The Strings Of Life:
Chapter 27- The Expecting Has Been Doubled:
The train’s whistle at Canterlot’s train station signaled that travelers have arrived. Maestro heard the whistle all the way from Octavia’s house, and his face lit up, knowing that there was a chance that his real mother had finally arrived into Canterlot. He didn’t know what she looked like, but he was going to head over to the station as fast as he possibly could.
“BerightbackOctygoingtoocheckifmyrealmotherjustarrivedbye!”
Octavia hearing nothing but gibberish merely agreed with saying nothing but “okay” as the door then slammed shut, startling her knitting on the couch with a soft smile. But why was she knitting exactly? She was even knitting a small scarf and currently making a little hoofmade bowtie, but what for? What secret is she keeping from him?
Maestro makes it to the station, and hopefully not missing the majority of the tourists and travelers alike that had departed from the train.
He continued to look around, but what good would that do? He didn’t even know who or what she even looked like for that matter? But strangely enough however, a glimpse of a beautiful mare just managed to stand out amongst the crowd.
“Excuse me, pardon me.” he said, weaving in and out of the pony traffic.
When he finally managed to notice her across from him getting her ticket registered, and given back to her. The mare then turned back around grabbing her cart that she was pulling several bags of luggage on.
Maestro couldn’t quite put his hoof on it, but there was something unusual about her, so he decided to get even closer to her. He once again began weaving in and out of the traffic trying to get a better look at her, something seemed familiar about her, but he didn’t even know her. He felt like he had known this mare his whole life, but yet he knew for a fact he had never seen her face anywhere at anytime for any purpose whatsoever.
He then saw her making her way out of the station continuing to pull the cart with her. She herself didn’t know where to really go from where she was, but nothing seemed known about by her either.
He made it out of the door several seconds after she did, then managing to finally have a clear look at her.
“What is it with this one? Who is she? Why does it seem like I feel…connected with her in some way?”
He slowly began trotting towards her, but managing to stay out of her view, as she was looking the complete opposite direction to his luck. He certainly felt terrible doing this, feeling like he was stalking an innocent bystander.
Maestro managed to muster a couple of words and speak out to her.
“Um…miss?” he said with his voice fading towards the end, restricting part of his voice for some reason…almost seemed like it was instinctively.
A mere moment later, the gorgeous mare looked back behind her with slight pink eyes.
“Yes? Oh!” She said startled.
She however was stopped dead in her tracks; her face seemed to go blank with shock.
“Um…are you okay ma’am?” Maestro asked the mare he knew nothing of.
“M…Maestro?”
“Yes, that’s…me…oh my…” his voice fading out once again to a mumble at the end, now finally realizing who she was.
“Maestro?!” she raised her voice even higher, as her face then began to light up like she had seen a glorious fireworks display.
“M…mom?!” he replied back with shock now coursing through him too, his body now beginning to shake with excitement.
“Oh sweet Celestia, it’s you isn’t it!? It’s really you!” she said, putting a hoof on one of his cheeks.
Maestro knew it was now his mother he had never seen before, but his body, mind, and emotions were so jumbled up with thrill and excitement, he could do nothing but have a huge smile on his face just standing there, staring right into her eyes.
“My son! It is you! My son, my one and only son!” she hugged as tears of joy began to flow down her cheeks.
“I’m here mom, it’s me, it’s really me!” he joined her in the tight embrace.
“There are no…words…” she spoke again wiping her eyes, but the waterworks still coming down her face.
“I’m feeling the same way too mom! I’ve waited my whole life to finally see you!”
Finally, that one word Maestro could say with true meaning after all of these years…“mom”.
“I’ve waited two lifetimes it’s felt like to have this moment with my son just once!” she chuckled through her joyful crying and sniffling.
They both then broke up the tight embrace to one another, as his mother, Harmony, was lost for words for how much he had grown up to be a fine young stallion.
“I still can’t get over just how much you look like your father, he’s witnessing this moment, and I just know it.” she spoke with content in her voice.
