The Show Must Go On [Daisy&Tenor] [Dead]

[Tenor]

Maltese paused, silently waiting for the sound of Pantomime opening a door, praying that she would walk inside and begin her search. As Maltese had finished looking through the room, at least, for the moment. Right now, he wanted to focus on someone whom he had not paid a close eye upon throughout the case. He turned away from the somber window into Dramatica's life, and quietly glanced over to the door to his immediate left.

Above the wooden door rested a plaque with Pantomime's name engraved upon it, and her cutie mark had been carved into the door. The grey stallion walked up to the door, and opened it with his magic. Peering into the room, what he found didn't surprise him much. A large wardrobe sat against the left hand wall, no doubt filled to the brim with various outfits that the white mare had worn over her no doubt eventful career. On the right hand side was a large mirror, it's frame crafted out of wood, with curls and waves worked into the drawer's shape that instantly reminded the detective of Pantomime's magnificent mane. Maltese stepped into the room, and opened some of the drawers underneath the mirror, only catching a glimpse of a carefully organized box of make-up before Pantomime called out to him.

Without letting his surprise getting the better of him, the grey stallion closed the drawer and made his exit, silently closing the wooden door behind him as he trotted his way over to his "partner", who was holding onto a letter.

Upon entering the room, he chuckled, "I swear, this is starting to become a theme. Do all actors and actresses practice such horrid organization? I would certainly hope you don't Pantomime."

Maltese would never reveal that he had seen Pantomime's room, after all, it would be like telling her that Maltese had no trust in her what so ever. In fact, she was the only one he could trust as of this moment, but he simply had to make sure that she was not involved in this plot somehow, lest she be the next target on their culprit's hit list. Besides, he could just tell her that he had spent his time investigating Dramatica's room, and that he had not found anything useful to the investigation for the moment.

Maltese tilted his brow, intrigued by the piece of parchment that the pearly white mare carried in front of her, and pondered aloud, "Now what might you be holding onto dear? A letter? Ah, what a most impressive find. So tell me, what does it say?"

[Oopsie Daisy]

For a second, Pantomime was taken aback by Maltese's sudden calmness, and the fact that he had left Dramatica's room so quickly after she had been in a hurry to get to him. "It's a letter for Ruby Red.. from what appears to be a stalker," she said, releasing her light blue magic and letting the detective take it with his own, for it'd be much easier if he read it himself. Plus.. she HAD said to him, "you have to see this".. meaning read it. She shook her head slightly, trying to get her head around that letter.. it was so unusual, and a little creepy. Just the thought of his words made the hair on her back stand on end. She shuddered momentarily, before redeeming herself and taking a step forward.

She couldn't help but notice how strange Maltese was acting.. almost secretive. Her ears lowered slightly, and she watched him as he read, wondering what it was that had made her so suspicious. It almost felt like he didn't trust her.. the way he had looked and spoken to her was very unusual. Very very different to the way he had acted the previous night. The thought seemed to tug a little at her heartstrings, and she suddenly felt quite sick. Strange thoughts were passing through her head, and strange feelings were passing through her body.. today had just been so strange, and Maltese had been acting so unusual. Almost frightening. But then again, she had only met him the day before, so she couldn't possibly know everything about him and the way he acted already...

Shaking her head, she realised she was thinking far too much into this. But she wasn't feeling particularly happy. Sighing, she left Maltese to it and entered her dressing room, walking straight to the mirror to quickly check how she looked. Again, she wasn't vain, but she still cared about her general appearance. A part of her thought that she was only making sure she was looking good for Maltese Scale (as if he noticed..), and she chose to ignore that thought. He was working, of course she was the last thing on his mind. He was mainly there to protect her.. and to protect the actors and actresses, and the theatre as a whole. She was so used to being the centre of attention, so it was hard coming to terms with the fact that she wouldn't always come first. The theatre was her life, and the thought of losing it brought tears to the young actress's eyes.

But, she blinked them away, and told herself not to get too overwhelmed by today's events. Not to get too overwhelmed by the attacks and the fact that some of her friends were in hospital; that most of the theatre was a crime scene; that she was here as an escort to a strange detective she'd only just met and that she felt odd emotions towards him she just couldn't ignore. It was getting a little too much. "Oh pull yourself together," she said quietly to herself, wiping her eyes and looking at herself in the mirror. They looked a little red, so she gave them a wipe with a handkerchief from her make-up box and dabbed a little blush onto her pale face. Taking a deep breath, she left her room to return to Maltese.

