//------------------------------// // The Pony in Pink: Who Do We Trust?/Welcome To Canterlot! // Story: Twilight: The Consulting Detective // by A Wise Pony //------------------------------// 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. *** Applejack caught up to Twilight across the street. “Where're we going?” she asked. “Northungulate Street.” Twilight told her. “It's a five minute walk from here.” Did Twilight really think that the murderer was going to show up? “You think she's stupid enough to go there?” “No, I think she's brilliant enough,” Twilight grinned. “I love the brilliant ones, they're always so desperate to get caught.” “Why?” “Appreciation! Applause!” the unicorn gesticulated. “At long last the spotlight. It's the frailty of genius, Applejack. It needs an audience.” Applejack looked pointedly at Twilight. “Yeah.” She could see that. Twilight didn't see the look as she turned to survey the road. “This is her hunting ground, right here in the heart of the city. Now that we know her victims where abducted, that changes everything, because all of her victims disappeared from busy streets, crowded places, but nopony saw them go. Think. Think!” She tapped a hoof against her head, eyes shut in concentration. “Who do we trust, even though we don't know them? Who passes, unnoticed, wherever they go? Who hunts in the middle of a crowd?” “Dunno,” Applejack admitted. “Who?” “Haven't the faintest,” Twlight said cheerfully. “Hungry?” She crossed the street towards a quiet looking eatery. *** A server motioned for Twilight and Applejack to sit at the window table as they entered. “Thank you, Horte,” Twilight said as they took their seats. She took the seat farthest from the door and removed her coat and scarf, all the while peering out across the street. “Twenty-two Northungulate street,” she reminded Applejack. “Keep your eyes on it.” Applejack removed her own jacket and leaned her cane against the wall. “She isn't gonna just ring the door bell, though, is she? She'd need to be mad.” “She has killed four ponies,” Twilight pointed out. “Okay,” Applejack acquiesced and turned to look out of the window as well. A minotaur, presumably the owner, based on his attire, approached the table. “Twilight,” he greeted warmly. He shook the unicorn's hoof. “Anything on the menu, whatever you want, free. On the house, for you, and for your date.” “Do you wanna eat?” Twilight asked Applejack. The earth pony was busy correcting the assumption. “I'm not her date,” she told the manager. He didn't seem to notice. “This mare,” the minotaur said, pointing at Twilight, “got me off a murder charge.” “This is Iron Will,” the unicorn introduced. The minotaur offered a firm shake to the earth pony as Twilight elaborated. “Three years ago, I successfully proved to Rainbow that at the time of a particularly vicious triple murder, Iron Will was in a completely different part of town housebreaking.” “She cleared my name,” the minotaur added. “I cleared it a bit,” Twilight amended. She nodded out the window. “Anything happening opposite?” “Nothing,” Iron Will said. He turned back to Applejack. “But for this mare, I'd have gone to prison.” “You did go to prison,” Twilight said, eyes still fixed on number Twenty-two. The minotaur didn't seem any less grateful. “I'll get a candle for the table,” Iron Will said. “More romantic.” He walked off. “I'm not her date!” Applejack insisted as he left. Twilight passed her a menu. “You may as well eat,” she suggested. “We might have a long wait.” The minotaur returned with a tea candle and set it on the table, then gave Applejack a thumbs up. “Thanks,” she said sarcastically. She sighed, then looked over the menu again. Twilight continued staring hawklike at the building across the way. *** “Ponies don't have arch-enemies,” Applejack said around a mouthful of food. Twilight, who still hadn't ordered anything, blinked for the first time in fifteen minutes. “Sorry?” she said, looking away from the window. “In real life,” the earth pony continued. “There are no arch-enemies in real life. Doesn't happen.” “Doesn't it?” the unicorn asked. She turned back to the window.“Sounds a bit dull.” “So who did I meet?” Applejack asked. “What do real ponies have, then, in their…real lives?” Twilight's spoke the last two words derisively. The earth pony chewed as she thought. “Friends,” she said. “Y'know, ponies they know, ponies they…like, ponies they don't like…boyfriends, girlfriends.” “Well, as I was saying,” Twilight said drily, “dull.” “You don't have a boyfriend, then?” Applejack asked. “Boyfriend, no,” Twilight said, distracted by movement outside. Probably nothing. “Not really my area.” Applejack nodded, then blinked as she made a mental leap “Oh, right.” She chewed slowly, trying to figure out how to broach the next subject with tact, then swallowed before asking. “D'y'have a girlfriend?” Twilight looked sharply at her. “Which is fine, by the way,” Applejack added quickly. “I know it's fine.” Twilight said. Applejack smiled slightly at the reaction. “So you've got a girlfriend.” “No,” Twilight corrected. “Right. Okay.” The earth pony laughed awkwardly. Twilight continued staring at her. “You're unattached.” Almost to herself, she added, “just like me.” She cleared her throat. “Fine. Good.” Twilight looked at her askance as the earth pony resumed eating. The unicorn turned back to the window slowly, but suddenly made a mental leap of her own and turned back. “Applejack, um…” Applejack looked up as she heard her name. “I think you should know that I consider myself married to my work,” Twilight continued. “And, while I'm flattered by your interest, I'm really not looking for any-” “No,” Applejack said, emphatically shaking her head. She swallowed her food to be better heard. “No, I'm not asking, no, I'm just saying…it's all fine.” She nodded