//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: The Adventures of Shadow Chaser: Octavia in the Wolves' Den 
// by RangerBeef 
//------------------------------//

I wandered down the dark roads of Canterlot looking for my favorite bar.  It’d been years since my job had pulled me here and I wasn’t quite sure where everything was anymore.  After a few blocks I passed a place that looked interesting enough and decided to give it a shot.

I’ve never been much for jazz but when I walked in and was met with a smooth beat and a scent of different baked goods I decided I could bear my distaste if only for the food being offered.

A waitress approached me and asked me if I was alone tonight.  I told her yes and she offered me a small table on the side of room not far from the stage.  I ordered a small glass of cider and, as she walked away, adjusted my chair to look over the whole bar.

No one looked out of place.  Everypony was just enjoying the relaxation of a late night crowd.  Ponies always seemed more mellow this time of night.  Especially in a jazz bar, everypony was relaxed although maybe a bit pretentious about it.  The band was laying down a smooth vibe.  They were hitting all the right notes at all the right times and keeping the show flowing.

The waitress returned with my cider and I sat back in my chair, sipping it and looking over my notes.  Vinyl had known so much about Octavia that it was almost scary.  All the orchestras she’d tried out for.  All the offers from those orchestras she’d turned down.  All the friends she still had here in Canterlot from some snooty music school she’d gone to.  Vinyl had said she’d never quite fit in there.  Yea, because she’s humble.  All the offers that Octavia had turned down told me she must have a darn good reason for it.  She could be a near millionaire if she just accepted any of these orchestras as her own.  But something was keeping her down to Earth.  Keeping her in Ponyville.

My curiosity was getting the better of me.  What would she have keeping her tied to Ponyville?  Vinyl?  Something deeper?  Surely she recognized that whatever her problem it could be worked out and dealt with after she was rich and famous.  Maybe she didn’t want to tarnish her name after she was famous.  But money could fix almost anything in this world.  Make whatever it was go away or stay quiet.  These were all things Octavia would have to answer when I found her.

The band finished up and explained that their time on stage had come to an end.  There was a spattering of applause and hoof beats as they took their bows gathered their things.  I wondered who was going to take their place.  It was much too early for the band to just stop and have the bar left with no music.  What do you care?  You don’t even like jazz.

I looked back down at my few notes.  Trying to see if there was a small detail I had overlooked or something that just caught my eye as the next act took the stage.  She spoke in a soft voice, making me reminisce of my childhood days with Fluttershy.

“Hello, everypony.  My name is Doria and this is my cello.  We’ve only got one song for you tonight but we promise it’s a good one.”

I stared at her dumbfounded, mouth agape and lost in what had to have been some kind of fantastic cosmic coincidence.  My target had just walked directly into my world.  There she was, less than 10 yards away.  Why couldn’t they all do that?  Octavia began to play slowly.  The song she played was a sad one but it was not out of place for her current setting.

She finished and the few applause that came clearly struck her heart.  She was used to bigger crowds and ponies who were there because they loved her and her music.  She picked up her cello and began to walk off stage, crest fallen.

I tossed a few bits on the table, probably enormously over tipping but I had to catch her.  As she walked backstage I started to follow but was stopped suddenly by a massive stallion.  The black shirt, sunglasses and small headset he was wearing spoke for him.  Bouncers were never too fond of ponies hassling the musicians.  I backed down before he had to say anything, giving him an understanding nod.

I went outside and walked around the building.  There were two exits.  One the main entrance I had just come out of and a back door, obviously for the musical talent to slip in and out unnoticed.  I positioned myself on a nearby bench so I could see the comings and goings at both doors.

After a few hours the bar began to clear everyone out.  Patrons out the front.  Musicians out the back.  However, I never saw the familiar light brown coat I was looking for.  Had she pulled another vanishing act?  Was there another door I wasn’t aware of?  No.  I double checked.  There were only two doors.  She had to still be in there.  Before that thought could even finish the lights in the club blinked off.  The manager walked out the front and turned to lock the door.

After I was certain the manager was gone, I stood from the bench and made my way around to the backside of the building.  I tried the door, fully expecting the thud as the lock held tight.  Alright, time for the less than legal part.

I stood back a little and bent down, angling my horn toward the lock.  After some slight concentration I heard an audible click.  I have to remember to return that lock picking book to Twilight.  I tested the door again.  It swung inward and I quickly slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind me.

Inside it was even darker than I imagined.  I stopped for a moment to let my eyes adjust.  Wait, Twilight taught you something for this situation, too.  I smirked and concentrated again as my horn began to glow.  Just at the tip.  Which was plenty enough light to look around without being noticeable from outside the club.

I wandered slowly inside.  Checking instrument cases for cellos and looking for any clue as to where Octavia had gone.  The search was useless.  Nothing left behind.  No note of whereabouts.  Like I was that lucky twice in one night.

I was just about to give up and slink back outside when I tripped over something and fell into a drum set with a loud crash.  I stood quickly and waited patiently to see if anypony who might be still in the club or somepony out the back door had heard my cacophonous mishap.

I began to breathe a sigh of relief when I heard a knock at the back door.  Horse feathers!  I moved myself to a back corner of the stage area and hunkered down, hoping to conceal myself if this person tried the door.  Of course, they tried the door.

As it swung open I could see a flashlight and a bright blue policecolt’s hat.  Times like this, I thank Celestia for a gray coat and black mane.  He swept the flashlight left and right.  Passing over the drum set and seeing what had made the noise.  Satisfied that nothing was out of place, save the cluttered drum set, he flicked the flashlight off and closed the door behind him.  Thank Luna’s stars for lazy policecolts.

I stood up and let out the breath I’d been holding.  Moving toward the drum set and what I had tripped over I turned my own ‘flashlight’ back on.  As I reached the area where I had tripped I recognized a handle sticking up from the floor.  Cursing at myself for not being more observant, I lifted the handle slowly.

Sensing no danger from below, I opened the trap door fully.  It opened into a stairwell.  Three exits.  Questions raced through my mind as I descended the stairs.  Why had Octavia taken this exit?  What was down here and where would it lead me?

I closed the hatch behind me and brought my light up brighter.  This night was going to be longer than I thought.