The Strings Of Life

by MLPxMaestro

Chapter Fourty- Faking Strength

The Strings Of Life:

Chapter 40- Faking Strength:

“Octavia?” Maestro called out to her again with no response. But instead, he heard a scream of what sounded like Octavia coming from the bedroom upstairs.

“Octavia, is that you?!” he yelled making his way up the stairs hastefully.

“Please help me!” the voice yelled back to him in desperation, knowing time was running out.

“Octavia hang on okay!” Soon as he made it to the bedroom door, he shoots right through it to the sight of her pinned within the bedroom closet by a Changeling’s glowing horn pointing directly at her.

“By Celestia, if you touch even one bucking hair on her head…I’ll end your damn life!” he snorted, as he then tackles the Changeling up to the window causing it to nearly shatter. But a few large shards made their way to the floor from the impact.

From Octavia’s view, she noticed Maestro strangely enough not having his uniform on? But rather it was a thick white bandage along his wound, and a stain of blood seen underneath the wrappings.

The Changeling then kicks him in his wounded leg causing him to fall to the ground.

“Ah! You piece of-” Maestro then interrupted once again by a punch from the Changeling.

“Maestro!” Octavia yelled out to him as he fell right back down to the ground, but being punched right in the face as he tried to get back up.

“Stay right where- ah!” he was then kicked on the floor by the Changeling once again.

Octavia wanted to help him, but she knew she obviously didn’t have the strength and ability to do so, especially since it could cause her to get injured…and more.

“Leave him alone! Stop!”

The Changeling could care less what she thought, as it continued to attack Maestro.

Maestro was receiving hit after hit even as he was trying to kick the Changeling to hopefully get away from it.

Maestro now suffering a bloodied lip, and a bloody nose from all of these blows felt outmatched at this moment. He then began to notice the Changelings horn glow to a greenish tint once again, possibly signaling this might be it for him.

“I’m…I’m sorry Octy…I love you.” he smiled back to her as blood partially covered over some of his teeth. His seemingly eminent end had arrived, and the Changeling gave one final hiss of disapproval at the pathetic being of life in front of itself. The horn gave off a quick flash, but right before it delivered the final blow, and an ending to Maestro’s life…the Changeling then froze in place. The horns magical aura faded, as it fell to the ground in a sudden emotionless expression of pain. Falling right next to Maestro with a distinct thud, it appeared to be knocked out. But Maestro looked along the back of its body, a large shard of glass was seen drove into its spinal column. This meant the Changeling was probably dead, or it would be taken prisoner now from its paralysis, as it would not be able to escape alive, unless it was a master of healing spells…and a Changeling was anything of the sort along those lines.

“W-what?” Maestro looks back at Octavia behind the creature, noticing she has a bleeding hoof from handling the sharp shard of glass.

“Hey-hey-hey, now just stay calm okay? I’ll get this cleaned up got it? Just stay here and breathe.”

“O-okay…” Octavia continuing to stare at the large cut she had given herself from pretty much saving his skin for the second time you could say.

He arrives out of the bathroom with an emergency first-aid kit in the bathroom closet. Hastefully, he tries to find the things needed to fix her up, but not having much patience.

“Oh screw this.” he then opens up the entire bag, and dumps everything out on the floor in front of the two of them.

“It’s burning dear.”

“I know, I know, you will be just fine okay? Let me just…oh…right…I’ll be right back.” He totally realizes he needs to get a wet cloth to clean it off first. Seconds later with a brief sound of the water being cut on and off, he comes back over to her, and dabs along her wound.

Octavia knowing he was right next to her, softly leans into him in a comfortable position. The side of her face nestled right under his, she had strong confidence he had everything under control now.

“Yeah, just relax and take it easy right next to me, I got you covered here, just need to dab a little of this stuff he-”

Maestro interrupted by those soft delicate lips he knew all too well. That mouth and certain spark of hers would calm anypony down, even though he didn’t show it to her, he looked at her worried a bit.

“Um…well then, um…you’re welcome?” he chuckled awkwardly, wondering what that kiss could have meant.

“Mhm.” Octavia softly nodded to him with a smile, as her eyes met his in a strong feeling of sympathetic love.

He looks back at the Changeling’s lifeless body lying in the floor behind them by a few feet, and then looks back at her.

“You saved my life again Octavia, I have literally no way to repay you.”

“I…I didn’t want to but…”

“What choice did you have?” Maestro added, followed by Octavia facing back to him once again with a mere nod of her head.

