My Little Investigations: Marehunter

by Metool Bard

Awkward Darkness (O)

"Hmm. That's, quite a story, Melody," Mike Check said after I finished explaining everything to him. "I'll be sure to run all this by Lockdown, and I'll tell Babs to keep her eyes open. If this phony Mare-Do-Well is here in Lincolt Center, she won't be ruining this concert."

I gave Mike a quizzical look. "I'm honestly surprised you're taking this so well."

Mike chuckled. "After what happened at the Manehattan Music Festival, I've discovered that even the most far-fetched stories can be true," said he. "You're the one who taught me that, if I recall correctly."

"Well, I'm just glad you're on board with us, Mike," said Vinyl. "So, what now? You think we should warn Sapphie about what's going down?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Ms. Scratch," said Rarity. "We wouldn't want to spook her or cause her undue stress. That's the last thing any performer needs."

"Besides, we wouldn't be able to talk to her even if we wanted to," Mike added. "Lockdown doesn't let just anypony see Sapphire Shores."

"Um, I've been meaning to ask. Who's Lockdown?" inquired Fluttershy.

"Sapphire Shores's personal bodyguard," explained Mike. "The guy's a real hard-dock who doesn't answer to anypony other than Sapphire herself. While he knows you guys are investigating, he's not gonna let you see her unless she says so. And don't try pressing the issue; he really doesn't like that."

"So, he's not gonna care that we're under orders from the Princess of Friendship," said Vinyl.

Mike snickered. "Scratch, he wouldn't care if you were under orders from all four alicorn princesses plus the queen of Prance. Like I said, he only answers to Sapphire."

Vinyl drew in a sharp breath through her teeth. "This guy's just gonna be loads of fun to talk to; I can tell."

"I must agree; it's quite odd that he thinks Sapphire Shores has more authority than anypony else," I said with a shrug. "Then again, he is her bodyguard. Her safety must be his top priority."

"That must be the case," said Fluttershy. "I suppose we won't be telling the Ponytones, either."

"Tell us what?"

Well, that was quick. Fluttershy merely had to mention the Ponytones, and lo, they did appear. It should be noted that as a music connoisseur myself, I am quite familiar with this a cappella group that has been making waves in Ponyville. Although strangely enough, from what I read about the group, their musical background is rather limited. The tenor, Toe-Tapper, owns a music shop that specializes in jazz; and the mezzo-soprano, Torch Song, is a freelance music journalist. The only other experience worth mentioning is their soprano, Rarity, who knows a thing or two about the performing arts being a famous fashion designer and all. Otherwise, this is pretty much this group's first foray into the music world. Their bass vocalist, Big Macintosh, is actually an apple farmer of all things. Yet every music critic I've come across says they're sensational. I haven't actually heard them myself, and truth be told, I kind of want to.

"Oh. Um, nothing," whimpered Fluttershy, hiding her face behind her bangs.

"Wait a minute. What're you doing here, Rarity?" said Toe-Tapper, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you wouldn't be able to make it today?"

"It's, complicated," said Rarity, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "All I can say is that we're here on important business, and that I still won't be able to perform."

"Important business, huh?" said Torch Song, sounding rather skeptical. "You know better than to lie to us, Rarity."

"Trust me, Torch Song. I wouldn't lie about this," Rarity said firmly. "You guys have to believe me here."

"Rarity, relax. We're not mad at you," said Toe-Tapper. "We know full well why you're here."

Rarity blinked. "Y-you do?"

"You're worried about Sweetie Belle, aren't you?"

Rarity blushed. "That's, I, um..."

Torch Song let out a hearty chuckle. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, Rare. Sweetie Belle was plenty nervous on the way up here. I'm sure she'd love to see you supporting her like this. Isn't that right, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh with a nod.

"Well, I'll admit that I, am quite worried about Sweetie Belle," said Rarity, twiddling her hooves. "However, it's not really for the reasons you're thinking of. I-I'm not at liberty to say any more than that."

The other Ponytones looked at each other and smirked. They clearly weren't believing a word she was saying. I suppose it doesn't matter much, seeing as they weren't asking any truly compromising questions. As much as I sympathize with Rarity, I believe she can suffer a little embarrassment if it means we get to keep our cover.

"Whatever you say, Rare," said Torch Song with a warm smile. She then noticed me and Vinyl and whistled. "Wow. I didn't know you two were coming to hear us, too."

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss it for the world, Torchy," said Vinyl with a laugh. "Now you'll know what it's like to be on the receiving end of the press for a change."

Torch Song's smile faded as she narrowed her eyes. "And what's wrong with the press, huh?"

