//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty- Walking on Cotton // Story: Notes Of Time // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// Notes Of Time: Chapter 20- Walking on Cotton: “Okay, we’re here! You can open your eyes now!” said Starlight, since she wanted Octave to close her eyes to make it more of a surprise. When Octave opened her eyes, she could not believe the incredible structures and things that were happening in front of her eyes. Pegasi were filling the air all around her as far as the eye could see. She sparkled with curiosity to no end it seemed, and her mind was filled with a torrent of questions about anything and everything Cloudsdale now. “Wooooow!” “Cool huh? Yeah, here’s my place…um…Octave?” Starlight then turned back to face Octave still sitting there staring off into the beautiful cottony fields of water vapor. “Octave?” “Whooooooa!” “Octave!” Starlight waved in front of her, making her snap out of her daydreaming. “Wha- oh…I’m sorry, it’s just so beautiful and breathtaking up here! The view is…I can’t really describe it!” Octave’s eyes shot open once more, full of energy and excitement of being up here. She could see everything up there from such a high place. The two of them managed to make it inside Starlight’s home, and knew that her own daughter was over at Flitter’s house being foalsat. “If only you could meet my daughter Comet Trail, you’d love her. She’s smart for her age, but yeahhhh…she gets her smarts from her mother.” “Where’s the father then?” Octave wondered. “Oh…he uh…I’d rather not go there honestly…it’s hard to think about anyways. I don’t even know if you’re old enough?” Starlight replied looking off, and with a distinct change in the tone of her voice, like she had been hurt or awfully sad when something…whatever happened to him. “It’s fine Starlight, it’s not like I’ll tell anypony, and mom says I’m a good listener anyways. I’m like her in that kind of thing I guess.” “Thanks Octave, that’s sweet of you. Well…um…he…he was killed…in a weather accident within the lightning test facility. His name was Wind Tamer, and he was so handsome too.” “You must have been one lucky mare, Star.” “Oh I certainly felt like it at the time. I had never felt more appreciated or loved like anypony else other than him…saying that I mean he’s literally been my one and only relationship I’ve ever been in. But well, he was killed by a bolt of lightning hitting almost directly where his heart was. That was where he wore his metal Wonderbolt badge he said he got from his uncle when his uncle was in the Wonderbolts when my husband was just a colt.” Starlight chuckled a bit, trying to lighten up the subject to make it not seem so depressing. “I’m really sorry Starlight…did Comet Trail ever get to know her daddy?” “A little, but thankfully not to the extent to where she would be able to remember him.” “That’s understandable.” Octave replied, continuing to be attentive and listen to her friend. “Yeah, well at least she will know in the future when I tell her, that her daddy was the best daddy Cloudsdale had to offer for her.” Starlight smiled, managing to hold back tears from coming down her cheeks. “It’s okay Star.” “What?” Starlight looked back at her, still looking the same way. “It’s okay to cry, there’s nothing that says you can’t.” This comment made Starlight’s heart warm up, and guided her to Octave. “You’re such a loving young filly, Octave. Your mom and dad’s raised you well and proudly, you’re also quite intelligent for your age.” Starlight brought her in close to her in almost a hug. “Yeah, mom says I’m a prodigy just to make me feel better about myself. But dad says I’m like any ordinary filly, just with a few extra brain perks as he likes to call them.” Octave giggled. “I like his version of it better.” Starlight giggled along with her. “I like his too, he’s the comedian around our house. He knows I like his sense of humor, so that’s why he always tries to make jokes out of things whenever I’m around, and mom knows it too. She knows that he tried to do that when I’m around because he loves me a lot.” Said Octave. “I bet he loves you more than just a lot. Why, I bet he loves you to where he gives you lots of hugs and kisses doesn’t he?” “Well, not really much of that anymore, but he and mom still do plenty. I know that mom did that to me a whole lot when I was a filly, they said the top thing to teach a child is how to love.” Octave replied. “Well I’ve never seen any other filly that is more mature and smart for your age than you are. You are one of a kind and truly unique.” Starlight smiled to her. “Uh, thanks, I bet your daughter is happy to be with the best mom in Cloudsdale.” Octave winked. “Pfft, oh come on now, some other pony had got that award in this city.” Starlight blushed a bit gesturing her hoof in front of her, feeling embarrassed by Octave’s flattering remark. A little while later after they chat, they decided to do all sorts of things as long as Octave remained up here. Being in Cloudsdale obviously for an Earth Pony was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. They managed to go see the Wonderbolts perform in the Aerodrome, get some ice cream together, and simply fool around in the city in general. However, a certain pony gave Starlight a twinkle in her eye. “Oh Octave?” Starlight said in a singsong tone of her voice. She rolled her eyes pointing to a cute looking colt that was helping from what looked like his father behind the register in the ice cream parlor. “What is it?” “Look at the cutie over there.” Starlight elbowed her towards the colt up at the register helping to scoop the ice cream. Octave then stopped licking the scoop of ice cream resting safely upon her cone, as she didn’t know what to think. Her eyes not managing to move anywhere else, though they wanted to. She still couldn’t manage to help herself from looking at this apparently cute colt Starlight pointed to from behind her. “Um…uh…” Octave’s mind went blank. “Well don’t just stand there, go talk to him girl.” Starlight then lightly pushed her