//------------------------------//
// Confrontation: Star Maker 
// Story: My Little Investigations: The Silent Dirge 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


April 10, 10:07 AM
Lincolt Center
Main Floor


"Look, madam.  I'm trying to be reasonable here."

"Reasonable?!  Falsely accusing me of ponynapping is reasonable to you?!  Are you brain dead?!"

"There's no use getting angry about it.  I know you did it."

Well, this is a sight I never thought I'd see.  When Vinyl and I entered Lincolt Center, we were immediately treated to a loud quarrel between Star Maker and Symphony.  Actually, the way they were going, I think the entire floor was privy to their conversation.  I actually feel sorry for Symphony.  After what happened last night, this is the last thing she needs.  I walked up to them and cleared my throat.

"Um, excuse me..."

Symphony whipped around.  When she saw who it was, she quickly averted her eyes and hid her face.  For a brief moment, I saw that the cut on her cheek was patched up.  She obviously didn't want me to see it, not that there was any point in her trying to save face.  Everypony saw what happened last night.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," I said. "I just managed to overhear your conversation, and..."

"You thought that you could throw it off track with that crazy conspiracy theory of yours?" said Star Maker, cutting across me. "Well, don't even bother.  I have already solved the mystery of Ms. Heartstrings's disappearance."

Considering that I just talked to Lyra, I highly doubt that.

"D-don't believe a word he says," said Concerto meekly. "W-we were just minding our own business when he showed up and started harassing Symphony for no good reason."

"'No good reason' my fanny," said Star Maker with a snort. "It's obvious to me that she kidnapped Ms. Heartstrings.  I'm simply giving her a chance to confess and turn her over so that we don't have to get the police involved."

"This is an outrage!" Symphony screamed. "I have no godly idea where Ms. Heartstrings is!"

"Scream all you want; it won't change a thing," said Star Maker. "Either you relinquish Ms. Heartstrings and we'll forget this little matter, or I'm calling the police."

"Hey, dock-hole.  If you think Symphony's the kidnapper, wouldn't you call the police anyway?" said Vinyl, raising an eyebrow. "Or do you just want to pressure Lyra into your precious contract?"

"You two stay out of this," Star Maker spat. "This is between me and Ms. Symphony."

"Not if the entire building can hear you," I said sternly. "What's more, I doubt Slick Licks would appreciate you calling the police and creating a disturbance over a false accusation."

"This coming from the pony who thinks someone is out to destroy all music," Star Maker retorted haughtily. "So sorry, Ms. Octavia, but unlike your crackpot theory, this actually makes sense."

"A crackpot theory it may be, Mr. Maker, but at least I have proof," I said, standing my ground. "And before you go about indicting my colleague for something she couldn't possibly have done, I'd like to see your proof."

Star Maker took off his shades and cleaned them with his handkerchief. "I suppose it's understandable that you don't believe me," he said. "But you'll surely change your tune once you understand my reasoning.  It's all quite simple, when you think about it."

Simply convoluted, more like.  I honestly have no idea how Star Maker came to this bizarre conclusion.  I suppose I'm about to find out.


***
Argument: Symphony's Crime
***


"It all became apparent to me yesterday, when Ms. Heartstrings's replacement was announced," said Star Maker. "I first heard about it from Ms. Symphony herself, who seemed rather pleased about this fact.  Then I checked the itinerary.  Lo and behold, Symphony and Concerto weren't scheduled to perform until the day before the finale.  Putting two and two together, it's obvious that Ms. Symphony kidnapped Ms. Heartstrings in order to be moved up in the docket."

That, is probably the worst argument ever.  Of all time.  I mean, where does he get off thinking that's a rational explanation?  I don't even know where to start.  Oh well, there's no way around it.  I'll just have to try and make this as painless as possible, though goodness knows he doesn't deserve it.

"Let's start with the obvious problem," I said. "If your theory is correct, then Lyra's note doesn't make sense."

"It's a better explanation than some mad conspiracy theory," said Star Maker bluntly.

