Behind Bows and Arrows

A Week Earlier

"Look Luna, I don't see why I need a partner, I'm perfectly capable of handling anything the grffins can throw at me." While Luna is definitely one of the smartest ponies I know, she can be as stubborn as a mule, especially when it came to my well-being.

I wanted her to say I was right, but instead I got a typical sigh and a shaking of the head, "I'm sure you can Adomia, but it's not really so much as getting a partner. It's more like getting a sacred object, well... Pony in this case."

I took the final bites of an apple and tilted the chair I was in, back, "You mean Octavia, correct?"

She grabbed the leg and pulled it back down to the ground. "Yes, Octavia is a special pony, but if she were to fall into Griffin hooves-"

"Talons," I corrected, with a smug look on my face.

"Talons, then I think this war would be much harder to keep secret."

With a sigh I got up from my chair and trotted one of the large windows in her room, "I'll make sure she stays safe okay?"

I was about to jump out the window and fly off, but Luna's voice stopped me, which caused me to slip off the edge. But I grabbed it at the last second and climbed my way back up, "That's good, but try not to do anything to freak her out okay."

"We'll see Luna, we'll see."

Present Day

I don't think I have to begin how annoying it is when your sleep is interrupted by dubstep, but what makes it even worse is a crazy, white pony with glasses on screaming, "Good morning Ponyville!" At the top of her lungs.

Even though I had been living with Vinyl Scratch for about a year now, I still have never gotten the reason why she does that.  But what amazes me more is the lack of complaints, not even a peep about Vinyl's, "Morning wubs." As she calls it.

With my head in the pillow, just trying to get some remnants of sleep back, I waited around fifteen minutes for the music to stop. That was my queue that I could head downstairs without my ears exploding.

"Good morning Vinyl." I said with a yawn.

"Hey hey! Look who finally decided to get up!" She responded in her energetic manner.

I didn't even need to look at the clock, "Vinyl it's still 9AM, same as always. You always blast your... music, at nine."

I sat down with a glass of orange juice as Vinyl put her glasses on, "Octy come on, you're still on about that?"

It took every single bit of self-control to not give my roommate a good slap, "Yes! I am! You know, I like sleep Vinyl, a lot of ponies like sleep! Having to be woken up by dubstep everyday gets tiring!"

She just laughed, "It's a great way to start the day!"

"Yeah, if great is having your ears bombarded with noise..." I grumbled to myself.

I droned Vinyl out as she went non-stop on how great dubstep is, and I turned my attention to outside. It looked like a beautiful day, the sun seemed extra radiant, it made every color of the world vibrant. I could see some ponies walking outside, either with early work, or just getting a head start on enjoying the perfect weather.

"Vinyl," I interrupted as I got up from the table, "I would love to continue this conversation, but I have business to take care of, I shall see you later."

She didn't even notice me leave, and I wondered if she had heard me.

I took a deep breath of the air, Looks like I was right, the weather is perfect! I began a nice smooth walk, not really caring where I was going. Canterlot was a nice place, but it couldn't compare to the natural beauty that was Ponyville, everything was so open and friendly. If I ever had to move to Canterlot I would probably miss this small rural town.

I didn't even notice myself trot out of Ponyville and end up at a large field, the long grasses teased at my legs, and the wind whipped my mane around however it pleased.

Taking refuge under a large tree I looked up at the sky, and let my hooves support my head, and I could feel painful memories starting to rush through my mind.

Many Years Earlier

I felt my nightly slumber interrupted by a strange sensation I've never felt before, burning. I woke up to have my eyes swarmed by a deathly black smoke, I let out a gasp, and then a fit of coughing. Breathing began to hurt, and the smell of a campfire infiltrated my nostrils. I crawled out of my small bed and began to make for the door, but debris fell from the ceiling and blocked my path. My small mind realized what was going on, fire. I continued to crawl on the floor, pain racking my sides from the heat, my eyes stung and watered, everything seemed to be a blur. I crawled out through the back door and finally stood up, my eyes cleared and I saw ponies trying to supress the fire with magic and water.

"What's this filly doing here?!" I heard a voice all out.

My knees started to buckle, and I fell to the grass with a small thump. I felt so tired, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. But I could feel magic starting to swirl around me and my body turned weightless. Until I was placed on a strangers back, "She's burning up, we need to get her to a hospital."

