The colt laid with his back to the two sisters, unwilling to believe what they were telling him. Celestia rose to her hooves and shut the door before beginning her tsunami of questions.
“Who are you?” she asked. “What was that light about? Why do you keep talking about Vocal and Muussa as if you were alive during their reign?”
“My father is gone.” said the colt. “My brothers, my mother, my friends, Lady Vocal. All gone.”
“Could you please look at me?” said Luna. “I would like to figure out what that light was.” The colt sat up on the bed, still facing the wall.
“Will it hurt?” he asked, still not looking the sisters. Luna tilted her head in confusion, then repeated her request.
“Please, look this way.” she said. The colt looked confused, then turned apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was looking at you.” he said.
“How could you… You are blind?” asked Celestia. “I should’ve known. The glazing on your eyes should have given it away.”
“This is… impossible, for starters.” said Luna, her horn glowing blue. “Tia, you have to look at this.”
“What is it?” asked Celestia, her horn glowing yellow. “How could this be? It’s amazing! Impossible, but amazing!”
“What is happening?” asked the colt.
“What in Equestria are you? These readings prove that you’re not here, yet there you are!” said Luna. “Everything about you suggests that you’re not matter, but I can see you, hear you, smell you, even touch you. Where are you from?”
“The Village of Melo-dii.”
“And where is that? What country does that village belong to?”
“The only country there is: Muussa.”
“What do you think, Luna?” asked Celestia. “Delusional colt or honest, hoof-to-Mother Muussist?”
“I’m not sure. He’s definitely old, old enough to be a Muussist.” said Luna. “That’s not what bothers me. What bothers me is his molecular structure. His atoms are… vibrating.”
“Vibrating? That’s odd. We’re going have to do an atomic examination.” said Celestia. She touched the colt’s shoulder softly, him flinching a bit in surprise. “We are going to examine you. It won’t hurt.”
“It is going to hurt a lot.” said Luna. “One of us is a liar. Now you can guess who. Begin, sister.”
Celestia nodded and her horn was shrouded in yellow light. The colt was raised off of the bed slightly, and a song floated from nowhere, masking his squeals of pain. Apparently, Celestia was the liar. It was a soft, whispered song, the lyrics indistinguishable from white noise. As the song grew softer, the colt began to fade from view. Celestia cancelled her spell in panic and the colts image solidified. He dropped onto the bed, gasping for air.
“What… happened?” he coughed.
“Luna, he’s a song.” said Celestia. “I don’t know how, but this colt is literally music.”
“It’s true! It wasn’t his atoms vibrating, because he doesn’t have any! He’s sound, vibrating at a resonance you see, rather than hear!” said Luna excitedly. “Tia! We’ve just discovered a new subspecies!”
“Fascinating! We’ll have to keep an eye on you, even after we give you up.”
“Wait, what?” asked the colt. “What are you going to do with me?”
“Put you in an orphanage.” said Luna.
“Why?!”
“Because you’re an orphan.” said Celestia. “Sorry to break it to you, but your parents are long dead.”
“That’s not the issue. You can’t leave me, you just can’t!” he cried.
“Why not?”
“You make me feel safe. Last time this happened, I had a panic attack and I… Oh my.” said the colt, memories just flowing to his head. “I killed a stallion. One of the warring clans-ponies. He came to my village in search of survivors and I…”
“What do you mean ‘last time’? Has this happened before?” asked Celestia.
“Yes. One minute, I was next to my father and next thing I know, a stallion is brandishing a sword in my face.” said the colt. “Then, a second later, I was with you two. I feel safer with you.”
“Why is that?” asked Luna.
“I didn’t kill you like I did the other.”
“Not like you could.” said Celestia. “My sister is the second most talented unicorn to ever live.”
“Who’s the first, dare I ask?” said Luna.
“Me, of course. You always ask such silly questions, little sister.” said Celestia. “But she’s good at making decisions. What do we do with the colt?”
