//------------------------------// // Chapter III: The Pianist // Story: For His Majesty // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// “That’s Moztrot isn’t it?” the disguised Prince inquired, to which the pianist screamed in surprise. The mystery guest spun around with a hoof over his chest. By the look of him, this stranger was dressed in roughly the same time period as he was. The midnight purple mask covered the pianist’s face, showing a pair of wings over his blue eyes in that baroque style. Tied around his neck was a lilac cravat that lay over his dull grey overcoat. “Oh! I’m terribly sorry,” the stranger replied. “I didn’t see anypony using this room and…” He took in a calming breath, “You nearly have given me a heart attack.” Blueblood paused, “I didn’t want to interrupt but I was curious to know who was playing.” He tilted his head as he added, “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen you at the ball. Especially with that voice… Trottingham isn’t it?” The pianist now seemed a little more relaxed. “You’re not too far off. My parents are from Trottingham but I was raised here. And as to your first comment, I arrived on time, I just…” he trailed off, putting his other hoof lightly on the keys. “Well, needed some space.” He looked back at the Prince, “How long have I been in here?” “I can’t say, I arrived late myself,” Blueblood confessed as he neared the piano. “You played very well, but I don’t recognize the tune. Is it from Moztrot? It sounded like his style.” The stranger chuckled, “He never wrote it. This was from another composer who did live around the same time as Moztrot that has sadly been forgotten. He survived the Prench Revolution too, but much of his music is lost except for a hoofful of violin concertos, overtures and this. I believe he might have been the world’s first Zebra composer, whether that is true or not, I’m not certain.” He turned to the masked Prince. “But I’m afraid that I’m boring you, am I?” “No. Actually compared with those other stallions I’ve spent a good twenty minutes with, you’re the first that has caught my interest.” “But you’ve just met me.” “At least you’ve given me a positive first impression,” he said as he sat next to the other stallion. “And like you, I’m also here because I needed some breathing room as well.” “Oh?” Blueblood nodded, “I don’t know if you would be interested as to why I’m here.” “I never said that I wasn’t. Although you’ve got me curious now as to what you’ve meant by that. You too received an invitation did you?” “In a way, yes, but more because my family has pressured me into this party,” the pianist tilted his head so Blueblood explained. “I’ve come out to them not too long ago, that I preferred male company so to speak. Fortunately or unfortunately, not only did they take it well, but they insist that I should probably find a suitable stallion for me. When I took too long to find one, they’ve talked me into going to this ball. So far, I’m having no luck on this glorified blind date with a room full of ponies that I probably don’t know. I was ready to leave until I heard you playing and wanted to see who it was. What about you?” The pianist rubbed the sleeve of his overcoat with his hoof, “Like you, I was talked into accepting the invitation, with the intention that I might be given a second chance.” “Now what does that mean?” Instead of replying, the mysterious pony shook his head, “It’s a personal thing. Still, you liked what I’ve played?” “Whatever it was, I rather liked it. On the way here, it sounded like the ghost of Moztrot himself playing. In fact,” the Prince’s eyes moved away from him. “Since I don’t exactly feel like going back to that ballroom yet, would you keep playing for a little longer?” The pianist looked between him and the instrument, “You really want to? I… I don’t play it to an audience very often.” “But from what I’ve heard, you’re very good. Do you want to continue that song you were playing?” “I’m afraid that I’ve forgotten where I was in that. Perhaps I could play something else.” The blond unicorn told him that he wouldn’t mind, “Now let me think…” the pianist closed his eyes, turning his body towards the black and white keys. For a long minute, the music room was silent as the stallion with a sky blue mane sat there thinking before he placed his hooves on the keyboard. Then the stillness of the chamber was broken by a humble few notes. Blueblood listened as the pianist added rich chords to its melody. Soft as candlelight, the pony next to him brushed the keys like a painter would with a canvas. For after several bars, the blond unicorn nearly forgotten the fact that he doesn’t even know who this stallion was, not even his name or what he looked like underneath that Istallion mask. It was oddly relaxing to have this mystery pony play for him. “Is this Beethooven?” Blueblood asked. “His adagio from his… first sonata,” the pianist replied as his hooves glided over the keys. “It’s not a well-known piece, how did you know?” “I’ve heard it before. Back when I visited Prance that I heard this being played at a concert.” “Now that’s interesting. Do you travel quite a bit?” “I do. Mostly for government reasons, but I do get to travel when I’m needed to.” The pianist played in, humming in thought. “Forgive me for intruding, but I’m trying to make a guess about your age. Going off by your voice I believe you must be in your… late twenties? Early Thirties?” “Twenty-six,” he corrected him. “You?” “Turned Thirty-eight last month, I dare say that I’m rather surprised that such a young gent like yourself has traveled in his job description. Would you please tell me about yourself and what is it that you do?” ‘How much should I give myself away?’ Blueblood thought. ‘This stallion is nice, but…’ “Why not you go first? After all, I don’t know much about you other than you can play the piano.” The masked pianist thought for a moment until, “I have an idea, why not we play a game? Let’s play twenty questions and let's see if we could guess who the other might be.” “Isn’t it a foal’s game?” Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Well, why not? We’re here to get to know complete strangers are we not? How about you go first, but you can only ask twenty questions, I’ll keep count.” ‘Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least it’s something I can work off with,’ the Prince thought before trying to think of his first question. “To begin with, do you live in Canterlot?” “Yes.” “Do others know you play the piano?” The stallion hesitated, “Only a few.” “So you don’t do this professionally?” “No.” “Are you well known in Canterlot?” “I am indeed.” Blueblood paused, ‘Okay? He can play the piano but very few know that he does. He lives in Canterlot and is influential, but not as a musician…’ Then he thought up of another question, “Are you wealthy?” “Yes.” “An aristocrat?” “No.” “But do you have servants?” “I do.” “Do you travel?” The masked stallion hummed, “Not as often as I like.” “But you have some sort of a job?” “Yes.” “So, does this job enables you to reach out to reach out to very many ponies?” “Yes, and you’ve only got only ten questions left.” The Prince blinked, “Already?” “Yes, and that makes nine.” “What! That wasn’t a question.” “Oh yes, it was,” the pianist chuckled. “But that was not intended!” he pouted. Blueblood closed his eyes and took in some soothing breaths, ‘Keep calm, you can still figure this out. First, put together what you know so far: This stallion lives in Canterlot but doesn’t travel outside of the city. He’s not one of the aristocracies but is well known and rich. He’s not a musician, yet, he is able to reach out to the commonwealth.’ Even he admitted that it was still very little to go off of, so he decided to change it to a different tactic, “Do you work in the media in some way?” This gave the other stallion some thinking time, “In a way, yes.” “Do you write for a newspaper or magazine?” “No.” Blueblood blinked, “Are you a photographer?” “Celestia no!” he laughed, “I don’t even know how to work a camera.” The blond unicorn grunted, “Do you at least cover something like… art?” “Yes,” at this, the Prince’s ears perked up. “And this wealth, do you use it in the field of art?” “Absolutely,” the masked stallion said proudly. “Now I think I’m getting somewhere,” Blueblood grinned, rubbing his hooves. “So… are you an artist?” This got a reaction out of the stranger before he could finish the piece, he stopped. The blond unicorn noticed that the pianist’s ears folded back flat against his head. “No,” he finally said. There was an awkward paused before the Prince resumed his last two questions. “Do you know other artists?” “Yes.” Blueblood hummed in thought. “Are you a patron of the arts in some way?” “Yes.” The stallion next to him leaned back from his bench, “So then sir, any ideas who I am?” ‘Let’s see… He’s a wealthy patron of the arts so that would explain about that media question… Lives in Canterlot but not directly connected to the royal family… So who fits that description?’ In the back of his mind, the disguised stallion could have sworn that all of this sounded familiar. But where, and more importantly, how? The more he looked on at the eyes of this stallion, the more his subconscious was screaming the answer at him. There was something frustratingly familiar about how he described himself as if he knew who was sitting next to him. “I give up,” Blueblood sighed, “But I could have sworn that I know you in some way.” “Well you still have until midnight to find out,” the pianist pointed out. “Midnight?” “Yes, when I got here, Princess Luna told us that we were not allowed to say our names or take off these masks until after midnight. Didn’t you… oh wait,” the stallion facedhoof, “I forgot, you said you came in late did you?” the Prince nodded. “Sorry, sometimes my own mind goes so fast that it tends to skip over some details.” “To be fair you were playing a Beethooven piece and playing twenty questions at the same time,” Blueblood pointed it out. “Nevertheless, that was fun,” the pianist chuckled, putting a hoof over his chin. “You know, it was quite amusing to see you get flustered.” The Prince huffed, sticking his snout in the air, “I have no idea what you are referring to.” “Li-er,” the masked stallion half said half sang as he got up from the bench. “Still, it’s nice for you to run into me. I was almost going to leave the ball for the same reasons that you had. Now, however…” he lifted a foreleg and stretched his hoof out to him. “If you wouldn’t mind, sir, shall we return to the ballroom that I hope I could get to know you a little better?” Blueblood silently cursed that his mask didn’t hide his blush, “Are you… are you proposing to…” he cleared his throat, for he couldn’t believe what was about to come out of his mouth. “Go on a date, with me?” “More along the lines of getting to know you a little better,” the pianist smirked. “Besides, if I wanted to ask you if you would be my coltfriend, I would have asked it. However, I dare say that it’s far too early to tell. So for tonight, however, I want to spend it with someone that I could have some fun with.” For the Prince, that moment just felt surreal to him as he stretched out his hoof. It was something that only existed to him in fantasy. Only now, that daydream of having a potential partner that he wanted since his teens were standing right in front of him. While he wasn’t sure who he was, even if it would only last for this one night, Blueblood was convinced of taking this gamble as he touched the other’s hoof. “Just to be clear,” the blond unicorn stated. “I have sure have no idea of what I’m doing from here on out.” The pianist laughed, “Then I dare say that you’re a natural. You’ve been quite good to me so far, now come along, suddenly I feel like having a dance or two.” What neither stallion realized as they walked out from one of the palace’s music rooms was that behind that same door they exited, a disguised alicorn in red peeked her head out. Her hoof was in her mouth that was suppressing the squee that was trying to escape. ‘Wait until they hear about this!’ she thought before she hopped back towards the ballroom once the two stallions were out of sight.