Dissociation

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Shadow in the Dark
Chapter 2 - A Riddle Unknown
Chapter 3 - Deepening Wounds
Chapter 4 - Old Sparks
Chapter 5 - New Leads
Chapter 6 - Reunions and Revelations
Chapter 7 - Family Connections
Chapter 8 - Familiar Faces?
Chapter 9 - Confrontation
Epilogue

Chapter 1 - Shadow in the Dark

The air was still as a stallion made his way through the quiet night streets of Canterlot. He was hurrying; seemingly late for some pressing engagement or at least for getting home on time. He passed unseen by many, the few ponies that inhabited the street at this time either intoxicated or keeping to themselves; truth be told the stallion didn’t even notice them himself. As he entered Canterlot’s main park he slowed his canter to a slow trot and finally came to a stop.

He panted a few times and looked up at the clear night sky above him. Tonight had been an interesting night indeed but how he had managed to forget the time was beyond him. He shook his head and was about to set off once more when a sudden blow from behind him sent him spiralling to the ground. His head throbbed from the impact, new stars appearing in his vision to join those in the sky. He let out a small groan and raised a hoof to his head where the pain was coming from but as he touched it he recoiled his hoof sharply.

Something wet and sticky was covering his hoof but the lack of light in the park meant he was unable to see what it was. Slowly he raised his hoof upwards until the light of the moon glinted across the crimson liquid that was slowly staining his fur. For a moment he froze, unable to comprehend what was going on, before he realised what was covering his hoof.

He was about to scream when the sound of breathing caught his attention. He looked to his side, the throb in his head sending him reeling for a moment before he managed to focus. A pony stood there, or at least what he assumed to be a pony due to the long cape and hood that covered their entire body. They were breathing loudly and looking directly at him although the shadow of their hood shielded their face from view.

Then it happened; a faint giggle like a childish laugh of glee and fun left the shadow’s form. The stallion didn’t know what to think or say; his body gripped by fear and pain. The figure stepped forwards, covering the distance to the stallion in a moment. He tried to move, tried to get out of the way of the figure but was unable to get far due to the spinning sensation that gripped his form. Even if he had moved it wouldn’t have made much difference as the figure’s front hooves slammed down hard on his form causing him to roll over onto his back.

Again he felt his head throb and this time his stomach gave a lurch as the sudden movement slammed him onto his back. He tried to focus but as the figure leaned over him he felt himself fighting to stay awake. The last thing he saw was a faint glint of light as it reflected off a shard of metal as it was drawn from under the figure’s cloak.

Octavia Melody was just finishing her morning grooming ritual as a loud and firm knock sounded through her home. She sighed and lowered her brush to the dresser top before sliding gracefully from her seat and walking daintily towards the door. As she reached the top of the stairs the knock came again forcing the earth pony to give a small grunt of annoyance.

“Coming!” she replied in a loud tone that retained as much poise as she could.

She hated shouting and much preferred to talk quietly with the full attention of those around her but sometimes she had to admit that it was necessary. She made her way down the stairs as quickly as she could and pulled the latch back on the door. She was about to voice her irritation as she opened the door but stopped dead at the sight on her doorstep.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Octavia Melody?” asked the royal guard stood outside her door dressed in full Canterlot guard armour and regalia.

“Um…yes…that is I, what can I do for you…uh…” she replied before casting a glance over the guards rank insignia, “…sergeant?”

“May I come inside ma’am,” he asked politely, “There is an issue I must discuss with you.”

Octavia gave a small nod and opened the door fully allowing the stallion to enter. For a moment he stood and glanced around at the décor. Everything was spotlessly clean from the oak balustrade to the neatly arranged side table and gilded picture frames. In a corner a large grandfather clock stood ticking away in front of a large rug of Saddle Arabian origin. All in all the house was a sight to behold but the guard was more interested in the open door leading into the lounge area. Octavia noticed and quickly motioned for him to go in.

As the guard sat down in a large leather armchair a silence fell over the air that even the ticking of the grandfather clock couldn’t break. Eventually though Octavia decided to break the silence.

“May I offer you a drink?” she asked quietly with a motion to a large drinks cabinet.

The guard shook his head, “Not while I’m on duty ma’am.”

“Just some water then, I don’t like to be considered an inconsiderate host.”

The guard nodded slowly and Octavia spent a moment organising two drinks; a plain glass of water for the guard and something a little more extravagant for herself. As she handed the water to the guard he couldn’t help but examine the glass that Octavia held herself.

“If you don’t mind me saying ma’am, isn’t it a little early for drinking?” he commented.

Octavia took a small sip of the glass of red wine she was holding, “I’ve found that a little every morning really does give me the strength to overcome all obstacles. It may not look it but maintaining grace and poise in a world full of idiots and know-it-alls is not an easy task. Now, what is it you wanted to discuss sergeant?”

“Ah yes,” replied the guard with a small cough, “I will get straight too it, I believe you are acquainted with a stallion by the name of Gleaming Moon, yes?”

“Acquainted is a rather poor estimation sergeant,” replied Octavia after another sip of wine, “He is the current manager of the ensemble of which I am a member. He handles the paperwork, bookings, payments and such like. He does a fine job but I can’t say he’s an enjoyable fellow to be around. Always smoking these foul cigars from Manehatten and the number of times he has ‘bumped’ into me in a tight space is beyond count. Frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a mare in every port if you’ll pardon me saying so. Why?”

The guard gave a small cough, “I’m afraid I have to inform you that there has been an…issue. Mr Gleaming Moon was found dead this morning in Canterlot Park.”

The sound of a wine glass hitting a wooden floor and shattering into a million pieces echoed around the room like an explosion. Octavia’s face had gone completely white and her front hooves shook like leaves in the breeze. She tried to speak but all that came out was incomprehensible gibberish. It took a few minutes for her to regain her composure after which she slowly slipped from her chair, ignoring the broken glass, and headed back towards the drinks cabinet.

“Ma’am? Are you alright?” asked the guard in a concerned manner.

Octavia didn’t reply, instead she simply opened a door in the lower part of the cabinet and took out a new bottle and a small tumbler. The guard could read the bottle label from where he sat; it was actually one of the favourites with the royal guard at the moment, Jubilee Cherry Bourbon from the southern city of Dodge Junction. Octavia quickly filled a glass and knocked back the contents in one go before pouring herself another glass and slowly returning to her seat. For a moment she sat in silence cradling the glass in her hooves.

“Ma’am?” the stallion asked again.

“Just give me a moment sergeant,” replied Octavia quickly before taking a sip from her glass, “This situation requires something a little stronger than a good red.”

The guard was courteous and remained quiet as Octavia slowly sipped at her bourbon for a few moments longer.

“Dead…by Celestia,” murmured the musician quietly before looking up, “…how?”

The guard gave a small cough before he spoke, “He…he was found bludgeoned and stabbed. Death was caused by massive blood loss, we believe he was murdered.”

Octavia returned her attention to her glass for a moment. This was practically unheard of, murdered? Why? Why would any pony do that?

The guard continued, “I’m sorry to have to bring this news to you ma’am, I know it must be difficult to believe. We are asking all those who had close relations with him to try and work out if there might have been a motive behind the attack.”

“Motive? I can’t think of…I mean he wasn’t the most pleasant of ponies to be around but…for somepony to kill him? I can’t imagine why they would do that.”

The guard nodded to himself, “You don’t have to tell us now but if you do think of anything please let the Royal Guard know, we will be conducting a full investigation into what happened by order of Celestia herself.”

The guard made a move to stand up but paused as he saw Octavia still staring into the bottom of her whiskey glass.

“Ma’am, are you really going to be alright? I can have one of my squad come over to help you if you need it.”

“No…no that won’t be…won’t be necessary,” replied Octavia slowly, “I have a…friend…visiting today.”

“Very well ma’am, but do keep us in mind if you need any further help. I can appreciate this must be very unsettling news. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll let myself out.”

Octavia just nodded as the guard left the room, the sound of the front door opening and then closing filling the air for a moment until the stillness of the clock’s tick-tock filled the air once more. She didn’t know how to process this information, it was almost like she was dreaming but she knew she wasn’t. Slowly time slipped by her and the morning soon faded away and gave way to early afternoon. Octavia’s stomach gave a growl of discomfort but even then she couldn’t bring herself to move. It wasn’t until there was a sharp knock at the door that she managed to look up but even so she couldn’t bring herself to stand. After a short moment the knock came again and then slowly the front door gave a click and opened.

“Hello! Octavia? Any pony home?” called a voice.

It was calm and well-spoken as one might expect from the elite of Canterlot but something about it caused Octavia to sigh happily. It was a moment later that the pony stepped around the doorframe and looked into the room. She was a tall pony, almost as big as Princess Luna, with a white coat and flowing pink mane that seemed to sparkle in the light. She was smiling quietly to herself but as she saw Octavia the smile dropped like a sack of bricks.

“Goodness, Octavia are you alright, you look a mess!” she stated bluntly as she whooshed to the earth ponies side.

Octavia didn’t reply, instead diverting her gaze to the glass of whiskey she still cradled between her hooves.

“Drinking like that already?” stated the pony as her horn lit up and whisked the glass out of Octavia’s grasp, “I haven’t seen you touch this stuff since…since…I can’t even recall.”

She quickly deposited the glass on the cabinet nearby and sat herself down on the floor in front of Octavia. Reaching forward she grabbed Octavia’s front hooves with her own and looked at her intently. After a moment Octavia looked up too, tears now starting to well in the corner’s of her eyes. Without warning she flung herself forwards, holding onto the pony like her life depended on it.

“Oh Fleur, I’m so glad you’re here!” she burst out as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Fleur herself was a little stunned but gently cradled Octavia for a moment before pulling away to look at her once more. She had known Octavia for many years and knew that she was a fragile thing but she always managed to keep her emotions in check, almost seeming to be emotionless at times. This was most out of character for the earth pony.

“Octavia, what’s wrong?” she asked gently.

Octavia was silent for a moment but finally managed to explain what had happened that morning. Fleur sat and listened, nodding gently from time to time as she did. When Octavia was done Fleur was left in shock.

“A murder…in Canterlot? There hasn’t been such a thing since…since…well long before I moved here from Prance,” she said slowly, “Oh Octavia I’m so sorry to hear about this. You must be devastated.”

“Well perhaps that is a little extreme,” replied Octavia, her voice shuddering slightly as she spoke, “I…I didn’t exactly like the stallion but…despite his…failings…he was a good pony. He certainly didn’t deserve to be…killed…”

Fleur just leaned in and gave the earth pony a small hug. Octavia herself let out a sigh and let herself relax into her friend’s hooves. Despite still feeling shocked she could feel herself slowly calming down.

“Fleur…I have a favour to ask,” she said slowly, “Would you be able to stay tonight? I really could use a friend.”

“Oh course,” replied Fleur with a smile, “I was supposed to attend a dinner with Fancy Pants but he will understand.”

“Thank you…”

Chapter 2 - A Riddle Unknown

Lieutenant Fair Breeze sighed heavily as he read through the report on his desk. It wasn’t easy reading and it certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting after being dragged back into active duty during a two week holiday. Murder…on the streets of Canterlot! More than anything the question was why? Violence in Equestrian society was usually non-existent apart from outside threats that invaded the realm and even then no previous incursion had resulted in death of any kind.

“Anything else you need sir?” asked a spritely young voice.

Fair Breeze looked up to find Warrant Officer Lilac Bloom grinning at him from the doorway and Fair Breeze couldn’t help but grin himself. The pair had known each other for years, Lilac having been his personal aide for most of that time. The young Pegasus was a bubbling ball of energy and he had yet been able to work out just what made her tick the way she did; still at the end of the day it didn’t matter and the bounding energy certainly helped her get things done in a timely manner.

“Nothing right now, come on in and sit down,” replied Fair Breeze with a wave at a seat, “Maybe you can help me work out what to do next.”

“Of course sir, although I must say it’s a grim affair is it not?” replied Lilac as she slipped into a seat opposite the earth pony.

“Grim is one way to put it for sure, are these all the reports we have?”

“Yes sir, at least all that have been filed so far. We’ve had guards interviewing anypony who knew or had dealing with Gleaming Moon all day. Some have been unreachable or are out of the city right now but I estimate we have about seventy percent of the reports in right now.”

“That still leaves a rather large gap…and we still don’t have any substantial leads either.”

“Unfortunately not sir, I’ve read them all myself three times but every pony is basically saying they are not surprised it happened but don’t have a clue who could have done it.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them aren’t in shock as well, I don’t think we’ve had a death by anything other than accidents or natural causes in hundreds of years.”

“Six hundred and thirty two years sir to be exact, I was curious so I looked it up myself.”

“Six hundred years, this could so easily spiral out of control if we don’t wrap it up quickly.”

“I understand sir, what do you think our next course of action should be?”

“We have to tread carefully for one thing. This is already going to be all over the front page of the Canterlot Gazette and the public will be expecting a resolution very quickly.”

