The moon shone above the town of Ponyville and its sleeping residents. The distant sound of a hooting owl crossed the cool night air. A layer of late autumn snow covered the ground and the straw roofs of the houses. The snow, which was earlier than usual for the season, reflected the moon’s light across the buildings.
Near the edge of town was a particular run-down house with only half of the second story and many of the window openings covered in fabric. A faint light spilled out of an uncovered, first-floor window. One earth pony sat on the floor by a small, lit fireplace. His coat was a light cobalt blue, and his spiky mane was a darker shade. The cutie mark on his flank was two pairs of reverse eighth notes. The most peculiar aspect of this stallion was the pastel green pendant around his neck, with a glow of the same color surrounding it. A similar glow was holding a quill aloft as it scribbled across the pages of a large journal.
“…welcome to Ponyville,” the earth pony said with a nod of his head. He sighed in satisfaction, and the quill gently lowered down to the dusty wooden floor. The glow from the quill faded and then moved to one of a few pieces of wood in the corner. This was added to the fireplace.
Well there’s the end of this afternoon’s section, he thought to himself. Not my favorite day to write about, but hopefully tomorrow will be better. Definitely better than yesterday. Still gotta finish writing about what happened then. The stallion turned his journal back to the first page of yesterday’s entry. He concentrated his gaze on the page. Hmm, where should I begin? Perhaps some context on my current situation. The quill lifted back up, and the earth pony started by writing: “How did I become the earth pony known as Noteworthy, all the way here in Ponyville? That’s an interesting question I didn’t think I’d ever have to answer. This all came about because of who I am, or rather who I was in this case, and what happened to me as a result. I was not always known by this name, in fact, it’s rather new. My actual name is Pitch Melody, but Patch is definitely preferred. And the circumstances behind my current condition? Well, it all started…”
*** Yesterday Morning ***
The gleaming walls of the royal castle radiated in the late fall sun over Canterlot. A slight breeze chilled the already frigid air. Residents of Equestria’s capitol hustled about in the streets, rushing from one errand to the next. One particular cloaked pony scurried through the crowd, keeping his head down. He soon reached his destination, a small music shop with a sign that read Grandioso’s, and ducked inside. The ring of the bell on the door alerted the shopkeeper as the pony stepped through. He lowered his hood and lifted the cloak onto a hook with a glow of magic from his horn.
The sunlight through the window reflected off of the pony’s bright pastel green coat. His darker green mane was frazzled, and his tail swished around his cutie mark: a double pair of eighth notes. He wore a light cobalt pendant around his neck and saddlebags on his back. This unicorn also sported a pair of wings, the left one with a brass brace attached along the front edge.
“Greetings, Prince Melody,” the shopkeeper said with a slight bow of the head. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” The pony he greeted nodded in return with an awkward half-smile.
“Please, Mr. Grandioso, you know you can just call me Patch,” the alicorn said. “And stop with the bowing! I’m not really a prince here.”
The rust-colored unicorn let out a deep laugh. “But where’s the fun in that, your highness.”
Patch rolled his eyes.
“Besides,” Mr. Grandioso continued, “if Princess Celestia refers to you as the Prince of Music, that’s what you are to me.”
“Eh, that’s just a ceremonial title, no more special than the ‘Prince of Janitorial Duties.’ I’m more of a ‘consul’ of music. But I do appreciate your kindness.” Patch slid his saddlebags to the floor. “I have something for you,” he said, lifting a folder to the unicorn.
He removed the contents of the folder and looked through each page. Lines of musical notes were filled in underneath the printed measures, with chords and tones added throughout. “Oh wow,” Mr. Grandioso said. “Wait… isn’t this my music that I showed you a few weeks back?”
“Yeah, it is,” Patch replied with a smile. “It’s really well written. You told me that you’d love to have it be a full song. I created a harmony line to the melody, filling out the chords. I hope you don’t mind.”
Mr. Grandioso shook his head. “No, no, this is fantastic.” He flipped through the score and looked up, surprised. “How in Equestria did you find time to do all this?”
Patch replied, “you’d be surprised how much spare time I have after completing my duties every day. Just me and my job.”
“Don’t you spend time with friends? Surely they’d find it odd you’re helping some old music pony in this tiny shop.”
Patch sighed and his gaze wandered. “Nah,” he said with a dismissing shake of his head, “they’ve got lives of their own. A lot more exciting than mine. I haven’t known them for long, but I’d be lost without them. But hey, I still love doing this! Much better than acting fancy for nobles who don’t even like me. Which is also ok, I don’t like the royal treatment anyways.”
Mr. Grandioso gave Patch a reassuring look. “Hey, you’re young. You…you are young right? I can’t tell with royal ponies sometimes.”