"Oh, nothing," said Vinyl, casting her gaze upward.

I think we all knew full well what Vinyl was referring to. But since it's Vinyl, I decided to change the subject before things became even more awkward.

"So, where's your soprano, anyway?" I asked. "Ms. Rarity said something about her little sister taking her place."

"Oh, she's not here," said Toe-Tapper sheepishly. "We, actually don't know where she is right now."

My eyes widened. "You don't?"

"Nope," said Big Macintosh with a shake of his head.

Mike checked his watch. "Well, you guys aren't on until twelve-thirty. We've got some time to look for her." He then tapped his headset. "Yo, Babs. Be on the lookout for your friend Sweetie Belle, a'ight? The Ponytones are missing their soprano."

My brow furrowed. I'm sure the poor filly just has stage fright, but it's not safe for her to be running around unsupervised. Especially not when you consider the faux Mare-Do-Well might be lurking around the corner.

"Actually, we'd be more than happy to help you look," I said. "When did you last see her?"

"At the hotel," said Toe-Tapper. "In the lobby, we bumped into her parents, and they said they wanted a moment to congratulate her. They told us they'd bring her here to Lincolt Center, but we haven't seen them yet."

"I think I can hazard a guess as to why," said Rarity with an exasperated sigh. "I love my mother and father and all, but this is their first time in Manehattan. They probably went sightseeing with Sweetie Belle and forgot that performers are expected to come early to their performances, not just on time."

That certainly sounds like an innocent enough explanation, but the worrywart in me is already dreaming up the worst-case scenario. I know that sounds incredibly paranoid, but I can't help it. It's in my nature to worry.

"Did they specify where they would meet you?" I asked.

"We agreed to meet here in Lincolt Center; just outside the Bent Trumpet," said Torch Song, brushing her braided lock out of her eyes.

"And, they know how to get here, right?" said Vinyl.

"Well, they had a map when we saw them," Toe-Tapper replied, tapping his muzzle thoughtfully. "Plus, we already went over the directions with Sweetie Belle, so she can lead the way if they get lost."

"So, I guess we're just waiting for them to show up, huh?" said Mike.

"It sure looks like it," said Torch Song with a sigh. "Although they seem to be taking their sweet time. I hope we don't have to wait on them for too long."

"Rarity?"

An unfamiliar voice made itself known. As I turned to see who it was, I noticed that Rarity's eyes were nearly popping out of her skull. Standing before us were two middle-aged unicorns, a stallion and a mare. The stallion was a large fellow with a white coat, a bushy brown mustache, and three footballs for a Cutie Mark. He was wearing a tropical shirt and a large straw hat. The mare was a matronly pink pony with a purple mane done up in a beehive hairdo. Her attire consisted of a red shirt, bellbottoms, and a visor cap. Judging by Rarity's reaction, I'm guessing her parents have arrived.

"F-father? M-mother?" Rarity stammered.

"Why so shocked?" asked Rarity's mother with a hearty chuckle. "You knew we were coming to see the Ponytones today, didn't you?"

"In fact, we're more surprised to see you here," said Rarity's father. "Didn't you say you weren't going to make it?"

"I, um, er..."

Rarity tried to form a coherent sentence, but all that came out was incoherent gibberish.

"Hey, we were just talking about you two," Vinyl laughed.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

"What took you guys so long, Mrs. Crumbles?" inquired Toe-Tapper.

"Oh, well, after we left the hotel, Magnum and I wanted to do some souvenir shopping with Sweetie," said Rarity's mother. "I'm afraid we might've lost track of the time, though."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," said Rarity's father with a tip of his hat. "We really wanted to find something for our little girl to show her how proud we are."

It seems Rarity's hypothesis was completely accurate after all. Thank Celestia for small favors.

"So, Rarity. What exactly are you doing here again?" asked Rarity's mother.

"Um, I'm actually here on i-important business," said Rarity, trying to regain her composure.

"That's what she's calling it, anyway," said Toe-Tapper with a knowing grin.

Alright, I think that's enough of that. Since I live with Vinyl, I know all too well how it feels to be publicly humiliated like this. I believe Rarity here has suffered enough.

"Well, it's nice to see that you support your daughter in her artistic endeavors," I said. "I'm sure the Ponytones will be just as sensational as the critics claim, Mrs. Crumbles, was it?"

"Yeah, you got it," said Rarity's mother, giving my hoof a friendly shake. "I'm Cookie Crumbles, and this here is my husband, Hondo Flanks."

"Please, call me Magnum. Everypony else does," said Rarity's father, shaking my other hoof. "And you are?"

"Octavia Melody," I said. "I play the cello for the Canterlot Ensemble."