"Sorry about that.. just needed a few minutes to myself," she said with a brave smile, instantly putting her amazing acting skills to good use. "So what did you think of the letter?"

[Tenor]

The hoofwriting was very extravagant, much like how most Canterlot ponies would write. The paper itself was just a regular sheet of parchment that one could easily obtain at a local hobby shop or general store, so there was no way Maltese could track the type of paper to try and limit the number of possible suspects. As for the way the letter was written, it was obviously done with a hoof, as each letter left a slight depression on the back of the letter. That narrowed the suspect to either an earth pony or a pegasus, as unicorns try to be light and delicate with their writing, sometimes never leaving any sort of depressions on their works.

Maltese smiled, his eyes wide with excitement over this new discovery, and with the current tie to Ruby, it was completely clear that she might be tied to O.J.'s contractor. He cheered, "This is an excellent find, Pantomime! This document reveals fountains of information with just the way it is written alone! Are you sure you haven't done any form of detective work before?"

Maltese smirked after having asked his question, but it quickly faded as he saw her eyes, those same eyes he had seen on stage yesterday, those fake eyes that tried to hide Pantomime's true emotions. The grey pelted stallion had no clue what was going on through the silvery mare's head, but it obviously wasn't good, and it was certainly had something to do with him. Why else would she try and hide it from him? Before he would ask any form of questions, Maltese swiftly folded up the note and stuffed it into his hat for safe keeping. After all, Ruby would more than likely get rid of the letter, especially now that a detective was on the case.

With the letter now in safe hooves, Maltese decided that dealing with whatever problem Pantomime was currently having should be taken care of here and now. With this in mind, he looked over to Pantomime. His blue and green eyes, that were usually stoic and calculating, were filled with concern and confusion. With these eyes, locked with Pantomimes violet colored eyes, Maltese asked, "What's wrong, Pantomime? You're giving me those actress eyes. Speaking of which, they're a little red...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about small details like that."

A light redness in the eyes, it was either the sign of strained eyes, or the most recent symptoms of crying. Of course, it was be hard to tell that Pantomime had just cried moments before, as she was now wearing make up that accentuated her finer features. Even for Maltese, it was to decide, as she could have just been a little sleep deprived from last night's incident. However, out of fear of potentially losing Pantomime as a partner, Maltese didn't try to pry. Still, he couldn't help but feel responsible for the possible tears that Pantomime might have shed a minute or so before.

[Oopsie Daisy]

She should've known that nothing would get past the always-observant detective. His compliment about her good work cheered her up somewhat.. it was nice to know she was at least being useful, even if she was only there as an escort. And the fact that he'd noticed something was wrong meant a lot to her, since most ponies wouldn't be able to see past her talents. Not that she was usually this upset anyway because she was an optimist, it'd just been a tough day.

The silver mare gave a small smile, blinking when he pointed out the redness of her eyes. "Actress eyes" was a good way to put it, but she wasn't surprised he could see right past her face and read her like an open book she'd tried so hard to close and keep hidden. "Sorry.. just being silly and emotional," she said, giving him a genuine smile now. He was focused on her, and it made her feel a little happier than before. It was making her feel a bit more like she'd felt the night before, when they were friends rather than partners trying to solve a crime. Actually, now that she thought about it, she liked the term, "partner". It made her feel important, like she was really doing her part to help him as much as she could.

He didn't look completely convinced. She wasn't surprised, and let out a sigh. The two were alone and probably would be for a while. Plus he wouldn't judge her, he wasn't that kind of pony.. right? "It's just been a really tough day," she said. "I'm worried for my friend in hospital, I'm worried for the sake of my beloved theatre.. and I'm worried about us." She winced as she spoke, hating how silly that sounded. "You've just been acting so strange today. I know I shouldn't judge or analyse you, and I feel terrible for doing so, but I can't help it. It's almost frightening, how different you've acted today. Angry and over suspicious earlier, and just now like you were hiding something. So different from last night.." she trailed off, remembering the odd feelings and words the two had shared last night. And the fact that she had just blurted her feelings out made her feel very small and embarrassed. "I'm really sorry, Maltese.. I have no right to think this. But I can't help it." She lowered her ears, staring down at her hooves.

