//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty Two- Brother's Love For Her // Story: The Strings Of Life // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// The Strings Of Life: Chapter 32- Brother’s Love For Her: A week from the night Maestro felt he needed to comfort Starlight, and she pretty much had considered him her own big brother in some sort of way. Yeah, he may have been only a few years older than her, but she still felt a good connection with him. She was still a strong willed pony when she had to be, and Maestro was learning to do that more instead of just letting things roll by him, he was teaching himself to be assertive through the help of Starlight. Funny thing was that many ponies at the camp were assuming they hooked up, which was not allowed within the rankings, since they believed that they needed their soldiers to stay focused on what really mattered, rather than focusing on each other. Starlight considered Maestro a brother of sorts to her, how he acted like her actual one she used to know and love. How is humor was, just nearly everything about him to her seemed to fit in her mind about how it reminded her of her older brother. They kept their bond a secret; otherwise if her uncle found out, Maestro would be discharged faster than Cadence being thrown at the Crystal Heart. But now however, their camp had received some bad news. The Changeling offensive had broken through one of the last remaining defensive positions ahead of the camp. Now, it was a race against time for the recruits to get prepared and ready for whatever and whenever it happened. They now knew they could be attacked at any moment by the Changelings, and even though they would take prisoners back to their hive, the hive could not be found yet, as for where they came from. They could just imagine, thousands of ponies and other creatures being transformed against their will in order to do their mother’s bidding, which was in fact the very queen herself, Queen Chrysalis. Since Maestro’s entire division was there now, they were doubling their output on training, since the bad news managed to reach out to them. They still did their routine of the drill instructor yelling in their faces while they did their “three miles up, three miles down” run up and down the hill. “Good you dipshits! You just broke the all-time record, this is amazing that idiots such as yourselves could achieve such a feat!” “Thank you drill sergeant!” they yelled back. “Good, I think you all actually deserve a reward…go take a shower.” he lowered his voice, as a slight smile formed on the instructors face as he left them be about their day now. They had already performed all of their drills and training before the run, so they deserved a reward every once in a good while. Starlight however decided to have a little fun, as Maestro was nearly finished. She snuck up behind him and splashed a bucket of cold water all over his back. “Yaaaahhhh! D-damn it Starlight!” he snapped back at her. She couldn’t help but laugh, as her wet fur and wings drooped from the wetness. “I’m sorry ha-ha-ha-ha! I just couldn’t resist!” she laughed pointing at him. “Oh so you wanna play like that huh?” Maestro then aims the shower head directly on her as the cold water sprayed all over her with nowhere for her to go since has had blocked the exit from her. “No, Oh gosh Maestro please no ha-ha!” she continued laughing, trying to get past him, but still being slowly pushed into the cold water head. Once it hit her, her whole body froze, as she screamed on the inside of her body, too cold to scream out loud. She would end up getting everypony’s attention if that happened though. “Okay, okay you win! Ha-ha!” she stated outloud to him, but Maestro still not letting her go yet. He then began ticking her under the base of her wings, where she was most ticklish. Her wings sprung out from her happy emotions of kicking and giggling, trying her best to not have any outbursts. He stopped, knowing she’d give it away eventually. “I win?” he asked her. “Okay fine, you win…but I’m going to win next time, just wait.” The two of them acted like little kids together, they hadn’t had this much fun since they were…well…kids. Maestro then cut off his showerhead, grabbing a hold of a towel, until Starlight’s wet body hugged his neck from behind, and she then did something she never did something to him before. She hugged his neck, having the most fun she’s had in a while, and then she kissed the side of his face. Maestro not knowing how to appropriately act, then backed up from her. “What the hay was that now?!” “A kiss? Why?” “A kiss, don’t you know that I’m with somepony else?” “This wasn’t that kind of kiss silly head, it’s a kiss just for a bond.” “A bond…” She then approached him a little more, as he found himself stuck in a corner. “You have no idea how much you’ve changed me, and how shocked I am as to how good you’ve been to me also. How in the world have you not had a little sister in your life before? It’s like you’ve had one before?” “No, I haven’t, I’m an only child I promise you.” “I’m not accusing you of being a liar, I just…I just wanted to thank you for so much in such a little amount of time.” she hugged him again. “There’s just well…one thing if I could ask you.” she added. “What is it?” “If…if we well…you know…” “If we what?” “Okay I’ll just say it…if we don’t die. Could I…well…” “Just say it already, goodness.” He replied. “I wanna be your sister.” “My…what?” he was shocked and pinned by the thought, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing; he didn’t know how to act on it at all. “Again, I’ve said it before, but you’re so much, and almost exactly how my older brother acted, and I loved him so much. Maybe that’s the reason why I have managed to become more than just friends or even good friends with you so fast. You’re like somepony I’ve been with my entire life, almost like we have known each other our entire lives.” Maestro was still speechless, but mustered a sentence. “I…I don’t know…I need time to think right now.” He said, as he made his way out of the shower facility. Starlight watched him leave the place, leaving her alone to think about what she said too. “I hope he knows what I’m talking about. I just…I feel so alone right now. No family hardly anymore, I don’t even know what happened to grandpa or grandma after my town got attacked by them. My brother…dying right in front of me, I couldn’t even do anything to save him. I miss you big brother…so much.” she then cried, as she kept standing there within one of the stalls, her tears blending in with the water that remained around her on the ground. She felt lonely knowing that pretty much her entire family but her uncle might be gone. She had no idea what was going on with her grandparents or how they were doing now, but in the back of her mind in denial, she knew that chance are the unthinkable happened to them. As thoughts of her family and her brother came back to her, an image of Maestro popped in her head. “H-help m-me Maestro. I’m…I’m just scared right now, I don’t know what to do?” She said to herself still crying, wishing he could manage to still hear her at the moment. But luckily, he managed to check in on how she was doing one last time before he was fully out of there. “What am I hearing in here? Is…oh man…you’re not doing what I…oh Starlight, come on now. Don’t do this to me again; I hate it when this happens to ponies such as yourself.” He said to her as he came around the corner, seeing her crying to herself in the corner of one of the shower stalls. He got down with her even though his body was drying off, getting back down with her to help her out. He put his arms around her comforting her in the same way he did for Octavia when she was hurt. “I’m so sorry Starlight, I don’t know what else to do for you.” “I know you can’t do anything for them Maestro…they’re gone! They’re all gone!” she cried out a little louder to him, burying her face again into fur of his chest. Maestro knew she had considered him her own sort of big brother per say, but something in him now just seemed to really click with her at this time and place. So he decided that he would go for what he could tell was something she wanted from him…she just wanted to be loved, which is why she taught herself since she was little to try and be strong for herself, to find a way to cover up that pain layer after layer. “Shh, I’m right here Starlight, just calm down.” He spoke calmly into her ear. Starlight had never heard his voice sound and feel so calming before, and it helped her a bit to her realization. She then spoke it out to him “I love you Maestro.” She spoke under her breath, but Maestro managed to hear it within the dead silent shower facility. “I know how you feel about me…I’ll be there for you no matter what.” he replied, as the two of them both sat there with each other, and with Starlight loving his warming embrace from the now cool water around her. “Thanks for understanding.” She sniffled. “Of course.” he replied, as he then gave the top of her head a light kiss out from the brotherly affection that was now forming within his heart in a flurry. The soul of something lost could be then felt coming inside of him, as he stood there unable to explain it. It felt lost, he could feel a faint essence of something lost make its way inside of his heart, telling him he could do this, the presence of her lost brother could then perhaps be still watching over her through him by some out of this world chance?