A part played calandoby fullmoonbeastChaptersprologuechapter 2: searching for hope chapter 3 : lyres and cellists Chapter 4: Bows and bodieschapter 1: A case worth investigating prologue"Alright, is everypony here ready to dance?!" The mare behind the turntables yelled into her microphone. It was none other then Vinyl Scratch, well known as "dj Pon-3," who was performing in "The Golden Hoof," the best place for ponies to hangout in the town of Ponyville. The music blasted to the air and Vinyl was in her element. As the time flew by her show came to an end. She thanked her crowd for listening and walked off stage. She smiled as she heard the applause continue and opened the door of her dressing room. She sometimes would wear clothes at performances but rather wore only her glasses. As she had packed her bags and was ready to leave she noticed a small note lying on the table. Vinyl picked it up and read it. "Whatever you do, don't come home." it read. She tossed the note away and laughed at the thought that this was a lame joke of Octavia,who certainly wanted to get back at Vinyl sometime for all the jokes the white mare played on her. Vinyl left the room and immediately was cornered by fans who wanted her autograph. She was never to busy to disappoint her fans so she signed autographs and talked with them a bit. After she talked to all of them Vinyl walked out and began walking home,where she would be greeted by Octavia who was mostly still playing her cello and would take a drink with her before going to bed. "Excuse me," a voice behind her said. "Do you happen to know the way to the police office?" Vinyl laughed. "You spooked me, well as for the police office, turn right here and take the second left there then it is that big building which looks kind of depressing." The pony thanked her and she continued to walk home. As she walked into the street her house was located she noticed something was off. Mostly when she turned into the street she could already hear Octavia play,but this night there was no music."She must have snuck in early." Vinyl thought as she opened the door of the house and walked inside. She immediately walked to the bedroom and opened the door, keeping the lights off because she didn't want to wake Octavia up. Vinyl walked to her bed and suddenly she felt a sticky substance on her hoof. At first she thought it was just some water or juice but curiosity got the better of her and she turned on the lights. On her hoof was blood visible and a little puddle of blood was laying on the ground where she had put her hoof. As she followed the trail her heart almost stopped.On the ground was Octavia, blood coming out of a big wound and Vinyl immediately knew what she saw. Octavia was dead, her blood was on Vinyl's hoof and she heard the door downstairs burst open. "EEPD, come downstairs with your head low, you are surrounded!" Vinyl felt a chill on her spine, they would convict her, but she didn't murder Octavia. "I count to five and you better be down by then, or I will come up and shoot." Vinyl knew she didn't have a choice, she walked downstairs and did not protest while the police ponies cuffed her and put her in the cart. She knew only the truth could save her. She would wait until they found the real murderer. Silently sobbing she fell asleep in the ice-cold cell she was thrown in, tired of the performance and of the shock from seeing Octavia . Author's Note indeed my first story , I appreciate crime stories and wanted to make one on my own . more chapters will be added soon . chapter 2: searching for hope chapter 2: searching for hope The office smelled like coffee, that was the first thing Trace noticed when he left the interrogation room. One of his colleagues was writing a file on the newly acquired case and did not look very happy. His desk was filled with empty coffee cups and an empty box of muffins. Trace chuckled." You feeling alright there?" he asked him. "Oh just peachy," the stallion started. "First I have to endure a three hour concert of the foal. then when I am almost asleep, I get paged that there was a murder and I have to search the house and write a report. That mare better had a good reason to commit a murder that late in the evening, otherwise she is in more trouble than she is now ." Trace nodded "She could have, one of them is that she didn't do it ." The stallion huffed "Coming from mister 'I have no doubt she did it '." "I know when a pony lies, and she clearly did not . And I have to find out who did , that is my job and that is why I signed up. to convict the right pony for the right crime ." His colleague nodded "I like that spirit , you sound like the pony that could get things done here. But don't go pointing conclusions now hmm? I heard the crime scene is open now for you so you should investigate." Trace nodded , he grabbed his notepad and walked to the crime scene . The house was set off with police tape ,many agents as well as curious ponies stood around it . They all eyed the detective when he showed his badge to the guard before the tape and got through . He walked to Octavia's chamber and pushed the