//------------------------------// // Chapter 58: One Last Time in F # Major. // Story: Beethoven's Tenth // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// About a month later, when the warmth of summer was just starting to settle in, Ludwig was on the train to Canterlot. On his lap, the final page to his tenth symphony laid open. He nodded in approval as he reviewed the ending. Just as it opened with a cello solo, it would end with it. After a frantic month of scratching and revising some passages in his closing movement, the solo was only a note away from being finished. If anything, Beethoven was rather proud of himself, he managed to finish his whole symphony the week before the shadow had promised to return him to Vienna. All he had to do was to write that one last note, but he didn’t feel that it was the right time to do so. After all, he had planned his farewell concert at the theater that his first and second symphony was performed in. But on that morning, as the train neared Canterlot, on that very day in which the Philharmonic will perform his Fifth Piano Concerto as well as Horseshoepin’s piece, he felt impatient. This was because, if all went well, today he will finally get the miracle that he longed for. As soon as he got off the train, he headed towards the palace; after walking through the cobbled streets and ducking beneath several arches, he walked through the gilded doors of the castle. After being shown to the throne room, he took out the magic scroll as he saw all four alicorns waiting for him. “I have two questions,” Ludwig said, “are you sure this spell will work, and if so, how does it work?” “I have gone through this spell several times,” Twilight told him, “and yes, I’ve even experimented a little. So the good news is that I, along with my fellow princesses know how to carry out the spell so there would be an incredibly high chance that it will work. The other being that for this to work, we need something that you constantly wear so it will be near you for a whole day. All you have to do is to put it on.” “And it’s completely safe,” Luna added. “Though it would take a good deal of power from all of us, I do think that after that last concert you gave, it’s the least we could do.” “We’ve been fully rested and used as little of our own magic for this,” Cadance said. “Just to be sure you have enough energy to last you for twenty-four hours.” “Although,” Celestia stated, “Please keep in mind, Mr. Beethoven. Such a spell that uses up this much power has never been done before. In terms of magic, this is rather uncharted territory. If by chance that this doesn’t work-” “Then I wouldn’t be surprised,” Ludwig interrupted as he looked up from the scroll. “I had plenty of my shares of quack doctors telling me that they can cure me. But being in a land where I’ve seen miracles every day, I do hope that you four would be able to pull it off. Now then…” Putting the scroll back in his coat pocket, he looked down at himself to see what they could use off of him. He spotted the red cravat around his neck, “Would this work?” he asked as he untied it and offered it to the alicorns. Twilight’s magic took hold of the fabric and nodded. “Wait… right… there…” she slowly moved her lips to him as they took some distance from him to stand in a sort of a circle. Curious, Ludwig watched the procedure as his cravat floated in the air as Twilight’s aura, then Celestia’s, and then Luna’s and finally Candace took hold of the cloth. At the same time, they lowered their necks and closed their eyes as their horns glowed brightly. Then when they opened their eyes, all the giant could see was that they were shining as bright as the midday sun while their horns fired light at the piece of fabric. It got so bright that Ludwig had to look away as they cast the spell. But as soon as they started, it was over. Beethoven looked up; he noticed that each of them seemed tired, almost as if they didn’t get to sleep for days as Twilight gingerly placed the cravat around his neck, “Well?” Beethoven asked, “Did it wor...” his questioned died off as soon as the fabric touched him. For the first time in eight, long, painful years, the ever-present ringing that went on day and night fell silent. It was as if an enormous pressure that was building up in his head was finally gone. What happened? Did it work? Beethoven took a step back and immediately paused. He heard an echo of a footstep. Reaching into his pockets, he heard the rustle of paper. He even held his hand next to his ear and snapped it. He looked over at the princesses, “Say something,” he told them, “anything.” Luna groaned, “I now really need some sleep.” “Oh süßer Gott!” Ludwig gasped before turning to Cadance, “And you!” “Uh… hi?” she gave a weary wave. Beethoven turned to Celestia, “I assume that it is working?” she asked. Only he turned to Twilight, “Mr. Beethoven, can you hear us?” Ludwig covered his face, “O Gott im Himmel, es funktioniert!” he paused to take in a deep breath, “I can hear again.” “Ludwig?” the Princess of Friendship asked, “Are you alright? Is this too much?” With only a hand that covered his eyes, he shook his head, “No… I…” he laughed a little, “I didn’t expect that it would work at all!” Removing his hand, he whipped a few tears away. “I can’t believe that my hearing is back. No ringing or humming at all.” Ludwig immediately tied the cravat around his collar. “And you say that I have until tomorrow morning for this to wear off?” Celestia nodded, “Indeed. After what you’ve done for our kingdom, it’s the least we could do.” She yawned, “Although, I do have one question to ask. What are you going to do now that you have your hearing back?” “Apart of putting it into good use for the farewell concert tonight,” Ludwig said as he walked towards one of the stain glass windows. “I want to go to the forest that is