//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: From Noble Beginnings // Story: The Bow and the Headphones // by Shieldheart204 //------------------------------// From Noble Beginnings "When did I ever think it was a good idea to work here?" said Octavia as she tousled her silky raven hair and bumped her head to the flat end of her oak boudoir. The mirror showed a fair skinned woman wearing little make-up and a simple grey tank top. "it was probably when they told you you could make an approximate of a hundred thousand bits a year with insurance and various other bonuses including a large discount in the Hot Rocks Spa." said a rasp voice from behind her. She turned to face her conversation partner and was surprised to see Master Exploder, his ripped body wearing the same black t-shirt and denim vest decorated with small pins from several bands from the world. And as always, his hand held his mug full of dark beer. "Please don't remind me about that, my monthly income is barely five thousand bits. And I have yet to even see that discount on that cheap Spa. I went there once. Not the best service in town." she said as she walked over to the closet where all of her performance dresses were stored. "I know the boss is a liar, but at least you can quit at any moment. I have a contract that expires next week, and I will have to sign it again because I have nowhere else to go. Guess I should have taken the job Stupid Rocks offered me when they came on tour two years ago. But there's more money in fixing this dump than in having an awesome time touring Equestria." he said as he took a gulp of beer from his pewter mug. "I find it ironic that a self-proclaimed roadie doesn't travel." she said as she stared at the ridiculous selection of clothes waiting for her. "Master you pervert! What in the name of Symphony's Last Wish did you do to my clothes!" He choked on his drink for a second before looking at the selection. "Oh crap, he did change your wardrobe too." he saw Octavia's eyes turn to stare at his soul. "Could you please stop that? I was going to tell you anyways. The boss thought it would be a good idea to listen to advise given by the patrons. Not content with either your musical talent or Melody's, they asked that you showed at least some more skin." "Whoever thought that I should dress as a prostitute just for the entertainment of a pack of spoiled rats clearly does not realize why I was hired in the first place." Octavia grunted before slumping to her chair. "I need to rethink my life." "Don't ask me, I'm just telling you why they are going cheap on the dresses." "These rags cost more than my apartment." shot Octavia as she applied some blush on her cheeks, nothing too extravagant. Master started browsing through the selection, most were outrageously skimpy, but only one managed to be classified as decent. It was a charcoal grey dress, split from the hip upward, and reunited at the back of the wearer's neck. "How about this piece? it looks decent enough, unless you plan on using this semi-transparent leotard." he said as he showed her the piece of clothing he described. It was a light pink leotard that emmited a pink light as the bulbs illuminated it. "Is that the least worst dress available? Seriously? What happened to that beautiful black dress I had last week?" "The boss sold it to some bitch who started dancing on the tables and had her clothes burned. I think the price was ten thousand bits." he said as he tried to hide a smile. "How does one get their clothes burned in a chic lounge?" "I think she set fire to her dress while doing what I think is singing but sounded more like the cries of a mountain goat trying to go to the bathroom after eating some of those greasy tacos from the Lower Wards." "Perfect, just when I thought there was something good about my job." responded the raven-haired musician as she took out a pair of black high heels. "I never understood the appeal of these. What is it that men find so attractive about having women jam nails on her heels." "Don't ask me, I don't have the same twisted fetishes as those brats. I prefer women who can do shit without caring about what spoiled piles of cartilage say." announced Master with pride. "So you prefer women with an attitude? Good luck finding one in this cesspool." responded Octavia coldly as she grabbed the dress and pushed the aide out of the room. "Now to get paid so I can continue living this excuse of a life." She changed from her comfortable street clothes to the uncomfortably breezy dress that she was asked to wear. At least she didn't look as awful as Sapphire Shores during her latest tour, opting to wear a bedazzled bra with matching white pants. She stepped out of her room, where the roadie was waiting for her. His hands were holding Arkadius, her cello. "Good luck with your show, make it count." was all he could say as she crossed to the stage. Like most nights the place was crowded by young men and women who failed to realize the difference between a lounge and a nightclub. Some were drunk, making out with whoever was next to them or they were imagining they were meddling in deep conversation. The only table that unnerved her was one occupied by a local patron surrounded by at least five women. He was the only one in the entire building, besides her, who was sober. His eyes were fixed on her, ogling her body and trying to pierce her soul. His body was well built, covered by an expensive black suit and a green silk tie. His eyes were a tone of white that nearly blended the lines between the pupil and the sclera. His face was well chiseled, and she dared go as far as to say that he looked very attractive. His left eyebrow had a small interruption, something she guessed was a scar. His hair was a light brown and well groomed. His handsome face felt somewhat deceiving behind his eyes. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Octavia and today I will be performing a selection of Master Symphony's: Flight of the Seraphs. Please enjoy your evening at the Maison du Jouir." she sat down on her stool and began playing, disregarding the various boos, wolf whistles and passionate kisses that resonated from the audience. The session lasted roughly an hour, during which the audience went from worse to worst. Some of the couples were so drunk they lacked common modesty as men ripped dresses and fondled their companions. Others began fighting amongst themselves, trading slaps to the face before delivering full blows to the gonads. But to her surprise the man with the white eyes remained as sober and attentive as ever. By the end of her shift Octavia was witnessing a full-blown battle between two nobles over what she believed was about whether a dog was of pedigree or a mutt. To the other side of the room Octavia could hear moans of pleasure as several tables shook for unknown reasons. She quickly picked up her instrument and walked away from the stage when one of the few drunk men cried. "Tits or I don't pay the bill!" Filled with indignation as her boss motioned for her to open her dress. She guessed that the client must be worth some money for her boss to fully accept a musician to strip at a moment's notice. Turning around and facing the man with the odd request she lifted the middle finger in her right hand and exclaimed: "Fuck off you pampered, lazy Son of a Bitch!" And she left before she could be told anything. Her boss was three seconds from shouting at her but she replied calmly: "I quit, I'll take this week's check and I'll leave this hideous dress behind if that is so important to you. My dignity is worth more than whatever was in that idiot's bill. It is stipulated in my contract." The dumbfounded man looked at the contract and was about to reply when she interrupted him: "Page 3 article 24." A couple of minutes later Octavia emerged with her own clothes, adding a grey jacket with belt spats. Master Exploder was there, his hands holding a weird case. The owner was standing at the back door, nudging a check worth five hundred bits toward her. The sound of thunder flooded the outside as the rain bombarded the porch. "Goodbye, may your future be as bright as the sun." he said with a forced smile. "Don't worry, compared to this brothel, anywhere's good." shot Octavia as she stepped outside and opened her white umbrella. "Bye Tavi." said Master as he shook her hand. "Bye Master, take care." "Take this in case you ever want to tour the world and want a friendly face." whispered Master as he handed her a small card that said: Valid for one roadie. 595-371-173. She pocketed the card. "Thanks Master, but I think I can take care of myself." she said. The May rain attacked her, seeking to soak her. But she braved the storm, travelling through the dark alleys to avoid seeing anyone. But to her dismay, she was cut off from the main street that was going to take her home by a mysterious figure garbed in a black linen cloak. "I quite enjoyed your performance today miss Octavia." said a soft, sweet male voice from behind the cloak. Octavia took a defensive step back, trying to put a name on the voice. She had heard it before, on the radio or television perhaps. "Who are you?" "Forgive me..." answered the hooded man as he opened an umbrella and removed his hood. "I am Count Pearl Lance, Son of Duke Gold Lance of The East Coast. And I wanted to offer you a place in the Great Canterlot Symphonica." Then she recognized him, he was the sober man watching her. His words took some time to fully process. He was offering Octavia her biggest dream with no price tag attached. She could say yes and it will all be done... "I feel honored by the offer, but I would like to look for an opening somewhere else. Preferably away from this cesspool of a city." answered the cellist as she tried to push through the Count. "I'm sorry to hear that, but maybe I could interest you in a position in Equestria's Nomad Orchestra?" "Why are you insisting so much? And how can I be sure that you can even assure me a place in either musical group?" "I am offended, I am Pearl Lance and I can get you the moon and stars if you so desire." he answered with a smile. Octavia thought about it. Both groups had a lot of prestige and she knew that he could get her in them. He was by far the most