door open . Inside was the coroner , a pony named Night Blade , working on the file. He looked up from his work and smiled at Trace ,who walked to him . "How are you doing to day Night? This must have been a hell of a wake up for you." Night sighed "Yes indeed it was , first I wake up around 3 because of a phone call and then they tell me miss Octavia is dead. It was difficult to understand at 3 in the morning , but now I am around here for a few hours and well, it is a damned disgrace." Trace looked at the file and nodded "Yes indeed it is . What was the cause of dead ? "Well according to the wound I found on her head , I'd say it was a penetrating force trauma . " Trace looked around ." And what was the murder weapon? I thought it was the cello." Night showed a little smile." That was what I initially thought too, but I researched the cello and it is perfectly fine, apart from the blood ." He gave the file to Trace and excused himself , then he left leaving Trace alone in the chamber. Trace grabbed his notepad and wrote his info down . Date: February the 24th. Case: murder. victim is Octavia Philharmonica, played in the national orchestra. Cause of death: penetrating force trauma. Suspect : in custody, Vinyl scratch , famous dj. Alibi? : not yet,no motive either. I believe she hasn't done it. Trace sighed,this was going to be a long case. chapter 3 : lyres and cellists chapter 3 : lyres and cellists Trace walked to the cello and picked it up. The wooden mainframe felt cold, and the dried blood on it didn't help warm it up. "Damn it! "Trace signed,"All these cases and i get the one with no direct evidence." He decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. As he opened the door he saw a pony trying to get over the police tape . "Hey! would you please leave? Nothing to see here." A police pony said. "I just want to see my friends! "the mare replied a bit irritated. Trace ran to the mare and showed her his badge. "Hello miss , i'm Trace Lighthoof, Detective. Mind if i ask you some questions? " The mare nodded "s-sure i guess ." "Well then, miss-"The mare cut him off . "Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings." Trace smiled, "Well then . Miss Heartstrings , Can you tell me who resides in that house?" He pointed at the crime scene. "Well, Octavia Philharmonica and Vinyl scratch live there . Why are you asking? Is something wrong with them?" Trace saw a mild panic in her eyes. He took of his hat out of respect and sighed. "I'm very sorry Miss Heartstrings, but Octavia Philharmonica has been found dead in her room last night at 3 P.M" Lyra's eyes grew bigger and Trace saw little droplets of tears beginning to form around the edges. "You mean....No! She can't be! Not Octavia!!" The tears streamed down her face. "h...How?" "It looks like a blow to the head did it. She died right away." Lyra forced her self to calm down and managed to reduce her loud crying to soft sobbing. "What...What about Vinyl? Is she okay?" Trace nodded. "Miss Scratch is fine, but she has been arrested on suspicion of murder." This seemed to infuriate the mare. "Vinyl the murderer?! She would never kill her best friend!" Lyra stomped with her fore hooves on the ground in anger. Trace nodded simply and saw her anger was genuine. "Miss Lyra , could you kindly describe the characters of Octavia and Vinyl?" Lyra calmed down a bit and looked at Trace. "Octavia was.. The pony that was always well-mannered and classy .Whereas Vinyl was a pony of a wild lifestyle," She giggled slightly."I'd always wondered why exactly those two got along so well" Trace smiled at her. "You know what they say, opposites attract each other."He jotted down the info he had gotten from Lyra. "And despite being so different, they lived happily together?" Lyra nodded. " As far as i can tell, they never had any fights. Big fights i mean.There was this once.."The mare seemed to trail off. "Was what?"Trace asked. Hoping this would be some usable info. " n-No ,never mind, i promised to not ever bring it up again. I'm sorry." Trace didn't let go. "We need info like that! Maybe it is one of the reasons why Octavia got murdered." Lyra looked up, sighing. "No. It was over three years ago. It simply can't be a reason why she got murdered, I'm sorry" Trace sighed."More useless info i suppose." He thought. "Say, did you see anything suspicious last night? " he asked. Hoping this mare would have at least some usable info. Lyra told him she saw Vinyl go out and come home late that night. She also mentioned the concert that Vinyl had that night. "Where did she play?"This question was of great importance if Vinyls alibi was true. "I believe it was at 'The Golden Hoof ' Lyra stated with a straight face. "And where exactly would that be? " Trace raised an eyebrow. Lyra looked shocked. "That's on blueberry! It's the most famous club in town. Are you new here or something? Trace was taken aback by that question. "Yes,yes i am. Anyway,thank you for the info Miss Heartstrings." Lyra suddenly looked strange at him,like she was suddenly full of obsession for him. "I never saw you around. Ever! Not even in other cities! I