Twilight Sparkle, newest alicorn and Princess of Friendship, sat in a small room. The walls were barren, devoid of anything vibrant, and were painted a faded white. Behind her was a metal door that was locked. The room was lit by an unknown source that illuminated the objects in front of her.
She sat in a blue-green, plastic chair, her hooves resting comfortingly on the seat. Directly in front of her was a small, concrete table, with two peculiar objects resting on it.
A glass of water.
And a golden hammer.
Twilight stared at the objects in confusion. What were they doing here? They seemed ordinary enough; surely Celestia didn’t mean for Twilight to do anything with them!
A note suddenly popped in front of her, surrounded by a light yellow aura. She read it carefully:
“Choose one.”
That’s it? That’s all I have to do?
She stared at the note for a few more seconds, before her mind began reflecting on how she had gotten here.
Princess Celestia had shown up to her castle looking rather frazzled. After a bit of coaxing (not to mention, Spike bringing her numerous chocolate goodies), Celestia finally opened up to Twilight about what was wrong.
“All of Equestria is in danger, my faithful student,” she said as she munched on a baked brownie. “And, I need your help.”
“Of course, Princess Celestia!” Twilight responded eagerly. “I’ll go get the girls—”
“No!” Celestia exclaimed, shocking the young alicorn. The Princess cleared her throat. “Sorry, no. I mean… we do not require the others for this, Twilight.”
Twilight gave her a confused look. “Oh? Then what do we need?”
“We just need you, my faithful student.” She looked down at Twilight. “Only you.”
“O-oh, okay,” Twilight stuttered. “I-I mean, alright, Princess, I’ll do it.”
Celestia beamed. “Excellent! I knew I could count on you!”
She rose, instructing the younger alicorn to do the same. “Come, we must leave with haste.” She spread her wings and flew out of the castle, Twilight following behind.
They had arrived at the castle, and landed in the throne room. Celestia walked ahead, while Twilight gazed at the stained glass windows. She noted that the figures depicted seemed out of place; the one with the royal sisters fighting Discord, for example, had Princess Luna dancing while Celestia was eating cake. Discord was nowhere to be found in the window.
Her eyes drifted over to a window depicting her friends against Nightmare Moon. The Mare in the Moon had gone, replaced with a disfigured Twilight, with her friends being replaced with Changelings shooting green bolts at her.
“Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked. “What is going on?”
Celestia glanced back at Twilight, then at the windows. “I see you’ve seen the extent of the danger we’re in.”
“Danger? The windows got all corrupted. It’s probably just Discord.”
Celestia shook her head. “That’s the problem. The incredible draconequus of Chaos has gone missing. I have been unable to find him all week.”
Twilight was a bit confused at the unusual way Celestia referred to Discord, but did not interrupt.
“To make matters worse, I have been unable to locate my sister, Princess Luna, either. I fear that they’ve been taken by whatever has corrupted these windows.”
“It’s… it’s not Tirek, is it?” Twilight asked.
Again, Celestia shook her head. “No… it is something much worse.”
“What is it?” Twilight implored, her voice growing more desperate.
“It has no name, but it wields near-impossible power. It can take on the most powerful entities in all of Equestria without any trouble, and can corrupt even the most powerful of minds.” She faced Twilight. “That is why I have called you here. To put a stop to this monster.”
Twilight nodded earnestly. “Of course, Princess. I’ll do my best.”
Celestia nodded, then smiled. “Good. Follow me.”
They entered the back of the throne room. Celestia lighted her horn, and a row of lights lit up, illuminating the darkness. In the center was some sort of box structure. It was large enough to hold Celestia, and was completely opaque.
“Your test is in there, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said, pointing a hoof out at the box. “The entity constructed this with you in mind, apparently.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“I just do.”
The lavender alicorn was a bit unnerved by how Celestia said that, but cautiously approached the box anyway.
“Know this, Twilight,” Celestia continued. “Once you enter, I can only provide one basic set of instructions. If I do anything else, that entity will take you, too.” Her voice grew more somber. “Equestria’s fate hangs on you passing this test. Do not fail me, my faithful student.”
