The Different Prince

I did it. I tried talking. You know what happened? I sounded like a strangled goose. No matter how many times I tried, it was the same horrible noise. My mother got quite worried and had taken me to the nurse.

"So, nothing's wrong with him?" mother asked, quizzically, holding me closely to her breasts. The unicorn physician shook her head.

"Nothing physical," she shrugged. "I suspect he was just attempting to imitate you or something. Young colts especially sometimes attempt to copy other sounds, but their vocal cords are just too different to form any legible words."

"Oh," mother said, nodding in understanding. She began laughing and held me up so that we were nose-to-nose. "Were you trying to copy mommy?" She kissed me nose and set me back down on her lap. "Ah, I must look so silly coming for something to silly."

"Not at all," the nurse chuckled. "I know you've had many children, but, you mostly paid attention to your daughters, right? Like most mares."

Mother nodded. "Of course. If he weren't an alicorn, I'd probably allow Lyra to spend more time with him than she already does."

My heart sank a bit at that. Really, it was just my combination of wings and horn that she loved so much. I whimpered and lowered my head. Of course, mother misinterpreted this. As usual.

"My son must be eager to return to playing, thank you again, nurse."

A few moments later I was sitting beside the pond. Mother a short ways off, conversing with I-don't-care about I-don't-give-a-fuck. I stared at my reflection. It was...it was not my face. Was this some punishment? My father was a dumb animal, my best friend was a eunuch, and I was little more than a piece of breeding stock. I scowled at my reflection.

I hated this. It was then I did the stupidest thing.

I grabbed a stick in my mouth and stomped over to mother. Ah, seems Luna was there too. Cobbler wasn't with her. As usual. Lyra practically watched my brother twenty-four seven. I can only remember Luna nursing him a few times. Well, good. I wanted an audience.

When I got close, the adults looked at me and smiled, cooing sweetly. Then I began dragging the stick through the ground. They laughed at first. But they were soon quiet. Staring at the shape in the dirt. I couldn't read their language, and no one thought to teach me. So I did the next best thing.

A cube. Mathematics. The universal language, I wasn't even considering the consequences as I stared up angrily at them. Mother was quick to grab the strange mare she had been speaking with and threaten her life if she ever told anyone, then, she grabbed me and instructed Luna to fly with her. We got to mother's room and I was deposited on the bed. By that time the reality of my actions was beginning to weigh on me. I began to shake and get worried.

"Sister," Luna hissed. "Did you see that? No colt could ever draw such a precise shape by accident."

Mother nodded as she paced back and forth. She shot a quick magic scan over me and sighed in relief. "He's not a changeling or imposter. We... we have to do something... if ponies find out..."

Luna groaned and grabbed my face, looking me in the eye. "It must just be the alicorn magic speaking through him."

"It's never spoken like that before," mother cried, shaking her head earnestly. "Perhaps... perhaps it was a prank. Someone else puppeting him. No, that doesn't make any sense. I'd have scanned some residual magic on him." She rushes to her desk and grabs some paper and a pen, setting it in front of me. "Gold, can you draw it a again?"

Luna let go of me and snorted. "Celestia. He's a colt. He doesn't understand what you're saying."

And stupidly angry again. Both sisters stared at the second cube on the paper. I spat out the pen in Luna's direction and barked defiantly. I was beginning to shake in fear. But, there was no turning back. I was too angry now. It almost felt something else was pushing me.

"No," Luna backed away. "This shouldn't be possible. I don't care if he's an alicorn or not, Celestia. This goes against all laws of nature and harmony."

Mother put herself between her and me. "Luna. You must calm down. You're going to scare him with those words."

"He's a male, he shouldn't understand any words," Luna shouted back.

"Stop it," Celestia shouted back, spreading her wings to shield me from the dark alicorn's sight. "Neither of us are thinking clearly right now. We should both calm down."

"Calm down?" Luna gasped. "How can you not see the danger this means Equestria? If another kingdom hears that we have a male capable of higher thought, they'll be up in arms for fear of what he'll do to the gene pool."

"Think of what miracles we might discover?" mother defended me. Luna was quiet for a moment. Her alabaster wings folded back and she stepped aside, gesturing to me. "Think of this one little miracle and all he represents to the future."

Luna stared at me for a moment. Her face softened a moment, but hardened the next. "No. If you'll do nothing, than allow me. I'll geld him here and now and save us all the trouble."

She was on me in an instant. grabbing me back a back leg and producing a fireball in the other. I shrieked in horror as I flapped my wings and beat the air with my legs to defend myself. But it was useless. Mother instead was My saving grace. She tackled her sister with an angry cry and I fell upon the bed. It was too much now. I screamed a scream so loud that the windows broke and my mother's mirror shattered. Both mares stopped fighting for a moment to stare. I felt something well up inside of me, then my horn crackled and lighting shot everywhere.

"Oh no," mother cried, shoving her sister aside and reaching out for me. "He's having a surge. Gold, please, calm down. Mommy won't let anyone hurt her precious baby."

Luna got back up to her feet. and stared at me in awe, the lightning pinging off her magic shield. She stared in horror. Then she looked down at her own hands. "Wh-what am I doing? No-no-no. This is all wrong." she too reached out a hand to me. "Please, Gold. Forgive me."

Then, my throat burned and a great pain was felt inside. I stared in the eye and said in a pained voice, bits of blood dripping from my voice. "I don't trust you."

Then the entire world seemed to fold in on itself a million before the bedroom and Canterlot vanished. I then found myself in the middle of a field of snow. I laid down and curled up. Everything was going dark. I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.