//------------------------------//
// 4th Movement 
// Story: My Name is Harmonic 
// by CrackedInkWell 
//------------------------------//

Everything, and everypony, was ready. Banners were assembled, the guards stood in position, the musicians and choir waited in anticipation to play out the newly composed music. And above all, the royal family was prepared to begin. 

It all came down to Celestia now, whom was waiting for one of her guards to tell her that Harmonic was ready. And sure enough, the pegasus came to Celestia’s side to whisper that the guest of honor was, if not a bit hesitant, ready to go.

After clearing her throat, she began: “Fellow fillies and gentlecolts, citizens of Equestria and those from afar, we have gathered here on this splendid occasion for the coronation of a stallion that has suffered much, yet with a humble heart and creative spirit, has come before you to become something greater than he had ever dreamed of. Today we shall bring to you a new Prince, one who did not come from any royal ties, but from someone who we’ve adopted. A pony who can empathized with many who are, or have been suffering, from persecution to poverty, from starvation to torture. Who has vowed that he will make sure that the things he has gone through, will do anything he could to make sure that no other pony would suffer like he did.”

There was some applause, but a lifted hoof called for silence.

“He is also to take upon himself a particular title of responsibility that has not been given for centuries. A responsibility in which he shall be the grand overseer of the arts: to create conditions and opportunities for artists in all fields. To lead all art to new horizons which never been dreamed before; and to give fair, honest and constructive criticism when it’s needed. And now, my fellow citizens of Equestria, members of the royal family, I present to you, Prince Harmonic Trotivarius Everfree!”

The doors opened, and as soon as Harmonic walked into the crowded room, the music started playing.

With the music playing the very sound of excitable anticipation, the ponies right away noticed that he was wearing something highly unusual. Even for a coronation. Unlike the last one for Princess Twilight, who had a dress made from the best tailors in the land, Harmonic came into the room with something that was the exact opposite of elegant.

When he came into the room, the cloak he was wearing was old and ragged. It was covered in misplaced patches that were an eyesore to look at, something that gives him the appearance of a beggar then a Prince to be.

But despite what everypony in the room was thinking, his raggedy cloak was chosen on purpose. A kind of symbolism to somewhat show his background.

When he made his way to the royal family, Celestia lit up her horn and took off the ancient cloak and replaced it with one of velvet red. She smiled down upon him.

“Harmonic, do you hereby swear to me, my sister Luna, and to all of Equestria that you shall take upon yourself the responsibility, to uphold and defend the laws of this land, to protect and serve all citizens to treat them fairly and wisely, and to take upon the responsibility you’re given for as long as you shall live?”

Harmonic nodded. "I forever will," he said.

Her horn glowed once again. This time, a crown of silver was hovering above Harmonic's head. A crown that was simplistic where it was made up of five silver wires. The front had the three clefs in music made out of gold: The Treble, Alto, and Bass where the Treble was the largest of the three. 

“By the powers of the Sun, Moon, and Stars above, and the rich gems and crystals below. By myself, Luna, and the Government of Equestria, I hereby proclaim you Prince Harmonic. Prince of Inspiration!” And with that, Celestia lowered the crown onto Harmonic’s head. “Long may he reign!”

The music came to its crescendo.

_*_

“B-6… B-7… Here it is.” Harmonic stopped at the door marked B-8 in an apartment complex that was near the train station. Behind him were a few pegasi guards that have been escorting him wherever he went. Of course, he'd bumped into a few ponies along the way, which they respectfully bowed and went on their way.

He noticed that despite the coronation yesterday, which thousands had come far and wide to see him, he didn’t see Color at all. In fact, even Cadence found it odd since she invited him to the crowning ceremony. So the new Prince decided he should investigate himself.

There was no response in the first few knocks, but he did hear hoofsteps coming towards the door. He heard a few clicks before the door opened up to a sick Color. His nose was red and runny, and his eyes were red. He also wasn't wearing the paint covered apron that he had on a few days earlier. Instead, he had a blanket wrapped around him.

“Oh! Your Highness!” Color bowed to him.

“Uh, two things: one, please don’t do that around me Color, it’s kinda weird when you're doing it.” Color got up, his horn glowed and a wad of tissues came flowing over to his nose.

“And second, what happened to you?”

“Cold," Color answered with a sniff. "I think I might have caught it when I helped shovel my sis’s sidewalk. I think I may have stayed outside too long." He sniffed again, "Sorry, I couldn’t come to the ceremony, I’m a little too sick to go anywhere." And sniffed again, "But what’re you doing here anyway?”

“Well, I just came down to see what was going on. And, I uh, I was going to ask if you wanted a hot chocolate, but since you’re sick and all… Do you have a kitchen in there?”

“Uh sure," sniff, "why?”

Harmonic turned to his escorts “I need one of you guys to get me the following…” He gave the guards a list of ingredients ranging from vegetables to spices. One of the guards agreed to fetch these items while the other stayed with the prince.

“So, can I come in?” Harmonic asked.

“W-Well, my uh," sniff, "my apartment isn’t exactly clean here.”

“But can I still come in?”

Color Spectrum gave a nod and let him and the guard in. The apartment itself was a wide open space; it was a studio, an art gallery, a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen, all in the same space. There was a closet and a bathroom in one end of the room, and arched windows that looked outwardly towards the Equestrian landscape.

As Color flopped onto the bed, Harmonic looked around the room. There were canvases that were either leaning up against the wall or hanging up. There were paint tubes and cans of nearly every color imaginable that lay around in piles. On the ground there was a white fabric that covered most of the floor that showed drips and splotches of paint. He saw pictures that ranged from landscapes, cityscapes, and some portraits here and there. Some of them were finished, and some where not.

But other than paintings, he saw that there was a couch that was towards the windows, and a bookcase in one corner of the room, and a little kitchen in the other. It was a kitchen that had dirty dishes lying about.

"Sorry about the mess," Color said from his bed.

Harmonic shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. So this is where you live huh?”

