"Are you sure your parents won't be upset?" Garnet asked as she got to her front door.
"Upset about what? They are quite preoccupied celebrating their wedding, and they know how to find me when they need to," Alex answered.
"Speaking of which," she said, opening the door and inviting him in. "Don't get any ideas. At least not... tonight, okay?"
"Very well, I shall be the gentlecoltliest of gentlecolts for my gracious host. There is no need to rush things, for once." He hopped a bit excitedly, clopping on the floor noisily. "There really is no need to rush things! Oh! What a novel development!"
"What is that thing doing here?!" a familiar voice said. Diamond Glitter, Garnet's older and much whiter sister clopped in from the kitchen, giving Alex an unfriendly look.
"Oh! Lady Guard Lieutenant Diamond Glitter! I am glad to see once again, if only so that I might apologize. I did not realize you already had a special somepony in your life. Oh it was so improper of me to be so forward with you. Please, accept my sincerest apology," he said, bowing low.
Diamond was taken aback for a bit, not expecting an apology, much less without demanding one. "It's, um..." but forgiveness was not yet forthcoming. "Just... stay away from me and my sister."
"Diamond!" Garnet objected. "He is here as my guest, and you will treat him decently! What would the Princess say, to hear of one of her guards mistreating a foreign dignitary so? Come along, Alexander, we'll talk in my room."
As soon as Alexander was through the indicated door, Diamond's magic slammed it shut, and held it fast. The royal guard had a stronger horn than her younger sister, and could easily keep this up as long as needed. They began to argue, Diamond apparently of the mistaken belief that Alexander would be unable to hear, or at least unable to make out the words.
"Are you crazy bringing him here? He's half changeling! You know that! Did he use magic on your mind? Is he controlling you right now?!" she began.
"What? No! He hasn't done anything like that! He just played some beautiful music, and talked nicely with me, and shared some hay fries and juice. He has the loveliest singing voice, and he's quite good with his instrument," Garnet defended.
"Oh, I'll bet he has another instrument in mind to show you!" Diamond insinuated.
"Hay, he promised to be a perfect gentlecolt," Garnet lowered her voice. "Today, anyways... I'm going to want to see it eventually if things go well..."
"Garnet Pinkfacet Glitter!" the older mare screamed. "What would our mother say if she was still with us?!"
"She'd say not to let a handsome royal stallion out of my hooves, is what she'd say! But who cares, anyways? She died a thousand years ago! Your not my mom! I already have a cutie mark! I'll be out of here before you know it, and then you can't boss me around anymore!" the younger mare screamed back.
"Fine! You don't like living by my rules! Go live under your own roof! Maybe your 'royal' stallion can take you in! You can go live in a tent with the homeless prince!" The magic holding the doorknob faded.
"Maybe I will!" Garnet responded, opening the door and going in. She slammed the door behind her with a buck before jumping onto the bed, laying side by side with Alexander. She folded her forelegs and began to cry into them quietly.
"You don't wish to remain at odds with your sister, do you?" Alex asked her quietly after a moment.
"No! No, of course not. But... she can be such a tyrant! I don't know what to do about it." Garnet complained.
"I can help if you want me to. You just need to go apologize to her," he said.
"What, no. I didn't do anything wrong! She should apologize to me! And to you!" she countered.
"Will you apologize to her? Please? For me? Perhaps in time you will come and live with the 'homeless Prince', but as of now I really do not in fact have a physical home, as such, so it should probably wait for some construction to be completed."
"You heard all that, huh?" Garnet looked embarrassed.
"Every word since the door was closed. Even your comment about days beyond today," he confirmed. "I have to have very keen ears to do what I do."
"Okay, so... help me then. What do I say, what do I do?" Garnet looked into his eyes, pleading.
And... he started singing. He lectured her a bit through song, on the need for forgiveness, of taking the first step rather than waiting in bitterness. And soon she left the room, singing her apology to Diamond, who sung back to her, a little opera of conflicting emotions until they finally apologized to each other and met in a hug. Garnet finally returned and joined Alex on the bed again, closing the door behind her, as she thanked him with the final verse.
"Wait. Did that just happen?!" Garnet asked. "I was so sure she would just blow up again, or insist I kick you out, but no. We really clicked, like sisters should, and everything was forgiven. It was so..."
"Harmonious?" Alex offered. "That is what Song Magic is all about. It is about tapping into the harmony that really wants to be there in the hearts of ponies, and making it come into being."
"You, um. You really did just magic us right then? Maybe Diamond was right afterall..." Garnet got a little worried.
"No, no, no. Well. Yes, but not the way she was thinking. I think the best way to describe it is I unlocked the magic within the two of you, and within your bond. You both really wanted to be harmonious, and so I sang the prelude to your song, and let you two sing the rest. And it was glorious! You two both have such beautiful voices," Alex smiled.