Twilight gulped. “I-I’ll try my hardest, Princess Celestia.”
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I will be watching from outside.”
“Watching? I can’t even see inside this thing!”
Celestia pursed her lips, as if she regretted what she had said. “Er… I have my ways.”
Twilight nodded, a bit unsure. She stepped forward, using her magic to open the metal door. As she entered, the door swung shut and locked with a click. The outside world seemed to fade away, blocked out by the walls around her.
As her memories faded, Twilight let out a sigh. She stared once more at the note, before the magic around it faded and it fell down onto the table. She reviewed the set of instructions again.
“Choose one.”
Seems simple enough, she thought, eyes scanning the cup and hammer. Is that really all I have to do?
It can’t be that simple. This entity was powerful enough to defeat Discord and Luna, so it must be trying to trick me.
She leaned her head closer to the cup. It was made of a clear plastic, and was filled with a bit of water that only rose halfway. It was rather small, about only two-and-a-quarter inches tall. It measured about two-and-five-eighths inches across. The water itself seemed clean, though she half-suspected it to be filled with something poisonous. She picked it up with her magic, carefully inspecting the underside. There appeared to be a speck of grime on the bottom. She used her magic to carefully pry grime off, and held it in front of her.
It was a dark-grey, but miniscule at best. She could not fathom if it even had a purpose, but resolved to keep it nearby. She stuck it on the note.
I’m obviously dealing with something clever and sinister. It must want me to consider even the most minute of details. Why else would it leave that grime there?
She carefully set the cup back down, deciding to view the liquid within. She assumed it was water, but, without any sort of chemical devices near her, she couldn’t exactly tell. She also assumed that, if she were to choose the cup, she would have to drink the contents; and, as she had no idea if the liquid was safe or not, that wasn’t a risk she was eager to take.
She took a breath, and lightly blew on the water. A drop popped out, and she quickly caught it with her magic, enveloping the drop with a light pink bubble. She held the drop in front of her, and activated a Magnifying Spell. The drop seemingly expanded under the spell, though in reality, her vision had simply zoomed in on the drop. She peered around the watery space, looking for any sign of anything.
Nothing. Not a speck of microbe, or bacteria, could be found. Twilight let out a frustrated breath, before letting the drop fall back into the liquid with a soft plop.
What does this entity want me to do with this stuff?
She took another breath, forcing down her frustration. She turned her gaze to the golden hammer.
At first, she doubted it was pure gold. However, when she tried to pick it up with her magic, she found herself slightly straining. She gripped the hammer by the lighter handle, and saw that it was a darker bronze color. A few grooves ran down the handle, with an insignia in the shape of a horse’s head in the center.
Do I use this to smash something?
No, that can’t be it; that’s too simple. I have to think outside of the box.
She glared at the hammer, as if willing it to tell her its purpose. It refused to answer, and with a sigh, she let it down. So I know what these objects are; what do I do with them?
Do I have to smash the cup or something? She lifted up the hammer slightly.
“Is that your final choice?”
She yelped, dropping the hammer. The voiced seemed to reverberate all around her, and she could not distinguish the source. “Wh-who are you?” she asked.
“I am something that you cannot hope to understand. Do you choose the hammer?”
Knowing that if she chose too quickly, she would not know who this entity was, she shook her head. “N-no, just inspecting the items here.”
“Very well. You have all the time in the world to make a choice.”
She gulped, turning back to the tasks at hand. Okay, it has a masculine voice. So I can assume that it’s a he. Unless, of course, it’s just changing its voice…
She shook her head. Think, Twilight. What do these items have to do with the task at hand?
She couldn’t come up with an answer. They were just a cup of water, and a golden hammer. Other then that, there was nothing special about them. One could get these items for only a few bits; the water, even for free!
She paused. Money! Maybe I can find an answer in that!
She glanced back down at the hammer. Only its head was made of gold. Therefore, the hammer would have to be the more expensive of the two, though by how much and its exact cost she did not know.
