//------------------------------// // Statue // Story: Marjoram // by Nekiyha //------------------------------// Day Four. The princesses haven't been able to contact anyone who can help. Beyond somehow convincing the cockatrice to release its magic, there are no known cures for its petrification. As I conduct my experiments and write this down, Fluttershy and the others are off in the forest trying to catch the cockatrice that did this. Even Zecora has joined the search, and Celestia and Luna have sent a few of their guard to help as well. I still don’t quite know what to do, but I’ve got some idea of what I shouldn’t be doing. I-I’m lost if I’m being honest. But, I’m making some progress. I know Twilight is still alive in there, somehow. She’s in a form of stasis, at least. Her magic is only detectable because it’s such a strong part of her identity. I think that in her last few conscious moments, her magic reacted and tried to do something-anything-it could. Personally, I think it’s a form of distress beacon; since everypony nearby can feel it on some level. Twilight would be much more able to do this than I am. I understand the magical theory well enough, but I don’t have the mathematics skill to do the proper calculations. Thankfully, Doctor Whooves has been able to help me. I’ll have to pay him for his trouble, as I’ve called on him a lot. Zecora has been invaluable as well. She knows where the cockatrices may be, and her knowledge of the forest has benefited the others. Her expertise in ‘non-traditional’ magics has helped as well. So far, we’ve had more theories and possible solutions than anypony else faced with this problem. Rarity has been a surprising asset, too. As well as a night guard Luna sent to help. Using a small piece of what was Twilight’s tail, they can match the signature of the cockatrice’s curse with the right individual. On a side note, Rarity has promised to take Twilight to the spa so they can fix any damage left by chipping away that small piece. If they can find the cockatrice this would make things much simpler. Marjoram leaned away from his journal, rubbing his burning eyes with a foreleg. Squinting at the clock, Marjoram came to the sudden realization that it was almost four AM. He remembered Spike’s threats about him getting some sleep, and sighed reluctantly. Looking over equations he couldn’t understand wouldn’t help. Looking over his magical theory was useless without having someone more awake with him. Rising onto stiff legs, Marjoram jerkily made his way to the couch. Sore, aching muscles protested the movement after staying still for so long. Marjoram ignored his physical misery, collapsing onto the prepared bed Spike had set up for him on the comfortable sofa. Spike, true to his ways, was fast asleep in his basket. A comic book splayed open over his chest, and his reading lamp still on. With a quiet click, Marjoram turned it off. Snuggling into the blankets, Marjoram nestled himself into the soft cushions. In spite of his exhaustion, it took him a while to fall asleep. (LINE BREAK) Spike awoke to the front door bursting open, and an accompanying flurry of movement and sound. Jerking into a semi-seated position, noting that Marjoram had awoken as well, he realized Twilight’s friends, several of the night guard, and one day guard were hauling in a terrifying looking creature. Roughly, it’s upper half looked like a chicken. Kind of. It was as if a chicken had had an unfortunate gene-splicing accident with a lizard. Ragged feathers poked through rough skin, patchy and uneven. There was no denying it for what it was though, since it’s head was that of a chicken. The head was the only ‘normal’ part of the beast, if you could call it anything remotely close to that. The rest of it was a horrible mishmash of feathery, leathery, smelly awfulness. Somehow they had managed to blindfold the creature so it couldn’t petrify anyone else. Marjoram stumbled to his hooves, a tangle of legs and blankets. He fell to the floor before picking himself back up and was at Fluttershy’s side in an instant. “What’s wrong?” “He won’t listen to me!” Fluttershy said tearfully, watching with a horrified expression as the animal was shoved into an already-prepared cage, “I don’t understand. He just keeps refusing to talk!” “If he’s from deeper in the Everfree it’s only likely. Thank you for trying Fluttershy. You’re sure this is the one?” “Yes, darling,” Rarity said, sitting down breathlessly, her mane barely out of place, “I tested it, and Lt. Sunshine did as well.” “Good. If you want to