//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty Nine- Only Asleep // Story: Notes Of Time // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// Notes Of Time: Chapter 29- Only Asleep: After the news had reached out to all of Maestro’s family, Octave had finally come in through the funeral home’s entrance with her best friend Stardust. Octave had managed to get over what her father had said to her that one time a couple of days ago, and was even sat down with her father and mother for him apologizing to her. As for Maestro’s foster parents, they had moved all the way into Germaney, and could not receive the information in time by the time the burial would have taken place. They just lived now so far away from him, it almost seemed ridiculous, and Maestro certainly wanted his foster mother to be there for him, kind and proper as even she herself was. Octavia noticed that she had brought her friend Stardust along, which was actually somewhat rude of her to invite an uninvited guest. “Octave sweetie, may I speak with you for just one moment?” Octavia then looked back at Stardust. “If you would like to, you can wait out here for her in the lobby.” She added. “Um, thank you Mrs. Octavia.” Stardust replied, complying with her statement, as Stardust decided to find herself a seat out in the lobby while her friend was beign talked to regarding something. “What in Equestria do you think you are doing young lady?” Octavia spoke to her softly, but the firmness in her voice could still be made out from Octave’s ears. “I was just bringing Stardust with me, that’s all.” Octave replied. “Well she was not really invited, so you need to tell her she must head back home, understood? Yes, I am sure you find this a bit boring, but you need to respect our wishes for this family matter…do I make myself clear?” Octave then let out a sigh of disappointment. “Yes mother.” She then makes her way out into the lobby, noticing Octavia wave to Stardust before she went back into the room her resting mother-in-law was. “Okay, so that it?” “Yeah, you have to go…it sucks I know.” “Oh…” Stardust trailed off looking down to the red carpet. “So I guess uh…” “Yeah, mom said it was a family matter, and that anypony who was not invited needed to leave.” Octave replied. “You mean I can’t see your grandma at least once?” Stardust wondered. This caused Octave to stop and think for a second or two. “Hmm…wait here.” Said Octave, making her way into the room. “So is she on her way back?” “No, she said she wanted to see her at least once, since she has never got to meet my grandmother.” Octavia then realized that maybe she seemed a pinch on the rude side, so she reconsidered. “Okay…she may pay her respects to her, but then she needs to go understand?” “Thanks!” Octave then hugged her mother. “You are quite welcome…now then, go on now…go ahead and bring her in.” Octavia gestured to her to go out into the lobby and fetch up her friend if she wanted to. Octave then lightly waved to her friend, signaling that she could go inside the room with her. Stardust was a little thrilled to get to do this, though at the same time she knew she needed to use her manners, and be proper on paying her respects to her friend’s grandmother. So Octave and Stardust approached Harmony’s open casket, and she seemed to look so pretty, just as she always was. “Wow…she was your grandma? She’s really pretty.” “Thanks, my dad said that before he was born, she used to model, but she quit it after he was born, and wanted to just be as good of a mother to him as she could be.” Octave replied. “Whoa, no wonder. So um…how did she, you know?” Octave then looked back at Stardust, and then back down to her grandmother, not wanting to really think about it. “Eh…I’d uh…rather not say.” “It’s fine, and I’m really sorry. I bet she was so fun to be with.” “The sweetest mare you’d ever meet in my opinion.” Octave added. “Yeah, I guess she was.” Stardust replied. Octave’s father then approached the two of them with a fairly quiet voice. “Well I haven’t seen you in quite some time now, Stardust.” Said Maestro. “Hello Mr. Maestro sir.” Stardust replied. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She added. “She’s only asleep, remember that fro one of your own relatives too.” “My grandmother passed away about a year ago, and was really sad about it.” Said Stardust. “Oh, my condolences then. By the way where is your mother?” “She couldn’t make it, she was too busy to bring me over here herself.” “Ah, of course.” Stardust then looks back at Octave. “Well hey, I think I better be on my way back home now, again I’m sorry.” She then hugs Octave, making her feel a bit embarrassed for it happening right in front of her father. “Yeah uh…I’ll be fine I guess.” “Well it’s nice to meet you again Mr. Maestro.” Said Stardust making her way out of the room waving back to the two of them. “It’s been good seeing you too.” Maestro waved back, with Octave next to him but behind him at the same time, waving back at her best friend. “You have a great friend, I hope your friendship with her lasts for life.” Said Maestro. “I hope so too…” Octave mumbled under her breath, knowing that something at her friend’s household was not good. Something with her mother wasn’t turning out well either. Stardust’s mother had gotten into prescription medication, and used it excessively in big amounts. The doctors said that if she wouldn’t stop, she would die soon. Several minutes later, the usher then came into the room, and everypony within the room then stood up. “Good evening everypony.” Said the usher. “I appreciate all of you coming out here to pay your respects for this fine young mare here, but it is now time to pay your final