For His Majesty

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter XXIV: Le Cygne in G Major

It had taken the couple less than an hour to get to the Island of Molokai thanks to their airship. But despite how much smaller it was compared to the big island, it proved to be a challenge to locate “The Friendly Maiden.” Eventually, it took a good deal of time before anypony asked the locals to point out where this restaurant was, but they did manage to find it. As it turned out, they passed by it five times as it looked just like the other buildings nearby. The bamboo structure had a faded sign that had been long worn down by the elements, which explained a good deal why none of them saw it beforehoof.

Yet, once inside, the area was somewhat packed by both natives and tourists. The place was brightly lit by neon, vintage light bulbs, and small spotlights that illuminated the empty stage that had a lone microphone standing and a piano. Over by the bar, a few ponies behind the counter were busy mixing sophisticated cocktails and liquors. Over by the tables, carefully hoofcrafted meals that were being served up on expensive china plates were being devoured.

But before the Prince and his Royal Consort could be taken to their tables by a waitress, Blueblood heard nature’s call as he excused himself to use the toilet. Of course, two guards followed closely behind as the white unicorn pushed on the colt’s bathroom door. Like the rest of the restaurant, even the bathrooms had the same island theme with its use of bamboo, native plants and sea debris from rope to a ship’s wheel that decorated the stalls. What the Prince didn’t know as soon as he walked right in, that somepony came up from behind him and stuffed a hoof in his mouth.

In a muffled panic, he tried to get his guards to help but was confused as he noticed that while they were indeed in the restroom, they didn’t so much as object as he was being gagged. He heard a “Shush,” behind him before he sensed a muzzle come close to his ear and whispered, “The walls have ears Blue… fallow me.”

He was essentially pushed to the largest open stall at the very corner and was shoved in before his unseen attacker closed and locked the door behind him. Spinning around, Blueblood blinked, “Prince Shining?” he asked in bewilderment.

Even underneath the bad black-and-white rock makeup and purple wig, it was unmistakably the other Prince by his shield cutie mark. “Yeah yeah I know. But keep your voice down,” he told him in a hushed voice.

“Okay, two questions: What are you doing here, and why are you wearing that?”

“In a nutshell,” Prince Armor deadpanned, “Cadance made me do it. She’s basically holding my rare edition Ogres and Oubliettes hostage in that if I don’t do this, she’ll wreck it.”

The blond Prince raised an eyebrow, “By making you dress up like a cosplayer off of Maretallica?”

“It’s either this or having me in a diaper with cardboard wings and carrying around a bow with one of those heart-shaped arrowheads. But I’m getting off topic,” Shining looked over his head; his ears scanned the silence of the restroom. “Look, I don’t have much time so I’ll get straight to the point: except for my sister, the other Princesses are following you.”

Blueblood felt a chill going down his spine, “W-What? How did they find me so soon?”

“That’s beside the point,” the badly dressed rock imitator waved his hooves. “Look, those three are not going to leave you or your coltfriend alone until they win their bet.”

“Bet?” The blond unicorn blinked, “What bet?”

“Basically, they made a bet that whoever could set up a situation where either of you kisses or say ‘I love you’ is the winner.” Shining stared at the other Prince, “So I’m guessing that you haven’t been told?”

He shook his head. “No, this is news to me,” he then folded his forelegs with a crossed expression, “So I’m guessing that you have some stalk in all of this?”

“Look, personally, I just want to go home. The reason I’m being dragged out all the way out here is so to help you guys end this thing once and for all. And uh… I was told that it was going to be easy.”

“How so?”

“Luna said that you do have feelings for Fancy.”

Blueblood blushed heavily, but his embarrassment was quickly replaced by anger, “She told you!” he hissed, “I made her promise that she won’t tell a soul!”

“Hey, don’t get angry at me, I was dragged into all this kicking and screaming.” Armor sighed, “Look Blue, now that you know, it’s really important that you go out there and say something to him. And thanks to Cadie, I’m going to help you out with that.”

“How do you being disguised in something so ridiculous is going to help me in any way?” he questioned.

“It’s open mic night at this place, right?” the other Prince explained. “And your coltfriend plays the piano but hasn’t gotten the chance to perform in front of an audience, am I right so far?”

Blueblood was about to ask how he knew that, but then quickly remembered that his aunts and cousin were involved. That meant that they somehow gained intelligence about them somehow without them knowing it. After making a quick note to scold all three of them, he inquired, “And…?”