"That's not what I'm referring to, but it's good to know that you're keeping an open mind," I said dryly. "Now then, let me ask you something about the note.  Who was it addressed to?"

Star Maker raised his shades. "Addressed to?" he parroted. "It wasn't addressed to anypony."

"Exactly," I said. "Now, if Symphony was indeed the kidnapper, wouldn't the note be addressed to somepony specifically?  Say, Slick Licks, the organizer of this event?"

Star Maker chuckled. "Quite shrewd, Ms. Octavia.  But I won't fall into your trap.  For you see, the note wasn't written by Ms. Heartstrings, but by Ms. Symphony.  She was trying to cover her tracks."

"That's a bold claim, Mr. Maker.  Can you prove it?"

"No, but you can't disprove it, either."

Is he— Is he being serious right now?  Does he really not understand how this works?  Ugh, my head.

"It doesn't matter if I can disprove it or not," I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "You made the claim, ergo the burden of proof is on you.  Now, can you prove that Symphony wrote the note, yes or no?"

"Well, no.  But..."

"Then your claim holds no water," I interrupted. "So, what were you saying about avoiding my trap?"

Star Maker wiped a bit of sweat off his brow. "L-look, the note is nothing but a red herring.  It must be.  There's no way Ms. Heartstrings wrote it.  What, did somepony put a knife to her throat and demand her to write it?  That only happens in crime novels."

"The truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, Mr. Maker," I said. "Besides which, that's not the only problem I have with your theory.  Not by a long shot."

Star Maker blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well, it's like this," I said. "I talked to Symphony last night as well.  She was indeed bragging about being Lyra's replacement, saying that she would trump Vinyl's set from the night before.  In fact, she had an argument about it with Slick Licks yesterday morning, so I believe that he chose her to be the replacement due to that argument."

"How does that disprove my claim?" said Star Maker. "She was obviously riled up by that quarrel, and that prompted her to kidnap Ms. Heartstrings."

"I'm not finished yet," I said, adjusting my bow-tie. "For you see, when I scolded Symphony for her insensitivity, she reacted strangely.  Do you know why?"

"Because you caught her?"

"No, because she didn't even know that Lyra had been kidnapped."

Star Maker's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?!  Th-that's impossible!"

"N-no, it's true," said Concerto. "We really didn't know what happened to Ms. Heartstrings at the time.  We only knew that she was missing."

"And how do I know you're not just lying to cover for her?!" Star Maker boomed, causing Concerto to wince.

"Hey, don't talk to Concerto that way!" Symphony yelled, looking like she was about to punch Star Maker in the nose. "Only I can do that!"

"Symphony, calm down.  I'll handle this," I said. "Now then, were you at the Bent Trumpet yesterday evening, Mr. Maker?"

"I was not," said Star Maker. "I don't usually stick around for well-known artists, for they're already stars.  I'm only interested in untapped potential.  Anyway, why do you ask?"

"Because if you were there, you would've seen Symphony jump right out of her skin when I said that Lyra was kidnapped," I said. "She actually couldn't believe it, and why would she?  It's a bizarre circumstance that only happens in a film noir.  But when faced with the truth, she left the cabaret shamed and embarrassed.  Now, if Symphony was guilty, she would've had a different reaction, don't you think?  And don't say she was faking; I think I would've been able to tell."

"B-but...  I...  She...  GAH!"

Star Maker had no rebuttal for my counter-argument.  Not that I expected him to; I managed to destroy his claims without even trying.

"So, now you see that Symphony could not possibly have kidnapped Lyra," I said. "Not only is she above such things, but she didn't even know about the kidnapping in the first place."

"H-hold on!" said Star Maker. "I-if she's not the kidnapper, then who is?  That mad killer you think is running around?  I can't ask somepony who doesn't exist to release Ms. Heartstrings!"

"I thought you said you were moving on and putting Lyra's contract on the back burner," said Vinyl. "Why are you so concerned about finding her now?"

