Guards
Twilight Sparkle often visited the library. To go to the library she had to pass through a narrow hallway that broke up in a fork on both sides. In the middle of that hallway there was a door. In front of that door there were two pegasi guards.
The door made her curious. It was like all other doors she had seen in the castle: plain, with big square patterns in the middle, and brown. Nothing of significance to it, nothing extraordinary.
So why was it that it had two guards?
What was so important in it that it needed protection?
And if there was something important there... why choose a room so close to the library, a public area?
These questions tormented Twilight every time she had to go to the library. Every time, she would pass through the hallway and look in the direction of the door.
One day, her curiosity became too much.
---
Twilight approached the guards, fidgeting. She wanted to know what was in that door, but the guards were still very imposing.
She walked up to one of them.
"Excuse me... mister…"
But the guard did not respond.
Wondering if she had not been heard, Twilight tried out a little louder.
"Excuse me, mister!"
But the guard still did not respond.
A little annoyed, Twilight tried once more.
"EXCUSE ME, mister, my name is TWILIGHT SPARKLE. Could you please tell me what's on the other side of that door? Uhh… Pleeeeeaaassseee?"
But once again the guard did not respond.
Twilight's eye twitched.
"You know what? I'll check it myself!"
She took a single step toward the door, but before she could fully stand between the guards, two wings shot out and crossed with a metallic clang in front of her.
"Halt!"
"Who goes there?"
The guards glared at her.
Twilight was baffled.
"WHAT? I've been speaking to you for forty-five seconds, I even told you my name and you still ask who. I. AM?" Her eye twitched again. "Are you CRAZY?"
The guards kept staring.
A moment of silence.
Then Twilight huffed and threw her forelegs up.
"Argh! I give up!"
She left.
…Silence.
The guards did not move.
One by one, hoof-steps echoed from the other end of the hall. A brown unicorn stallion appeared and stood in front of the the guards. He watched them with a grin.
He had a wrench and a chip on his flank.
"Oh, how wonderful! I knew putting you in this place would eventually activate you… Ponies really are too curious for their own good, I'd say."
He placed a hoof on top of where the wings crossed and pressed down. The wings returned to their respective places and the guards shifted their positions to stand as stoically as how they previously did.
"Shame you can only do this for now…" He clicked his tongue. "…Maybe in the future…" He chuckled and turned to leave. Before he left, he looked back at the door.
"If only they knew." He chuckled again and finally left the hallway.
The guards stood silent.