“Yeah, it’s not much or anything," he sniffed, "but it’s home right?” Harmonic turned to the guard; he was still standing by the door with a permanent frown on his face.

“So, why you’d come in?” Color asked.

“Oh, well, since you’re sick, I just thought that I could fix you something.”

Color sniffed before asking, "Like you’re gonna make me soup or something?”

“Um, yeah, that’s pretty much the idea.”

“But," he sniffed, "you’d just met me a few days ago.”

“Well, true, but in the caravan, they have a saying: 'It is always wise to repay kindness with kindness.'"

“Uh, okay…”

There was a knock on the door. The pegasus guard answered it to find it was the other guard that had a paper bag, no doubt the ingredients that Harmonic asked for.

Harmonic was set to work on the soup. The guards had asked him, several times if he needed help, but each time Harmonic refused the offer and insisted to make this by himself.

After the vegetables were chopped and sautéed, the broth was boiled with the herbs and spices, and soon enough the air in Color’s apartment alone was mouthwatering.

"It smells really good," Color complimented. "What is it?"

“We simply called it healing soup. The caravan used to have this whenever anypony got sick for any reason. I just need to do the last step. Now, normally I would need a unicorn to do this, but thanks to Twilight, I think I can do this part.”

Harmonic’s horn glowed, concentrating his magic to form a ball of light, in which it was put into the soup. The soup glowed for a few moments until the light faded away.

“What did you do?” Color asked.

“I put a healing spell into the soup. Now it’s ready.”

“In other words," Color gave a sniff before saying: "you just made edible magic… okay, that’s new.”

Harmonic dished up a bowl of the soup and gave it to Color.

"Thanks," Color said, taking the bowl into his own aura. After taking a few spoonfuls, Color added: “I didn't know you could cook.”

“Well, music isn't the only thing I've learnt from them. Just eat that now and then, and you’ll be fine.”

Color nodded and went back taking another spoonful of the soup. After a moment, Harmonic asked, “So, you have a family?”

“Huh? Oh," sniff, "I have two sisters actually, I’m just the middle child." He sniffed again, "Home Finder is the oldest and Sugar Sweet is the youngest.”

“Oh. And uh, do you have a dad? I know you said that your mother isn’t around anymore and all.”

“Dad? Yeah he’s still around." Color sniffed before adding, "He’s a banker.”

“So do they know?”

“Huh? Know what?”

“That you’re a…”

“Oh! Oh yeah," sniff, "they know. My Sis’s accepted me right away. It took quite a while for dad though." Sniff, "But in the end, he accepted the fact and all.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear. I guess.”

“Yeah.” Color sniffed once more.

_*_

“Celestia!” Harmonic called out to her in the hallway.

“Ah Harmonic, you know you don’t really have to use my name?”

“Oh, sorry mom.”

Celestia smiled, “All is forgiven. But I suppose you’re coming to dinner are you?”

The Prince nodded. “Mind if I talk to you a little?”

“Not at all,” Celestia and Harmonic walked side by side down the hall.

“It’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“Is it you calling us mother?”

“Well, not really. I mean sure, it’s still rather weird for me, but no, that’s not it.”

“Then what?”

Harmonic turned to Celestia. “It’s about how you found out that I’m… You know. Look, I know what you did was out of good intentions, but – I can’t help but feel as if you took advantage of my trust to find out that secret of mine. It’s not that I’m angry at you or anything, it’s just I found it unnerving.”

Celestia hummed in thought, “Understandable. I would say that it was a force of bad habit on my part I suppose. A thousand years of ruling a whole country alone, not to mention being the personal teacher of Twilight Sparkle, I’d tend to try to find out what is really going on behind my back by anyway I could. But you’re right though, you had trust in us, and I was the one who took advantage of it. Please forgive me, my son.”

“I do. Just as long as you promise to don’t ever do something like that again.”

Celestia nodded, “Towards everypony, I’m afraid there’s no guarantee, but with you – I think I can make an exception.”

_*_

Color Spectrum did recover from his cold. And Harmonic tended to come to his apartment a few times a week, both to check up how he was doing and as an excuse to talk to somepony.

It was one of these visits that Harmonic knocked on the door and it opened to somepony he’s never seen before. He saw that the unicorn had a soft red coat with an orange mane that was tied up. He noticed that she seemed younger than Color and had a bowl of sugar as her cutie mark.

"Oh! Hello your highness," she said, giving him a quick bow. “I’m guessing you’re here for Color, right?”

“Uh, yeah?”

She stepped out of the door quickly and closed the door behind her. "Good," she said. "You've come at the perfect time actually. My brother really needs to get out more. And maybe you can convince him to get out of his apartment for once.”

“Uh, okay? And who are you?”

“Sugar Sweet Your Majesty, I work at a gourmet candy shop a few streets away. The Lemon Drop near the park, you know it?”

"I don't think I've heard of it until now.”

Sugar frowned, “Anyway, can you talk him out of here?”

“Uh, I’ll do what I can.”

“Good,” she opened the door. “Hey Color! Your muse is here!”

Harmonic tilted his head to the side as they entered. He saw Color covering a set of canvases with a sheet. Color himself looked like as if he was caught with something and tried to hide it.

“Oh! You’re here!” Color said.

“Yeah – and I was thinking that maybe we might do something today.”

“Like what?”

“Well…” Harmonic tried to think of something. At first, he couldn’t come up with anything, than he got an idea. “Can you ice skate?”

Color raised an eyebrow. “I know how to do it.”

“Maybe you can teach me. It’s something that I’ve never done before and I think it might give us something to do.”

“Well…” Color looked between him and the pictures he covered. Finally he looked at Harmonic, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”

After Color got his winter coat on, they stepped out into the snow and walked towards the outdoor ice rink.

“Say, out of curiosity,” Harmonic inquired. “Why did she call me your muse?”

Color blushed, he wouldn’t look at him when he said, “Well… Uh, t-that’s her way of teasing. Yes! S-She often does that when she’s around.” And he ended it with a forced smile.

