The Strings Of Life:
Chapter 38- Notes of thy Heart:
The shield was holding up firmly still as the Changeling swarm was spotted all over the entire circumference of the protective barrier covering the prestigious city. Ponyville was already being attacked, as was Cloudsdale, as parts of the swarm broke off and headed for the two targets cities. The Dragon Kingdom and Griffon Highlands continued being assaulted, though the Griffons could only hold the Changelings for a small period of time, and their time, along with hope was slowly diminishing by the passing hours.
It was now two o’clock in the afternoon, and nearly most of the forces assigned to Canterlot were at their positions, ready to defend their homeland with their very lives. Till their final dying breath, till the last drop of blood is shed from their bodies, they vowed to not let Canterlot fall under any circumstances, that many of them would charge into the howling dark and not return.
As for the two royal sisters, they remained at the same location that Celestia fell to Chrysalis, but Celestia had enough of her, and Luna stood strongly beside her sister, waiting to give the enemy a reckoning they would never forget. Both of them clad in their armor, Celestia in her golden armor, and Luna in her black armor. The royal guards ready to stand firm with their princess and meet the enemy in the air, as some of them vowed to do so, with the Unicorn guards reinforcing the ground units with heavy support. Though from the looks of it the queen herself was very unfortunately not amongst the crowd of enemies, Chrysalis could not be spotted out of the sea of black buzzing within the sky.
Canterlot’s forces were outnumbered two to one, but with the sisters on their side, they still had a solid chance from the looks of it, and those guards of theirs when things really depended on them, were like juggernauts on land and air with all of that armor on them. Luna’s guards would as well be assisting them within the air, as the princess’, despite them being very powerful, needed to be protected as best as they possibly could.
The remainder of Canterlot’s forces stood firm behind the barricades facing outwards towards the swarm. Maestro’s was fortunately ordered near the castle, a place he knew he could find protection in if things got dicey outside, since the giant doors remained open in case.
As Maestro’s CO of his squad was briefing them in on their last details and tactics they would commence, thoughts of his family and Octavia began flooding over the audio coming from his commanding officer.
“Please s-stay…I’m scared M-Maestro.” He recapped from Octavia’s lovely voice. No matter what tone she seemed to sound to him, there was always some amount of effort of trying to remain calm or find peace with herself over the situations that came up for her.
“Please don’t…just don’t-.”
“I’m not going to die you hear me?”
His mind then flipped back to reality, as things outside of his mind got out of being muffled around him, everything was then heard loud and clear. One last thought went through his mind just then as that recap of her saying those things to her.
“I’m not dying, I’m not dying…damn it…I’m not going to die! Not for her, not anyone…not ever!”
“Hey dude, you okay?” one of the soldiers asked beside him, realizing to Maestro he just spoke all of that stuff outloud to himself.
“Yeah, I’m fine…just made a promise to somepony is all.”
“Damn straight, so did I…my wife.” The soldier then briefly shows Maestro a picture of his wife.
“I guess we need to stick together then.”
“You got that right, I’m Nimbus.” The both shook hoofs with one another.
“Maestro…just Maestro.”
“Very nice indeed, who’s the special somepony you promised to? Well unless it-” Maestro then interrupted him.
“It was a special somepony, her name’s Octavia.”
“Whoa dude, nice. I’ve seen her before, she’s gorgeous man…you lucky bastard you.” Nimbus elbowed him jokingly.
“Yeah, heh…thanks.” Maestro replied, then looking back up at the sight of the Changelings trying to break down the barrier, but getting no success yet. Though however the barrier must be lowered sometime. Celestia could keep it up till sundown if she wished, though that would put the soldiers at risk, since the Changelings could blend in well with the night sky, and would be hard to keep up with in the blackness.
With the Unicorns at the frontlines, ready to go and mow them down right out of the air with their bolts of magic, the Pegasus ponies were ready for aerial confrontation, and the Earth pony forces were ready for some good old classical ground game encounters.
The barrier about half an hour later could be seen then flickering here and there, showing that the barrier was about to be lifted off of the city, and the judgment of Equestria would then commence.
Meanwhile back at Octavia’s house, she recalled what Maestro said to her if something like this happened to her.