know it sounds silly, but a-are you perhaps a human?" Trace had no idea what in Equestria she meant. "Excuse me?" "You know,a human! With fingers and hands and such."Lyra exclaimed excited. Trace just stared at her as if she was a mad pony. Lyra simply shrugged. "Well i guess not then. But i can explain it to you later. What a human is, i mean." Trace raised an eyebrow. "You do that. Well, i guess i'm done here. I'll come by when i need more questions answered okay?" "But what if i am away?" Lyra asked. "Well, that depends,"Trace scratched his head."Are you currently living with somepony?" The mare gave a sly grin. "Why? Are you flirting with me? " She laughed while Trace concentrated himself on not face-hoofing. "No..If you are not home maybe the other pony who resides with you is there to answer some questions for me." He explained to her. The mare giggled. "Of course. I knew that. I live with Bon Bon." Trace opened his mouth to speak but Lyra quickly cut him off. "Yes,owner of Bon Bon's bonbons. Be sure to check by! We have lots of tasty goods!" Trace smiled and put his notebook away. "I will come by in time. I'll take your word for the quality of the goods." Lyra smiled at him and gave him a coupon. "Its for a discount. Only this month, so be there or be out of discount!" Trace put the coupon in his saddlebag. "Thank you kindly,Miss Heartstrings. If you excuse me? I have to go now." he said shaking her hoof Lyra nodded. "Alright, see you around then!" Trace walked away and waved at the green mare who frantically waved back at him. When she was out of sight,he paused and grabbed his notebook. "Well here we go." He thought. Name: Lyra Heartstrings. Occupation: ? ( probably musician, have to ask ) Address: Bon Bon's bonbons. Motive/alibi: not yet. Relation to the victim : friend . Trace put away his notebook again and watched at Celestia's sun standing high in the sky. "Well. Time for the next step." He thought, and walked further on Ponyville's main road. Chapter 4: Bows and bodiesAfter a short walk Trace had found himself standing in front of the door to 'The Golden Hoof'. A sign on the door held the times the club was normally open. Trace looked at the small board. Open: Monday to Saturday From 5 pm til 4 Am He sighed and looked at his watch. "Damn it, it's only two pm. Well guess i walk around for a bit." He turned around when his eyes fell on what seemed to be the local bulletin board. He casually looked through each flyer that hung on the board. Concert in 'The Golden Hoof'! Vinyl scratch: February 24 and 26. Grand Concert hall: Octavia Philharmonica, February 25. New at Bonbon's bonbons. The Valentines gift box. With bonbons and other nice candy to share with your special somepony. Also only this month: ten percent off of your goods! 5 percent off of your next bouquet! Only by Roseluck! Trace jotted down the dates of the concerts and sighed again. "Well. I guess the upcoming concerts have been cancelled by now."He thought aloud. A voice from behind him startled him from his thought. "Excuse me? Can you please move a bit?" A stallion asked. Trace stepped out of the way and the pony ripped some of the posters of the board and put some new ones on. Trace saw that the previous posters of the concert were removed and two fresh ones were hanging in their place. "Excuse me?" Trace asked the stallion,"Are there more concerts planned for Vinyl Scratch?" The pony shook his head. "You should have come the day before yesterday, this is all for Octavia Philharmonica." Trace frowned, if Octavia still had concerts then the police must have kept her dead private, they should find out soon enough. The pony grinned. "I heard she is practising day and night for her concert, I'm curious what it will be this time. I do hope it doesn't get cancelled though, last time she blew the whole thing off because she couldn't find her bow!" Trace nodded and wrote something in his notebook. "Is that bow heavy enough to cause serious damage to somepony? " The stallion laughed . "Of course not!I heard that it was inlaid with gold, but it shouldn't be that heavy!" Trace ears sprouted up by that statement. "Inlaid with gold?" The pony nodded and smiled. "Those are only rumours though. Nopony really knows if its true, but I guess if she even admitted it once." The Stallion seemed to continue blabbering about all the interviews Octavia had done and about what she said concerning her cello. Trace listened and sometimes wrote things down that seemed interesting or relevant to the case. "Dear Celestia! Look at the time. I'm late and here I stand blabbering about. My apologies." The stallion grabbed his poster filled saddlebag and left. Trace watched him go and decided it was time to return to the crime scene. She laid on the ground of her room, blood dripping on the wooden floor. Her eyes, that glowed every time she smiled, had lost its glow and were fixed on a certain point of the ceiling. Her coat seemed to have lost its glance and was cold to touch. She was like a beautiful angel, laying lifelessly on that cold hard wooden floor of the place she had once called home. Next to her sat