Patch chuckled and said, “yes, I am as young as I look. No surprises here.”
“Good, good. Anyways, you’re young. Spend some time with those friends. Add a bit of fun or relaxation into your life. And don’t concern yourself with those nobles. It seems that not even Celestia can get their approval.” They both chuckled at this.
A bell chimed from the clock on the wall twice. Patch’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh no! Is that clock correct?”
“Perfect to the second ever since the day I bought it,” Mr. Grandioso said. “Why?”
“I’m late for my meeting with the princess!” Patch rushed to the door and swung his cloak and hood back on. “Sorry, Mr. Grandioso, I’ve gotta go! I’ll be back tomorrow. We can work on the score then.”
“Thanks, Patch!” the shopkeeper called after him in a now empty store, dust settling in the silence. He smiled. “Always on the run, that one.”
Patch ran through the crowd towards the castle. He bounded between vendor carts and ponies in coats along main street, the cold air stinging his face. All of a sudden, a gust of wind caught his hood and blew it back from his head. Patch barely noticed until the crowd recognized him.
“It’s Prince Melody!” somepony called out.
The crowd called after him, trying to catch a glimpse of anything royal. Patch hated when ponies did that. I don’t deserve this treatment, he thought. Leave me alone! His horn lit up, and he teleported around the corner. The group rushed past before Patch scurried away. The twisted alleyways were known to him well, as these escapes were all too common.
He eventually made it back to the main street. Patch reached a hoof up to his pendant. It would be so much easier to use a disguise, but he wanted to save those for true emergencies. Deciding to throw the hood back on his head, he continued his quick return to the castle.
He arrived at the front gates a few minutes later, and he removed his cloak for the guards to let him in. The castle’s front hallway was much warmer than the outside thanks to the roaring fireplace in the middle of the left wall. Patch sighed at the feeling of warmth before approaching the receptionist. He walked up to the older mare at the desk. “Hi, I’m here for…”
“You’re late,” the receptionist replied abruptly. “Pardon me. You’re late, your Highness.”
Patch cringed even more at the formal tag. “I’m deeply sorry for that, Solar Stamp. And please, just Patch is fine.”
The mare got up and Patch trotted next to her towards the throne room door. “As per the rule 10.18-a, any pony will address the crown and its relations in the correct title or…”
Patch gave a quiet sigh of defeat as they walked through the hallway. His gaze wandered over to the portraits of Celestia and Luna. These paintings showcased the majestic actions of Equestria’s rulers, something he could not compete with. Not that he wanted that kind of recognition.
The tall doors to the throne room stood before them. Solar Stamp tapped her hoof three times quickly, and then three times again on the door. When it creaked open, Patch walked in alone. The throne room was empty, save for the guards next to the door. One raised a hoof in salute and then stepped towards him.
“Good afternoon, your Highness,” the guard said. “I regret to inform you that Princess Celestia is away in Ponyville at the moment. There was an emergency, and she will be a bit delayed for this appointment.” He saluted again and returned to the door.
Lucky break, Patch thought. He could almost see Solar Stamp’s smug look at her silence on this. He decided to not say anything about the guard’s formality, since none of that had worked with anyone else so far. He gave a responding nod. “Thank you very much, sir. I will wait here for her return.”
He moved to the edge in the center of the room, hoofsteps echoing against the tall ceiling. Patch sat down on a cushion in a sunbeam from the stained glass window. Specks of dust floated in the quiet expanse of the sunlit room. The empty space reminded him a bit of home, but the memories here were much brighter. It did not take long for the warm sun to make Patch drowsy. He slid his hooves forward on the cushion and put his head down between them, letting sleep take him.
The loud clack of the door’s latch stirred Patch from his afternoon slumber. Based on the same guards at the post, he deduced that it had only been about an hour since he arrived. Celestia stepped into the room and smiled as she walked over to him. Her waving mane glowed in the sunlight, and Patch bowed as she approached.
“Rise, Patch,” she said to him. “I apologize for being so late. There was an incident involving parasprites and a little bit of misplaced kindness. Although Solar Stamp said my tardiness would not be an issue.” There was a gleam in her eye with that last statement.
“Well,” Patch said with a small smile, “I did kind of get sidetracked with something, and I lost track of time.”
“That’s quite alright,” she responded. “Helping citizens is always an acceptable excuse.”
“You knew?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well I usually find music lying around where you work. You spend quite a bit of time on that, after all.” She smiled, saying “That’s fine though, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your royal duties as a prince.”
Patch frowned slightly. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Is it really okay that I be called a prince? I mean, I appreciate the title, but this whole Equestrian royal treatment thing doesn’t really make sense for me.”