“Indeed sir…can’t say I’m that comfortable myself knowing there might be a killer roaming the streets. We need to establish why and how it happened and who was responsible.”

“Good places to start, so any thoughts yourself?”

“Well…I’ve not been part of a criminal investigation before but whoever did this must have had a reason for it…”

“Are you sure?” interrupted Fair Breeze with a slight lift of his eye brow.

“Surely!” exclaimed Lilac, “No pony could kill another pony without a…sorry sir, that was out of line.”

“No that’s quite alright, I figured you would respond like that. I know what you mean, it is hard to believe that in modern Equestrian society a murder could occur without a reason but it is still a possibility. It may even be true that we aren’t dealing with a pony perpetrator to begin with, another race may be responsible.”

“Quite true sir, although at present the only non-pony guests in Canterlot is an envoy from the Griffon Kingdom scheduled to meet with the Princess tomorrow.”

“Keeping up to date with current affair, good good, although don’t forget that our culprit may have snuck into the capital undetected and may still be hiding.”

“Duly noted sir!”

“Now then, assuming that the murder happened for a reason what do you think about possible motives?”

“Gleaming Moon, a performance manager for some of the most prestigious and talented entertainers in all of Canterlot. He organised concerts, shows and galleries, made deals with venues, arranged advertisements and support nearly fifteen different artists. It gives a lot of scope for possible motives sir. Disagreements over pay, arguments with clients or venues, jealous business rivals…there are a lot of leads to go through.”

Fair Breeze just nodded in his seat, “Those are the leads you’ve been investigating today yes?”

“Yes sir, although as I said there isn’t much to go on. Most of them thought it was likely down to an unpaid bill or some sort of debt. Apparently Gleaming Moon was a bit of a gambler and liked to uh…sleep around…which has gotten him in trouble before.”

“We will just have to continue investigating then, when we get our next set of interview reports I want you to go through them, note any important details and then report back to me. Right now there’s nothing else we can do so I’m going to see if I can catch a little sleep, royal messenger woke me up at a very un-Celestial like hour this morning…she hadn’t even raised the sun!”

“Yes sir, of course sir!”

Fair Breeze slowly slipped from his seat and headed for the door. Behind him Lilac was busy putting the opened report away in its folder. The earth pony found himself pondering the current situation as he headed towards the barracks; something just didn’t feel right and it was the way the deceased had died. To be killed was one thing, but to be brutally beaten and stabbed…this wasn’t something that was done on a whim or in a rush. It had been planned and carried out with intent. The wounds couldn’t all have been caused at the same time, which meant whoever did it had had time to stop themselves if it had been a mistake…but they had carried on with the deed right until its bloody conclusion. In his opinion it was more than just a bad debt or a jealous husband involved in this situation.

As he crossed the small courtyard outside the barracks he couldn’t help but sigh to himself. There wasn’t much he could do as of yet regardless. Until they had all the potential evidence sources interviewed they didn’t have much to go by. A hoof didn’t leave much of a unique identifier and if there had been a trail to follow it had been scrubbed out by the perpetrator as they left the scene. It almost seemed like the perfect crime in a way.

Entering the barracks he casually saluted the guard pony on duty and then headed to the upper floor where the senior ranked accommodation was. Unlike the normal soldiers he was lucky to have his own private bunk with a small ensuite and right then he was glad of the isolation. He hoped that a good rest would settle his mind but he doubted that anything would do that at the moment.

Back in his office Lilac was just finishing her filing job. Ever since she had reported for duty that morning she had been feeling very much on edge. A killer in Canterlot, it was unheard of! Some might think she was worrying too much but she hadn’t even left the barracks since she had heard the news. That said she was glad her commanding officer Fair Breeze had been assigned the case, if any pony could get to the bottom of this it was him and she was determined to do her best to help him.

Looking back at the shelf of files she couldn’t help but sigh. What were they missing? Surely there must have been a reason or had Fair Breeze been right in suggesting there was no motive. No motive for killing? Lilac couldn’t think of anything worse, even the most callous official of the Canterlot elite would think twice before doing something like that.

“You look a little stressed Lilac, care to join me in the mess for a bite to eat?”

The voice made her jump and spin, her hair standing on end for a moment before she finally relaxed. In the doorway stood another Pegasus like herself and of a similar age to her as well. He was leaning against the doorframe with a grin on his face.

“By Celestia Blaze! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” replied Lilac with a heavy breath.

“Sorry,” replied the Pegasus, “You just looked so engrossed in whatever it was you were doing. How else am I going to alert you without making you jump?”

“How else indeed?”

Lilac rolled her eyes, Emerald Blaze was always like this. Always cracking fun and telling jokes, sometimes he really got under her skin but at the same time he really was a true friend.

“Well if you don’t want to join me…”

“No! No that’s alright…I’d love to,” interrupted Lilac as she headed towards the door.

Lilac wandered over to Blaze, the two Pegasus leaving the office and heading down the corridor towards the mess hall.

“What’s got you so jumpy? I know you always tend to jump at things but it looked like you’d seen Nightmare Moon by the way you flipped?” asked Blaze after a moment.

“Just this new assignment…”

“Oh, yes I heard you’d got that one. Enough to make anypony a bit skittish.”

“Skittish…more like paranoid. I just can’t seem to get my head around it.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t try to, personally the more I think about it the more it puts my head in a spin.”

“But you aren’t responsible for the case!” Lilac stopped a slapped a hoof to her forehead, “But perhaps you’re right. I’ve been so wrapped up in this thing all day maybe I just need to take my mind off it for a while…a few rounds of cider should do the trick.”

“Don’t go too heavy on that stuff, you remember what happened last time.”

“I slept for three days and nothing could wake me up, I remember, wasn’t the most glorious moment of my career.”

Blaze just chuckled to himself as the pair entered the mess hall.

Chapter 3 - Deepening Wounds

Octavia groaned as she rolled over and slapped the ringing alarm clock with a random flail of her hoof. The clock toppled over, rolled off the night stand and fell to the floor upon which point it decided that being quiet was a good idea. In the silence that followed Octavia lay still staring up at the ceiling, why was she always waking up so tired? It had been happening for the last week now and over the last few days it had gotten even worse. Granted the incident with Gleaming Moon hadn’t helped matters.

It was still hard to believe it had been two days though since it had happened. The previous night Fleur had stayed the night but last night she had once again been on her own. Even though it was only a one off it had felt so natural having the unicorn stay the night. They had sat and talked about old times, both good and bad, shared good food and she had retired that night with a smile on her face regardless of how she had been feeling. Last night had been quite different, tossing and turning for hours with thoughts and feelings flashing through her head like wildfire.

There was little time to dwell on it though; today was to be a busy day. She was due to meet with the rest of her ensemble prior to their performance tomorrow evening at the Canterlot Auditorium. Slowly she dragged herself from her bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Even the warm water of the shower did little to wake her up and by the time she was sat at the breakfast table she still felt as sleepy as she had done when she had woken up.

The coffee pot was completely drained by the time she finally left the house, the earth pony now feeling a slight headache coming on from the ingestion of too much caffeine. Even so she pressed on, leaving the house and making her way towards the auditorium where they were all due to meet. Much of the hustle and bustle of Canterlot slipped right past her, Octavia trudging along like she was in a trance. She didn’t quite know what to expect from this morning’s meeting, Parish hadn’t made it completely clear when he had visited briefly the day before. That said she knew several things for certain and one of them was that Frederick was no doubt going to be shouting for a majority of the meeting.

Before long she stood in front of the concert hall with a sense of reluctance; why hadn’t she just stayed in bed that morning? Still she gave a sigh and pressed forwards, walking into the hall and making her way backstage. The security guard at the door simply nodded at her, recognising the pony with ease, and allowed her through. There weren’t many ponies working at that time, the concert hall didn’t open properly until much later that afternoon so it was only security and a few cleaners that were present. Octavia didn’t see any pony else as she wandered the corridors but the steadily increasing noise of a loud voice started to fill the air as she neared the back room.

“…and what do you expect me to do about it?!” it cried before a short pause, “No I will not ‘settle down’! Do you have any idea what this news will do to her?”

Octavia paused in mid step; the voice belonged to Frederick for sure but what was he talking about? What news? Do to who?

“What makes you think I know what to say to her?” continued Frederick’s voice, “By Celestia I wish Beauty Brass would hurry up and let us know if she’s still at home or not.”

Now Octavia was curious, what was going on? She continued forwards, heading towards the door as the voice continued to talk loudly. She hesitated for a moment outside the door and then pushed it open.

“Ah, that’s probably Beaut…”

Frederick’s voice trailed off to nothing as he turned and saw Octavia. His face seemed to go a little white and he began stammering slightly. Parish, who was sat nearby, gave a heavy sigh and pressed a hoof to his forehead. He lowered it a moment later and looked fully towards Octavia.

“Hello Octavia,” he said carefully in a voice that seemed to be expecting some kind of explosive reply.

Octavia raised an eyebrow, “Uh…hello Parish, what were you two talking about?”

“You heard?” asked Frederick quickly.

“Not surprising with how loudly you always seem to talk,” replied Parish with a sideways glance at his fellow earth pony.

“Oh so now it’s my fault?!”

“I didn’t say that, I was just…”

“Octavia!” cried a new voice as Beauty Brass raced into the room and flung her hooves around Octavia, “Oh my goodness I’m so sorry! You must be feeling terrible! When I couldn’t find you at home I raced back here and…oh I’m so sorry!”

Octavia was nearly bowled over by the embrace but her mind quickly fixed onto what Beauty Brass had just said rather than the annoyance of her sudden embrace.

“Feel terrible? About what? Granted I did feel quite shocked when I heard about Gleaming Moon but I’m a lot more relaxed now,” she replied in a stunned tone.

There was a sudden silence in the room. Octavia slowly looked at each of her fellow musicians who all looked completely stunned; what had she missed?

“She doesn’t know,” commented Frederick.

“Know what?” enquired Octavia with a slight huff of impatience.

“Tavi…” murmured Beauty Brass as she pulled back from her embrace, “…there…there’s been another murder…it’s Fleur.”

Fair Breeze couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy as he looked down at the body before him. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t even ugly…it was despicable. The pony before him hadn’t just been murdered, she had been mutilated as well. He turned away slowly, casting a glance at the two royal guards that stood by the door, both of whom looked ready to pass out, vomit or a mixture of the two.

“Get something to cover the body with and then step outside, nopony is allowed in without either myself of Lilac Bloom accompanying them…understand?” he said firmly.

The two guards swallowed hard and nodded, “Yes sir.”

Fair Breeze headed for the door, casting a final glance back at lifeless body of Fleur Dis Lee before departing the scene. Outside Lilac was stood waiting, the Pegasus looking visibly ill herself as she handed Fair Breeze a new report.

“Are you alright Lilac?” asked Fair Breeze with a concerned tone.

“I’ll…be alright,” replied the Pegasus with a terribly fake smile, “It’s just…oh…”

“I understand your feelings…it’s not a pleasant sight, still I need you to focus.”

“Y-Yes sir, of course sir.”

“Good, now what do these reports say?”

“Very little sir. There is no sign of any forced entry to the home, no broken windows or anything similar. The deceased was found late last night by a pony called Fancy Pants. Apparently he had come to take her out to dinner, the two have been involved for a number of months now.”

“And where is he now?”

“At his home following a visit to the hospital for shock. I’ve got two guards watching him but I doubt he had anything to do with it…gut feeling perhaps.”

“No, I think you’re right on this front. Still we will have to get a full report from him in due course.”

The pair fell silent as they continued on down the corridor although their slow walk came to a halt a moment later as Lilac stopped and gave a sigh. Fair Breeze looked round at her and gave a sigh of his own.

“Bit for your thoughts warrant officer?” he said casually.

“I…I guess I’m just finding all of this hard to accept,” replied Lilac as she stared at the floor, “First one murder and now a second barely two days after the first. We’re the Royal Guard! We’re supposed to protect everypony from harm and…”

“Don’t beat yourself up over this Lilac, you didn’t cause these deaths.”

“Yes but…could I have done anything to prevent them? Have I missed something in my investigations? Was there a clue I didn’t see? Was there…?”

Lilac stopped abruptly as a hoof landed heavily on her shoulder. Fair Breeze was looking at her intently, a firm resolve in his eyes.

“If there was something overlooked we all overlooked it! This is not your fault and right now I need you to focus and help me get to the bottom of this. We may not have been able to save these two ponies but we can save everypony else.”

Lilac was still for a moment and then gave a firm nod, “Y-Yes sir!”

“Good, now we need to…”

Fair Breeze stopped in mid-sentence and looked over his shoulder, he could hear raised voices. It sounded like a couple of guards and a mare were arguing outside the building. He removed his hoof from Lilac’s shoulder and began to trot down the hallway. Lilac quickly followed him and together they descended the stairs and crossed the foyer. The voices were clearer now but still muffled by the door, as he opened it though the full force of the argument landed right in his lap.