a colt, not more than a few years older than 16 , holding her hoof and crying silently as he kissed her coat Hoofsteps were heard and the colt felt a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up into the eyes of another pony, his eyes a welcoming green and filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry for your loss." A voice filled with honesty sounded in his ear. The pony next to him slowly nudged him to follow and the colt obeyed, casting a last glance on the mare. Trace arrived at the crime scene once again, and saw the police still busy all around the scene. He walked up to one of them and greeted him. " Any evidence yet?" The pony shook his head. "Not yet, you are free to look around for yourself of course." Trace nodded and went inside. The room was left like it had been when Vinyl had found Octavia. Trace looked at the cello, still laying still on the ground, the dried crust of blood still clearly visible. He looked around for the bow that was meant to play on the cello but to his surprise found that it was missing. Trace cursed under his breath and looked around the room for the bow, which was nowhere to be found. Suddenly a reflection on the window got his attention as he walked to the window sill. There he found a red drop of dried up blood. Trace looked out the window and found that under the window were hoof imprints. He raced downstairs and went outside to the window. Now the hoof imprints were a lot clearer, there was also a puddle of mud next to one of the hooves. Trace looked at the puddle as he noticed that there was some red mixed in the muddy water. He quickly grabbed a vial and took a sample of the water and put it in his saddlebag. Trace proceeded to follow the trail of hoof prints and stopped in his tracks when he saw a weird shape next to one of the hoof imprints. The imprint was straight and looked like a stick, but Trace noticed the imprint slightly differed. "Could this be an imprint of the bow for the cello?" He thought. He drew the imprint on his notepad and kept following the trail. Trace found the trace was mixed with other hooves as he slowly approached the market, making it hard to keep following the trail. He cursed softly when the trail became mixed up completely and looked around him. He appeared to be close to the main plaza with shops left and right and merchants selling wares in their stalls. His stare got caught on a particular store with a sign saying "Bonbons Bonbons." He knew he could get some info on the victim there and so he entered the candyshop. Name: N/A Appearence: a mud puddle in the form of a stick, found next to a set of hooves that could belong to the culprit, could be the bow from a cello. Other finds: A puddle with blood, probably the victims. Sending it to the labs for analysis. chapter 1: A case worth investigating chapter 1: A case worth investigating Trace Lighthoof sighed. "Boss, I know I said some things about how I can solve a crime, but this crime is almost impossible to proof untrue. The evidence is there, as is the victim and the murderer." His boss nodded."That's why I assigned you to the case, something smells fishy there and I want to make sure we got the right pony to convict." Trace shook his head."I'm having no doubts that she is the murderer." He pointed to the white mare who sat in the interrogation room." Anyway, I'm assigned now so I'm going to talk to her then." He opened the door of the chamber and sat down facing the white mare, she looked like she was about to cry and turned her face away from him as soon as he sat down. " Miss Scratch, mind if I talk to you?" he asked. She didn't look at him."I-is she...d-dead?" Her voice was trembling and no doubt she was silently crying. " Yes, I'm sorry for your loss." She held her hooves before her face, he could hear her sobbing. " Its my fault, its all my fault.If I hadn't had booked that gig she was still here I..I." Her crying got louder and Trace still stared at her. "Listen, miss Scratch. Miss Philharmonica has been murdered and momentarily, you are the prime suspect." The mare looked at him , her eyes red from the crying. "But I-I had a show yesterday, I can not have murdered her ." Trace nodded."We do our best to sort this out, miss Scratch. But for now you have to stay here until we get a lead for the possible murderer." Vinyl just stared at the floor. " Please, find the pony who did this to my best friend. " Trace nodded. "We got more ponies on this case then foals in a candy store. I'm sure we will find the one who did this." Trace stood up and walked to the door . "Wait!" the mare said. "Please believe me, I'm innocent!" Trace sighed, "Miss scratch, how much I do want to believe you, I simply can't." He grabbed his detective badge. "See this? This badge says I am officially working under equestrian law. Thus I abide by their rules, meaning I can not have the kind of mercy that can lead to falsified trials and findings at a crime scene. And the least I can do is interrogate you and say how far we are in the investigation." He opened the door ."Thanks for your time, we be seeing each other again, but for now its time to investigate ." And with that, he left the chamber and began on the case.
