//------------------------------// // Chapter Two- Moonlit Meet-up // Story: The Strings Of Life // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// The Strings Of Life: Chapter 2- Moonlit Meet-up: It was now nine o’ clock sharp, as he was now making his way into the facility for the concert. This concert was merely for pleasure purposes, as it didn’t cost anything. “Good evening sir, go right on in.” said the stallion at the front entrance. But however, as Maestro was making his way into the building, he caught something go behind it in the corner of his eye, and he was fairly curious on the matter. “Excuse me, sir…sorry.” Said Maestro, as he made his way out of the line and towards the back of the building. He approached around the corner closely, and nopony could be seen anywhere near the area, as it was a dark alley, dimly lit by Luna’s lovely moonlit night. The closer he approached the corner he heard a drop of something, and then heard somepony starting to cry. It sounded like a mare’s voice from what he heard, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying, all he heard was mumbling. “Hello?” he called out before coming into the dark alley. “Leave me be, Nopony wants to hear my music…nopony wants to hear my music…nopony cares.” Soon the voice strangely sounded familiar, he caught up with the mare’s soft British accent she had, but he decided to come into the dark alley and discover who it was for himself. “Is everything…oh my…Octavia? Is that you?” “No…no it isn’t! Not anymore anyway…I’m not of your concern.” She then looked up with tears rolling down her face. “M-Maestro?” she said surprised thereafter realizing it was him. “Uh yeah…that’s me…why are you back here? Why are you crying?” he asked. “That’s none of your concern.” Octavia replied, noticing she was trying to clear herself up after she found out it was him. Maestro looked a bit beside her, and what appeared to be some of her compositions torn to pieces beside her Cello that lay peacefully within its protective case. “Doesn’t look like you’re doing okay?” “Is it that obvious? Look at me; they wouldn’t let me perform tonight, one of my biggest goals…crushed. They never have respected my music, and I'd rather not say why. They may have not liked my Cello, but what they don’t realize, is that I have played it at some of their family’s funerals.” “That’s just awfully low for them…too low. Who would not appreciate your music?” he spoke up. “Take a look around, you think anypony cares to listen to me? Did you see anypony around me when I played my Cello earlier on today when we met? No…you didn’t.” Maestro may have not been good with mares, but he still had a heart of sympathy and a mind of levelheaded thinking when he needed to be. “Well I for one love your music, when I heard you play earlier on today, that certain song you played was done perfectly. I’ve tried that song myself, and you even made me look bad in my opinion.” He replied. Octavia wiped some tears from her eyes and looked back at him from the corner of her eyes. “Thanks…nopony has really well, ever said that to me before…atleast nopony except my parents.” “Who are your parents?” he asked. She turned her head a pinch towards him, but still not giving him eye contact, and still looking down at the ground. “Oh…I’m so sorry.” “Don’t be…I was too young anyhow. All I know is that my grandmother raised me until she passed away just a few years ago.” “My condolences go out to you Octavia.” “Please…don’t be…I’m fine about it. My grandmother told me to be strong, so I’m doing the best I can. But strength can only sustain somepony for a time, I’m not invincible.” Maestro then decided to approach Octavia a little more, eventually ending up right beside the sad mare. Maestro then looked back at her Cello, which must’ve cost a fortune from the looks of it. “Your Cello is beautiful by the way.” As he tries to ease her mind by changing the subject on a matter more light on her. “It is I suppose…I had purchased it with my own hard earned money, it wasn’t easy.” She replied with a sigh afterward. “Well I mean…I have uh…my Cello with me?” Maestro gave an awkward grin, having nothing else intelligent to say to her. “What kind is it?” he added. “Uh…one piece back…with ebony hoofboard and pegs, it came with an endpin, unlike having to buy one separate for it.” she spoke up a bit from her voice. “Oh…so is it top of the line?” “I have no idea honestly…it’s name is so European sounding, I can’t even recall its name right off the bat.” she replied. Octavia then turned her head back down entirely towards the ground facing it. Looking at her compositions she had put so much work into, and now gone and ruined. “Well, you may go now…as I need to deal with the last of these things.” Stated Octavia, as she then got up looking like she was about to do something to her very own instrument. Maestro looked and wondered as to what she was going to do next, and saw she had tucked away a