“Ma’am I have to insist you step back!” ordered one of the guards, “This is a crime scene and we cannot allow anypony inside.”

“You don’t understand!” screamed the grey mare stood on the doorstep, “I have to see her! I have to see Fleur right now! You have to let me in!”

“Ma’am I can’t…”

At this point the guard was interrupted as the mare threw herself forwards, aiming for the opening door. Neither the guards or Fair Breeze was expecting this but then the mare seemed not to be expecting the earth pony to step through the door either. She collided with him hard, the mare falling to the ground as Fair Breeze found himself flung against Lilac who in turned fell over herself. The two guards stood outside quickly pounced on the mare, restraining her, but still she continued to scream.

“No! No I have to see her! I have to see…”

Any further words were lost to a flood of sobs as the mare finally went limp. Fair Breeze quickly shook himself off and looked back at the scene. For a moment he felt a flash of annoyance wash over him, who was this pony? What was she doing here? But as he looked at her sobbing form he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“Sorry sir!” said one of the guards quickly, “We’ll remove her from here.”

They were about to carry the mare off when Fair Breeze made his decision.

“Wait a moment,” he said quickly as he looked down at the mare on the ground, “We can’t leave her in this condition, bring her inside and we’ll let her calm down a little before we send her on her way.”

“Uh, very well sir,” replied the guard with a hint of confusion.

Lilac also looked a little confused and gave a small frown as the grey mare was carried into the house ahead of her. Then again it may have just been annoyance from being knocked clean off her feet. She followed the two guards as they carried her down the corridor behind Fair Breeze. It only took a moment to reach the kitchen area and the guards set the mare onto a seat and then stepped outside the room at Fair Breeze’s bidding. For a moment she examined the pony in front of her; well-kept coat and mane, fitting accessories…she was definitely a pony of class…and yet her eyes were red raw from tears and she shook like a foal lost in the woods.

“What’s your name?” asked Fair Breeze, his voice knocking Lilac out of her thoughts.

The mare didn’t respond at first, simply looking up at him with pleading eyes, “O-Octavia, Octavia Melody.”

“Octavia…that name sounds familiar…” mused Fair Breeze.

“It should sir,” interrupted Lilac as she finally stepped forwards, “She was one of the ponies interviewed following the death of Gleaming Moon.”

“Indeed,” commented Fair Breeze with a hint of curiosity, “Lilac would you get a drink organised for her, I want to ask a few questions.”

“Yes sir,” replied Lilac as she headed towards the kitchen cupboards.

Fair Breeze took a moment to examine the pony in front of him and then sat down in a chair opposite her.

“I take it you’re a friend of Miss Dis Lee?” he asked after a moment.

Octavia gave a small nod, “Close friend…is it true…is she really…”

“Dead? Yes I’m afraid so,” replied Fair Breeze with a small sigh.

Octavia looked down and once again began to quietly sob. She only looked up when Lilac pushed a cup of coffee into her hooves but quickly looked away once more afterwards.

“I…I can’t believe it…” she said quietly, “We only…spoke the other day…”

“Miss Octavia I know this must be hard for you but would you mind if I asked a few questions?” inquired Fair Breeze.

Octavia shook her head, “What…what do you want…to know?”

“When was the last time you saw time you saw Fleur?”

“Y-Yesterday,” replied Octavia as she stared into the coffee she was cradling between her hooves, “A-After one of the royal guard visited to give me the news regarding Gleaming Moon she visited me expectantly…she was always doing that, dropping by to make sure I was alright. I asked her to stay the night to keep me company and she agreed. Yesterday morning I walked with her back to her home and…and she even made lunch for me…!”

Octavia began to sob once more, tears running down her face and dripping into her coffee. Fair Breeze sat back in his chair slightly, the information from Octavia certainly filled in a lot of blanks.

“When did you leave?” he asked carefully.

“A-A little after three in the afternoon…”

“Lilac make a note of that.”

“Already done sir,” replied Lilac as she circled the last piece of information she had just written to highlight it.

Throughout the whole exchange she had been scribbling in a notebook, keeping track of all the potentially important facts as the conversation progressed.

“W-Why do you want to know?” asked Octavia slowly.

“Fleur Dis Lee was found late last night by her partner, your information narrows the time of death significantly,” replied Fair Breeze, “But if you’ll excuse me I have a case to resolve. Lilac when she is done make sure you see her out.”

“Yes sir!”

“Wait!” interrupted Octavia as Fair Breeze made a move to get up, “Can…can I see her?”

“I’m afraid not miss, this is still a crime scene and…well you wouldn’t want to see her as she is now.”

Octavia face paled slightly at the statement but she quickly resumed her sobbing into her luke warm coffee. Fair Breeze gave another sigh and got up, wandering back into the house with a shake of his head; he had to get to the bottom of this…and soon.

Chapter 4 - Old Sparks

The crowd stomped for more as a white unicorn finally stepped down from the record decks. She was panting heavily, sweat pouring down her face and coat causing the numerous glow sticks that adorned her body to stick awkwardly to her. At the bottom of the stairs a greyish coloured stallion was waiting to greet her.

“Sick tunes as always Scratch but once I’m done with the crowd you won’t have a hoof to stand on,” he smirked as he adjusted the large glasses perched on his nose.

“Oh yeah Neon? You best just hope your tracks keep them as pumped up as I’ve made them or that DJ-off we’re gonna have later is gonna be so one sided!”

She smirked, removing her own glasses and batting her cerise eyes at him. Neon seemed to blush slightly but quickly brushed it off and stepped past her.

“As if!” he scoffed as he started his ascent of the stairs up to the mixing decks.

Vinyl gave a small smile, teasing Neon Light was always good fun even if it was just a performance for the crowds. In truth the pair hung out a lot and often shared ideas about music and songs. At that moment though Vinyl wasn’t interested in either, she needed some air. She headed for the backstage area, the bouncer pony at the door nodding at her as she passed through the door. She was almost immediately confronted with a green earth pony, one who seemed to have had way more than his fair share of alcohol.

“Hey! Vinyl baby! What up?!” he slurred with a grin.

“The sky as always Spin, what’s cooking?” replied Vinyl with a half-hearted attempt at a smile.

“Was just listening to your set, totally awesome! Say you wanna try something that Woody mixed up the other day, brilliant stuff!”

“Oh uh…sure!”

The pony before her gave a pleased grin and tossed a bottle in her direction. Vinyl caught it in her magic and looked at it. The stopper was loosely corked and there was no label obscuring the view of the pale green liquid inside. Spin was watching her closely as she uncorked the bottle and took a small swig. It tasted like the inside of a can of rancid tomatoes but unfortunately the taste didn’t hit her until after she had swallowed it.

“Not bad,” croaked Vinyl as she tried to hide the growing wave of nausea she felt with a smile.

“Have a good night!” added Spin as he smiled and made his way off down the corridor.

Vinyl waited for him to round a corner and then quickly looked left and right, there was nothing to empty her mouth into and she didn’t enjoy the idea of wrapping her lips around the bottle for a second time. Feeling the nausea return she took off down the corridor towards the back exit of the club. Thankfully she didn’t meet anypony else and a moment later she was stepping out into the back alleys behind the building.

Almost immediately she turned to the side and wretched hard. What followed was a series of hacks and coughs as she tried to rid her mouth of the taste before she upended the bottle and let the contents empty itself across the floor. Finally she set the empty bottle down next to the door and let herself flop back against the wall.

“Guess you didn’t like it either,” chuckled a voice from her right.

Vinyl looked over, slowly removing her glasses so she could get a better look at her new companion. He was a short stallion, a unicorn like her too, with a blazing red coat. He smiled at her and levitated a bottle of water towards her.

“If you ask me that stuff was probably drugged too, he was bragging about finally getting a piece of your tail earlier tonight.”

Vinyl accepted the water bottle and after a small sniff she took a swig and sighed.

“Somethings never change, how you been Streamer?” asked Vinyl before taking another swig of water.

“Oh I’ve been managing, thought I’d drop by tonight to see how things are going. You on the other hoof look like a shipwreck! When was the last time you got a good night sleep?”

“Night? Sleep? Streamer you should know I’ve become pretty much nocturnal these days…although that said it’s been a while since I got a good rest.”

“I can tell, those bags under your eyes are nasty…guess that’s one good thing about wearing those shades eh?”

“Guess so…”

Streamer paused for a moment. Vinyl did indeed look tired but there was more to it than that. Her body seemed to slump as it relaxed as if it couldn’t even be bothered to support itself properly. Her eyes seemed distant as if her mind and body existed in totally different universes. He had known the DJ for some time now, ever since attending one of her gigs a few years ago. He had broken up a fight before anyone had got hurt but reaped the reward when he had been struck from behind; Vinyl had been the pony who had saved him and helped him to hospital. Since then they always kept tabs on each other but everytime he saw her he couldn’t help but see the downward spiral she was in.

“…there’s more than just being tired isn’t there?” he asked solemnly.

Vinyl gave a sigh and nodded slowly, it was pointless hiding things from Streamer, “I’m just sick of putting on the act. All I’ve ever wanted to do was make ponies happy with music. Give them something that despite the day they’ve been having they can’t help but get up and dance to. Seeing them having fun just…it gives me this wicked vibe that I just can’t get any other way.”

“I can tell, your shows are really something to behold.”

“But offstage all these ponies seem to think I do is drink, snort and get laid! By Celestia, I know that the rave scene has that kind of image but I just wish somepony would understand me as I am like…like…”

“You’re thinking about her aren’t you?”

Vinyl gave a sigh and nodded. It had all started that day, the day she had taken up the DJ mantle. She had alienated everypony she knew but it would all have been worth it if she had understood. Instead she had dismissed her like a piece of trash; since then she hadn’t heard a word from her. Sometimes she found herself wishing she could go back and change things but would she be ultimately happy knowing that she could never do the one thing she loved?

Just then a scream split the air like a knife. It was one of shock, cut short abruptly as the owner of the voice was silenced. Vinyl pushed herself off the wall quickly and stared down the back alley with a look of horror on her face.

“What in Equestria was that?!” commented Streamer.

“Some pony screaming you dolt!” replied Vinyl, “Come on!”

“Come on? What do you mean come on?”

With that Vinyl took off down the alley towards the scream. Streamer watched her for a moment and then took off after her, shaking his head in disbelief as he did. Vinyl meanwhile didn’t give her actions a second thought as she galloped down the alley not caring one bit about the noise she was making. As she rounded a corner she prepared to run again but stopped dead at the sight before her.

A pony lay on the ground unmoving, another stood over her like a spectre. She couldn’t see the other ponies face due to a large cloak that obscured them from view but the large knife that glinted in their hoof was clear to see. Vinyl’s magic reacted before her brain had even formulated the idea, snagging a nearby stone from the ground.

“Get away from them!” she screamed as the rock shot off down the alley propelled by her magic.

For a moment the pony looked towards her but this action only made the stone’s impact worse. It struck them hard in the face, the pony reeling backwards in shock as the knife they held clattered to the ground. Vinyl didn’t wait for a response, charging forwards as her magic lifted another rock into the air but the cloaked pony had other plans as they turned quickly and galloped off down the alleyway.

“Hey get back here!” cried Vinyl as she watched the figure vanish around a corner ahead of her.

As much as she wanted to give chase though there was a more pressing matter at hoof. She came to a stop next to the pony on the ground, quickly looking her over to see if she was wounded. Despite the knife that lay on the ground not a few hoofs away there was no blood. Vinyl reached out a hoof and shook her gently.

“Hey! Hey are you alright?!” she asked quickly but got no response.

“What in Celestia is going on?!” asked Streamer quickly as he finally arrived at Vinyl’s side.

“Streamer! I need you to run back to the club or um…anywhere! Find one of the guards and tell them there’s been an attempted murder! We need a doctor too!” replied Vinyl as she looked back at the pony on the ground.

“M-Murder?! You don’t mean…Luna save us, I’ll be back!”

With that Streamer took off down the alley back the way he had come. Vinyl watched him leave for a moment and then turned back to the pony in front of her. She was an earth pony and had a light blue coat and neatly kept brown mane, the musical clef that adorned her flank showing she had a talent for music. What was she doing out here so late at night? More to the point who had the cloaked pony been and had they really been trying to kill her?

“Hey come on, wake up!” insisted Vinyl as she shook the pony once more.

This time she was greeted by a faint moan that made her sigh happily. The pony stirred, her eyes wavering slightly as her consciousness came back to her. Vinyl gave her a little space, backing off so as not to crowd her. Slowly the pony raised a hoof to her head, groaning with every move she made.

“Uh…ooooh, my head…” she murmured quietly as she opened her eyes.

“Oh man, am I glad you’re alright!” announced Vinyl happily.

The pony jumped slightly in shock and opened her eyes fully. She looked at Vinyl with a nervous expression.