dues to her. So if pallbearers could stand over here with me please, we will commence the proceeding into the chapel.” All of the pallbearers made their way next to the usher, with Maestro obviously being the main one. Octavia and some of Maestros other family members he never knew stood with Octavia in a comforting manner. Maestro looked over at her from across the portion of the room, noticing she was fighting back tears awfully hard. “I love you.” Maestro called out to her, causing Octave to look in her direction. A tear on each side silently crept its way down her cheek, and she did nothing more then merely reflect a soft smile back to him from that gorgeous face of hers. “I love you too.” She managed to speak up back to him, with the entire room being silent thereafter. “Okay…now that everypony has dealt with everything they need to take care of, we will now let the pallbearers pay their final respects first.” Said the usher. Moments later, a line of several ponies slowly and steadily went by Harmony’s casket, and Maestro was struggling to keep his composure as the last one to pass by her. He then found himself in front of his mother for one last time, and then he began to breakdown and cry. He cried hard onto his mother’s cold chest, and looked back up at her emotionless state. He could have sworn he saw a very slight smile form on her face as he looked back up to her. He then looked back down to her body, and his eyes were playing tricks on him once more. It even appeared to him like her chest was just barely rising and falling very slowly. He knew it was his mind, since his eyes were trained to see such things for anypony that appeared to be sleeping. “I-I l-love you mom!” he cried out to her, and Octavia then approaching next to him. A painful sight to her was mainly him crying or trying to hold back things from her. “Shhh…” Octavia whispered to him, as tears beginning to quietly flow down the sides of her face. She gently stroked up and down his back, and then hugged his neck. “I love you so, so much.” She whispered to him once more, kissing him. “This is not the end for her, and it is not the end for you.” She then gently brought his face over to hers, being just inches away from their noses touching each other. One thing Maestro could not find pain in, was those breathtaking purple eyes of hers. He could manage to find solitude and peace within her very aura it seemed. Octavia seemed calm and collected about the situation, but she was still in a good bit of pain herself. Maestro could still see her tears coming down her face, but saw in her eyes that she was not truly hurt or sad about it. Rather he knew that she knew her presence seemed to soothe him, and calm him down. He then began lightly crying into her, as the rest of the room quietly watched, and began grieving themselves in a light manner. About a minute or so passed, and with Octavia helping Maestro through a tragic time in his life, she then made her way back onto the other side of the room, and left him and his mother once more to each other. “You…look so pretty.” He said under his breath, looking at her seemingly flawless complexion and her gorgeous mane and well-groomed coat. His eyes still seemed to play tricks on him, making him notice a slight smile on her face that was not there. He noticed it once more, and couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Sweet dreams mom…I love you.” He added softly to her, before kissing her forehead. As Maestro made his way out of the room to meet the other pallbearers out in the lobby, he looked back at his mother one last time, thinking of all the priceless memories he and her had shared together. It almost made him begin crying once more with just the thought of it, but he wanted to fulfill his end of the part for Octavia. Several moments later, the rest of them went by Harmony’s casket to pay their final respect before it would be closed for the short service within the chapel. Octave wanted to be the last one like her dad, and she had to stand up on her two hind legs in order to comfortably see her. She as well couldn’t keep her composure, and began to then cry to the best granny a filly could have ever asked for. “I can’t leave her!” Octave cried to her mother standing next to her. “There’s nothing we can-” “I know there’s nothing we…” Octave then stopped herself after interrupting her mother, and crying replaced the rest of her sentence. “I love her too much too, I don’t want her to go!” Octavia felt terrible for her one and only daughter, even giving her the most amounts of love and sympathy for her daughter even didn’t seem to be enough. Octave must have been really tore up about it, even despite most ponies her age still not fully understanding those kinds of feelings yet. Though if she received so much unconditional love within the twelve years of her life, she may have known what real love felt and seemed like to her. No doubt Octave loved Harmony to bits, and to no end, almost like a second mother to her. As everypony then paid their final respects, and with Octave being guided away by her mother, she quickly then broke free from her mother guiding her, and went back to her granny, kissing her on the cheek and forehead. “I love you very much.” Octave lightly rubbed her nose onto her granny’s, and then went back to Octavia’s side. “So everypony has paid their respects, and for all of our things have been said. We will now ask all of you to please proceed within the chapel down the hallway, as we will commence the ceremony in just a few minutes from now.” Stated the usher. Soon then, everypony did as the usher insisted, and from then on out, everything seemed to run smoothly all the way through.