//------------------------------//
// Music in the Skyscrapers (O) 
// Story: My Little Investigations: Marehunter 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


December 14, 10:18 AM
Manehattan
Grand Centrot Station
***


"Grand Centrot Station!  Watch your step!"

As we disembarked from the train, I couldn't help but feel a slight wave of nostalgia.  I've mentioned this in a few interviews, but for those who don't know, I was born in Manehattan.  I spent a good deal of my childhood taking in all the sights and sounds of this fine city; especially the sounds.  However, we were not here for a trip down memory lane.  We had important work to do.

"Alright, Octy.  We're here," said Vinyl. "So, what's our first move?"

I gave Vinyl a quizzical look. "Um, why are you asking me?"

"Well, I figured since you were the head detective last time, it would be fitting for you to take charge this time, too," said Vinyl with a shrug. "That is, if it's okay with you two."

"Oh, I don't have any objections," said Fluttershy meekly. "I mean, if it's okay with everypony else."

"It's fine by me, I suppose," said Rarity thoughtfully as she knitted her brow. "While I did design Mare-Do-Well's costume, I didn't get the chance to meet her the way you have, Ms. Octavia."

I tilted my head. "Are you two sure you don't want to take charge?  After all, you both serve on Princess Twilight's Royal Cabinet.  Surely, you have much more authority than I do."

"If I recall correctly, that wasn't really a factor last time," said Vinyl.

"Well, it might be one this time," I said. "Besides, I'm not really a great detective."

Vinyl snickered and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?  Tell that to everypony you saved at the Manehattan Music Festival."

"Most of that was just luck, Vinyl.  I had no idea what I was doing."

"Sounds like somepony is being too modest.  Again."

"I'm serious, Vinyl.  I really don't think I'm the most qualified for this job."

"Why'd you come with us then, hmm?"

"You know very well why!"

"Hehaha.  You are so cute when you get mad."

"Vinyl~!"

"Both of you, stop," said Fluttershy firmly, flying between us. "We're not going to get anything done by arguing."

"Good point," said Vinyl. "All in favor of Octy taking charge, say aye.  Aye."

"Aye."

"Um, aye, I guess."

"There you have it, Tavi.  Majority rules," said Vinyl, flashing me a smarmy grin.

Ugh, shazbot.  I was really hoping I'd never have to go through this bollocks again, but it looks like I have no choice.  Don't get me wrong; I want to help Mare-Do-Well and all.  But I honestly would've been more comfortable if somepony else was taking the reins this time around.  Oh well.  I guess I'll have to live with it.

"Alright, fine," I conceded. "But I'm really counting on you three to support me."

"That goes without saying, Tavi," said Vinyl, patting me on the shoulder. "We're here for you through thick and thin."

"Indeed, darling," Rarity added. "This is not a task one can handle alone."

"I'm well aware of that," I said with a sigh. "I just hope it's not as bad as last time."

"We're all with you there, Tavi," said Vinyl. "So, what's the plan?"

I furrowed my brow. "I must confess, I'm not entirely sure," I said. "The note said that Mare-Do-Well's doppelgänger might be somewhere in the city, but it didn't specify where.  It just said 'Manehattan.'"

"Yeah, not a lot to go on," mused Vinyl. "You'd think she'd be a bit more specific.  I mean, Manehattan's a pretty big place.  She could be anywhere."

"My point exactly," I said. "Meaning we're going to need some way to narrow down our search."

"Hmm," hummed Rarity, tapping her chin.  After a brief pause, her face lit up. "Ooh~!  Idea~!"

"Did you figure something out, Rarity?" asked Fluttershy.

"Remember what Twilight said last night," said Rarity. "She believes that this mystery might be connected to the previous cases Mare-Do-Well played a part in.  Ergo, a good place to start is where the Manehattan Music Festival was hosted back in April."

"Unless the faker knows that we know about that and decided to hide somewhere else," said Vinyl.

"Wait, what?" said Fluttershy, rubbing the side of her head. "How would she know that we're coming?"

"No idea," said Vinyl with a shrug.

I smacked my forehead. "Vinyl, this really isn't the time to be joking around."

"Hey, that was only a semi-joke."

What does that even—?  You know what?  Sod it.  Even when Vinyl Scratch takes things seriously, she doesn't take things seriously (if, that makes any sense).  It would be useless to argue semantics with her.

"Never mind," I sighed. "Look, the point is that we have a good lead, so we might as well pay a visit to Lincolt Center and check it out."

Rarity stopped in her tracks just as we were about to leave the station. "Um, just a moment, darling.  Did you say, Lincolt Center?"

"Yes.  That's where the Manehattan Music Festival was hosted this year," I said. "Why?"

Rarity's eyes went wide, and her breathing became erratic. "Oh no.  Oh no oh no oh no!  Of all the worst things that can happen, this is..."