prologue"Alright, is everypony here ready to dance?!" The mare behind the turntables yelled into her microphone. It was none other then Vinyl Scratch, well known as "dj Pon-3," who was performing in "The Golden Hoof," the best place for ponies to hangout in the town of Ponyville. The music blasted to the air and Vinyl was in her element. As the time flew by her show came to an end. She thanked her crowd for listening and walked off stage. She smiled as she heard the applause continue and opened the door of her dressing room. She sometimes would wear clothes at performances but rather wore only her glasses. As she had packed her bags and was ready to leave she noticed a small note lying on the table. Vinyl picked it up and read it. "Whatever you do, don't come home." it read. She tossed the note away and laughed at the thought that this was a lame joke of Octavia,who certainly wanted to get back at Vinyl sometime for all the jokes the white mare played on her. Vinyl left the room and immediately was cornered by fans who wanted her autograph. She was never to busy to disappoint her fans so she signed autographs and talked with them a bit. After she talked to all of them Vinyl walked out and began walking home,where she would be greeted by Octavia who was mostly still playing her cello and would take a drink with her before going to bed. "Excuse me," a voice behind her said. "Do you happen to know the way to the police office?" Vinyl laughed. "You spooked me, well as for the police office, turn right here and take the second left there then it is that big building which looks kind of depressing." The pony thanked her and she continued to walk home. As she walked into the street her house was located she noticed something was off. Mostly when she turned into the street she could already hear Octavia play,but this night there was no music."She must have snuck in early." Vinyl thought as she opened the door of the house and walked inside. She immediately walked to the bedroom and opened the door, keeping the lights off because she didn't want to wake Octavia up. Vinyl walked to her bed and suddenly she felt a sticky substance on her hoof. At first she thought it was just some water or juice but curiosity got the better of her and she turned on the lights. On her hoof was blood visible and a little puddle of blood was laying on the ground where she had put her hoof. As she followed the trail her heart almost stopped.On the ground was Octavia, blood coming out of a big wound and Vinyl immediately knew what she saw. Octavia was dead, her blood was on Vinyl's hoof and she heard the door downstairs burst open. "EEPD, come downstairs with your head low, you are surrounded!" Vinyl felt a chill on her spine, they would convict her, but she didn't murder Octavia. "I count to five and you better be down by then, or I will come up and shoot." Vinyl knew she didn't have a choice, she walked downstairs and did not protest while the police ponies cuffed her and put her in the cart. She knew only the truth could save her. She would wait until they found the real murderer. Silently sobbing she fell asleep in the ice-cold cell she was thrown in, tired of the performance and of the shock from seeing Octavia . Author's Note indeed my first story , I appreciate crime stories and wanted to make one on my own . more chapters will be added soon .
chapter 2: searching for hope chapter 2: searching for hope The office smelled like coffee, that was the first thing Trace noticed when he left the interrogation room. One of his colleagues was writing a file on the newly acquired case and did not look very happy. His desk was filled with empty coffee cups and an empty box of muffins. Trace chuckled." You feeling alright there?" he asked him. "Oh just peachy," the stallion started. "First I have to endure a three hour concert of the foal. then when I am almost asleep, I get paged that there was a murder and I have to search the house and write a report. That mare better had a good reason to commit a murder that late in the evening, otherwise she is in more trouble than she is now ." Trace nodded "She could have, one of them is that she didn't do it ." The stallion huffed "Coming from mister 'I have no doubt she did it '." "I know when a pony lies, and she clearly did not . And I have to find out who did , that is my job and that is why I signed up. to convict the right pony for the right crime ." His colleague nodded "I like that spirit , you sound like the pony that could get things done here. But don't go pointing conclusions now hmm? I heard the crime scene is open now for you so you should investigate." Trace nodded , he grabbed his notepad and walked to the crime scene . The house was set off with police tape ,many agents as well as curious ponies stood around it . They all eyed the detective when he showed his badge to the guard before the tape and got through . He walked to Octavia's chamber and pushed the door open . Inside was the coroner , a pony named Night Blade , working on the file. He