“Um... Okay. I guess if you say so.” 

They walked the rest of the way in awkward silence. When they arrived at the rink, the pony at the ticket booth let them in for free, simply because of a royal presence.

The first thing they did was to fit themselves with the right pair of shoes.

“Okay, first thing here is to know how to stand with these on. Now I need you to stand without falling over," Color instructed after he put his skates on.

Harmonic stood on his four legs with the skates on, trying to balance on four thin pieces of metal. But as expected, he fell to one side.

“I got you! I got you!” Color said quickly, catching the alicorn with his magic. He set him back up on all fours. Harmonic tried and failed a few times before finding his balance. But he did find his balance, much to his relief.

"Now, walk," Color told him. Harmonic looked at him as if he’d completely lost his mind. “Hey, if you’re going to ice skate, you need to know how to both move and keep your balance. Now walk.”

The first few steps, he nearly fell over. But he quickly got used to it. Color nodded in approval. “Very good, now here’s the difficult part.” He pointed towards the ice rink, “What you need to know is that to go forward, just keep your skates pointed away from you. And to slow down, just point the skates towards yourself. Left, all skates pointed left; right, just point to the right.”

“But what if you wanted to stop?”

“Just bump into something and hope you don’t fall over.”

Harmonic stepped onto the ice and started off slow. He quickly learned that his foreleg has to move exactly like the hind behind it. With this little discovery, he got up to speed with the other skaters.

"There you go," Color nodded in approval as he passed him by. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Harmonic got an idea; he spread his wings and used them to go faster.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Color called out.

“No. That’s called helpin- WHOA!” Harmonic felt something jerk his tail, which caused him to fall onto the ice. He turned around to see the fading light blue of Color’s aura.

“Hey! That’s cheating!”

"No," Color smirked. "That's called helping."

_*_

When the first day of spring arrived, Harmonic was on a train to the Crystal Empire for some amusing business; Princess Cadence had asked him to come hear the new premiere of the new anthem to the Empire. 

Since music was in his department, he agreed to come, bringing his violin along.

The train stopped at the station, where Cadence along with a group of guards was waiting for him. After greetings and pleasantries had been exchanged, they made their way to the palace.

“So,” Cadence started. “Is there anything new with you recently?”

“Well, since Rainbow has already taught me how to fly, I try to keep myself busy.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, lessons here, giving advice there, and playing the violin whenever I can.”

“And what about Color?”

“Oh… Well – I tend to see him from time to time. We’ve been doing a few things for the past few months.”

Cadence smiled, “Things like what?”

“Just a few simple things, that’s all. Like going ice skating… or grabbing some lunch… or just talking.”

“So as of now, what is he to you?”

“Huh?”

“Do you consider Color as a friend? Or something else?”

Harmonic paused for a good long while. What was he to him really? Friend seemed too simple of an answer. Little by little, they've been opening up a little more to each other with every visit; and little by little, they've learn a small amount about each other. When one was having a bad day, the other would comfort the other. Or if one was having a good day, they both tried to share it. So what was Color to him anyway?

“I – I don’t know.”

Cadence seemed to be thoughtful this time, after giving a nod and hum, she simply said: “Alright then. But if there’s anything you want to talk about, let me know.”

Harmonic thought about what Cadence had said. Even when they entered the Crystal Palace, that question refused to go away. No matter what he did, no matter what he came up with to distract himself, he couldn’t take his mind off of that one question: What is he to him? He tried to get the question off his mind, from saying hello to the baby Skyla in the nursery, to improvising on his violin, and even giving his constructive criticism about the new anthem, nothing helped. Even when the question seemed to be gone when he was distracted, it always came back to haunt him.

What was Color to him?

_*_

There was a knock on Harmonic’s door, when he answered it, he found a night guard there.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for coming to you this late, but Color Spectrum is asking for an emergency audience with you.”

"Send him up here," Harmonic told the guard, in which he saluted and trotted down the hall. The Prince sat by the fireplace, waiting for Color to arrive. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder what Spectrum was doing here at the castle at about ten o’clock at night.

When the Artist was let in the room, Harmonic saw that he seemed to be spooked. He was shaking, his eyes continuously shifted and his breathing was at a staccato pace. Harmonic knew that look anywhere.

“Color, what happened?”

"I've been robbed," he said.

“What?”

“I don’t know how it happened. I just came back to my apartment and saw the lock had been taken off, and when I went in; the whole place was turned upside down! All my bits are gone. I’m missing a good deal of paintings. Some of them have been shredded-”

“Okay, okay, but did you go the Guard or even the police?”

“I already did. They have it sealed off for investigation. But – But I don’t wanna go back there. I don’t feel safe there. So, can I at least spend the night here with you?”

Harmonic’s eyes widen and seemed to blush a little. Color seemed to notice this when he said: “Oh! Nononono! T-That’s not what I meant! I-I swear it! I mean a place for me to sleep ‘til tomorrow! I didn’t mea-”

Harmonic stuck a hoof in Color’s mouth. “To answer your question,” he said. “The answer is yes. You can stay here with me. And if it makes you comfortable, I’ll sleep on the couch while you sleep in my bed.”

“Oh no, you don’t have t-”

“Color. There have been times for me where I had to sleep on the ground in the middle of nowhere. So trust me, sleeping on the couch isn’t going to hurt me.”

“Well… Thanks, I guess.”

“To tell ya the truth, I was about to go to bed myself. So I guess it was good timing on your part.”

The Prince took one of the pillows and a blanket off from the bed and put them on the couch. While Color was trying to make himself comfortable, he saw, to his confusion, Harmonic opening the doors to the balcony and stepped outside with his violin. Color heard him playing something that he hadn’t heard before. The melody was simple, so much so, that Color could see he was playing it on only on one string. He heard the song being played over three times, by then he guessed that it was some kind of lullaby.

"What was that?" he asked as Harmonic closed the door behind him.

“That was a lullaby.”

“It was very good, where’d you learn it?”