“Who are you?” she asked quietly.

“Don’t be scared, I’m not gonna hurt you,” replied Vinyl, “I’m Vinyl Scratch. I heard your scream and…what happened?”

“What happened? I-I’m not sure. I…I was on my way home, it was getting late so I decided to take a shortcut. I heard something behind me so I turned to look and all I saw was this big black shadow…I screamed but…then I woke up here.”

“There was a pony here in some long cloak. If I hadn’t arrived when I did you might have been dead.”

Vinyl motioned to the knife lying on the ground the pony following her hoof as she did. At the sight of the knife the earth pony stiffened, her eyes going wide in fear. Vinyl noticed and quickly placed a hoof on the ponies shoulder.

“Hey it’s alright, you’re safe now,” she reassured, “What’s your name?”

“My-my name, Beauty Brass,” replied the pony.

Chapter 5 - New Leads

“Sir! Sir! Sir it’s an emergency!”

The loud call roused Fair Breeze from his sleep in a second. He rolled over quickly, a little too quickly in fact as he found himself impacting the floor a moment later. He groaned and shook his head, looking up at the bright light cascading into the room from the open door. It took a moment for his eyes to focus but as they did the form of Lilac Bloom. The Pegasus looked out of breath and was panting hard as she stood in the doorway.

“Uh! Lilac this had better be important,” grumbled Fair Breeze as he slowly picked himself up off the floor and looked at the clock.

“More than important sir, urgent! There’s been another murder but the victim is still alive!”

“What?! What happened?”

“I’ve not got the full details yet sir but it seems the killer was interrupted before the act could be completed. The would be victim and her saviour are being transferred to the Royal Canterlot Infirmary as we speak. I’ve also assigned guards to oversee the crime scene; they are scanning for evidence as we speak.”

Fair Breeze was already passed Lilac and heading down the corridor as the Warrant Officer finished her short report. She joined him quickly, falling into a gallop beside him despite her apparent exhaustion.

“We will visit the infirmary immediately,” announced Fair Breeze as they left the barracks, “I want all the evidence at the scene catalogued and reported post haste. How long since the event occurred?”

“Barely an hour sir,” replied Lilac.

“Good, the trail will still be hot. I want all guards put on immediate alert, the killer is still likely in the city and I want them found. Once you’ve organised the details join me at the infirmary, we’ll survey the scene afterwards.”

“Yes sir!”

With that Lilac gave a flap of her wings and took to the air, arcing round as she headed for the main barrack complex. Fair Breeze set his sights forwards as he galloped off the base and into the streets of Canterlot. The night was still full, the time barely after midnight, and the streets were quiet and deserted. Fortunately the royal infirmary wasn’t far away but it was still a distance at a gallop and with every hoofstep Fair Breeze found more questions filling his head.

Did the victim see their attacker? Did they know who it was? Will this give him the chance he needs to crack this case? Celestia knew he needed a chance; despite their best efforts they had yet to acquire any information they could use to solve this case. He had already started to hear murmurs about his ability to do his job and he knew that it wouldn’t be long before the twin princesses took matters into their own hooves…and that would not end well for anypony involved.

By the time he reached the infirmary he had thankfully managed to calm his nerves but he knew the night was still young. Checking in at the front desk he was directed to one of the upper floors by one of the nursing staff until they reached the room in question. A sheet of glass separated the room from the corridor, vertical blinds creating a barrier if they were to be drawn. At the time though they sat open giving a clear view into the room. A pale blue earth pony rested in a bed, a white unicorn sitting in a chair next to her.

“Ah Fair, it’s been a while since I last saw you,” came a voice from down the corridor.

Fair Breeze turned his gaze towards the voice a tan coloured earth pony trotting towards him; he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Clear Chart,” he replied warmly, “Yes it has been a while, I take it you’re the caring physician?”

“For all the use I am yes, apart from a mild case of shock and a slight concussion she is perfectly fine.”

“Who is she? What information can you give me?”

“Her name is Beauty Brass, one of the members of the Royal Philharmonic Quartet. I actually saw one of their shows a few weeks ago, very talented musicians. Anyway, from what I can deduce she was struck by some sort of blunt object in the side of the head, knocked her out cold. Had it not been for the actions of her saviour I would likely be examining a corpse and not a slightly shaken pony.”

“Is it alright to speak to her?”

“Yes but keep it brief, she needs her rest.”

“Of course.”

The pair gave each other a courteous nod before Clear Chart headed off down the corridor with the nurse. Fair Breeze watched them for a moment and then turned to the door, knocked and entered. As he stepped inside her took a moment to look around the room. It was a typical hospital deal but thankfully it was an inner room which limited the number of potential entry points if the killer decided to try again. He was so engrossed with his mental security that it took a small cough from the room’s occupants to snap his attention back to the moment.

“Oh, excuse me,” he said with a slightly flustered tone, “I was making a few mental notes about the room, when you’ve been in the guard for as long as I have old habits are hard to break.”

“Who are you?” asked Beauty Brass quizzically.

“Lieutenant Fair Breeze, I’m the officer in charge of investigating the string of murders that have been occurring in Canterlot.”

“Fat lot of difference you’ve been making,” cut in Vinyl as she removed her shades and glared at Fair Breeze.

“I assure you we are doing everything we can to find the one responsible,” continued Fair Breeze as he tried to ignore the snarky comment, “I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”

“I’m not sure what use I’ll be,” replied Brass, “I didn’t really see an awful lot.”

“That’s alright, just answer as best you can. Now then, could you start by telling me what you were doing this evening?”

“Well I had spent most of the day practicing with my ensemble. We were trying a new song and…oh dear…there’s no easy way to say this. There was a bit of a fight, thinking back I suppose the events of the last few days had affected one member of our group more than the others.”

“And who might that be?”

“Octavia Melody, she…”

“You know Octavia?!” blurted out Vinyl quickly, the unicorn having been silent since her last remark.

Both Brass and Fair looked at her quizzically, quite taken aback by the sudden outburst. Vinyl quickly realised what she had done and shut her mouth, looking back at them with a touch of embarrassment.

“Uh…sorry, ignore me…” she said quietly.

“Um…well…yes we got into a fight. I supposed I was a little insensitive given that two ponies she knows have been killed in the previous murders but…no that’s no excuse, poor Octavia.”

Fair Breeze nodded carefully but already his mind was making connections and forming his next move. Even the mention of Octavia’s name meant huge things for his investigation; she was a common link, something that tied all the murders together! Was somepony trying to hurt her? Or was this just part of something much bigger?

“Go on Miss Brass,” he said calmly.

“Oh well…after the rehearsal I needed to clear my mind so I headed for a local drinking establishment that I often go to. I spent quite some time there talking with my bartender and enjoying a few light beverages before I realised what time it was. When I did I headed home immediately but it was already late so I decided to take a small short cut.”

“Do you remember anything about your attacker?” he asked.

“Not as such, I heard something behind me and turned to see what it was. All I remember was this big black shadow. I screamed but then something knocked me out…next thing I know I was waking up with Miss Vinyl Scratch leaning over me asking if I was alright.”

Fair Breeze shifted his gaze to look at Vinyl. Previously she had looked quite defiant and ready to land blame straight in his lap but now she was staring into space. There was something going on here and he was going to find out.

“Very well Miss Brass that will be all for now. It’s likely we will be visiting you again to get all this information in writing.”

“Yes of course.”

“Miss Scratch? Can I have a word outside please?”

Vinyl jumped slightly as she was addressed, “Oh uh, yeah sure. I’ll be back in a mo Brass.”

“Don’t worry Vinyl, I’m quite capable of putting myself to bed.”

Vinyl just gave a small nervous chuckle, “Oh yeah…uh, sorry.”

Together she and Fair Breeze left the room, closing the blinds as they did so that Brass could sleep. Outside the room Vinyl gave a long sigh and for a moment seemed to drift off again before Fair Breeze started talking.

“Miss Scratch, firstly I’d like to commend you on your actions tonight. I’d like to hear your story as well but first I must ask you about another matter. What is your relationship with Octavia Melody?”

Vinyl spun quickly to look at him, suddenly seeming very defensive, “Why’d you wanna know?”

“When her name was mentioned you seemed shocked and surprised, then you went incredibly quiet. I noticed you when I first came into the room; you seemed ready to throttle me, so this was quite a distinct personality shift. I may not be a doctor but even I can sense some previous history here.”

“I…I knew her back in music college, she was…a friend,” replied Vinyl slowly, “I’ve not heard from her in over five years.”

“So you’re a musician as well? I’m surprised you haven’t heard from her in so long considering she is living in the same city.”

“Her music and mine are…different. Plus I guess the fact that I’m usually awake when everypony else is asleep also has something to do with it.”

Fair Breeze nodded slowly, he had been hoping for more but he sensed that anything else that Vinyl could tell him wouldn’t exactly help him in his current task. He gave a sigh and moved on.

“Very well, could you tell me what happened tonight?”

“I saved somepony from getting killed that’s what happened? No offense to you Royal Guards but you never seem to be in the right place at the right time!”

“We have been doing everything in our power to find the one responsible but they have eluded us so far and left hardly any clues to their identity or motive.”

“You don’t even know why they are doing this?” asked Vinyl in a stunned tone.

Fair Breeze gave a nod, “So far there hasn’t been any direct links the victims, no common job or connection, even the murders themselves took place in different locations. But after tonight there is one key link that could lead us to an answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“Octavia Melody, all the killings can be linked to her in some way.”

Vinyl’s face lit up with rage, her brow furrowing harshly as she let a slight growl escape her lips, “Don’t you go near Octavia, she would never do something like this!”

“I never said she was the killer, in fact I think it might be quite the opposite, I think she may be the intended target. The first victim was the manager of her ensemble, then her close friend Fleur and now a member of her ensemble itself. The killings have all been getting closer and closer to her as if the killer is picking off targets around her for some reason.”

As Fair Breeze spoke Vinyl’s expression changed once more. Instead of anger fear now filled her face, her expression dropping like a stone in a lake.

“We…we gotta make sure she’s safe!” she stammered quickly.

“I intend to,” replied Fair Breeze as he turned to leave, “a number of royal guards will be here shortly to ensure Miss Brass’ safety; I will be going straight to Miss Melody’s residence to make sure she is safe and question her further.”

“I’ll go with you!”

“No! I appreciate your help tonight Miss Scratch but this is not a matter for civilians to get involved in. One of my men will be along soon to take a statement from you and escort you home. If you feel threatened you can ask them to stay until morning to make sure you’re safe. Right now I have to move quickly, farewell.”

With that Fair Breeze took off down the corridor leaving Vinyl alone. The unicorn looked back at the darkened room next to her for a moment and then back at the corridor as Fair Breeze rounded a corner and vanished. What was going on? What had she stumbled into? Was Octavia really in trouble? Feelings of old flooded back to her and she couldn’t help but shed tears as she tried to maintain her normal tough girl attitude. Her life had been forever changed on that day and she had thought she had gotten over it…but now she wasn’t so sure. Despite everything that had happened, despite all the things that had been said she couldn’t deny her heart…she had to make sure she was alright. With a slight snort of determination she took off down the corridor as well, eager to follow the royal guard.

Chapter 6 - Reunions and Revelations

“Oooooh, I’m coming, I’m coming…” murmured Octavia sleepily as she made her way slowly down the stairs.

The incessant knocking on the front door was becoming more and more persistent and desperate the longer it went on and more than a few times Octavia had wondered just who was knocking on her door at such an early hour. Not that it had actually woken her up; she had been unable to sleep ever since she had found out about Fleur’s murder. She had spent each night lying awake and staring at the ceiling as memories of old had flooded her mind. Despite her sorrow though she hadn’t taken a single drink, Fleur would have wanted it that way.

As she reached the door she raised a hoof to wipe her eyes, well aware that the constant tears and lack of personal grooming over the last few days had left her face looking a mess. The knocking ceased as she slid the locking bolt back and twisted the handle.

“H-Hello, how can I…” she began in a sleepy tone as the door opened.

“Miss Melody! Thank goodness you’re safe! It’s Lieutenant Fair Breeze, I need to speak with you immediately!” came a quick response from the other side.

Octavia was a little stunned at first, her lack of sleep resulting in it taking longer for her brain to process the information. Safe? Was she in danger? What was the lieutenant doing here at this time in a morning? She shook her head slightly and then opened the door fully to reveal the guard pony himself.

“Miss, I’m sorry for disturbing…by Celestia what happened to your face?” exclaimed Fair Breeze as he got his first look at Octavia.

The earth pony sleepily raised a hoof to her left eye which was currently swollen, black and stung like crazy.

“I…I fell out of bed,” she replied sleepily as she gave her eye a gentle rub.

Fair Breeze gave a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness, as I was saying Miss I’m sorry to disturb you but I must speak with you immediately.”

“I…well I suppose you can come in,” replied the earth pony as she stepped aside.

Fair Breeze stepped across the threshold cautiously, casting his vision in all directions as if searching for something.

