Celestia and Luna strode down the hall together. They had formal summons from their students. Students they were mildly frustrated with. They had been skipping class. They had been holed up in their room. Not sleeping much. Rarely coming out for food. Not bathing. Not doing much of anything. All secreted away and doing some project. While Celestia and Luna both understood that the project, whatever it was, was important, there was still a sense of annoyance at being shut out. No information had been forthcoming. Luna had some suspicions, but kept them to herself. It could be something completely unrelated, she thought to herself. There were a lot of projects due.
Their students had been secluded for over two weeks. It caused Celestia to worry. Strange books had been checked out of the library. Anatomy books. Books about body language. Books about the central nervous system. Strange books for foals to be reading.
Celestia thought briefly about Twilight, who was still in the Crystal Empire, grief stricken. She wished she knew how to make Twilight feel better. Ivy had been worried, but then became engrossed in this mysterious project. Whatever this project was, it had pushed away all of the harsh realities of life. The foals were distracted. Something was up.
They approached the room where the four students had set up their demonstration. Celestia wished that Twilight and Cadance were here to see this, whatever it might be, but understood that it wasn’t possible at this time.
Luna opened the door and went in first, and Celestia followed.
Their students were dirty and disheveled. Little eyes were bloodshot and bleary. Manes were knotted and tangled. All of them were covered in charcoal dust, pencil shavings, and the remains of snacks gobbled while they had continued to work. They looked awful. Celestia realised they all looked a bit like Twilight Sparkle when she had been young.
Especially Brimstone. He looked positively frazzled, and he constantly looked at Luna with a worried sour look. And fear, Celestia realised. Fear. It pained her slightly. Brimstone took everything so seriously. There was no going halfway for him. All or nothing. No holding back.
Celestia and Luna sat down on cushions left on the floor. They exchanged a glance with one another, the sort of look only sisters could exchange, and waited patiently, knowing their curiousity was about to be satisfied.
Or so Celestia hoped.
The room was utterly silent. The four students moved and a tiny stuffy pony pranced upon a table, shoving two large sheets of paper towards Celestia and Luna with its nose. It stood there, looking at them, unable to say anything, and it bowed its head slightly. Luna returned the gesture.
Celestia looked down at the paper before her, not understanding what she saw. It was the alphabet, a series of words, and the entire page was covered in odd squiggles. She couldn’t quite figure out what it was she was looking at. And from the snort she heard from Luna, it seemed Luna was confused as well.
The four students sat down, facing one another, in groups of two. Ivy and Brimstone sat together, looking at Hoodwink and Minerva.
Celestia waited for an explanation but none was forthcoming. The four students sat there. Doing nothing.
No, Celestia realised. They were doing something. They were wiggling their ears at one another. Had she taken time out of a busy day to come and watch some silly foal game? She hoped not. She began to feel mildly impatient. The foals said nothing, but wiggled their ears at one another.
The tiny pony on the table was wiggling its ears as well. At Celestia. And standing on the paper, stomping a tiny pointed leg down upon the paper.
Celestia was baffled. And so was Luna, who was looking at her in complete confusion. Neither sister had the slightest clue what was going on. And the ear wiggling continued.
The tiny Twilight stuffy became impatient and began to prance over the paper, jumping from place to place, moving two tiny ears and staring up at her.
Luna began to stare intently at the tiny stuffy, utterly addlepated, her mouth hanging open.
Brimstone stared at them intently, giving them a wink, and wiggled his ears at his mother.
“What is the meaning of this.” Luna demanded.
Nopony said anything, but they all shrugged, holding a hoof up to their ear, pantomiming that they couldn’t hear her.
Luna let out a frustrated grunt and glared at her colt, her eyes narrowing, her mane beginning to whip around as it channeled her annoyance.
Celestia stared at the paper intently, looking for a clue. The tiny Twilight stuffy began to run in circles. Ears still wiggling wildly.
Watching her sister, Luna did the same. She stared at the paper, scowling, her patience nearly gone. A faint smell of ozone filled the room. Luna lifted the paper with her magic and brought it closer, not looking at the four foals and the distraction they presented. She studied the paper intently, glaring, her stare enough to spook a dragon.
Something nagged at Luna’s mind. She pulled the paper out of her vision and looked at the foals again. And then she pulled the paper back. Her mouth hung open, a slow realisation creeping into her brain, figuring out what the squiggly marks on the paper represented.
“They’re talking using their ears!” Celestia said, beating Luna to the punch.
Hoodwink looked directly at her teacher and began to wiggle her ears, causing them to pivot and swivel, moving slowly and carefully.
Celestia carefully watched the movement and checked the paper. Hoodwink began to repeat her pattern after a few moments. Celestia scowled, concentrating, placing ear movements together, trying to form words.
“Took you long enough…” Celestia muttered, and then she realised what she had just said. “Hoodwink!” Celestia snapped.
Hoodwink shrugged, and began to move her ears again.
“Hoodwink, enough. Speak to me this instant. So we can speak clearly.” Celestia said sharply.
Hoodwink shook her head no and continued to move her ears.
“Hoodwink, enough. I’d like a word with you. Now.” Celestia said, her voice rising slightly.
Hoodwink said nothing but continued her ear movements.
Celestia took up a pencil in her magic and began to scribble down the words as she translated them, carefully checking her student and the paper provided for translation. Hoodwink kept repeating her message, making the same ear movements over and over.
Celestia looked down at the words scribbled on the paper in front of her, written in her careful script.
“Deaf and dumb ponies cannot speak up.”
Celestia read the words again and again, they burned into her brain. The message was simple and direct. And painful.
Celestia began to weep, her eyes losing focus on the words she had scrawled. Luna snatched the paper, reading Celestia’s script. She sat in stunned silence, staring at Brimstone. Something hot burned in her chest, something blazing, like a new star being born. It burned through her body with so much heat that she worried it might consume her. She had no clue what she was feeling. She continued to stare at Brimstone. She realised he was speaking to her using his ears.
She snatched up a pencil and began to take notes like her sister had done.
It took a while, Luna was slow and careful, scratching down letters and words as she began to recognise them.
“I did not fail Ivy.”
Luna’s pencil clattered to the table, bounced, and clattered to the floor.
Thoughts whirled in Luna’s mind. She was witnessing something completely new. And she saw potential. Her brain burned as she tried to take in the possibilities. Her head shook, her own ears fidgeted, and something in her chest burned brighter when she looked at her foal.
“All of you.” Luna said, addressing them. “I know this was intended for Gala. But I want you to begin training the guard. All of them. As soon as possible. How much of this language is finished?”
The four students said nothing. Their ears had stopped moving.
“Brimstone, I am so proud of you. I am proud to call you my own. Not just as my student, but as my foal. And make no mistake, you are mine. I no longer care what others say. From this day forward, in all public addresses, I will be addressing you as my own. Somepony just try to stop me.” Luna said, her voice fierce.
Brimstone rose from his place, walked slowly around the table, and fell into his mother’s embrace, saying nothing.
Celestia regained her composure and looked at the other three. “I can barely comprehend what you have done. The four of you have come together and you have changed Equestria forever. I had hoped that when I had the idea of taking on four select students, that the idea would bear some fruit. This has exceeded my expectations. All of you have my humble thanks. What you have done here today will echo through generations. And all of you still foals, young, with so much life ahead of you. Long promising lives. I am proud to call you my students. In the future, I will expect even more from you, now that I know what you are capable of.”
Celestia paused, realising the Twilight stuffy was still wiggling its ears at her. She lowered her head toward the table, looking.
“It seems you finally have a voice little one.” Celestia said, wondering what the stuffy had to say.