Perhaps this entity wants me to decide which one is more valuable?
On one hoof, a golden hammer costs much more than a cup of water. I could demonstrate my wealthiness and show that I am well-off with it. But, on the other hoof, a cup of water would demonstrate frugality and a desire to save.
Does the entity want me to prove myself as having enough? Or as being simple?
She shook her head, her frustration growing. Curse this entity for being so enigmatic!
“Have you decided yet?”
“I’m thinking!” she shouted crossly. She thought she heard the entity snicker, but brushed it off as a trick of her mind. “Besides, why am I even doing this? Why do a cup and a hammer matter?”
“Your choice shall affect the outcome,” the entity responded.
“The outcome of what?!”
The entity did not answer, seemingly fading away from the room.
Twilight let out a snort of disgust, and rested her head between her hooves. I have no idea what to do with this junk! Should I ask Princess Celestia for help?
She mentally facehooved. Celestia warned her against asking for help. If she did so, there was a chance that the entity would revoke her right to this challenge of his. If I fail… No! I will not fail!
A look of steely resolve came across her features. She looked up, glaring at the back wall. Maybe the answer lies in the room itself. After all, there’s no way that the entity just wants me to pick between a cup and a hammer!
She got up, and walked over to the back wall. It was made of solid, white concrete, probably cemented to the other walls around her. It was about ten feet across, and a few patches of dust were at the bottom. She leaned down, carefully inspecting the dust.
What exactly did she hope to look for? Some sort of hint, perhaps, written in the dust? Is dust-reading even a skill? she wondered.
All that the patches did was float away under her slow breath, making her sneeze.
She inspected the three other walls, and the back door, hoping to find some sign written in the dust. All she got was a dusty ceiling. She sneezed again.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
She stood with a start, her shocked expression quickly morphing into a satisfied smirk. “Aha! You find this funny!”
“What? No, no, of course not!” the entity protested.
Her smile widened. “You so were! Now that clears up one mystery!” She took a breath to compose her thoughts. “You don’t intend to hurt me. You intend to find entertainment as I try to figure out what it is that you want!” She looked down. “Reminds me of Discord, actually… are you related to him?”
“Me? Related to that amazing draconequus? Pfft. Don’t make me laugh, Twilight Sparkle.”
“I already did,” she responded, grinning. She looked around the room, eyes scanning every nook and cranny. “Now that I know that you seek entertainment, I won’t provide you any!” To emphasize her point, she crossed her hooves.
The entity seemed to pause, but then began to chuckle. “Have you already forgotten? If you do not choose between the two items, all of Equestria will fall!”
She had not forgotten; she was hoping that, by instigating a short conversation between the two of them, she’d better understand the entity’s motives, as well maybe a hint as to what the correct item was. All she got, however, were more questions than answers.
She sighed, walking back over to the table and setting herself down on the seat. She stared at the two items, unsure of what she should do next. The thought of failing her teacher, as well as all of Equestria, crossed her mind, muddling her senses and making her think back to Celestia’s words.
She had said that this entity was strong enough to overpower both Princess Luna and Discord…
She paused. What if Celestia was leaving a hint in those words? She closed her eyes and reflected once more on her mentor’s words.
This entity is powerful, that’s for certain; able to vanquish the Princess of the Night and the Spirit of Disharmony. Would it go against reason to assume that perhaps he would feel proud about this accomplishment? Would it be reasonable to assume that, as a way of gloating to Celestia, he set up this challenge?
She opened her eyes, looking at the two items. Perhaps, this hammer and this cup of water represent his gloating. The water in the cup would represent Discord, as it is likely not what it seems. Perhaps, like Discord, it is more cunning and clever than one would think. Underneath that watery-looking surface, it could be a form of poison, a catalyst of death. This “water” could be trickery; it directly asks me to drink it, yet indirectly goads me to do something else.