“Um…is something wrong?” she asked slowly.

“You’ve not heard anything have you? No odd noises? Noticed anything unusual?”

“Um...no, no I haven’t why?”

Fair Breeze didn’t reply as he headed into the lounge and again slowly checked every corner of the room before sitting himself down. Octavia followed him in, sitting herself down nearby. For a moment she studied him, he looked tense and alert, very different to the previous time she had seen him. As she watched he finally gave a sigh and relaxed a little.

“I’m sorry for being so blunt ma’am but I have a very serious matter to discuss with you,” he said calmly, “Firstly though, how are you feeling?”

“I’m alrig…no that would be lying,” began Octavia as she shook her head, “S-Since we last spoke I have spent most of my time sobbing into a pillow. I haven’t really been able to sleep and when I wake up I don’t feel any more rested than I did before. I…I just can’t believe she’s dead, Fleur and I have been friends for years and she was always there for me when I needed her…and now…”

“I’m sorry ma’am, I know this is a hard time for you…but I do have some more news for you and…”

“Did you find out who killed her?!” interrupted Octavia with a faint glimmer of hope.

“I’m afraid not ma’am…there was another murder tonight…well attempted murder, thankfully it was interrupted before anypony was hurt.”

“No…not more…who was it?”

Fair Breeze took a deep breath, “Your ensemble partner Beauty Brass.”

Octavia’s face went completely white as her pupils shrunk to small dots. Her breathing rate increased and for a moment Fair Breeze thought she was going to hyperventilate before she clasped a hoof to her chest to calm herself.

“B-B-Brass! Where is she?! Is she alright?!” she spluttered quickly, her face filled with fear.

“Please try and relax ma’am, your friend is perfectly fine. She is currently being cared for at the Royal Infirmary Hospital. I have already spoken to her tonight to ask her about what happened.”

Octavia didn’t seem to be listening, or at least her mind was winding up on its own. She pressed her front hooves against her chest, looking directly at Fair Breeze as her breathing once again began to increase.

“Is…is that why you came tonight? You think I’m in danger? You think I might be next? Gleaming, Fleur, Brass…me? What have I done? I’ve never hurt another pony in my life! I’ve never broken the law! Why would somepony want to kill me? Why would…?”

“Miss Melody please calm down!” interrupted Fair Breeze as he leaped to his hooves and crossed to where Octavia was sat, “If you are in danger we will make sure you are safe. You have my word as a royal guard!”

He gently placed a hoof on her shoulder firmly causing the earth pony to look up at him. He could see the fear in her eyes, the reams of unanswered questions and the pain of the previous few days. For a moment her eyes just glistened at him, the light reflecting in her tears, before she threw herself at him and burst into tears. Fair Breeze had to take a step backwards to steady himself but as Octavia continued to cry he couldn’t help but cradle her gently. He sighed and allowed himself to relax slightly.

It was only the sound of a twig snapping outside the far window that brought him back to reality. He released Octavia and spun towards the sound, eyeing the window suspiciously. He raised a hoof, edging Octavia behind him as the mare went rigid with renewed fear. For a moment he stood still watching the window; was it just the wind or could it be the killer? The moment of silence seemed to last forever but then a rustle came again. Fair Breeze was about to move when a sudden crash outside caused him to pause. There was a yelp and a cry and then silence. Fair Breeze looked back at Octavia who was now looking more quizzical than afraid and then back at the window. There were more rustling sounds now accompanied by heavy breathing which caused Fair Breeze to frown slightly.

Motioning for Octavia to stay put he slowly approached the window. He remained out of sight for a moment and then in one fluid motion swung round, opened the curtains and looked outside. The face of Lilac Bloom met him squarely in the eyes causing him to jump backwards in fright. It also caused a similar reaction for Lilac, the Pegasus jumping back slightly at the sudden reveal. Fair Breeze felt his eye twitch slightly and he quickly threw open the window.

“Warrant Officer?! What in Celestia’s name are you doing creeping around in the bushes making crashing sounds?! You scared Miss Melody and I half to death!” he barked loudly.

“Sir! Sorry sir!” replied Lilac as she saluted quickly and went completely rigid, “After I alerted the guard I reported to the hospital as per your orders but was told you had come here following information you had gleaned from interviewing Miss Brass. I flew over immediately only to see something moving about in the bushes. Given the situation I dived straight in and…well I think I caught our suspect sir!”

“Caught our suspect?”

Fair Breeze pushed his head out of the window and looked down. On the ground below Lilac was the partially unconscious form of a white unicorn. Even in the dim light it was possible to see the hoof print shaped mark on the back of her head where Lilac had ‘dived straight in’. Despite the smug look of satisfaction on Lilac’s face though Fair Breeze could only sigh and press his own hoof against his forehead.

“That’s not our culprit Lilac…that’s the pony who stopped the culprit from committing their third murder tonight.”

For a moment Lilac pulled a quizzical face as if she was trying to work out if her commander was joking or not. When his expression didn’t change though Lilac looked back down at the stunned pony with a look of building horror and realisation.

“I…sir…I mean…that is…” she stammered quickly as she tried to work out what to say.

“Just…bring her inside alright, she can recover on a sofa,” he said with a sigh as he shut the window and turned back to Octavia, “False alarm, nothing to worry about.”

Octavia looked shocked more than anything, the whole event being a little too much for her in her current state. She slumped back into a chair and let out a very traumatised sigh. Fair Breeze stepped past her and made his way to the front door to let Lilac in. Vinyl herself was draped across her back moaning softly to herself but as of yet still unable to really speak.

“You didn’t use the full routine on her did you?” he asked.

“Afraid so sir,” grinned Lilac sheepishly, “I took my physical protection training very seriously as a cadet.”

Fair Breeze shook his head and led them back to the lounge where Octavia was still looking utterly drained.

“Put her down in a seat over there,” instructed Fair Breeze as they entered the room.

As Lilac trotted over to put the stunned pony in a chair Octavia finally looked up. For a moment she just looked at the pony draped across Lilac’s back and then her eyes went wide in shock.

“What…what is she doing here?!” she asked quickly.

“I’m sorry for the intrusion Miss Melody, I wasn’t expecting to put this on you,” replied Fair Breeze, “This is the pony that saved your friend Beauty Brass tonight, if what she has told me is correct you know each other.”

“K-Know each other…” stammered Octavia, her voice quivering between fright and rage, “W-Why would I know some pony like THAT!”

Fair Breeze raised an eyebrow at the outburst, there was something going on here.

“Is something wrong?” he asked slowly.

“Wrong?” replied Octavia, a faint chuckle escaping her lips, “What could possibly be wrong? First my manager is murdered, then my close friend and now you tell me that one of my ensemble members has just been saved by this…this…thing! Then you say I could be in danger as well! What could be wrong? What could poss…”

“Tavi…?”

The new voice made everypony stop and turn around. Vinyl lay on the sofa, her eyes barely open as she looked at Octavia.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” she continued with a faint smile.

“You’re…you’re glad?” twitched Octavia as the last of her poise and restraint finally left her, “You’re glad?! How dare you even speak to me you pathetic little rat! Get out! Everypony OUT! NOW! I can’t deal with this! I don’t want to deal with this! Get out! Get out get out get out get out GET OUT!”

As if to emphasise her point whatever pieces of loose furniture that happened to be around her started sailing through the air. A vase and its floral contents, a framed picture, several books and an empty wine glass were amongst some of the items that quickly filled the air before they smashed into pieces on the floor. Fair Breeze and Lilac Bloom both dived for cover as the items started to fly; Vinyl taking to just curling up into a ball to try and shield herself. Deciding it was best to make a quick exit Fair Breeze motioned to Lilac who in turn darted from cover, scooped up Vinyl and high tailed it towards the door as Fair Breeze followed suit.

Even as they swept down the corridor and out of the front door the sound of items crashing against the floor still filled the air but soon after it stopped. Fair Breeze paused to look at the front door and sighed as the new sound of heavy sobbing filtered through. Glancing back at Lilac he found her helping Vinyl to her feet who in turn looked somewhere between stunned and terrified.

“Well that could have gone better,” he commented to himself, “Lilac! Why don’t you head back inside and see if you can calm her down, you’re probably better suited than I for that task. I’ll arrange for a guard duty to be put in place as soon as I’m back at the barrack. For now just keep an eye on things and keep Miss Melody safe, we’ll continue our questioning in the morning.”

“Yes sir!” replied Lilac before heading sheepishly back towards the front door.

“As for you Miss Scratch,” continued Fair Breeze as he cast a glower at Vinyl, “walk with me.”

Vinyl didn’t argue, instead choosing to give a dejected sigh as she followed the earth pony.

“You realise I could very well have you up on charges for interfering with a royal guard investigation?” continued Fair Breeze, “I instructed you not to get involved…and I definitely said nothing about sneaking around outside windows in the middle of the night!”

“I know, I know…it’s just…” Vinyl gave a sigh, “I…I just had to make sure she was ok.”

“Well as you can clearly see she isn’t. And now I have to ask why it matters so much to you that she is alright? From what you told me you haven’t seen each other in years.”

Once again Vinyl gave a sigh, “Can we sit down?”

Fair Breeze gave a nod, indicating to a nearby bench. As the pair sat down Fair Breeze waited for an explanation, it may not be information that linked directly to the case but Vinyl was linked to the case now and the more he knew about her the better.

“Back in the hospital…when I said Octavia and I were friends back in college…I guess it was a little more than that,” began Vinyl.

“You two were involved with each other?” asked Fair Breeze.

“You could say that…we…we both loved each other and we even talked about living together after college. But if there was one thing Octavia loved more than me it was her music. She would play for hours without pausing or even opening her eyes. It was quite transfixing to watch…so much so that I found myself drawn into it. Before I knew what was happening I was learning the double bass to play alongside her cello. Truthfully it wasn’t my kind of music but I felt like I’d do anything for her. Over time though I guess Tavi got a little too used to having me around, she started taking things for granted, expecting me to do things without even asking if I was available or even capable. It started causing a bit of friction and one night I just had to get away from it for a while.”

Vinyl paused and sighed once more, “I ended up in one of the local clubs, don’t really know what possessed me to go in, never been to one before that night. I sat and listened to the music for a while, it wasn’t anything special at first but eventually this one DJ came on stage. His music was…just wow, it hit chords inside me that I never knew existed and before I knew it I was in the middle of the dance floor shaking flank with the rest of the ponies. It was then that I decided that that was the type of music I wanted to make. Music that could make you move, twitch and spin. It was a big step away from the classical stuff I’d been doing before but honestly that stuff had never appealed to me in the first place.”

“So the next morning I wake up in my room and I can’t remember much apart from the music. Wish I’d never woken up to be honest. When I met Octavia that morning we had a massive argument. I told her about the new music I wanted to play and she accused me of abandoning her! Things got rather heated after that on both sides but it ended with Octavia saying she never wanted to see me again. That was the last time I spoke to her before tonight. Despite everything though I still loved her and I still cared about her. Our lives went in separate directions after that day but I still kept tabs on her from the shadows…I could never pluck up enough courage to actually speak to her. I doubt she has feelings for me anymore now…and that just makes it feel even worse.”

Vinyl slowly raised a hoof to her chest, sniffing slightly as tears threatened to escape the corner of her eyes. Fair Breeze gave a sigh of his own.

“I’m sorry to have to dredge up painful memories Miss Scratch and I want to thank you for being so open and candid with me,” he replied slowly, “I will make sure that no charges are pressed but I will have to ask you to keep your distance from Miss Melody for the time being.”

Vinyl gave a small nod.

“Now then, allow me to walk you home,” continued Fair Breeze, “I’ll arrange for a guard to be at your abode by morning just in case any further problems occur.”

Again Vinyl nodded, it seemed she had said enough for one night.

Chapter 7 - Family Connections

“Sir, can I have a moment?” asked Lilac as she wandered into Fair Breeze’s office.

Fair Breeze looked up from his desk with a sleepy expression. It was now definitely morning and the sun was climbing into the sky above the city but sleep had been something that had eluded both ponies since their earlier adventure. On his desk sat various reports from the hospital on Miss Brass’ condition, the recent murder reports, crime scene investigations and eye witness statements but no matter how many times he read them over he was still at a loss.

“Oh, of course Lilac, what is it?” he replied with a yawn.

“Any luck with the reports sir?”

“As of yet, no. I was hoping to find something in the crime scene investigation but there is no hard evidence with any links to anypony. It’s so infuriating! We even have the murder weapon itself but analysis of it reveal that it’s nothing more than a simple kitchen knife no different than that in any home around Canterlot.”

Fair Breeze gave a gruff snort of frustration and pushed the files to one side. As he looked up he couldn’t help but notice a faint smile on Lilac’s face, one that he had seen a few times before.

“Alright, spill it,” he said bluntly.