"I-I made a mistake in saying that," said Star Maker, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Nopony else here has as much raw, untapped star power as Ms. Heartstrings.  Sh-she deserves to be a star!"

"And finally, the light is shed," I said. "You were harassing Symphony because you somehow got it into your head that she kidnapped Lyra when she clearly didn't.  You wanted to be the first to find her so that you could force her into your contract."

Star Maker sighed. "Well, you got me there.  But that doesn't change the fact that you're crazy for believing in this conspiracy nonsense.  The kidnapper has to be somepony here, not some maniac you conjured up."

"First of all, I don't know if the kidnapper and the assassin are one and the same," I said frankly. "Second, nopony here has a motive."

"Perhaps not yet," said Star Maker. "But, we need to look at the facts."

"Just so we're clear, we're looking at facts here and not more of your paranoid delusions, right?" said Vinyl.

Star Maker shot Vinyl a glare before turning back to me. "Anyway, here's what I mean..."


***
Argument: The Kidnapper Among Us
***


"From what I understand, Ms. Heartstrings was last seen in Performance Studio B, hiding from me," said Star Maker. "Now, in order to successfully abduct her, it is pertinent that one does not arouse suspicion.  Furthermore, I am the only pony here that Ms. Heartstrings wouldn't trust.  So therefore, the kidnapper is somepony Ms. Heartstrings, or in fact any of us, would not suspect.  And trying to kill everypony here for playing music is very suspicious, so any killer would've been caught by now.  Also, no one here has a motive to kill.  Thus, there's no killer."

The first part of his argument I found myself agreeing with.  Unlike before, it made logical sense; although I couldn't confirm or deny it without hearing from Lyra.  However, the second part bugged me.  For somepony claiming to see artistic potential and bring it out of anypony, Star Maker certainly lacks imagination.

"Let me just clarify something, Mr. Maker," I said. "You were not at the concert last night, correct?"

"Indeed," said Star Maker. "I was not interested in seeing ponies who have already made names for themselves."

"Well then, I wonder if you'd still make the claim that there is no killer had you been there," I said.

Star Maker raised an eyebrow. "You have my attention."

"Do you notice that Symphony has a scrape on her cheek?" I asked.

Symphony immediately tried to hide the bandage, but Star Maker was quick to catch it.

"Um, yes," he said. "What of it?"

"Do you know how she got that scratch?"

"No."

"Her violin string broke before she could play a single note, and it scratched her," I said. "And after that, just as she was about to recover, she was pushed out of the way as a sandbag fell from the rafters, threatening to injure her."

Symphony shuddered.  It seems like she didn't want to be reminded of that.

"Well, that's a simple accident," said Star Maker with a shrug. "Somepony just dropped the ball, or rather, the sandbag.  That's no reason to say that there's a killer."

"Maybe not," I said. "But there's one thing you should know.  Symphony."

Symphony looked up. "Y-yes?"

"Do you have your violin?"

Symphony folded her ears back and scrunched her eyes shut. "P-please.  I-I don't want..."

"I know it'll wound your ego, but this is important," I said firmly.

Symphony sighed and did as I requested.  She obviously didn't have time to restring it.  The broken wire was still plainly visible.

"Now then, Mr. Maker.  Do you know why violin strings break?" I inquired.

Star Maker shrugged. "I always assumed it was from winding them too tight while tuning."

"Wrong," I said, pointing to the broken string. "That would only cause the string to slip out of frame and create a tangled mess.  However, violin strings are more likely to break towards the bridge of the the instrument due to being worn down.  Now, Symphony.  Did anypony else handle your violin at any time before you went on?"

"N-no," said Symphony. "It was just me.  I like to handle that sort of thing myself."

"And was the string in good condition when you went on?"

"Of course.  I-I always treat my instrument with the utmost respect, Octavia.  You know that."

"Indeed I do," I said with a smile. "Which means that the string breaking was not just a stroke of bad luck, nor was it negligence on Symphony's part.  Somehow, and I don't know how, someone did something to cause that string to break!"

