April 11, 9:37 AM
Lincolt Center
Main Floor
***
"Are you sure you're okay, kitten? You took a pretty nasty hit last night."
"I assure you, Slick. I'm perfectly fine."
Well, this is a surprise. Not that I'm walking into another debate (I notice that I've been doing that a lot lately), but the fact that it was between Slick Licks and Sapphire Shores. It seems that Fiddlesticks was correct: Sapphire was alright. It still doesn't make a lick of sense, but at least it saves me the trouble of tracking her down. I walked up to her and cleared my throat.
"Good morning," I said pleasantly. "I do apologize if I'm interrupting something."
"Mmm? Oh, it's fine, Tavi-doll," said Sapphire. Although she still had a good amount of cheer in her voice, it was a lot more subdued than normal. That makes sense, I suppose. One does not simply bounce back from an assassination attempt as if it were just a minor inconvenience.
"I'm actually surprised to see you here, Ms. Shores," said Frederick. "I thought you would be recovering in the hospital."
Sapphire didn't correct him about the formality (again, it makes sense, considering what she's been through). Instead, she sighed.
"Yeah, well. As I've been telling Slick here, I'm still kicking," she said. "I don't know how, but hey, I'm not complaining."
"Y-you don't know how?" parroted Beauty Brass.
Sapphire's face darkened. "Don't go spreading this around, but when I was struck by, whatever that was, I thought I was gonna die."
The way she said that caused my heart to skip a beat. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain Sapphire was in when she was attacked. And honestly, I'm afraid to try.
"Well, it's a good thing that you didn't die, then," said Frederick. "But it still begs the question of how you're well enough to be walking around now."
"I'm not sure she is," said Slick Licks, raising an eyebrow. "I think she's just trying to put on a brave face. While I like a feisty kitten as much as the next pony, you can't hide your pain behind a mask."
"Trust me, Slick. If I really was hurt, I wouldn't be here right now," said Sapphire.
I feel like we're going around in circles at this point. I need a bit more information from Sapphire.
"What did the doctors say?" I inquired.
"The doctors? Oh, they said I'm fine," said Sapphire. "They saw some minor bruising in my side, but otherwise, I'm a picture of health. I even have a doctor's note."
She took out a small letter and gave it to me. Indeed, the note said she was healthy. While I'm happy about this (ecstatic, even), something still seems off.
"Did anything, peculiar happen at the hospital?" I asked.
Sapphire stroked her chin in thought. "Hmm. I'm not sure. Nothing really sticks out in my mind. Then again, everything about that whole mess is a bit fuzzy."
I imagine it would be. Meaning this wasn't really getting me anywhere. Nevertheless, I had to keep pressing her. Call it mare's intuition, but I think unraveling the secret behind Sapphire's miraculous recovery might hold the key to solving this mystery.
"Anything you can recall will help, Sapphire," I said.
Sapphire furrowed her brow and continued stroking her chin. There was a heavy silence as she kept thinking and thinking. Finally, her face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree.
"Wait, there is one thing," she said.
"And that is?"
"I vaguely remember singing that spell Pan taught me from his Music Code," Sapphire mused. "I'm not sure why; I guess I just thought it would make me feel better."
Eureka. That's exactly the connection I needed. Sorry, Silenus, but Sapphire has a right to know about what's been going on.
"Sapphire, I think I know why you were able to recover so quickly," said I.
"Really?" said Sapphire. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, Tavi-doll. What's your theory?"
"I think that the spell Pan taught you was a healing spell," I said.
Sapphire's eyes went wide. "A what?!"
"This is just an educated guess, but it's come to my attention that Pan knew about these attacks ahead of time," I said. "The killer, for one reason or another, is after his Music Code."
"Well, that's good and all, kitten, but you're forgetting something," said Slick Licks. "Sapphire here's an Earth Pony. She can't do magic."
"Regardless, Pan taught her that spell for a reason," I said. "I don't claim to be an expert on Pan's Music Code, but I think the key to casting spells in the music, not the caster's magical ability or lack thereof."
"Really now. Do you have some proof of that, kitten?" asked Slick Licks.
"As a matter of fact, I do," I said, taking out the encrypted letter. "I found this last night while looking for Beauty Brass."
Slick Licks took the note and looked it over. "It's just a bunch of notes," said he.
"Sing them," I said.
Slick Licks shrugged and took out his clarinet. He played the notes on the paper, and just like that, the notes transformed into Pan's message. Slick Licks stared at the note in awe.