“Nonsense, Patch,” she replied. “It’s all part of our agreement. Besides, you are an alicorn. It would be against the status quo for you not to be considered royal.”
“Yeah, but I can’t even fly,” he responded, extending the brace on his left wing using his magic. “Just a glider, not a flier.”
“You’ve gotten used to that mindset,” she said with the same warm smile, “but the ponies here haven’t gotten that memo yet. As long as you keep putting effort into your duties, you’ll keep the honor you’ve earned.”
“Hmm,” Patch said with a slight smirk, “so if I don’t do those royal duties…”
“You get to go back home,” Celestia said.
Patch could tell she was probably joking, but he didn’t want to chance it. “Alright, I’ll keep at it. I do enjoy the work, after all.”
“Good,” Celestia said. “Now let’s get on with our meeting, shall we? You mentioned something in your report about musical magic?”
“Oh, right,” Patch said, “that magic. Well, I found something while reading Magical Wonders of Equestria in the archives. It’s similar to some other spells I’ve dabbled with, but I suspect there’s something more to them. The text hints at the potential to pull actual music from certain objects, kind of like a variation on that aurora spell I was practicing. In fact, I would suspect the structure of that spell might be similar to a music spell.”
Celestia listened with interest. “That does sound like a fascinating possibility. Is there any way to test these out.”
“Well…” he said, hesitating. “I couldn’t find that in Magical Wonders. However, I do remember seeing a book listed in the restricted catalog called Melody of the World, which seems like too nice of a title to be restricted.”
At the mention of this book, Celestia tensed up. “How did you get to see that catalog?” she said as her tone became more severe. “Those titles should be locked up!”
Patch flinched at this sudden change. “Hey now, wait a minute. The restricted records are right next to the main ones. It’s the books that are locked up.”
Celestia relaxed a bit, realizing her mistake. “Yes, you’re quite right. Sorry.” She took a deep breath. “I can assume that you want access to this book, am I right?”
“If it’s not too much trouble,” Patch replied hesitantly. “It might point me in the right direction.”
Celestia pondered his request for a moment. “Fine,” she said curtly. “But only for your research. I don’t want any incidents. These books are over a thousand years old. They contain knowledge that’s sacred to this land and others.”
“Well yes, of course. I’ll take extra care when handling them,” Patch said. He still wondered why her tone shifted that quickly, but he was glad nonetheless to get access.
“You’ll have to wait until tonight,” Celestia said. “The local school is here right now for Royal Story Time. Luna got up bright and early this afternoon to cover for me.”
Patch bowed to her. “Thank you very much, Princess. I will attempt to make the most of this research.”
Celestia exited the throne room without another word, leaving Patch to question why their discussion soured so quickly. I’m sure it’s been a long day, he thought. Perhaps a bad memory of some kind, or maybe she just didn’t trust me enough yet to think I could make such a request. Both are reasonable. With that, Patch left the room and trotted down the corridors until he reached his quarters. He threw his journal, some paper, several quills, and a scarf into his saddle bags. The massive archives tended to be drafty without a fireplace on every wall. Patch lay down on his bed and glanced around. He always felt cozy in the small, silent space. He then closed his eyes, contently waiting.
Once nightfall came, Patch walked down the hallways, hoofsteps echoing on the walls. He reached a tall set of double doors, with a sign above reading Canterlot Royal Archives. Inside, magic lanterns provided light to the expansive room. Patch walked over to the Restricted Access door and used the key that Princess Celestia gave him. The lock clicked open and the key disintegrated. Better make this count, he thought.
The corner was surprisingly warm, and he sat his bags on the table. He then unlatched and opened the balcony door, letting the moonlight spill in. The archives’ magical defenses provided a convenient barrier between the doorway and the cold air outside. He looked through the ancient texts on the shelves until reaching Melody of the World. He grabbed the book and set down at one of the tables, taking out some sheets of paper and a quill.
Patch turned the old pages carefully with his own hoof, since magic was forbidden in this section of the archives. He searched through the sections, hoping to find anything related to magic. Songs of old, conquering through words, exploiting minds through song…hmm, I can see why this might be restricted, he thought to himself. For the next hour, Patch kept skimming through the book. Eventually, he came across a section labeled Secret Spells and Songs. “Heh,” he said aloud, “something promising. I’m actually surprised.” He began to look through the chapter, until something fascinating came up on the page. “Aha!” he exclaimed. In an excited hurry, Patch grabbed the quill with the hoof-holder and started to jot down some notes. Writing was always peaceful to him, and this new information was the perfect cherry on top.