conclusively. “Good,” Twilight said, returning the nod. “Thank you.” She returned to her watch. Applejack considered what was emerging as a trend. Three times in one day, including by somepony who was a bonafide genius. Why? Was it her manecut or something? Twilight interrupted her thoughts. “Look across the street,” she instructed. “Taxi. Stopped. Nopony getting in, nopony getting out. Why a taxi?” Applejack glanced over her shoulder. A cab had stopped in front of Twenty-two Northungulate. The silhouetted head of a pony could be seen through the rear window. “Oh, that's clever,” Twilight commented. “Is it clever? Why is it clever?” “That's her?” Applejack asked. Twilight noticed the earth pony looking as well. “Don't stare,” she said reproachfully. “What? You're staring.” “We can't both stare. The unicorn grabbed her coat and scarf as she headed for the door. Applejack grabbed her jacket and followed; the cane lay forgotten against the wall. *** Outside, Twilight pulled on the coat and knotted the scarf around her neck. She kept her eyes on the taxi the whole while. The pony in the car looked back, and then the cab began to drive off. Twilight sprang into motion, running out into the street after the car. A red car honked as it screeched to a halt in front of her. Twilight leapt over the hood and continued after the cab. Applejack apologized to the driver and followed the unicorn. The cab picked up speed, too much for them to match, even at a gallop. The unicorn paused in the middle of the street. “I've got the cab number,” Applejack informed her, catching up. “Good for you.” Twilight closed her eyes in concentration, a map forming in her head. She ran through the obstacles the taxi would encounter. “Right turn, one way, road work, traffic lights, bus lane, pedestrian crossing, left turn only, traffic lights.” She then matched it against the map in her head and opened her eyes as she charted an equally fast route for a pony on hoof. She raced off into a side alley, pushing aside several other ponies. Applejack was at her heels, stopping only to apologize to the ponies Twilight had bumped into. In Twilight's head, the cab encountered the first obstacle. “Come on, Applejack!” she called back as they hurried up a spiral staircase, then down another outside.The taxi was at the road work now. Twilight vaulted over a fence halfway down and onto another roof. A large gap lay between this building and the next. Twilight leapt over it without hesitation. Applejack reached the edge, only to pull back. She looked down; that was a long drop. “Come on Applejack!” Twilight shouted back. She was almost to the next building already. “We're losing her!” Applejack backed up a bit, took a running leap and cleared it. She caught up as Twilight started down a fire escape. The mental map showed the unicorn that the taxi was at the right turn now. The two ponies clattered down the metal stairs and into the alley below. A cab passed the mouth of the alleyway. Twilight exclaimed in disappointment, then started running again. “This way!” Applejack started after the cab. “No, this way!” Twilight shouted. “Sorry.” The earth pony turned around. They were on the main streets now, passing shops and stores. The map in the unicorn's head showed the spot where they'd next meet the cab. It was there or not at all. They mazed their way through the backstreets of Canterlot, just keeping pace with the cab's progress as the mental representation of the car encountered each obstacle. At the intersection point, Twilight careened into the street in front of the taxi, causing the driver to slam on the brakes. “Police!” The unicorn shouted, waving a badge. “Open her up!” She staggered to the passenger door and yanked it open as Applejack caught up to her. The blonde, blue earth pony inside smiled nervously at her. Twilight drew back, exasperated. “No…Teeth, tan, what, Coltifornian?” She noticed something on the floor of the cab. “L.P. Santa Maneica. Just arrived.” “How could you possibly know that?” Applejack asked. “The luggage!” Twilight pointed a hoof at the bags on the cab floor, each tagged with 'LPX.' The unicorn took a moment to catch her breath. “Probably your first trip to Canterlot, right?” she asked the passenger. “Going by your final destination, and the route the cabby was taking you.” “Sorry,” blue pony said, frowning confusedly. “Are you guys the police?” “Yeah.” Twilight flashed the badge again. “Everything alright?” The Coltifornian smiled tensely. “Yeah.” Twilight returned the wan grin. “Welcome to Canterlot!” She walked off up the street. Applejack paused to reassure the puzzled pony. “Uh, any problems,” she said, “just let us know.” She closed the door and followed Twilight. *** The unicorn's panting had slowed when Applejack reached her. “So, basically just a cab that happened to slow down,” the earth pony said. “Basically,” Twilight said between breaths. “Not the murderer.” “Not the murderer, no.” “Wrong country, good alibi.” “As they go,” Twilight agreed. “Now where did...” Applejack paused for a breath. “Where did you get this?” She grabbed the badge that Twilight had shown and read it. “Detective Inspector Rainbow?” “Yeah,” Twilight confirmed. “I pickpocket her when she's annoying. You can keep that one, I've got plenty at the flat.” Applejack sighed at the legally questionable, not to mention dishonest behavior, and then laughed. “What?” Twilight asked. “Nothing,” Applejack giggled. “Just, uh, welcome to Canterlot.” Both ponies laughed at that. Then Twilight glanced back at the cab, which had stopped again down the street. The Coltifornian had gotten out and was talking to an actual police pony. As they watched, she pointed in their direction. “Got your breath back?” Twilight asked. “Ready when you are,” Applejack assured her. The detective and the doctor raced away up the street. ***