SPOILER WARNING: This Ponified episode contains heavy reference to the BBC Series Sherlock's 1st episode, A Study in Pink. DO NOT READ IF YOU OBJECT TO THESE SPOILERS! Sherlock © the BBC
All MLP Characters © Hasbro. Unofficial names used where real names are unknown.
***
With Twilight gone, the forensics team hurried up the stairs. “Okay, let's get on with it,” Rainbow said, motioning them back to the body. Applejack pressed against the wall to avoid the stream of ponies. She remembered her cane in time and reached back into the room to get it. Then she limped back down, slowly. One pony bumped into her and she stumbled. By the time she'd changed back into her street clothes and hobbled back to the police line, Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Derpy noticed the earth pony looking around.
“She's gone,” she told Applejack.
“Who, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Yeah, she just took off. She does that.”
“Is she coming back?”
“She didn't look like it.” Another policepony trotted over to speak to the sergeant.
Applejack looked around some more. She realized that she probably should have paid better attention on the ride over. “Sorry, where am I?” she asked.
“Brayxton,” Derpy replied.
“Right...do you know where I could…get a cab? It's just, uh…well…” She glanced down. “My leg.”
“Uh…” Derpy lifted the tape with one wing. “Try the main road.”
“Thanks.” Applejack stepped under as Derpy spoke again.
“But you're not her friend. She doesn't have friends.” Applejack glanced back as the sergeant continued. “So who are you?”
“I'm…I'm nopony,” Applejack said. “I just met her.”
Derpy nodded. “'Kay, bit of advice then. Stay away from that mare.”
“Why?”
The pegasus didn't need to be pressed to elaborate. “You know why she's here? She's not paid or anything. She likes it. She gets off on it. The weirder the crime, the more she gets off, and you know what? One day just showing up won't be enough. One day we'll be standing 'round a body and Twilight Sparkle will be the one that put it there.”
“Why would she do that?” Applejack asked, doubtful.
“Because she's a psychopath,” Derpy said simply. “Psychopaths get bored.”
The Detective Inspector's voice rang out from the building's entrance. “Derpy!”
“Coming!” The pegasus replied. She walked back towards the building, but turned around to give repeat her warning to the earth pony. “Stay away from Twilight Sparkle.”
Applejack considered this. Sure, Twilight seemed a bit...odd, but psychopathic? Maybe borderline, from what she'd seen, but a potential killer? She limped off to find a cab. A phone booth rang as she passed it, yet nopony was around to pick it up. She looked at the booth, then checked the time and continued on with a sigh. It'd have to be somepony else's problem..
***
The main road was crawling with cabs, but none of them seemed to notice the orange earth pony. She waved again as another one approached. “Taxi! Taxi...” It passed her by, just like several others had. Exasperated, she stepped back into the crowd on the sidewalk.
She walked on, then stopped as she heard a familiar ringtone from inside the shop she was in front of. Was that the same tone as the booth back at near the crime scene? She glanced over, only to see an employee to mute the phone. She shook her head and walked on; all this murder business must be putting her on edge. Another phone booth was ahead. As she passed by, it also began ringing, and once more, no ponies were answering. Applejack stopped and mulled over the idea of picking up. The phone had rung three times when she decided she might as well. She entered the booth and picked up on the sixth ring. “Hello?” she asked, expecting to hear somepony apologize for a wrong number. She couldn't have been more wrong.
“There is a security camera on the building to your left,” a male voice informed her. “Do you see it?”
Applejack blinked in surprise. “Who's this? Who's speaking?”
The voice repeated the question. “Do you see the camera,” it asked, “Doctor Applejack?”
A chill ran down her spine as Applejack looked out to her left. There was indeed a camera on that building, aimed directly at her. If she squinted, it seemed to be focusing on the phone booth. “Yeah, I see.”
“Watch,” the voice commanded. Before Applejack's eyes, the camera panned off to one side. “There is another camera on the building opposite you, do you see it?”
Applejack looked across at the next camera. “Mm-hm” As she watched, it also panned away.
The voice continued. “And finally, at the top of the building on your right.”
Applejack watched as another camera was aimed away from her. “How are you doing this?” she asked.
“Get into the car, Doctor Applejack,” the voice told her as a black car pulled up next to the booth “I would make some sort of threat, but I'm sure your situation is quite clear to you.” The line went dead.
Outside, the imposing driver of the car, a white pegasus in a suit, had gotten out and opened the passenger door. He looked expectantly at Applejack. The earth pony considered other options, then hung up the phone and walked out of the booth. She hesitated a moment more, then climbed into the back seat of the black sedan. The driver closed the door after her and started the vehicle moving, past the brightly lit shop windows, past the throng of ponies, and into a more dimly lit and far less crowded part of town.