I tried to protest, but all that came out was a small croak, and my throat instantly stung with each attempt to speak.

It all happened so fast, no pony ever figured out why or how my house was set on fire. No pony knew how I survived, with second degree burns all over. They said that my small body couldn't handle that, but time seemed to slow down when I was recovering in the hospital, and I saw the doctor walk in.

"Octavia, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

I was still so afraid, this new place, these strange things they were doing to me with magic, "W-where's mommy and daddy?" I squeaked out.

"That's just it, Octavia, they didn't survive."

Now for a filly, I was quite smart, and I knew what he meant, "They're gone, aren't they?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry Octavia."

Once again time blurred, I soon found myself in an orphanage, then in the hooves of a young mother and father. That's where I discovered the cello, it was so big to me, but that didn't stop me from playing it. I went to a small school where I was bullied due to my burn marks and love for such a instrument.

"She's good, for a filly." I heard my mother say one day.

My father gave me a solid nod, "I think you found something special to you Octavia."

I shut off the memory, I hated reliving my past, I was always a pony that looked to the future, and let the past be just the past. Memories like that made me feel horrible for some odd reason.

I was about to leave, but a voice penetrated my eardrums. "Something on your mind?"

I turned to see Adomia, that strange pony I had met the night before. "Adomia? Wha- how did you get here?"

He spread his wings, "Wings are quite useful you know."

My attention turned back to his question. "No, just memories is all."

"Your parents are dead aren't they?" He asked out of the blue.

My body instantly tensed, and a gasp escaped from my mouth, "How did you know that?!" I exclaimed.

"Because, I know that look in your eyes, they're full of pain, pain from a bad past. Perhaps a bad childhood?"

I stood up over him, "Okay who are you? How do you know so much about me?"

He held his hoof up as a signal to be quiet, "All in due time, Ms. Octavia."

Now I was really getting freaked out, and I took a few steps back. Perhaps if I ran, he wouldn't notice like most ponies.

"You can run, I'm not stopping you." He said as I was tip-hoofing away.

On that statement I bolted away, I was expecting him to follow me but he still laid there, his eyes closed and wings spread in a relaxing manner.

Whenever I was nervous I would clutch at my cello bow, much like how a filly would clutch a stuffed animal of some sort. "I just don't get it Vinyl, how did he know all that stuff about me? It doesn't make any sense!"

Vinyl just sat back in her chair and laughed, "Looks like Octavia got a peagsus stalker!"

"Vinyl this is serious! I'm genuinely afraid... How much does he know?"

She saw the look on my face, and soon her face reflected my fear. I felt happy that a pony was listening to me worry, and one of those rare moments happened where she seemed genuinely concerned about me, and it made me wonder how much of a friend I was to her.

"I don't know Octy, only he has the answer to that. Look, if you want my advice, just stay inside for the day okay?"

I gave her a solid nod, and I trotted up to my room and pulled out my cello, playing always seems to distract me, whether from Vinyl's dubstep or something like this.

I couldn't keep myself focused though, Adomia just kept popping up in my mind, every line, every measure, every note.

"All in due time, Ms. Octavia"

Why couldn't he tell me now? What was stopping him? I couldn't even get a decent thought on what he could mean by that, I was just so confused.

Not even my cello could keep me distracted for long, and soon day turned to dusk, and I found myself looking out my window at the world beyond. He is out there, doing... something, I just don't know what. I watched the clouds move by slowly, they wouldn't have had to put up with this... stalker...

I let out a deep sigh, "What happens next? Am I bound to keep meeting him like that?"

I don't know if Celestia was watching me or some other cosmic reason, but I looked out to one of the many roofs of Ponyville. They were all pratically the same, except for one, one which had a pegasus in a strange cloak of some sort, it was staring right at me, and I knew exactly who it was.

"Adomia..." I said outloud.

I was about to open my window when I heard Vinyl yell, "Hey Octavia! I got some food for us!"

"Just a-" I looked to the roof again and he was gone, "second..."

To be continued...

(Authors Notes: I hope you guys like this next chapter, I'm a little worried it wasn't as good as my first, but I guess that's okay. Thanks to everyone that reads, you guys are awesome)