The Strings Of Life
Chapter 18- Mending Hearts:
After the near-horrible and tragic incident between Octavia and Maestro had finally ceased, a few more days afterward had passed on. Maestro was now trying to help Octavia get through this entire terrible array of unfortunate events seemingly lined up behind one another, almost looking as if more were ready to go. But he decided he would take matters into his own hoofs, and help her out his own way, and she was fine with that. He was so focused on getting Octavia better, he had forgotten about somepony…Vinyl Scratch.
“Aw buck…I knew I forgot about somepony!” he thought to himself, on his way over to Octavia’s house.
“Well, I have no other choice…I need to take Tavi with me from the looks of it. Hopefully nothing bad has happened to her…yet anyways.”
Maestro arrives at Octavia’s place, and greeted with a hug from her, almost like that one moment that happened between the two of them that one rainy and dark day, must have triggered something in here mind. That one action was all it took it looked like to Maestro, from preventing her of losing an entire life still being placed ahead of her.
“Why do you seem so positive? I haven’t received a hug like that in a while?”
Octavia looked at him smiling and kissed him lightly on his cheek.
“Well for one, my mind hasn’t felt as clear as it has right now in years it seems. I can’t thank anypony else but you for that Maestro. You still had the determination in yourself to tell me the truth after all that you and I have been through.” She stated with a smile.
“I understand that, and me too…but what of Vinyl Scratch?”
Octavia then paused for a moment, having that look on her face as if she was thinking of something intensively and momentarily. She then turns around facing him once more.
“We have to get to Ponyville, who knows what she’s doing at a time like this?”
“I agree, we still have a heart to mend here, so grab an umbrella, because it’s going to rain.”
“It’s not even-” thunder then intervened their conversation, as then rain could be heard coming down outside.
She grabbed a coat of hers and an umbrella, which the rain still caught her off guard at that time, not expecting it to happen so suddenly.
“How did you even know it was going to rain at that very moment?”
Maestro then looked off into another direction.
“Um…lucky guess? He-he.” He scratched the back of his head.
“Okay, let’s get down there to her.” she replied.
Octavia made her way out with her little coin purse in one of the coat’s pockets, now wanting to get down there to her former friend as soon as she could now.
The two of them make their way over to the train station post-hastefully, as Maestro now wonders why she has hit such a phase of forgiveness in her life now?
“Why exactly are you so full of forgiveness all of the sudden?” he asked.
“Well I…I don’t know for sure really? My brain just seemed to have flipped on some kind of switch of positivity or something, I don’t know?”
“Huh, well then…guess for now that’s the best answer I’ll get out of her, but this isn’t what we’re worried about here at the moment.” He said to himself in his mind.
After a good wait for the train to arrive, they make their way into the very back car. Umbrella set beside the seat, and coat hung up above the seat they sat in.
“I don’t know why, but I just hope she’s okay is all.” Octavia says with a bit of obvious concern in her voice.
“Well I’m sorry Octavia…but you did in fact break your best friend’s heart that day…and you certainly hurt mine.”
“I know, and ever since then, I’ve looked back on that moment. Thinking of how narrow-minded and unintelligent I was that day, this is terrible that it had to come to this though.” She sighed, as the whistle of the train signaled its departure from the station. Now on their way down to Ponyville to hopefully get a chance to make something positive out of something that seemed to be deep within a negative setting.
Octavia looked back at Maestro again, then back to her window, like she was implying something to him.
“It’ll be okay…we’ll do this together.” He brought her in closer to him, as she then laid her head across his chest closing her eyes. Wanting to relax from the drama that would commence in the not too distant future now, and hopefully achieve a lot of peace.
After easing her mind on the train ride down towards Ponyville, they arrive shorter than expected.
“We’ve arrived at Ponyville everypony! Please watch your step, and have a great day!” the conductor shouted.
“Well…here we-…” Maestro then saw that she had fallen asleep on him, which made him chuckle a little.
“Hey Octavia…we’re here now, okay?” he whispered, lightly nudging her in efforts to wake her up.
“Erm, uh…what?” she responded to him, now just waking up.
“I said we’re here, come one let’s get moving before we head out to who knows where else this train’s going.”
Maestro decided to be a gentlecolt this time and grab her things for her, and just help her off of the train. However, her sleepy mood would not last long, as the train gave off one final blow of its whistle causing her face to come to life.
“Ah! Goodness how rude of them to make a whistle that’s so loud.” She covered her ears.
“Ha-ha! Well you needed to wake up some time or another.”
“Sorry Maestro, but I guess I’ve just not had much energy lately?”
“It’s fine…now let’s get going to try and find her place. Come to think of it, where is her place?”
“Oh…right…follow me, I know exactly where it is from here.” Octavia gestured.
They both arrive once again into the town that was surprisingly bustling for its sheer size. The rain clouds that had hit Canterlot were also on their way over here too, and the sun was still out for the time being.
“I believe her house might be down this way…come with me.” she gestured again.
“Okay, as long as you know where we’re supposed to go, we shouldn’t have a problem.”
After a good fifteen minutes or so, they finally make it to her place…but it seemed different though?
“What? I don’t recall Vinyl ever having flowers outside of her window? What’s this? Why does she…” Octavia then stops herself as she approaches the window to pear inside of the place. What she saw…didn’t look good.”
“Oh no…surely not.” She said to herself out loud.
“Did something happen? Maestro approached.
“I…I don’t know how we can get in touch with her now.”
A frown started to form on her face.
“Oh no, don’t you go down that path again, understood?” Maestro reassured her.
