My Little Pony: Friendship is Elementaryby LittleBoyBlueChaptersA Mystery to SolveIrregular TileExperimental PieRainbow Used Perfume?A Mystery to Solve The bells rung, signifying the end of the day for the young ponies in her classroom. She closed her study book, and looked at them. "All right! You are all dismissed! Have a nice weekend!" She said, as the ponies ran out of the classroom. "Also, don't forget your homework on what Consonance and Assonance is! It's due when all of you come back!" "Yes Miss Cheerilee!" They shouted back, as they left. Cheerilee smiled, as she now found herself alone. She made her way to her desk, looking at the stack of papers on her desk. She sighed, as she stuffed the papers in her bag and wrapped it around her shoulder. She then walked out of the classroom, humming along the way. ~~~~~~~~ She arrived at an apartment, the address on the note she recieved in the mail matching the address on the buildingS She then knocked on the door. A unicorn mare opened the door, apparently in a hurry. "Excuse me, do you know where-" The mare kept walking, not letting Cheeriliee finish her question. Cheeriliee was wondering as to why she ignored her. She entered the now open door. She headed upstairs, until she found the room. The door was mysteriously left open, as she entered the room. The dining room was clean, and tidy. She walked further inside the dorm. She found another door open, possibly the bedroom, in her sight. She entered it to find a light brown, unicorn stallion staring off into the horizon through his window. She was a bit confused that the unicorn she was meant to teach was a male. Cheerilee then cleared her throat, as she started to speak. "Hello. I'm Miss Cheerilee, your Caretaker and teacher. For the next six weeks, I shall be living with you to show you the ways of getting your life back on track and observing your sobreity. Pleasure to meet you." She extended her hoof towards the stallion. The unicorn quickly averted his gaze towards her. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" he asked, his accent revealing his English background. Cheerilee was taken aback by this question. "What?" He moved closer to her. "You, are my Annabel Lee...you know that?" "Ummm, listen, I have no idea what you are-" He then got even closer, causing Cheerilee's face to heat up. "But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee." He was barely a hoof's distance away from her face, talking softly and warmly. His light blue eyes gleaming upon her. Cheerilee's face heated up even more. "For Luna's moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea." Cheerilee's red hue could be seen very clearly. She started to lean in to his face a little closer. "Edgar Allen Hoof!" He shouted, interrupting her approach by turning to the window. Cheerilee was brought of out it, and accidentally dropped her bag, spilling her papers everywhere. "Wh-what?" she asked, picking up her papers, confused and embarrassed. "Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allen Hoof. Quite a remarkable poem, very "romantic" as some ponies call it. But I hardly find anything romantic about a full-grown stallion whining and staying at a dead person's grave." He then turned back to Cheerilee. "But I guess you're one of those `easily-fooled ponies', aren't you?" he asked. Cheerilee gave him a look of utter confusion. He then extended his hoof towards her. "Sherlock Holmes." After she picked up her papers, she returned the hoofshake. "I'm Miss-" "Cheerilee? Yes, I know that." He said, finishing the hoof shake. He then started to walk to his closet. He grabbed a shirt, vest, and a jacket. "Oh, yeah, right. 'Cause of my introduction earlier on." Sherlock had his shirt and vest on, as he continued to dress. "No. I actually deduced your name due to the fact that the papers, upon which fell to the floor, are full of hoofwriting not belonging to an adult pony, but rather, minorly illiterate fillies and colts. Thus, telling me your a teacher of sorts. And knowing that you came from Ponyville, it tells me you recently dismissed your class before coming here. Therefore, you are the one, and only, Cheerilee. The `easily trapped in the game of love' pony." Cheerilee stood there in total awe, as he put his jacket on and buttoned it. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get on our way." he said, leaving the room. ~~~~~ "All right. If you were able to deduce my identity, can you be able to deduce who sent me-" "As my caretaker? Of course." He cut her off, as they walked back to Ponyville. "The contents of your bag not only spilled your students' papers, but there was also a golden square edge peeping out from the sea of papers. Now, a normal pony would've thought of it as a gum wrapper, or a chocolate bar. However, it's quite obvious that it is a letter from the princess herself." He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck, as he positioned his hat comfortably. Cheerilee couldn't believe it. He was right. Again! "How-How did you know that?!" She asked. "Elementary Miss Cheerilee. It couldn't have possibly been a gum wrapper or a chocolate bar, due to the fact that the item was sparkling. Plus, it was cut in one direction only: the top. Only letters are cut from the top. And who else but the Royal Majesties themselves deliever those type of letters. You, are quite possibly one lucky teacher Miss Cheerilee." "Lucky indeed." Cheerilee grumbled. "There was no need to invade my....personal space Mister Holmes. And besides, where