hammer right under the Cello, and from the looks of it…destroy the thing. “You may go I said.” She stated again. “No…I’m not letting you destroy your future, or destroy that instrument of yours.” “Leave me be to my business!” she said again a little frustrated, wanting to get it over it already. She then raised the hammer into the air, about to deliver the fatal blow to the beautiful and harmless instrument. Right before she delivered the final blow to her career and her own future, Maestro spoke up and stopped her. “Teach me!” he exclaimed to her as he grabbed a hold of the hammer and both of her hoofs while they were in the air. Octavia looked back at him confused then, and yet not knowing what to do now on such a matter as this was to the both of them. She then drew away from him, letting him have the hammer in the process. She lost grip of it while he at the same time drew it away from her. “What in the name of Celestia do you think you’re doing?” she said to him bothered by his just then assertive action. “Stopping you from crushing and ultimately destroying your passion and career, that’s what.” he replied, as he then dropped the hammer behind him. Octavia then looked away from him, having her back facing towards him. “Look, yes of course I understand…nopony likes or appreciates your music. But why can't you tell me why they don't like your music?” “I'd rather not say as I stated before…” “Then teach me as amazing as your music sounds. Who wouldn’t want to follow in your footsteps? I’m currently looking for a teacher, and you have what I’m looking for.” “Don’t flatter yourself, I don’t think anypony really cares to be my student truly. Look at you? You’re just as old as I am. Maye even a year or two older, I have no clue.” “That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t teach me…will you Octavia…please?” She raised her ears a bit more after hearing that, then one of her eyes looked back towards him. “Surely you’ve got to be joking?” “No I’m not, for one, you’re a beautiful mare with a bright future ahead of you if you just give it a chance.” “You…think I’m…beautiful?” She turned back around to him looking at him through his eyes. “Well I uh…well I mean not that I um…well…” “It’s fine…I shouldn’t have asked that then…sorry.” She then looks back away, and then gets down to her instrument, running her hoof across the ribs of the instruments smooth protected surface. “I uh…I shouldn’t have said that either I guess. I don’t know, look I’ll be honest; I’m not good with mares okay? There, I said it.” Maestro then turns back around, and starts to make his way out of the dark alley, and on his way back to the concert until…Octavia stops him. “Wait…I’ll…” she gives off a sigh, trying to pull herself out of this mess by being strong like her grandmother told her to begin with. “You’ll what?” Maestro now wondered. Octavia then partially faced towards him, and said something to him he thought he would never hear from her. “I…I’ll…teach you what I know, I suppose.” “Wait…what? You will?” A smile slowly then began to form on his face, as he slowly walked back towards her, not believing or expecting what she told him first off. “I said I’d…teach you what I know I suppose.” “Oh thank you so much! This is great news!” As Maestro now gets a little carried away, and ends up picking her up and giving her a hug. “Eh…are you okay by any chance?” she asks wit han eyebrowd raised. “Am I okay? I’m more than okay! This is going to be great!” As he and her then make a plan to make a time to meet up somewhere. But however, Octavia had a plan in mind first. “Before you go…I have one thing you must do before we meet again.” “Yes? Ask anything.” “Have you ever been to one of these concerts before in Canterlot?” she asks. “Um…no…this is my first official day living here actually…why?” “Well generally, depending on the crowd, they even select volunteers among the crowd to show the rest of them their own talents. They only select the ones who come into the crowd, generally sit in the first couple of rows, and have an appropriate instrument to play.” Octavia stated. “I don’t like where this is going...” he speaks to himself outloud. “Now I want you to volunteer whenever they do this, go up there and show me what you got. I’ll be in the very back row so no pressure.” She added. “Um…asking me if I was okay…are you okay? because well…are you kidding me? I don’t do well in front of crowds.” “I’m sure you don’t, so now you’ll feel how I did when they turned me down in front of a large audience one time…a sold out concert too. I performed solo, and they didn’t care for it.” “But…why me?” “Okay then, I won’t teach you.” Octavia then makes her way out of the alley and back into the moonlight. “But I…okay fine…this is for the lesson.” Maestro then grabbed his Cello from around the corner of the building, and made his way inside, as she did the same, but ending up being one of the last ones to enter into the building.