“I want to keep him, but what would Mother say?”
“She’d say something along the lines of ‘What a cute little colt! My daughters are doing a good thing by bringing you in.’”
“And Father?” asked Luna.
“He’d say ‘This new servant of yours is exceeding expectations.’”
“What?” asked the colt.
“Well, if we’re keeping you, you’re going to have to be our servant.” said Celestia.
“And why is that?”
“Look, my father is many things. Charitable is not one of them. He’s not going to let anypony stay in the castle for free.”
“Castle? What castle?”
“Canterlot Castle.” said Luna. “Capital of Equestria.”
“What are we doing in a castle?”
“Our parents rule this land.” said Celestia. “We’re sort of a big deal.”
“So, you two are princesses?” asked the colt. He was shocked. The only royalty he’d ever met was Lady Vocal, and she never had servants or charged guests to stay in her castle.
“Not yet. We’re underage, so we’re technically still nobles.” said Luna. “As soon as we turn 18, we gain the honorary title of princess.”
“And we gain actual ruler status whenever we turn 21 or our parents die, whichever comes first.” added Celestia. “I’m betting on the latter, and I for one can’t wait. But, for now, you may address us by the title of ‘Lady’. Lady Celestia and Lady Luna.”
“You sound quite eager for the death of your parents.” said the colt.
“Not really eager, just expectant.” replied Luna. “Our parents have ruled Equestria for several hundred years. They told us themselves that they don’t have much more time.”
“What happens when they pass?”
“My sister and I ascend to the throne, get our wings, find our successors, and rule Equestria.” said Celestia, eyes gleaming at just the thought.
“Find your successors? Wouldn’t you just have to have children?” asked the colt. “This monarchy is continued through the bloodline, no?”
“It is. Or it was, anyway. Up until me and Luna were born. Our father cast a spell on our reproductive system that prevents us from reproducing. He said that any children we have would be too powerful, and that it would be a foolish risk to allow them to live. Rather than killing them when they’re born, he stops them ever existing.”
“He even went as far as to make us not want to have children.” said Luna. “He corrupted certain hormones and numbed certain nerves so we don’t feel pleasure during… You know.”
“Actually, I don’t.” said the colt. “What are you talking about?”
“How old are you?” asked Celestia.
“Seven.”
“That explains it. I’m 16 and my baby sister is 15. But I suppose that doesn’t really matter if you don’t intend to play your role as a servant.”
“If it’s the only way to stay with you… I suppose I haven’t much choice.” said the colt.
“Excellent! We get a new servant and a new science experiment!” squealed Luna. “This is going to be interesting!”
“We’re going to have to repair your eyes first.” said Celestia. “Come here. I can fix them for you.”
“Don’t even bother.” said the colt. “Many healing songs have tried and failed to gift me with sight. Even Lady Vocal herself couldn’t correct her error.”
“Probably because she’s not real.” said Luna.
“Of course she’s real! I’ve met her! My father works for the All-Maker! Or he did, anyway.” said the colt sadly.
“Well, if she was real, even Luna would be more powerful than her.” said Celestia. “Don’t get me wrong, my sister is strong and all, but if she’s stronger than your gods, you should seek a new religion.”
“Don’t mind Celestia.” said Luna. “I will be sure she gets what’s coming to her.”
“And when will that happen, baby sister?”
“When you least expect it, Tia. When you least expect it.”
“Hello?” said the colt. “Weren’t you supposed to give me sight?”
“This spell should repair them in a few minutes.” said Celestia, her horn glowing yellow.
“I’ve been meaning to correct you on that. You’re not technically repairing anything, because my eyes aren’t broken. There’s nothing to fix, because this is my default state. I was born this way and I will die like this.”
“In any case, you’ll be able to see in 3… 2… now.” said Celestia. The colt’s eyes grew brighter and more vibrant, his pupils dilating. He pushed his back against the wall in panic, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“What is this?!” he asked. “What happened?! Stop! Stop! It’s making my head hurt!”
