The Last Show For My Nobles
The Last Show for My Nobles
May 25th
"Pull yourself together. This should be your average day!" Said Octavia as she finished combing her silky black hair. She was wearing her regular charcoal grey felt robe before she prepared. Her show in one of the Canterlot Bars was usually a common thing, but she had sensed that things were getting worse by the day. Every concert brought more and more drunken nobles. Some had gone as far as trying to try and grope her, but she has always managed to stay away.
"Hey Tavi how long 'till you're ready?" Said a man with black hair, jeans, black t-shirt and denim vest.
"Sorry Metal, but I can't concentrate. I don't know why it's harder."
"Don't worry m'lady, this is your last show before the contract dies, so give it your best. Think about it, tomorrow you can have a bottle of frozen beer in your penthouse in Las Pegasus!" He said as he embraced her with his large, muscular arms.
"I don't have a penthouse, and I don't like beer, I can't understand why you do." She said as shoved the arms away.
"Cuz beer is sweet! I can have as much as I want and not feel slightly guilty about it. Also, with the money you have made you could buy a penthouse. I don't see why not."
"Most of my salary goes to paying my apartment rent and feeding both of us."
"But you still have savings, as a roadie I'm not that expensive."
"It's not much. And must I remind you that you cost me twenty percent of all my pay checks."
"It could be worst, most charge twenty five percent! I'm saving you five, and I bet my wage that they are half as good as me."
"I know that, and I am grateful for it." She said with a slight tone of irritation.
"So, where do you plan on going after today? I could always suggest a few locales that will take a cellist. There's a dive in Vanhoover..." He started but was cut off by her delicate hand.
"Please get out, I need to concentrate." She said, and he disappeared immediately.
She felt somewhat guilty of cutting him off and sending him away, but today was the day she knew was going to be trouble. She had been warned by the other female musicians that these nobles liked to have more entertainment than regular music. She just hoped that violence wouldn't be necessary. But if it was, both her and Metal Riffs could handle it.
Actually, the only reason that Metal was her roadie was that he was incredibly skilled at crowd control, wether it be by hand or axe. That was something no roadie ever wanted to face. She admitted that they had become very great friends, since he was a guitarist and very keen on all things music. But still that is where everything ended. Keeping it professional was the best decision she could make.
She slipped off her bathrobe and into her dressing gown. The charcoal grey silk dress was one of her favorites, it hung lightly over her shoulders, joined at the very bottom of her cleavage and covered all they way to her feet. It parted on the left side from the hip to the end. From one of the drawers she took out a silver treble clef pendant. This belonged to her teacher, Pentagram, who taught her Cello and even self defense using it.
She took a few deep breaths and took a sip from the glass of water in front of her. Composing shelf she left her parathion room and went backstage. Metal was there, holding Marceline, his weird battle axe-guitar combo. The instrument was, as usual, perfectly tuned, and the black paint was fresh as always.
"Ready for your last gig?" He asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be, what's the crowd like?"
"Your usual, bunch of young nobles with too much alcohol and too little resistance. I would tell you what language they are using, but my mom told me not to use foul language."
"Perfect, we may even have to end it early if things turn out like last time."
"Don't worry, Marcy and me are ready to help you."
"I appreciate your sentiment Metal. But I hope it doesn't have to go down like that."
"I also hope not. Marcy hasn't had blood in three months, and I want to keep it that way."
"Wish me luck."
"Good luck, and may Ormagöden protect you." He said.
With a nod she proceeded to take her place next to Arkadius, her cello. Like most high-class bars, there were several tables around her stage. And as was becoming more common, various sharply-dressed men whistling and howling like hungry wolves.
Ignoring them she took her bow. Her first song was titled Resurrection, which was a very soft song. The song was meant to relax everyone, but it only got her more howling and booing.
She continued playing soft songs, since that was what she had been hired to do. But it seemed that every song they got more and more drunk.
By the end of her show one of them stood up and shouted: " Baby, come with me and I'll show you how to play a real instrument!"
