewhere—in which that somewhere is often the truth. In the first example, he/she might’ve drawn a thousand Bits before leaving, which means that he/she had done this for she had wanted to immigrate to somewhere else. Now, where had been Rainbow Dash in the narrative, at least, last seen by a living person?” “The client,” said I. “Excellent, Watcolt. Now, where are those facts?” “In her narrative.” “Good; now, bear in mind that the possibility the solution to the mystery lies somewhere cleverly hidden amongst the circumstance provided by it. The fact that, as the narrative blatantly suggests, Ms. Dash had been not seen after she had been sighted by our client (proven by the fact that Ms. Dash’s friends had been seen in the police station inquiring for her whereabouts by setting up advertisements)—we may infer that whatever theory we may form from the facts in the narrative must always—ALWAYS result to Rainbow Dash disappearing. Now since the facts are somewhat dimly stated, we must piece together certain points that may lead to a potential fact. “Now, what are the initial deductions we may draw from it, as we remember that the sum is the disappearance? Let us first start from the beginning of Ms. Hooves’ experience— “She had seen Rainbow Dash in such a hurried demeanor as she headed for Sugarcube Corner, ignoring the world around her. Now, can we infer from this?” “That she had been late for something—like an event or some sort?” “Exactly—she had, then, been eager to arrive at Sugarcube Corner for she is terribly late for something that is to occur there. This, then, brings us into the next point—what had she been late for? It could be safely deduced from what had Ms. Hooves seen upon entering the shop. “Despite her strabismus, she had been able to note various objects upon the counter— such as an egg beater, a bowl, a sack of flour, eggs, an egg timer, a cupcake molder, potholders, sprinkles. Now, in what instance could these materials be used in? Baking. Therefore, with this inference, we may gather that Ms. Dash had agreed to appointment with someone at Sugarcube Corner on the topic of baking, and that she had been late for that said appointment. Very good. But who is that someone? One of the inhabitants of the shop. In order to ascertain whom, we must first consider Rainbow Dash’s nature. “I am going to ask you, Doctor, does she seem the type who holds an enthusiasm in baking?” I looked at Rainbow Dash as she danced along with a stallion in a similar athletic build as hers. “Certainly not!” said I with confidence. “She is of an athletic nature—she could not possibly hold a single ounce of fascination on it. Then, why—” “For it is not the baking she is after for, it is the pony whom she is baking with. “Now, who is that pony that compels her to hang out in an activity in which she shares no fondness of? Obviously, a friend. But who amongst the residents of the shop is her friend?” “The Cakes are immediately eliminated, for they are not the type. Therefore, it is Pinkie Pie whom she had agreed with to that baking appointment. “What, then, became of her—what became of Rainbow Dash upon entering that shop? As proven by the narrative, Ms. Dash hadn’t been seen since Ms. Hooves had noticed her do so. Though, it is indeed possible, due to the client’s condition, she could have misinterpreted the act, and Rainbow Dash had gone off to a completely different location. If this were the case, it would impossible to determine where she had went and who was the last to see her. But if in the case if Ms. Hooves had indeed interpreted properly, and that Ms. Dash had indeed last seen entering Sugarcube Corner, it is a different game entirely. “If this, then, were the case, whatever had caused her disappearance occurred INSIDE Sugarcube Corner. What, then, was it? Only by judging what had Ms. Hooves seen could ascertain it. “Upon entering, as it is remembered, Ms. Hooves, despite her condition, had seen Ms. Pie seemingly blend into the wooden floorboards below her, then unblended. A sound that had sounded like a wooden door slamming shut was heard. Pinkie Pie then proceeded to unroll the green circular carpet below her and stood on its middle with a very nervous demeanor. What could this possibly mean? Let us first state the obvious… “Pinkie Pie is clearly hiding something beneath that carpet. What could it be? I could ascertain it by judging what had Ms. Hooves first seen upon entering. Ms. Hooves had seen Pinkie seemingly blend into that spot the folded carpet covers and had unblended. Upon doing so, a door was heard being shut. Now, what could be possibly cause one to blend into the floorboards, undo the process of blending, and in doing so causes what sounds like a door slamming shut? A basement. “Now, what could be the possible explanation on why Ms. Pie had been so eager to conceal this basement by refusing it to show Ms. Hooves by unrolling the carpet that conceals it, and standing upon the middle? Not only that, but had attempted to hide the baking materials upon the counter from Ms. Hooves! But before answering the former, the latter must be answered first. Pinkie had wished to hide away any evidences of an appointment being set. But why? Why had she wished to conceal it with the said appointment being the last place Rainbow Dash had been last seen? It is almost as if she has a certain say to the disappearance. No, with the balance of probability, no! She must be responsible for the disappearance of Rainbow Dash! If so, this would explain her absence But, in what way? It could only be ascertained, whatever it may be, by answering why Pinkie Pie had been so eager to hide the existence of a basement. “If we were piece together the facts of Ms. Pie desiring to hide the fact that she is responsible for Ms. Dash’s disappearance, and the fact she desperately attempts to conceal the existence what do we get? She was in the process of placing the body of the athlete below the basement! But how did she—Pinkie manage to place the athlete’s body below the basement? Obviously, she couldn’t simply ask Ms. Dash to enter it, nor force her, for in doing so would create a fuss. A fuss, in which, despite her condition, Ms. Hooves would still be conscious of. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Ms. Pie had placed Ms. Dash’s body below there. But how? She could only do this when the latter is unconscious. But how did Ms. Dash fall unconscious. That we could know by judging what was the activity in which she agreed to participate with Pinkie Pie. That activity being the appointment of baking. Now, what could’ve happened to the Pegasus that resulted to her losing her conscious? Obviously by a soporific drug. But one can’t simply agree to be drugged, especially in such an activity as baking! Ms. Dash could have only been drugged without her knowledge? Obviously, a drug cleverly concealed in some kind of dish. But what could that dish be? A cupcake “But why a cupcake? Well, what is the appointment about? Baking cupcakes. Therefore, Pinkie Pie had presented to her a cupcake in a soporific drug had been cleverly concealed. Which would explain the bitten cupcake. Rainbow Dash then consumed it and fell unconscious. Pinkie Pie was in the process of placing her body below the basement where she plans to do Celestia knows what when she had been interrupted by the unexpected intrusion of Ms. Derpy Hooves. Pinkie was then forced to swiftly hide the body, close the basement door, conceal the basement by unfolding the carpet, then stand upon its centre to assure its safety. “There, Rainbow Dash remained, which would partly explain her prolonged absence. But what happened to her then? Whatever did Pinkie Pie do to her? I could only ascertain it by remembering Ms. Hooves’ third return to the shop. In it, as it is remembered, Ms. Hooves had caused Ms. Pie to spill the contents of the metallic tray in which she had carried. The contents being knives, for what else could fit the description of ‘small shiny metallic objects that are sharp enough to inflict a wound upon an individual.’ During that same visit, Pinkie had swiftly unfolded the green circular carpet and the sound of a door slamming shut was heard. This indicates that she had planned to re-enter it but had interrupted by yet another intrusion. But what could that reason be? With the tray of knives, I could safely deduce that she had planned to do so with a diabolical intent. That intent being murder. This, then, would explain everything. Including Rainbow Dash’s disappearance. With this, I could construct a coherent narrative. “Rainbow Dash had agreed to an appointment with Pinkie Pie about baking. But she had been late for it. To make up for lost time, she rushed to Sugarcube Corner. Upon arriving there, Pinkie Pie had presented to her a cupcake, most likely to be a taste test, for they had not even begun yet. Unbeknownst to the young athlete, that cupcakes cleverly concealed a hidden soporific drug. Upon consuming it, Ms. Dash immediately fell unconscious. Ms. Pie then folded the green circular carpet that conceals a hidden basement, where she had intended to place her victim. But as she was in the process in doing so, Ms. Hooves had made a very unexpected intrusion, consequently forcing Ms. Pie to swiftly hide any evidence of her deed. She swiftly placed the body below the basement, closed that basement, concealed that basement by unfolding the carpet, then, upon doing so, stood upon its centre. When Ms. Hooves had begun her search for Rainbow Dash, Pinkie had feared that she may discover the last damning piece of evidence in which she had forgotten to hide—the cupcake. She, then, reduced it atoms. In doing so alerted Ms. Hooves’ attention which caused the latter to search for that area. That area being near the counter. Pinkie Pie then attempted to hide any evidence of an appointment being sent by hiding the baking materials upon the counter by standing in front of them. When Ms. Hooves had left, convinced that her eyes had played tricks on her, Pinkie had resumed her business. She then entered the basement. “Now, one may begin to ask how did I come to the conclusion of a soporific drug instead of a poison that kills the victim instantly? Well, it is the fact that Ms. Pie had brought instruments of torture an hour well after the drugging, which indicates that she had waited for Ms. Dash to awake before committing the murder, for if she had not, she would’ve brought the murder tools along with her upon the drugging, not an hour after it. Now, in this case, this states that Pinkie Pie takes pleasure in inflicting pain upon her victims before she goes for the kill, indicating a psychopath. “Now, when Dash had regained her conscious, it is when her long and painful death had begun. Pinkie Pie, with the tools needed to inflict a sadistic death, did so by slowly killing her unfortunate victim, likely bounded up. This, then, would explain her prolonged absence. Rainbow Dash had been ruthlessly murdered by murderous mare who takes pleasure in inflicting pain upon her prey. Such are my initial deductions upon hearing the narrative, which, you, my dear fellow, have reached a similar light to some extent.”