***
Applejack had been surprised to see she was not alone in the back seat. Although the driver was separated from the passengers by thick glass (she guessed bullet-proof), another suited pony was there. A handsome light grey unicorn was working on his phone, texting away busily. Applejack had watched the street for sometime in hopes of being able to retrace her steps if necessary, but soon realized that the driver was deliberately taking a roundabout route that looped back on itself multiple times. She gave up and decided to start a conversation with her fellow passenger. Maybe he was in the same bind she was. “Howdy.”
The stallion glanced at her as if noticing her for the first time. “Hi,” he said, then resumed texting.
Applejack pressed on. “What's your name then?”
“Uhm…Anthony.”
The pause gave away the lie. “Is that your real name?”
“No,” the unicorn answered, shaking his head.
Applejack nodded slowly, then introduced herself. “I'm Applejack.”
The unicorn nodded dismissively. “Yes. I know.”
Applejack looked sharply at the other pony, then mentally kicked herself. Of course this pony knew. Somepony who was just lifted off the street wouldn't be calmly texting. “Is there any point in asking where I'm going?”
The other pony stopped texting and fixed Applejack with a sad smile. “None at all...” he said, before returning his attention to the phone. “Applejack.”
“Okay.” Applejack noticed they had looped back into one of the shopping districts. She considered making a break, but thought better of it. She was in fact curious to know who the voice on the end of the line had been. And if they did try anything, they wouldn't get her without a fight.
***
The car presently slowed and turned into a darkened lot, then entered an old warehouse. Well inside, its lights shone briefly onto a blue-maned unicorn in a suit standing casually in front of a chair, an umbrella at his side. Then the vehicle stopped and the light level dimmed briefly as the glow of the car lights was replaced with the light from the warehouse's ceiling panels. Applejack got out and limped towards the unicorn. The unicorn smiled and pointed at the chair with his umbrella. “Have a seat, Applejack.” His voice was definitely the one she'd heard on the phone.
The earth pony ignored the gesture. “You know, I've got a phone. And, very clever, and all that, but, uh, you could just, phone me. On my phone.” She hobbled past the chair and stood a few feet from the mysterious stallion.
“When one is avoiding the attention of Twilight Sparkle, one learns to be discreet,” the unicorn explained. He waved the umbrella at their surroundings. “Hence this place. The leg must be hurting you. Sit down.” A smile so friendly it was sickening spread across his face.
“I don't want to sit down,” Applejack told him.
“You don't seem very afraid,” the unicorn commented.
“You don't seem very frightening,” Applejack shot back.
That amused the unicorn enough to make him laugh. “Yes. The bravery of the soldier. Bravery's by far the kindest word for stupidity, don't you think?” His attitude annoyed the earth pony, but she held her tongue. “What is your connection to Twilight Sparkle?” the unicorn asked.
“I don't have one,” Applejack replied flatly. “I barely know her, I met her...yesterday.” She paused. Had it only been yesterday?
“Mmm, and since yesterday, you've moved in with her and now you're solving crimes together. Might we expect a happy announcement by the end of the week?”
Applejack ignored the jibe. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“An interested party,” was the enigmatic answer.
“Interested in Twilight, why?” Applejack glanced over the pony again. “I'm guessing you're not friends.”
“You've met her. How many friends do you imagine she has?” The unicorn toyed with his umbrella before as he continued. “I'm the closest thing to a friend that Twilight Sparkle is capable of having.”
“And what's that?”
The unicorn tapped the umbrella. “An enemy,” he said matter-of-factly.
“An enemy?”
“In her mind, certainly. If you were to ask her, she'd probably say her arch-enemy.” The unicorn's expression turned thoughtful. “She does love to be dramatic.”
Applejack glanced around the warehouse. “Well thank Celestia you're above all that.”
The repartee was interrupted by a beep from Applejack's phone. The earth pony fished out the device and read the new text: Baker Street. Come at once if convenient. TS
“I hope I'm not distracting you,” the unicorn said.
“Not…distracting me at all.” Applejack put the phone away again.
The unicorn nonchalantly glanced at his hoof. “Do you plan to continue your association with Twilight Sparkle?” he asked conversationally.
“I could be wrong,” Applejack answered, “But I think that's none of your business.”
“It could be.”
“It really couldn't,” Applejack affirmed with a shake of her head.