She ignored him, he was a couple of tables away, so there was no danger imminent. He continued insisting as he approached her. "Baby, let me take you to see a real show in the castle." His breath reeked of cheap cocktails.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in a rich buffoon." She said coldly.
"You'll be sorry for refusing me, the great Gold Ingot, you bitch!"
"I may be a bitch, but that does not mean I am a whore. Now go away!" She said. She regretted her decision seconds later as he pulled out something from his blazer. It was a small metallic thing, which had a barrel pointed at her. She knew she had screwed up, but there was no time, grabbing her cello she sprinted.
There were three bangs erupted from the pistol, one of which grazed her shoulder. She stumbled down, and felt something drill itself into her calf. With another scream she started crawling. She expected him to grab her and take her away, but she heard a large whack. Turning around made her see that Metal had cleaved his axe into the rich boy's skull. Since it was Equestrian Steel there was no permanent damage, but he still fell down like a rag doll.
After that at least a dozen drunkards pulled out their pistols at Metal, but he was smarter than that. He turned Marceline into guitar position and began playing a high-pitched solo. At the end of it his magic emitted a sonic shockwave that knocked them out.
"And that's the power of metal for ya!" He said as he tried to help Octavia back to her feet, but with the amount of pain she was in, she merely passed out on his shoulder. he grabbed her with both arms and began walking toward he exit.
The bar doors swung open and five Canterlot guards burst forward.
"Everyone stay where you are!" Said one of them.
"No need to panic guys, I already stunned them for you. But I need a healer right now, my friend here has been shot." Answered Metal while putting Marceline down.
"What happened here?" Asked the guard.
"My friend was playing her instrument but these assholes pulled out guns and shot her!"
"But that's not possible! There are no guns in Equestria! He is obviously lying!" Intervened another guard.
"Oh yeah and bullets flew all the way from Germaneigh and embedded themselves in my friend! Look around you and tell me if there are no guns on these guys!"
"I don't trust him Spear, just look at him, he looks like a murderous hobo." Said the second Guard.
"I don't care if he looks like a hobo, a murderer or even if he looked like Princess Celestia's buttocks. He is innocent by my standards until we finish investigating, and get me Silk Bandage right now! You with the axe-guitar, what happened here?" Said Spear.
"Just told you man, my friend Octavia was doing her gig when this bastard right here started harassing her. She insulted him and she left, as she turned her back he opened fire and lodged a bullet in her calf. Where the hell is your medic? She's bleeding!"
"Don't worry about your friend, our healer is finally here. But I am not done with you. I want you to come over to the Barracks and make a formal eyewitness statement."
"Why me?"
"Because you are the only one who is still conscious, don't worry about these idiots, my friends will arrest them and take them to the dungeon."
"What about Tavi?"
"Your friend will be Taken to the medical wing in the castle, don't worry I will guarantee her safety."
"Damn right you will. If anyone touches as much as a hair I will personally give you nightmares!"
"Is that a threat?" Asked the captain as he outed his chest.
"No, it's a warning." Said Metal as he closed him and got within breathing distance.
"Very well, follow me sir." Said Spear as he left for the door. A small-framed man wearing white leather armor and a Red Cross on his left arm which marked him as a medic. He took out his wand and muttering something under his breath he began extracting the metal projectile from the cellist. He refused to leave her in their care and carried her all the way to the medical wing in the Castle.
He refused to make a statement until he had put her in the best room. After that he was taken to the main offices, where they questioned him thoroughly. They asked him how long had he been working with her, and that was three years. How he got the axe, that was because his mother gave it to him. And also how he knew about firearms since they were extremely illegal in Equestria.
"Well, that's cuz I'm friends with Shield Heart, the Grey Warden." He answered.
"That explains a lot." Said Spearunder his breath.
"How long have you known him?"
"Oh, we're bros, real close. We met in a bar in Great Bridle, Trottingham to be exact. He told me all about a magical place where no one would discriminate you because you loved metal."
"But it says here that you were born in Baltimare."
"Yeah, but I ditched the place as soon as I could, too many assholes."
"So what was this promised land?"
"In Vanhoover. But that took us like four years to get there. We still had to go through lots of shit."
