The Strings Of Life

by MLPxMaestro

Chapter Five- Teacher's Last Words

The Strings Of Life:

Chapter 5- Teacher’s Last Words:

It was finally the day of the instrumental competition, and the glorious city was already getting things underway for the competition early in the morning, as Luna’s moon was still faintly in the sky. They decorated the Canterlot Theatre in an abundant arrangement of decorations, though the décor had to hold a classy sort of feel, and not just streamers and confetti everywhere.

Hours later...

Maestro was just now getting up…yet it was almost noon, since he enjoyed sleeping in.

“Maestro, get up dear! You’re going to be late to your lessons!” his mother shouted.

“Ugh…” he groaned, sleeping in his bed…until…

“Wait a moment.” he thought to himself.

“Aw buck! It’s today!” he shouted immediately getting out of bed as he said it.

Just minutes after that, he performed a flurry of actions only a pony good at multitasking could do.

He takes a quick shower, brushes his teeth, almost forgets to comb and style his mane, and then quickly puts on his biological father’s tux.

He stops himself however, as he continues looking at himself in the mirror.

“Dad…I’m going to make you proud tonight.”

“Maestro!”

“In a minute, mother!” he shouts back.

“Look…I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, I’m going to do my very best in this competition.”

He gives himself one last look in the mirror, looking sharp as ever this time, as he finally makes his way down to the kitchen for breakfast. He skips breakfast, and instead quickly grabs his case containing his Cello, and shoots out the door.

“You forgot to…oh forget it.” said his mother.

Seeming like he had just run a mile non-stop, he finally made it to his teacher’s home, and ten minutes late.

His old teacher opened up the door slowly, and looked at him with fake distain.

“Sorry, sir…I overslept.”

“I’m only kidding Maestro, my home is your home.”

He was surprised that his teacher was acting like this. He had never seen him smile, not even a grin ever since he had been taking lessons from him.

“So what are we focusing on this time?” Maestro asked.

“Hmm…we have no choice…we must proceed onward to the advanced units.”

“B-but…are you sure?”

“The competition is tonight, and you must be at your very best my student. Plus, I wouldn’t even tell you about the advanced stages if I knew you were ready for them would I?”

“No sir.”

“Very good…now…let’s begin!”

“Yes, sir!”

A couple of hours into the advanced courses, and Maestro was surprisingly making progress on it. He still never got to ask the question concerning why his teacher seemed happy. He had never seen his teacher this happy, well…ever.

“Um…sir?”

“Yes? Speak up, I’m a little deaf in this ear you know.”

“Why are you so happy today? I’ve never seen you this way?”

“Would you really like to know?”

“Of course sir.”

“Hmm…very well, lets have tea over this…come now to my kitchen.”

They decide to take a short break, and proceed into the kitchen for tea on a subject as this.

His teacher gently poured the tea into both of their cups as they sat on mats.

“Ah! Holy buck that’s hot tea!”

“Then blow on it you numbskull!”

The teacher then lightly hits him on the top of his head with a stick he brings seemingly out of nowhere.

“No bad language either! I forbid it in my household. What kinds of parents raise you child?”

“Um…rich ones?”

“Hmm…fair enough.”

They proceed later onto the subject of why he seemed so happy. It seemed as though he had gotten a message from his loved ones last night.

“So, about why you are-”

“Yes, yes I’ll get to that child, I’m not what I used to be you know. Hmm…now let me see…ah yes! It was a dream!”

“A…dream?”

“Yes in fact, I had this dream, one I had never had before. My mother, father, my grandparents, and their grandparents were there with me. I had no idea what to think really? As the sun shines its face over sleeping Equestria, feelings of love and warmth seemed to surround me.”

He continued on into his story, and what he saw and felt emotionally. Maestro never knew his teacher had such a story to tell, but he enjoyed him talking too though. He always seemed to have an interesting story to tell.

“So you see, that is why I have had this feeling come around me. Like a breeze that rushes-”

“Past mountains right?” Maestro adds.

“Oh…um…yes actually. I was going to say that, well done my student, more tea?”

“No actually, I’m fine, let’s just get back to practice.”