“Way to go, sister.” said Luna. “You put the poor colt into shock.”
“How was I to know that he’d have a panic attack?” asked Celestia.
“He’s been blind all of his life! Just imagine the information overflow. He feels like his head is about to burst.”
“How do I stop it?!” asked the colt, squinting his eyes closed. His breathing grew more and more ragged and he began to tremble violently. “I still see it! Why can I still see?!”
“It’s called ‘memory’ child.” said Celestia. “Stop screaming or my father will have your head.”
“Too much!” he panted. His body fell limp as the shock finally overtook his body. Luna picked him up and tucked him into bed, rustling his mane gently. She turned to face her sister with her horn glowing and fired a blast of blue light at Celestia. The blast hit the older unicorn in the chest, freezing her stiff and dropping her onto her side.
“Damn it, Luna!” she grunted. “What was that for?”
“I told you.” giggled Luna. “When you least expect it.”
The colt trotted into the throne room and bowed before the thrones. Celestia and Luna rose from their seats and bowed their heads downward. The priests entered from both sides, each one carrying a crown, one golden with a purple gem and one black with a light blue gem. The priests brought the headpieces over to the colt on levitated pillows, then bowed on either side of him. He raised his head and took the black crown from the pillow. He’d been rehearsing his lines for weeks, ever since the King and Queen of Equestria tragically met their end.
“With this crown, I dub thee Princess Luna of Equestria. May your rule be one of peace and prosperity.” he said, placing the crown atop of Luna’s head. She raised her head and stood triumphant, finally a princess. Now time for her sister. The colt took the other crown and trotted to Celestia.
“With this crown, I dub thee Princess Celestia of Equestria. May your rule be one of peace and prosperity.” he repeated, placing the crown on Celestia’s head. She looked up proudly and took her spot next to her sister. They slowly spread out their wings and flapped into the air, spreading them out and letting the light from the sun pouring through the window shine down on them. They fluttered to the ground and bowed, completing the ceremony.
“I am happy that you were the one to crown us.” said Luna. “But you said something about an additional ceremony. What ceremony?”
“I wish to serve you until the day that I die.” said the colt. “To prove this, I am going to return something to you.”
“What is that?” asked Celestia. The colt remained silent, his horn becoming enveloped in a brown light. The brightness faded from his eyes, returning them to the glazed, blind state of his birth. The light from his horn faded and his eyes faintly smoked.
“I offer you my blind service, henceforth and forevermore.” said the colt, blind once again.
“You really didn’t have to do that.” said Celestia. “In fact, you sort of handicapped your service with that.”
“I was able to last for seven years without sight and I can last even longer.” said the colt. “Seven years with it hasn’t changed a thing.”
“But a lot has changed in that time.” said Luna. “To think that Mother Father are actually gone.”
“And only a year after I wagered.” said Celestia. “I was always bad at predicting this sort of thing. Thank goodness you chickened out on that bet, Luna.”
“I could’ve had you for ten bits.”
“Anyway.” said the colt. “Now that you two are the princesses, what do you plan on doing?”
“We have to spread the word.” said Luna. “It’s royal etiquette to inform neighboring kingdoms of a change in the throne. Now that we are in power, somepony has to tell Chrysalis and Sombra.”
“Aren’t they enemies?”
“They are, but the rules still apply. They are of royal blood and therefore must be informed.” said Celestia. “I’ll go.”
“No! You mustn’t go to Sombra’s kingdom!” cried the colt. “The Crystal Empire is dangerous! If you perish out there, Equestria will be defenseless!”
“Then who do you suggest goes?” asked Luna. “Somepony has to, so who’s it going to be?”
“I’ll do it. Just give me armor and weapons, and I’ll go spread the word.” said the colt.
“You’re going to go to the Crystal Empire?” snickered Celestia. “Yeah, that’s going to work. A blind, fourteen year-old, blind colt who is, did I mention, blind?”
“I do not need my sight to serve miladies. Even if I die out there, it would be worth it, just to help you.”
The colt was surrounded in a bright light, completely hiding him from sight. The light faded, and he fell to his knees with a much different appearance. His coat was a light, coffee-brown and his lines disappeared. His eyes faded from hazel to a light golden, and an image appeared upon his flank. A grey, steel-colored shield shined on his rear.
“What happened?” he asked in fear. “What was that feeling?”
“You got your Cutie Mark.” said Luna, helping him up. “A shield. I suppose it means you are meant to guard something.”
“You. I’m meant to guard and protect you. My destiny is to be your protector and servant until the day I die. Let’s begin now. I’ll be back soon, Lady Celestia, Lady Luna. Do not worry.”
The colt stood in the corner of the throne room, unaware of what to do next. He watched in terror as the two princesses whom he had protected and served for the past 10 years stared each other down, the younger sister with malice and hatred in her eyes, the elder with pain and regret in her own. Princess Celestia stepped forward, trying to plead with her sister.
“Not another step!” bellowed Luna. Celestia halted, taken aback by her sister’s outrage. “Did you really expect me to sit idly while they basked in your precious light?”
“Lady Luna. Please stop.” said the colt. Luna ignored him and stepped forward.
“There can only be one princess of Equestria and that princess will be me!” she shouted.
“Luna, I will not fight you.” said Celestia. “You must lower your moon. It is your duty.”
“Luna? I am Nightmare Moon! I have only one duty and that is to destroy you!”
“Lady Luna, I have to urge you to stop this at once.” said the colt. “Lady Celestia does not want a fight and, quite frankly, neither do you. It would be unwise for you to war against your sister.”
“Silence! I am not this ‘Luna’ that you speak of! I am Nightmare Moon!” she cried.
“Luna, if you do not stop this, I will be forced to use the Elements of Harmony!” said Celestia.
“Try me, Celestia.” said Luna, firing a beam from her horn. It hit the ceiling, blowing a hole in the roof. She flapped her wings and rose through the hole and into the night sky. Celestia turned her back, burning tears flowing from her face.
“Help me!” she begged. “If you help me, we can defeat Luna without hurting her too much.”
“I can’t.” said the colt. “I can’t fight Lady Luna.”
“You have to help me! I can’t do this alone.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot help hurt her. It goes against what I stand for. I love and adore her far too much.”
“How the hell do you think I feel?!” asked Celestia. “Do you really think I want to be the one to fight and possibly kill my sister? What are you going to do? Join her or help me?”
“Neither.” said the colt, not noticing the faint song floating from him. “I will stay neutral.”
“You can’t stay neutral. Choosing neither is not choosing at all.”
“I can’t help you if it is going to hurt Lady Luna, and I cannot help her if it is going to hurt you.”
The song grew louder and louder, startling both of them. The colt slowly began to fade, becoming translucent. He grabbed at his own wrist, his hoof passing right through.
“What is happening?” he asked in panic.
“You’re fading. Since you won’t fulfill your destiny of serving the princesses, you are drifting back into song.” said Celestia. “You will be gone in a few minutes. This would be relatively easy to resolve with my sister’s aid, because all we need is to sing the song that your structure has become. I can’t do it alone.”
“So, I will be gone until Lady Luna comes to her senses?” he asked. Celestia nodded. “I guess that means that I will never return.”
“Do not say never. The universe is massive, ridiculous, and ever-changing, but there is very rarely room for definites such as ‘never’ and ‘always’. Only fools deal in absolutes, so I may see you again, if we are lucky.”
“Then let us hope that luck is on our side.” said the colt nervously. His coat was almost completely transparent and his voice was becoming drowned in the song.
“Good-bye.” said Celestia.
“Good-bye, milady.”