Star Maker recoiled and fumbled with his shades. "Th-that's preposterous!  Y-you're just loony!"

"I know it sounds implausible, but there's no doubt in my mind that it's true," I said. "There's another bit of proof I have to this claim."

"There's more?!"

"Yes," I said. "Because I was sitting next to Pitch Perfect during the incident.  Do you know Pitch Perfect, Mr. Maker?"

"O-of course I do," said Star Maker. "She's a harmonica player from Ponyville.  I actually would've approached her if it wasn't for the fact that she plays alongside that boorish mare Ms. Fiddlesticks.  What about her?"

"Well, her special talent is that she has a keen sense of hearing," I said. "It helps her keep perfect pitch, hence her name.  Now, before Symphony's violin string snapped, she heard something off.  She told me she couldn't put her hoof on it, and before she could elaborate, tragedy struck.  Also, she heard something again just before the sandbag fell."

"Th-that's incredibly flimsy, Ms. Octavia," said Star Maker. "You think there's a killer just because somepony 'heard' something?"

"Well, not just that," I said. "Just this morning, Fiddlesticks showed me a note threatening her to stop listening.  I'm not sure how someone was watching her, but whoever it was, they obviously knew she was onto them.  And that threat could only come from the one who means to kill us."

Star Maker couldn't respond.  He simply sputtered wildly, unable to form any sort of retort.  Finally, he slumped his shoulders and sighed.

"It seems your madness has a method to it," he said. "However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.  I can't believe any of this unless I see it for myself."

He then turned to Symphony. "That being said, I do apologize for harassing you, madam.  It seems you were innocent after all."

Symphony grunted in response.  Star Maker didn't seem to take offense.

"Now then, I must be off to seek out Ms. Heartstrings's true kidnapper," he said. "Excuse me."

With that, he marched off, muttering to himself all the while.

"Think we should've told him?" said Vinyl.

"He doesn't deserve to know," I said bluntly. "Lyra's been through enough.  We should give her a break."

"Um, what are you talking about?" asked Concerto.

"Lyra's back," said Vinyl. "She's sitting outside with Bon-Bon.  We don't know how or why, but we're grateful all the same."

Symphony heaved a great sigh. "I'm, glad to hear she's okay," she said. "All this talk about killers and kidnappers, well, it got me worried."

After a pause, she hid her face again. "S-stop looking at me.  Especially you, Scratch!  I know you want to gloat!"

"Symphony, even I wouldn't cross that line," said Vinyl sincerely. "I'm sorry about what happened to you.  Octy and I are doing our best to find the bastard behind all this, so I'll give him one extra punch to the gut for you."

Symphony sniffled. "D-don't do me any favors," she said before running off.  Concerto sighed.

"On behalf of Symphony, I want to thank you for your help," he said. "She's actually really grateful, but..."

"She's too proud to say it.  I know," I said. "Let her know that if she needs somepony to talk to other than you, I'm available."

"I will," said Concerto with a bow. "Thank you again."

With that, he took off after his partner.

"Well, that was fun," said Vinyl. "What's next, Tavi?"

"Fiddlesticks said she'll be looking into what happened last night," I said. "In the meantime, we should probably talk to Pitch Perfect."

"To offer moral support, or ask her questions?" asked Vinyl.

I sighed.  That was a good point.  Fiddlesticks herself didn't know how Pitch would react to all this.  It was possible that she was despondent or hysterical, and thus unable to answer any questions we may have.

"Hopefully the latter," I said as we walked over to the elevators. "But if it's the former, then there's not much we can do."

"Well, it may not be much, but at least we'll be doing something," said Vinyl. "That's what counts."

I gave Vinyl a weak smile. "I suppose I can't argue with that," I said. "Though I almost wonder how you're so optimistic at a time like this."

"Why, it's elementary, my dear Octy," said Vinyl with a wink. "Somepony has to be."

Alright, as ridiculous as that was, it did get a bit of a chuckle out of me. "Touché, Vinyl Scratch," I said just as the elevator arrived. "Touché."