are we going anyways?" "I did what was necessary. And to answer your second question, here we are." He said, stopping in front of the scene. Cheerilee stopped with him, as they observed. The bakery was surrounded by Royal Guards, doing investigations. Two guards were having a tough time interviewing a pink mare that kept bouncing up and down "Sugar Cube Corner!" Cheerilee gasped. "No dip" Sherlock replied. ~~~~ Irregular Tile“Lieutenant Sterling,” a green-eyed Royal Guard turned to the voice, facing away from the pink mare behind him. “What happened here?” “Ah Sherlock,” the lieutenant said, a smile showing on his face. “So nice to see you out of rehabilitation. How are you doing?” “Quite fine lieutenant, now,” Sherlock raised his eyebrows in impatience. “the problem?” “Oh yes.” The guard turned to the mare. “Miss Pie, I’d like you to meet-“ “Ooh! Sherly Homes! I am SUPER excited to see you again!” Pinkie said, as she wrapped Holmes in a hug, surprising the stallion. Cheerilee gave him a confused look. Sherlock awkwardly wrapped his forelegs around her, returning the hug. “It’s….nice to see you too….Pinkamena.” “I’ve told you already silly! It’s Pinkie!” she said, as she broke the hug and gave a bright smile. Sherlock then turned to see Cheerilee’s confusion. “She visited my rehabilitation center when I arrived. To this day, I don’t know how she knew about my arrival.” Cheerilee then gave a nod, understanding Pinkie’s randomness. “Anyways, Pinkame-“ “Pinkie!” she interrupted. Sherlock coughed. “Miss…Pie…..What seems to have occurred here?” “Well,” Pinkie said, still in her usual peppy state. “It all started when I woke up to bake my super-delicious cookies.” Pinkie said, remembering the events. “I was mixing the batter together when I realized how yummy the mix looked! So I took just a small lick. You know, just to make sure that it’s good. And it was! So I continued mixing, until I began thinking to myself, Is the batter still good Pinkie?'” Pinkie said, in a slightly higher pitch of voice. “And since I care about everypony I serve my treats to, I agreed with myself and said,I don’t know, let’s check!'” She said, in her normal voice. “Sooooooo I took another lick, then another…..then another….then anoth-“ “Miss Pie,” Sherlock said in an exasperated tone. “Does this have anything to do with what happened here?” “Nope!” He exhaled as he turned to Cheerilee. She shrugged, as Sherlock turned back to the pink party pony. “Miss Pie,” He said.“Can you PLEASE tell us what happened here?” Pinkie gave a big grin. “Sure! I was knocked out, and when I woke up, all the pastries were gone!” Sherlock raised his brow. “ALL of them?” “Yep!” “I see,” he said in affirmation. “Thanks for your cooperation Miss Pie.” “It’s Pinkie, Sherly!” She said, in her playful voice. “Miss Pie was my Mommy! And you’re welcome!” Holmes exhaled once more, as he headed back to Cheerilee. “Let’s head inside the scene.” He said. “Now wait!” Cheerilee said, stopping him. “I’m a teacher, not a detective! Why are we going inside a crime scene? We should just let the guards do their jo-” “C’mon Holmes,” Lt. Sterling said to him. “Let’s go in.” Cheerilee sighed. She followed the lieutenant and Sherlock into the bakery, grumbling. ~~~~~~~ “All gone. Just like she said Holmes.” The kitchen was cleared. No sign of bread nor filling was seen anywhere. The Lieutenant entered in after Sherlock and Cheerilee. “Kinda makes you wonder who could just come and steal all the bread without being seen.” Sherlock just humphed in affirmation. "She got knocked out.........yet she shows no sign of grogginess...." Holmes said under his breath. He then took a sniff of the air. “Cupcakes.” Sherlock said. “Yes. Of course it would smell like that Mister Holmes.” Cheerilee pointed out. “We ARE in a bakery.” The Lieutenant piped in. Sherlock began sniffing repeatedly. He moved closer to the sink. He then stopped sniffing, and stood where he stopped. “The baked goods are still here….” “What?” Sterling said in surprise. “Holmes, I assure you, my comrades looked everywh-“ “Not everywhere Lieutenant,” Sherlock interrupted. “Had your guards actually stopped and looked closer at the ground, they could’ve seen the slightly disproportionate square tile below me.” Cheerilee and the Lieutenant looked over his shoulder. “I don’t see anything.” The school teacher said. “You must be blind Miss Cheerilee,” Sherlock said. “It’s right there.” Cheerilee gave a look of confusion. Holmes sighed. “All right. Just step here and…” Holmes stepped on the tile, causing it to be situated correctly into the floor. Suddenly, the sink rotated slowly to reveal a remarkable sight. “Sweet Celestia.” Lieutenant Sterling gasped. There laid an unconscious blue pegasus, on top of an enormous mound of pastries. The Pegasus opened his eyes, now gaining consciousness. “Well, it looks like we just caught our “Bakery Bandit”.” Sterling said, heading towards the Pegasus. “Out of all ponies,” Cheerilee said in total shock. “Soarin’?” Sherlock had a look of uncertainty on his face. “Maybe not, Miss Cheerilee.” He looked on, as the Lieutenant cuffed the Wonderbolt. “Maybe not....” ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Experimental Pie Sherlock and Cheerilee were watching the Lieutenant interrogate Soarin from behind the one-way mirror. The Lieutenant was heard accusing him of his misdemeanor, and Soarin was there, denying it all. Holmes exhaled slowly. "This is wrong, this is all WRONG." He breathed out. "Exactly. How did I go from my classroom, all the way to the Royal Castle?!" Cheerliee exclaimed. "No, that was deducible. THIS," Sherlock said, pointing at the interrogation. "is wrong!" "As I said, Mister Holmes, let the Royal Guards do their jobs." "But they do it horribly!" Sherlock then moved near the mirror. "Look at him! He couldn't possibly have been the "Bakery Bandit"!" Cheerilee sighed in exasperation. "Look, we've done ENOUGH here. I'm surprised the kind guards even let us in here." She moved towards Holmes. "Let's just go back home. I need to start my lesson with you." Sherlock turned towards her. "Hold on one moment please." He then trotted off away from her. Cheerilee groaned, as she began to follow him. Sherlock moved all the way to the lobby, to where a table full of fancy treats. He examined each of the pastries. "What are you doing?" Cheerilee asked him. "Proving a stallion innocent........Ah! Here it is!" He then lifted up a small, circular treat, with a red filling. "A pie?" "And........" He looked around the table. "some tiramisu!" He grabbed both pastries with his magic and placed them on some plates. He then carried the plates, as he headed back to the interrogation room. "Mister Holmes?" Cheerilee was quickening her pace to keep up with the stallion. "What are you doing?!" she asked with anxiety in her voice." "Just an experiment Miss Cheerilee." He then approached the door to the room. The guard at the door gave him a suspicious look. "For the Lieutenant, sir." He said, showing him his "badge" The guard looked at the small trinket. "All right then Private, come on in." The guard opened the door, stepping aside for Holmes. Cheerilee stayed outside, behind the one-way mirror. The door closed, as the Lieutenant gave a surprised look at Holmes. "Holmes? What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm in the middle of an inter-" "Your guard is a bloomin' idiot Lieutenant, and I'm here to prove Mister Soarin's innocence." "FINALLY! Somepony's actually listening to me!" "But you saw it yourself Holmes. Soarin was lying on top of the missing piles of baked goods! He's obviously the Bandit!" "Just watch this Lieutenant." Holmes then headed over to Soarin. "Hungry?" He asked him. "Oh yes, I'm STARVED!" Holmes then floated the tiramisu in front of him. Soarin just blankly stared at it. "Ummmm.......what's this?" "Holmes, what are you doing?" The Lieutenant asked impatiently. "Tiramisu." Holmes said, answering Soarin's question. Soarin moved closer to the cake. He took a short sniff of it. He looked in confusion at the cake, not knowing what it is. He then gave a small lick. "Ehh...not my cup of tea." He concluded. "This is ridiculous." The Lieutenant grumbled. "Okay, then how about this?" Holmes then levitated the small pie to Soarin. "PIE!!!!" Soarin practically leaped at the pie, devouring it in seconds. He then licked his lips in delight. "Seconds please?" He asked. "Lieutenant, Mister Soarin cannot possibly be the Bakery Bandit." Sherlock said, turning to him. "Why not? Just because he chose pie over some tiramisu?" "Not just that Lieutenant, if you looked back to where we found Mister Soarin, you would've seen him lying on top of some cupcakes and muffins. But realize that he has not eaten a single pastry. GIven the fact that we know MisterSoarin prefers pies over any other pastry, I found it strange that there was a large pile of pies untouched behind him.They should've been gone a long time ago if he WAS the Bandit. And he would've been full instead of hungry by now." Holmes turned to Soarin. "Wasn't there supposed to be a show this afternoon?" "Yeah. And I'm gonna be late if I don't-" "Lieutenant, don't you find it a bit odd that we found Mister Soarin at half past eleven, yet he was not wearing his costume for the show?" Lieutenant Sterling brought his hoof to his chin in thought. "All right Holmes, I'll give you that, but it still doesn't convince me that he's innocent." "I told you already! It must have been that pie that Fluttershy girl gave me!" Sherlock turned to Soarin. "A pie, you say?" "Holmes, don't believe his ridiculous story." "But its true!" Soarin persisted to the Lieutenant. He then turned back to Holmes. "It was 11:15. I knew I had to get ready for my practices for today's show. So I got up to prepare, but then I heard a knock at my door. I opened it to find this yellow pegasus mare named Fluttershy. Didn't really know much 'bout the kid, except for her saying that she brought me a pie she baked for me. Of course, I could barely hear her cause she talked so softly." Soarin then gave a smirk. "But I could easily tell that she has a MAJOR crush on me." Soarin then exhaled. "So anyways, me not being the rude type, thanked her and sent her off. I got inside to eat the pie, and let me tell ya, it was the most delicious whipped cream pie I have ever tasted." Soarin leaned back into his chair. "Next thing I knew, I passed out five minutes later. Then I woke up at Sugar Cube Corner, where I am being held by the Royal Guards at the castle right now, which is wasting valuable time from my sched-" "Thank you Mister Soarin, that will be all." Sherlock interrupted, heading towards the door. He knocked on the door, signaling the guard outside to open it. The door was opened, as Sherlock walked out. He stopped to look at the guard. "You might want to improve your vision. Get some glasses already, and it really doesn't matter if they make you look silly. You're welcome." Sherlock walked away, as the guard stared at him with a bewildered face. Cheerilee