“Well, I’m supposed to go up there to give the world’s worst rock ballet ever performed to which I would be booed off the stage. After that, it should give Fancy the confidence to get up there and play something for you.” When he saw the look on Blueblood’s face, he quickly added, “Yeah I know, it’s corny but if you managed to pull it off, I would go home. Look, I promise that if you at least convince him to go ahead and play something then at least say those three little words, I’ll make sure that my wife and the Princesses will leave you two alone.”

“But do you realize how hard it is to do that?” the blond prince gulped. “I’ve been trying to find the right moment to do just that, but I just can’t.”

“Oh, believe me, I do,” Shining chuckled. “Trust me; I remembered what it was like when I told Candance that I loved her for the first time. Yeah, I know it’s scary that you don’t know if they feel the same way. But from what I told,” he adjusted his ill-fitted wig, “there’s a pretty good chance that Fancy does like you the same way back.”

Before Blueblood could say anything further, there was a knock on the restroom door, “Shining? Are you close to being ready?” it was undoubtedly the voice of Shining Armor’s wife.

“I’ve got to go,” the prince in semi-drag unlocked the stall door and headed towards the exit. “All you’ve got to do is to get your coltfriend onto that stage and say something to him. Good luck dude.” Shining waved for one of the guards to step aside in which, after he did, he opened the door wide enough to get out without showing who else was in there. “Yeah hon, I think I’m ready to go,” and with that, he slipped out of the bathroom.

After taking care of himself, a couple of minutes later, the blond unicorn exited the restroom to search for his consort. Thankfully it didn’t take long for him to find as an obvious Solar Guard stood by next to the booth that Fancy was sitting. He was looking through the menu when he looked up. “The waitress was here earlier, but I told her to come back later until you got here.”

“Thank you,” Blueblood sat right across from him and held the menu in his aura. Quickly selecting what he wanted, he took the time to scan the restaurant floor. Sure, there were ponies that were looking at them curiously, but he paid no attention to them. Thanks to that bathroom incident, he now knows that both of his aunts plus his cousin were here. The question of course was where? His paranoia peered at dark corners, at suspiciously overdressed ponies that he couldn’t see through, and at those that had the hint of coat colors that had any resemblance to the princesses.

“Blue? Is everything alright?”

“Huh?” the Prince snapped his attention towards Fancy Pants. He repeated his question. “Yes, everything is fine…”

The Royal Consort raised an eyebrow, “Blue, what’s going on? I mean, bringing me here – this doesn’t seem to be like you at all.”

“We were going off from that flier, remember?”

“Yes, but this seems rather… (How should I elegantly say this…?) Run down. Almost like a cheap tourist trap that doesn’t go with your refined tastes. So what is going on?”

Blueblood sighed, “There is much reason, but one of them is that, as small as it maybe, I want to help you out with something.”

Fancy raised an eyebrow, “And that being?”

“Do you remember when you told me that you had this dream about being a concert pianist but you couldn’t go through with it?”

His coltfriend froze. “Wait, why?”

Before the Prince could say anything, a voice came onto the loudspeakers, “Hello mares and gentlecolts, welcome once again to our open mic night at ‘The Friendly Maiden’. That’s right; we are opening our stage up to you to entertain the guests for a maximum of ten minutes. As of right now, the stage is free for you to play music, sing a song, do stand-up comedy, read a poem you’ve written or simply do a bit of improv, it’s all open to you. So come on up if you think you have something good.”

A moment later, the restaurant darkened and the lights on the stage lit up, and almost immediately, a pony was pushed right up to the very center of it all. He still had on the ridiculous makeup, wig and a green electric guitar. Blueblood saw from the corner of his eye that his consort was rubbing his eyes. “Is that Prince Shining Armor in drag?”

“Hello Molokai!” the other Prince shouted into the microphone, scratching the ears over the loudspeakers. “Are you all ready to rock?!” What followed for the next three minutes could only be described as Discord in musical form. Every carnal sin in regards to music was committed at a rapid-fire pace from the voice being sung off key to the guitar not keeping in time with the “song.” Clarity was shattered, crescendos were on every note, and malicious chords shook the very glass of the restaurant. Through the garbled lyrics and the inexperienced melodies, the unfortunate audience covered their ears, shouted at the musical demon, threw whatever they had at him, or all of the above.