influential Count in all of Equestria. But the lack of a price made her extremely uneasy, for she knew that when it came to nobles, nothing was free. They either call you for a favor or they take away a portion of your earnings. "What's in it for you Count?" He chuckled as he neared her, sliding his soft hand over her cheek. "I love investing my money and power on people who show both musical talent and a backbone." he said as the cellist batted his hand away from her. "See? you do have a backbone, you can't deny it. And you did play one of the most difficult pieces of music in history. So what do you say, sweetheart?" "No thank you, I don't believe in charity from Nobles. Specially from Counts." she said as she pushed once more. "Look babe, it's a great opportunity. I'm sure there are hundreds of young, beautiful and talented girls that would give anything for this position and you have it so easy. All you have to do is say yes and your life will be set." he said softly as he put his right hand on her face. Octavia responded with a swift slap to his cheek. "Don't you ever touch me you demon." she said. The Count nourished his bruise, smiling while he snapped his fingers. "That's what I love about girls, their feisty attitude!" he said as five forms materialized from behind her. They were wearing black leather jackets, shaved heads and a white flak vest. There were three men and two women in the group, all armed with small pistols and with cattle prods. As Octavia looked around she noticed there were at least four more goons on the rooftops with muskets trained on her. "It's a real shame about what I have to do to you, but no one refuses my offers. Now, please, join me." he said with a smug grin as he raised his hand. "No." was all Octavia said. "No? Babe, I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation. you can't say no. You have no job, no money and you are alone in a city that is basically ruled by me. Join me and I will make you a star. Or you can end up as one of my slaves, sorry I meant servants in my castle. You choose, do you want to live in the lap of luxury or will you live in the gutters scraping every day in the hopes that you will live by another day." said the nobleman calmly as he let two men pass him. "I would rather die than be a pawn in your stupid life!" she shouted as she went for a special bow on her cello, one she kept with her in case things got out of hand. As she pulled it out she felt a sting on her right hand, which sent her weapon flying into the distance. Pearl clicked his tongue three times. "Nice try, but we both know that that's going to be impossible. Don't worry, next time you wake up just remember what you abandoned for supposed freedom." he patted one of his goons. "You know what to do." All seven grunts began closing on her, activating their prods. The weapons crackled with thunder, causing any drops of water to evaporate immediately. Octavia dodged the first swing, delivering two punches to her aggressor. She did not expect to be interrupted by three shocking attacks hitting her right flank and both of her legs. As she tried to regain herself two more blows struck her body, and four more assaulted her limbs. The barrage of shocking attacks continued for a minute until a whistle ordered a stop. "So how about my offer, are you willing to accept it?" said the noble with a smug look. "I already gave you my answer." she replied as she summoned a mouthful of blood and spit it at him. "I will enjoy breaking you." he said as he raised his fist. But he never managed to land the blow, for a really loud sound erupted from the rooftops, a sound as loud as thunder and as terrifying as an ursa's roar. A musketeer fell from his position, hitting his head with a sickening crunch and spurting blood over the goons. On the roof stood a hooded figure with bat-like wings, his cloak floating with the storm and his left hand clutching a shining battleaxe. "Not if I can help it!" roared the figure as he settled the weapon with the end of the handle pointing to the sky in a guitar-like fashion. A couple of notes later and a couple of lightning bolts erupted from the clouds, shocking the musketeers and forcing them to dance comically as hundred of volts coursed through their bodies. "What the hell?" questioned Pearl as he drew a sword and prepared for an attack. "Catch Tavi!" roared the man as he threw a long, thin object. Octavia managed to grab it, using the theatrics from her mysterious stranger as a distractions. She noticed that it was a rapier, like the one she learned to use back when she was with her old teacher. she quickly unsheathed it and prepared her stance. The man in the roof jumped, his hands still clutching the curious weapon. As he landed he played a chord, emitting a shockwave that caused everyone that wasn't Octavia or him. "Are you alright?" The cellist looked at the man, and recognized the black mullet and the sideburns. "Master? What are you doing here?" "Just saving your ass from these punks." he said as they saw their opponents get up. "You are going to be sorry for what you did!" shouted the Count as he lunged at them. Octavia