then caught up to Holmes. "Very unorthodox experiment, Mister Holmes." "Don't try to use big words to sound smart Miss Cheerilee. You may be a teacher but you've sometimes got to show some humility. It's healthy for you." Cheerilee rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Where are we going now, Mister Holmes?" "To visit our latest suspect," he replied, as they began to walk out of the castle. "Miss Fluttershy's residence." "Oh dear." Cheerilee said in exasperation. "I sure am `one lucky pony'." She reluctantly followed Holmes, as he made his way to Fluttershy's Cottage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Used Perfume? Cheerilee knocked on the door to the cottage. The door opened, revealing a yellow pegasus mare. "Oh. Hi Cheerilee." Fluttershy said, happy to see a friend. Fluttershy then turned to the unicorn behind her. "Ummm..." "Fluttershy, it's good to see you! Allow me to introduce to you Mister Sherlock Holmes." She moved to the side, allowing Holmes to extend his hoof to Fluttershy. Fluttershy timidly returned the hoofshake. "Pleased to meet you miss." Holmes said, finishing his hoofshake. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine." Fluttershy gave a small smile. "Would you like to come in?" "Thank you Fluttershy." Cheerilee said, as she and Holmes entered the cottage. ~~~~~~~~~ Sherlock was staring at a white rabbit, who was staring back angrily. Both not breaking their gaze from each other. "So anyways, that's why I have been assigned caretaker of Holmes here. He needs somepony to help him know how to live sober again." Fluttershy took a sip of her tea. "Oh dear. It must have been tough to live without something you've lived with for a very long time." "Though I admit, sometimes I do miss it, one learns that life is livable without it." Sherlock said, not releasing his staring contest with the rabbit. Holmes eventually broke the stare, heading towards the bookshelf. The rabbit flicked his tongue out as Sherlock had his back turned. "And that's why I'm his caretaker. To help him live normally again." Cheerilee turned to see Holmes at the dinner table, taking a sniff of an empty can of whipped cream. Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "Well, as normal as HE can live." Holmes then put the can down, moving towards the kitchen. "Wha-what is he doing?" Fluttershy asked Cheerilee with nervousness. "Holmes! What are you doing?" Cheerilee got up and headed towards him. Holmes said nothing as he examined the kitchen. "Did you have any visitors today Miss Fluttershy?" "What?" "Did anypony visit you today?" Fluttershy paused to think. "Well, Rainbow Dash did come over here. But not for long though." "Of course not, otherwise the cookies would've been fresh." "Umm, what?" "It's quite obvious. SOMEpony had to have visited you. And considering the fact you served cookies made a short while ago, it would've suggested you had a visitor. But, usually visitors eat most of the cookies. Perhaps even all. However, you've had abundance of cookies left, thus telling me your guest was in a hurry. So I narrowed it down to two categories: Ponies who are impatient and pegasi. And one mare fit both categories. Rainbow Dash. She left in a rush because she wanted to attend the Wonderbolts Show that was supposed to occur today. And she was wearing perfume, so that tells me she wanted to make a good impression on a member." Fluttershy stared in amazement. "You're right! Rainbow does not ever use perfume! But today she did!" Sherlock gave a nod. "Also, you know those rumors that others spread about her.... eh." Sherlock shrugged his shoulders for effect. "Yes." "They're blithering idiots. She's obviously NOT a-" "Okay! Sherlock! Let's just get out of the kitchen and go home." Cheerilee interrupted him before he could say the word. "Just one more question Miss Cheerilee." She groaned softly, as Sherlock turned back to Fluttershy. "Do you own any household chemicals Miss Fluttershy?" "Oh heavens no! Those are very dangerous! Besides, I wouldn't know what to do if my poor little Angel accidentally got into it anyways." She exclaimed in her soft tone. "All right. Thank you Miss Fluttershy. That will be all. Good day." "Your welcome. Goodbye!" Fluttershy waved, as Sherlock and Cheerilee left the cottage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Elusive 42" "What?" Cheerilee asked, confused. "That was the perfume. Elusive 42. I know that perfume from Miss Rarity's Boutique. She has a vast assortment of perfumes in her shop. She uses them quite a lot." Cheerilee was now growing curious. "Until today, is Fluttershy the only Element of Harmony you have not met before?" "Yes." "Sounds like you made good friends." "One does not need friends Miss Cheerilee," Holmes spoke with his usual "smarter" tone. "I'm too busy to satisfy another's need for companionship." "Fine. But what does the perfume have to do with anything?" "Nothing. I'm just pointing it out." They walked in awkward silence on the way back. Nopony saying a word. Complete silen- "Where are you going?" Cheerilee said, noticing his change in direction. "To meet the last suspect." "But Fluttershy was our last suspect, and she's innocent! What are you talking about?" "We're going to see the only pony who has chemicals that can be used for cases like this." Sherlock continued walking, as Cheerilee followed. "We're off to meet Mr. Meld." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Author's Note: Thanks to LloydZelos for his permission to use his OC, Rubos Meld, in the story. He will be appearing next chapter.)