Harmonic froze at the question. He hesitated for a good long while, Color was about to ask again until Harmonic answered, “Mom and Dad.”

Neither one said anything. Color at this point knew that he was now stepping into very dangerous territory, remembering what he was like after his mother died.

“Sorry I brought it up.”

Harmonic shook his head. "No, you're fine. You didn't know about it."

The Artist paused for a moment before asking, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Harmonic was taken aback by that question. “As in, why do I play that every night?”

Color nodded, “From my past experience, talking about it to someone always tends to help.”

The Prince thought for a moment as he put the violin and bow back in its case.

“Jus… Just promise me you won’t laugh.”

“I promise.”

Harmonic took in a deep breath. “That was the very first song I was able to play on that violin. Mom used to say that it was the same lullaby she hummed when I was in the cradle. They were the first ponies who ever showed any kindness towards me, fully knowing that I’m an alicorn. So, when it happened…” Harmonic tried his best to hold his emotions back. His voice was cracking, and he could barely see with tears coming to his eyes.

Color got out of the bed and walked over to Harmonic where he put a foreleg over him. "Take your time," he softly said.

It took several minutes until the Prince was calm enough to speak again. “When I had to flee from Cremona because they thought that I killed them, I made a promise to myself that I would play that song every night to them. To play that lullaby so they would rest in peace, while I lived in agony!” Tears flow freely now. Color hugged him, speaking soft comforts to him as he was getting drenched in his tears.

Then, for whatever reason, Color got an idea that popped inside his head. An idea that made his ears stand straight up and blushing a little. “Harmonic…” But he shook his head, “No, forget it.”

“W-What?”

“No. Jus- Just forget I said anything.”

“What?”

“I-It’s not the right time or place for me to-”

“WHAT IS IT?!” Harmonic snapped but quickly apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Color decided to take a little gamble: “Can I ask ya a uh... very personal question?”

“What?”

Color looked at Harmonic right in the eye and asked: “Have… Had you, ever um… kissed anypony before?”

Harmonic’s eyes widened. “Where did that come from?”

Color’s blush deepened and tried to look at anything except for the pony in front of him. “Uh… Sorry. Just forget I even asked.”

“No no,” Harmonic clarified. “I’m not offended; it’s just that it was unexpected. But, why did you asked that anyway?”

“....Reasons.” Color admitted.

Realizing that this will get nowhere, Harmonic answered: “No. The answer is no. I’ve never received a real kiss from anypony at all… You?”

“Well… No. But I’ve seen it done a few times.”

“You do realize what you’re actually asking here right?”

Color nodded. Even though he tried his best to remain calm, Harmonic couldn’t figure out why his heartbeat was speeding up. The Prince asked, “Do… Do you really want to? W-With me of all ponies?”

“Well, i-if it’s you, then I’m willing.”

Harmonic can feel the blood rushing to his cheeks.

“Alright. So how’s it done?”

“Well. First we tilt our heads a little. No, you tilt the other way. Yeah, like that. Then we close our eyes-”

“Why?” Harmonic asked.

“I… I don’t know. Uh, have you ever listened to a piece of music that was so good that you couldn’t help but close your eyes and enjoy it?”

“Sometimes.”

“I guess it’s somewhat the same reason. Then we lean in until our lips touch.”

“And then what happens?”

“Not sure. Let instinct take over I think. Ready?”

“I’m not going to stop you,” Harmonic closed his eyes and waited. At first, nothing happened. But then he felt something on his lips. He opened his eyes, and sure enough, he was face to face with Color. At first, it felt strange for him to have another pony’s lips against his. But as second after second went by, he got more relaxed to the point he closed his eyes to enjoy. Feeling Color's lips against his own felt like putting his lips against a piece of soft candy. Even the tongue he gladly surrendered to as he did with his own. But eventually, it had to end.

As they pulled away, he felt a little trail of saliva that both of them raised a hoof to wipe it off.

“Well… That was… interesting," Harmonic said at last.

“Interesting bad or...?”

“N-No. I liked it. It’s just that I don’t have anything to compare it with.”

“You… liked it?”

“Well yes, I muph!” Color kissed him again. Harmonic’s eyes went wide open along with his wings.

“W-What was that for?” Harmonic asked, now feeling embarrassed. 

“Sorry, it’s just I felt so happy right there and then. Um… Harmonic, can I, tell you something?”

“I’m listening.”

“Well first of all, thank you for giving me and your first kiss. And second, well… I guess there’s no easier way to say this but… Harmonic, I was wondering… Would you, let me be your special somepony?”

The Prince didn’t say anything; the only answer he gave was a smile and a nod. 

_*_

“Are you sure about this?” Color asked as he and Harmonic walked into the First Bank of Canterlot.

“I’m sure.”

“You do know that you don’t exactly need his permission or anything?”

“Maybe not, but a blessing is all I’m asking for. Besides, I’ve met your sisters, so why not your dad?”

The Prince followed the artist to the office part of the bank. They stopped when they came to a door that had the words “Golden Cash” written in silver and gold lettering.

After Color gave a few knocks, he opened the door to a small office space. Behind a large wooden desk with an organized mess of bits and paper was a bearded unicorn of a golden coat and a silver mane; his horn aglow that controlled his pen and his eyes only focusing on the numbers on the papers before him. The only other thing in the room besides the desk and the filing cabinets was a chair that was in front of the desk.

"Hello dad," Color said.

"Hello Color," Golden said without looking up from his work. “I’m somewhat busy at the moment. Is there any reason as to why you’re here?”

"That would be me," Prince Harmonic said. This time, the aged stallion did look up and saw who was before him. 

Out of surprise, he bolted upright in his chair. “Your Highness! Forgive me; I didn’t know you were coming today.”

“No worries sir. I’m here to ask you something.”

“Well, by all means, come in!”

The two of them stepped in and closed the door behind them. Harmonic took the chair in front of the desk while Color stood beside him.

“So, what is this about?” Golden asked, “Have you gained a new position Color?”

