//------------------------------// // Chapter 29: Hearth’s Warming Morning // Story: The Second Life of Moztrot // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// We rode the train through the night back to Canterlot, and by morning, all the servants had gone their separate ways. According to Celestia’s invitation, apparently, I got to spend the whole day at the palace with some other invited guests. Which meant, all three meals would be provided. There was a curious line at the very end: “All guests will find surprises around every corner.” I confess that by the time I’d dressed and put on my winter coat, I still had no idea what she was referring to. There was an escort of Solar Pegasi Guards with instructions to bring me to the palace immediately. I have whisked away across Canterlot, taking in the sight of the streets and buildings beneath, as well as the ponies that were out this day. Not to mention the colorful lights that stretched like a web in every direction, including the Palace. Since it was Sunbutt’s favorite holiday, the castle was practically decorated from dungeon to spire in the manner of a Hearth’s Warming tree. By the time we rolled up to the front gate, I was nearly an ice sculpture but mercifully I was rushed inside to the warm palace. Celestia was there to greet me, “Mr. Moztrot, thank you for coming.” I shook like a wet dog to get the snow off of me while she shielded herself with a wing. “To be fair, Your Majesty,” I said, taking my winter coat off, “I didn’t exactly have much choice in the matter as I have no obligations today. I dismissed my staff for the sake of the holiday and I’m not exactly keen on drinking alone on the most joyful day of the year.” “I agree,” she replied as she shook her wing to get the snow off. “Actually, that was the main reason why I invited you here. It wouldn’t be fair for you to spend Hearth’s Warming alone. So I thought it best to invite you, along with a few others in your situation, to spend the day with us.” “That’s what I’m curious about. Who are these others? Are you referring to your sister and nephew?” “Well them,” she nodded, and before she could say anything else, an uproar of crashes and galloping hooves were heard. I leaned over just in time to see a rather curious sight. A pegasus flew across the staircase in… what I could describe was in an ancient Pegasi guard uniform dragging an oversize stocking while an irate white unicorn followed behind in a full gallop. “You come back here with my stocking you cowardly antique ruffian!” the unicorn screamed at the top of his lungs as he and the pegasus disappeared on the other side of the staircase. I blinked, “What was that?” She sighed, “One of the guests and my nephew, Prince Blueblood. I told them to behave, but Flash Magnus just wouldn’t listen.” “Sorry, but maybe some snow got into my ears, but did you say, Flash Magnus?” “The same,” she nodded. “Turns out he has a trickster side.” I stared at her for a good solid minute. “Two questions,” I raised a hoof. “Didn’t he vanish a good, oh I don’t know, thousand or so years ago? And if that’s who you say he is, how come I’m being told about this just now?” “Technically he did. And to your second point, that was entirely my fault. With all that’s been happening with your return as well as all my other duties, I kept forgetting to tell you that you’re not the only visitor from the past.” I stared at her for twice as long as before. “I’m not? Well… who else then? Let me guess, Buch is at the bar having a drinking game with Bridlexander the Great?” “Not exactly, but the point is that they’re all here in the palace -- somewhere. You’ll run into them eventually. But for now, as it’s Hearth’s Warming morning, I suggest you go to the living room on the second floor, that’s where your presents are.” “Should I be worried?” This made her chuckle, “Now go on, I’ll leave you to interact with the others until lunch.” After bowing to her, I did as instructed. Honestly, I had no clue what exactly to expect after an introduction like that. For all I knew, the next corner could have revealed anyone: Sombra, Princess Platinum, Haycartes, anyone really, because once you’d seen Flash Magnus in the horseflesh, well, the possibilities were endless. So when I opened the door to the royal living room, I had no clue who to expect. Inside there was a towering tree decorated in glass ornaments and lights; a fireplace that was still burning and had only one filled the stocking with the initials of “W. M.” on its mantle; and everywhere on the floor were discarded boxes and ripped pieces of shiny paper. “Ah take it that yer the last one ta arrive?” a mare’s voice inquired. But as I looked around, I didn’t see anypony. “Ah’m behind the tree.” Curious, I walked over the remains of perfectly wrapped gifts to go around the tree where a blue mare was putting back some glass beakers back in a box. Her clothing and mane were nothing that I have ever seen before. Her mane was wavy but all stood up like an elongated beehive. She had a white cloth wrapped around her head and neck with a brass necklace and bracelet. Her green dress was very plain as it only had a single white line near the helm of her skirt. “Ta be honest,” she said, “None of us were exactly sure who these extra gifts and stocking were intended for. However, Celestia mention’ there was one more guest ta come. So Ah take it that yer him?” “I… suppose so?” I raise an eyebrow. “I’m sorry ma’am, but who are you?” “Oh where has mah head been,” she chuckled as she got up. “Sorry, Ah’ve been so focused in puttin’ mah new things away that it slipped mah mind. Name’s Mage, Mage Meadowbrook.” “The healer?” I inquired and she nodded. “You mean to say that you’re the same mare that somehow cured an entire village of Swamp Fever?” “The same gal,” she nodded. “And who are you supposed ta be?” “Wolfgang Moztrot.” Mage tilted her head, understandably had no idea who I was, “I’m a… musician. I was taken out of my time as well.” “Really? By how long ago?” “About two hundred years, give-or-take.” “Then you must be pretty young compared to the rest of us. But Wolfgang huh…” she reached underneath the tree to pull out a few boxes. “Ah think that these must have been yours. Everythin’ that hasn’t been open has the same name on it.” And indeed there were. Dozens of boxes wrapped in bright, colorful, shiny, smooth paper in bows had my names on them. Not only that but for a few of them as I got a closer look, they were from my friends. From Wilfred, a phonograph