Magnum's eyes went wide. "Hey, I thought you sounded familiar! You're on that talk show on K-COLT Radio! Sweetie listens to your stuff all the time!"

"It appears your reputation precedes you, Octy," said Vinyl.

"Oh, really? I haven't noticed," I said, rolling my eyes.

Vinyl laughed. "Always such a kidder," she said, walking up to Rarity's parents. "So, where's the star of the hour, anyway? The Ponytones here say that you came here with her."

Rarity's parents looked at each other before turning back to us. I can't help but get a bad feeling about this.

"We thought she was with you," said Cookie Crumbles.

Oh, great. This is going to be one of those situations, isn't it? Ugh, bollocks.

"Wait, wait. Time out," said Mike, gesturing with his hooves. "The Ponytones said that you two were bringing her here. How could you think she was with us?"

"Well, when we got here, we ran into Sapphire Shores," said Magnum. "Sweetie said she wanted to talk to her for a bit, so we let her go on ahead. We just got done checking out the amazing department stores you've got here."

Hmm. There's nothing too out of the ordinary about that. I'm guessing Sweetie Belle's still nervous about her performance, so it's only natural that she'd want to get some pointers from a veteran. What's more, Sapphire Shores is a rather casual pony for somepony of her fame. She'd certainly allow something like this.

"Well, looks like that's all cleared up then," said Mike. "Now we just need to..."

He trailed off and raised his hoof. "Ugh, what now?" he groaned, tapping his headset. "Talk to me. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Babs, I already told you; you can't reason with... Wait, what're you...? Hold on, Babs. I'll be right over. Don't do anything until I get there."

He then tapped his headset off and sighed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Babs is butting heads with Lockdown over seeing Sapphire Shores," said Mike.

"Wait, what?" I said, tilting my head. "But why?"

"Heck if I know," Mike growled. "All I got out of Babs was that it's apparently an emergency. Whatever the case may be, I'm gonna go sort it out."

Yes, that's not ominous or anything, now is it? Again, it's very likely that Babs is just crying wolf, but I don't want to take that chance.

"We should come with you," I said. "Just in case."

"Fine by me," said Mike with a shrug. "C'mon, let's go. Sapphire should be in one of the performance studios."

Rarity sighed. "I'm terribly sorry about this, Mother and Father, but duty calls." She then gave them both a peck on the cheek. "We'll talk later."

"Wait, I thought you were just here for Sweetie Belle," said Torch Song, raising an eyebrow. "Rarity, what's going on?"

"No time to explain, Torchy," said Vinyl. "We must be off, for the game is afoot!"

Ugh~. She just had to say it, didn't she? Well, of course she did. It wouldn't be Vinyl if she wasn't completely tactless about everything.

"Let's just go," I said as we took off after Mike Check, leaving several baffled ponies behind.

"I'm telling ya, man! You gotta let me in!"

"Kid, ain't nobody gonna disturb Ms. Sapphire. I don't care what you say."

I have to say, I'm very surprised by how courageous Babs Seed is. When we arrived on the scene, she was arguing with a bulky grey stallion nearly five times her size with a goatee and no mane to speak of. He wore a fancy black suit with a blue tie, a pair of heavily-tinted shades, and an earpiece in his right ear. His Cutie Mark depicted a golden padlock, making me think that this was Lockdown.

"Alright, you two. Break it up," said Mike sternly, standing between the two ponies. "What's going on here?"

"Mr. Check, Sapphire and Sweetie Belle are in danger!" yelled Babs. "But this big ugly galoot won't let me go in and check on 'em!"

"I don't know what crazy idea got into the kid's head, Mr. Check," said Lockdown gruffly. "The only ponies in that room are Ms. Sapphire and Ms. Belle. I've made sure of that."

"Mr. Check, I saw someone go into that room!" Babs insisted. "You gotta believe me!"

Mike sighed. "Babs, Lockdown's been standing here all morning. I think he would've seen someone try to sneak into the studio."

"And as I've told the kid several times now, I haven't seen anyone," said Lockdown.

Babs's eyes narrowed. "You callin' me a liar, tough guy?" she snarled, blowing back her combover.

"Ponies, please," I said. "Let's try and settle this rationally. Babs, would it make you feel better if we took a small peek inside the studio?"

Babs paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I guess," she muttered.

"Right then," I said. "We'll just take a tiny little peek, and if everything's okay, we'll say nothing more about it."

Lockdown snorted. "I don't agree to this. Ms. Sapphire cannot be disturbed."

Vinyl folded her forelegs. "Look, pal. I know Sapphie. I really doubt she's gonna fire you over something like this."

