Young Sherlock: The Fiction of Murder

The small dark grey colt repeatedly threw the tennis ball off the wall and bounced it off his hoof, playing a game of one-sided tennis with himself out of boredom. His recent case had been going well until he had hit a roadblock where he was unable to progress. He was trying to solve a case at school where one of the older gir'ls had their mother's locket stolen by one of the stallions in her year. The locket was an extremely valuable piece of golden jewellery that had as much sentimental value as it did monetary. He had been working the case for three days and had not yet reached a breakthrough. At the same time he had not received any help from the teachers or children at school.

"But what was I expecting though?" Sherlock sighed to himself "Almost all of the children at school have the intelligence level of an amoeba... I would expect them to get lost in a two-by-five bathroom never mind be able to solve a crime" The roadblock in his investigation was that his evidence was inconclusive and he couldn't present it to anypony without them casting it aside. He had a suspect who he was planning to question the next day but was unable to get him alone and record the confession on a tape. He needed the tape to get a solid piece of evidence that he could hand into the teachers or, if that failed, the police. No matter which way he looked at it there was nothing in his power he could do to get his suspect alone and get him to confess. His suspect wasn't the brightest of folks so he knew that he would be able to trick him into admitting he took the locket but without a time to get him alone there would be no way to get him to confess.

"One can take a horse to water" Sherlock recited to himself "But one cannot make him drink... but if one has a large group, could one get the leader to show an example?" As Sherlock went over the thought in his head he caught the tennis ball and set it down on his bed. As an idea dawned his eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't need to get him alone to confess..." he said, leaping up off his bed and onto his carpet floor. He ran his hoof through his thick, black mane and began to pace the room, chattering to himself.

"I need to get him in a crowd. If I put the pressure on him when he's in front of a pack... yes, I know that lesser minds always seek to appeal to their peers and if I can back him into a corner, metaphorically of course, I can get him to panic" Sherlock decided "And if I word it in a certain way that outclasses him I should be able to get him to slip up and I can catch him out in front of everyone" Sherlock grinned widely as he nodded his head, quickening his pacing to an almost dashing level.

"But I need a way to get him in front of his friends but also in front of teachers. But another problem is that I can't be in one of his lessons without a good reason and seeing as how nopony takes me serious enough to let me interview him during a lesson. With lesson time out of the equation it needs to be in a place where we're all gathered together, somewhere like the basketball courts. How would I get everypony there though? Ummm... of course! The fire alarm that was installed last week. If I can trigger that without anypony noticing me and get to the courts in time to question him I can get him to confess within range of the teachers!" Sherlock exclaimed "Yes, that's brilliant. I am incredible!"

Sherlock sat with his back resting against the wall with his notebook on the ground in front of him. With a pencil in his mouth he jotted down his last few investigation notes during the last few minutes of his free lesson before the bell rang out loudly, signalling the end of morning lessons. He tucked the small black book into his black peacoat pocket and walked into the crowd of larger and smaller schoolchildren. He waited till the older children came out of their double lessons before sneaking over to the fire alarm, being hidden in the crowd of taller ponies, and pulling down on the small lever. There was a second of silence before the new steel bell began to ring loudly. There were groans of anger and annoyance from the other ponies before the teachers stuck their heads out of their classrooms and began to direct the other ponies outside to the basketball courts, each of them being as irritated by the fire alarm as the schoolchildren. With a quick scan of the environment he was in Sherlock was able to identify his suspect in a crowd of his other friends. He was a yellow pegasus with a spiked-up orange mane and green eyes. He wore his regular sports kit of a white shirt and black shorts.

"Alright Holmes" Sherlock smirked to himself "Here's another simpleton nut ready to be cracked and cooked just like all the others" He quickly ducked back into the crowd and blended in with them until they had reached the courts where they were told to get into the lines of their tutor groups before the register was taken. It was then Holmes made his move, moving out of his line and heading over to the line where his suspect was standing.

"Excuse me?" he called out to the taller stallion "Backlash isn't it?" The yellow stallion turned around and looked at Sherlock with a cocked eyebrow.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"I wouldn't expect you to" Sherlock said with a pseudo-polite tone "We're both from very different backgrounds. But I'll be the gentlecolt here. My name is Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes"

"Are you serious?" Backlash asked with a ridiculing tone "Like the British guy from those old books, you're named after him?" Backlash turned around to his friends and they started laughing and making gestures of smoking pipes and mocking Sherlock's English accent.

"Elementary my dear Watson" Backlash scoffed "Anypony want some tea and crumpets gov'na?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I was named after the world's greatest detective" Sherlock nodded with a friendly expression with a contrasting cynical smile "But I would say that while my name represents and embodies me quite well I would say yours does too"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Backlash asked in confusion.

"What I mean is that while Sherlock represents my personality I would think your mother knew that your own name, Backlash, would be prophetic for what she and your father would receive when their friends found out about you" Sherlock said, locking eyes with the older stallion. There's was a chorus of 'Ooh' from Backlash's friends and the yellow stallion quickly became aggressive.

"You better have a good reason for coming over here and annoying me kid and you better get on with it before I kick your runt ass back over to the other ankle-biters over there" Backlash hissed furiously.

"Of course, I got sidetracked on the topic of parental regret" Sherlock grinned, dusting his hoof on his chest "I'm here to ask you a few questions about a case I'm working on" Backlash looked at Sherlock with an expression of utter disbelief and he remained speechless for a long moment.

