December 14, 12:19 PM
Lincolt Center
The Bent Trumpet
***
"So, you're sure that's everything Ms. Shores told you?"
"Uh-huh."
"Sweetie, you know you don't have to—"
"Mom, I told you a hundred times. I'm fine now."
I just keep running into the most unexpected situations today, don't I? When we got back to the Bent Trumpet, the atmosphere didn't feel as tense as it did when we left. Part of that was that Sweetie Belle looked a lot less stunned than she did before. At least, she was well enough to answer Puzzlement's questions. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved by this turn of events, but even so, a child her age doesn't usually get over traumatic events that quickly.
"Is everything alright over here?" asked Rarity, clearing her throat.
Puzzlement looked up at us and smiled. "Oh, it's you gals. Nice of you to join us," she said. "Oh, before I forget, there's something you should know."
"What's that?" I inquired.
"We just got word back from Canterlot. Turns out you four were telling the truth about your investigation for Princess Twilight. As such, you have been granted full authority in this case."
"Boo-ya!" Vinyl cheered, pumping her foreleg.
"Um, are you sure that's okay?" said Fluttershy, twiddling her hooves. "I mean, we wouldn't want to get you and Detective Shamus into trouble."
Puzzlement let out a slight chuckle. "You're working for the Princess of Friendship, Ms. Fluttershy. I think that pretty much answers your question."
Well, that was quick. While I'm not comfortable with the fact that we might've wasted Princess Twilight's time with this nonsense, I'm glad to hear that she responded quickly to our plight. Now we should be able to work completely in tandem with the police, which is the ideal situation for all parties involved.
"We'll do all we can to help, Detective Puzzlement," I said with a nod. "Actually, we just uncovered some new information. Perhaps we should exchange notes."
"Yeah, good idea," said Puzzlement, flipping through her notebook. "I was just finishing up my interview with Ms. Sweetie Belle here."
"Whoa whoa whoa! Back up!" snapped Babs Seed. "Who gave you permission to pester Sweetie Belle, huh?!"
Puzzlement looked down at Babs and adjusted her monocle. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."
"Oh, this is Babs Seed," I said. "She's the junior roadie we mentioned earlier."
"Ah, yes. I remember that," said Puzzlement. "Is there any reason she wasn't with the rest of the witnesses?"
"She was trying to track down the guy herself, believe it or not," said Vinyl.
Puzzlement's eyes went wide. "Sh-she what?"
"It's just as Vinyl says, I'm afraid," I said sheepishly. "Luckily, she's unharmed."
"Hey hey hey! Let's not change the subject here," growled Babs, leering at Puzzlement. "I asked you a question. Why're you pestering my friend? Don't you think she's been through enough?!"
Puzzlement let out an exasperated groan and rubbed her temples. "Look, I'm just trying to do my job here. I need her statement for—"
"It's not the job of the police to be a bully, busta!" Babs interrupted, blowing back her combover.
"I-I never said it was!" Puzzlement yelped defensively.
"Then what exactly are you—?"
"Babs, that's enough. Calm down."
Sweetie Belle's interjection caused Babs to do a double take.
"S-Sweetie Belle?" she stammered. "Wh-wha—?"
"It's not what you think, Babs," said Sweetie Belle, shaking her head. "I gave Ms. Puzzlement permission to interview me."
Babs's pupils dilated. "B-but you were... I was... She..."
"Trust me, Ms. Seed. I don't like the idea of pressing traumatized witnesses any more than you do," said Puzzlement. "But Sweetie Belle herself says that she's feeling much better now. Ask her yourself if you don't believe me."
After a pause, Babs sighed and hid her bare flank with her tail.
"I-I'm sorry," she muttered, her cheeks turning bright red. "I-I didn't know..."
"It's understandable," said Puzzlement gently, adjusting her monocle. "Truth be told, I wasn't sure about Sweetie Belle's claim myself. It's quite, unusual."
"To say the least," said Rarity, walking up to her younger sister. "Sweetie, darling. Are you, sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sweetie Belle replied. "I'm still a little scared, but Ms. Sapphire taught me a neat trick, so I'm feeling better now."
Hmm. It's odd, but I feel this is important somehow. I'm sure Sapphire Shores knows plenty of techniques for overcoming stage fright. From what I understand, that was why Sweetie Belle met with her in private. But it's one thing to psych yourself up for a crowd; it's quite another to recover from severe mental trauma.