“You’re right, I need to just stay calm and know what happened here. This isn’t her place anymore.”
“I can tell…what if she might have moved?” he wondered.
“That’s it!”
“What?” he tilted his head a bit to the side, wondering where she was going with this.
“We need to get to the Ponyville Town Hall, and ask the mayor if she has the records of citizens who have moved in and out of town.” she replied.
“Wow, nice thinking there.”
“I told you my mind has been awfully clear lately.”
“It shows too.”
“What do you mean by that Maestro?”
“I honestly have no clue…just said it I suppose.” He shrugged.
“Well look at who’s trying to be smart but failing in the process?” she giggled.
“I know, it’s like we’ve switched minds or something.”
“Don’t even go there.”
“Eh-he-he…right…well then shall we be off to the Town Hall?” he then faced towards the town center ready to get this over with.
“Yes, let’s be off now.”
They then both begin trotting a little faster than normal beside each other, which looked a little bit odd at the time with so many ponies in the town taking their time, but these two weren’t. Occasionally getting some heads turning towards them as they passed by.
They arrived into the Town Hall, and immediately went up to the front desk.
“Yes um, we’d like to speak to the mayor.”
“Just one moment, let me check if she’s available back in her office. Just have a seat right over there.” The pony at the front desk then pointed to some seats against one of the walls.
“So do you think she will even let us find out this information?” Maestro wondered.
“I have not a clue, but then again I suppose it doesn’t hurt to ask.”
The pony then makes her way out from one of the corners.
“She will be seeing you two now. Just proceed right down the hall, and she will be the last door on the right.” the secretary points again.
They arrive just outside of the mayor’s office, and Octavia holding herself up before she entered. But Maestro not wasting any time, continued on his way in just before he knocked.
“Ah, you must be the one…and…the other one my secretary must have been talking about. Please, have a seat.”
“Well, so much for atleast prepping myself up before entering.” Octavia mumbled.
Mayor Mare then gets out some papers, assuming it was the reason they entered her office for.
“Are you a couple who is looking for a house to purchase by any chance?”
Octavia and Maestro then look back at each other.
“Again? This has to happen to us a second time, really?” Octavia thought.
“He-he, no, we just wondered if by any chance we could find out about a citizen who once lived here.”
“Oh, and who might you be asking for?”
“Her name is Vinyl Scratch.”
“Oh, of course! Her! Well let me see here.” The mayor then begins sifting through papers and papers galore.
“Ah! Here we are, under V…not many V’s in this town, so it was a breeze to find her.”
“But before I let you know where she is though, why do you wish to know?” the mayor asks again.
Octavia then spoke up.
“Because I have something very urgent to tell her, both of us do in fact.”
“Well I suppose that’s not much then, well however as you know any citizen who wishes to move out of Ponyville has to get it cleared with me as you know.”
“Yes, of course.” she nodded.
“Well however, before she left, she had apparently intentionally left some kind of note on the floor with the last of her boxes as she made her way out to the movers.”
“W-what? A note? May we see it?”
“I don’t see why not? Just take a look at this, and let me know whenever you both are ready to know where her new destination is.”
“Okay, thank you miss…miss…”
“Mayor Mare.” She smiled.
“Of course Ma’am, we will step outside to take a look at this, just give us a moment.” Octavia replied.
She then grabs the note on the mayor’s desk, and grabs Maestro on her way out, closing the door behind her.
“What does it say?”
“Well goodness, you think I can open it that fast? Be patient.” Said Octavia.
He then takes his mouth and tears the top of the envelope off in a mere second.
“Oh…well then…” she looks at him awkwardly now.
“What? You should have expected it.”
“Um…okay anyways…let’s just see what it says okay?”
Octavia then proceeds to remove the note from within the envelope.
The note then reads:
“If you are reading this or you found it or whatever, I think I probably know who it would be. If you are one of my former friends like Octavia or whatever that other stallions name was…I don’t want to hear from you or see you again. You broke my heart Octy! You didn’t hear me out, and this is where it will get you in life if you don’t ever take the time to hear your best friend out and stop assuming or jumping to conclusions on short notice.
You were the one and only true friend I ever had in my life. Whenever I threw parties at my place, all the others you saw there were just some strangers I’ve never seen before and others were acquaintances. I don’t think I’ll ever have another friend like you Octy, but I don’t want to thank you though, but rather instead just say goodbye.
I have moved to Las Pegasus, as I’ve saved more than enough money to live over there. Atleast the casinos will hear me out, and the bars too. Octavia…and whatever that other guy’s name is…I already said it once and I’ll say it again. I don’t want to hear from you two ever again, you hear me? I’m fed up with you as it is…goodbye…and I hope I will manage to drown my sorrows in those fancy shot glasses they got over there.”
The note then ended, and Octavia was now in tears
“Celestia, what have I done.” She was holding back from crying, but tears still managed to silently make their way down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry Octavia, I really am. But I mean…there’s nothing we can do now, she doesn’t want us to-”
“No…we’re still going after her, we have to.”
“Octavia, she said-”
“If I know her, she didn’t mean half of that stuff she said on that note she had written out. We’re lucky we’re the only ones that actually got our hoofs on this. If we hadn’t have checked from here where she had moved to, we would have ultimately lost her.” she states.
Maestro then sighed and looked away. “Then…what do you suggest we do then? Actually go there anyway?”
Octavia then looks back to him with a determined look on her face with occasional tears still making their ways silently down her cheeks.
“Yes…we’re going to Las Pegasus...We’ve got to make this right…I myself have to make this right. Let’s head to our homes Maestro…we’re leaving tomorrow morning.”