"Interesting, but I hope you can speed up to the part where you tell me how you became a roadie for the greatest cellist in Canterlot."
"Of course Spear. When I arrived in Vanhoover I went to this dive downtown, where they told me about some musician who needed help. So they told me to go to Canterlot to interview for the job. And one interview later I was hired."
"That quick? You really expect me to believe that she hired you with just one interview."
"Well, that interview might have happened during an alley fight, where I knocked down a couple of heads. And I showed her my powers at fixing instruments. I'm also good at setting stages and that sort of shit, but her stages are usually bland."
"And the events of today occurred literally as you said earlier?"
"Yeah, I don't like lying."
"Very well, that will be all. Thank you for your declarations, with this we may have enough to start a record against the Precious Family."
"Really? From just one incident?" Metal was surprised, usually there had to be like ten incidents before a record w started against a High Family.
"This reveals that the Precious have more power and greed than before. Yesterday Silver Platter and four goons were brutalized in an alley. There was some blood, but none of them had any wounds. We happened to have found bullet cases around, but they were crippled for a good time, in fact they are still in coma."
"And who's your prime suspect slash victim?"
"Shield Heart, he's the only one who has that fighting ability."
"Someone beating up five guys into a coma in an alley? Yep, sounds like him."
The Guard stretched his hand, and Metal extended his for the handshake. After shaking he immediately took off to the medical wing.
To his relief the doctors had managed to heal her calf very quick. They told him that she was done, but they wanted to keep her immobile until tomorrow, which meant six hours.
"I can't believe that you got me a room. It's so embarrassing." Said Octavia without looking at him.
"Sorry, but I was worried, Shield taught me too much about bullets and the dangers." He said with a shy smile.
"Oh, that cynical lunatic? I must have expected that."
"Yeah he's insane, but there is no better man than him in this sort of shit, I assure you." He said. Suddenly his spruce wand started twitching, and with a light nod, he released a puff of smoke which materialized into a letter.
He grazed though it, looked at Octavia and said: "The Lester's from the lunatic, he needs my help in Vanhoover."
Author's Note
I really hope you liked this one. I started it because I needed to add more stuff, and starting a shorter series seemed like the best idea. Criticism is asked, please write a review or something to tell me if it was good or not.
Because there is somewhere better than Home
Because there is somewhere better than Home.
"What exactly does this maniac want from you." Asked Octavia while lying in bed. Only seconds ago her friend Metal Riffs had received a letter from an insane friend called Shield Heart.
"The letter is pretty straightforward, he's requesting my help for a supposed invasion upon Manehattan. He wants to meet up in Vanhoover for briefing." Said Metal as he stroked his goatee.
"Burn it, I don't want anything to do with him. Last time was a disaster." She said as she crossed her arms.
"If you're talking about the Baltimare incident, it wasn't his fault."
"Yes of course, because he was forced to release a chimera into the streets, which also happened to be hunting me specifically."
"All right, he was guilty of releasing it, but on his defense he did kill it before it scratched you."
"If by scratch you a referring to nearly peeling the skin off my back then yes! He did!"
"Don't exaggerate, it was just a scratch, not even visible now!"
"Not visible was that monster when it started camouflaging."
"Chimeras don't have camouflage!"
"This one did!"
"Please, I'm asking you this one favor, please let me go to Vanhoover!"
"No! I need your help getting a new job, preferably away from this town."
"Oh! I know this one bar where people who appreciate music go to!"
Octavia moved into an upright position. "Where is it?"
"It's in Manehattan! There is also another one in Vanhoover. Your choice." He said with a smug grin. The last locale was her finding, and that turned it rather badly for her.
"Manehattan, really? Your suicidal friend just told you that it will be attacked and you expect me to go there?"
"Oh, c'mon! He'll be the to save the day! You'll come to no harm!"
Octavia played with her long, silky hair. She contemplated her options. One was to kiss her luck and throw herself at danger and the other one was to live next to a lunatic who charged at chimeras while in a motorcycles and holding a dozen spears and acting like a toreador.