Lockdown growled. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. No one has tried to get into the performance studio since I started standing guard."

"Let's just be sure about this, alright?" said Vinyl. "If nothing else, it'll make the kid happy."

Lockdown let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine, fine. If you'll all get off my back, I'll allow this. But just this once."

He then knocked on the door. "Ms. Sapphire? You've got company."

There was no reply. Lockdown knocked again.

"Ms. Sapphire?"

Again, no answer.

"Can't ya just open it?" asked Babs.

"No can do. It's locked from the inside," said Lockdown, trying again. "Ms. Sapphire?"

Once again, not a sound came from the room. I swallowed as my heart began pounding. I've got several possible explanations for this in my mind right now. None of them are good.

"B-break down the door," said Rarity, her breathing becoming erratic.

Lockdown gave her a puzzled look. "I'm sorry?"

"Y-you heard me," said Rarity, intensity seeping into her voice as she trembled all over. "M-my little sister is in there. B-break down that d-door, now."

"Ma'am, I ask that you remain calm," said Lockdown, still as stoic as ever. "There's probably a good reason for..."

"Just do as she says," I said firmly. "Please. I have a feeling something's dreadfully wrong here."

Lockdown let out another sigh. "I don't get paid enough for this crap," he mumbled under his breath. "Alright, stand back."

We complied. Lockdown walked a few paces, turned around, and rammed the door with all his might. After a few successive rams, the door finally gave way. What lay beyond it was my worst nightmare.

Slumped against the far corner of the room was Sapphire Shores. Scuffs and bruises covered her face, and her costume was in tatters. Her body was as limp as a rag doll. A young unicorn filly was nestled against her barrel, shaking like a leaf and sobbing. Rarity gasped in horror.

"S-Sweetie Belle!" she squeaked. "Who—?! How—?! Why—?! Oooooh~."

With that, she swooned right into Fluttershy's waiting forelegs. Truth be told, I'm having difficulty maintaining my constitution myself. I-I just can't believe what I'm looking at right now.

"Th-this can't be right," sputtered Lockdown, still trying to maintain his unflappable disposition. "I-I didn't let anyone in here."

"Well, I highly doubt Sapphie did this to herself, so I don't know what to tell ya," said Vinyl with a shrug.

Fluttershy set Rarity gently to the ground and flew over to Sapphire's body. She then prodded Sweetie Belle with her hoof. "Sweetie Belle? It's me, Fluttershy. A-are you okay?"

Sweetie Belle looked up, her eyes swollen with tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but not a sound came out.

"Looks like the poor thing's still in shock," said Mike, shaking his head. "How's Sapphire?"

Fluttershy placed a hoof on Sapphire's neck and checked her pulse. "She's still breathing."

Mike sighed. "Well, that's some good news, at least. I'm gonna call an ambulance."

"R-right," said Lockdown, clearing his throat and placing a hoof to his earpiece. "I'll notify the authorities as well."

Babs snorted. "Don't bother. I'll find this punk myself and give him what-for."

"No, you're not," said Mike sternly. "I'm not letting any assistant of mine get herself killed."

"Well, I can't just sit on my dock and do nothing!" Babs spat. "He hurt my friend!"

"Trust me, Babs. We're not gonna do that," said Mike earnestly. "I understand you're upset. We all are. But you can't just..."

"Watch me," said Babs, cutting across Mike. Before anyone could protest, she darted out the door.

"Hey, get back here!" Mike hollered, running after her.

"How much you wanna bet that Rarity's gonna have the same reaction when she wakes up?" said Vinyl.

I deadpanned. "That was uncalled for," I said flatly.

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry, Tavi," said Vinyl with a sigh. "Looks like we're gonna have to tell the Ponytones that the concert's off. It's a shame, really. It really was gonna be awesome, y'know?"

"I think the concert is the least of the our worries right now, Vinyl," I said. As Fluttershy held Sweetie Belle close and fanned Rarity with her wings, I couldn't help but stare at Sapphire Shores. Just as I feared, it's the Manehattan Music Festival all over again. But, why? Why was this doppelgänger of Mare-Do-Well doing this? What is she trying to achieve?

"You gonna be alright, Tavi?" asked Vinyl, nuzzling my cheek.

I let out a heavy sigh. "Not until we find this impostor and put an end to this nightmare."

Vinyl let out a sad snicker. "Fair enough," said she. "We should wait a bit before we start sleuthing. At least until Rarity's conscious again. We need some time to recuperate from all this, know what I mean?"

"Indeed I do, Vinyl," I said softly, still staring at Sapphire's unconscious form. "Indeed I do..."