managed to deflect the blow with her sword, and prepared for a counterattack. She thrusted her sword, aiming for his ribs, but one of the goons raised her head and protected the Count with her face. Pearl backed up, waiting for his grunts to do the dirty work. One of them attacked, but Octavia slashed his ribs and followed with a vertical slash. Master protected her rear, pushing three goons back before electrocuting them with a set of chords. "Let me show you how we do it in my place?" he asked cockily as he prepared to play more notes. But rather than playing notes he began playing separate notes in a rapid succession, what is better known as a guitar solo. As he played the final notes he hopped and timed his fall with the last note. The result was a lightning storm that assaulted those around them. Some of the goons didn't even survive, having their eyes explode like over-cooked eggs. Those that managed to survive began backing down, pulling their pistols and releasing a barrage of blue bullets toward them. Metal swung his axe, evaporating the bolts with ease. "C'mon we have to get outta here!" "Let's go this way! My house is close by." she said as she took the lead, taking two pistols as she walked. They left the dark alley and came up on the brightly lit cobbled street of Canterlot. "It's this way, let's just hope they don't follow us." They noticed a five-man patrol walking by, they were all wearing the white steel armor of the Lionsguard. But instead of wielding muskets they had professional assault rifles. "Get those two criminals, they murdered some innocents and mugged me!" cried Pearl as he stepped into the light. The guards immediately began opening fire, their shots barely missing the musicians. Octavia quickly opened fire with one of the pistols, and out of the five shots she managed to hit a guard in the right shoulder. But what damage she could do was mitigated by the steel armor. The others responded by firing in synchronized blasts, oftenly hitting Master's axe. When they paused to reload the roadie unleashed another solo, one that appeared to turn the opponents' armor into lead as they fell to the floor unable to move. "Let's go! The spell won't last long." said Master as he ran away. Octavia followed, but only after she had blasted Pearl Lance unconscious. Ten minutes later they were out of the rain and inside Octavia's cramped apartment. It was about fifty square meters in area, with only enough walls to separate the bathroom. "I know it's not much, but it's something." she said as she settled her things. "So when are we leaving?" asked the roadie as he started looking around. "Hey! Don't snoop around, the bathroom is that way." she pointed to the small room. "I'm looking for your luggage, We really have to get out of here right now." "So what, you can take me somewhere far away from here? I think you should start explaining yourself if you want me to trust you." "Ouch, that hurts you know? I thought we knew each other." "You know me, but I don't see you that often, you always disappear into the shadows and today I learned you can cast lightning bolts with what I believe is an axe-guitar hybrid!" Master sighed, looking at her with disappointment. "Look, her name is Marcy and she was handed down to me by my father. Second, you don't have to trust me. But if you do it will make our lives easier. Before you say anything, we need you to pack your things right now and head for the first train out of here, preferably one that leads to Manehattan." "Are you seriously suggesting we leave Canterlot to go to the one city that Pearl Lance controls? What's wrong with Vanhoover? I heard the Bloods are in control and it's extremly safe." "I don't know anyone in Vanhoover who can get you a job. I have a friend, a very powerful friend, who can protect us and give you a job worthy of your talent. He's had me telling him about your skill, hell I've even recorded your music and he loves it." he said enthusiastically. "And what's in it for you?" asked Octavia skeptically. "The pride that I have helped a talented woman achieve her true potential. That and points with Black Heart for finding worthy talent." "So you do have a monetary gain." she answered coldly. "Nope, I meant that Black Heart will finally realize that I do have a good taste in music." he said with an honest smile. The cellist began thinking, on one hand she could just abandon him and start from scratch in some city. But on the other, she knew she could trust Master and starting from an elevated position was a better option. But she still had her doubts about going to the one city that is ruled by the man that just tried to enslave her. "Are you sure this is a good idea? What if Pearl finds me?" "Do you remember Golden Harp?" he said, waiting for her response. Golden Harp was a victim of the same circumstances, and she disappeared without a trace a year ago. She nodded her head. "He's that good." "Then there's not much time to waste, my bags are in that wardrobe. I'll begin preparing everything." "I'll call my friend, make sure everything goes smoothly." he said as he pulled out a blocky cellphone.