"Rarity!" Fluttershy hissed, placing a hoof over Rarity's mouth. "Not here!"

While this was going on, I noticed that we were getting odd looks from several ponies.  I don't know what would've happened had Fluttershy not intervened, and honestly, I'm not going to ask.  After Rarity had taken a few deep breaths to calm herself, Fluttershy released her.

"Th-thank you, Fluttershy," panted Rarity, still sounding like she was hyperventilating. "I-I know it's very unladylike for me to make a scene, b-but th-this is simply terrible!"

"Why?  What's wrong?" asked Fluttershy.

"Th-the Ponytones *phoo phoo phoo* and Sapphire Shores are *phoo phoo phoo* having a concert *phoo phoo phoo* at the Bent Trumpet *phoo phoo phoo* this afternoon!"

I gasped.  No wonder Rarity was so bent out of shape.  In fact, I can't help but empathize with her.

"The Bent Trumpet?" said Fluttershy, sounding puzzled. "Rarity, what does that have to do with Lincolt Center?"

"The Bent Trumpet is cabaret restaurant that's part of Lincolt Center," I said darkly. "Meaning if Mare-Do-Well's impostor is there, Sapphire Shores and the Ponytones could very well be in danger."

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she placed both hooves to her mouth. "Oh my," she squeaked. "Th-that is terrible!  We have to hurry!"

"Agreed," I said, rushing down the steps and straight to the curb of the sidewalk. "Taxi!"

Luckily, we managed to flag down a cab just as he was about to leave.  We all piled into the rather small carriage, with Rarity hyperventilating the whole time.

"Is, she gonna be okay?" asked the driver.

"I do apologize; we're in a bit of a rush," I said. "Take us to Coltlumbus Circle, as fast as you can."

With a shrug, the driver took off.

"It's okay, Rarity," Fluttershy cooed, delicately holding Rarity's hoof. "It'll be fine.  Just take deep breaths."

Actually, that's not a bad idea.  After all, I'm starting to really get bad sense of déjà vu.  Maybe it's the worrywart in me talking, but this is starting to feel like the Manehattan Music Festival all over again.  And if that's the case, Celestia help us all.


***
December 14, 10:37 AM
Manehattan
Coltlumbus Circle
***


By the time we arrived at our destination, Rarity managed to calm down a little.  At the very least, she had enough composure to leave the cab driver a very generous tip as we climbed out of his carriage.

"Right, let's not waste any more time," she said. "We should get in and find that impostor before she hurts anypony."

"Yeah, uh, quick question.  How're we gonna do that?" said Vinyl. "We don't have any tickets or backstage passes to this concert, and I'm not seeing any scalpers around."

I hate to say it, but Vinyl's right.  Lincolt Center by in large is open to the public, but there's no way we're going to get into the performance spaces without tickets.  What's more, that's where Mare-Do-Well's impostor is most likely to strike.  This is a fine kettle of fish indeed.

"Melody?"

As I pondered what to do next, I heard a voice call out to me.  Looking up, I saw that a black unicorn stallion wearing an orange headset was waving to me.  I recognized him right away.  It was Mike Check; a pony who claims to be one of the best roadies in Equestria.  Curious, I waved back.  In response, he approached us.

"Been a long time, Melody," he said with a chuckle.

"Yes, it certainly has," I said. "Oh, I should probably introduce you.  Mr. Check, these here are Ms. Rarity and Ms. Fluttershy.  Ms. Rarity, Ms. Fluttershy.  This is..."

"Hang on, hang on," Mike interrupted, raising his hoof and arching an eyebrow. "Rarity?  Aren't you with the Ponytones?  Sapphire told me you wouldn't be able to make it today."

Well, this got awkward in a hurry.  Rarity's eyes darted all around as her face turned bright crimson.

"W-well, um, yes.  I, did say that," she said sheepishly. "I-it's, complicated.  I really don't want to talk about it."

Mike tilted his head. "Well, now I'm confused.  Are you performing or aren't ya?"

"Well, no," said Rarity, clearing her throat. "I have, other matters to attend to.  Important, matters."

"Uh-huh," said Mike, sounding rather skeptical. "Well, it's probably none of my business.  Just know that if Sapphire sees you, I'm not getting involved."

"That shouldn't be a problem," I said, deciding to change the subject. "Anyway, as I was saying, this here is Mike Check.  He's a roadie."

"Not just any old roadie, Melody.  One of the best," Mike gushed.

"Mmm.  You don't say," said Rarity, stroking her chin. "I take it you were hired to assist with today's performance?"

"You know it," said Mike. "Truth be told, I don't usually take jobs like this.  It's a very simple setup; not a lot of challenge to it.  But I wanted to give my new assistant something small to sink her teeth into."

"New assistant?" parroted Vinyl. "Anypony we know?"

"Probably not," said Mike. "Here, I'll introduce you."  He then turned his head. "Yo, Babs!  Get your flank over here!"

