//------------------------------// // Chapter Ten- Music of Death // Story: The Strings Of Life // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// The Strings Of Life: Chapter 10- Music of Death: It was now a few weeks into the fall season, and Maestro and Octavia continued to see each other from time to time. They had been meeting each other, and have been friends for the last few months now. At first, it was only about once a week, and then it grew to two times a week, then three. Eventually, they began seeing each other almost five times a week, as they both always seemed to have something new to tell each other every day. Octavia was falling for him, and she knew she was, but she didn’t know how to officially let him know that she had feelings for him. She was afraid it would cause their current friendship to take an awkward and strange path. As for Maestro, he had never felt that way about somepony before. He wouldn’t doubt however that she was certainly an attractive mare, a rare bird in fact to be even friends with. She didn’t have many friends at all, and Maestro was probably her only one at the current time...except for one more. Octavia had her occasional waves from others every now and then, but they were merely mild acquaintances. They were just ponies who simply waved or said “hello” to her, and were on with their day. But their was no denial, both of them felt they had feelings for each other, but no way to explain it without sounding too weird or strange approaching a delicate subject of this kind. Octavia actually felt attracted to him now, but was afraid to say anything it seemed. Maestro however considered her a good friend, but infatuation over her seemed to be clouded for him. The way he could explain it was not there, but yet somewhere deep down inside of him, his heart would soon find a way to tell her, but for now…it must remain…or does it have to? Will Octavia ever find the right time to tell him? And will Maestro ever find a way to deal with these feelings he’s never felt before? Their was a nip in the air at this time of day, as it had now reached three o’ clock in the afternoon. Octavia was sitting on a bench with her favorite scarf, a lovely white and pink striped scarf her grandmother Octave knitted her only months before she passed. At the moment, she felt at peace, as she remained seated at the bench in front of the fountain that operated in the park. She patiently waited for somepony to come see her, one could only guess who that was. “Okay I’m back Tavi. (Tay-vee)” Maestro managed to find something she didn’t mind being called, but only by him did she not ever care. “It’s about time, where do you live? The Crystal Empire?” she asked. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t?” “You haven’t even introduced me to your parents yet, so don’t even start.” She smiled. They decided to head back over to her house and take it easy there for the remainder of the evening. They sat on her couch in front of the fireplace as the sun went down. Octavia considered this to be romantic to her, but Maestro considered it to simply just spending time with her is all. Though with both of these things on different levels, neither one of them spoke out about it. Octavia didn’t want to say anything about it being romantic, and Maestro simply left it on spending time with her. The tea pot she had in the kitchen then began to be heard, as the lid could be heard rattling against the top of it, as the pressure built. “Oops, I’ll be back momentarily.” She then took off into the kitchen to shut the thing up. “Ah, it feels good not having to really do any lessons of some kind now. I haven’t resumed on my music for a couple of months to my knowledge?” he thought. As she was still in the kitchen, and as he closed his eyes, he heard a knock on the door. “Who is it?” he called out. “Is somepony at the door?” Octavia asked him. “Yeah, there is, I’ll get it.” Maestro gets up from the couch, to head over and answer the door. “Yes, who is it?” he called out at the door, but no answer. He peeped through the hole, and couldn’t quite make out the pony standing there. Then, as soon as he unlocked the door, and the turning of the lock made a distinctive clicking sound, the door flung open, and then he was hit hard in the face as the door rapidly swung open. “You! You…worthless…bitch!” It was Silver Strings, but there was something that was definitely not right about him. His well-groomed mane now seemed frizzed, and he was wearing a suit that seemed somewhat banged up and wrinkled. “What the buck are you doing here? Are you even okay?” “Okay? Okay? You think I’m bucking okay?!” Silver then began laughing, almost sounding like something in his mind snapped. Octavia then came into the living room to find out what all of the noise was…and she couldn’t believe who it was again. “Hello my beautiful little pony.” Silver gave an unusual smile, as he then drew out a knife from within his suit that seemed to be made from his very instrument. It was merely a knife that appeared to be made from the very wood his violin consist of. “Um…Maestro?” Octavia then begins to back up into the kitchen scared, as Maestro then gets up off of the floor after getting a bloody nose from how hard the door his face. “What are you planning on using that for?” “Don’t you move you insolent fool! You are the reason why my career is now ruined…my life is over! Now, I will teach you what it