“That’s… one way of putting it.”

Golden raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

“Golden, sir,” Harmonic piped up. “I’m not here for anything to do with money. Actually, we came here for a different reason.”

“And that is?”

Harmonic took a breath. “Golden Cash, would you allow me to have your son, Color Spectrum, to be my personal consort?”

Golden blinked. He looked at his son, then back to the alicorn. “Why are you asking me this? You’re a Prince aren’t you? You can have practically anypony in all of Equestria you want, so why are you asking me for?”

“Where I come from, in the culture I grew up in, it is considered rude, if not downright offensive, that a couple court each other without the permission and blessing from both of the parents or maybe guardians whom that couple was raised by. Celestia and Luna already gave theirs, now it all comes down to you sir.”

“Courting?” Golden asked, “So let me get this straight, you two came down here, interrupt me during business hours to ask if you can date my son?”

Harmonic nodded, “Yes sir.”

Golden closed his eyes in thought. For a few minutes, he sat there in silence. “I will allow it,” he said at last. But before either of them could say anything, Golden’s eyes open with a hard gaze towards Harmonic.

“But keep in mind, Your Majesty,” he said. “You may be a Prince and an alicorn, as well as allowing me to have you date my son. However, if I find out that you hurt my son, and I do mean really hurt him, be rest assured that there will be consequences. That I will not be afraid to commit treason just so that Color is safe in the end. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

The banker looked to his son. “You have my blessing,” then turned towards the Prince. “As well as my permission.” Looking back at his son again, he added: “Consider this as a birthday gift. Happy birthday, Color.”

Color smiled, “Thank you, dad.”

“Now if you two excuse me, I have a good deal of work to do.”

With a respectful nod, Harmonic got up from his set and with a “Goodbye,” they left the bank.

_*_

“Harm,” Color asked before taking a bite of his slice of red velvet, “Mind if I ask you something?”

“Hm?” Harmonic hummed, still chewing his dessert. The new couple was finishing up their dinner in Harmonic’s room by the light of candles and a fire.

“It has been two months since we’ve started this whole relationship thing,” the Artist began, “And so far, it’s been going quite good.”

The Prince swallowed, “I sense a ‘but’ in that statement.”

“But I’ve been thinking, our family knows about us being a couple, so… When do you want to go public?”

Harmonic looked up from his cake, “Public?”

“Yeah,” Color nodded, “I mean, our love ones know about us, but with things going so good, don’t ya think it’s about time we let Equestria know that we’re a couple now?”

“Uh-h um…” the alicorn started, “Color… I don’t know.”

“Why? What’s wrong? Aren’t you certain that we have a good relationship here?”

“What? Of course, I do, being with you is fantastic then I could imagine…”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in that statement,” Color pointed out, “So tell me, what’s wrong?”

Harmonic sighed, “Color… Even if we do go public… Would we be accepted?”

The unicorn stallion was taken aback, “Accepted? I don’t understand.”

“I mean, with our parents and family accepting us is great, don’t get me wrong. But what about everypony else? What if we told them and they don’t approve? Last time I’ve checked, Stallion/Stallion relationships aren’t all that common in this country, aren’t they?”

“But do you think anypony would care?” Color questioned, “I mean, for Celestia’s sake, we have rights in this country for a few centuries now. Plus, you’re royalty, trust me, the worst anypony could do (especially from the Nobility) is grumble that you’re going out with a commoner. Besides, there are rumors out there about us dating anyway.”

“I don’t know,” Harmonic lowered his head, “I mean, you’re the first stallion that I’ve ever been in a relationship with, period. All the time that I’ve been growing up in the places I’ve been to, these sort of relationships are still being looked down upon. I couldn’t help it whenever I’ve thought about putting a wing over ya that I remember the slurs that I’ve heard, the dirty looks that were given, and the degrading opinions that were said about ponies like us. Color, please forgive me if I couldn’t help but see ghosts whenever we’re in public.”

Color sat for a moment, taking in what his coltfriend had uttered. “You’re still afraid, aren’t you?” The prince folded his ears back and gave a little nod.

The Artist meditated the problem before him, while several things about Harmonic have gotten him to open up more about being his authentic self, there was still this barrier that his coltfriend hasn’t conquered yet. Facing family members was one thing, but what about friends and the public at large.

It was then; the unicorn artist got an idea. He remembered that it was June and a holiday that was coming up in a few days. Perhaps he could use it to his advantage, but he’ll need some help if he’s going to pull it off.

Luckily, he knew exactly the right ponies to help.

-*-

“What the hay is Rainbow Day?” Harmonic asked Octavia and her wife. “Is it a day where everypony worships Rainbow Dash?”

His coltfriend, along with Steel Plated and Cross Bow laughed. The guards were there to escort the Prince. His teacher brought her violin along as well as her wife. The six of them were headed towards Canterlot Square where, as far as the Prince of Inspiration could gather, there was a party going on. A party that Harmonic and his teacher were bringing their violins to play to an unknown crowd with an unknown band.

“Nah dude,” Vinyl giggled, “Rainbow Day is something that I think you’ll enjoy. I mean sure, it gets crazy sometimes but that’s part of the fun.”

“But what is it about?” Harmonic inquired.

Steel smirked, “Trust us, it’ll make so much sense once we arrive, as well as easier to explain it all.”

Harmonic was still uncertain as to what was going on or why his teacher had him practice a piece of music called, “Ode to Joy.” He wasn’t sure what all of them were up to.

And then they reached the Square where he found not only a very colorful sight filled with anything and everything that had to do with all the colors of the rainbow, but he saw that there were many ponies there. Then he started to notice something among the crowd, especially those who were in pairs. Harmonic saw that from ponies as young as teenagers to as old as elders were with someone of the same gender. They showed obvious signs of affection, from nuzzles, to hugs, kisses to simply putting a leg or a wing over another.

Harmonic turned to Color, completely puzzled, “What is all this?”