"Well I'll be," he said. "Looks like you're onto something here, kitten."
"There's something I still don't get," said Sapphire. "Why did Pan have to teach me the spell? Why couldn't he just do it himself? Heck, why didn't he just use his magic to put a stop to all of this?"
"I don't think it's that easy, Sapphie."
I looked up to see that Vinyl had decided to make her way into our conversation. She was accompanied by Fiddlesticks, Kazooie, and Pitch Perfect. Just as Fiddlesticks said, Pitch's ears were bandaged up.
"How long were you standing there, Ms. Scratch?" asked Frederick.
"Actually, I just got here," said Vinyl with a shrug. "But I do think Sapphie is missing something important."
"What's that, Vinyl?" asked Sapphire.
"When you're a unicorn, you learn pretty quickly that magic has restrictions," said Vinyl. "You can't just cast a spell and make whatever you want to happen happen. Even baby unicorns with all their magic surges don't have that kind of power. And I'll bet you anything that the same goes for Pan's Music Code."
"So, it's not that he didn't want to do it, but that he couldn't?" asked Sapphire. "Why?"
Vinyl shrugged. "You tell me; he taught you the spell."
"Well, whatever the case, Pan clearly has most of the answers, if not all of them," I said. "Which means our next move is..."
"Slick!"
My train of thought was derailed by Mike Check, who barged into our conversation. He seemed to be out of breath.
"Mike? What're you doing here?" asked Slick Licks. "Shouldn't you be investigating the theater?"
"Sorry, Slick," said Mike. "I would've radioed you, but there's a bit of a problem."
"What, kind of problem?"
Mike used his magic and produced a transmitter similar to the one found in Vinyl's subwoofer. "This dock-hole's not bucking around. When I found this baby wedged between the floorboards onstage, it let loose a hypersonic pulse that damaged our headsets. This thing is a lot more powerful than the one before."
Wait a tick. There's another connection here. "Fiddlesticks, can Pitch Perfect hear sounds played at a hypersonic frequency?"
"If she can, it wouldn't surprise me," said Fiddlesticks with a shrug. "All Ah know is until that big boom occurred, Ah didn't hear a thing."
"Neither did I," added Kazooie. "That first bit must've been something only Pitch could hear."
"Truth be told, I'm glad nopony else could hear it," said Pitch with a sigh. "That, thing, was probably the worst sound I have ever heard."
It seems the killer was intent on getting rid of Pitch. This transmitter was tailor-made for her.
"Mr. Check, do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?" I inquired.
"Not at all, Melody," said Mike with a smirk. "Celestia knows you usually have something smart to say."
I couldn't help but blush a little. Honestly, I'm really not a good detective, so why does everypony treat me like I am?! Ugh, sod it. I suppose it doesn't really matter.
"Right," I said, clearing my throat. "Anyway, what about the weapon used to attack Sapphire? Have you found that yet?"
"Nope," said Mike with a shake of his head. "My boys haven't found anything, either, and we've gone over the entire theater at least twice."
"I see," said I. "Also, did you manage to get a hold of the security footage?"
"I keep asking Point about it, but he never gets back to me," said Mike with a shrug. "It's getting a bit irritating."
"What do you mean he doesn't get back to you?" asked Slick Licks.
"Just what I said," said Mike with a snort. "He doesn't outright tell me 'no,' but he hasn't given me permission, either. It's like he's ignoring me."
Slick Licks sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what to do with that guy. I have half a mind to tell Management to send him packing. Military experience my flank."
Hmm. I think everything is starting to fall into place. I have to get a few facts straight, but I do believe the conclusion to this nightmare is not that far off.
"Mr. Licks, may I make a request?" I inquired.
"Um, sure," said Slick Licks. "What is it, kitten?"
"Have everypony gather in the theater by ten thirty," I said.
"Ooh~. The classic whodunnit showdown," said Vinyl with a sly smirk. "Nice one, Tavi."
I rolled my eyes. "Vinyl, I'm begging you at this point. Can't you take this seriously?"
"Who says I haven't been?" said Vinyl. "But just because I'm taking it seriously doesn't mean I have to get rid of my sense of humor."
Okay, that was a good point, considering her positive attitude is part of what kept me going in this whole bloody mess.
"Touché," I said, clearing my throat. "Anyway, do you think you can do that, Mr. Licks?"
"Yeah, no problem," said Slick Licks. "But are you sure you know what you're doing, kitten?"
"Not entirely," I admitted. "Nevertheless, it's time to put a stop to this madness once and for all."