Monsters of Music

Octavia watched from the side of the stage with the other musicians as the mare out in the spotlight finished her piece on her piano. It had been quite an amazing composition. The crowd had absolutely loved it and many of the normally pretentious and snob nobles were on their hooves.

The light brown mare with the piano keys on her flank took a bow and used her unicorn magic to grab a microphone; it seemed she had something to say.

"Thank you ever so much everypony!" She started sincerely. "I appreciate the ovation very much! I just wanted to add that this song was written in memory of Drawn Bow; a dear friend of mine who met a tragic end a few nights ago."

At the mention of Drawn Bow's name, Octavia suddenly perked her ears, and started scanning the crowd to see their reactions. Most were sad smiles or somber looks, and nothing seemed out of the oridnary.

"Lovely piece of music, wouldn't you agree, Miss Melody?" A male voice interrupted her train of thought.

She turned around and her lavender eyes rested on the familiar form of Hoity Toity. The dark gray stallion with the silly looking powder wig and purple shades was standing behind her; his gaze locked on the mare on the stage with some form of, what Octavia presumed, admiration and yet, a form of pity as well.

"Indeed, I do agree, Mr. Toity." She replied.

"Simply marvelous keystrokes. And the bridge near the end of the song.." he made as if he was swooning. "It's just so moving."

Octavia turned her head back to the crowd and began her scan anew as the mare continued her speech. Unfortunately, Hoity Toity's voice once again snapped her out of the zone.

"Why I'd even say this is her Magnum Opis!" He gushed. "It will make a fine review in my next article!"

The earth pony cellist inhaled and put on as pleasing of a smile as she could muster before turning towards the annoying pony still staring at the performer.

"Mr. Toity," she said with an effort of pleasantry. "I understand you have changed your reviewing tastes from fashion to musical arts, but perhaps you could wait until the performer in question has left the stage?"

It was the nicest way of saying 'shut the buck up' she could think of.

Hoity made a small, creepy feminine giggle. "Oh, my apologies Miss Melody. But it looks like that time has come."

Octavia's ears shot up, and her eyes widened as she whirled around to see everypony filing out of the massive theatre, and the mare pianist coming backstage once more.

Frantically, she began looking around at the remaining ponies, trying to find any kind of suspicious activity, or at least the familiar--

"I say, Miss Melody," Hoity exclaimed in a put off tone. "are you...sniffing the air for something?"

The cellist drew back, realizing she had been leaning in a rather awkward position with her snout in the air. Regaining her composure, she realized it was too late now; surely the one she was looking for had already left the building by now.

She growled rather animalistically and trotted off, shouldering her way past Hoity. The reviewer merely watched her leave with a small smirk on his face. He then returned his attentions to the returning mare pianist.

"Ah, Miss Key Stroke!" He gushed again. "What a lovely performance! May I have a word?"

* * *

Bon Bon waited atop a building nearby as the crowd exited the theatre and began to spread apart. First the audience had left, and then the staff of the theatre, minus the janitorial ponies. After a while, some of the musicians began to take leave. Bon Bon found it a little strange that the musicians, who were said to be some of the most tightly knit communities in all of Canterlot, would leave in such scattered droves. She silently noted to herself that they were not too bright for not starting to leave in large groups after the recent killing. Perhaps they thought it was just a one-off, and very well it could've been. But it was still pretty stupid to just assume so.

Any one of them could be the next victim.

As the hours went on, Bon Bon became increasingly nervous; had she missed Octavia leaving? Perhaps with another pony? If so, that meant she'd have to try another night to catch the supposed werepony in the act of murder. As she was about to call it a night, she spotted something out of her peripherals; a brown unicorn mare with piano keys for a cutie mark exited the theatre. She had been the final performer for the set tonight, and must have been held up at an interview or something.

Then, several paces behind her, Bon Bon noticed the theatre door begin to open once more. Was it Octavia?

"So it's you, then." Came a growling, dark voice from behind the detective.

With her fur standing on edge, the cream colored earth pony whirled around just in time to see a massive, hair covered mass leap at her wit gnashing jaws.

She had no time to scream, and dropped herself to the concrete surface of the roof, the growling giant flying over her and seemingly off the building.

Bon Bon stood slowly, her pistol drawn and hoof resting on the trigger; specially designed for earth pony's hooves. She hesitantly peered over the edge where she'd seen the beast fall, and had to throw herself back as fast as she could, feeling one of it's claws graze her neck, drawing a small trickle of blood.

The monster had been hanging on the side of the structure with it's powerful...what had Lyra called them? Fingers? With it's powerful fingers dug into the brick itself.

It landed back on the roof heavily, making a deep thump sound as it did, and it whirled back, crouching down like a timberwolf ready to pounce.

Bon Bon got back to her hooves and pointed her pistol the creature's direction, but before she fired off a shot, the beast grabbed her by her face and tossed her backwards over it's head. She hit several clotheslines, the weight and velocity ripping the polls out of the floor and causing the wire to cut rather large gashes in Bon Bon's flesh before she hit the ground again.

She was tangled up in clothes and bloody wire, unable to get back to her hooves. She glared at the incoming monster as it slowly stalked over to her.

"So..." She grunted, trying to buy some time as she managed to get her hoof into the pocket of her brown coat for something. "there really is a werepony here in Canterlot eh?"

"Indeed." The werepony confirmed, not stopping it's slow approach. "It figures you'd know about me, considering what you've been doing all over Equestria..."

This raised Bon Bon's ears in a questioning gesture. "What I've been doing..? What do you..?"

"Don't play dumb. There's no point anymore." The beast snarled, closing in. "You've been sitting atop this roof watching the ponies come out of that theatre for awhile. I bet you were hoping to get your fix again, weren't you? And then blame it on--"

"Hold on just a minute!" Bon Bon yelled. "What the hay are you talking about?"

The werepony snarled andstood on it's hind legs menacingly; in the moonlight, se could see the gray color of it's fur, and the lavender glow of it's eyes as it raised one of it's forelegs to swipe at it's prey.

"It doesn't matter if you confess or not; you're done for." The massive beast started to bring down it's powerful paw. "You won't be hurting anypony ever again! Now die!"

"Wait!" Bon Bon shouted.

Suddenly, a mint colored blur flew past Bon Bon and straight into the werepony midstrike; the familiar sound of a revving engine accompanying it. The startled monster was caught by the powerful lariat across it's chest and was thrown back several feet, tumbling before regaining composure; using it's razor sharp claws to halt it's backwards momentum.

Lyra stood there, mechanical arm and magical horn both ready for a fight before Bon Bon's trapped form.

"Sorry I took so long, 'Bonnie-dearest.' I had to stop for gas."