Dissociation

“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.