out of her chair, not enough to where her ice cream would fall off of her cone. “Hey! Well I…I-” “You what? You wanna finish your cone? Now come on Octave, you won’t get another chance like this ever probably.” “Well technically I will if I ever want to visit you ag-” “Well technically you need to just say hi to him at least, and introduce yourself, nothing hurt that now right?” “Well…I suppose not.” Octave looked off and back to the sight of the colt behind the counter scooping ice cream for the customers. “See? Just go for it girl, I got your back if you mess up okay? Don’t you worry about feeling awkward.” “Okay, thanks.” Octave then took in one gulp and steadily made her way up to the counter. The closer she approached towards him, the more nervous she got, and wanted to turn back to her table, but Starlight wouldn’t let that happen. “Okay, thank you come again!” the colt smiled as him and his father waved back at the leaving customer out the entrance. However, he stopped himself, and then noticed Octave before she was even ready for him to, making her even more anxious to just take off the other way. Octave looked back at Starlight, then back at the colt blinking once out of curiosity. That Pegasus known as Starlight was determined someway somehow to get Octave a date it seemed. “Um…hi.” Octave spoke up in a soft tone. “Sorry, what was that?” the colt chuckled a bit, implying she get on one of the chairs at the counter for him to hear her better, rather than staying down there below the counter. She went ahead and accepted his offer, and hopped up on one of the chairs awkwardly, and simply looked at him then away once more. “Um…can I help you?” he asked the shy filly. “H-hi.” She smiled slightly. “Hi there, my name is Scoop, what’s yours?” “Um…I’m uh…Octave.” She blinked back to him, a smile started to show on her face, but she pulled it away from his view just before he could see her allegedly embarrassing expression. “Octave huh? That’s a pretty name, wish I had a name that good, but eh…my family’s got something to do with ice cream in some sort of way with names.” He replied. “Oh…that’s cool I guess.” “Eh, I guess, but I just wish I could do more than just serve ice cream like this? It gets boring after a while. I mean, see my father over there?” “Yeah.” “His name is Ozone, he used to be a high altitude stunt flyer when he was young. Now he just serves ice cream for a living.” He added. “Um…how long?” “As long as I can remember. All I know is that this store has been in business since my father opened it up after quitting his stunts and stuff. He thought he would retire from all of that after he got badly injured one day trying to pull off some sort stunt no other pony has ever pulled off before. So I’ve been doing this for about a year or so now, ever since my dad told me I was old enough to help out run the business.” Scoop then faced back to Octave after looking off into the different tubs of ice cream after giving her some history on his family. “What are your parents like?” “What, mine? Well my dad is a cellist and so is my mom. Her name is Octavia, and my dad’s name is Maestro. He enjoys cutting up a lot whenever I’m around him, since he likes seeing me smile and stuff.” Octave replied looking off to another direction once more, not wanting to really look him in the eye. “Is something bothering you? You haven’t even paid attention to me at all ever since we started talking?” Scoop asked her curiously. “Hey, Scoop my boy I need your help back here!” “Coming dad! Well hey listen Octave; it was nice to meet you. I know! How about we hang out after I get done helping my dad? That’d be cool right?” “Huh?! Well I uh, um…oh, I don’t know.” “Well no need to tell me now, is that your mom over there? Cause she’s looking back here at you a lot it seems?” “Well that’s-” “Scoop! Need your help pronto okay? Get back here in the freezer!” His father called out to him. “Gotta run, later Octave!” Scoop then shook her hoof and made his way in the back to help his dad with whatever he needed help with. “He…shook my hoof? He was…he was so nice.” She thought to herself, after a tingly feeling then rushed to her heart. Octave then walked her way back to the table; not realizing a small smile had crept onto her face. “Well now…somepony’s got a little crush I think.” Starlight giggled teasing her. “I do not!” “That’s not what your face is telling me. You do know you were smiling when you came back here right?” “Huh? I wa-…well that doesn’t mean I like him or anything!” Octave then looked away pouting a bit. “I don’t believe a word of that, I’ve been around longer than you have, and I know love in bloom when I see it. You like him, you just don’t know it yet, trust me.” Starlight then got closer to her. “So what did he say huh?” “Well uh…he asked me if I wanted to hang out with him or something after he gets through helping his dad.” “I think he was asking you out.” Starlight replied looking out the window. “He was what?!” Octave’s eyes then widened and looked back at her wondering if that was really the case or not. “Wow…you really need to get out more.” “Hey!” “Well it’s true…sort of I guess, but understandable at your age…kinda.” “What are you saying Starlight?” “I’m saying he might have actually asked you out, or he just wants to be friends or something, I don’t have the real answer. You’ll just have to take him up on his offer.” “Are you kidding me?! I can’t do this!” Octave exclaimed. “Sure you can…just do it…it’s that easy.” Starlight giggled. “Star!” “Yes?” “Come on now…you said you would help me?” “You certainly don’t need help on this, trust me, you’ll be fine. What time did he say for you to meet up with him?” “Knock it off Starlight!” “Okay, okay…you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” “Thank you…” Octave then stared off, but then panning back to her after they shared several silent seconds between each other. “Can I have another?” “Another colt date?! Have you lost your mind?!” “Star!” “Relax I was kidding! Sure I have no problem getting you another cone.” Starlight laughed.