Her ears and head suddenly shot up when she heard the unmistakable sound of hoofsteps. "Someone's coming..!" she gasped, looking frantically to her partner, wondering what to do. Luckily the letter was safely tucked under his hat, but they needed to get away just in case. Who could it be?!

[Tenor]

The grey detective frowned upon hearing Pantomime's response, his ears drooping slightly, as he knew he would have to tell her why he was looking through her room. After all, if she really did have something to do with this investigation, then why would she show him the letter that she had just found? It really was foolish to think that she was involved, but then again, it would be comforting to know what kind of role she might have in this. Maybe it would get rid of the overwhelming anxiety he had traveling with her, maybe it would satiate the knots building up in his stomach every time he looked at her silvery, shimmering face.

Of course, these thoughts were quickly flushed out of Maltese's mind when he heard the hoofsteps coming down the stairs. Maltese Scale swiftly glanced around to see if he could find anything for the duo to hide within. He immediately noticed the rather spacious wardrobe inside the room, and, as if a lightbulb had come on in his brain, Maltese grabbed onto Pantomime and quickly ducked into the wardrobe, magically shutting the doors behind them as they crept inside.

Maltese looked over to Pantomime and put a hoof to his lips, motioning her to be silent as the pair of hoofsteps grew closer and closer, until two figures came into the room. One was obviously Ruby Red, and the other was unmistakably her cohort and companion Sugar Lips. Maltese couldn't help but feel a little excited, as the two would get to have an uncensored conversation. Without the two noticing that Pantomime and Maltese Scale were in the room, they could divulge something vital to solving the case! Still, Maltese didn't dare touch the wardrobe door, as any slight movement might alert the two actresses of their presence.

[Oopsie Daisy]

".. have any idea who he is anyway?" Sugar's posh but frantic voice was the first one heard as the two entered the room. Pantomime was grateful there was enough room in the wardrobe for the two to hide in and not be uncomfortable, which would cause inevitable shuffling and fidgeting. But at the same time, she was irritated the two had been interrupted. "Nope, no clue. It's really starting to freak me out," Ruby responded, followed by the sound of her opening the drawers. "Hurry up, we need to get back to the stage room.." Sugar said in a hurried, whispered tone. Pantomime frowned. Why was she whispering? Why were the two in such a hurry? It's not like they knew they were there. Something was definitely going on.

"What..?" "What's wrong, Ruby?" "I can't find it, it's not here!" "What?! Are you kidding?" "No, look!" ... "What the heck? Where's it gone?!" "I don't know, it was right here!!" Ruby sounded frantically terrified. The sound of her opening and closing the drawers and digging through the items on the desk filled Pantomime's ears, and she found herself holding her breath. There was a crack in between the doors of the wardrobe, so she could just see the two mares digging through the mess on the floor. She was desperately hoping they wouldn't check the wardrobe, and put a hoof over her mouth to completely silence herself.

Sugar then straightened up. "We'll have to look for it later. He's waiting for us, we need to go!" "Okay okay, fine. What do you think he's going to-" She was cut off as the two left, closing the door behind them. Pantomime waited until she couldn't hear their voices anymore before she dared to step out. She looked at Maltese, wondering what he was thinking. Probably something much more complex and detailed than she was.. she could almost hear the ingenious cogs turning within his cranium. She was just wondering who this "he" they were talking about was, while he was probably trying to tie the clues together. So, she decided to ask him. "What do you think's going on, Maltese?"

[Tenor]

Maltese frowned slightly as he exited the wardrobe, somewhat bitter at the idea that the duo were still overly cautious, so much so that they wouldn't reveal 'his' name. This was troublesome on a number of levels, as "he" could easily relate to quite a massive number of ponies. Could they be referring to O.J., the stalker, or maybe even the proprietor of the theater? Now wasn't the time to make assumptions, it was the time to observe.

"Simple, they are going to go meet with somepony. We are going to tail them and see who this "he" is." Maltese stated, feeling somewhat irritable for not having the time to explain to Pantomime at the moment. After all, this was a lead that was much too good to let slip by, and if the duo didn't act fast, then they might never know who "he" is.

Still, Maltese paused, gazing back at Pantomime's wondering gaze with his own, apologetic gaze and replied, "As for the way I've been acting...I'll explain it later, but for now we have to hurry."