looked up from his work and smiled at Trace ,who walked to him . "How are you doing to day Night? This must have been a hell of a wake up for you." Night sighed "Yes indeed it was , first I wake up around 3 because of a phone call and then they tell me miss Octavia is dead. It was difficult to understand at 3 in the morning , but now I am around here for a few hours and well, it is a damned disgrace." Trace looked at the file and nodded "Yes indeed it is . What was the cause of dead ? "Well according to the wound I found on her head , I'd say it was a penetrating force trauma . " Trace looked around ." And what was the murder weapon? I thought it was the cello." Night showed a little smile." That was what I initially thought too, but I researched the cello and it is perfectly fine, apart from the blood ." He gave the file to Trace and excused himself , then he left leaving Trace alone in the chamber. Trace grabbed his notepad and wrote his info down . Date: February the 24th. Case: murder. victim is Octavia Philharmonica, played in the national orchestra. Cause of death: penetrating force trauma. Suspect : in custody, Vinyl scratch , famous dj. Alibi? : not yet,no motive either. I believe she hasn't done it. Trace sighed,this was going to be a long case.
chapter 3 : lyres and cellists chapter 3 : lyres and cellists Trace walked to the cello and picked it up. The wooden mainframe felt cold, and the dried blood on it didn't help warm it up. "Damn it! "Trace signed,"All these cases and i get the one with no direct evidence." He decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. As he opened the door he saw a pony trying to get over the police tape . "Hey! would you please leave? Nothing to see here." A police pony said. "I just want to see my friends! "the mare replied a bit irritated. Trace ran to the mare and showed her his badge. "Hello miss , i'm Trace Lighthoof, Detective. Mind if i ask you some questions? " The mare nodded "s-sure i guess ." "Well then, miss-"The mare cut him off . "Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings." Trace smiled, "Well then . Miss Heartstrings , Can you tell me who resides in that house?" He pointed at the crime scene. "Well, Octavia Philharmonica and Vinyl scratch live there . Why are you asking? Is something wrong with them?" Trace saw a mild panic in her eyes. He took of his hat out of respect and sighed. "I'm very sorry Miss Heartstrings, but Octavia Philharmonica has been found dead in her room last night at 3 P.M" Lyra's eyes grew bigger and Trace saw little droplets of tears beginning to form around the edges. "You mean....No! She can't be! Not Octavia!!" The tears streamed down her face. "h...How?" "It looks like a blow to the head did it. She died right away." Lyra forced her self to calm down and managed to reduce her loud crying to soft sobbing. "What...What about Vinyl? Is she okay?" Trace nodded. "Miss Scratch is fine, but she has been arrested on suspicion of murder." This seemed to infuriate the mare. "Vinyl the murderer?! She would never kill her best friend!" Lyra stomped with her fore hooves on the ground in anger. Trace nodded simply and saw her anger was genuine. "Miss Lyra , could you kindly describe the characters of Octavia and Vinyl?" Lyra calmed down a bit and looked at Trace. "Octavia was.. The pony that was always well-mannered and classy .Whereas Vinyl was a pony of a wild lifestyle," She giggled slightly."I'd always wondered why exactly those two got along so well" Trace smiled at her. "You know what they say, opposites attract each other."He jotted down the info he had gotten from Lyra. "And despite being so different, they lived happily together?" Lyra nodded. " As far as i can tell, they never had any fights. Big fights i mean.There was this once.."The mare seemed to trail off. "Was what?"Trace asked. Hoping this would be some usable info. " n-No ,never mind, i promised to not ever bring it up again. I'm sorry." Trace didn't let go. "We need info like that! Maybe it is one of the reasons why Octavia got murdered." Lyra looked up, sighing. "No. It was over three years ago. It simply can't be a reason why she got murdered, I'm sorry" Trace sighed."More useless info i suppose." He thought. "Say, did you see anything suspicious last night? " he asked. Hoping this mare would have at least some usable info. Lyra told him she saw Vinyl go out and come home late that night. She also mentioned the concert that Vinyl had that night. "Where did she play?"This question was of great importance if Vinyls alibi was true. "I believe it was at 'The Golden Hoof ' Lyra stated with a straight face. "And where exactly would that be? " Trace raised an eyebrow. Lyra looked shocked. "That's on blueberry! It's the most famous club in town. Are you new here or something? Trace was taken aback by that question. "Yes,yes i am. Anyway,thank you for the info Miss Heartstrings." Lyra suddenly looked strange at him,like she was suddenly full of obsession for him. "I never saw you around. Ever! Not even in other cities! I know it sounds silly, but a-are you perhaps a human?" Trace had no idea what in Equestria