Maestro hearing her voice even felt comforted by her lovely tone, almost like her voice had never known anger to anyone. It was like she was an angel, both in looks and in voice. Her light gray fur with a slight pinkish tint to it, her slightly pink tinted eyes, and her seemingly perfect silky mane, it was like she was a model or something, perhaps she was in her younger years by some chance? Certainly Fleur De Lis could tell if she ever was if the two ever met, since Fleur was a model herself. Even a few stallions walking past the both of them caught glimpse of her and couldn’t help but have a smile form on their face. There was just an aura about her that you couldn’t be negative towards her, she just seemed to be that certain pony everyone would enjoy or be fine with having as company around them.
“My goodness how you have grown up, and awfully handsome might I add too.” She said in efforts of trying to embarrass him in public.
“Aw come on, this for a first comment?”
“Well why not?”
“Well now I know where my sense of humor came from.” Said Maestro.
“You’re welcome.” She giggled with a hoof over her mouth to keep from having an outburst slip out by accident.
“Do you think we could talk over lunch or something?” he asks.
“Of course dear, again I’m still ecstatic to see you, words can’t manage to describe how long I’ve waited for something like this.” Harmony his mother waves down a cab and manages to load all of her luggage into the trunk of the pulled chariot. Maestro had a smile on his face the entire time, even while helping her load her things.
“Where are we going?” his mother asks while they both enter the cab.
“You’ll see.” Maestro knowing the perfect place to have lunch.
The cab arrived in front of a house, Octavia’s to be precise, as Maestro and the one pulling the cab helped her unload her bags.
“Thank you for your hospitality sir.” She spoke towards the cab driver.
“Eh-he-he, anything for somepony like you miss, have a pleasant day.” Said the pony, as he then sped off pulling the cab around the corner of the intersection just a block away.
Maestro bringing her bags up to the front door, told her to wait for a moment out on the porch. Harmony peered in through the windows, noticing from what looked to her like he had found a special somepony.
“Maestro?”
“Yes mom?”
“Who is this awfully cute mare I see through the window?” she pointed with her hoof.
“Um…I can explain that in a bit, but for now just wait a few seconds.”
“Oh, of course, take your time dear.” She delighted.
Maestro coming through the front door, looking the happiest Octavia has probably ever seen him.
“Um…yes Maestro?” Octavia raised her eyebrow towards him, wondering what he seemed so happy about. He then pointed his hoof silently towards the window off of the front porch.
“Wait a moment…is that…no way, you’re kidding me! Is she really?!” Octavia spoke up thrilled to finally meet his mother for the first time as well.
Maestro opened the door, gesturing his mother that she could now come in.
“Ahem.” His mother clearing her throat to get his attention.
He then looked back out to her, knowing that she still needed help with all of her luggage.
“I don’t really have a place to stay so far, but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind me staying here for a few nights would you?”
“Uh…” Maestro quickly looks over to Octavia for a response, since this was in fact her house.
“So who is this mare you’re with? You’ve been telling me about this mare for about four months now, how you told me about your little ‘future plans’ you hoped for with her in the future? Octavia was her name if I remember correctly? Surely this one in front of me must be her, she’s absolutely gorgeous!” said his mother.
“Heh, why thank you ma’am.” Said Octavia blushing.
“Just call me Harmony dear.” She smiled.
“Well now mother, I think it might be best for you to find a hotel.” He looked over at Octavia, implying that he didn’t want her to stay with them, and for good reasons of which Octavia knew why also.
“Um yes, of course…there’s in fact a lovely hotel you could stay in several blocks down that way in fact.” Octavia pointed to his mother.
“Oh, well how lovely, but I believe Maestro had the idea of me and him getting to know more about each other over lunch, sound good?”
“Of course, I’ll-” Octavia was then interrupted by Harmony’s humble personality.
“Nonsense, I’ll make us a lunch with whatever you have.”
They did of course just that, as Harmony managed to fix up a lovely lunch for the three of them at the table.
“Mmm, this is exquisite Harmony.” Octavia could taste the herbs and spices that Harmony had put into the food preparations, then letting it cook over it into somewhat of a thin little crust over the dish.
“Why thank you, I brought a little of some of my secret recipes with me. I’m glad you like it.”