“We…did it.” she sighed with relief.

“No…not yet, I still need to…wait, where’s mom?” Maestro instinctively looked all over the room, but Octavia merely pointed her other hoof down below her.

“She’s safely residing under the house.”

“What in Tartarus are you doing in our closet? I told you to get under the house with her when the barrier falls.” Maestro began talking to her with a bit of a tone of agitation, but he knew talking to her in such a way wouldn’t help her in any way possible. It would just add extra unnecessary stress to her, like she hasn’t had enough in the first place.

“It’s a long…story…okay now…remember how I told you when we were looking at this house, that it was my grandmother’s till I moved out of it, and sold it just four years ago?” said Octavia.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Well…I just…felt…followed, guided, pushed towards something. I didn’t know how to describe it at first, and I still can’t at the current moment.” She looked away, facing towards a family photo of her, her grandmother, and her grandfather standing right next to her.

“What are you saying? A dead pony told you to go up here and nearly get yourself killed?” Maestro replied to her, feeling frustrated at her for putting her life at stake.

“How dare you, my grandmother would never do such a thing unless she knew it was for a reason.”

“Wait a second…you’re saying that…Ooooh, okay now this is getting strange.”

“I knew it would come to this. When I have my mind gathered up…yeah you know.”

“I know Octy, now let’s get you back under the house okay? That’s our number one pri-”

They both then heard the door busted down, and the sound of hissing and the voices of ponies could be heard downstairs.

“Hold right here…keep applying pressure, then wrap it up a little more here okay? I’ll be right back.” Maestro then gets up to go check on what was going on downstairs in his own home.

It was a fight scene that was to the death, and taking place right in his living room. Three or four Changelings were fighting against three earth ponies with swords.

“Okay scratch that…back in the bedroom.” He said to himself.

Octavia then saw Maestro make his way back into the bedroom, locking it behind him too.

“I don’t like what I’m hearing down there.” She spoke up.

“Yeah…I’d rather not, and plus I’m- ow!” he grabbed around his ribcage, as the pain had started to really kick in now around his body. Mostly the adrenaline is what kept him from feeling most of the pain…most.

He continues sitting there with a bloodied nose, a bloodied lip, and many hits that had been received all over his body.

“We have no other choice but to stay up here…mainly you though.” Said Maestro.

“Me? Why not you too?” Octavia asked.

“Because I need to…oh buck it, I’m feeling a bit tired okay? But I don’t know all the sudden why exactly?” he replied to her.

“We need to do something about this…body. I…I don’t like-”

“I know that feel…you, ow! You got no idea…give me a second.” Maestro forces himself up, even as the pain worsens around his body. It began to make him tired and exhausted, the adrenaline from his body had been depleting from his system ever since he began sneaking outside of the castle. It caught up to him at last, and he was really beginning to feel like crap now.

“I’ll just…open up this, uh…window here.” Pushing open the window, and grabbing the body to put it over the edge of the window and push it outside. Honestly it would be a comical site from somepony like him, but it’s a dead body of a Changeling for Celestia’s sake, it couldn’t just sit there.

“My goodness, I’m starting to feel kind of weak now, you know?” shaking his head to stay aware, but not aware that his wound was stirred up again. He was now beginning to lose blood once again, thankfully at a much slower pace than before.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting strange? Also, why did you even come here? Why did you come down here before they made it through the street?” Octavia began asking him question after question, setting his and her mind off in a wind of thoughts for answers.

“Uh…I…I got shot I guess.”

“You what?! Is that what the bandage is there for?”

“Uh-huh…I was supposed to stay at the medical area and rest. But I couldn’t leave you here, I just couldn’t. I had a feeling in my gut that you would’ve been in danger, looks like my gut was right this time.”

“You should have stayed there Maestro! Don’t you know what that means? It means that…um…er, what’s that name for leaving without permission or something along those lines?” she gestures her hoof.

“Uh…AWOL?”

“Yes, that…you can be relieved of your duty! You need to go back, and quick!”

“I uh, yeah…I need to…um…”

“Maestro? Everything okay?”

He then falls to the floor, his exhaustion and fatigue had finally caught up to him from the morphine and adrenaline that seemed to help suppress it from his mind, and realize just how tired his body really seemed.

“Maestro?!” Octavia hastefully makes her way over to him lying on the bedroom floor.