she meant. "Excuse me?" "You know,a human! With fingers and hands and such."Lyra exclaimed excited. Trace just stared at her as if she was a mad pony. Lyra simply shrugged. "Well i guess not then. But i can explain it to you later. What a human is, i mean." Trace raised an eyebrow. "You do that. Well, i guess i'm done here. I'll come by when i need more questions answered okay?" "But what if i am away?" Lyra asked. "Well, that depends,"Trace scratched his head."Are you currently living with somepony?" The mare gave a sly grin. "Why? Are you flirting with me? " She laughed while Trace concentrated himself on not face-hoofing. "No..If you are not home maybe the other pony who resides with you is there to answer some questions for me." He explained to her. The mare giggled. "Of course. I knew that. I live with Bon Bon." Trace opened his mouth to speak but Lyra quickly cut him off. "Yes,owner of Bon Bon's bonbons. Be sure to check by! We have lots of tasty goods!" Trace smiled and put his notebook away. "I will come by in time. I'll take your word for the quality of the goods." Lyra smiled at him and gave him a coupon. "Its for a discount. Only this month, so be there or be out of discount!" Trace put the coupon in his saddlebag. "Thank you kindly,Miss Heartstrings. If you excuse me? I have to go now." he said shaking her hoof Lyra nodded. "Alright, see you around then!" Trace walked away and waved at the green mare who frantically waved back at him. When she was out of sight,he paused and grabbed his notebook. "Well here we go." He thought. Name: Lyra Heartstrings. Occupation: ? ( probably musician, have to ask ) Address: Bon Bon's bonbons. Motive/alibi: not yet. Relation to the victim : friend . Trace put away his notebook again and watched at Celestia's sun standing high in the sky. "Well. Time for the next step." He thought, and walked further on Ponyville's main road.
Chapter 4: Bows and bodiesAfter a short walk Trace had found himself standing in front of the door to 'The Golden Hoof'. A sign on the door held the times the club was normally open. Trace looked at the small board. Open: Monday to Saturday From 5 pm til 4 Am He sighed and looked at his watch. "Damn it, it's only two pm. Well guess i walk around for a bit." He turned around when his eyes fell on what seemed to be the local bulletin board. He casually looked through each flyer that hung on the board. Concert in 'The Golden Hoof'! Vinyl scratch: February 24 and 26. Grand Concert hall: Octavia Philharmonica, February 25. New at Bonbon's bonbons. The Valentines gift box. With bonbons and other nice candy to share with your special somepony. Also only this month: ten percent off of your goods! 5 percent off of your next bouquet! Only by Roseluck! Trace jotted down the dates of the concerts and sighed again. "Well. I guess the upcoming concerts have been cancelled by now."He thought aloud. A voice from behind him startled him from his thought. "Excuse me? Can you please move a bit?" A stallion asked. Trace stepped out of the way and the pony ripped some of the posters of the board and put some new ones on. Trace saw that the previous posters of the concert were removed and two fresh ones were hanging in their place. "Excuse me?" Trace asked the stallion,"Are there more concerts planned for Vinyl Scratch?" The pony shook his head. "You should have come the day before yesterday, this is all for Octavia Philharmonica." Trace frowned, if Octavia still had concerts then the police must have kept her dead private, they should find out soon enough. The pony grinned. "I heard she is practising day and night for her concert, I'm curious what it will be this time. I do hope it doesn't get cancelled though, last time she blew the whole thing off because she couldn't find her bow!" Trace nodded and wrote something in his notebook. "Is that bow heavy enough to cause serious damage to somepony? " The stallion laughed . "Of course not!I heard that it was inlaid with gold, but it shouldn't be that heavy!" Trace ears sprouted up by that statement. "Inlaid with gold?" The pony nodded and smiled. "Those are only rumours though. Nopony really knows if its true, but I guess if she even admitted it once." The Stallion seemed to continue blabbering about all the interviews Octavia had done and about what she said concerning her cello. Trace listened and sometimes wrote things down that seemed interesting or relevant to the case. "Dear Celestia! Look at the time. I'm late and here I stand blabbering about. My apologies." The stallion grabbed his poster filled saddlebag and left. Trace watched him go and decided it was time to return to the crime scene. She laid on the ground of her room, blood dripping on the wooden floor. Her eyes, that glowed every time she smiled, had lost its glow and were fixed on a certain point of the ceiling. Her coat seemed to have lost its glance and was cold to touch. She was like a beautiful angel, laying lifelessly on that cold hard wooden floor of the place she had once called home. Next to her sat a colt, not more than a few years older than 16 , holding her hoof and crying silently