leave him here with me, I’ll see what I can do. Thank you all, I’ll keep you updated.” “After all that, you want us to just leave!?” Rainbow exclaimed. Marjoram sighed, “Sorry...Two of you could sleep in Twilight’s bed. Another two on the spare bed. One of the couches folds out, so that’s two more. Lt. Sunshine, are you-” “I need to be back in Canterlot. I just wanted to ensure the cockatrice’s safe arrival. I’ll tell Princess Luna and Princess Celestia that we’ve caught the right creature.” “Thank you,” Spike blurted out, “For your help.” “It’s my job.” A soft smile played on the edges of Sunshine’s muzzle. Turning, he unfurled his bat-like wings, and glided out the door. Marjoram sighed, shutting the door, “There’s some spare linens in the closet beside Twilight’s room. Make yourselves at home, everypony, but do try to be quiet. I need to think.” “Should I get Doctor Whooves?” “No. I’ll be alright for now. Go back to bed. I’ll go through the manuscripts again, see if there’s anything we can offer before it starts not even acknowledging Fluttershy’s talent-” “What do you mean?” “Fluttershy’s talent lets her communicates with animals. The cockatrice can hear her, and understand what she wants. It’s just not interested in communication. If it’s stubborn and intelligent enough, Fluttershy won’t be able to communicate with it at all against it’s will. She won’t even be able to try.” “That doesn’t sound good.” “It isn’t,” Fluttershy whispered, “It doesn’t happen often, but some creatures don’t like me at all. Like Bluefeather’s cat. She won’t even let me try to help any more.” “This is too complicated after this many hours awake,” Rainbow yawned, “I’m going to bed.” “I must agree. We’ll talk after some much needed beauty sleep,” Rarity said primly. Applejack yawned so hard her jaw cracked, “Good luck, Marjoram. Let us know if anything changes.” “I will. I promise. Now go to bed. You girls deserve some rest.” Grumbling, with various degrees of exhaustion, the girls made their way to the beds. Spike reluctantly curled back into his basket, and was soon snoring like the rest. Marjoram stared at the beast, chest puffed with anger and fear, “What to do with you? Well...I suppose you’re fine here.” After some consideration, Marjoram cast a silencing spell over the cage, put several runes around it, and descended into the basement. Sighing, Marjoram sat down at desk. Spread out in front of him was the notes, calculations, and magical theories that had been presented so far. So far, the best estimate for how long it would take to get Twilight un-statued (without the cockatrice’s help), was at least twenty-years. That was with all the best minds brought together to put forth ideas and work on the project, as well as taking into account current speeds of innovation...it wouldn’t be enough. Marjoram didn’t know if he had another week, much less any more time than that. Celestia would never give up, but she couldn’t devote every single waking moment into trying to get Twilight back, not while ruling over Equestria. So, Marjoram had to do as much work as he could, because without him, it could very well be decades before Twilight was released from her prison. A headache was already building. Marjoram took a sip of his cold cup of coffee, and levitated a piece of parchment over so he could read it easier. From what anypony can figure, the petrification looks like it’s a transfer of energy. Transferring the energy that keeps a pony alive, into an energy that keeps them turned to stone. Since the pony is technically no longer living, all energy the body could produce is put into the cycle. If the pony is close to a ley-line of magic, the pony could live forever until a way is devised to get the energy back into its original form. Energy. How could he be so stupid?! Turning to his bookshelf, Marjoram scanned down his dark magic books. Necromancy and You: A Beginner’s Guide, Using Necromancy for Light Purposes, The Encyclopedia of Necromantic Spells, Blood Magic and it’s Purposes, Super! You’ve Decided to Turn to Dark Magic. Ask Yourself: What Next? All flew off their shelves, flipping open so Marjoram could skim their contents. Transferring energy is as simple to somepony who knows necromancy, as it is for an earth pony to feel the magic beneath their hooves- Blood magic can boost available energy by taking it from the donor, the land around where the ritual is cast, and this energy can be channeled into spells- It’s been hypothesized that with enough energy, it would be possible to reverse the Cockatrice’s Curse. Non