In the longest three minutes of anypony’s life, the husband to the Princess of Love was given a chorus of “boo’s.” Thankfully taking the hint, Shining took a bow despite the guests were throwing salad at him before rushing off stage.

“I think my ears are bleeding,” Fancy commented as he checked his ears.

“That was the most revolting display I’ve ever witnessed,” Blueblood agreed. Mummers rang out in the restaurant, the air seemed to have been soured the audience’s expectations. A few minutes later, ponies one by one came up and while they were far better than the first performance, they weren’t what anyone would call great. Unpolished comedians told their jokes, local musicians played their songs, but the guests seemed rather bored.

“You know Blue,” the blue-maned unicorn muttered, “I dare say that this is terrible.”

Both eyebrows on the Blueblood’s forehead went up. He realized that if there is an opportunity to possibly tell Fancy and getting rid of his family members in one go, this was it. “You know, nopony has touched that piano since we got here… So why not give it a try?”

Fancy stared at him for several minutes, “Pardon?”

“Yes. Why not you go up there and play something.”

“Uh…” his consort froze up as he looked nervously around the restaurant floor. “Bluey, I don’t think I can.”

“Why not? After what I’ve heard from you since we’ve started dating, you played Beethooven, Buch, Liszt and Horseshoepin better than any interoperation that I’ve ever heard. Celestia, you have more talent than everypony on this island combined!” He reached across the table and took hold of his consort’s hooves. “Fancy Pants, you said so yourself that you dream of being a sort of concert pianist, well, while this isn’t exactly Carneghie Hall, but it’s a start. You can’t hide what you have simply because of some bad experience.”

Fancy shook his head, a look of uneasiness plastered on his face, “You don’t understand what you’re asking. What if I mess up horribly? All I know from the piano comes from classical music; I know I’m going to bore everypony to sleep. Blueblood, I’m not my father, he’s the one that knows how to handle this sort of thing.”

“Then don’t do it for any of them,” the blond Prince frowned. “Besides, didn’t somepony once tell me that imperfection is perfection? Fancy, don’t do this because they’re listening or watching. Rather, do it for me – like you did when we’ve first met. And when you did it again in our dreams, you played for me poetry without words. In fact,” he looked over his shoulder, “Do you know why I never asked you to do anything redundant like write love letters, or give me roses or any of that sort?” his coltfriend shook his head. “That was because I could instantly tell how much you care about me through the music you played. There are few out there nowadays in which anyone plays with passion, and you sir, are one of those few.”

The Royal Consort moved his hooves away and placed one of them over his heart. “Do you mean that?”

“Fancy, if it would help, I will come on stage along with you. Nopony would dare be over critical if I’m up there right by you. So I must ask, would you play for me? You chose the music, and the only pony in this place that is worth listening to it will be me.”

Looking out onto the empty stage at the untouched piano, Fancy downed his drink before getting up. Blueblood followed him as they navigated around the tables and the guests that at this point weren’t paying any attention. After stepping onto the low platform, the blue-maned unicorn lit up his horn to open the lid and let his hoof play a scale to test out the instrument’s sound. Nodding, Fancy nervously sat down on the bench as his coltfriend sat right next to him.

Eyes shut, he breathed in deeply several times. But the older unicorn still felt anxious as he knows that there were eyes of strangers watching, waiting for him to do something. His forehooves felt stiff and cold, as if they refused to move. Then, Fancy felt something on his back. Opening his eyes, he saw it was the Prince’s hoof that was rubbing over the back of his black suit. He also saw Blueblood, smiling. His ears stood up at attention.

It took several minutes, but when he was finally able to raise his hooves despite the continuous murmur in the crowd, he let it touch the keys. Fancy pulled out from his mind the sheet music of a song that he had practiced. One that he memorized it by heart because it brought back to his recovery from his divorce, but this time, instead to be out of heartbreak, it was revised for the sake of affection.

Lower keys gently rippled like water from a pond, painting an imaginary world of graceful water fowl. From the higher keys, a simple, quiet, graceful, but powerful melody emerged like a lone swan. A ballet without dance, a poem without words being played out on the instrument that, Fancy did his best to remember that this song was not meant for anypony except for the one that’s sitting next to him. With every passing bar, with every note, those worries slowly melted away as he had his Prince’s full attention. For all he cared, he could end up with a choir of “Boo’s” as far as he’s concerned, all of that is worthless compared to the audience of one.