just outside of this city. It’s been so long since I heard the wind in the trees or the music of the birds. So if none of your mind, I’m going to take a walk without the constant ringing in my ears.” Before he left the throne room, he turned to the princesses and asked, “Are any of you coming to the concert?” Luna yawned, “I’m sure that we… all will. But for now, I need some needed sleep.” “I think we all do,” Cadance agreed before smiling at the giant, “and before you go, I have to ask. Since you’re the one that’s going to be playing, do you know the piece you’ll be performing?” Beethoven laughed, “I’ve always known how to play it.” He tapped the side of his head, “It’s still in here. So I won’t have to concern about practicing. Well then, it’s a beautiful day, and I want to take as much advantage of it as possible. Aude, Your Highnesses,” he nodded to them, “and thank you.” _*_ He was close to the edge of the city, and all around him, the clopping of hooves, the idle chat and whispers of voices, the passing of carriages were everywhere. Ludwig couldn’t believe how much he actually missed hearing all of this. Nearly every second, his ears would pick up a new sound. A ‘ding’ here, a ‘thump’ there, a shout, a cry, a cough, a sneeze, or a flutter of wings, it was like a blind man seeing color for the first time. It never went to the point that it overwhelmed him if anything; he smiled at every little thing that was coming to his senses. Then as he walked down one of the streets, his hears picked up on another sound that he missed. A piano. It was faint, but he could tell where it was coming from. At one of the houses, there was an open window in which the music floated out of. He crouched down a bit to get a better look at who it was playing, only to find that the pony was Horseshoepin, looking down at the keyboard. “Herr Horseshoepin!” the giant shouted. Behind the glass, the stallion’s ears perked up, looking around the room. “At the window!” When the pianist saw who it was, he gave a puzzled look as he got up and went over to open the window further. “Mr. Beethoven?” he tiled his head in confusion. “That was very good playing,” Ludwig said, “Was that yours?” “Well yeah, I’ve been practicing for the concert toni…” he trailed off. “Wait, how did you-” “I heard it,” Beethoven laughed. “For the first time, I’ve heard it!” The stallion looked at him confused, “Your Princesses put a spell on my cravat, one in which would help me hear clearly until tomorrow morning. So for the time being, I have my hearing back.” “Oh,” Horseshoepin blinked, “Well, congratulations, Mr. Beethoven! Only, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be practicing for the concert tonight?” “And waste this gift on a beautiful day like this, are you mad?” Ludwig started moving, “Come walk with me.” “What? Where?” “In those woods outside of the city,” he paused as he looked over his shoulder, “Are you coming or not?” “I… Just a minute,” the Pianist closed his window and sometime later, stepped outside of his home. “I might as well; you don’t know where you’re going.” “Fair enough,” said the giant, “it would be like the old days when I used to talk to my friends face to face without that annoying ringing in my ears. And since you are a composer yourself, at least I have someone worthy to talk to.” “Sure,” he trotted up to the old man’s side, “What do you have in mind?” _*_ “Do you hear that?” Horseshoepin’s ears waved around on his head, “What? Do you mean the birds?” “Yes,” Ludwig nodded. By now, they were taking a rest by a boulder that was on the side of the dirt trail they’ve been walking on. It was in the perfect spot too, being in the cool shade of the hot sun with its rich greens overhead. All around them, the forest stretched out as far as they could see, with wild bushes nearly everywhere. “They’re much more disorganized than I last remember,” Beethoven commented, chuckling to himself. “It’s rather amusing of all the tiny things that I have forgotten about.” “What do you mean?” “Well… like the sound when your boots are on the ground. Or when you kick a rock and it bounces off a tree. Even the buzzing of insects, I’m referring to all the little sounds that you might overlook. If I had more time with my restored hearing, why, I could probably write a concerto, all inspired by these sounds alone! It’s rather incredible of all the things that I’ve… taken for granted before my hearing left me. Things that I didn’t think about are now coming to me here.” Horseshoepin looked around, taking in what Ludwig had said. Perhaps for the first time, he was paying attention to the background sounds of the world. At the gentle rustle in the tree branches, the humming of bees, the distant whistle of the train, and the quiet of the forest, “You know,” he said at last, “I’ve never about thought it like that. I mean, what I find amazing is that you just got your hearing back, and the first thing you wanted to do is to come out here.” “Why not?” Ludwig asked, almost offended. “If you were unable to hear for years and was just now restored, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did the same! After years of hearing constant noise, the only thing I wanted is for that blasted ringing to be still. Would it hurt to hear nothing but the quiet of nature?” “No sir,” the stallion shook his head. “Though, this idea of hearing music from these woods… It’s an odd concept to me.” “It is a philosophy that I have taken to heart after I read Shakespeare. I’ve long forgotten what play it was from, but the quote will go with me, even after I die.” “And that being?” “He wrote once: ‘The Earth has music for those who listen.’” The old man sighed, “And centuries after he wrote that, he is perhaps more right than ever before. Just, listen to that.” Horseshoepin did so, his ears were now opened to the slow tempo of the forest.