“Yes, I couldn’t agree more.” His teacher though seemed to look away after that, almost like something was going to happen. He was keeping something from Maestro.”
Hour after hour once more, he tries and tries to perfect it as much as he possibly could, and with great success, his teacher was pleased.

“Yes, yes! That’s it, you are feeling the instrument, very good indeed. Your soul, and your instrument’s soul are coinciding as one with each other, I can sense it in you.”

Maestro pays no attention to his complements, as he’s determined to win that competition now, which his teacher couldn’t be more proud of him now. As he saw his student however practicing, he thought back to when he was but a colt himself, as it reminded hm of his loving family and warming home.

“I will meet you all soon…soon.” He whispers to himself.

It was now around six o’ clock in the afternoon, and after a good long, tiring, and mentally draining intense half-day Cello session…he felt he was ready.

“You are ready Maestro.”

“But sir, I haven’t even-”

“What did I just say!”

“Uh…I’m ready?”

“Yes…you are…now leave it at that. Have faith in yourself and your instrument my student, and you shall achieve what I never got to achieve.” He then looks away.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best, don’t worry about that.”

“Very good then…lesson is done for today…you may return home now.”

“Already? That’s like two hours before it usually ends?”

“I know, and that is why you must go home now, you have worked hard and you deserve this time to yourself.” The old pony then looks back at him and raises an eyebrow.

“On second thought, come with me.” he gestured his hoof upstairs to his bedroom.

His teacher seemed troubled about something, but Maestro didn’t want to bother him with whatever he had on his mind.

“I have a gift for you…wait here.”

“Oh boy, a gift!” Maestro thought happily in his mind.

“What if it’s a legendary sword? Gold? Oh, a golden Cello! That’d be sweet!” he smiled.
After waiting a couple of minutes for him to return, he came back to him with a small chest. The chest definitely looked old, decorated with red and gold ornaments all over it, almost looking like something out of one of those Daring Do books on one of her adventures.

“Here’s the key…open it.”

He gave him the key, as he moments later turned the old lock that was in surprisingly great condition.

Maestro couldn’t believe what he was looking at it was full of bits!

“Sir?”

“I have been saving this for something I’ve always wanted to have.”

“Have?”

“I’ve always wanted to have somepony I could consider to be my own grandson. I have never had that opportunity in life, and now I am happy.”

Maestro was speechless, and touched emotionally at the same time.

“I…I don’t know what to say. This money could do so much for me!”

“Which is why somepony like you deserves it. I am far too old and frail to have such a thing anyways. All I want is tranquility and happiness in life, not riches.”

Maestro then took hold of it and placed it on the table, and proceeded to hug his teacher.

“Thank you so much for what you’ve done for me, nopony has ever done this for me.”

“You are most welcome my young student, but now…it is time for you to go.”

He sees his teacher then simply get into his bed and tries to relax. After thinking about what was going on, he didn’t like what he was seeing.

“Sir?”

“I’ll be fine Maestro…for I am passing on my riches to you.”

“I don’t like where this is-”

“I understand you are starting to see the picture, but all things must come to pass.” His voice begins to then grow weak.

“Sir…master, please!”

“Shh…silence…that is all…I ask of you. Carry out my wishes, an win that competition for me.”

Maestro had emotions, but nothing like having a tear form in his eye, as he saw his master and teacher slowly and very peacefully proceed to an eternal slumber.

“P-please…you can’t go yet …”

A single tear begins to run down his cheek as his teacher says nothing, but rather stays silent and gives him one last warm smile in return.

“Thank you…be one with your instrument…be one…with your soul.”

His teacher then gives out one final breath, then proceed to close his eyes with a smile over his face.

“No!” Maestro shouted.

“Don’t go, please! Come on you’ve got to atleast see me perform!”

But no response came from what he said to his teacher, who had now already passed. Sounding like he was almost on the verge of crying, he merely looked back at the chest full of money, and grabbed it on his way out of the house with his eyes full of tears. Wiping them with the passing minutes as they went by, realizing why his question from yesterday evening came at such an appropriate time. He recapped from that question he asked him yesterday evening, “Do you believe there is a heaven?” to the consensus he came to in his mind, he then finally realized…that his teacher knew that he would get to be with his loving family once more.