In a few moments, I managed to see a small brown Earth Pony filly with a short bushy tail, a red combover for a mane, and freckles walk up to us.  She was carrying a small black saddlebag and had a small headset of her own.

"This here is Babs Seed," said Mike. "She just started volunteering for me yesterday.  She's a bit shy."

"Uh, hey," said the filly, blowing back her combover.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Mike?  Don't you think she's a bit young to be working for you like this?  I mean, she doesn't even have her Cutie Mark yet."

"Vinyl, she's right there," I scolded.  Sure enough, Babs was blushing and trying to hide her bare flank with her tail.

"Aw, geeze.  Sorry, kiddo," said Vinyl, brushing the back of her head. "Didn't mean to insult you like that."

"Nah, it's fine," said Babs, blowing back her combover. "That's why I'm doin' this job in the first place.  I'm gonna earn my Cutie Mark in bein' a roadie!"

"Something about that sounds awfully familiar," Fluttershy mused.

"It should," said Rarity with a slight chuckle as she gave Babs a warm smile. "I remember Sweetie Belle telling me a lot about you, Babs Seed.  I take it you're crusading for your Cutie Mark as well."

"Um, yeah," said Babs. "I'm guessin' you're Rarity?  Sweetie Belle told me a lot about you, too."

Rarity tilted her head. "She did?  Odd.  She said she hasn't seen you in quite some time."

"I actually heard that she's performing with the Ponytones today from Mr. Check," said Babs, grinning from ear to ear. "Once I knew that, I just had to head on over to her hotel and catch up."

"It's all she's been talking about for a while now," added Mike. "She's pretty excited about this concert."

"I'm sure a lot of ponies are," said Vinyl. "After all, we've got Sapphire Shores as the headliner, and this is gonna be the Ponytones' first performance outside of Ponyville.  It's a pretty big whoop."

"It sure is," said Mike, giving Babs a stern look. "Which is why it's very important for you to keep your head in the game.  You're not gonna be earning any Cutie Marks for slacking, got it?"

Babs flinched. "G-got it," she murmured.

I can't help but think we're getting a bit off-track.  We should get back to figuring out what we're going to do to get into the performance area.

"Well, it was nice meeting you again, Mr. Check," I said with a nod. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my friends and I have to..."

Wait a tick.  As I recall, Mike Check was also involved in this year's Manehattan Music Festival fiasco.  He was hired as a roadie then, too, and he actually was a great boon to the investigation.  Maybe he'll be willing to help us again.  I can't hurt to try.

"Actually, I have a favor to ask you, Mr. Check," I said. "It's rather important."

"Important?" parroted Mike. "What're you talking about, Melody?"

"Do you remember what happened at the Manehattan Music Festival this year?"

"Kinda hard to forget something like that.  What about it?"

"I think something similar is going to happen again," I whispered. "It's a long story, but we're actually under orders from Princess Twilight Sparkle to investigate.  If you can get us in, we'll tell you the full story."

Mike's brow furrowed. "You sure about this, Melody?  I mean, I know you kinda had a knack for this back during the festival, but that was a while ago."

"Trust me, Mr. Check.  I wouldn't lie about something of this magnitude," I said earnestly.

Mike placed a hoof to his muzzle and thought about it for a while.  Finally, he tapped his headset.

"Yo, Lockdown.  We're gonna have a few ponies joinin' us backstage," he said. "They go by the names of Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, Rarity, and Fluttershy.  They're here on important business, so let them do their thing."

"Thank you ever so much, Mr. Check," I said with a bow. "I don't know how to repay you."

"Don't bother, Melody.  As a roadie, it's my job to make sure the performance goes off without a hitch," said Mike. "Take note of that, Babs."

"You got it," said Babs, blowing back her combover.

"Good," said Mike, giving her a firm nod. "Now go get that equipment upstairs so we can start setting up.  Chop chop!"

"On it!" said Babs, and with that, she was off like a shot.  Mike sniggered.

"She's got a lot of spunk.  I'll give her that," he said before sobering up. "Alright, Melody.  Talk to me.  What exactly are we dealing with here?"

I nodded. "Well, it's like this..."

I proceeded to explain everything to Mike Check as we went inside.  I assume he sent Babs on ahead so that she didn't overhear us talking.  I don't blame him.  This kind of thing is far too heavy for a young filly like her to handle.

...

It just hit me.  There are children involved in this.  It's bad enough that there's a madmare trying to besmirch Mare-Do-Well's good name on the loose, but now there's also the risk of little children getting caught in the crossfire.  Ugh, we only just got here, and already my stomach is tying itself into knots.  But, just like last time, I can't give way to fear.  If anything, that fear is only going to motivate me to catch this doppelgänger before she can do any serious damage.  It will not be easy, though.  Oh Celestia, give me strength...