And the hammer. It is no ordinary hammer, like how Luna is no ordinary alicorn. Luna is the Princess of the Night, former Mare of the Moon, Protector of Dreams. This hammer is more than a tool; it is a work of art, crafted from pure gold. It is an ancient tool, used for centuries; yet, it carries with it a sense of regality.
Discord is manipulative and works from the shadows; Luna is more direct, using her immense power against foes.
Perhaps this entity is asking me to decide which method I think is more suitable. Does that mean that, the item that I do not choose—and therefore, the method which I do not side with—is cast away? Would the entity completely remove the other?
Do I side with Discord? Or with Luna? Cleverness, or bluntness? The cup of water—or the hammer of gold?
She still could not decide, staring at the two items in slight fear, worried about the consequences of her inevitable choice.
“Bwa ha ha ha!” Discord laughed from outside the box. “Oh, this is more hilarious than I thought it would be!”
Snapping his fingers, he summoned a bucket of popcorn and started to chow down. Celestia eyed him with distaste.
“Discord,” she said testily, “what did you do with my student?”
“Oh, please, Celly,” Discord responded, waving his lion paw at her. “Her name’s Twilight Sparkle, you know. Honestly, I don’t know why you can’t always just refer to her as such.”
Celestia gritted her teeth. “Fine, then. What did you do with Twilight Sparkle?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Discord snorted, pointing his talon at the box room. “She’s in there.”
“What?” Luna exclaimed. “Why?”
“Because I asked her to.” He blinked. “Well, more like Celestia did.”
“What?!” Luna glared at her sister.
“It wasn’t me!” Celestia protested, eyes wide.
“You’re right and wrong at the same time, Celly,” Discord said playfully. “Twilight saw Princess Celestia and obeyed her commands; but it wasn’t the Princess we all know and love.”
Luna let out a relieved breath. “You disguised yourself as my sister.”
Discord grinned. “Correct! Though, you caught on slower than your sister.”
Celestia glared at Discord. “When you came to my room, laughing about Twilight doing some test, I already could tell something was up.”
“And indeed, something was up, dear Celly.” He snapped his fingers, and the popcorn disappeared in a flash.
“But why? Why would you make Twilight do this?” Luna pressed.
He snorted. “I didn’t do anything. Celestia did it.”
“You were disguised as me!” Celestia nearly shouted. “You acted as me!”
“And therefore, you did what I did!”
“So you freely admit that you did something?!”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way—”
Celestia was beginning to lose her patience. With an angry snort, she stomped the ground. “Discord,” she growled, “you will release Twilight from the room.”
Discord looked at her with a bemused expression. “The door’s locked. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“Then knock the walls down,” she said, glaring daggers at him.
He chuckled. “Oh, how I’ve missed your temper, Celestia. It always managed to wake me up in the morning.”
With a snap of his fingers, the walls began to fade away into nothing. Soon, all that remained was the door, the table and seat, the two items, and Twilight.
“Huh?” Twilight looked around, confused. “The walls just disappeared?” She saw the princesses and Discord near the thrones. “Princess Luna! Discord!” she exclaimed. “I thought you two were locked away someplace?”
Discord was about to answer, but was cut off by Celestia. “They’re fine, Twilight. They were never locked up.”
“Huh?” Twilight tilted her head. “But you said—”
“My sister said nothing,” Luna interjected. “In fact, she was never involved. This was all Discord’s fabrication.”
“What? Then what about that entity that took over? What about the fate of Equestria being in jeopardy?”
“Yeah, I’ll admit. That was all a lie,” Discord said, causing the young alicorn to glare at him. “I disguised myself as Celly, and brought you here. I constructed that box and the test. There was no real threat to Equestria.” He scratched the back of his head. “Though, I’m fairly certain Celestia’s anger could be a real danger.”
Twilight frowned. “But why do all that? Why make that test and allow me to take it?”
“Yes, Discord,” Celestia added, glaring at the draconequus. “I’d like to know why.”
“To prove a point!” the draconequus exclaimed. He teleported over to Twilight, grabbing her with his arm. “Since you all seem eager to be taught and to teach a lesson, I thought I’d give it a go as well!”
