//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty Four- Visiting // Story: Notes Of Time // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// Notes Of Time: Chapter 24- Visiting: The door slowly opens into the room that Harmony appeared to be resting peacefully on her bed. Octavia insisting they come back another time to be fair to her, but Octave didn’t listen. “But I want to be with granny.” Octave then covered her mouth quickly after realizing she was too loud, and probably woke her up, despite she was a light sleeper. “Hm? Er-wha? Oh…well my goodness it is you three, and I see my little doll down there too.” Harmony smiled to her granddaughter with delight, knowing that Octave felt the same way when her eyes lit up to the sight of that humble mare of a grandmother. “Granny!” Octave quickly made over to her giving her a big hug after getting up onto her bed with her. “Octave, not so loud sweetie.” Octavia spoke up. “Oh it’s quite alright Octavia dear.” Harmony replied. Maestro hadn’t even been noticed yet by his mother, which kind of bothered him. Harmony seemed focused on Octave the entire time it seemed. “Hm? Oh come now Maestro, don’t think I’m not paying attention to you sweetheart. Come give you mother a hug, she needs one.” She said. “Hey mom, it’s good to see that you are doing fine at the moment.” Maestro hugged her. “Oh of course, you have a strong mother here, I am not going anywhere.” “My mother was the same way Harmony.” “Hm?” Harmony then turned towards Octavia. “She was a strong mare too, but I remember her having the sweetest voice and the most kindest heart you could ask for in a mother.” She added. “But of course dear, I’m certain she was. Now then…” Harmony then turns back looking at Octave. “How far have you progressed on your violin?” “Um…well uh…” “She hasn’t been playing it as much as she should be, her father should be teaching her whenever I am away.” Octavia then gave Maestro and Octave both a look, a look they both knew all too well. “But I play the cello dear, you know that?” “Yes, but a violin is just a miniature cello, that is all it is so to speak.” Octavia replied. “But mooom?!” “No buts young lady, as a matter of fact, you will resume on your practice first thing tomorrow. There is a youth music competition, and the grand prize is worth the effort.” “What’s the grand prize?” Maestro wondered, with Harmony and Octave looking back at her intrigued by her statement to them. “The grand prize winner will receive special honors from Princess Celestia herself!” “That’s it?” Maestro was almost on the verge of chuckling. “No, I hadn’t finished yet…aaaand, they also will receive five-thousand bits in prize money. Second place receive two thousand, and third place receive one thousand. Runner-ups shall receive just a gem-encrusted ribbon of effort I believe. But how great would that make me feel? To think, my very own daughter got to meet the princess herself?” Maestro pans back to Octave, and then back to his lovely wife. “Okay we have to win that competition badly, that would make us famous!” “Well, not exactly famous, though ponies would know who my daughter is now, and she would be respected throughout Canterlot that is for certain.” Octavia smiled a bit. “But mom, I don’t like to compete in this stuff. I did this before when I was little, and you remember how that turned out.” “Sweetie you broke a string, that’s all, and they unfortunately had to disqualify you for not having any more applicable instruments for you to continue with.” Her mother replied. “Aw come on? Please mom, give me some slack?” “There’s no doubt in my mind you have enough of that when you are with your father.” “Hey!” Maestro intervened. “You know that is a fact Maestro my darling, I know you.” Octavia leaned in closer to him giggling. They all four carried on into their conversational topics, with Octave not really into their boring grown up news and discussion about things. “Oh an this stuff is so boring.” She said to herself, as she sat there on the couch in the room doing nothing but looking around and making circles with her hooves on the cushions. She kept noticing the further they kept talking, granny seemed to act more and more strange as they went on. Harmony seemed to space out more and more and yet Octave didn’t know why she was acting like that? Was something about to happen that would yet be another unfortunate event or experience for her?