Lilac’s smile seemed to grow a little, “I may have something for us to go on. I couldn’t ask many questions of Miss Melody due to her condition, she was incredibly distraught and eventually locked herself in her room. Before I left though I asked if it would be alright if I investigated her family and its acquaintances in order to try and find a lead; Miss Melody agreed to this although I’m sure she just said so to get me out of her mane. When I returned from Miss Melody’s home I started a thorough search.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Not much, most of her close family is regrettable deceased. Her grandparents all died many years ago, her father was killed in a rock climbing accident about four years ago and her mother passed away during childbirth. Other than an uncle living in Baltimare she has no other living family.”

“That’s quite a lonely existence, how about friends?”

“Other than the members of her ensemble and the recently deceased Fleur Dis Lee, none.”

“So what you’re saying is you didn’t turn up anything of value…or are you saving the best for last?”

Lilac grinned again, “With so many dead ends I decided to pull out all the stops to try and find something. I had to rummage through reams of paper, cross check about three dozen files and pay a visit to the royal archive but I finally found this.”

Lilac reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Fair Breeze looked at it for a moment, casting his eye over the various lettering. It was a certificate, the edges frayed and the ink barely visible but what it said was still clear to see. For a moment Fair Breeze wasn’t sure what it all meant before his brain finally cranked into action.

“Wait a moment, I thought you said she didn’t have any living relations apart from an uncle?” he asked quickly.

“That is what all the official documentation says sir,” replied Lilac.

“But…this is a birth certificate is for an Octavia AND Sinfonia Melody! Are you telling me she has a sister…and what’s more a twin sister?”

“Yes…and it would also appear that somepony went to a lot of trouble to hide this fact from just about everypony else. As I said I had to spend hours in the royal archive to find this and it was hidden very well. I’ve checked it thoroughly though, it’s genuine.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, why would somepony go to such lengths to hide the fact they have a sister? Do you think Miss Melody knows?”

“I don’t think so sir, although I can’t say for certain of course. However if she had been hiding this fact from everypony it is unlikely she would have given permission for me to search her family history unless she was confident that it wouldn’t be found.”

“Indeed…although this does raise some interesting questions doesn’t it?”

“Questions such as is this mysterious sister responsible for the attacks?”

“That but also why was her existence hidden and more importantly is she still alive.”

Lilac gave a nod of agreement. Her find had startled her when she had discovered it, all manner of questions racing through her head before she had been able to calm her mind. There was a missing link in this puzzle but if there was ever a Rosetta stone this was it.

“What are your orders sir?” she asked calmly.

“Have you arranged the guard duties?” replied Fair Breeze without looking up from the birth certificate.

“All in place sir, guards have been placed at Miss Melody’s abode as well as Miss Brass and Miss Scratch. All of them have been briefed on the situation. I have also taken the liberty of assigning more guards to the rest of Miss Melody’s ensemble for added protection.”

Fair Breeze nodded slowly and looked up from the birth certificate, “It seems then that our next move is to investigate this twin sister. Gather your things Warrant Officer, we’re heading for Ponyville.”

It was later that day when Fair Breeze and Lilac Bloom departed the train and stepped onto Ponyville’s station platform. As they did the local residents all stopped and turned in their direction. Lilac could feel herself blush slightly but Fair Breeze didn’t seem fazed at all. Glancing around he located the ticket office and walked over to the window. The pony behind the desk seemed a little flustered, his voice stammering slightly as he spoke.

“Uh…what…what can I do for you…uh…sir?” he said slowly seemingly picking each word individually as he spoke.

“You can relax for a start,” chuckled Fair Breeze calmly, “Then you can tell me how to get to Ponyville Hospital.”

“The hospital, uh…yeah. You want to take a right out of the station and then follow that road all the way to the town square, past the mayor’s office and left up the hill. The hospital is on the outer fringe on the way to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Thank you.”

As Fair Breeze turned and walked back towards Lilac the Pegasus gave a small chuckle as the ticket officer saluted in a fashion much like a five year old would. Together they followed the directions, heading into the centre of Ponyville at a brisk trot. Ponies of all kind stopped to look their way as they passed the pair hearing hushed murmurs as they went.

“Seems we’ve drawn a little attention,” commented Lilac as she scanned her eyes back and forth.

“Unsurprising really, unlike Canterlot this town doesn’t have a permanent guard presence,” replied Fair Breeze.

“Still, with the new princess living here you’d think…”

“Princess Sparkle likes to keep a low key in my understanding. I would warrant that despite the various heroic acts she has performed over her life she is still not used to her new status. I actually met her not so long since, charming individual I must say but very easily flustered. All I did was bow to her and she went as red as a tomato.”

Lilac gave a small chuckle, “Perhaps we could ask for her assistance in…”

“I would rather keep this as an internal guard issue. The murders haven’t spread beyond Canterlot and if we can put a lid on it ourselves it will look much better for the guard.”

Lilac nodded, what Fair Breeze said was true but she could also tell he was determined to get to the bottom of this himself. She had known him long enough to know he had a stubborn sense of pride but he always but his better judgement ahead of it. The rest of their walk across town was mostly conducted in silence, Fair Breeze’s expression unwavering and Lilac Bloom casting a watchful eye across every aspect of the small town. As they reached the hospital the afternoon was giving way to evening and the sun was quickly approaching the horizon as the two Princesses prepared to change roles. Fair Breeze wasted no time and strolled straight into the hospital, taking a moment to assess his surrounding before heading towards the reception deck.

“I’m afraid visiting hours are over,” snapped the white nurse pony behind the desk, her attention focussed completely on the pile of paperwork around her, “You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

“In this case you can make an exception,” instructed Fair Breeze, his word causing the pony to look up at him harshly although her expression dropped the moment she saw him.

“B-Beg pardon sir,” she said quickly, “We weren’t expecting any visits. My name is Redheart, what can I do for you?”

“Greetings, I’m Lieutenant Fair Breeze and this is my aide Lilac Bloom. I’m looking for information on a certain pony, one who was born here a number of years ago, Sinfonia Melody.”

Redheart’s pupils shrunk to dots and for a moment she stood in stunned silence staring at Fair Breeze. After a moment her mouth opened slightly but shut again quickly.

“Wait here one moment,” she said calmly as she turned and trotted off down the hallway.

Fair Breeze watched her leave, Lilac stepping up beside him.

“Strange…” she said quietly.

“Very,” agreed Fair Breeze.

It was a few minutes later when Redheart returned, now accompanied by a yellow unicorn who looked like a doctor. Redheart indicated to them and the other pony quickly stepped forwards.

“Please come with me,” he said courteously as he waved a hoof back up the hallway.

The two guards followed him in silence still curious as to what was going on. By the time they reached the doctor’s office Fair Breeze was becoming a little impatient.

“Please, have a seat,” offered the doctor as he motioned to a couple of chairs.

Fair Breeze sat down slowly without taking his eyes off him, “So who are you?”

“Forgive me, I’m Dr Horse, primary care physician of the hospital. Redheart already told me who you are…and why you’re here.”

“So do you have an answer to my query?”

Dr Horse gave a short sigh, “I do but first I must ask why you want to know about her.”

“I’m sure you have been following the recent development in Canterlot, the recent murders that have been occurring.”

The doctor nodded sadly, “Very unheard of I must say, has there been any further developments?”

“Yes, last night there was another attack although fortunately the intended victim managed to escape. It did however give us a lead and a possible motive. All the victims have had direct links to one Octavia Melody who lives in Canterlot. Whilst performing a background check on her Lilac Bloom here found mention of a twin sister that had been hidden from all the official records. We could only find evidence of her on an old birth certificate in the Canterlot Archives. Given the situation we have decided to investigate; we have to find and question her as soon as possible. I regret to say that she may even be a suspect in this case.”

“T-This is impossible…” started the doctor slowly.

“I know it may be hard to believe but…”

“No! I mean what you’re saying…about her being a possible suspect, that’s impossible.”

“Do tell.”

The doctor paused and gave a longer sigh, “I must ask for your discretion in this matter.”

“That will depend on the nature of the matter.”

“Sinfonia Melody is here in this hospital, she has been ever since she was born.”

“What?”

“Come with me, I’ll show you.”

The doctor headed for the door, Fair Breeze jumping to his hooves quickly as he and Lilac followed. He led them down more corridors, each one dimly lit and quiet in the gathering evening. They passed by numerous vacant and occupied rooms, some occupants receiving their evening meal whilst others were resting soundly. Deeper into the hospital they went, through various security doors until the sterile corridors gave way to brighter textures and colourful paintings. Fair Breeze had noticed the sign above the last door, secure long term wing. Finally the doctor stopped in front of one of the doors and motioned towards it.

Fair Breeze stepped forwards and looked inside. The room was padded in red velvet and contained little in the way of furniture apart from a bed and a chair, both of which looked like they were bolted to the floor. In the middle of the floor, curled up in a ball and rocking back and forth was a sky blue earth pony, her frazzled white mane wafting back and forth as she moved.

“This is Sinfonia Melody…or Screw Loose as she has come to be called,” said Dr Horse slowly.

“What?!” exclaimed Fair Breeze as he looked back at the doctor, “what do you mean?”

“The Melody family was supposed to be a happy family,” began the doctor, shaking his head a little as he spoke, “they were overjoyed when they found out they would be having twins but the happiness didn’t last long. A few weeks before the birth Calming Melody, the mother, was involved in an accident and was rushed into hospital. Her injuries were severe, life threatening. We did all we could but…we lost her. Before she died we performed an emergency caesarean to save the twins. Unfortunately we were too late; Sinfonia was born with a severe brain damage, she hardly ever leaves the hospital. Octavia spent several weeks in intensive care, we nearly lost her several times when she stopped breathing but thankfully she pulled through.”

“Does Miss Melody know about this?” asked Fair Breeze as he cast a glance back into Sinfonia’s room.

“Yes she does,” replied the doctor, “In fact she visits the hospital every few weeks to visit her sister and do what she can for her. We also insist on seeing her every month as well.”

“Why?”

“I’m not at liberty to divulge a patient’s full medical history Mr Fair Breeze. There is a matter of confidentiality to consider.”

Fair Breeze frowned, “I understand that but right now Miss Melody is in the middle of a murder investigation and I need all the information I can get. Now I can go back to Canterlot and request a royal warrant but frankly I’d rather you just tell me now and not waste time that could be used in tracking down this killer before it’s too late.”

The doctor gave a long sigh and nodded slowly, “Very well, but I trust you will keep this information confidential and secure. Octavia Melody suffers from dissociative identity disorder. We see her every month to monitor her condition and to adjust her medication as needed. She has been this way since she was a small foal, given her sisters condition her father demanded we do all we could to treat her. So far her condition has been stable although I will say that recently she has been suffering more swings, especially after she visited her sister. We were due to see her next week actually.”

Fair Breeze didn’t reply; he just stood there like a statue as if he had come face to face with a cockatrice. The doctor looked concerned for a moment before Fair Breeze snapped his attention quickly to Lilac.

“Warrant Officer I need you to fly back to Canterlot immediately! Check in with all guard units and get their report on the situation, I’ve suddenly had a very bad feeling about all of this,” he snapped quickly.

Lilac didn’t reply, instead choosing to simply salute before turning tail and galloping off down the corridor. As she ran her wings spread at her sides, the Pegasus stretching her feathers before the eventual take off. The doctor looked ready to protest before Fair Breeze stepped forwards.

“I need to see all of Octavia Melody’s medical reports immediately and I want to speak with every nurse who has seen her in the last few months. NOW!”

The doctor didn’t seem capable of refusing this time and just nodded frantically as he too turned and raced off down the corridor. Fair Breeze turned to follow him.

“Please be wrong…” he muttered to himself as he gave chase.

Chapter 8 - Familiar Faces?

“You’re kidding right?”

“No ma’am!”

Vinyl let a snort escape her lips, “So you’re telling me that I can’t go out without protection from your guys until this whole case is solved?”

“Those are my order, until we know you’re safe from any future harm you are to have a guard accompany you at all times,” replied the unicorn guard standing before her.

“Uuuuuuuh!”

She knew complaining wasn’t going to sort anything out but it helped cool her head. Ever since the guards had arrived at her house the previous night they had been like a second shadow. She hadn’t been able to go anywhere without them watching and had only gotten a moment to herself whenever she used the bathroom. It was becoming more than irritable.

“Fine! Geez guess I’ll stay in tonight! This case better get sorted soon, if I miss another gig night there’ll be hell to pay!”

Turning away from the door she stomped off down the corridor and back to the lounge. Slumping into a large sofa she scowled at the far wall for a moment before rolling onto her back and sighing. Ever since arriving home the previous night she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Octavia. Memories of her time in music college flooded back to her; good, bad and everything in-between. She had started to wonder if she would have done anything differently knowing what she knew now…but ultimately she didn’t know. As much as she cared for Octavia, and as much as she hated the deplorable environment that surrounded the clubs, she loved her music.