“Speak to me! Maestro please wake up, what if they find us up-”

The sounds off hooves making their way up the stairs were then heard, causing her voice to go completely silent. Her eyes were glued to the doorknob, afraid that Maestro may have not fully locked it behind him, since he wasn’t even halfway paying attention when he did lock it in the process.

“Check this room…hello? Anypony there?!” a voice called out from beyond the door.

Thank Celestia it was something rather than a Changeling…well, for a change.

“Yes? Somepony is in here, but do not open the door please.” Octavia replies, worried Maestro might get in huge trouble for going AWOL after they send him back to the medical bay within the castle.

“Ma’am, we need to so we can know whether or not you need any help or assistance of any sort…open the door.” the voice then speaks to the others.

The sound of a pony ruffling through a bag was then heard, since he was going to pick his way in, instead of kicking down a perfectly good door.

The door flies open, the three Earth Ponies looking every which way as they immediately came in.

“Hey…is that-”

“That’s…wait a moment…that’s Private Maestro! He’s labeled AWOL by our CO!” one of the three said, a private himself as well.

“Well, he’s out of it atleast, should we take him back to the med bay? He looks like his wound is starting to bleed again from agitation.” The corporal spoke up, as he grabbed him, placing him over his back before heading out of there.

“Of course, and…are you okay miss?” the sergeant of the three asked Octavia.

After thinking about it, she knew she didn’t feel safe here for the time being. She had dealt with so many close calls, and other bad things in her life, she wanted a legit safe haven for once.

“No, I don’t feel safe here at the moment. Where can I go though?”

“You can come with us back to the med bay if that is your wish. By the way, Private Maestro here, what is he to you? Friend or something?”

“A lover…a great hearted stallion of mine…my very special somepony you could certainly say.” she smiled slightly.

“Of course ma’am, then maybe you’d like to stay with him then in his recovery? I’m sure in times like these our CO could give you some leeway. Are there anymore family left in the household?” The sergeant asked her.

“Absolutely…and now I feel terrible leaving her down there…goodness my mind is feeling jumbled right now.”

“It’s fine ma’am, we’ll get her out from under the shelter under the house, and she can join you back at the med bay, sound good?”

“Er, yeah…sure…of course…” Octavia’s voice faded after answering him. She looked back off to the house behind her, as it was her grandmother’s house nonetheless. It was the reason why she wanted Maestro to purchase the house, after she sold it a mere four years ago. The same house her mother died within, the same house her grandmother died within. Even the same house her grandfather died within as well, though her father died within a well cared for hospital peacefully. The house had quite a story to tell, and plenty of family history within those walls.

The five of them, three Earth Pony soldiers, Octavia, and Harmony who was now questioning Octavia on what she did, why, and what for? A flood of thoughts rushed to her as she kept asking Octavia so many questions. Octavia tolerated it like a champ though; she knew Harmony had many questions for her during their escort to one of the safest areas in all of Canterlot.

Faint noises of explosions could be heard from the other side of the city as they made their way to the castle. Luckily the street they were in, along with the ones adjacent to it, some even several streets away were secured and held firmly. Changelings weren’t exactly the best at ground combat, but they were intimidating in air combat however. This and other attributes made them a force to be reckoned with. Though they were not all that bright, they knew what their hive queen had ordered them to do.

Celestia’s sun continued to shine above the soldiers, as they made their ground war as swift as they possibly could. Securing the city by nightfall would give the Equestrian Military better chances of holding out from the castle. Once the city was secure, the streets that had been secured would be lit up, just in case the Changeling offensive would reinitiate their attack at nightfall.

They all continued making their way back to the med bay, but Octavia was still feeling quite bothered by the experience she had back their. She managed to apparently hide it from Maestro so she could appear strong for him, but a mare can only take so much.

“Octavia dear, are you okay? Perhaps I should just quite down then with the questions and thoughts…” Harmony trails off.

“Octavia?” She asked again, but Octavia was still coming in and out of some awfully strong memories she was having at the moment.

“Ma’am…ma’am?”

She snapped back to reality once again after the muffling of the Sergeant’s voice being heard over one of the memories she was having.

“Oh uh…yes I’m fine…let us continue…please.”

“Yes ma’am…keep moving fellas.” He reordered the other two to get back on track and their current objective.

“Don’t worry miss Octavia ma’am, if you need any medical assistance, or have any questions at all with whatever you’re concerned with, our medics are some of the best at what they do.” the Sergeant added, as he looked back at her a second time.

“I appreciate your condolences and concern.” Octavia replied.