The Sound of One Hoof Clopping

by Trick Question

Koan 2: Death of a Cup

Late one evening, not long after having been accepted as the Princess’s personal student, Twilight Sparkle was walking the halls of her school alone. Earlier that day she had noticed a crystal chalice in the central hall which rested on a tiny stand in a recess in the wall, way up high where nopony could reach it. Twilight was very interested in taking a closer look, and she knew nopony else would be around this time of night. The chalice's special placement clearly indicated it was an heirloom or magical artifact of some sort, and its craftsmanship was remarkable.

She arrived at the central hall and looked back and forth, finding the area empty. Insatiably curious, and with nopony to stop her, the little unicorn levitated the peculiar faceted cup off of its stand with her magic and brought it down to her for a closer examination. As she rotated the cup slowly with her magic, she admired the beautiful manner in which the dim lighting filtered through the cup to form tiny rainbows at its edges.

Twilight heard a soft humming noise coming from the chalice. It was an intricate musical chord of some kind, and it was slowly growing louder. Could the artifact be reacting to her magic, she wondered? Sensing danger, she levitated the cup upwards to place it back upon the stand, but it was too late: the chalice began to vibrate out of control, then shattered to pieces right before her eyes!

The little pony gasped in horror as dozens of tiny fragments tinkled off of the hardwood floor. Fearing she may have been overheard, Twilight quickly gathered the crystal pieces into a small pile, but couldn't decide what to do next. It wouldn't be right to hide what she'd done, and she felt terribly guilty. Hearing hoofbeats approaching, Twilight turned and stood anxiously between the evidence and whoever was coming this way. Her heart fell in her chest as soon as she saw the Princess enter the room. However, thinking on her heel bulbs, the filly quickly formulated a plan.

"Twilight, what are you doing here so late in the evening?" asked the princess in her usual soothing voice. Celestia was twice the size of an adult pony, so her stature completely dwarfed the young unicorn. Twilight Sparkle paused a moment to study her mentor’s face. If the Princess already knew what had happened, her calm expression belied it.

"I've had a hard time sleeping, Princess. If it's okay, may I ask you a question?" Twilight said nervously, her head bowed. "It's... about death."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. This line of inquiry had clearly caught her off guard. "I've expected that we might one day have a conversation on such things, my young pupil," she said, the aurora of her magical mane flowing hypnotically across her cheeks as she intoned the words. "I did not expect it would come so soon... but perhaps I presume too much about your question. Please, ask away."

"Thank you Princess," Twilight said, looking back up to her teacher. "My question is simple: is it the way of all things, to eventually end?" she asked, in a naively direct tone of voice.

The tall alicorn nodded. "Yes, dear. Death, and ending, are an important part of life. Everything, and everypony as well, has a proper time to be, and a proper time to go," the Princess said, smiling gently. "It is something to embrace, not something from which to hide."

"I see," said Twilight Sparkle, shyly bowing her head again. "Then I'm afraid I must inform you," she added solemnly, stepping aside to reveal the pile of fragments, "that I have recently discovered it was this cup's time to go." The little filly looked coyly upward, biting at her lower lip.

A strange look crossed the Princess’s face, then suddenly she laughed. "Oh, my little pony. You certainly are full of surprises," she said, confusing the young foal. Princess Celestia levitated Twilight onto her back. "Come, I will take you to your chambers. The custodial staff will deal with the mess in the morning."

"Aren't you angry with me?" whispered Twilight, clinging tightly to her mentor's eerily warm mane.

"Perhaps just a little, but your conclusion was just and wise," she said. "Besides, this is a bit of a relief compared to the conversation I expected to have with you just now; a conversation we will no doubt have someday," she revealed, trotting quickly down the castle hallways.

Twilight, intensely curious by nature, meant to ask what the Princess meant by that last response. But Celestia's horn glowed ever so slightly, and the foal suddenly began feeling very sleepy.

As the Princess tucked her star pupil into her bedding, the young pony already dreaming of sweet candy clouds and shiny magical moonbeams, she briefly admired Twilight's resolve. Celestia was certain this would be the pony to return the Elements of Harmony to life.

"And one day, my little pony, we shall have that conversation; but not for many years to come," Princess Celestia whispered before blowing out the wall-mounted candle and closing the door.