She understood how Octavia must have felt when she told her she was going to be a DJ. Had the passion of youth blinded her to that? Had she been the one who had taken Octavia for granted? She sighed deeply, what did it matter any more? Octavia and herself lived in different worlds now, even if Octavia did have feelings for her any more the chances of them being able to be together were slim to nil.

She rolled over on the sofa, curling into a ball as she tried to forget everything. She closed her eyes as a sudden wave of exhaustion filled her body. She had always been a night owl but despite it being barely nine in the evening she felt as if she hadn’t slept in days. Normally she would have just had another coffee but this time she didn’t fight it and soon the depths of sleep took her.

It was probably only an hour later that she awoke, not with a stir or a gentle nudge but with a loud crash. Her head snapped up so quickly she winced and raised a hoof to rub her neck. The house was deathly silent but there had definitely been a crash. She glanced around the room but there was nothing out of place. For a moment she sat in thought before she finally rose to her hooves.

“If that guard has broken something I swear…” she muttered to herself as she headed for the door, “Hey guard pony whatever your name is, what’s happening?”

There was no response, a fact that made Vinyl pull a confused face. She headed out of the room and into the corridor but there was still nothing out of the ordinary to see.

“Hey guard dude! Where you at? No need to go hiding if you’ve broke something,” she called but again there was no response.

However, as she walked into the kitchen she stopped dead in the doorway. Lying in the middle of the floor was the guard pony that had been assigned to her house. As she rushed to his side however her vision faded to black and her consciousness left her as something hard and blunt struck the back of her head.

As Fair Breeze stepped off the train the moon was high in the sky and the slight chill of night was wrapped around the city. Stepping forwards he was immediately greeted by Lilac Bloom, the Pegasus looking both stressed and worried as she saluted him.

“Report,” was all Fair Breeze said as he set off into Canterlot.

“Not good sir! Not good at all,” began Lilac, “When I arrived back in Canterlot I checked in with all guard units and…sir…two of them are dead.”

Fair Breeze closed his eyes and let out a harsh breath. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Lilac.

“The guards we placed at Octavia Melody’s and Vinyl Scratch’s homes?” he asked slowly.

“How did you…yes sir that’s correct,” replied Lilac in shock.

“We haven’t got much time act! I spent the last few hours going over Octavia Melody’s medical records and interviewing a number of nurses. I was hoping we’d be able to act before she made her next move but…”

“What do you mean sir? Her next move? Who? What did you find?”

“Octavia Melody, she’s the suspect we’ve been searching for.”

Lilac didn’t seem to know how to reply, her mouth hanging open like a broken gate.

“W-What?! But sir all of the victims so far have been linked to her! Her band manager, her friends…why would she murder them?”

“She wouldn’t, at least not the Octavia Melody we’ve been speaking to. Her medical notes revealed that over the last few months she has been acting a lot more aggressively and hostile towards the medical staff at the hospital. She has also been put on stronger medication and been through a number of magic based medical treatments designed to help control her dissociative identity disorder. I cannot of course be one hundred percent sure on this but I believe her condition has turned into something more. Multiple personalities are only one step away from split personalities.”

“Sir?”

“What I’m saying is that it is quite possible that two distinct and separate ponies exist within her head. I’m not sure how the swap occurs, maybe when she goes to sleep.”

“If that’s true sir what do we do now?” asked Lilac in an unsure tone.

“We find her…and fast! I’m assuming that neither Octavia nor Vinyl are at their residences.”

“No sir, they are both missing.”

Fair Breeze paused for a moment. Where would she take her? They certainly couldn’t leave Canterlot without being seen and at this time of night there weren’t many places that would be open. Another question bugged him as well, why the sudden change in style? Previous victims had been killed where she found them and left there. If she had gone to the trouble of killing both guards then why hadn’t she just killed Vinyl at her home? Unless the unicorn had fled the scene but if that was the case why hadn’t she reported to a guard immediately? Was she trying to play hero again or had she actually been kidnapped? If the latter where indeed could she have been taken?

“The city is far too big to search it all in one night,” he said at length, “And if we don’t find her soon it’s likely that…where would she go? Why would she kidnap her if indeed that is what has happened?”

“The only places open at this time of night are the various drinking establishments and even those will close soon,” commented Lilac, “That said just about all buildings will be locked by this time, sir.”

“Indeed and it’s not like she can just break in somewhere without…”

Fair Breeze trailed off as a thought struck him like a freight train. It was so obvious it didn’t even come to mind until now.

“Sir?” asked Lilac curiously.

“The Royal Canterlot Auditorium! Her ensemble was due to perform there this week, the performance was postponed due to the murders, but they all still had access to it for practice. It may be a long shot but it’s our best bet right now. Follow me, quickly!”

Lilac nodded as she fell into a gallop beside Fair Breeze. Neither of them spoke as they ran through the night streets of Canterlot both hoping they wouldn’t be too late.

“Wakey wakey sleepy head…”

Vinyl gave a small groan as something touched her face causing her to stir. Her head throbbed like she had spent the entire night drinking and her mind was clouded in much the same way. She tried to open her eyes only to be assaulted by bright lights that made her close them again. She tried to move a hoof to rub them only to find she couldn’t move. At first her mind didn’t question why this was so, her thoughts just spinning round and round like a leaf in a drain.

“I said wakey wakey!”

A sudden stinging pain spread throughout the entire left side of her face as something made contact with it. Her mind spun once more but the instinctive reaction was automatic. She cried out in pain her body twisting as much as she could to get away from the source. She tried once more to open her eyes, this time the glaring lights not being too harsh on her senses. She couldn’t focus on anything; it was all a blurred mess.

“That’s better, wouldn’t want you to miss the show…”

Vinyl turned her head towards the source of the voice. She screwed her eyes shut for a moment and then opened them once more, her vision finally clearing. A grey earth pony mare stood in front of her, her normal neatly kept dark grey mane stuck out at odd angles. Vinyl felt her fur stand on end as she looked at her face; if the staring eyes did nothing to ruffle your cool the twitching grin that sat on her face certainly would.

“O-Octavia…?” she whimpered quietly, the unicorn almost unable to believe her eyes.

“It’s been a while Scratch hasn’t it…well at least before last night anyway,” replied Octavia her voice punctuated by small chuckles.

Vinyl finally looked around her. She was restrained to a large grand piano, her hooves and midriff secured in place by rope. The piano itself was located on a stage beyond which rose seating and stalls from floor to ceiling. Spotlights around the edge of the stage shone down on them like rays of sunlight.

“Tavi…what…what’s going on? What are you doing?” asked Vinyl, the unicorn trying to remain calm but her fear was easy to spot.

Octavia didn’t reply immediately, instead she stood starring at her with a twitching smile and a small chuckle. Finally she turned to her side where a large cello case stood propped up on the stage. Vinyl watched as she opened it and slowly removed the bow from its mounting.

“Octavia still likes you you know,” she said calmly.

“W-What?”

“I said Octavia still likes you, she has ever since you left music college. She was too proud to admit it though, couldn’t let her love life get in the way of her career. Couldn’t be seen to be hanging around with a college drop out when she was destined to be first chair cellist for the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra. But the guilt was still there.”

Octavia turned around, spinning the cello bow around her hoof for a moment as she continued to smile at Vinyl.

“Tavi…what do you mean? Why are you talking like this? What’s going on? What…” Vinyl paused as she thought back, “…did…what did you do to that guard?”

“The guard? Why I simply stunned him and slit his throat with his own spear, couldn’t have him getting in the way of tonight’s performance now could I?”

“You…what?”

Octavia started to walk back towards Vinyl slowly brandishing her cello bow like a fencer would their sword. Vinyl felt a chill run up her spine, whatever was going on she didn’t want to be a part of it. She had to get out of there now and find help. Instinctively her magic flared to life as she tried to untie the ropes binding her. A moment later though she felt as if she had been bashed around the head with a plank of wood. Her head spun and she couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

“Ah-ah-aaaah,” tutted Octavia, “We can’t have you using magic, it would spoil the show now wouldn’t it. I took the liberty of applying a little anti-magi wrap around your horn, I stole it from the hospital last time Octavia visited her sister.”

“Ah…w-what? Sister?”

Vinyl didn’t get an answer to her question as Octavia came to a stop next to her. She leaned in close to Vinyl’s face, sniffing her mane for a moment before pulling back and raising her cello bow. Carefully she placed it against her opposite front hoof and gently ran the string across her fur. Vinyl watched with horror as a thin line of blood appeared where the string had made contact with Octavia’s fur. Octavia herself didn’t seem to react at all other than to raise her hoof and gently lick the blood from her leg.

“I replaced the normal string with cheese wire,” she informed as she held the bow up to the light causing the string to glint, “You and I are going to make such sweet sweet music together and then…maybe…I might kill you…or perhaps I’ll just watch as you bleed out…I haven’t decided yet.”

“Octi! Tavi! Don’t do this! Please don’t do this! Why are you doing this?!”

Vinyl’s frantic pleas fell on deaf ears as Octavia reared up onto her hind legs and placed a hoof against one of Vinyl’s outstretched front limbs, holding her like a cello, before bringing her bow down to meet Vinyl’s fur. For a moment Vinyl could feel her own sweat as it seemed to freeze against her brow. Her heart pounded in her head like a drum of war. None of it concerned her a moment later as the bow was drawn back across her skin slicing a thin but deep cut across her fur.

As the blood oozed to the surface the only sound that filled the air was a scream that seemed as if it would split the heavens themselves.

Chapter 9 - Confrontation

As Fair Breeze and Lilac arrived at the Royal Canterlot Auditorium there wasn’t a whisper of life. The street was quiet, dimly lit by a lamp that gently swayed back and forth in the breeze. The auditorium itself was dark, no lights visible in any of the windows, and yet one of the doors was loose on its hinges as it rattled back and forth in the breeze. They approached slowly, carefully assessing the situation with every step.

“What do you think sir?” asked Lilac quietly.

“Seems odd for the door to be open at this time of night,” replied Fair Breeze, “We’re going in, stay silent and follow my lead.”

Lilac simply saluted as the pair approached the door. Fair Breeze motioned to it and Lilac slowly pushed it open, keeping low as she advanced into the dark foyer. Fair Breeze followed her, closing the door gently to avoid making any loud noises. The foyer itself was deserted and neither pony could spot a single item out of place. They remained still for a moment listening intently but even the light breeze outside failed to make a sound.

Fair Breeze motioned again and they set off into the building towards the rear of the foyer. It was as they made it about halfway across the room that an ear splitting scream of pain shattered the stillness. They both tensed, Fair Breeze spinning round several times on the spot casting frantic looks in all directions and Lilac taking to the air as she flicked her gaze back and forth.

There was a pause, one that seemed to last an eternity. Were they too late, had that been the final act? It was almost a joyous relief when another scream echoed through the lobby but as it did purpose steeled itself in both of them. Fair Breeze motioned quickly and together they crossed the foyer quickly and pushed open the doors to the main auditorium.

They stayed low as they entered but they both froze as they saw the scene on stage. Vinyl was still tied to the grand piano and Octavia stood by her side gently running her new bow across her fur. Even from their distance they could see the numerous red lines that covered Vinyl’s body and her pained whimpers filled the air. As Octavia ran her bow across her once more Vinyl again cried out in pain and Fair Breeze reacted. Giving a quick gesture that sent Lilac skulking off behind the seats he stepped forwards and spoke.

“Octavia Melody!” he cried loudly as he started to walk slowly down the aisle between the rows of chairs.

The grey mare on stage paused for a moment, her eyes remaining closed as her grin widened slightly.

“Lieutenant Fair Breeze, how nice of you to join our performance,” she replied slowly as she finally opened her eyes, “Have a seat won’t you?”

“By the power vested in me by her royal highness I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of multiple Canterlot citizens and members of the royal guard,” continued Fair Breeze, the earth pony not even reacting to Octavia’s words, “Get on the ground and put your hooves on your head!”

Octavia smirked, “I don’t think so, who’s going to make me? You?”

She leaned in closer to Vinyl, playing the bow across the unicorn’s neck. Vinyl whimpered and tried to pull her head away but her bonds kept her firmly in place.

“I don’t think you’d risk doing anything whilst I have dear sweet Vinyl right here,” she said slowly.

“D-Don’t worry about me!” stammered Vinyl through her pain.

“Aww, getting all tough are we now?”

Octavia slowly pressed the bow against Vinyl’s neck, the razor sharp edge drawing a thin line of blood that caused Vinyl to inhale sharply and go rigid. Fair Breeze was trying to think of what he could do next, he had to keep her busy until Lilac was in position; he had to keep her talking.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked firmly, holding his ground at the bottom of the stage.

“Why? Because I can, do I need a reason?” asked Octavia.

“You’ve murdered ponies in cold blood and you don’t even have a reason for it?”

“They were all just means to an end, ponies whose deaths would twist her mind even more in my direction! I will be set free, nopony can stop it now!”

What happened next all seemed to roll into one. Octavia slowly drew her bow back, her gaze focussing on Vinyl’s neck. Fair Breeze made a mad dash for the stage. Vinyl screwed her eyes shut in fear. What was unexpected though was the blur of coloured fur and feathers as Lilac dived from the rafters onto the unsuspecting Octavia.

Her rear hoof smashed into Octavia’s hoof that was holding her bow sending it skittering to the floor as one of her front hooves came round and struck Octavia firmly in the jaw. Octavia tumbled backwards, landing in a heap next to her open cello case. As Lilac advanced on her she grabbed the instrument from its case and flung it hard towards the Pegasus. Lilac managed to evade by diving to the side but it put her just where Octavia had wanted. Before Lilac could recover to her hooves there was a clang from above as Octavia brought the entire backstage curtain down on her head.

“Lilac!” cried Fair Breeze as he watched helplessly as the curtain smashed into his fellow soldier burying her in yards and yards of fabric.

He charged, throwing his full weight into a shoulder charge that sent Octavia barrel rolling across the stage. As she got to her feet he charged again, this time Octavia managing to dodge to the side and avoid his rush. She took off across the stage, Fair Breeze realising what she was after instantly, her cello bow. He turned and ran after her as well, catching her quickly and jumped towards her. Octavia either seemed to anticipate this or simply had good timing as she came to a halt abruptly and dived to the side sending Fair Breeze crashing to the floor and into the remains of the broken cello that Octavia had thrown earlier.

As he rubbed his head and attempted to get up he found it was already too late. There was a glint of light and a slight whoosh of air as a cello bow cut through the air and came to rest against his neck. Looking up he found Octavia standing above him, her eyes bloodshot and crazed.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you! And then when she wakes up she won’t be able to comprehend what she’s done! I’ll kill…”

For the second time in the space of a few moments a flash of coloured fur shot through Fair Breeze’s vision. It struck Octavia, sending the cello bow sailing off across the stage once more and Octavia herself tumbling off the edge of the stage into the pit below. The blur followed her and a moment later the sound of numerous punches filled the air.

“You! Do! Not! Hurt! My! Commander!” came Lilac’s words, punctuated as they were by the sound of a hoof hitting flesh.

The air finally fell silent but for a series of heavy pants that rose up from the pit below the stage. Fair Breeze slowly picked himself up off the floor, panting himself as he watched Lilac’s head finally appear over the edge of the stage. She looked a sight, her mane torn to ribbons, a thin line of blood leaking from her lower lip and her face sporting the largest black eye he had seen in a while. Slowly he crossed to the edge of the stage, limping slightly on his right leg that had become twisted during his fall, and looked over the edge. Octavia lay unconscious at the bottom of the stage and looked very much like Lilac did only perhaps a little worse.

“You didn’t use the full routine on her did you?” he asked with a slight chuckle.

“Twice sir! What do you take me for? A slacker?” replied Lilac with a small chuckle of her own.

Fair Breeze simply smiled to himself as he looked back at Vinyl. The unicorn looked like she was caught between fear and concern but her body shook like a leaf either way. Slowly he crossed over to her and, using his teeth, snapped the ropes holding her to the piano. She fell forwards almost immediately, her legs buckling under her weight as she collapsed to the ground.

“Easy there Miss Scratch, don’t try to move,” he said quickly.

Vinyl just gave a small pained nod as she looked at the edge of the stage. Fair Breeze followed her line of sight, the earth pony giving a small sigh.

“She’ll be alright, she’s not permanently harmed. Now just lay still and rest.”

Vinyl didn’t reply this time, instead choosing to simply curl up on the spot and shiver.

“Lilac, you alright to fly?” asked Fair Breeze.

“I think so sir,” replied the pegasus as she slightly spread her wings only to wince slightly.

“Just walk if you have to but we need a medical team and a guard squad here immediately.”

“On it sir, I’ll be back before you can say ‘case closed’.”

Lilac gave a feeble smile and began trotting towards the entrance. Fair Breeze meanwhile let out a long sigh and slumped to the ground next to Vinyl. Looking over he found that she had fallen asleep. He smiled slightly and put a hoof around her to try and keep her warm. This was going to take a lot of typing up.

Epilogue

“What’s her condition?” asked Fair Breeze curiously.

“Physically stable…for now at least,” replied Doctor Horse as he made a few notes on a clipboard, “Mentally it’s a different story.”

“I was right to suspect there was something going on underneath then?”

The doctor nodded, “It was incredibly subtle, minor changes in her personality, slight variances in her ECG, but yes there was. Truthfully I’m surprised at myself for not noticing it sooner.”

“If it was as subtle as you say it could have easily been missed over a long period of time.”

“Perhaps but that’s no excuse, if we had spotted it earlier then…at least it is over now.”

Fair Breeze paused and looked into the room through the small window in the door. Octavia sat in the middle of the padded room, no furniture of any kind was present and only a small barred window in the upper corner provided light to the room. It was more like a cell than a room and only the bright décor could be used to distinguish it from the ones in the royal jail in Canterlot.

“So what happened exactly?” asked Fair Breeze looking back at the doctor, “Whilst I’m not uneducated the realms of medicine aren’t one of my fortes.”

“In basic terms she developed a true split personality. We’re still determining the cause but it seemed this second personality lived in her subconscious feeding on her fears and guilt. When her body entered an unconscious state the alternative personality was able to wrench control of her mind for a short time. I would suppose that what it did during those periods aimed to make her even more fearful and scared ultimately leading to a point when her true personality would collapse in on itself and the second one could take control completely.”

Fair Breeze nodded, “That makes sense, during our last confrontation with this second personality it made mention of twisting her mind and being set free.”

“If I could request a copy of your report when it’s submitted I would be grateful, we may be able to use some of it to help treat her.”

“How is treatment progressing now?”

The doctor sighed and shook his head, “Not well. The second personality hasn’t shown itself since she was transferred here three days ago but her true personality hasn’t taken her actions well. She isn’t sleeping, hasn’t eaten and has only just started drinking last night. Most of the time she just sits there and cries, we can’t even get near her without her screaming at us. We’ve got her on sedatives but it just doesn’t seem to make much difference. She’s a broken mare.”

Fair Breeze shook his head. He had to admit that he didn’t know Octavia apart from the few times he had met her but she didn’t deserve this despite what had happened. He looked back into the room, Octavia still sat on the floor, curled into a ball and rocking back and forth. She was facing away from them but he knew she was probably crying.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have patients to attend to,” said the doctor at length.

Fair Breeze looked back at him and nodded, “Of course, thank you for your time.”

The doctor nodded and turned away, heading off down the corridor. Fair Breeze watched him leave for a moment and then turned himself, heading back towards the entrance. He was still limping slightly but the rest of his injuries had been minor. Lilac meanwhile had suffered a little worse; even ignoring her sprained wing that would keep her grounded for a few weeks she had also suffered a mild concussion, a chipped tooth and a vast assortment of bruises. That being said she was still her usual cheerful self and despite the fact that she had been removed from active duty for a while she had still reported for duty and sat organising files and evidence for the case. Fair Breeze smiled, he was glad she was alright; he just wished they had been able to solve the case sooner.

As he arrived in the lobby he found the gentle quiet of the hospital rudely interrupted by a rather energetic argument going on between two ponies at the front desk. One pony was a nurse, her yellow coat doing little to hide the flustered redness that was plastered across her face. The other was a white unicorn; the numerous bandages that covered her body making her look more like a patient than a visitor. Fair Breeze couldn’t help but smile as he approached.

“As I’ve already told you three times miss we cannot let you see a patient without proof of family connections…and even if we could visiting time is not for another three hours,” insisted the nurse, her voice failing to hide her annoyance.

“And as I’ve told you I’m not leaving until you let me see her! I know she was transferred here from the Canterlot hospital so don’t even try to tell me she isn’t here!” replied the unicorn, her voice also failing to hide her annoyance.

“Having a problem here are we?” announced Fair Breeze as he stopped behind them.

The unicorn went rigid on the spot, the nurse giving a sigh of relief.

“Lieutenant Fair Breeze,” she exclaimed, “Goodness I’m so pleased to see you. This individual is…”

“I know exactly what she is doing,” interrupted Fair Breeze quickly as he turned to the unicorn, “Miss Scratch, how are you doing?”

“Uh well…ah…good…I guess,” replied the unicorn as she snapped herself from her trance, “Didn’t really expect to see you here.”

“Likewise Miss Scratch but we have to keep tabs on our…unfortunate victim,” Fair Breeze shook his head.

“Have…you seen her?” asked Vinyl slowly.

“I just came from there, things aren’t going well and the doctor says it may be quite some time before she recovers…if indeed she does at all.”

Vinyl shut her eyes tight, forcing the tears from them as she did, “This is all my fault…if I hadn’t left her back in music college then…”

“Miss Scratch you can’t blame yourself for causing all this…”

“Yes I can! Back in the theatre…before you showed up, that…thing…told me that Tavi still loved me…that she felt guilty for causing me to leave. I…I don’t know if it’s foolish to think there might still be a chance, or if I’m just being selfish but…I have to see her!”

Vinyl fell silent and Fair Breeze gave a sigh. He didn’t know if letting her see Octavia would be a good idea or not but he couldn’t ignore such heartfelt emotions. He turned to the nurse at the desk.

“I want you to arrange a visit for her to see Octavia Melody.”

The nurse looked momentarily stunned but finally relented, sighing slightly before replying, “I’ll have to clear it with the doctor first.”

“Fine, just make it happen.”

It was about an hour later that Vinyl found herself standing outside Octavia’s room. Vinyl herself remembered little of the intervening time although most of it had been filled with arguments and forms. She didn’t know what to expect when the door opened; the doctor’s had warned her but it still couldn’t prepare her. All these years of wondering and uncertainty, all the time she had spent avoiding her and watching from the shadows…if she had simply gone and talked to her would it have made a difference?

“Remember now we are going to have to limit your visit at first,” reminded the nurse pony stood beside her, “We don’t know how she will react to your presence and if she becomes violent we will have to ask you to leave at once.”

Vinyl nodded slowly, “Yeah I remember.”

“Very well.”

Taking a key the nurse unlocked the door and stepped back. Vinyl raised her hoof to push the door open but paused for a moment, her heart and mind fighting against each other in a struggle that had only intensified over the past few days. Finally she pushed open the door and stepped inside, the nurse moving to block the doorway as she did.

Vinyl almost broke down in tears at the sight. Octavia had always been proud. She had always held her head high and expected respect for her skills and talents. To her music was the world and all she had ever wanted to do was fill the world with her notes. The only time she had ever seen emotion in Octavia had been when she was playing, the earth pony pouring her very soul into the songs she played and stirring each and every pony with her harmonies.

Now? If she had been smaller you could have mistaken her for a terrified foal. She sat quietly, hooves tucked into her body as she lay on her side and rocked back and forth. Her eyes were open but they were a million miles away, trapped in some other reality that her brain was frantically trying to resurrect.

“T-Tavi?” murmured Vinyl quietly as one of her hooves shakily started to reach out to her before withdrawing.

There was a sharp intake of breath and Octavia stopped moving. The pause lasted longer than Luna’s banishment or at least it seemed to for Vinyl. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and for a moment she just wanted to run and hide.

“…Vinyl…?” came a small whimper from the earth pony as she continued to lay motionless.

“Tavi! Yes it’s me Vinyl Scratch, I…”

Vinyl stopped as a cold wave swept over her. Tears had begun to slowly leak from Octavia’s eyes, the earth pony not even blinking as they pooled and then began to trickle down her face. Vinyl could feel her outstretched hoof begin to shake as Octavia started to talk once more.

“…I…I tried to kill you…”

“No Tavi! That wasn’t you, it was…”

“It was me…I…I killed them all,” continued Octavia, the earth pony remaining motionless as she starred into the distance, “Gleaming…Fleur…I was going to kill Brass too…I…I remember it all…”

Vinyl didn’t know what to say, what could you say?! She stood silently herself, her mind and heart once again battling against one another before she sprung forwards and collapsed onto the floor next to Octavia. Wrapping her hooves around the earth pony she brought her into a tight embrace as she felt her own tears begin to flow.

“I’m sorry Tavi! I’m so so sorry! If I hadn’t left you alone in music college then maybe…”

Octavia didn’t respond, she was like a ragdoll in her hooves. Vinyl pulled her closer.

“Don’t worry Tavi! This time I’m not going to leave you! I don’t know for sure if you still love me or not but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to help you, and I don’t care what I have to give up to do so.”

Vinyl jumped slightly as she felt Octavia push her head into her shoulder. It was subtle, barely noticeable but it was there. As Octavia began to cry once more Vinyl simply sat and held her. It didn’t matter how many years it took or what she had to go through, she was going to make sure that Octavia got better.

Behind them the nurse sighed and gave a small smile. She retreated back into the hallway, closing the door quietly as she did, the road to recovery was going to be long but it had finally started.