"Metal, get me two train tickets to Manehattan, we leave tomorrow as soon as possible." She said with cold confidence.
Her friend chuckled and kissed her in the forehead, telling her that he would be back as soon as he cleared all of the other chores.
Soon as the grunge man in denim left her room, Octavia fell asleep. The pain she suffered was unbearable, and had caused her exhaustion beyond belief. In her dreams she saw her old teacher, Pentagram, as he gave her her first lessons.
.oOo.
Metal was back at the apartment packing everything. Since he was a roadie he had always insisted on keeping things ready in case they needed to leave. It took him fifteen minutes to pack every single piece of clothing. The furniture would stay, it was rented, just like the rest of this place. He was about to pick up all the luggage when there was a knock on the door. Metal's instincts told him to go for Marceline, in case it was a hooligan or some other form of trouble. He gripped his holstered axe and headed for the door.
Standing outside was a tall man clocked in dark blue. His eyes were shining silver, reflecting the small amount of light. It was creepy, the skin was barely visible amidst the cloak, but the eyes shone like stars. Metal relaxed his grip. Although mysterious, this man didn't look dangerous.
"Good night sir." Said Metal, trying to figure out what was happening.
"Yes, it is a good evening sir, I believe you are worrying why I am present before you." Said the dark man in a cool, soft voice.
"Yeah, there's that."
"Do not worry, I am an agent of our beloved Princess Luna."
"No I don't have time to listen to your religious bullshit." And Metal slammed the door, but the man responded by smashing his hand into the door.
"I'm sorry, but I am not here for religious business, it has come to our attention that you have been contacted by a mutual acquaintance, the Grey Warden Shield Heart."
Metal was surprised, the message had come only to him, so hearing someone say that they somehow found out about a secret message was troublesome.
"Don't worry, you are not in any sort of trouble, I just wanted to know what he told you."
"If he sent a letter it would be my business, not yours. Now if you don't mind I need to finish packing before I leave for Canterlot with my boss." Said Metal as he tried to close the door, but the stranger wouldn't budge.
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what Shield Heart told you." The agent said with a creepy voice. "Two other messages were sent, one to a Grey and the other to the chief of police in Manehattan. Now, I need to know what the letter said because we fear of what he is going to do."
"The letter said: Come to Manehattan, cuz there' s going to be some problem and I want your help. That's it, there's nothing more to it."
"That is all? Very well, if you see him again tell him that Night Wing was asking for him." Said the agent in black as he jumped seven meters into the air and slowly descended to a rooftop.
Metal closed the door and said to himself: "Asshole." Before returning to his chores. Lifting the bags would usually represent an impossible task for most people, but for this roadie it was just Tuesday work. The more tedious task was carrying it all the way to the train station, but he had carried once a hundred and five kilogram man across a lake, so it didn't matter much.
At the train station he noticed that there were guards in the station. Usually there were none, but tonight it seemed like there was a convention and they were giving free cinnamon rolls to whoever showed up.
He went for the luggage daycare, where one could leave their stuff and expect people to respect it long enough for the next day. He bought tickets for the ten o'clock, first class of course, it had been too long since hey stopped going basic coach.
He returned to the medical wing, hoping that they would be able to check Octavia out with enough time to spare the following morning. But strangely, his thought deviated to Night Wing. The figure was slightly familiar, and his agility left Metal jealous. Also it was creepy how the eyes stood out while there was absolutely no visible skin. Then Metal finally realized, the threat was very real, otherwise Princess Luna would not have sent that man or have increased the security, because they were all around the place, guarding every single alley.
After a long walk Metal was resting in the couch at the hospital, looking through the letter. He told Night Wing the context, but he had purposely left out several details, such as Shield telling him that it was changelings, there was a possibility of a bigger threat and the need for his musical talents.
Music was his true specialty, long ago his father had taught him how to use music to channel magic, just like the stunner solo he had used at the bar. That was just the first of many he knew. He had a solo for calling down a meteor, one for face melting, another one to increase the strength of his allies and another one to form a giant rock wall.
Metal woke up and took a look at the wall clock. It marked five past nine.