His peace was abruptly shattered by the sound of breaking glass. In the blink of an eye, a fire sprung up from the carpet in front of the balcony door and spread across the floor along the wall. The flames surrounded the outer edge of the room, and magic alarms started blaring, triggered by the fire. “No!” Patch cried, trying to summon a spell to quench the blaze. This only caused the flames to increase. “What’s happening?!” he exclaimed.
“Hahahaha!” The laugh came from outside the balcony door. Patch leapt over the flames and towards the doorway. Outside, a deep sapphire unicorn floated above him. She had a black, frazzled mane with gray stripes and a matching tail.
Patch was shocked by this unicorn’s sudden appearance, but he definitely recognized her. All too well. “Dissonance!” he yelled. “What have you done?”
“Oh, you really are a fool, aren’t you,” she called down to him. “Your magic will only increase the flames, thanks to the Equestrian origin of that fire jar. Watch as your precious texts burn, ‘Music-Mane’.”
“How dare you come here!” Patch yelled back. “This is senseless destruction!”
She put a hoof to one ear. “I’m sorry, Pitch, what was that? I couldn’t hear you. Oh wait, I just chose not to. Ha! So annoying, just like your music.” Dissonance cackled at this.
Patch’s sneer was intense as he quickly surveyed his surroundings. The fire licked the edges of the doorway, barely keeping to the carpet. What do I do?! he thought. He spun around to face Dissonance. “Why did you do this? What’s the point?!”
“Like I’d tell you,” Dissonance snarled. “Hmm, Celestia should arrive any minute now, just behind her guards. Who of course will see you standing in the midst of her sacred books surrounded by fire. Good luck explaining this to her.”
“I won’t need luck, Dissonance. I’ll tell her exactly what happened!”
“Oh yeah? Who is she going to believe? Her loyal guards who’ve stood by her side for years? Or you, a worthless pony from Iremane who felt lost and confused, needing confidence and friendship.” She spat these last words with indignation.
“With those, I will accomplish more than you ever will!” Patch yelled.
“HA! And that’s exactly what tonight has proven, right?” she asked. Then they heard the front door blow open and the fire brigade stream in. “Well,” Dissonance said, “it looks like that’s my cue to leave.” And with that, she vanished.
“Come back here!” Patch cried after her, but she was already gone.
“Patch?” he heard from behind him. He turned around, and found himself facing Princess Celestia.
“What have you done?” she asked in shock.
“I...it wasn’t...she attack-” he tried to say.
“Enough! Don’t try to lie with me,” she interrupted.
“But-”
“SILENCE!” she yelled in her Canterlot voice.
Patch shrank back against the wall, finding himself unable to speak. The flames still roared around them.
“I trusted you Patch,” she said. "How could you do this to me, after all I’ve done for you? It seems I was right all along about you, and I had so hoped to be wrong.”
Patch’s eyes widened in surprise. My earlier suspicions were correct, he thought. It was still hard to blame her, considering the scene she walked into.
“Guards! Get him!” she called out, breaking his train of thought. The guards started to corner him.
Patch stood there motionless, stunned by the sudden turn of events. He thought frantically for a solution, but he could only come up with one: he ran. He grabbed his bag and papers with his magic. For a split second, he wondered where the book went. However, escape was more important than anything else. He jumped over the first guard and bolted towards the door.
“Stop him!” Celestia shouted. “Don’t let him get away!”
Patch teleported to the hallway, and booked it through the corridor and straight out the open window at the end.
*** The Next Night (Present Time) ***
Patch stopped writing and set the quill down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That moment in the archives; it had all happened so fast. There was no time for reasoning or questions. Why couldn't Celestia just give me a chance to explain my side of the story? Also, why would Dissonance come here, and why now? Patch thought to himself. Whatever it is, trouble is brewing. Perhaps it has something to do with my friends. Patch stopped for a second, and thought of his first adventure with a particular group of six mares and one dragon. He thought about writing a note on it in his journal, but that had already been covered. “A long story for another day” is all Patch decided to put under the recap writings he just finished.
What would Twilight have done here? he asked himself, before his heart sank to his stomach. Patch had just realized that he wouldn’t even be able to talk to them after this. I honestly can’t even call them friends, he thought dejectedly. We barely knew each other before I came here to Equestria, outside of those first few interactions.
Patch stared crestfallen at his book. Tears began to form in his eyes, and one fell onto the page. I’m alone again. Before he completely broke down, Patch decided to distract himself. I’ve gotta finish this journal entry. Just a bit more from that night. Then I’ll get down to business and find some answers. The quill lifted back up, and Patch started to write again. The only sounds heard in the room were the crackle of the fireplace and the scratching of the feather on the page.