“It’s Rainbow Day,” Color explained, “It’s a day for ponies like us to come together to pretty much have fun with their special somepony who happens to be the same gender as they are. This party is a way to say to ponies like you that you’re not alone and it’s okay to fall in love with your special somepony in public. It’s a day where you don’t have to be afraid of being judged by your peers.”

“Consider it as Hearts and Hooves day that’s a lot more fun,” Vinyl added. “It’s a great place to get to know ponies like us, hang out, play games, music, exchange ideas, and so on. It’s a place where you could act as weird as ya want, or better yet, just be you.”

“Besides,” Cross Bow said, putting a foreleg over Steel, “Even when this party is a once a year thing, it’s celebrated anywhere in Equestria where ever there are any gay and lesbian ponies around or those that trot both ways. It’s really about celebrating those that have like feelings such as Your Highness has towards Color.”

“You could even show public affection,” Steel revealed, “If anything, it’s encouraged here.”

Harmonic turned to Color who had a smile on his face. “So what do ya say?” Color asked, “Shall we join the party?”

The alicorn looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching before turning his attention back to his consort. “This… This might seem a bit weird.”

Vinyl laughed, “No offense Your Majesty, but what’s wrong with weird? I mean look around, there are total displays of affection everywhere. Like here for example,” she leaned in to kiss her wife on the lips. “Come on Octie, let’s go crash the party,” and with that, the two of them disappeared in the crowed.

The Prince returned his gaze to his consort and paused for a moment before opening a wing to put over Color’s back. The unicorn could sense that he was hesitant to move forward, so he nuzzled under Harmonic’s chin, “Come on, you will not find any ghosts here, only friends.”

In the back of Harmonic’s mind, those ghosts were present. He could sense their hate-filled stairs, already sharpening their farming tools. Yet the smile from his consort, along with his friends that urged him to take the leap was slightly more powerful. And so, the small group journeyed through this Colorful Wonderland.

Not to say there weren’t stares from the ponies they passed by. There were respectable bows and “Welcomes.” Along with ponies taking pictures, some of them came up to them. One of the ponies that went up to the Prince surprised him.

“Fancy Pants?” Harmonic asked for he couldn’t believe what he was seeing in a place like this. There approaching was Fancy Pants along with his wife, but they were followed by a pony that he didn’t recognize – a gray earth pony with a white mane that looked like a powdered wig and has a fan for a cutie mark.

“Prince Harmonic,” Fancy bowed, “What a pleasant surprise to see you here!”

“What are you doing here?” Harmonic asked, “I thought this party was…”

It didn’t take long for the married couple to get what he was talking about, “Oh! Well, we’re actually here to support a friend of ours.” Fancy said, turning to the gray pony beside his wife, “Your Grace, I like you to meet my friend and fashion critic, Hoity Toity.”

The gray pony tilted his sunglasses, looking between Harmonic and Color, “So, I guess the rumors were true after all.”

“Huh?” they both asked.

“That you two really are together,” he smirked. At this, Harmonic instantly folded his wing back to his sides in embarrassment.

“Come, come, Your Majesty,” Hoity commented, “We’re among like-minded ponies aren’t we? There’s no need to feel all embarrassed.”

“He's just not used to it,” Cross Bow said. “We’re helping him out with some self-confidence issues.”

“Oh, I see,” Hoity nodded, “Having trouble coming out of the closet I see. Especially when you have a dashing young fellow by your side,” Both Prince and Artist blushed at this, awkwardly trying to look at anything except each other or Hoity.

“But in all honesty,” he continued, “I for one am rather surprised that you did come out here with your coltfriend. But nevertheless, I’m very glad that you did.”

“Why’s that?” Color inquired.

“This means that Sapphire Shores now owes me fifty bits.”

Fancy snapped his attention towards his friend, “What were you betting on?”

“If his Highness takes Color Spectrum as his coltfriend, the tabloids have been speculating for months. Now it looks like it’s true unless this is completely plutonic.”

“It’s true, actually,” Color announced, “I and Harm have been going steady for a few months now.”

“Wonderful,” Hoity clapped, “I must say, you two would make an adorable couple.”

“Um…” Harmonic’s blush took on a richer shade of scarlet. “Thanks... I suppose.”

“Well, I must be going,” Hoity said, putting his glasses back on. “I have places to be and stallions to look at.”

‘Not really the subtle type, aren’t ya?’ Harmonic thought. They said their goodbyes and moved on. There were stalls that sold food that was heavily inspired by the rainbow theme. They saw carnival food not only came in wide varieties of colors but even died as well.

“Bet this would be a nightmare to paint,” the alicorn commented.

Color laughed, “Oh yeah, this would take me months to paint every single color from all of this.”

“I wonder though,” Harmonic thought out loud, “Why rainbows though? Why so much emphasis on all of these colors anyway?”

The Artist paused, “I’m not exactly sure, do any of you guys?”

“I think I have an idea why,” Cross Bow said, “Originally when rainbows were used by gay ponies, it was used as a symbol of the movement that leads Celestia to integrate laws so that ponies like us won’t be harmed for being who we are. But as the years went by, the meaning changed to mean individuality. In that us, ponies that love someone of the same gender is as unique as the color of the rainbow, as corny as it sounds.”

It was then that Color had accidently run into a pony.

“Oh! Sorry about that stranger,” he said, Color looked to find that he bumped into a cowpony who had a yellow coat, a blond mane, had on a brown vest and Stetson with a bright red apple cutie mark.

“No, sorry,” Color apologized, “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Hey, ain’t ya that Harmonic feller?” the yellow stallion asked, “The new Prince guy that can play the fiddle?”

“Uh… Yeah?” Harmonic answered.

The cowpony gave a bow and came back up with a smile, “Well hi there, name’s Braeburn.” He said while offering a hoof to them, in which both Artist and Prince did shake. “Never expected ta meet up with somepony like yerself, since its mah first time here.”

“The same,” Harmonic nodded, “Do you by any chance know someone named Applejack? You have that same accent as her.”