The unicorn withdrew a notebook from one of his pockets. “If you do move into, um...” He opened the notebook briefly as he searched for the necessary information. “Two hundred and twenty-one B, Baker Street, I'd be happy to, pay you a meaningful sum of money on a regular basis to, ease your way.”
“Why?” Although it might be against common sense to look a gift horse in the mouth, Applejack was fairly certain that this wasn't a gift, and that this horse might be a weasel in disguise.
“Because you're not a wealthy mare,” the unicorn said.
“In exchange for what?” The earth pony could guess, but she wanted to hear it said.
“Information,” the unicorn confirmed. “Nothing indiscreet, nothing you'd feel…uncomfortable with, just tell me what she's up to.”
Applejack was very uncomfortable with even the thought of spying, but she still wanted to know. “Why?”
The unicorn grew serious. “I worry about her. Constantly.”
“That's nice of you,” Applejack commented. She still had no intention of helping this shifty individual.
“But I would prefer for various reasons that my concern go unmentioned,” her host continued. He examined the tip of his umbrella as he spoke. “We have what you might call a…difficult relationship.”
Another beep, another text. Applejack again withdrew the phone and read the message: If inconvenient, come anyway. TS
“No,” Applejack told the unicorn.
“Well, I haven't mentioned a figure!” he said indignantly.
“Don't bother.”
The stallion laughed again. “You're very loyal, very quickly.”
“No, I'm not,” Applejack said. “I'm just not interested.”
The unicorn frowned and pulled out the notebook again. “Trust issues, says here.”
Applejack swallowed as she recognized her therapist's words. “What's that?”
The unicorn leafed through a few more pages of notes as he ignored her question. “Could it be you've decided to trust Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies?”
“Who says I trust her?”
“You don't seem the kind to make friends easily.”
This unicorn seemed to know more about her than Twilight did, and didn't seem to be willing to divulge his sources. “Are we done?” Applejack said, irritated.
The unicorn looked up from the notes. “You tell me.”
Applejack cocked her head in mock thought, then turned and walked back towards the car.
“I imagine ponies have already warned you to stay away from her,” the unicorn continued indifferently, “but I can see from your left hoof that's not going to happen.” He put away the notebook again as Applejack stopped in her tracks. She turned to face him again.
“My what?” she demanded.
“Show me.”
Applejack considered the request, then held up her left hoof. The unicorn walked towards her, and a gentle blue glow surrounded the limb. Applejack pulled back reflexively. “Don't.”
The unicorn frowned at her, then held out his right. Reluctantly, Applejack lowered the hoof onto the other pony's. He observed it for a moment, turning it to catch the light differently. “Remarkable.”
Applejack pulled the hoof back the moment he was done. “What is?”
The unicorn turned and walked back to his original spot. “Most people, blunder around this city, and all they see are streets, and shops and cars. When you walk with Twilight Sparkle, you see the battlefield.” He turned to face her again. “You've seen it already, haven't you?”
“What's wrong with my hoof?” Applejack asked.
“You have an intermittent tremor in your left hoof.” The earth pony nodded in confirmation as the unicorn continued. “Your therapist thinks it's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She thinks you're haunted by memories of your military service.”
“Who the hay are you?” Applejack demanded. “How do you know that?”
“Fire her,” the unicorn advised, once again ignoring the questions. “She's got it the wrong way 'round. You're under stress right now and your hoof is perfectly steady. You're not haunted by the war, Doctor Applejack. You miss it.” He leaned forward and whispered to her with a smile. “Welcome back.” Then he spun on one hoof and walked away into the maze of the warehouse, twirling the umbrella as he left. Another beep emanated from Applejack's phone. “Time to choose a side, Doctor Applejack,” the unicorn called back as he departed.
'Anthony' walked up behind Applejack as the earth pony ruminated over the conversation that had just happened. “I'm to take you home,” he said. Applejack turned, slightly startled, then remembered the text. She read it, already knowing who it was from: Could be dangerous. TS
She put the phone away using her left hoof, and noticed that the mysterious unicorn had been right; no tremor. She smiled a bit at that; at least something was going in her favor.
“Address?” 'Anthony' asked.
“Uh, Baker Street. Two two one B, Baker Street.” The earth pony limped back towards the car, then thought of something else. “Oh, and, uh, need to stop somewhere first.”
***
Applejack flicked the lights of her apartment back on. She walked over to the desk and reached inside the top drawer, underneath the netbook. The metal of the gun was cool to the touch. She checked the clip, then pocketed the weapon and walked back out to the car, killing the lights as she did. “Could be dangerous,” Twilight had said. Now she was prepared.
***