as he kissed her coat Hoofsteps were heard and the colt felt a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up into the eyes of another pony, his eyes a welcoming green and filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry for your loss." A voice filled with honesty sounded in his ear. The pony next to him slowly nudged him to follow and the colt obeyed, casting a last glance on the mare. Trace arrived at the crime scene once again, and saw the police still busy all around the scene. He walked up to one of them and greeted him. " Any evidence yet?" The pony shook his head. "Not yet, you are free to look around for yourself of course." Trace nodded and went inside. The room was left like it had been when Vinyl had found Octavia. Trace looked at the cello, still laying still on the ground, the dried crust of blood still clearly visible. He looked around for the bow that was meant to play on the cello but to his surprise found that it was missing. Trace cursed under his breath and looked around the room for the bow, which was nowhere to be found. Suddenly a reflection on the window got his attention as he walked to the window sill. There he found a red drop of dried up blood. Trace looked out the window and found that under the window were hoof imprints. He raced downstairs and went outside to the window. Now the hoof imprints were a lot clearer, there was also a puddle of mud next to one of the hooves. Trace looked at the puddle as he noticed that there was some red mixed in the muddy water. He quickly grabbed a vial and took a sample of the water and put it in his saddlebag. Trace proceeded to follow the trail of hoof prints and stopped in his tracks when he saw a weird shape next to one of the hoof imprints. The imprint was straight and looked like a stick, but Trace noticed the imprint slightly differed. "Could this be an imprint of the bow for the cello?" He thought. He drew the imprint on his notepad and kept following the trail. Trace found the trace was mixed with other hooves as he slowly approached the market, making it hard to keep following the trail. He cursed softly when the trail became mixed up completely and looked around him. He appeared to be close to the main plaza with shops left and right and merchants selling wares in their stalls. His stare got caught on a particular store with a sign saying "Bonbons Bonbons." He knew he could get some info on the victim there and so he entered the candyshop. Name: N/A Appearence: a mud puddle in the form of a stick, found next to a set of hooves that could belong to the culprit, could be the bow from a cello. Other finds: A puddle with blood, probably the victims. Sending it to the labs for analysis.
chapter 1: A case worth investigating chapter 1: A case worth investigating Trace Lighthoof sighed. "Boss, I know I said some things about how I can solve a crime, but this crime is almost impossible to proof untrue. The evidence is there, as is the victim and the murderer." His boss nodded."That's why I assigned you to the case, something smells fishy there and I want to make sure we got the right pony to convict." Trace shook his head."I'm having no doubts that she is the murderer." He pointed to the white mare who sat in the interrogation room." Anyway, I'm assigned now so I'm going to talk to her then." He opened the door of the chamber and sat down facing the white mare, she looked like she was about to cry and turned her face away from him as soon as he sat down. " Miss Scratch, mind if I talk to you?" he asked. She didn't look at him."I-is she...d-dead?" Her voice was trembling and no doubt she was silently crying. " Yes, I'm sorry for your loss." She held her hooves before her face, he could hear her sobbing. " Its my fault, its all my fault.If I hadn't had booked that gig she was still here I..I." Her crying got louder and Trace still stared at her. "Listen, miss Scratch. Miss Philharmonica has been murdered and momentarily, you are the prime suspect." The mare looked at him , her eyes red from the crying. "But I-I had a show yesterday, I can not have murdered her ." Trace nodded."We do our best to sort this out, miss Scratch. But for now you have to stay here until we get a lead for the possible murderer." Vinyl just stared at the floor. " Please, find the pony who did this to my best friend. " Trace nodded. "We got more ponies on this case then foals in a candy store. I'm sure we will find the one who did this." Trace stood up and walked to the door . "Wait!" the mare said. "Please believe me, I'm innocent!" Trace sighed, "Miss scratch, how much I do want to believe you, I simply can't." He grabbed his detective badge. "See this? This badge says I am officially working under equestrian law. Thus I abide by their rules, meaning I can not have the kind of mercy that can lead to falsified trials and findings at a crime scene. And the least I can do is interrogate you and say how far we are in the investigation." He opened the door ."Thanks for your time, we be seeing each other again, but for now its time to investigate ." And with that, he left the chamber and began on the case.