such experiment has been successful- The other books fell away. Skimming the passage, Marjoram was disappointed to learn there wasn’t even a diagram of any failed experiments included. Flinging the book away in disgust, Marjoram turned to one of the necromancy books that had been previously discarded. Suddenly, things shifted. Marjoram felt his heart stall, his lungs seize, and his magic flail in response, and shut his eyes with the shock of his body shutting down. Suddenly, Marjoram could breathe but things were different. Things felt almost the same, but not. Panting weakly, feeling dizzy, Marjoram stumbled forward a step and nearly fainted. Spreading his legs wide, Marjoram’s hoof connected with something and he opened his eyes. His heart skipped a beat. This isn’t right. The first thing Marjoram noticed was that colour was wrong. The second thing he noticed was that he didn’t recognize where he was. Looking down, Marjoram was struck by another dizzy spell. He was in a magical circle. He had accidently knocked a candle out of place. Panting, Marjoram shuffled over to the desk tucked into the corner of the room. Sitting down, Marjoram realized a mirror was perched on the desk. His heart froze again. Marjoram was himself, but it wasn’t the him he recognized. He was older, thinner, and looked more haggard than he was. Still out of breath, Marjoram finally found himself calming down. Now he could think things didn’t feel...right. Almost as if he were a few milliseconds off, like when a video’s audio and visual doesn’t match up correctly. Swallowing, Marjoram finally looked at the surface of the desk. In front of him was a roll of parchment, a quill and inkpot, and a note. Written in what Marjoram could see was his own handwriting, but more elegant. It was addressed to himself. I know you’re scared and disoriented. I’m not going to apologize for this, but I need to know you’ve done better in your universe than I have in mine. What I will apologize for, is how my previous behaviour will affect your perception of me. You and I have been sharing nightmares. I hope you’re a better pony than I am. Be kind to Midnight Orchid. Marjoram blinked at the note, “That’s it?” Even his voice was weaker here. Marjoram took a deep breath. Alright, let’s get this over with. Feeling calm, though he was sure it was because of dissociation than anything else. I need to figure out what’s going on. Swallowing, Marjoram struggled to his hooves again, and left the room. Standing in a cold, crystalline hallway flooded Marjoram’s mind with questions. Mostly reiterations of where the hell am I? and who builds out of crystal? Shaking himself, Marjoram did his best to move forward, away from the room he’d appeared in. Following the dull carpets, Marjoram found a hallway with crimson carpet. It was vibrant, too vibrant to his eyes, but it was different. So, he followed it. In spite of himself, he was tiring rapidly. It wasn’t him; his mind whirred with possibilities, but it was the not-quite him body that was so exhausted after a few minutes of walking. Marjoram pushed the feeling into the back of his mind, trying to focus on what was going on. A dimensional spell like the one that the other-him had used would only last a while, and he wanted to use this time to learn more about this twisted timeline. Marjoram found himself outside of a set of massive, ornately carved, crystal double-doors. Using his magic, Marjoram pushed the door open, and breathed in a lungfull of dirty, polluted air. Marjoram’s lungs seized, and he slammed the door shut again. Coughing harshly, Marjoram sat heavily on the plush, red carpet. Frantic hoofsteps approached, and Marjoram was unsure how to react. He was panicking, but his body seemed relieved. Through streaming eyes, Marjoram saw heavily-armoured guards approaching. The dichotomy between his panicking head and relieved body finally rendered him useless. He couldn’t access his magic to defend himself, and he wasn’t even sure he needed to defend himself… Marjoram’s mouth was wrenched open, and a potion bottle was pressed to his lips. Trying not to cough the liquid out of his mouth, or through his nose, Marjoram managed to swallow a mouthful before he coughed again. When the fit eased, he swallowed again, several times, and the coughing was gone. Breathing shallowly, Marjoram peered through bleary eyes to see his saviours. A familiar voice sounded from beneath the helmet. “There you are, my Lord. Are you alright now? Do I need to fetch Her Highness?” Marjoram blinked, “Rainbow...Dash?” His voice