“Do I?!” he said excitedly, “AJ’s mah cousin, how ya know her?”

“Through a teacher of mine.”

“Hey Brae,” a voice called out, “I got those drinks.” In flew in a blue pegasus in a hindsight sky blue suit with yellow lightning going down the middle that landed next to the cowpony.

“Is that…?” Cross Bow asked, eyes widening. “Oh dear Luna, it is! Soarin,” he went up to the Wonderbolt, “Oh wow, I’m a big fan of ya. S-So uh… sign my armor?”

Soarin laughed but did end up signing his name on the Night Guard’s armor.

“You do realize that needs to come off sooner or later,” Bow’s husband said.

“From Soarin the Wonderbolt? Never!”

There was a moment of laughter. Soarin, like Braeburn, also introduced himself to the young Prince and offers the four of them to hang out with them at a café nearby. The two of them introduced themselves as Braeburn Apple from Appaloosa and Soarin the Wonderbolt, a couple that was engaged and about to marry in a year.

As the two explained how they met, Harmonic’s interests were peaked when Braeburn mentioned the mistreatment that they had received from the locals of the cowpony’s town due to his relationship with another stallion.

“It wasn’t anythin’ violent or nothin’,” Braeburn explained, “We would get dirty looks though and an insensitive comment here and there. Sometimes we’d get outright shunned.”

“I thought Equestria was a tolerant nation,” Harmonic commented, “How is it that something like this still exists, even after all the rights and protections for ponies like us had been long given?”

“The sad truth is, there will always be bigots,” Soarin replied, “There will always be ponies that hate anything and everything different than what they're used to. There will always be prejudice, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to give in. Heck, that’s partly what this day is about, in that it reminds ponies that we’re here, and we’re not ashamed for being ourselves.”

“That sounded a bit preachy,” Braeburn muttered. Instead of scolding, the Wonderbolt laughed.

“There you are,” Harmonic’s attention was turned to find Octavia approaching them. “It’s almost time for our performance.”

“Performin’?” the cowpony asked, “Y’all mean that yer gonna play yer fiddle here?”

“Apparently,” the Prince shrugged, “I guess anyone with ears is welcome to hear it.”

Minutes later, Harmonic was put right in the middle of this colorful carnival, sitting down on a bench with his violin case open. Those who passed by were at first confused to see a Prince of Equestria sitting there, his violin at the ready and his empty case opened.

A curious teenage mare, having a bit in hoof, went up and tossed the bit into the case. This was the cue that Harmonic was waiting for as he put the Trotivarius under his chin and started to play. He would improvise a little until his teacher would bring her case and take out her violin so they would start playing the actual melody. It was simple, Harmonic thought, something like a foal’s song as they were joined with other musicians that multiplied the sound and enriched the melody. First the base and cellos started, followed by the violas with the woodwinds, the violins came along before the triumphant of the brass section. Ponies soon brought the music sheets in which it made it easier for the alicorn to follow.

By the time somepony with a tenor voice came in, Harmonic took a look around at the crowd that was now focusing on them; some had started to take pictures even. Yet, he spotted amongst the impromptu audience, was Color and his smile. To Harmonic, he could receive a choir of ‘boos’ for all he cares, for now, he was playing his best to make him smile. That smile alone was all the encouragement he would need.

Then, the music came to its crescendo, where the choir became the spectators, and the spectators became a united choir for everything right in the world. Each note triumphed over fear, where the melody scaled upward over hate, and downward to concur prejudice. For one brief moment, it was as if joy was a solid, beautiful thing.

At the end where the last notes were played, while the crowd roared in their approval. Color went up to the prince and hugged him, “Harmonic, that was incredible!” and then, right before the whole world, it seemed, his coltfriend kissed him.

Time itself stopped for Harmonic when his lips came in contact with his beloved. He scanned the crowed to look at their reactions. While there were some levels of shock among those who were watching, there wasn’t disgust as he expected. If anything, the applause didn’t stop. He wasn’t sure but he could have sworn that there were flashes of cameras going off.

Just as time slowed down, it quickly started back up again as soon as Color broke the kiss – suddenly, the couple found themselves in a golden bubble with countless ponies surrounded. Looking around, they saw that it was Steel Plated that has given them room from the crowd.

In a way, Harmonic did expect that they would be mobbed, yet, what he didn’t expect was that it was done for the sake of praising them.

“Let me through!” they looked up, above them; standing on the portal was a pegasus mare, getting out a notepad. “Your Majesty, I’m for the Canterlot Star, mind if I ask a few questions?”

The couple looked to each other, seeing that Color gave him an encouraging smile while adding: “Well, might as well tell the world then, they seem to be taking it well.”

_*_

“Cremona!” The train conductor said, “This stop is Cremona. Population: 612. The time now is 4:40.” Prince Harmonic looked out the windows of the train. He spent quite some time watching the forests and mountains passing by that now reveal the town itself.

“Harmonic?” He turned to the voice of his consort. Color Spectrum, along with three other guards (all, including Harmonic himself, was in disguise) looked a little worried.

“Hm?”

“Are you sure about this? I mean, coming back here and all, is risky, isn't it?"

“I know, I know. But I want to come back here one last time. Because I have one last piece of business to take care of before I can move on with my life.”

“Look, I understand completely. It's just we're going into a place where we're… not exactly welcomed.”

“I already know Color, that's what the disguises are for.”

The train came to a halt. Outside of the window, they saw the gallows with empty nooses that dangled in the rain.

"Well then," said Harmonic, getting down his violin case. "Shall we get going?"

A while later, the Prince, the consort and the three guards stepped off the train and onto the platform. To Harmonic, the railroad was a new addition to the town that he left years ago. Most of the buildings around still looked the same. Since it was raining, there was hardly anypony on the cobbled stone streets.

Yet amongst the buildings, there was one that the hidden prince was drawn to. The sign over the door read: “Trotivarius Inn.”