A Mystery to Solve The bells rung, signifying the end of the day for the young ponies in her classroom. She closed her study book, and looked at them. "All right! You are all dismissed! Have a nice weekend!" She said, as the ponies ran out of the classroom. "Also, don't forget your homework on what Consonance and Assonance is! It's due when all of you come back!" "Yes Miss Cheerilee!" They shouted back, as they left. Cheerilee smiled, as she now found herself alone. She made her way to her desk, looking at the stack of papers on her desk. She sighed, as she stuffed the papers in her bag and wrapped it around her shoulder. She then walked out of the classroom, humming along the way. ~~~~~~~~ She arrived at an apartment, the address on the note she recieved in the mail matching the address on the buildingS She then knocked on the door. A unicorn mare opened the door, apparently in a hurry. "Excuse me, do you know where-" The mare kept walking, not letting Cheeriliee finish her question. Cheeriliee was wondering as to why she ignored her. She entered the now open door. She headed upstairs, until she found the room. The door was mysteriously left open, as she entered the room. The dining room was clean, and tidy. She walked further inside the dorm. She found another door open, possibly the bedroom, in her sight. She entered it to find a light brown, unicorn stallion staring off into the horizon through his window. She was a bit confused that the unicorn she was meant to teach was a male. Cheerilee then cleared her throat, as she started to speak. "Hello. I'm Miss Cheerilee, your Caretaker and teacher. For the next six weeks, I shall be living with you to show you the ways of getting your life back on track and observing your sobreity. Pleasure to meet you." She extended her hoof towards the stallion. The unicorn quickly averted his gaze towards her. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" he asked, his accent revealing his English background. Cheerilee was taken aback by this question. "What?" He moved closer to her. "You, are my Annabel Lee...you know that?" "Ummm, listen, I have no idea what you are-" He then got even closer, causing Cheerilee's face to heat up. "But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee." He was barely a hoof's distance away from her face, talking softly and warmly. His light blue eyes gleaming upon her. Cheerilee's face heated up even more. "For Luna's moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea." Cheerilee's red hue could be seen very clearly. She started to lean in to his face a little closer. "Edgar Allen Hoof!" He shouted, interrupting her approach by turning to the window. Cheerilee was brought of out it, and accidentally dropped her bag, spilling her papers everywhere. "Wh-what?" she asked, picking up her papers, confused and embarrassed. "Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allen Hoof. Quite a remarkable poem, very "romantic" as some ponies call it. But I hardly find anything romantic about a full-grown stallion whining and staying at a dead person's grave." He then turned back to Cheerilee. "But I guess you're one of those `easily-fooled ponies', aren't you?" he asked. Cheerilee gave him a look of utter confusion. He then extended his hoof towards her. "Sherlock Holmes." After she picked up her papers, she returned the hoofshake. "I'm Miss-" "Cheerilee? Yes, I know that." He said, finishing the hoof shake. He then started to walk to his closet. He grabbed a shirt, vest, and a jacket. "Oh, yeah, right. 'Cause of my introduction earlier on." Sherlock had his shirt and vest on, as he continued to dress. "No. I actually deduced your name due to the fact that the papers, upon which fell to the floor, are full of hoofwriting not belonging to an adult pony, but rather, minorly illiterate fillies and colts. Thus, telling me your a teacher of sorts. And knowing that you came from Ponyville, it tells me you recently dismissed your class before coming here. Therefore, you are the one, and only, Cheerilee. The `easily trapped in the game of love' pony." Cheerilee stood there in total awe, as he put his jacket on and buttoned it. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get on our way." he said, leaving the room. ~~~~~ "All right. If you were able to deduce my identity, can you be able to deduce who sent me-" "As my caretaker? Of course." He cut her off, as they walked back to Ponyville. "The contents of your bag not only spilled your students' papers, but there was also a golden square edge peeping out from the sea of papers. Now, a normal pony would've thought of it as a gum wrapper, or a chocolate bar. However, it's quite obvious that it is a letter from the princess herself." He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck, as he positioned his hat comfortably. Cheerilee couldn't believe it. He was right. Again! "How-How did you know that?!" She asked. "Elementary Miss Cheerilee. It couldn't have possibly been a gum wrapper or a chocolate bar, due to the fact that the item was sparkling. Plus, it was cut in one direction only: the top. Only letters are cut from the top. And who else but the Royal Majesties themselves deliever those type of letters. You, are quite possibly one lucky teacher Miss Cheerilee." "Lucky indeed." Cheerilee grumbled. "There was no need to invade my....personal space Mister Holmes. And besides, where are we going anyways?" "I did what was necessary. And to answer your second question, here we are." He said, stopping in front of the scene. Cheerilee stopped with him, as they observed. The bakery was surrounded by Royal Guards, doing investigations. Two guards were having a tough time interviewing a pink mare that kept bouncing up and down "Sugar Cube Corner!" Cheerilee gasped. "No dip" Sherlock replied. ~~~~
