Counter Culture

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The hotel was rather large, one of the biggest ones in Canterlot; it was frequently holding events within its convention hall. It had recently, however, decided to renovate its basement level concert hall into yet another mindless club.

Arpeggio sighed, she had been sitting outside the hotel for some time, reviewing the layout and her strategy as she waited for her moment to arise. The opening act for the club had began at 5, she was giving them 20 minutes before she set off, ample time for them to work the crowd into a loud mindless mess of nonsensical and horrifying acts. She shuddered at the thought.

She took one last look at the sun, standing as she took note of its location.  She swiftly entered into the hotel, a rather large crowd blocking her from the desk clerk's view. She was making her way up the stairs to the suites where her objective lie. As she approached the top floor she zeroed in on her target. Her ear to the door listening carefully to the conversation within.

Storm Gate and his fellow DJs were relaxing in the main suite,which connected their 4 adjacent rooms. They were talking about their new tracks, equipment, and other general gossip. They were performing a last minute systems check before getting ready for their show downstairs.

"Alright fellas, show's in 15 minutes; time to start getting ready." The grey pegasus spoke quickly to his friends. They all nodded and departed for their rooms, except for Shadow. He stood looking out the window, nibbling on his leftover lunch.

Arpeggio waited until she heard the last of the doors closing, then she knocked.

Shadow Blade was still absentmindedly staring out the window when he heard it. His ears perked up and flicked in the direction it had come from.

"House keeping," Arpeggio tried to sound as demure as possible. Downstairs the band was beginning to finish up there set. The echoes of the music making its way up the hall.

Shadow quickly walked up to the door, a faint doubt in his mind. He opened the door as the band downstairs began to play.

(Someone kill the DJ)

The irony of the song was lost to the two ponies who stood together in the doorway.

(Shoot the bucking DJ)

Arpeggio's horn glowed as it shot out a blast of concussive magic, the newly defenestrated grey pegasus never had the time to react; the blast launching him backwards through the large pane of glass. His unconscious body cut by the shards of glass as he fell from the top of the 6 story building, he landed head first on the hard ground below. The injury snapping his neck, leaving him dead and bleeding among the bushes of roses.

(Someone kill the DJ)

Featherwood rushed out of his room when he heard the glass breaking outside, as his door swung open Arpeggio quickly spun to her right and he was greeted by two arrows being flung swiftly at him. The magic guided them with precision and force; the first striking him through the chest and the second in the neck.

(Shoot the bucking DJ)

The force of the two arrows pushed him back and pinned him to the door behind him, suspending him and further disrupting his breathing. His mouth was filling with blood and his lung was punctured, he quickly began choking, before falling limp.

(Someone kill the DJ)

Arpeggio walked over to the third room opening the door and quickly entering. Day Dreamz was finishing up his look at the dresser when he noticed her in the mirror.

(Shoot the bucking DJ)

She shot a blast of magic towards him, slamming his head against the table. He struggled to move but the pain in his broken nose kept him down. He managed to looked up at her as she trotted back to the door. He reached a hoof out in a vain attempt to crawl as she launched another arrow from her quiver, hitting him squarely through the eye.

Storm Gate had drawn a bath and was sitting in the bathroom waiting. He was looking over some old notes trying to focus on his work. Arpeggio walked in grabbing him with her magic and forcing him against the wall.

(Hold him underwater Til the motherbucker drowns)

She was choking him, her magic constricting his neck ever tighter, but upon noticing the now full tub of water she smiled wickedly. She flung him against the bottom of the tub, his faced completely submerged. He struggled, thrashing violently, and flaring his wings out against the tubs edge. He pushed his body up but his faced remained underwater, he continued to fight against her magic but was unable to break free. He gasped as he exhausted the last of his oxygen, a large gush of water quickly filling his throat and lungs, his struggles began to slow until they ceased completely. His body collapsing into the water as the strength of his wings gave out. She released him after a moment, staring at his body regretfully. As she walked out of the room she looked around at her work. She never thought that her years of training to be a concert pianist would have led her to this moment. She shook the thought from her head. It was all for the greater good.

The show downstairs was finishing; the crowd was loud, frenzied, and cheering. The band bowed, taking time to talk and play a few more minutes for their fans. They never noticed the light green unicorn appear behind them and move backstage.

She began to ruffle through her saddlebag, quickly opening the vials and containers she had been given. She wasn't sure what they were, she was a musician not a chemist after all, but she knew what they could do. She tied them to various strings before laying down a tripwire to the backstage entrance. It wasn't necessary to her current assignment but she felt she should put 110%  into everything she did, be it music or well... wetwork. With everything set she quietly left the building.

It was 5 minutes later, as she was walking away from the hotel that she heard the faint explosion. A small cloud of smoke rose as the fire spread. She calmly turned, hiding her quiver within a saddlebag, and began her trip back home.

The club was in pandemonium, the crowd was panicked; the stage ablaze and the band a burned and bloody heap. They all scrambled away up the stairs as the fire alarms began to kick in. It was a night to remember.

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Bangtail had spent 2 days in Ponyville's precinct, inquiring amongst the townsfolk about Vinyl Scratch. It was futile, no pony could say where she would be and she soon decided to try elsewhere.  As soon as the sun rose she caught the first train back to Manehatten. As she sat on the train, staring at the scenery as it zoomed by, a scroll fizzled into existence beside her.

"Case update, murder spreads into Canterlot. 4 more DJs killed, plus 4 other musicians, collateral damage, and 3 civilians in the ICU. Location: Cloud Fall Hotel. Crime occurred last evening, news just reached the precinct here.  Rondeau 'Ronnie' Lines"

She looked over the note, sighing. Canterlot wasn't within her jurisdiction,  being chief investigator of Manehatten after all, but the similarities in the location and victim were enough to pique her interest.

She stayed on the train as it passed through Manehatten, quickly headed to Canterlot.

It was mid-evening when she had arrived, the scene still packed with police ponies, the pegasi of the fire brigade, and the paramedics; they were all milling about, she quickly set to work.

She entered through the front door, bypassing the police line and officers. She took in the scene before her, two pegasi removing the stray storm clouds that had been dragged in to fight the fire. Obviously this wasn't the murder scene.

She approached a dark red unicorn, tapping him on the shoulder. "Flatfoot, what happened here?"

The unicorn turned, his eyes opening wider as he noticed her. "Bangtail? Ya're out of your jurisdiction. What are ya doing here?"

"I'm looking for leads Flats, we had a similar case down south, although it wasn't this grand." She motioned with her hoof, referencing all the damage done to the building.

"Ya can't be here, ya know that." He looked down, he refused to lock eyes with her.

"You owe me Flats, I put you where you are. You wouldn't even be on the force if it wasn't for me." Her words were forceful, but her voice remained calm.

Flatfoot looked up at her, she was staring at him defiantly, like he knew she would be. He sighed, "Alright, follow me."

He led her first down the stairs to the destroyed stage. It would be rather dark had it not been for the 4 or 5 unicorns who were illuminating the room. She walked carefully, avoiding the weak and damaged steps on the stairwell. The air was thick and humid, everything soaking wet but hot. It was an odd experience, like walking through soup she thought. She shook her head and focused back on the task.

He led her to three bodies, each one a charred and blackened husk. There was no resemblance to life, if it wasn't for the shape she wouldn't even be able to tell these were ponies.

"What happened?" she asked as she stared at the charred remains.

"A carefully coordinated, crafted, and controlled caustic chemical catastrophe." He calmly commented, congratulating his cleverness.

"Very impressive, but could you cut the alliteration please?" she said a bit irritated.

He cleared his throat quickly, "Um, a small chemical explosion."

"Who were they?" she asked scanning the area as she circled the bodies.

"An up and coming band, at least they went out with a bang. Isn't that what all rockstars want?" he gave her a remorseful smile.

She only glared at him, she could never figure out why people thought making puns at a murder scene was funny, "well at least he didn't say they went out in a blaze of glory." she shook her head. "Are there any leads?"

"My team is still investigating the area but so far no evidence has turned up." his tail flicked nervously as he spoke.

Bangtail sighed, it was looking to be the same as the case prior, a lot of important questions and a concerning lack of answers. She turned to head back up the stairs when a faint shimmer caught her eye. She turned to inspect it, as she got closer she recognized it as a small vial. She leaned in close, hoping to find some incriminating print. As she eyed the small glass tube Flatfoot walked up beside her.

"Find something?" he asked confusedly.

She let go of the breath she had been holding, "It's nothing... The vial is clean, the fire probably removed the marks if there were any." she hung her head down "Where are the other victims?"

Flatfoot turned, his tail brushing against her flank, causing her to turn and follow. She took in her surroundings one last time as she walked out of the room; she was hoping that something would stand out to her, but nothing did.

They walked on in silence, slowly making their way to the suites above. It was a rather long walk, a few stories from where they had started, they both breathed a bit strenuously as they reached the appropriate floor.

"The remaining victims are in here," he pointed at the door with his hoof, "it's a pretty bad scene though."

She brushed her way past him, nudging the door open with her shoulder. As she stepped into the room she was treated to a cool breeze, she quickly attributed this to the large broken window in front of her. She slowly trotted towards it and peeked over the edge. Far below she could make out the scattered police ponies and between them was the faint outline of a body amongst the bushes. She turned away, her vision suddenly upon Featherwood. The arrows had been removed, placed on a piece of parchment, and his body now lay slumped against the door. She noticed the coagulated blood near his wounds, it matted the fur down his neck.

She walked closer, leaning in to look at the murder weapon. She looked it up and down "it's the same as the last one. Same arrows, same motif, same killer."

This conclusion only brought minor satisfaction, knowing that there was only one killer did little to solve the problem at hoof. She stepped away and turned to face the doorway to her left. She met eyes with Flatfoot, he was leaning against the door frame, watching as she worked. They remained silent as she entered Day Dreamz room.

Upon first glance she noticed the sheer muss of the room. The dresser overturned, a single mark of blood on the edge. The body lay in the corner, amongst a broken lamp and scattered and blood soaked  papers, again the arrow had been removed and lay on the ground. She took note of the bruising that was evident on the forehead. "No marks," she sighed, unicorns were the hardest to apprehend, magic is clean and untraceable after several minutes.

She looked over her shoulder, "Only one more body to check," she walked into the last room, past the bed and into the small bathroom. The body remained in the tub, no pony had thought to remove it, though the water had been drained. It remained damp, slightly bloated from its short time submerged. The usual signs of asphyxiation were there: Slight discoloration of the skin, trace amounts of blood near the mouth and nose, and slight vomiting and water pooled in the mouth. She looked at him with a feeling that resembled regret. As she left she noted that his throat was clearly bruised from where the magic had held him.

She trotted out, head hung low and tail between her legs.

"Ya find anythin'?" Flatfoot looked at her with an air of detachment.

"Nothing concrete, just knowledge," she replied quickly, brushing her hoof through her mane.

"What do ya mean?"

"The arrows are the same, there are no clear marks, and the targets are again musicians," Flats raised an eyebrow at this, "what I'm getting at is this: the unicorn from Manehatten, the one who ousted Neon, has to be the same one who did all this."

“Fantastic, now if ya could only identify them ya'd have a case.” He spoke a bit harshly, he wasn't trying to be rude, but his attitude did little to prove this.

“I don't need you're snide comments Flats, I have a case.” She let the words sink in, mulling over possible solutions in her head. “Are there any witnesses?”

“Everypony was at the concert downstairs, and we've already questioned the patients in the ICU.”

“Well forgive me if I don't think you did a wonderful job at that. Give me names, I'd like to do my own questioning.” He stood up straight at that, shifting his weight from the wall to his hooves,

“Nigh, ya already know I can't do that.”

“And why the hell not?” she was visibly annoyed, her hind legs spread in a defensive stance.

“Because ya're out of yar jurisdiction.” His tail flicked back and forth, he knew he was asking for trouble.

“When a murderer moves from my city to another and the police there don't give a buck about it, it becomes my jurisdiction and my problem. So give me names Flats or Celestia help me I will hurt you.”

Flatfoot was visibly taken aback by this, his demeanor changing from one of pride to that of defeat, “Fine Bangtail, ya win.”

She stood outside Canterlot General Hospital, the names she was given being repeated in her head over and over again. They gained a certain rhythm and she had them memorized by the time she walked into the main hall of the hospital. She took a quick look around, eyes darting from placard to placard until she found the one she was looking for.

“ICU Third floor”

She made her way to the stairwell, turning slightly so her badge was visible to the nurses stationed at the desk. They quickly lifted their eyes from the folders they were reading but returned them back to the work upon seeing this gesture. As she made her way to the proper floor, she continued to analyze the details of the case. She could only hope that the victims could provide some information to narrow down her search.

She approached the nurse's station at the ICU, the violet pony looking up as she sat in front of the counter. “Patient name?”

“Zephyr”

“Room 302. Reason for visitation?”

“Patient wanted for questioning in a ongoing investigation.”

The nurse looked down at her, retrieving a separate form and rewriting the information.

“Name, rank, and badge number?”

“Chief Investigator Bangtail, Badge Number 0761.”

“Location of department?”

“Manehatten.”

As she scribbled the last of the information down she placed the file in a folder and put it away. She returned her  attention to the original folder she was reading, lazily pointing her hoof towards the left hallway, “Rooms down that way.”

She continued down the hall until she reached the desired room, looking in cautiously. Zephyr lay quietly in the bed, his bottom left hoof wrapped and bandaged. She noted that he looked remarkably well for somepony in Intensive Care, she chalked that up to either magic therapy or overreaction, most likely the latter. She knocked twice as she entered; the yellow and orange stallion turning to face her.

“You're new, do I need to take more medication or something?” he smiled lamely, he wasn't much younger than she was although she couldn't speak for his maturity.

“Actually I'm from the Manehatten Police Department, Chief Investigator Bangtail. I need to ask you about last night.”

“I already told the colts back in Canterlot everything, which isn't much just so you know.” He tried to roll over onto his side to better see her.

“I heard, but I need you to really think. Just tell me what you can remember. Everything helps.” She moved towards the window, leaning against it. She cast a glance to the yard outside, the gowned ponies being escorted by nurses, it was a sad sight.

Zephyr sighed, he looked at her a moment longer waiting for her eyes to move back towards him. As they did he shifted slightly, taking note of their determination, before recounting the night.

“It was like any other show, I guess. Everypony was just enjoying the music and dancing or whatever, it was the new club's grand opening so it was a big deal, you know?” She nodded when she heard the pause, urging him to continue. “The opening band was wrapping up a really good set, the DJs were supposed to headline after that, but well it kinda...” His mind drifted away from the sentence, shuddering at the thought.

“Got bucked over?” she finished. He nodded at the words, “Yeah.”

“Do you remember anything unusual?” She leaned towards him, looking hopeful.

“Not really,” He rubbed his hoof against his forehead, pushing his mane out of his eyes.

“Nothing seemed out of place at all?” She was moving back towards the door, standing in front of the bed as she asked.

“One of their road crew showed up onstage towards the end, kinda just appeared but then they just took off.”

She shot him a curious glance, “A unicorn?”

He shook his head, “Yeah, had to be, the way they just appeared like that.”

“Zephyr, listen to me, I need you to think. Describe them as best you can.”

“Um, like I said the were just there a second but they looked like a chick, light green coat, light blue mane. I don't know that's all I can remember.”

“Thanks, that'll be all.” she slowly trotted out of the room, she felt accomplished. “If I can cross reference this information with the list of crew on staff maybe I'll be one step closer to figuring this out.” She made her way out of the hospital, a lead hopefully within her grasp.