"Would you mind showing us this trick?" I inquired.
"Sure!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "See, Ms. Sapphire says she gets scared sometimes, too. In fact, she said she was pretty scared today about her performance. So, she told me that whenever I get scared, I should just sing this little melody, and all of a sudden, I don't feel scared anymore!"
"That sounds like Sapphie, alright," sniggered Vinyl. "Still, hard to believe that whistling a happy tune helped you get over, well, you know."
"I thought that, too," said Sweetie Belle. "But it works! It really does! Here, I'll show you."
She then cleared her throat and sang a string of notes. Oddly enough, it sounded very much like scat; something that wouldn't be out of place in a professional jazz concert. I say this not only because of the music itself, but because Sweetie Belle actually has an excellent singing voice. I mean it, it's incredible that a filly her age can sing this well. Now I see why Rarity wanted her to substitute fir her as the soprano of the Ponytones.
Suddenly, just as the last note left her lips, there was a brief flash of green light. When the flash disappeared, Sweetie Belle had changed. At first glance, the change was unnoticeable, but looking closely, I could see a passionate flame burning brightly in her eyes.
"Ms. Sapphire says that all I have to do is remember this song, and whenever I sing it, I feel like I can take on anything," said Sweetie Belle.
Vinyl blinked. "Uh, hey, kid? Did Sapphie ever tell you what that song was?"
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Not really. She just said she learned it from a friend."
"Uh-huh," said Vinyl with a slow nod. She then turned to me. "I dunno about you, Tavi, but I'm starting to get a bit of déjà vu over here."
"I feel the same way, Vinyl," I concurred, knitting my brow.
Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "Um, what're you talking about?"
"Well, how do I say this?" I said, placing a hoof to my muzzle. "I have reason to believe that this melody Sapphire Shores taught you is a spell straight out of Pan's Music Code."
Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "A spell? But I didn't use my horn at all. And besides, Earth Ponies can't teach spells to unicorns. That's just silly."
"I understand it might be difficult to grasp, but this is a special circumstance," I said. "Pan's Music Code is a way to perform magic through music. Anyone who can carry a tune can utilize it, not just unicorns."
"That's all very well, Ms. Melody," said Puzzlement, equally skeptical. "But how exactly did Ms. Shores know about it?"
"She learned about it at the Manehattan Music Festival from the one who invented it," I explained. "You remember how Vinyl said before that I thwarted the designs of a saboteur at that time, yes?"
"We have the case on record, and your involvement is indeed documented," said Puzzlement with a nod. "Why? What about it?"
"Well, Pan knew about the saboteur all along; he just didn't know who it was," I said. "As a precaution, he taught a healing spell to Sapphire Shores, which she used after she herself was attacked."
"Wait, are you sure Sweetie Belle was using that spell?" said Fluttershy, rubbing the side of her head. "Because I'm not sure boosting confidence would qualify as a healing spell."
"I'm afraid I cannot answer that," I admitted. "Pan's Music Code is not exactly something that I know off the top of my head."
"Hey, I wouldn't be so quick to back out of that theory, Octy," said Vinyl. "So what if the two spells aren't the same? Who's to say that Pan only taught Sapphie one spell?"
I sighed. "Vinyl, that's just blind speculation. We can't confirm it."
"Well, we can't deny it, either," said Vinyl with a shrug. "And that's good enough in my book."
"Maybe so, Ms. Scratch, but it's not good enough in mine," said Puzzlement sternly. "Pieces have to fit in order to make sense. Just because a piece can fit doesn't mean it will."
"This is all quite fascinating; really, it is," interjected Rarity. "But I do believe we're getting off-track. What were you asking Sweetie Belle, Detective Puzzlement?"
"Hmm? Oh," said Puzzlement, flipping through her notes. "Well, I just wanted to know what she and Ms. Shores were doing before they were attacked. Apparently, Sweetie Belle was nervous about her upcoming performance, and Ms. Shores wanted to help her."
"Yeah, that isn't exactly anything new to us, Detective," said Vinyl, folding her forelegs.
"There is a bit more to it," said Puzzlement. "Sweetie Belle mentioned that Ms. Shores was nervous about something. She didn't ask why, but I think that piece connects to the death threat Mr. Lockdown had."
Oh, yes. Shamus did bring that up when we confronted him on the matter, didn't he? I think it's about time we found out what that's all about. But first, I need to clear something up.