Irregular Tile“Lieutenant Sterling,” a green-eyed Royal Guard turned to the voice, facing away from the pink mare behind him. “What happened here?” “Ah Sherlock,” the lieutenant said, a smile showing on his face. “So nice to see you out of rehabilitation. How are you doing?” “Quite fine lieutenant, now,” Sherlock raised his eyebrows in impatience. “the problem?” “Oh yes.” The guard turned to the mare. “Miss Pie, I’d like you to meet-“ “Ooh! Sherly Homes! I am SUPER excited to see you again!” Pinkie said, as she wrapped Holmes in a hug, surprising the stallion. Cheerilee gave him a confused look. Sherlock awkwardly wrapped his forelegs around her, returning the hug. “It’s….nice to see you too….Pinkamena.” “I’ve told you already silly! It’s Pinkie!” she said, as she broke the hug and gave a bright smile. Sherlock then turned to see Cheerilee’s confusion. “She visited my rehabilitation center when I arrived. To this day, I don’t know how she knew about my arrival.” Cheerilee then gave a nod, understanding Pinkie’s randomness. “Anyways, Pinkame-“ “Pinkie!” she interrupted. Sherlock coughed. “Miss…Pie…..What seems to have occurred here?” “Well,” Pinkie said, still in her usual peppy state. “It all started when I woke up to bake my super-delicious cookies.” Pinkie said, remembering the events. “I was mixing the batter together when I realized how yummy the mix looked! So I took just a small lick. You know, just to make sure that it’s good. And it was! So I continued mixing, until I began thinking to myself, Is the batter still good Pinkie?'” Pinkie said, in a slightly higher pitch of voice. “And since I care about everypony I serve my treats to, I agreed with myself and said,I don’t know, let’s check!'” She said, in her normal voice. “Sooooooo I took another lick, then another…..then another….then anoth-“ “Miss Pie,” Sherlock said in an exasperated tone. “Does this have anything to do with what happened here?” “Nope!” He exhaled as he turned to Cheerilee. She shrugged, as Sherlock turned back to the pink party pony. “Miss Pie,” He said.“Can you PLEASE tell us what happened here?” Pinkie gave a big grin. “Sure! I was knocked out, and when I woke up, all the pastries were gone!” Sherlock raised his brow. “ALL of them?” “Yep!” “I see,” he said in affirmation. “Thanks for your cooperation Miss Pie.” “It’s Pinkie, Sherly!” She said, in her playful voice. “Miss Pie was my Mommy! And you’re welcome!” Holmes exhaled once more, as he headed back to Cheerilee. “Let’s head inside the scene.” He said. “Now wait!” Cheerilee said, stopping him. “I’m a teacher, not a detective! Why are we going inside a crime scene? We should just let the guards do their jo-” “C’mon Holmes,” Lt. Sterling said to him. “Let’s go in.” Cheerilee sighed. She followed the lieutenant and Sherlock into the bakery, grumbling. ~~~~~~~ “All gone. Just like she said Holmes.” The kitchen was cleared. No sign of bread nor filling was seen anywhere. The Lieutenant entered in after Sherlock and Cheerilee. “Kinda makes you wonder who could just come and steal all the bread without being seen.” Sherlock just humphed in affirmation. "She got knocked out.........yet she shows no sign of grogginess...." Holmes said under his breath. He then took a sniff of the air. “Cupcakes.” Sherlock said. “Yes. Of course it would smell like that Mister Holmes.” Cheerilee pointed out. “We ARE in a bakery.” The Lieutenant piped in. Sherlock began sniffing repeatedly. He moved closer to the sink. He then stopped sniffing, and stood where he stopped. “The baked goods are still here….” “What?” Sterling said in surprise. “Holmes, I assure you, my comrades looked everywh-“ “Not everywhere Lieutenant,” Sherlock interrupted. “Had your guards actually stopped and looked closer at the ground, they could’ve seen the slightly disproportionate square tile below me.” Cheerilee and the Lieutenant looked over his shoulder. “I don’t see anything.” The school teacher said. “You must be blind Miss Cheerilee,” Sherlock said. “It’s right there.” Cheerilee gave a look of confusion. Holmes sighed. “All right. Just step here and…” Holmes stepped on the tile, causing it to be situated correctly into the floor. Suddenly, the sink rotated slowly to reveal a remarkable sight. “Sweet Celestia.” Lieutenant Sterling gasped. There laid an unconscious blue pegasus, on top of an enormous mound of pastries. The Pegasus opened his eyes, now gaining consciousness. “Well, it looks like we just caught our “Bakery Bandit”.” Sterling said, heading towards the Pegasus. “Out of all ponies,” Cheerilee said in total shock. “Soarin’?” Sherlock had a look of uncertainty on his face. “Maybe not, Miss Cheerilee.” He looked on, as the Lieutenant cuffed the Wonderbolt. “Maybe not....” ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Experimental Pie Sherlock and Cheerilee were watching the Lieutenant interrogate Soarin from behind the one-way mirror. The Lieutenant was heard accusing him of his misdemeanor, and Soarin was there, denying it all. Holmes exhaled slowly. "This is wrong, this is all WRONG." He breathed out. "Exactly. How did I go from my classroom, all the way to the Royal Castle?!" Cheerliee exclaimed. "No, that was deducible. THIS," Sherlock said, pointing at the interrogation. "is wrong!" "As I said, Mister Holmes, let the Royal Guards do their jobs." "But they do it horribly!" Sherlock then moved near the mirror. "Look at him! He couldn't possibly have been the "Bakery Bandit"!" Cheerilee sighed in exasperation. "Look, we've done ENOUGH here. I'm surprised the kind guards even let us in here." She moved towards Holmes. "Let's just go back home. I need to start my lesson with you." Sherlock turned towards her. "Hold on one moment please." He then trotted off away from her. Cheerilee groaned, as she began to follow him. Sherlock moved all the way to the lobby, to where a table full of fancy treats. He examined each of the pastries. "What are you doing?" Cheerilee asked him. "Proving a stallion innocent........Ah! Here it is!" He then lifted up a small, circular treat, with a red filling. "A pie?" "And........" He looked around the table. "some tiramisu!" He grabbed both pastries with his magic and placed them on some plates. He then carried the plates, as he headed back to the interrogation room. "Mister Holmes?" Cheerilee was quickening her pace to keep up with the stallion. "What are you doing?!" she asked with anxiety in her voice." "Just an experiment Miss Cheerilee." He then approached the door to the room. The guard at the door gave him a suspicious look. "For the Lieutenant, sir." He said, showing him his "badge" The guard looked at the small trinket. "All right then Private, come on in." The guard opened the door, stepping aside for Holmes. Cheerilee stayed outside, behind the one-way mirror. The door closed, as the Lieutenant gave a surprised look at Holmes. "Holmes? What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm in the middle of an inter-" "Your guard is a bloomin' idiot Lieutenant, and I'm here to prove Mister Soarin's innocence." "FINALLY! Somepony's actually listening to me!" "But you saw it yourself Holmes. Soarin was lying on top of the missing piles of baked goods! He's obviously the Bandit!" "Just watch this Lieutenant." Holmes then headed over to Soarin. "Hungry?" He asked him. "Oh yes, I'm STARVED!" Holmes then floated the tiramisu in front of him. Soarin just blankly stared at it. "Ummmm.......what's this?" "Holmes, what are you doing?" The Lieutenant asked impatiently. "Tiramisu." Holmes said, answering Soarin's question. Soarin moved closer to the cake. He took a short sniff of it. He looked in confusion at the cake, not knowing what it is. He then gave a small lick. "Ehh...not my cup of tea." He concluded. "This is ridiculous." The Lieutenant grumbled. "Okay, then how about this?" Holmes then levitated the small pie to Soarin. "PIE!!!!" Soarin practically leaped at the pie, devouring it in seconds. He then licked his lips in delight. "Seconds please?" He asked. "Lieutenant, Mister Soarin cannot possibly be the Bakery Bandit." Sherlock said, turning to him. "Why not? Just because he chose pie over some tiramisu?" "Not just that Lieutenant, if you looked back to where we found Mister Soarin, you would've seen him lying on top of some cupcakes and muffins. But realize that he has not eaten a single pastry. GIven the fact that we know MisterSoarin prefers pies over any other pastry, I found it strange that there was a large pile of pies untouched behind him.They should've been gone a long time ago if he WAS the Bandit. And he would've been full instead of hungry by now." Holmes turned to Soarin. "Wasn't there supposed to be a show this afternoon?" "Yeah. And I'm gonna be late if I don't-" "Lieutenant, don't you find it a bit odd that we found Mister Soarin at half past eleven, yet he was not wearing his costume for the show?" Lieutenant Sterling brought his hoof to his chin in thought. "All right Holmes, I'll give you that, but it still doesn't convince me that he's innocent." "I told you already! It must have been that pie that Fluttershy girl gave me!" Sherlock turned to Soarin. "A pie, you say?" "Holmes, don't believe his ridiculous story." "But its true!" Soarin persisted to the Lieutenant. He then turned back to Holmes. "It was 11:15. I knew I had to get ready for my practices for today's show. So I got up to prepare, but then I heard a knock at my door. I opened it to find this yellow pegasus mare named Fluttershy. Didn't really know much 'bout the kid, except for her saying that she brought me a pie she baked for me. Of course, I could barely hear her cause she talked so softly." Soarin then gave a smirk. "But I could easily tell that she has a MAJOR crush on me." Soarin then exhaled. "So anyways, me not being the rude type, thanked her and sent her off. I got inside to eat the pie, and let me tell ya, it was the most delicious whipped cream pie I have ever tasted." Soarin leaned back into his chair. "Next thing I knew, I passed out five minutes later. Then I woke up at Sugar Cube Corner, where I am being held by the Royal Guards at the castle right now, which is wasting valuable time from my sched-" "Thank you Mister Soarin, that will be all." Sherlock interrupted, heading towards the door. He knocked on the door, signaling the guard outside to open it. The door was opened, as Sherlock walked out. He stopped to look at the guard. "You might want to improve your vision. Get some glasses already, and it really doesn't matter if they make you look silly. You're welcome." Sherlock walked away, as the guard stared at him with a bewildered face. Cheerilee then caught up to Holmes. "Very unorthodox experiment, Mister