Fancy Pants was pouring his heart out over the keys, as if the very sound of love was there in every single note. Settle changes in key and crescendo was dictated with his passion that he refused to slow it down for anyone. The once healing melody was now an unstoppable force that not even the reminder that his father was the better pianist slowed him down. For the first time to his ears, the music was in and of itself a masterpiece. There was no inner critic that was screaming how badly he was messing up, nor reminders from his mother that it wasn’t good enough, and even his fears of being judged out in the open air was muted. All that mattered was that Blueblood was listening.

In that dark world where all they could see was what the spotlights have illuminated, the Prince felt that this was the most perfect place in the world. It was only him with his hoof on the back of his coltfriend playing the piano. A song that seemed to be straight from the heavens reverberated off the darkness of the restaurant that most of the voices have died down. Out of all the things that they had done together, Blueblood thought that this, right here, was the definition of romantic. There was no need to impress, no dinners, or movies, or walks through the park, but it was just them and a piano. Not just that, but seeing his coltfriend fulfill his dream of playing in front of an audience, regardless how small, was absolutely worth it. He had made the very pony that he valued above anyone else happy.

Silently, as the swan theme returned, the younger unicorn nuzzled his consort. The sweet melody slowly grew to its dramatic moment when everything, including time had slowed down along with the cords. Silence ruled in that space where nothing, no whispers nor clanking of china were heard in the restaurant as the song of eternity was reaching its conclusion. It was perfect as Fancy’s hooves played out the song ready for its departure. Gracefully spreading out its wings and began to fly out of the mirror like pond and out into the moonlight night. Yet, even the song seemed heartbroken that it had to leave this sanctuary and out into the cold, as if in that crescendo, the very notes were crying. However, with a noble downplay, Fancy pressed on with a quiet determination that no matter what may come, he must see to it to the end. Taking in one last breath, the pianist played out the ripple of water as softly as he could until he reached the final chords to let it echo out into the darkness.

Fancy was pulled back into reality as he heard the clopping of hooves from the Prince, quickly followed by the restaurant’s guests and staff. Taking his hooves off the keys, the older stallion stood up and went over towards the edge of the small stage to face the audience that was truly listening. Humbled, he took one step back and bowed.

Blueblood leads him back to their booth, “That was perfect,” he whispered as they sat back down, but this time, the Prince sat right next to him. “Didn’t I tell you that you could do it?”

“Yes old sport, I supposed you did,” he rubbed one of his forelegs.

The blond unicorn knew that as of right now, this was the very moment that he had been waiting for. “Fancy, can I tell you something, I mean, after listening to that, I think it’s about time.”

His consort twisted a confused look.

“Fancy,” Blueblood gulped. “Do you remember not too long ago when you’ve asked that if I… loved you?” He nodded. “Well… Truth be told, I have been thinking very heard on the issue and, after some plenty of self-reflection, I believe it’s about time that I finally given you an answer to your question.”

The older unicorn quickly realized where this was going, “Oh? And what is your answer?”

Blueblood hesitated at first as he looked at him in those sea blue eyes. “Fancy Pants… I…” he nervously gulped. “I uh…”

A chuckle was heard, “My Prince,” Fancy said with a smile and a glint in his eyes despite the darken restaurant, “Repeat after me.”

“Um… okay?” the blond unicorn blinked, almost feeling like he was being taught again by his parents.

“Fancy, after going out with these dates with you, I think I like you more than just a friend.” Taking notice of how wide his coltfriend’s eyes were getting and the blush that was developing, Blueblood repeated it back to him. “And, what’s more, I think that I’m in love with you.”

Breathing through his nose, the younger pony repeated, “And… what’s more… I-I think, that I’m in… love… with you…” Before the Prince could even think, he felt a quick peck on his lips before practically gasping what just occurred.

Fancy smiled at him. “I know.”

Before Blueblood could respond, a deafening cry coming from the kitchen exploded to where the restaurant collapsed with: “ABOUT BUCKING TIME!!!” The last thought that was going through the Prince’s head before the jungle roof collapsed on his head, was that he recognized the Canterlot Voice to be his cousin’s.

Comments

[Joeyjambo122]

8174514 Are we going to meet Fancy's siblings at some point?

[CrackedInkWell]

8187148

[Joeyjambo122]

8187326 I'll take that as a yes.