cracked, and the pegasus shoved the potion into his mouth again. That eased his throat. “I’m glad to see you remember me today my Lord. Do you recognize the other guard?” Blinking, trying to get his vision back to normal and failing spectacularly. He caught sight of a yellow coat, “Fluttershy?” Yellow wings fluttered, revealing their colour from the underside, “Good work, today. Her Highness will be very glad to see you lucid today. Would you like me to arrange for some time with the animals, or-” “Enough, Fluttershy! We were told to bring him to Empress Midnight Orchid if he was lucid today!” Rainbow’s voice was hard and unyielding. Fluttershy’s head and wings drooped, hiding her coat behind the dark armour she wore. Marjoram couldn’t even see her eyes with the helmet she wore, “I-I’m sorry-” “It’s alright,” Marjoram whispered. He didn’t trust his voice in a volume above a whisper at this point, “Thank you for your attention.” Fluttershy straightened, “Anytime, my Lord...that-that is so long as you’re free, and I don’t have other duties..and…” Fluttershy’s sentence trailed off, ending in a frustrated sigh. “Sentiment is appreciated. Maybe later today? If time permits?” Fluttershy smiled again, “Yes of course. We’re here to help you whenever you need. I should go get the animals ready-” “After we bring Lord Marjoram to the throne room.” “Of course. I-I apologize for my lack of composure, sir. It’s just with the negotiations and the last skirmishes of the war, nopony has had time to give the animals the attention they deserve.” “It’s fine. It’s understandable that you’re excited,” Marjoram rocked himself to his hooves, missing the concerned looks Fluttershy and Rainbow exchanged, “Lead the way. My-my strength is fading.” “Of course.” Marjoram had to ask for a halt several times during the walk-that-seemed-to-take-forever. He could see Rainbow losing patience, and Fluttershy get more agitated with anticipation. Finally, after descending a staircase that made Marjoram dizzy to look too many floors down, they made it. Elegant doors, bigger than the throne room doors in Canterlot loomed overhead. This section of the castle was much busier as well. Ponies stared, whispered, and generally shifted away from Marjoram and his guard. Marjoram did his best to ignore it. He needed to talk to this Midnight Orchid, no matter who she was, and find some answers. The door creaked open, and Fluttershy and Rainbow stepped aside, bowing toward the throne, then to Marjoram, before leaving. The whispering noise of the room before ceased when the door clicked shut. Marjoram didn’t know quite what to do. Was he supposed to bow? What was he supposed to do? An elegant laugh brought Marjoram’s full attention to the throne. It was blackened crystal. One of a pair, though the other was empty. The pony sitting in what was clearly the first throne in the room, smiled at him. Marjoram’s heart skipped a beat, and his mind raced. The pony that stood in front of him was nearly the spitting image of Twilight. There were differences, and once the initial shock wore off, they were glaring. Midnight Orchid’s coat was darker, shining metallically in the reflection of light from the crystals. Her mane was lighter than Twilight’s, stripes of gold gleaming intermittently. Her eyes were ones that Marjoram recognized vividly. A golden honey hue that he hadn’t seen since Carnation last opened her eyes stared back at him from a pony who was unfamiliar and familiar all at once. “Father succeeded, I presume. I can feel your magic through the heavy blanket that’s his. Your magic shines through like a beacon. I thought perhaps father had fallen into one of his delusions again when he talked about you, but now I’m certain he was correct. I’ll apologize to him when the spell ceases. I am Midnight Orchid; technically your daughter and Empress of the newly reestablished Crystal Empire.” “I’m Marjoram...mortician, teacher to Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike. What is all this?” Midnight stood up, revealing her to be shorter than Marjoram, but proportionally similar in skeletal structure, “This is your Empire. Or rather, it was before I took over from your corrupt officials.” “Took over from my...officials? I don’t think I would have let just anypony rule a country-” “You weren’t exactly in the best state of mind. After mother died, your mental state declined rapidly.” “Ah,” Marjoram wasn’t sure what else he could say, “Can I ask who your mother is?” Midnight smiled a sad smile, “Twilight Sparkle. You chose her out of a line of candidates. