Its 2000 hrs Equestria Standard time, several years earlier, Symphonic hall, Small Greek revival style mansion home, Trotsdale estates Neighborhood, Grazing Hills, Coltifornia, and Los Ungulas.
Exiting the detached garage after parking her vehicle was an angry older attractive ash gray earth pony mare with styled cadet gray with a hint of white mane and tail. Her 5ft 11in elegant equine figure was attired in black fit and flare dress with keyhole neck. On her ten-inch, long ash gray bare feet with navy blue colored toenail polish were light natural colored heeled sandals. This older earth pony mare was Baroness Agatha Lyric, a renowned violin player and wife to Baron Argo Lyric. She is also the aunt to the famous cello player Octavia Melody.
"Argo!" Agatha bellowing ferociously, burst into the music room of Symphonic hall.
Sitting behind a grand piano in the music room, writing musical notes on sheet music, was a handsome older pinkish-purple earth pony stallion with dark purple with a white mane and tail. His 5ft 9in fit equine figure was attired in a russet orange short-sleeve polo shirt, and medium stonewash relaxed fit jeans. On his ten and two-third inch long socked foot were taupe slip-on shoes.
This older earth pony stallion was Baron Argo Lyric, the owner of Symphonic hall and famous music composer in Equestria. As the door slams against the music room wall, he cringes after pressing a sour note on the grand piano, and he quickly erased the note on the sheet music.
"Enjoyed the concert at Applewood bowl in Griffon Park, dear," Argo comment calmly as he watches his wife walk over to her Stradivarius violin and begins to play it.
To calm her mind and alleviate her anger. The sound she produced from her instrument was beyond beautiful to the divine. Each pass over the Stradivarius strings with the bow was a heavenly sound, an angelic chorus. With Baroness Agatha Lyric lost in her own musical world, she never realized that other music room instruments begin to play along with her. As each instrument had a small bit of unicorn magic enchanted upon it from the unicorn artisan that built the instrument in Canterlot.
As Agatha's mood begins to improve, she stops playing her Stradivarius violin and sets it down on top of the low cabinet. Before reaching down and unbuckled her sandals from her feet.
"Feel better, my dear?" Argo asked as Agatha pip-pops barefooted over to Argo before she kisses him.
"Somewhat Argo, but to answer your question about the concert at Applewood bowl in Griffon Park. There was no beauty in the music being played at the concert by the ensemble. The only highlight at the concert was the playing of my niece Octavia Melody. She knows how to make the instrument sing." Agatha comments as her light purple eyes are haunted by some inner pain.
"Did you go and try to talk to her? And find out why she left Ponyville for Canterlot?" Argo asked as Agatha stand as if shot and waiting to fall with the question from her husband.
"Miss Agatha Melody, you have told me over and over that, your niece is like your sister and her mother. But still, you willn't go talk to her and find out the reason she left Ponyville for Canterlot!" Argo said hotly as he quickly calms down.
"It very complicated, Argo," Agatha said, her voice edged with tension as Argo shook his head.
"It is not complicated at all, Agatha. You fear that it was your fault that Octavia left for Canterlot. Don't forget I knew your sister Aretha Melody; she was a wonderful Cello player just like her own daughter is. If I remember right, she left Ponyville to try her luck in Canterlot; it had nothing to do with the family. She wanted to try the large stage of Equestria." Argo explains as Agatha looks at a small photo of Octavia in her locket.
Its 1000 hrs Equestria standard time, a few minutes later present time, Applewood forever cemeteries, Downtown Los Ungulas, Coltifornia, Los Ungulas, Gravesite of Baroness Agatha Lyric.
Slowly the spirit of very attractive ash gray earth pony mare with styled cadet gray mane and tail rises out of the ground upon hearing her Stradivarius violin was being played with such grace and elegance. Her 5ft 11in elegant equine figure was attired in finely made black top of the knee-length fit and flare dress. Why her ash-gray bare feet with dark red nail polish were attired in black heeled sandals with a three-inch heel. This spirit is Baroness Agatha Lyric.
'Huh? Am I dead?' Agatha thought, looking at her transparent hands in front of her.
"Huh? I can hear my Stradivarius being played with such grace and elegance. How my Violin should be played." Agatha comments as her spirit is pulled toward Symphonic hall with music being played.
"By Celestia's light! It my niece Octavia Melody! No wonder my Violin was being played with such grace and elegance." Agatha exclaims as hearing her name been called, breaking Octavia's concentration from playing the fine Stradivarius violin.
"Hello! Is there anyone here?" Octavia asked, looking around the music room, trying to figure out where the voice came from, but couldn't find it.
'I still must be tired from that concert tour of Equestria. Octavia, you old girl, you are starting to hear things. Besides, the Stradivarius violin has such a beautiful voice reminds me of my Aunt Agatha Melody. But why would Baroness Agatha Lyric have my aunt's Stradivarius violin' Octavia thought, putting the Violin back on the display stands and leave the music room.
Its 2100 hrs Equestria standard time, the evening of that same day, Symphonic hall, Small Greek revival style mansion home, Master Bedroom, Trotsdale estates Neighborhood, Grazing Hills, Coltifornia, Los Ungulas.
It 9 pm as Baroness Octavia Melody rolls out of bed and pulls on her robe; she padded barefooted down the staircase and across the porcelain tiles of symphonic hall first floor to the other side of the mansion home. She is drawn to a room with a fine wood door; she turns the knob and walks into the darkened room. She feels around the wall for the light switch and turns it on.
As the lights go on, Octavia finds herself standing in a large study; six bookcases stand against the walls, three on each wall. Each bookcase is filled with books about various music genres that have been heavily used (as the color on the book covers has begun to fade from the oil on the fingertips). As she moves into the room, the pap-pops of her bare feet were muffled by the cushy carpet of the study.
She makes her way over to a large wooden desk toward the back of the room in front of the canted bay window. On top, the desk was a larger blotter heavily stained with writing ink from repeated uses. As she pulls open each drawer on the desk, some drawers have blank sheet music paper in it. Why other drawers have incomplete music scores in various degrees of completeness.
Most drawers buried under several new looking music notebooks in the center was a notebook much older than the rest as the pages inside had that yellow tint of age on then. As Octavia carefully flip through the older notebook, it was written in ancient Equestrian language. As she couldn't read the ancient Equestrian language characters written on each page. She could make out it was musical scores using ancient musical instruments. Before she could look any deeper into the old notebook, she feels something hit the back of her head, and everything goes black.
(Thud)
"Hey, Tavi! Are you all right?" A familiar mare voice inquiry as Octavia felt someone shaking her awake as she lifts her head up and rubs the back of her head with her hand.
She turns her head toward the voice standing next to her wearing a pale pink long-sleeve mid-length knit robe was Emerald Luster. As Octavia continues looking Emerald over, she noticed that her eleven and one-third inch long pearly purple flawless and unblemished feet were bare. From Emerald, Octavia turns her head toward the front of the desk and saw Duncan and Mavra Curator standing there wearing white long-sleeve mid-length knit robes like Emerald.
"Ow! What in Celestia's light hit me, Emerald?" Octavia asked look at the three unicorns standing around the desk as she rubs the bump on the back of her head.
"That I don't know, Tavi? I was come out of the manor library with a book to read went Mavra caught me. She told me that she saw someone running away from the Baron's study window on the first floor from her second-floor bedroom window. She told her brother who came to investigate the Baron's study and found you unconscious at the Baron's desk." Emerald explains as the other two shook their head in agreement.
"I see. It gone!" Octavia answered as she looks around the desk for the notebook she was looking through.
"What is gone, Tavi?" Emerald inquiry a bit puzzled.
"Something drew me to this room, and this desk. I found an older notebook written in ancient Equestrian language. As I couldn't read the words, I could make out the music characters on the pages." Octavia explains as Mavra and Duncan look at each other before walking over to a door into a walk-in closet on one side of the study.
In the closet, numerous three drawer wooden file cabinets stood. Duncan pulled out one of the drawers and retrieved an identical notebook that Octavia said she found in the desk drawer. He set it down on the desk, and Octavia flip through the notebook; she was shocked to see another ancient notebook.
"His lordship would sometimes write a musical score on fake old paper and write it in ancient Equestrian language. As he couldn't understand, the ancient equestrian language on the lower shelves of that far bookcase is numerous books written by A.K Yearling on ancient Equestrian languages. He, through writing the musical score that way, he could understand how the ancient composers wrote their music scores." Duncan explained as the four ponies head back to their bedrooms to sleep till morning.
In the society rooms, a small bar in the conservatory in the city of west Applewood, two ponies sit in a booth in the restaurant part of the establishment. A dark brown earth pony stallion hand a white earth pony stallion the ancient notebook he took from Baroness Octavia Melody. The white earth pony flips through the ancient notebook before tearing the notebook in half. He tells the other earth pony stallion that is not the score he is looking for.
It 1130 hrs Equestria standard time, the following day, Swindle and Dupe Law Firm, Civilian sector: Judicature Ward, City of Canterlot, and Capital of Equestria.
Driving down the road heading toward the Swindle and Dupe Law firm in the Civilian sector: Judicature ward was Royal investigator Justice Silverlight. Joining him this day sitting in the car's back seat was breathtaking gorgeous white with a hint of pink Alicorn mare with golden blonde mane and tail. Her Perfect 6ft 5in equine figure was attired in a light blue short-sleeve mid-knee-length fit and flare dress. Folded on her back were her large white with a hint of pink feathered bird wings.