“You?” Twilight exclaimed. “What could you possibly teach me?”
“Oh, many things, Twilight, dear. You only need to ask.” His eyes twinkled a bit, and he snapped his fingers, summoning up a chalkboard. “I could teach you so many things about Chaos, you know. All of its aspects and intricacies. Chaos Theory, the Butterfly Effect, Murphy’s Law—”
“Discord!” Celestia shouted. “Tell us why you did this!”
Discord huffed, and made the board disappear. “Gee, someone’s in a huffy mood.” He flew up, and rested on his back in the air. “It’s quite simple, really. We’re all well aware of Twilight’s tendency to overreact.” Twilight winced at the word, but did not interrupt. “And, I’ve noticed that your friends have brushed it away without really solving it.”
Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Discord cut her off: “No, simply saying that you overreacted and accepting the fact does not solve the problem at hand.”
He flew down, looking Twilight in the eye. “Overreacting is a part of your character, Twilight, and I’m not going to try and change that. However, I wish to touch upon an aspect of your extravagant reactions. Your tendency to overthink.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Overthink?”
“Certainly!” He pointed back at the table. “I asked you to choose between a cup of water and a golden hammer. And, you have chosen neither. Why?”
“Because I thought that I had to take into account how disastrous my choice could be! If chose the hammer, I thought the entity would banish you because I did not favor your methods of manipulation! And vice versa for the cup of water!”
“Ah, but don’t you see? I never said anything about the entity banishing anyone!” He flew away, lounging on his back once more. “You assumed the worst, and therefore prepared for the worse. What happened then was that you were unable to reach a solution.”
Twilight took a moment to consider his words. She had assumed that the worse could happen; she had blown up something miniscule due to her worry. “I… I guess you’re right about that.”
Discord nodded. “Now, I’m not saying that what you did was a bad thing. Because, honestly, if any pony was put in the same situation, they would have acted similarly. But do you know why?” He paused for dramatic effect.
Twilight shook her head. Celestia frowned. “Enlighten us, Discord,” she ordered.
“It was because of how I phrased the test,” he answered, a bit smug. “I specifically said that ‘the fate of Equestria hangs in the balance.’ Those few words excited your anxiety, and made you think of the worst possible outcomes. You grew paranoid of your choices, and worried that if you chose wrong, that all of Equestria would fall.”
“Is that what this test was all about?!” Celestia asked angrily. “To make my student feel excessively worried?”
Discord, surprisingly, answered in a subdued voice, “No.” He turned back to Celestia. “This was also a test for you, Celestia.”
She blinked. “For me?”
“All it took were a few words from a pony in power to convince Twilight that something was wrong,” he continued. “Now, if somepony such as that big brother of Applejack said something similar, many ponies would call him crazy, or perhaps throw him in an asylum.” He shook his head. “This test wasn’t only designed to help Twilight address the issue of overthinking. It was also a test to reveal the big cause as to why she overthinks many things.
“Words carry much power, Celestia. But, it is the pony behind the words that ultimately carries the power behind those words.” He pointed at Celestia. “A regal ruler, such as yourself, carries more unspoken authority than the most rambunctious and loud-mouthed of pony citizens; in fact, your very presence speaks more powerfully than a town of high-class ponies.”
He turned back to Twilight. “In the cases when you overthought a problem, Twilight, it was often because you were afraid of failing your mentor, correct?” Twilight nodded slowly. “You were afraid of failing her, and therefore failing Equestria. You knew that your choices had the potential of upsetting forces beyond anypony’s control.” He shook his head. “It may sound odd, but I do feel bad for you, in that respect. That amount of pressure you felt, even when considering between choosing a golden hammer and a cup of water; it all comes from one source: Princess Celestia.”
He flew up to the Princess, who was looking at him in shock. “And you didn’t notice this, did you, Celestia? You didn’t notice how you, as a ruler, and even more as a teacher, burdened your student with more than she could carry. And you didn’t even have to order her to carry such a load.”