As Harmony was eating along with them in refinement of course, Maestro and Octavia slowed down their eating. They were both hearing her humming to herself some tune, and Maestro was interested.
“Um, mom?”
“Yes dear?” she smiled warmly.
“What are you humming to yourself?”
“Oh that? Oh it was a little tune I sung to you when you were just a baby. You loved my voice so much it seemed. Every time you had a little fit, I would sing to you that tune, and you would calm down in a matter of moments.” She replied.
“What is it called?”
“To be honest, I didn’t really have much of a title for it.” she chuckled.
“It wasn’t like having a title for it mattered then, but I do in fact remember the lyrics though. I miss how I carried you in my arms, you were such an angel back then.” Harmony recapped in her mind brief moments and thoughts of times she spent with her little baby Maestro.
Octavia giggled to herself, seeing that Maestro was beginning to feel embarrassed from her talking about him like that.
However, when she continued, if only he could’ve remembered those wonderful times that his mother talked about, and even continued to talk about to this day.
His face seemed to look a bit dull, wishing now he could’ve been with his mother even for a few years of his life, and maybe perhaps he could atleast get lucky and remember even on brief memorable moment he shared with her.
“I’ll be out on the porch.” He said, as he got out of his chair leaving the kitchen table, making his way out to the front porch.
Harmony had a bit of a confused expression on her face, still having a pasta noodle hang out of her mouth.
“Um, Miss Harmony?”
“Oh right, the noodle.” Harmony then slurped up the pasta noodle hanging from her mouth.
“Quite a unique mother, I can tell already where he gets his sense of humor from.” Said Octavia with a smile
“Oh yes, well when I was younger I was one of the comedians in my family. But before I even met his father however, you could say I pursued a little career of modeling. Though after I gave birth to Maestro, I thought it would be for the better to quit my modeling career and just become a stay at home mom, and I enjoyed every minute of that.” Harmony stated, taking another bite of her meal.
Octavia then looked back at the direction of the front door.
“Maybe you should go out there and check on him perhaps?” she said.
“I…I guess you’re right…he’s probably still trying to take it all in after all of these years.”
“Well…he doesn’t recall it seems a single fragment of being with you, and he wish he could.”
“You’re right Ms. Octavia, he doesn’t, and I now realize that maybe I should have kept him for a certain part of his life.” Harmony pondered.
“Don’t you see though? He misses you still, even with you being here with him at this very moment. He’s never known what it feels like to have ‘real’ love from family.”
Harmony looks back at Octavia, then back in the same direction that Maestro took out the front door. Without saying a word, Maestro’s mother gets up from the table, leaving Octavia at the table by herself.
“Octavia…I’ll be out there with him for a few minutes…I…I think I need to do this.”
“Then go…he needs you out there. He may not show it of course, but he wants your love. Finally, after all of these years, he can be with you for the first time in his entire life. So of course he might restrain himself a bit, because he doesn’t really know how to fully act for his real mother yet.” Said Octavia.
“Of course dear…well I’ll be out there with him if you need anything.”
“Absolutely ma’am.” Octavia continued on finishing her meal.
Maestro was spotted outside on the front porch, as his mother slowly trotted out, peeking around the corner he was spotted at. Lying there peacefully looking up at the sky, the clouds moving through the sky like cotton moving through water.
“S-sweetie?” she spoke out to him in a calm voice.
“You’re calling me that now?” Maestro turned his head a pinch, managing to have a view of her approaching him from the corner of his eye.
Harmony knowing she had to do something. But not used to his presence obviously. She lay down beside him getting a little closer.
“Maestro…”
“Yeah?”
“I just…” she then sighed.
“I am so sorry I was never there for you, I really am.”
Maestro turned his head a little more after hearing that, but she went straight to the chase.
“Look at me son.” She insisted of him, which of course he did. He knew he couldn’t be mad at such a pony as her.
Harmony places one of her hoofs on the side of his face, and kissed him on the forehead.
“I love you Maestro…so very much. I’m sorry I was never there for you when you grew up.”
Maestro ends up then looking right at her, feeling touched by her motherly actions, as she then nuzzled the side of his face in a motherly fashion and kissed that side once more. He was lost for words, and could do nothing but look at her as she continued.