With that, Maltese exited the room and crept his way towards the darkened staircase, the blackness scaring him, causing a cold sweat to form along his brow as he started to climb the stairs, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself down. His steps were quaky, his eyes were small, and each step seemed to weaken the grey detective's seemingly impenetrable iron will. Maltese wasn't expecting to encounter this once again, as he could easily just teleport. However, such an action would draw attention to both Pantomime and himself, something that he wanted to avoid when tailing Ruby and Sugar.

However, he instantly jolted when he heard a voice up at the bottom of the stairwell call down, "You down there! Yes, you! Who are you and what were you doing up there?!"

Maltese walked down the stairs and stepped to the side as a rather short, chubby Stallion walked towards him, glaring at Maltese with amber colored eyes as he stood between the detective and his suspects. The stallion wore something similar to a waist coat that looked very stretched, the buttons barely keeping the article of clothing closed tight against the stallion's green pelted frame.

"As the owner of this fine establishment, I must ask you to...Oh, Pantomime! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you over there! Is this stranger here a friend of yours? He looks rather shady to me..." The owner of the theatre stated, narrowing his eyes at Maltese, who simply huffed an aggitated sigh in response. They did not have time for this! They needed to catch up to Ruby and Sugar, otherwise their lead would fly right out the window! If Pantomime could provide a distraction, then it would be easy for him to slip away and tail the duo.

[Oopsie Daisy]

Returning his apologetic gaze with an understanding nod, Pantomime followed after Maltese as he exited the room and ran to the staircase. She tried to stay focused on their mission, but her mind was already pondering what his reasons were. But she knew she had to keep concentrated, for the sake of the theatre and everyone in it. And for the sake of giving her detective peace of mind. Heh.. her detective. What an unusual thought. Pantomime shook it away when she noticed the quake in his steps and heard the frantic pant in his breath as he made his way awkwardly down the stairs, and was wondering if he was afraid of the dark.. as it was almost pitch black in the hallway. After the two passed the lit up staircase, she lit her horn up with a light blue haze to serve as a torch for him. Just to calm his nerves a little.

Just then, she heard a voice from the top of the stairs in front of them, and instantly recognised it as the theatre's owner. She could see the annoyance on Maltese's face when he came between him and the ponies he was pursuing, and also felt a slight irritation. He instantly recognised her and apologised, so she gave him an understanding smile. "That's alright Mr. Thesp," she said, feeling another sense of annoyance when he commented on Maltese looking 'shady'. So many ponies had said this about him today, and it was really starting to get to her. But she put on her actress eyes and nodded. "Yes, he is. He's a detective, and he's trying to help us." She could see the guilt flash in Mr. Thesp's eyes, especially when Maltese let out a very exasperated grunt. She didn't blame him, and knew he needed to get away quickly. "He's in a bit of a hurry, so you should let him do his job. For the sake of the theatre. He knows what he's doing, and he can help us." The utmost faith and trust she felt for him rang clear as a bell in her song-like voice, so the theatre owner instantly let the detective past.

"My goodness Panto, I'm at my wit's end!" he exclaimed as the two went up the stairs together, heading towards the stage room. "This is a complete disaster. I don't know how many more missing and injured ponies I can take.." He raised a hoof dramatically to his forehead, and the silver mare patted his shoulder with a hoof. "I know.. it's just awful." She sighed, feeling a coldness around her heart. Just then she remembered the orange unicorn's face back in the restaurant, and felt herself shudder in fear. Mr. Thesp noticed this, and raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Pantomime?" he asked. She decided to be honest with him, since he had a right to know. Instead of entering the stage room, she led him down a separate corridor which led to the props room where old sets and objects were set up.. possibly never to be used. Pantomime shook that thought away, but it only made her more determined to get to the bottom of this.

"What's going on kiddo?" asked the green stallion, a mixture of curiosity and worry in his orange eyes. "I've seen him, Mr. Thesp. The unicorn who's responsible for this," she said in a shaky voice. "He almost took me as well. Just yesterday, after the detective and I had met, he took me out for lunch. But then.. we found him, lying on the ground unconscious. I helped him inside the restaurant, but he suddenly awoke.. and lunged for me.." "Oh my goodness gracious! Do you have any idea who he is? Did he say what he wanted with you??" Mr. Thesp's face was full of franticness and anxiousness as he dreaded the thought of losing the sweet mare. "No. Before he could get to me, that 'shady' detective saved me. He teleported us away from him just in time. I think I owe him my life.." She found herself smiling a little at the thought, missing her saviour already. A blush speckled her pearly cheeks, at the thought of him, and she began wondering how he was doing and hoping he was alright. Hopefully he had caught up to the two by now.