Her twelve-inch long white with a hint of pink bare feet with mariner blue colored toenail polish was blue wedge sandals with one-inch platform. On her head behind her horn was her gold tiara and around her neck was a gold collar. This Alicorn mare is Princess Celestia Borealis, the ruler of Equestria and Royal Investigator Justice Silverlight fiancée.
"You know, Celestia, you didn't have to come with me." Justice comments as Celestia's chuckles into the back of her hand in the back seat.
"I know Justice, but you came for my help in this. Now I have invested interest in seeing this through to the end." Celestia explains as Justice looks at her through the rear view mirror.
"If that what my Princess what to do, how can I stop her. Besides, any investigator would want a breathtaking gorgeous assistant helping him." Justice said, complimenting as Celestia blush a bit and giggled nervously.
"Plus, I noticed you were wearing blue wedge sandals with a one-inch platform, my love. Maybe after finish this meeting up and during one of your breaks from the court, those sandals will disappear from your plushy feet. For some playful tickle torture upon your large white soles." Justice comment as Celestia giggled playfully.
"That sounds wonderful, my love. Besides that, I thought everything was squared away with inheritance for Miss Melody?" Celestia comments a bit puzzled with having a meeting with the Swindle and Dupe Law firm.
"It was Celestia after getting the will notarized. The notary mentioned that the last page of the will was missing. She had enough of the will to notarize it for me. She suggested I should find the last page of the will and read it over a bit. I found the will was made by Swindle and Dupe Law firm here in Canterlot. So I set up a meeting with owners to look at the will." Justice explains as he pulls the car in front of the law firm.
"By Celestia's light! That is the Princess getting out of that vehicle with Mr. Silverlight!" A stallion voice exclaims, looking out the second-floor window of the law firm.
Quickly a pleasing-looking dark brown earth pony stallion with ebony black mane and tail packs his briefcase. His 5ft 7in very fit equine figure was attired in a taupe colored glen plaid classic fit suit. On his eleven inches, dark brown socked bare feet were tan oxford shoes. This Earth pony stallion was Charlatan Clancy Bicker, a master burglar and a con artist. He was paid by a third party to pose as a lawyer went the real will was delivered to Miss Octavia Melody.
But the third party never thought the Princess would get involved with something like this. As the Princess and Justice walk into the front door, he ran out the back door into the back alleys of Canterlot. After about an hour, the secretary mare went up to the office and found it empty. With the fire door wide open on the second floor, the secretary informed the Princess and Justice that Mr. Bicker has fled the office. Celestia and Justice search the upper office for clues.
"It looks like this whole Swindle and Dupe Law firm was fake business; all the cases filed in the file cabinets are blank. The only real case file is Baron Argo Lyric estate, and it looks like the Golden Dawn Law Firm run by your older sister Lady Serena Silverlight is the law firm that put together the original will." Celestia explains as Alicorn and unicorn look at the case file in front of them lying on the desk.
"Shall we go see my older sister, my love," Justice said as Celestia and Justice walked out of the fake law firm.
It 1300 hrs Equestria standard time, Golden Dawn Law Firm, Lady Serena Silverlight office, Civilian sector: Judicature Ward, City of Canterlot, and Capital of Equestria.
In her office, sitting behind her desk was a magnificent looking dark blue unicorn mare with a crimson red mane and tail; she was resting her chin on the back of her hands. Her 6ft 8in athletic equine figure was attired in a grey skirt suit. On her eleven inches, long dark blue bare feet with red toenail polish were black pumps with two and one-fourth heel. This unicorn mare was Lady Serena Silverlight, the oldest sister of Royal investigator Justice Silverlight and owner of Golden Dawn Law Firm.
"That particular case file was stolen from my law firm about a month ago. I was going to begin to investigate the next of kin for Baron Lyric estate. I suspected that Miss Octavia Melody was the sole heiress to Lyric estate in Coltfornian in Grazing Hills. Because Baroness Agatha Lyric maiden name was Agatha Melody. Miss Octavia Melody, aunt." Serena explains as Celestia and Justice look at each other, very surprised with the news.
"Lady Silverlight, why steal the will of Baron Argo Lyric, who every takes it can't claim the inheritance with Miss Melody being the sole heiress of the estate?" Celestia inquiry as Serena shook her head.
"That is right, your highness, but their strange provision that Baron Argo Lyric has me put into his will. Upon finding the next of kin that next of kin must play on the Stradivarius violin a musical piece called the Sunset Lament, and finish the whole score. If the next of kin can't play the Sunset Lament or doesn't want to. The estate may be bought by anyone. That whole estate is not worth many bits. But the real prize is the Sunset Lament score. That Sunset Lament score is worth quite a lot of bits to the musician that plays it first. Because no musician had ever finished the score." Serena explains as Justice and Celestia gasp simultaneously.