Inside the building were tables and chairs that ponies were eating or drinking away. There was a stone fireplace at one end of the room and stairs that lead to the rooms above in the other. In front of them was a bar with barrels and bottles that sat on the wall. There were a few ponies at the bar with a mare behind it that looked up from her work.

Of course, the five of them were spotted as they entered and headed towards the bar.

“We're looking for food and a few rooms to spend the night,” Harmonic told the mare.

“I see. I can get you all food, but room wise we’re almost out. We have only four rooms left, so one of you has to share a room.”

“Very well. How much?”

“It's twelve bits per room.”

Harmonic nodded. One of the guards who had the bit bag gave the mare the forty-eight bits. After showed to a table, they ordered roasted vegetables as well as a few drinks.

When the mare came back with the food, Harmonic asked her: “Trotivarius, wasn't there somepony with that name who lived here once?”

“Well, was,” said the mare, shaking her head, “In fact, this place was the family's workshop once. But since their son was an alicorn, he burned it down years ago. It was a real tragedy.”

Color could see that one of Harmonic's eyes were twitching. “But after the workshop burned down, the place turned into an Inn.”

“And what of the alicorn?” one of the guards questioned. 

The mare shrugged. “Can't say. Nopony knows what happened to him after that since he wasn't ever seen again. But hey, at least the town's freak is gone right?”

It took every amount of self-control for the five of them not to tear that mare in half right there and then. They spent the rest of their dinner eating quietly.

After the keys were passed out, it was decided that Harmonic and Color should get the same room.

With the door locked and the curtains were drawn, Color expressed his shared frustration: “Good Celestia! I couldn't believe that she would say that to your face!”

“And that this town still blames me,” Harmonic said as he flopped himself onto the bed. “They still think I killed my parents.”

Color went over to the window, he parted the curtains, where he could see the gallows down the street. “And I couldn't imagine that you once lived here. I mean, Harmonic, what would happen if you stayed?”

“I don't know Color. And frankly, I don't want to know.”

The next morning, the rain had stopped but the sky was still gray. The five of them exited the Inn and were now headed towards what they came for. Along the way, Harmonic plucked some wild flowers with his magic.

At the edge of town, there is a place in the forest where there's a low fence that’s made out of logs that encompass around a particular area, where the only things in that area are trees, wild grass, and carved stones. With determination in mind, the five of them walked into Cremona's cemetery.

It took a while, but a guard found the tombstones they were looking for. The tombstones that bear the names of Crescendo Trotivari and Melody Trotivari. Unlike most of the tombstones in this cemetery, which just has only the name and dates, these two have a carving in each stone. It was the carving of his parents.

There was a silence when all five of them stood in front of their graves. Harmonic placed the wild flowers at the base of them. Then, he sat down in front of them.

“Hello mom, hello dad, it's been awhile hasn't it?”

There was a moment of silence.

“I know, I know, and I'm still sorry I couldn't come to the funeral. You see, the town thought that I was the one who started the fire, so, I had to leave... What?... No, I'm fine, really... I've been traveling with a gypsy caravan for a while. But I have a home now. It's in Equestria... Yes mom, I know that it's a long way from here, but I'm happier over there you see. And do you know the best part is? Nopony over their minds that I'm an alicorn. They accept me for who I am. And dad, I still have your violin with me... Yes, I still practice on it, every day, just as you said. And I would like to play it for you before I go... 

“Well yes, there has been several things that happened to me recently. Wonderful things too. I'm finally able to read and write. I've found a job in Equestria too... You'll never guess. I'm a Prince... You see, the rulers there are alicorns too, and they adopted me... How long? Not very long, just a few months... Who? Them? These three have been guarding me since we left Equestria to come find you... And this here,” Harmonic gestured for Color to come closer. “This here, is somepony who means a lot to me. His name is Color Spectrum, he's an Artist.”

"Um, hello there," Color said, waving a hoof at the silent stones.

"Well, no mom, friend isn't the right word here," Harmonic said, still talking to the graves. “Nor is he an acquaintance. Look, the truth is... Mom, dad, Color, is my special somepony... Yes, I'm attracted to stallions... I'm sorry you have to hear that, but as your son, I thought you should know this about me. But since you're both no longer around, I may never know if you may ever accept this or not... But I might figure the latter. And you know what? It doesn’t matter, since you've been gone, I had to make decisions for myself. Even though my relationship with Color hasn't gotten to the point where we would marry each other. I speak for both of us when I say that, neither of us are exactly ready yet. But if it does work out, then maybe, I will play your violin at that wedding. 

“And know this, that even if you can't hear me, you are always still my parents. That I will always continue to love you both til' the end of time... Since I'm here, at least I'm finally able to say goodbye to both of you... But before I do, I want to play you both something.” 

Harmonic opened his case he was carrying to reveal the violin. After rosining up the bow and tightening it up, he began to play for them. It was the lullaby that his father had taught him. With his eyes closed, memories came to Harmonic as he played: his fifth birthday, the fire, the gypsies, the bribes, the mobs, Canterlot, the Princesses, his teachers, the guards, that Hearts Warming day, the coronation, and finally, his consort Color. With every note, tears fell; tears of sadness and joy.

But with every song, every piece of music ever written, the lullaby came to an end. The five of them stood there for a while in silence, until Harmonic broke the silence with one word.

“Goodbye.”

Color placed a foreleg over him and gave a quick kiss on the cheek. “Just let it all out Harmonic, I'm right here for you.”

Prince Harmonic finally did something that he hasn't done in a very, very long time. Leaning over the shoulder of his consort, he wept. This time, it wasn't for any of his misfortunes, this time, he was able to fully let out the grief of his parents.

Time seemed to slip by in that cemetery. The five of them didn't know how long they spent in there. But eventually, they had to leave, after packing up the violin, they made their way to the station where they waited for an hour or so for the ride home.

But the train did arrive, some got off the train, and some got on. The five of them made their way to their seats in the public car. Harmonic took a seat by the window.

“Goodbye Cremona, I hope you will grow up one day.”





Four years later...