“When you were older, and you were able to find out you were obviously not with your real family, I just had a feeling that you would end up missing your real mother, and that’s when I had grown to miss you. You are like a missing link that I can finally reconnect with after missing out on a lifetime of opportunities. I never got to see you laugh, I was never able to watch you make wonderful friends and be the little colt I always wanted you to be. All of that…I…I passed up on.” His mother then looked at him, holding back tears in her eyes as she continued smiling through it causing her own heart to ache.
“M-mom?”
“Y-yes dear?”
Maestro then gave his mother a big huge around the neck, and then kissed her cheek.
“I missed you…so…so much.” Maestro’s voice could then be heard like it was in pain, as he was holding back tears too.
“Oh I know you did honey, I certainly know you did.” She hugged him back.
“I want to take this moment, and stretch it across the rest of my life, for as long as I live dear.” She added.
“What do you mean by that?”
She then broke up the hug temporarily and looked right into his eyes once more, saying something that’d change his son’s life forever.
“I want you to be a part of my life for good this time, I’ve made my decision.”
“B-but…”
“No buts okay? I think I’ve decided to move to Canterlot, to be close to you like I always should have done. I always should have been there for you, but I never was. Not for a single second of it it felt like to me. I just…I…” her body now began to break down into tears.
“I’m sorry sweetie! I just can’t think of any other way to put it to you!” his mother exclaimed.
Maestro’s sympathetic side was now kicking in, and he couldn’t help it any longer. As she simply lay there crying her eyes out, he came around her in an embrace.
“It’s fine mom.”
“No, it is not fine! I let you down as a proud mother! I let you down for never knowing your real father! I let you-”
“Mother!” he raised his voice, causing his mother to calm down a little.
“Y-you’re right. What example am I putting out for you right now? What kind of mother cries in front of her son?” she sniffled.
“It’s okay to cry, that’s entirely natural. But you need to know that I’m not all bent out of shape over it as you may think I am. For one, it’s trained me to be stronger to some degree.” He replied.
“L-like what?” her voice still in a crying tone, trying to dry up her tears as quickly as she could.
“Well I’m pursuing my goal to play in the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra. Without this, I would’ve never met the mare of my dreams, Octavia.”
“I suppose that’s true, she’s beautiful by the way.”
“Thank you…and second…this is a life I never would have reached without the decision you made for me. Putting me into that orphanage was probably not what you truly had in mind. Yes of course, I’m sure you wanted to keep me.”
“Absolutely, and I let you down on that.”
“No you didn’t, listen to yourself? You’re sounding defeated, that’s not the mother I’d like to have. I’d like to know I have a mom that’s strong, funny, and just all-around a great mother. You have all of those attributes; I already know you’re a great mother. You’re a great mother because you did all of this for me. I just wanted to thank you for all that you did for me, and for you to know that none of this would have happened if it weren’t for that one decision you made…thanks mom.” He hugged her once more.
“I…I don’t…really know what to say?” her voice now sounding more positive with the passing seconds after hearing those wonderful words of encouragement.
“Did I ever tell you how good your father was with words?”
“No, I don’t think you did. As a matter of fact…why don’t you start telling me more about him, starting now?”
“Well…okay…I suppose your father wouldn’t mind.” She giggled, through her voice still trying to transition from crying to putting the day back on with a smile.
From this moment on, Maestro and his mother began to share an incredible bond. Now seeming like they had been with each other all along, throwing all of the negatives away, and putting the positives in front of each other, and focusing on the new life that him and his loving mother were now facing. A life with no more missed opportunities, no more sitting back in the shadows, and no more letting her son down.
Harmony was ready to become to best mother she could possibly be to him, and get a fresh new start on the dream she had once thrown away for herself. But that dream had now been brought back out of the ashes, and revived like a phoenix. A new day is dawning for Maestro, his mother, and his lover, Octavia. But will this new day that is dawning bring hope? Or will it bring heartbreak in the midst of a war just over the horizon? One thing’s for sure; Maestro within the future…will never be the same. But of course it will never be the same, but for what reason exactly? That is for him to find out.