with records from several of the composers and bands that I’d seen at the Crystal Empire Music Fair, along with a few I didn’t recognize. From Fan, the finished manuscript of a few nocturnes and a film projector with a couple of movies (thankfully neither of them was the one that shall not be named). And from Mr. Sauté, a modern, compact music player with what looked like earmuffs with wires. From the stocking, I poured out not only things I expected like chocolate, nuts, and oranges, but a camera – the kind one could take photographs with. As for the other boxes, these, I concluded, must have come from Celestia. In several, heavy boxes, I found ten conductor scores of Beethoven’s symphonies, five piano concertos, three fantasies, dozens of overtures, twenty-two trios, sixteen string quartets, ten violin sonatas, thirty-two piano sonatas… all just to name a few. Yet, all of them had Beethoven’s name attached to it. My immediate thought was, ‘I’m going to need a bigger library.’ “What’s all this stuff?” Mage inquired as she flipped through one of the scores. “I’m not exactly sure yet,” I told her. “But it looks like Celestia has gifted me with the scores of a composer who was here a few years ago. I was rather curious as to what this Mr. Beethoven was like. And it looks like I have copies of his works in abundance.” “That’s a lot of paper to use to write a few tunes if ya ask me.” I chuckled, “Then you haven’t seen my works.” “Pardon?” “Oh never mind. So how many of, well, the displaced are here?” “Including you? That’ll make eight. Although Ah’m not exactly sure if they’re still in the royal game room or not, Ah do know that we’re all meetin’ at noon fer lunch.” I blinked, “Why did somepony installed a game room in the palace and not tell me? Where is it?” After she gave me directions, I practically galloped there because… I just had to know. Not just who from the past was here, but more importantly what kind of games were in that room. Cards? Board games? Oh! Maybe a pool table? I just needed to see. When I found it… it was more beautiful than I could ever imagine. Not just all of those I’d already listed, it had games from this modern era such as controlling an electric puppet on a screen by using buttons, a long distance dartboard, a hoof ball court, and even… a bar. If anything, I wondered if this is what heaven is like, especially for some of the ponies that were there. One was an exotic looking pegasus that was tossing a heavy ball down a lane to hit some pins. Another was a unicorn with a mane cut as if one had put a bowl over his head and trimmed who sat at the bar, next to what I could only describe as a giant that looked like he’d stepped out of a Mighty Helm painting. Of course, all three of them saw me as I walked in. “Ah, the bartender has arrived!” the giant declared, “Come on in and fill us with another.” “Uh, what?” “The last one couldn’t keep up,” responded the giant as he downed the rest from his enormous beer mug before slamming it down on the counter. “You are the replacement, are you?” “No, I’m the last guest to come today, and you know what?” I trotted over behind the bar, marveling at the rows of colorful bottles and barrels of beer. “I’ll think I’ll have a few drinks myself.” This got the mare’s attention, “Guest?” she inquired. “You mean that you’re the eighth pony to come today?” “That’s right,” I said, filling the giant’s mug first from the tap. “I’ve got the invitation last night, and apparently found out that I’m not the only one to be taken out of his own time, am I?” Now the game room went silent. “You too?” the scrawny looking unicorn asked. “But I don’t recall seeing you.” “Well, how far away in time did you three come from?” “About a thousand years,” the mare replied. “Uh, that healer must be right,” I hoofed the giant’s mug over before proceeding to fill the unicorn’s, “I must be the baby in all of this. I was plucked from the year 791. And if I hazard a guess, Sunburst had a role in all of this?” “You too?” the three of them asked at once. “I will take that as a ‘yes.’” After filling the unicorn’s, I took a clean mug and fill that up. “So why not we all introduce ourselves? To whom am I having the pleasure of drinking with this morning?” “The one sitting next to me is known as Stygian of Tall Tale,” the giant said as he patted the unicorn’s back. “This mare is Somnambula of the Old Southern Equestrian Kingdom. And I am Rock Hoof, last of the Mighty Helm.” This took me by surprise. “Wait, you’re the Rock Hoof, the one that saved his village from a volcano by digging a trench to lead the river of fire away?” “The same,” he tilted his head back to down his mug. “And who are you stranger?” the mare inquired. With a beer in my hoof, I introduced them my name and my profession. “A musician?” the one called Stygian wondered. “Why would Sunburst bring a musician from two hundred years ago? Were you needed for a crisis?” “If he ever tried that, then I must say that it was poor timing on his part. Because when I was whisked away, I was dying. Can’t help saving anything if life is slipping away from you.” “The lad has a point,” Rock Hoof waved his mug. “So why were you brought here anyway?” “By accident, it seems. But hey, I’m back to full health and I’ve got a million ideas that I want to try now that I’ve been given a second chance at life. Only this time, I’ve been given an advantage as my music is two hundred years old and it’s still excellent.” “And what music do you create?” Somnambula asked. “Do you write ballads? Dances?” “I have, and so much more than any of you could imagine – perfecting many forms of music that I won’t be surprised that none of you have ever heard of.” “Now he’s starting to sound like Star Swirl, doesn’t he?” the unicorn commented. “He’s certainly got the boasting down,” Rock Hoof agreed. I nearly spat out my drink, “Wait a minute, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that you’ve known Star Swirl?” “We did and do,” the pegasus mare answered. “You know, I can easily imagine that he might have acted like yourself when he was young. One who took pride in his talents, curious about other ponies and places for the sake of knowledge – however, at least you know when to enjoy yourself.” “I agree,” after downing my mug, I went around the bar. “How about we have some fun? Can any of you play billiards?” The scarecrow of a unicorn raised his hoof. “I think I have a grasp of the game.” “Oh good,” I smiled, “But I must warn you, I’m quite the virtuoso of the table.”