//------------------------------// // Chapter One- First Encounter // Story: The Strings Of Life // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// The Strings Of Life: Chapter 1- First Encounter: The air smelled sweet of the cinnamon rolls that were being baked just a few blocks down from where Maestro and his family were now residing. The sun gently shined through the delicate curtains, seemingly greeting him to a new day on life. He wasn’t exactly a morning pony, but neither were very many ponies out there anyway to begin with. “Wake up Maestro, your father’s already left for work, time for you to get out there and find yourself a teacher, dear!” his mother yelled to him from downstairs. He gives off a groan, and then covers his face back up bringing the covers over his face, denying the greeting warmth the sun had to offer him. He could hear his mother gently make her way up to his room in order to get him out of bed. Knowing him well enough that he wouldn’t the first time she asked him to. “Okay then, if you insist.” With a gentle glow of her horn, she removes the covers from the bed, and opens up the curtains. “Ahh! Mom, why today!” Maestro yells out, as he covers his eyes entirely with his hoofs. “Today’s Monday, and it’s time for you to do what you told me you would do today…and that was to find yourself a teacher to continue your Cello lessons.” She then looked away, as she was now grabbing a hold of the cover she drug off of the bed, and neatly folding it beside him with her magic once more. “Can’t it be tomorrow? I didn’t get-” “Maestro?” He let out a mildly frustrated sigh, as he then forced himself up out of bed. “Good, now get yourself downstairs and get a healthy breakfast of some kind.” His mother quickly said to him. “Yes mother…I honestly wish I had my own place by now.” He said to himself out loud. “You will Maestro, as a matter of fact, it won’t be long before you do come to think of it.” He tend to do the usual today like almost everyday it seemed to him. Take a shower, brush his teeth, get dressed, then head downstairs for breakfast…which he had to make himself. “Ugh, why is it that I have to find myself a teacher so soon? If only I kept my mouth shut until maybe next week or something. I just wanted to get settled in for a bit…not get up and out there trying to take care of this so soon.” He thought. He made his way into the kitchen slowly; he had his original father’s fine suit that he had received in the mail not too long ago from his biological mother. Luckily it survived the fire, since it was kept in a fireproof safe. That suit that his father had was his father’s, and his grandfather’s as well. The suit had been passed down from generation to generation, and was atleast a hundred years old, quite the relic to him, and which of course Maestro was ever so careful with it wherever he was and was off to. “Well look at who’s trying to make a good first impression?” “I don’t know why I decided to wear this…just that something inside of me told me I needed to wear it…so I did just that, mother.” “Yes of course, for it is your biological father’s suit, and not the suit your current father gave you. No matter, I know how important that thing is to you.” “It’s not a thing mother, it’s the last and only memento I have to remember my father by.” “I understand my son, now come…eat.” His mother pointed to an empty seat and brought him something she had made for him strangely enough. “Don’t I usually make my own breakfast?” he wondered. “Yes, but since this is your first official day in Canterlot, I decided to do a little something special for you dear. I may not be your actual mother, but you are still indeed my son, and that I love you very much.” She gave him a soft and sincere smile as he looked back at her. Moments after, he enjoyed the lovely breakfast plate that was prepared for him in such a way as it seemed for royalty itself. Maestro had finished his breakfast just minutes before, and now he grabbed his Cello, placed it in his carrying case, and placed it over his back. “I’ll be back in a few hours mother!” he shouted, as he was closing the door behind him. “Stay safe dear, and be careful with that suit whatever you do!” Maestro was now on the grand quest to find him somepony who would be willing to teach him. He continued into the city streets, looking every which way as there was something having to do with nothing but literature, teashops, jewelry shops, and music stores. “Can this place be normal for once? Not just full of yuppies?” He continued on until he found some concert hall. “Huh? Concert…tonight at nine o’ clock sharp.” He then thinks to himself, this might be his chance to find himself the one. “Well now, I suppose this will be put on the top of my list…” He quickly scribbles down the info from the sign outside of the concert hall, and onto a piece of paper he conveniently takes with him whenever he needs to copy down some kind of information. As he made his way to a certain area of a teashop, he heard somepony playing a Cello beautifully. “Who in Equestria is that? It sounds…incredible.” He kept following the noise, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, when he saw a lovely mare playing to herself with nopony around. He got a little closer to her, as her eyes were closed and she was feeling in tune, and one with her instrument. “Um…hello there…ma’am?” She then stopped and simply looked at him. “Um, can I help you?” she replied in a slightly smart tone. “Well um, yes actually…you see…I was-” He then was interrupted by her sudden intrusion of jumping to conclusions. “If you’re wanting an autograph, no…two, I do not play at funerals. Sorry if my music seems so depressing to you, and three…I will not teach children, nor do I intend to. Does that cover everything?” she gave a soft exhale of her breath after stating that. “No, I wasn’t going to ask any of that from you miss. Why did you jump to all of those conclusions?” “Well I uh…never mind about all of that then. What is it you want though, still?” she asked him again. “I just wanted to let you know how beautiful your music sounds, it was gorgeous.” “That’s not sarcasm is it?” she raised an eyebrow. “No, no…not at all ma’am. That song I’ve played before, but I could never hit the end of it quite right yet. How and where did you get such a great instrument?” “Well first off, we haven’t gotten acquainted with ourselves for one. I am Octavia Melody…and you are?” “I’m Maestro…pretty short compared to yours.” He gave a little chuckle. “Lovely name by the way, quite an elegant name for somepony.” “Oh, well…thank you I guess.” she replied. She looked away from him for a moment, trying to find a way to leave the conversation. “I’m sorry, but I really have to get going.” She quickly then grabbed her Cello then left out of sight around the corner that he had come around just minute or two before. “Wait, just one more thing!” he rose his voice, in hopes he’d catch her around the corner of the building, but she was already gone. “Confound it! She could’ve been the one.” He stomped one of his hoofs on the ground in mild frustration. He normally didn’t get angry, as he was mellow most of the time. Most ponies figured him to be a charmer towards mares, but he was nothing of the sort. Maybe every now and then he’d toss a little flirty comment out there to the occasional mare, but nothing too drastic. “Hmm…wait a moment!” He brought out his piece of paper showing the concert still on it. “What if she’s…” he then stopped himself with a little smirk on his face. “She’s got to be performing there tonight, she’s just got to be.” Soon after, he made his way once again back out into the main streets of Canterlot, and out again to find some kind of teacher amidst the glorious city. “Octavia…hmm…that mare…she was…well…interesting.” he said to himself.