"Did you ask her for details about the attack itself?" I inquired.
Puzzlement heaved a great sigh. "I don't like pressing witnesses any more than necessary, Ms. Melody. I tried to get as much as I could, but she always got to a point where she'd just clam up or sing that song again."
"Well, what were you able to find?" asked Fluttershy.
"Just a motive, if you can even call it that," Puzzlement scoffed bitterly. "The assailant was aiming to steal Ms. Shores's voice. I don't know if that has to do with her singing, or if she knew something she wasn't supposed to."
"I'm thinking the latter," said Vinyl, furrowing her brow. "Sapphie did get a death threat, after all."
While that does seem the most plausible, I still don't know how it's possible. At the Manehattan Music Festival, Sapphire Shores's interaction with Mare-Do-Well was minimal at best. On top of that, she has nothing to do with the Tengu Dynasty. If she did know something about all this, then two pertinent questions need answering: What did she know, and how did she come across this information? I feel that these questions can only be answered by Lockdown. And if he can't answer them, then only Sapphire Shores herself will have the answer. And who knows how we'll get to speak to her.
"Tell me, Detective Puzzlement. Is Mr. Lockdown still in the Performance Studio?" I asked.
"Yes," said Puzzlement.
"Well, we need to go talk to him," I said. "If you're done here, we'll tell you what we found on the way."
Puzzlement tapped her chin for a moment. "Hmm. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me, Sweetie Belle?"
"Nope, that's it," said Sweetie Belle.
Puzzlement nodded. "Alright, let's go then."
"Hang on, I got a question," said Babs.
"Oh? What is it, Babs?" asked Sweetie Belle.
Babs blew back her combover and brushed the back of her hoof. "Um, do ya think you could teach me that little ditty? I-I might need it for, something."
Vinyl smirked. "Translation: She's scared."
"H-hey!" Babs barked, her cheeks matching her mane. "D-don't you go spreading rumors like that, punk! I-I mean, me? Get scared? That's— pffsh!"
Vinyl laughed. "Getting scared is natural, kiddo. Especially after what you just went through," she said. "Don't try to hide that just to act tough, okay? That's my schtick."
Just so you know, that is more or less true. It's hard to think of a time when Vinyl's not acting bombastic and crazy, and when she isn't like that, well, you know something really bad happened to her. Still, those softer sides are still there. You just have to look for them.
"Uh, yeah. Okay," said Babs, looking a bit more cheerful. "Anyway, about that ditty..."
"Hmm? Oh, sure," said Sweetie Belle, clearing her throat. "I mean, I'm not that great of a teacher, but I'll try my best."
"Um, actually, could you teach me, too?" asked Cookie Crumbles. "I know I'm not much of a singer myself, but your father and I have been pretty worried about you."
Sweetie Belle blushed and twiddled her hooves. "Oh. Um, I dunno..."
Rarity let out a brief chortle. "Well, at least she's going to be okay," she murmured, wiping a tear from her eye. "That's a load off my mind."
"It is nice to see her looking chipper, isn't it?" said Fluttershy, draping a wing over Rarity's shoulder.
"Indeed," said Rarity, a swelling of determination in her voice. "Which is why we should do all we can to find the one responsible for this."
"I couldn't agree more, Ms. Rarity," said Puzzlement, adjusting her monocle. "And on that note, I do believe we've dallied long enough. We should go check in on Shamus."
"Oh, right then," I said. "Let's go, everypony."
With that, we left Sweetie Belle and Babs. I must say, the general mood of everypony here has certainly improved quite a bit. I'm sure part of it has to do with Pan's Music Code, but still, it's a nice change of pace. Although I can't help but worry that we're being lulled into a false sense of security. The killer, whoever he is (or she, if it is the faux Mare-Do-Well) almost killed Babs. I shudder to think what would happen if he chose to strike again.
...
And the worrywart inside me once again rears its ugly head. Ugh, I really should stop doing that to myself. Fretting over every little thing and getting paranoid is not going to help us any. Maybe I should try singing that confidence boosting spell. It's a bit of an ear worm, so I'm sure I could recite it note for note if I wanted to. Mmm, perhaps later. I still have to tell Puzzlement what Babs told us, amongst other things. Besides, I'd probably look like a twat if I did that in the middle of the investigation. That's Vinyl's department, not mine.