"Are... are you joking right now?" he asked "Because you can't be serious"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Sherlock asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Your name is Sherlock Holmes, you're English and you're asking me questions on a case you're working on?" Backlash listed, shaking his head in complete disbelief "There is no way in hell you are actually being serious right now!"

"I'm being very serious my friend, now what I came to ask you about was an item that was stolen from a girl in your year, a girl by the name of Sunny Smiles" Sherlock began "I have reason to believe that you know something about the item that was stolen from her and I would like you to tell me anything you think would help me find it" Backlash laughed once more in disbelief, looking back at his friends before speaking to Sherlock with his head lowered to the smaller stallion.

"Look Sherlock, or if that's even your real name, I'm not playing along with your stupid little game any more so you can just go ahead and piss off back to your year group alright?" Backlash said quietly. Backlash turned around and signalled to his friends that they were going to move further back into the line to leave Sherlock there before the colt spoke up.

"Where are you going Backlash?" he asked "You're not leaving because you've got something to hide are you?"

"Have fun by yourself kid" Backlash called back.

"Wow, I never thought a stallion tough enough to steal from girls would be such a coward" Sherlock responded, attempting to bait Backlash into continuing the conversation. And it worked flawlessly. Backlash immediately turned around and glared at the smaller pony with a furious look in his eyes.

"I'm not a coward, kid" Backlash said "And I didn't steal anything"

"Alright, I'll humour you, why didn't you steal anything Backlash?" Sherlock asked, shifting his weight between his legs as he stood still.

"For one, I wasn't even in school the day that chick's crap was stolen and secondly I don't believe in stealing from anypony, especially chicks" Backlash said with a proud expression. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Sherlock spoke quietly.

"You're a liar" he said simply. Backlash gritted his teeth angrily and he paced over to Sherlock with a threatening look.

"What the hell did you just call me?" he demanded.

"What?" Sherlock asked in a puzzled tone "You're not deaf and dumb as well are you?" His strategy at this point was to try and get Backlash angry enough to lead him into a trap that he would be too irritated to see and then crack down on him with a bit of fancy wording. So far the approach was working well and it was obvious that Backlash was starting to lose his complexion.

"You better shut up kid... before I make you" he hissed, a vein on the side of his head beginning to stand out as his anger levels rose.

"Why don't you just come out an say it already?" Sherlock asked with a calm and friendly grin that was meant to only anger Backlash further "You found out about Sunny's prize possession and you decided to steal it there and then"

"I already told you-" Backlash began before he was cut off by Sherlock, now on a roll as he started circling Backlash. it was at this moment that the others started to take notice of the event playing out before them and, most importantly, so did the teachers.

"I already know that you stole it Backlash, the only thing that puzzles me at this point is what you did with it" Sherlock said, glaring at Backlash "Did you keep it under your bed? Or did you take it down to the pawn shop and pawn it off for a new pair of Nike shorts? Or did you trade it to your friends for a less-than-legal substance?" Backlash had become visually infuriated at this point and one of the teachers looked ready to intervene before the headmaster stepped in front of him and told them to keep still.

"How many fu-" was all the accused was able to say before he was once again interrupted.

"How much did it sell for friend, did you get a shiny watch for it, or was it worth enough to get a few new action figures? Or... did you get money for a cat burglar starter kit to make a career out of this?" Sherlock questioned with a faux-surprised expression "Come on Backlash, we're all on the edge of our seats right now so just hurry up and tell us what you did with the stolen commodity?"

"I didn't steal the fucking locket you little shit-head!" Backlash roared in fury. It was at this point Sherlock sat down quickly and whooped loudly in joy with his head leaning back.

"Now when in the wild and weary expanse of time did I tell you that it was a locket that was stolen?" Sherlock said with beaming blue eyes and an enormous grin. Backlash opened his mouth to respond before the realization hit him and his anger fizzled out immediately.

"I-uh... I heard about it the other day" Backlash said, his eyes locked onto the ground.

"What day Backlash?" Sherlock asked.

"Uhm... T-Tuesday" he stammered.

"Really?" Sherlock asked with a cocked eyebrow "You just said that you weren't in school on Tuesday which, funnily enough, was the same day the locket was stolen and if I'm right, which I almost always am, I think you've been telling fibs this entire time"

"I-it wasn't... I never..." Backlash muttered before the headmaster placed a hoof on the smaller pony's shoulder.

"I think you need to come with me to my office Backlash, I'll be calling your parents and I think I might call the police too" he said. He began to lead Backlash away who had been reduced to a sobbing heap at this point before he turned to Sherlock.

"Good job Master Holmes" he said with an expressionless face.

"You're welcome sir" the grey colt said with a smirk.

"Yes, good job Holmes, now go back to class" he said with a curt nod "And I'll be calling your mother about the fact you set of the fire alarm"

"But... I just solved a crime!" Holmes exclaimed in disbelief.

"And you also broke school rules" the headmaster countered "I'll see you in my office after this class and I'll make sure your mother is present too, are we clear?" Sherlock sighed loudly and sat down again, hanging his head with a disheartened expression in his eyes, the bright light that was in them moments earlier had now completely vanished.

"Holmes, are we clear?" he repeated.

"Crystal Sir" Sherlock answered as he took out his black notebook and after drawing a pencil line through the name of the case he jotted down the phrase 'Closed and Uncredited' next to it followed by a number that represented the amount of times he had written that particular phrase down. This brought the total to fifteen cases he had received no credit for. And now he had a new phrase to right down: 'Closed and Cautioned'