She squirmed nervously for a bit but then thought better of it, and finally pressed up against his side. "You did ask permission first, even if you didn't really explain what you were going to do. And then... you're right, we did want to be harmonious. It was very kind of you. But still... it is a little scary to think of it, isn't it?"
Alex spread his wing over her back, snuggling close. "Even my father is afraid of me, truly! He says the only things he fears more than me is Princesses!" Alexander giggled. "But he is facing his fears now, and much for the better."
Garnet giggled. "Okay, well I think I can handle 'scary like a Princess'," she said before leaning in to kiss him. He accepted it on his cheek with a smile.
"Indeed, but please do not be too forward with me tonight, as I have given my word to be a gentlecolt, and a gentlecolt I shall be!" He kissed her cheek as well before whispering with a wink. "At least today."
The Itinerant Kingdom's new compound was located quite a distance from the nearest occupied building, which allowed them a fair bit of privacy. Nopony's sleep was disturbed as dozens of pegasi, griffons, disguised changelings, and a sphinx landed at the site, dropping off a rider each, and began immediately getting to work. Nor did the lights or magically disruptive ripples of energy from the two 'Gatecrasher' bracers teleporting a couple of earth ponies in and out with loads of material and tools reach any crystal pony's eyes. The moon shone down on them wordlessly, however, and the frozen mountains to the north loomed without a word.
The presence of the small, stone fortress, the size of a city block and looking for all the world to be more defensible than the larger royal palace, fully formed and completed on the outside at least by the breaking of the dawn was a frightening testament to the crystal ponies' new allies, though. For quite a few of the ponies, waking to see the new structure towering over the adjacent blocks, with a half dozen pegasi keeping watch from its parapets was the first sign they had of the Itinerants' existence. And already their wild mix of races was swarming over the surrounding blocks of abandoned buildings, tearing them down and beginning to frame new housing.
Sensing the rising sense of panic at the intrusion, Alexander quietly slipped away from Garnet's sleeping form and took his leave from the Glitter residence. A song was on his lips instantly, the notes reaching out into the tattered shreds of harmony and beginning to wind it back together. The song was actually about the startling new development, letting the ponies work out their fear in a musical number before he guided them back around to realizing that maybe it wasn't so scary after all. The newcomers were drawn out to meet with the ponies as part of the song, as much a slave to his music as the ponies themselves, but somehow a makeshift party managed to be thrown together in the middle of the streets, with newcomers and old residents mingling amongst balloons, streamers, and tasty treats. Pinkie Pie would be proud.
Shining Armor and his guards arrived just after the song ended, expecting to find a riot brewing from the early warnings they had received, only to be greeted by a much more festive scene. Their confusion melted into a tranquil contentment as they surveyed the scene, blissfully unaware of the powers that had been brought to bear as they approached. Alexander approached them, levitating a string of beverages to offer them.
"Greetings, my most stalwart of royal hosts! I trust this morning finds you all well rested? I apologize for the disruption of this impromptu celebration, but I hope the boost to morale will offset the delay in starting the day's work. What do you think, Prince of Love Shining Armor?"
The guards took the offered beverages, while Shining smiled, looking around. "While I'm surprised to see so many of your people here already, I'm glad they seem to be getting along with our ponies so well already. When did they arrive? I don't think the first train has even arrived yet this morning."
"Ah, yes, well the Itinerant Kingdom is named for our mobility, yes? They arrived last night, and began preparing a place for ourselves. I hope nopony's sleep was disturbed! We tried to work quietly. Well, they did. I admit I was enjoying the company of a certain special somepony," he grinned. "I am sure you can understand that better than anypony."
Shining blushed a bit and nodded. "Well, yes, but your people seem to have dug in rather quickly. Is that a fortress?! How did you build it so quickly?!"
Alex waved a hoof dismissively. "I am given to understand they simply pulled up the stone from under the construction site to form the walls. When you don't have to move materials from a distant quarry it is much easier, yes? Though I confess, construction is not my talent."
Shining poked a hoof toward the bard's flank. "Speaking of which, did you just earn your cutie mark last night? I don't recall you having one when last we met."
It was Alex's turn to get a bit embarrassed. "A yes, well, I am the half changeling, as you know. It is not so much a cutie mark, per se, as a.. 'boast'. Nevertheless, I believe my talent at the playing of the music is well and truly true, even if the mark itself is a simple decoration." He cringed a bit as some of the ponies in earshot began the rumormill immediately. Being widely identified as a half changeling was not something he was eager to experience, though he was glad at least his special somepony already knew. On the other hand, if everypony knew he was a shapeshifter he could more openly wear his wings and horn, the secret behind them no longer a mystery.
"Oh, right," Shining nodded, not realizing the impact of the exchange. "Well I'm just glad you all are getting along so well. Carry on." He turned and headed back to the palace, his guards a bit disappointed as they looked longingly at the party they were missing. But duty called.