Holmes." "Don't try to use big words to sound smart Miss Cheerilee. You may be a teacher but you've sometimes got to show some humility. It's healthy for you." Cheerilee rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Where are we going now, Mister Holmes?" "To visit our latest suspect," he replied, as they began to walk out of the castle. "Miss Fluttershy's residence." "Oh dear." Cheerilee said in exasperation. "I sure am `one lucky pony'." She reluctantly followed Holmes, as he made his way to Fluttershy's Cottage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Used Perfume? Cheerilee knocked on the door to the cottage. The door opened, revealing a yellow pegasus mare. "Oh. Hi Cheerilee." Fluttershy said, happy to see a friend. Fluttershy then turned to the unicorn behind her. "Ummm..." "Fluttershy, it's good to see you! Allow me to introduce to you Mister Sherlock Holmes." She moved to the side, allowing Holmes to extend his hoof to Fluttershy. Fluttershy timidly returned the hoofshake. "Pleased to meet you miss." Holmes said, finishing his hoofshake. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine." Fluttershy gave a small smile. "Would you like to come in?" "Thank you Fluttershy." Cheerilee said, as she and Holmes entered the cottage. ~~~~~~~~~ Sherlock was staring at a white rabbit, who was staring back angrily. Both not breaking their gaze from each other. "So anyways, that's why I have been assigned caretaker of Holmes here. He needs somepony to help him know how to live sober again." Fluttershy took a sip of her tea. "Oh dear. It must have been tough to live without something you've lived with for a very long time." "Though I admit, sometimes I do miss it, one learns that life is livable without it." Sherlock said, not releasing his staring contest with the rabbit. Holmes eventually broke the stare, heading towards the bookshelf. The rabbit flicked his tongue out as Sherlock had his back turned. "And that's why I'm his caretaker. To help him live normally again." Cheerilee turned to see Holmes at the dinner table, taking a sniff of an empty can of whipped cream. Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "Well, as normal as HE can live." Holmes then put the can down, moving towards the kitchen. "Wha-what is he doing?" Fluttershy asked Cheerilee with nervousness. "Holmes! What are you doing?" Cheerilee got up and headed towards him. Holmes said nothing as he examined the kitchen. "Did you have any visitors today Miss Fluttershy?" "What?" "Did anypony visit you today?" Fluttershy paused to think. "Well, Rainbow Dash did come over here. But not for long though." "Of course not, otherwise the cookies would've been fresh." "Umm, what?" "It's quite obvious. SOMEpony had to have visited you. And considering the fact you served cookies made a short while ago, it would've suggested you had a visitor. But, usually visitors eat most of the cookies. Perhaps even all. However, you've had abundance of cookies left, thus telling me your guest was in a hurry. So I narrowed it down to two categories: Ponies who are impatient and pegasi. And one mare fit both categories. Rainbow Dash. She left in a rush because she wanted to attend the Wonderbolts Show that was supposed to occur today. And she was wearing perfume, so that tells me she wanted to make a good impression on a member." Fluttershy stared in amazement. "You're right! Rainbow does not ever use perfume! But today she did!" Sherlock gave a nod. "Also, you know those rumors that others spread about her.... eh." Sherlock shrugged his shoulders for effect. "Yes." "They're blithering idiots. She's obviously NOT a-" "Okay! Sherlock! Let's just get out of the kitchen and go home." Cheerilee interrupted him before he could say the word. "Just one more question Miss Cheerilee." She groaned softly, as Sherlock turned back to Fluttershy. "Do you own any household chemicals Miss Fluttershy?" "Oh heavens no! Those are very dangerous! Besides, I wouldn't know what to do if my poor little Angel accidentally got into it anyways." She exclaimed in her soft tone. "All right. Thank you Miss Fluttershy. That will be all. Good day." "Your welcome. Goodbye!" Fluttershy waved, as Sherlock and Cheerilee left the cottage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Elusive 42" "What?" Cheerilee asked, confused. "That was the perfume. Elusive 42. I know that perfume from Miss Rarity's Boutique. She has a vast assortment of perfumes in her shop. She uses them quite a lot." Cheerilee was now growing curious. "Until today, is Fluttershy the only Element of Harmony you have not met before?" "Yes." "Sounds like you made good friends." "One does not need friends Miss Cheerilee," Holmes spoke with his usual "smarter" tone. "I'm too busy to satisfy another's need for companionship." "Fine. But what does the perfume have to do with anything?" "Nothing. I'm just pointing it out." They walked in awkward silence on the way back. Nopony saying a word. Complete silen- "Where are you going?" Cheerilee said, noticing his change in direction. "To meet the last suspect." "But Fluttershy was our last suspect, and she's innocent! What are you talking about?" "We're going to see the only pony who has chemicals that can be used for cases like this." Sherlock continued walking, as Cheerilee followed. "We're off to meet Mr. Meld." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Author's Note: Thanks to LloydZelos for his permission to use his OC, Rubos Meld, in the story. He will be appearing next chapter.)