means to really have your life come to and end!” Silver Strings then brings out another of what appeared to be a sharpened piece of wood of the same type. “Maestro!” Octavia called out to him, as she then brought her head around the corner of the kitchen to the sight of Silver having Maestro cornered. “Silver, there is no need for this, okay?” “Shut up and die! You ruined my career!” “How the buck did I ruin your career?” “I have never lost! You hear me? I…have…never lost you…you…” he then begins to laugh like he had lost his mind. “Maestro, hang on!” “No Octavia! Stay right where you are!” “Oh well then, even better, you two are now lovers are we? Well then, how about you both join each other…in death!” “What? No! You want me, not her!” he called out. “No Maestro, don’t let him please!” Octavia could now be heard crying in fear of her life, as Silver was moving in for the kill. “Damn it Silver, you want me! Not her!” he shouted again, but Silver Strings didn’t respond, as his mind was snapped and now only focused on one thing now…to kill both of them, and his ex girlfriend at minimum. “Now come now my little Octy, why don’t you just come around this little table I have you stuck behind, and maybe you can join him a lot easier, hm?” He gave a deranged smile back to her. “You leave her alone right now Silver! I will make you sorry if you even touch one hair on her body!” Maestro shouted to him in total anger. His adrenaline was now rushing through every centimeter of his body at this moment, as Silver Strings then slowly turned his head back to Maestro with that deranged look on his face. Silver Strings then puts on a straight face immediately, and then drops both shivs from his hoofs onto the kitchen floor. “Fine…you win with this wood I have bestowed in my hoofs.” He looks down. “Maestro please…be careful.” She spoke out to him, as she could be seen with tears of fear running down her eyes. “Okay now Silver Strings, we’re gonna get your life back on track okay?” Silver then sighed. “Okay I guess…but not today!” he then quickly draws out a metal knife and lunges after Maestro. Octavia then gets into a corner of the kitchen and closes her eyes, crying to herself, not wanting to see the sight. All she could hear was deranged laughter coming from the living room, she was too afraid to even budge. But then she heard Maestro’s voice yell out in pain. “Ah! Buck you Silver!” She then heard a thump like they were now fighting each other on the floor. Maestro was now fighting for his life, as he was holding both of his hoofs on Silver’s one hoof that had the knife, but it was still creeping in towards him ever so closely. Silver then began to speak to him in a tone that changed throughout the sentence. “Do you hear that? It’s the notes of death ha-ha-ha! The notes of death! Ha ha ha ha!” Then, just as Maestro tries to fight back, he manages to, but only momentarily. “You…won’t…kill me!” Maestro punches Silver square in the face, then kicking him in his stomach, then manages to get back up and reach Octavia in time. “Not finished here yet!” Silver then manages to cut his right back leg. “Ahhhh! Shit!” He then falls back to the floor, but sliding on his way into the kitchen. Maestro though managed to pick himself back up and quickly make it over to her. “You’re fine, I’m here okay?” “I’m here too!” Silver smiled, as he lunged once again towards Maestro, but luckily managing to dodge it. “You’re beginning to lose blood, I can taste it from here.” He tilts his head a little to the side. “If I’m going to die…then you’re going with me!” Maestro then charges after Silver, making it almost a death sentence. He managed to then knock the knife in Octavia’s direction as it slides towards her. “Maestro!” she called out again. He didn’t reply, but they were now in a hoof fight, throwing punch after punch at each other. They both were getting banged up almost evenly. “Octavia, get the damn knife! Now! Kill him!” Maestro then manages to counter and have Silver Strings in a headlock. He tries to fight back, but nothing significant. Octavia out of fear then runs to grab the knife as fast as she could, and then stand there looking at his ex and his crush now in a fight for their very lives. “Kill him or he’s going to kill me! Do it Tavi! Now!” “Oh how sweet, you have a new…ouch! Okay I’ll be quiet!” Silver continued to laugh out of the pain. “The pain feels so good, give me more!” Maestro proceeds to tighten the headlock making the pain worsen as the seconds go by. “I’ll break your damn neck you psycho!” Octavia continues to look back at the two of them, and then drops the knife just a few feet away from where they were. “I can’t do it Maestro! I can’t!” “Damn it Octavia, now is the time to choose! You don’t kill him, I will then!” “Ahhhh!” Silver screams out in terrible pain as he could feel the bones in his neck slowly become further and further from each other. “No Maestro, please! Stop!” she said. “Then what is your decision Octavia? If I don’t kill him, he’s gonna kill me!” Octavia then sees Silver reach in his suit a third time. “No…this is the end for him.” she thinks in her mind. Maestro then drags him into the living room still in a very tight headlock, and now in a position to break his neck, as Silver can’t even move and inch. The two of them struggling for their lives now had their backs turned to Octavia, as it was now her time to act. She looks back at the knife once more, then back at them, then back at the knife again. “I can’t…I just can’t.” she cries to herself, remaining on the floor with the knife in her hands, as a bit of it had Maestro’s blood on the tip of the blade. “Ahhhh!” She then looks back at them, as she then sees Maestro screaming out in pain having a second cut across one of his forehooves She then gets up, and then closes her eyes blindly charging in after Silver, as he quickly looks back at her surprised. “Now Octy…don’t okay? Don’t, don’t please don’t!” her ex begged her. “You have hurt me and him long enough! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!” Octavia then closes her eyes yelling out as she slashes away with the knife, as cut after cut goes into Silver’s skin. “No, ah! Please! Ahhh! I give up! Oh please!” “Shut the bloody hell up you bucking twat!” She then drives the knife straight into his chest, as his face immediately begins to deplete of the presence of life. “O-Octy…Why? W-what did this…gain…you…” his head then goes limp, and his head and body then fall limp to the floor, after his last heartbeat gave way in his chest, as the knife was driven into his heart. Maestro then pulls the knife out of his leg, and by the grace of Celestia, it drove into a minor area of his leg, so it didn’t hit a major vein or artery. “Tavi…” she heard Maestro call out to her in huge pain. She quickly turns around to him hugging him tightly. “What have I done? I murdered him!” she cries into his chest. “No…you saved us both…I couldn’t be any happier and relieved than I am now.” He replied with a fairly weak tone. “You’re bleeding out.” She replied greatly worried. “No, I’m good actually…we need, to get to the…hospital right…now…please.” He smiled, as his head then fell back. “No please, stay with me!” She grew very worried now, thinking his final moments with her were happening right now. “Please don’t leave me here Maestro! Stay with me okay?” She cried heavily into his chest, but luckily he only blacked out, he still needed medical attention though. Octavia then darted into her kitchen grabbing whatever cloth she could and wrapped it tightly around his cuts to slow the bleeding process. Luckily she knew of a doctor that lived just a few blocks down from where she was. “Please…oh please Maestro…just stay alive whatever you do.” She then ran towards her door, hoping the doctor was there. “Doctor! Doctor!” She knocked hard and fast on his door, begging for an answer. “Good heavens, who is that? Oh, it’s you Octavia! What in the name of Celestia…” “Please, there’s been an attack at my house! You’ve got to help me please!” The doctor then noticed a royal guard patrolling the street with a light fixed in his helmet. “You there, guard!” “Yes, what seems to be the problem?” the guard said, as he approached the two of them. “There’s been an attack at Octavia’s house!” the doctor shouted. The guard was shocked, he couldn’t even believe that such a thing would happen in such a formal city as this was. A couple of hours had now passed, and Maestro was luckily now in good hoofs receiving medical attention in a hospital. Octavia was now feeling sick to her stomach, as anxiety and terrible thoughts filled her mind now. “Ma’am, is everything okay?” the guard asked. “I’m…I’m scared.” She replied in a small tone. “It’s okay miss, you just sit tight here with this young man here recovering, and we’ll investigate this incident ourselves. Celestia be with you Ma’am…and good night.” The royal guard stated, as he then closed the door shut with Octavia just sitting there, staring nowhere else but Maestro for minutes on end. She felt hurt, traumatized, and now emotionally broken hearted, knowing that she had to kill her ex or he would end up killing her and Maestro. Than who knows what he would have done next? Perhaps he would’ve then went on a murder spree to quench his revenge. Never would she have thought that his career was so important unto that one little loss that it would ruin his career ultimately, but apparently his manager thought so, and fired him. But as for Maestro now, he was in stable condition, but pretty cut up and bruised. A deep stab wound that isn’t major on his left rear leg, a large cut on his right leg, a bloody nose, and nearly a black eye, then there was the usual bruises here and there on his body. He was currently stabilizing at the moment, and Octavia wanted to now stay by his side. From what she could see, the window blinds allowing ponies to look into the room were shut, and the door was closed behind her. Finally, after all of what they have been through together, her psych had now been pushed for her to reach a point to say what she never knew she would get the nerve to say to him. “M-Maestro, I…I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but…I…” “I…c-care…for y-you t-too…Tavi…” she heard a faint voice coming from him, having just enough energy to see her face. Octavia couldn’t believe what she had heard from his mouth. “B-but no…no Maestro, I don’t care for you.” she then got her face closer to his, and said those unforgettable four words. “I love you, Maestro.” Octavia then brought her lips over his, as she then kissed him passionately and softly. Feelings of love now seemed to surge right back to her. One thing she perhaps learned that night, love can perhaps do things she never even thought possible. Love is what saved her, love is what saved him…and love is what prevented the music of death.