“When things get dicey, and you see that shield look like it’s fading in and out of itself, you and mom make your way as fast as you can under the house got it?”
“Of course Maestro…just please be hold to your promise okay?” she thought outloud to herself, continuing to watch the barrier as it looked like it was on its way of fading.
“Octavia dear, we need to get somewhere safe now, do you know of anywhere we can go?” his mother wondered.
“Yes I do, Maestro even told me where it is…right this way.”
She and Harmony both then make their way around to the back of the house, a small door, large enough for both of them to get in there one at a time was seen near the corner of the house.
“Here, I believe this is what he told me about, this should be good.” Octavia proceeded to unlock it, gesturing Harmony she go first. Octavia gets in there with her thereafter, but something didn’t seem right, almost like her heart was guiding her towards another place she could go for peace. It was like somepony was pushing her to a place just as dark and safe as this was.
“I’m so sorry Harmony, I just…I just can’t do this.”
“What?! Yes, you have to darling! Now just stay here with me so you’ll be safe okay?” Harmony trying to keep a calm head but not working as well as she wanted it to.
“I’m…I’m so sorry Harmony…but I hear my heart guiding me towards somewhere else.” With Octavia still keeping the door cracked a bit for a little light the shine on her face, Harmony wondered what she could possibly mean by that.
“N-not quite sure what you-”
“It’s fine if you don’t know what I mean, but I just feel like…like my heart is telling me to go somewhere else to find peace…but yet I don’t know…” she then stops herself, as she feels an immediate sense of comfort and tranquility around her.
She gasps, as Octavia remains still.
“I…I feel…so peaceful right now.” Her voice fading out.
“Octavia, are you feeling okay?”
“I…I don’t know…really?” her feelings around her then cause her body to go under a trance of some sort. Not like she was being possessed by something, but rather it was like multiple sources of love were pushing her to go somewhere else.
Harmony then saw Octavia gently push the door from under the house back open, then making her way out without even letting Harmony know about anything of what was happening.
“Octavia?! Octavia dear come back! Sweetie?!” she kept calling out to her, but her heart and emotions had seemed to mute certain sources of audio from ever reaching her ears.
Voice of Maestro and her grandmother faded in and out to her in brief and short words.
“M-Maes…G-grandmother?” she couldn’t make out the voices, but yet the sources of love guiding her caused her to then go speechless, as she knew the sources felt all too familiar immediately after that.
She let out a sharp gasp then, as the tears ran down her cheeks and she wasn’t even aware of it happening.
“G-grandmother, is…is it-”
Memories of her when she was little then rushed back to her, as she still seemed to be instinctively heading back into the house by and odd sense of being controlled, but yet she wasn’t at the same time. She shut the front door behind her and began making her way up the stairs, as she heard noises of child laughter, almost sounding like it was her own voice when she was little. She felt frightened by what was going on, but yet she didn’t have the urge though to run off.
“W-what’s g-going on? I-I’m not l-liking what’s-”
She then seemed to be guided toward her bedroom by a warming presence as she entered the room. Hearing a voice of her grandmother froze her in place, not sure whether or not it was her mind remembering her or reality.
“Such an angel…” the voice of her grandmother faded within her mind.
Octavia then turned to her bedroom closet but was still remaining in place as for what else to do. She then heard what sounded like a filly laughing and giggling, almost like a playful tone.
“Gwanny…” the voice echoed through her head as it giggled and slowly fading away.
She got closer to her bedroom closet, and opened it up to the sight of her Cello case containing her Cello inside.
“Is…is this…what I’m being guided towards?” she wondered, but yet the sound of her memories and voices stopped, almost like she was where she should be.
As soon as she then placed her hoof and gripped onto her case to open it up, a memory then rushed back to her once again, and very strongly indeed, she felt like she had lost all connection with the outside world, as the trance seemed so intense.
“I c-can’t move.” She thought to herself.
She then seemed to se in front of her almost like a projection from her mind. It was an image of her grandmother lying in bed with her when she was just a filly, hearing the faint sounds of her humming a tune that sounded familiar. A tune that her grandmother sung to her every night no matter what shape she was in herself. It was like memories that had been fogged up, but now clear as day for her. The memory then began to have the voices able to be heard within it, as Octavia focused her ear on it. She was then able to hear her grandmother’s voice humming that song that seemed like every word of it came back to her heart and mind, like she was almost being taught the words once again right then and there. Even as young as little Octavia was at that age, she thought her grandmother sounded so beautiful when she sung.