He floated back down, regarding the Princess with a bit of contemplation. There was a moment of silence as everypony in the room took in his words.
Finally, after the silence seemed to last hours, Princess Celestia said, “Discord… what are you saying?”
“Celestia. You are the Princess of the Sun. Co-ruler of Equestria. Mentor of the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. You don’t even have to make a speech, in order to get a crowd to listen to you.” He paused. “All those threats to Equestria, all those times you called on Twilight and the Elements of Harmony to stop them; did you realize what you were doing to your student? You were making her panic.” He glanced back at Twilight. “Sure, the panic might have seemed small, even miniscule in retrospect, because everything turned out fine.” He returned his gaze back to Celestia. “Yet, you were unintentionally hurting her, by thrusting the ‘fate of Equestria’ onto her.”
He rose up in the air. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong in saying that. All those times you mentioned that Equestria was in danger; that danger was very real, and the fate of Equestria was in her hooves.” He shook his head. “It’s okay to be realistic; but, in hindsight, too much realism can hinder and alter judgement. You saw for yourself; Twilight was unable to come to a decision, because she was afraid of the consequences it might bring. She was worrying more about what the consequences of her actions could be, rather than the actions themselves.
“The fate of an entire nation is a huge responsibility to put on anypony. But I would advise you against giving out even more; even when you don’t speak it.”
He began to fly away, but before leaving, he asked Twilight one more question. “If, in fact, the ‘entity’ existed and sought to use the hammer and the cup of water as metaphors for Luna and I; which one would you have chosen?”
Twilight took a moment to consider her answer. “I’d say… neither. The entity wouldn’t know which of you to destroy, and therefore wouldn’t, as long as it stuck to that rule.”
Discord smiled. “Good choice.” With a snap of his fingers, he vanished.
The three alicorns were left alone in the throne room. A heavy silence hung above them, making it hard to talk. They glanced at each other, unsure of what to say, if they were to say anything at all.
Finally, Twilight cleared her throat. “Princess Celestia, I think I owe you an apology.”
“What for?” she asked.
“For not being able to see through Discord’s test. If I had seen through it earlier, then we wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble.”
Celestia smiled. “It’s alright, Twilight. You don’t have to apologize for anything.”
She blinked. “I don’t?”
Celestia shook her head, walking down the steps and approaching her student. Luna followed after her. “No. It is I who must apologize.” She took a deep breath, before continuing, “Discord is right. I have unintentionally thrust more responsibility on you then I ever meant. I cause you to overthink, and that in turn could mean that you would be unable to make a decision.”
“But I can make a decision!” Twilight protested. “I mean, sure, I might overthink, but I’ll be able to decide in the end what I believe is right!”
“Perhaps,” Celestia mused. “But… you must be able to make that decision, without the fear that your actions will have dire consequences for Equestria.” She sighed. “As a Princess, all your actions carry weight. From a slip of the tongue to unspoken words, everything you do is unbearably heavy.” She shook her head ruefully. “I can’t believe it’s taken Discord to teach me that.”
Luna placed a wing on her sister’s shoulder. “Perhaps it is best that Discord teach you that, than have you not learn anything at all.”
Celestia smiled. “Thank you, Luna.” She glanced out the window, seeing that the sun was now reaching the noon sky. “I suppose we should have lunch. Twilight, would you like to join us?”
In answer, Twilight’s stomach rumbled, causing her to blush. “Y-yes, that would be nice.” She grinned slightly before adding, “Will the fate of Equestria depend on what I eat?”
Celestia giggled. “No, I do not think so, Twilight.”
The three alicorns made their way to the kitchens, leaving the throne room by itself. Slowly, the stained glass windows began to revert back to their original pictures, and the afternoon light shone through the glass. The light settled on the table, where the golden hammer and cup of water still resided, untouched but not unchosen. There was a quiet snap from somewhere far off, and the table, seat, hammer, and cup vanished in thin air, leaving behind little trace of their existence—save for the lesson that they helped bring to light.
Author's Note
Written from this prompt