"Excuse me Pantomime.. if I may be so bold, may I ask you something?" Her ears twitched at his voice as she looked towards him, brushing her soft curled bangs out of her face. "I would be able to spot that pretty blush from a mile away. And the way you were just talking about him.. my goodness, you sounded like a modern Juliet." Her cheeks heated up even more as she realised he was onto her. Not even her actress eyes could save her now. So she lowered them and her head, nodding very slowly. "I see. Well my dear, I would be careful if I were you. You only just met him yesterday, and you're talking about him like he's Orpheus and sticking to his side like you're his Eurydice." It wasn't really any of his business, but she knew he cared for her well-being. And the fact that he was using well-known Greek mythology was both amusing and relevant, especially since he was a huge Greek play nut. She was guilty of this passion herself. "I know. I am being careful, I promise. Our work here is purely business, nothing more." Her voice was sincere, and she had already decided not to tell him that Maltese had spent the night at her house. Just now it WAS purely business related, but what happened when they were finished for the day? Would he come back to her's again? Would things be different, like they were last night? Gosh, she was making herself feel like a silly teenager again. It was so unprofessional.

"Well, alright. I'm just warning you for your sake. You know I trust you kiddo, it's him I'm worried about. Take care, you hear?" She gave him a reassuring smile. "I will. And please, don't tell anyone else about this. It's no use worrying other ponies, and Maltese is on the case. So please, relax. He will get to the bottom of this," she said confidently. Mr. Thesp returned the smile. "Alright, my dear. I'd best be off, I have some policeponies to speak with. I won't tell them anything, don't worry.. I'll leave the private stuff to your friend. I'll see you later, and take care." With that, he patted her shoulder and left the room, leaving her alone. She sat alone for a moment, wondering what to do now. "I should go and find Maltese. He might need my help," she said aloud to no one, leaving the room herself and trotting through the hallways, keeping her eyes and hears open for him, hoping he wasn't in trouble.

[Tenor]

A wave of calm reprieve swept through the silvery stallion's form upon Pantomime graciously leading the oblivious Mr. Thesp away. Thesp must have been a nickname for Thespian, which only made sense, since he was the owner of a theatre and all. While Maltese was certainly curious to hear more about what this pony knew, he knew that he couldn't stick around, and bowed his head to Pantomime, silently thanking her for the distraction before quickly setting off to follow the two mares. Of course, it had been a pain to find them again, as Ruby and her marefriend were trying their hardest to make sure that nopony was following them, going down narrow, empty passages within the theatre, all to get to the side exit. After all, they couldn't take the front entrance like a pony who had nothing to hide...

Maltese, rather the clever magician when he needed to be, had simply cloaked himself in a field, allowing his body to blend in to the surroundings. Sure, he couldn't vanish entirely, but to be honest, he didn't need to if the lighting was right, or if there was enough clutter around to shield his form. And, thankfully enough, the vacant alleyway that the duo had exited out too was littered with unused backdrops, dumpsters, cardboard boxes, and a number of other things for the detective to mask his presence with. So far, the two mares seemed unaware of his presence, which was certainly a relief.

However, a loud clattering behind Maltese made him jump behind the nearest pile of boxes, the noise alerting the duo as they swiftly turned their heads back, only to spot a small, black and white spotted cat looking at them, meowing at the pair before dashing off. Maltese didn't move a muscle until he heard the pair continue onwards, and once he heard their hooves clop audibly against the road, Maltese rolled out of his hiding spot and waited till they turned the corner before shooting out a small black ball of magic, which floated lazily around the unicorn.

"Alright, I know you and I don't get along very well, but you need to lead Pantomime back to me, alright?" Maltese said to the lifeless orb of magic, who tended to be a bit of a pain the flank at times. Especially when it would just float around Maltese's head to alert him that it had completed it's job, which usually led him to getting discovered. Still, he didn't feel comfortable leaving Pantomime in that theatre...he didn't know why, but that place just seemed...oppressing. With a small bounce in the air, the ball quickly retraced Maltese's steps before finding Pantomime, floating in circles around her before attempting to convey that she needed to follow it. All the while, Maltese continued his pursuit of the two mares. After all, they had to stop at some point!