“Blessed child, oh child of mine, hear thy sound so love-ly. When you sleep and when you wake, I’ll be with you al-ways.” The sound of her voice then brought tears to her eyes once again.
“Oh grandmother I miss you so much! I love you, and it will never be the same without you! Please hear me!” she cried out to the memory projected right in front of her, but no response of course coming from the memory. The tears of pain coming from her eyes of missing her seemed so big now, It was like she was brought through a time machine and placed in that certain point of time for some reason, and it all seemed so real…but why? Why was this happening just now to her and not later? More words of her voice then broke the silence, as she continued seeing her young filly self lie there in bed listening to that beautiful voice once again speak up despite her wise age.
“The heavens themselves know not what to do, knowing of thy end-ing. When I’m gone, and when you’re alive, my heart, eternal of beat-ing.”
The lyrics continued filling her head and her heart, like a piece of paper was being written down upon her soul. It was like something or even somepony wanted her to sing this…but again why though is what Octavia wondered. Her voice then brought back to her, still as good as it always sounded.
“Heart so light, and pure of gold, the soun-ding of life is at near. Life of gift, and death of tear, the way of the soul shall be near. A stroke of a brush like soul’s art, much like a wish upon a star. Love you, I love you Octa-via…know the notes of thy heart.”
The memory then began fading in front of her, thought this time Octavia did not feel any pain at all now, almost like it had been depleted of her system and even her very soul.
Still having her Cello still held onto by one of her hoofs, the memory began fading with the last words she heard before she seemed to be brought back to reality.
“I love you gwanny.” Was all she heard her young self speak until the memory faded, and snapped back into reality she was.
“W-what?” she then got up, trying to regain her awareness, realizing she was lying on the floor, noticing a patch of wetness in front of herself from the tears that continued to land there to her not even knowing her body’s emotions were even doing that during the memory that felt so real to her. She then listened outside to what was now apparently going on, as the battle had already been underway. The roar of hundreds or even thousands of ponies valiantly defending Canterlot could be heard anywhere and everywhere all around Canterlot. Sounds of explosions and bolts of magic were heard zinging through the air like they were just mere feet past her house when fired. The house shaking from explosions happening within and around the historic streets were felt from where she was.
She then got up, and kept calm then looking back down at her future daughter.
“Do not fret dear, everything will be okay.” she then felt an explosion very close to her house, like it was feet away, she got into the closet with her Cello and stood there within the darkness.
She felt a kick from the premature foal just then, causing her to jerk a bit.
“Oof, shhhh…it will be okay my dear. I think I know just the thing.” Thinking her daughter seemed frightened by the action in her opinion, she gently brought her bow over her Cello, and began playing. Octavia then began to sing her grandmothers tune just moments after in hope to calm the tiny life within her womb down.
With the house shaking from the explosions and violence as it took place around them, she still continued with zero influence of the things going on outside, like she had been doing this for years. The song came to her by heart, as her soul radiated love and compassion to her future daughter-to-be.
“Blessed child, oh child of mine, hear thy sound so love-ly. When you sleep and when you wake, I’ll be with you al-ways.
The heavens themselves know not what to do, knowing of thy end-ing. When I’m gone, and when you’re alive, my heart, eternal of beat-ing.
Heart so light, and pure of gold, the soun-ding of life is at near. Life of gift, and death of tear, the way of the soul shall be near. A stroke of a brush like soul’s art, much like a wish upon a star. Love you, I love you my sweet Octave…know the notes of thy heart.” Time gave a feeling of it slowing down for her, almost like she could feel the baby’s very soul be at ease.
“Shh…that’s right my little Octave…I am here my little angel.” Placing her hoof over her belly as she softly rubbed it to help her calm down. With her future daughter feeling like she was relaxed, it was now like she had relaxed herself singing that tune outloud. She hummed it to herself and her baby one last time, and with peace and tranquility flowing through herself now, she knew that everything would be okay. But she still found it amazing that even in death, her grandmother still managed to let her know that everything would be okay…even after all these years.