The Strings Of Life:
Chapter 33- The Echoes of War:
It has been over a month now since Maestro helped to comfort Starlight and her emotions within the showering facility, and what he seemed to have felt, could be felt even by Starlight. She didn’t know what to think of what he or her own self was experiencing that time. But however that presence to her it felt…familiar, very familiar.
Within just two days now, they would be out of here and out there on the battlefield. Everypony was hardened and prepared for whatever was thrown at them. Though through all of this, Maestro wanted to stay true to Starlight that he would be with her every step of the way supporting her, as the same went for her back towards him.
Maestro managed to also receive his first letter from Octavia, making his day by far. He must have read that same letter about four times already. While everypony else was asleep, he’d write back to her whenever he could, and still said his hellos to his foster parents and real mother, Harmony.
For Starlight’s uncle, he was beginning to grow more and more spectacle about Starlight and her new friend. He may be a yelling machine and a total…well…asshole, but he was certainly not an idiot. To have his job, you couldn’t be even a slight idiot, you had to be alert the entirety of the day while you were training them, and a very quick thinker and improviser on your speech.
After all of this time, you’d think the Changelings would’ve reached them by now, but by the grace of Celestia, thousand of pony forces had arrived to the battlefield to hold them off even longer. The Griffon Army was now The Griffon Resistance, as a large majority of their forces have been killed. The Dragons however are merely like giant juggernauts, dealing as much damage as they possibly could to the enemy till the last drop of blood is shed from their bodies. Dragons were ruthless, and certainly even more in battle, their race has always seemed to have a burning in their hearts for combat, fighting, war, etc. The Diamond Dogs were still doing what they did best; sabotaging the ground under the enemy forces, and causing those parts of the ground to cave in like artificial sinkholes they formed. They still encountered the Changelings underground with them every now and then of course, but due to how much they plan and how they are with traps, it wasn’t much of a hassle for them.
The battle could be heard now just mere miles away, as the explosions of dynamite could be heard from Diamond Dogs unleashing hell upon the enemy underground. Very faintly you could hear the war cries from their fellow allies as ten of thousands of them bravely charged into battle, knowing that this was just about their last stand on hope of saving this kingdom, and probably even Equestria, and the primary offensive against the Changeling swarm was located here just miles away from Maestro and Starlight.
Starlight remained in her bed with her eyes open, as she continued hearing the faint noises of huge explosions going off and very faint sounds of tens of thousand of voices crying out into the air, almost out of crying out for help, but she knew better than that. The sound waves keeping her ears up in the air and not relaxing down closer to her head as they normally should be when ponies usually sleep.
“Can you not sleep?” Maestro whispered approaching her bedside, realizing the tiny lamp beside her bed was still on, but yet faint enough to not disturb the others sleeping.
“No, and what makes you think I can with all of that going on even closer now?” she whispers back to him.
“Well, there’s always that bedtime story.” He replied jokingly.
“There’s also the chance that they could sneak past all of that.”
“Stop thinking like that Star.” Maestro new nickname he gave her, and she kind of liked it too.
“You know that they know what they need to do out there.”
“I know.” She nods.
“But I still just can’t get a feeling of comfort, knowing that maybe some of the very ponies I’ve known about in my life have to go out there and do this.”
“We’ll all have to do that in just a couple of days, and you know that. Nopony likes going out to war, but what other choice do the ones who got drafted have?” he added.
Maestro then went to his thoughts, knowing it had already been over a month and a half since he had seen Octavia, his mother, and his foster parents.
“Are we atleast able to remain outside of our sleeping quarters during the night?” Starlight asks looking up towards his face.
“I think it would be fine, as long as we don’t wander off too far out from the place we should be okay.” He replied.
“Okay well, I think I’m going to step outside for a moment.” Starlight got up out from under her bed covers and tip-hoofed her way outside, trying not to disturb the others.
Maestro met her outside as she lay down on the wooden porch-like floor entrance to the building. Maestro meeting her out there, wondering what all was on her mind, let alone though what was not on her mind at the moment? It would seem that some ponies there are having some of their last dreams and some of their last breaths of life with just one and a half days to go technically, before they would have to go out there and fight.
“What have I gotten myself into?” Starlight spoke to herself and towards Maestro.
“W-what?”
“I don’t want to do this now, I want to go home.” She then looked away and towards the clear night sky.
“We have no choice, and you already know how much I want that too. You’re scared…aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded drooping her head down, then laying it upon the cool wooden surface of the floor.
Maestro approached her taking a seat beside her, then bringing her closer to him with one of his hoofs.
“Come here you.” he grabbed her towards him playfully.
“W-what are you doing, heh-heh.” She chuckled.
“Listen, I’m scared of having to do this too, I’m terrified in fact.”
“But…but that doesn’t cover all of it for me though. I don’t wanna go out there just because I’m scared, it’s more than that.”
“Then what is it then?” he wondered.
“I…well…” she then props her head right below his, nuzzling his neck.
“I love you Maestro.”
“L-love me how…exactly?” he was now beginning to feel a bit nervous now.
“Well not as a special somepony of course, what made you think that?”
“Uh…”
“Well anyways, no not like that…you’re like my big brother all over again, and I don’t want you to be any different to me.”
“What are you implying to me though? There’s got to be more to it than this?” he kept wondering.
“Well…there is…”
“What?”
“M-my hometown was one of the first and only few places the Changelings managed to invade. My town resided close to the edge of Equestria and actually not too far from the Griffon Kingdom’s territory. For all I know, they probably might…be…”
“Do not think like that okay?”
“But I saw him though! I saw him get killed by those monsters! I watched him get stabbed right in his gut with one of those horns!”
“Shhh! You don’t want to wake anypony up.” He whispers fairly loud to her.
“I’m sorry.” She starts to cry, putting her face into his side to muffle her voice.
“Again, I’m sorry Starlight, I really am.”
“How do you? From what I know, my Grandparents are dead too. They were stuck in their bedroom together. All I heard…was-”
“You don’t have to say anything else Star, I’m here for you, and as I’ve said to you before, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“B-but w-what about?” she looks up at him with tears flowing down her cheeks. She really was quite a hurt and lost pony. She had lost her entire family to this ruthless enemy. But yet she seemed too worried about what she will do for her own self to take any revenge on them at the moment. Would she ever find a way to break that wall, and stand alongside Maestro?
“We got final preparations tomorrow morning okay?”
“I want to stay out here with you by myself though.” She nuzzled him, as she tried drying up her tears in the process.
Maestro sighed, and looked up at the clear night sky with her, and then it hit him!
“Would you like me to do something for you that I might think you won’t regret?”
“Huh?” wiping her hoof over both of her eyes trying to get rid of the last of the tears.
“You know, you’re younger than me right?”
“Yeah?”
“Along with you having, well I don’t like saying it but…no family from what we see here okay?”
“Yes? What’re you getting at here? Wait…” she then gasped at the thought, bringing both of her hoofs up to her mouth, and with Maestro noticing a small smile slowly form on her face.
“Y-you…you wouldn’t!” she said with excitement hidden in her voice.
“Would you allow me to?”
“A-are you sure you want to do this? To take me as…as your little sister? You want to adopt me?!” she asked him.
“From what I see, you are an adorable Pegasus that enjoys family, and being with family. My family is no exception, you would love my mother, and she would welcome you with open hoofs I bet if I know how she is. Besides, I would love to have a sister, it gets kind of boring being an only child, and you would add an extra spark into my life.” Maestro stated to her, as he laid his head over the top of her head.
Starlight could do nothing more but stare at him, filled with happiness and excitement, at the same time though full of emotions of what to expect now.
“You don’t have to say anything, I understand.”
“What about tomorrow?” she asked, her voice starting to sound like it was transitioning over to a feeling of content now.
“I’ll help you with that when the time arises…sister.”
“Y-you called me s-” Maestro then interrupted her.
“I certainly did Star, I called you sister…and that I just want to say…welcome to the family.” He said, kissing the top of her head, causing her to giggle and her wings flapped momentarily from all of the emotions she was feeling now.
Starlight then got a bit closer to him, digging her body into his warm side.
“You’re going to be a great father, I can already tell.” She chuckled lightly.
“I suppose so…but you’re going to be an aunt before long too.” He smiled with a somewhat tired expression on his face.
“I love you Maestro.”
“You can just call me big brother if you wish.” He replied.
“You kidding? Maestro’s shorter to say, I save a breath of my life when I say that instead.” She said, leaving Maestro next to her chuckling.
“Well Alrighty then…little sister, I think we need to get back in there and catch up on our sleep.”
He then gets up from lying next to her with her even starting to get comfortable next to him. He opens up the door, luckily the hinges were well oiled, so they wouldn’t squeak no matter what you did to them it seemed.
“You saying it like that just doesn’t sound right to me.” she replied.
“Okay then, what about if I just call you star for short?”
“I like that, it sticks with me.” she whispered, as by now they were tip-hoofing their way back to their beds.
Before Maestro and Starlight separated to go to opposite side of their room, he left her with final words for the night.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way…even out there in that hellhole they call the battlefield.”
Turning her head back to him as she was now bringing the covers over her, she responded.
“Thanks Maestro…and goodnight.”
With that said and the flick of a switch, her tiny lamp was cut off allowing the darkness to envelope the room. The same time, Luna’s lovely moon shed light between the cracks of the window blinds that overlooked the sleeping ponies. This day would be the final day before judgment would be laid upon them and the rest of the world. The very fabric of positive existence and happy livable lives were resting in the balance of these young souls. All eyes turned on them, for some of these ponies it would be their final night of existence.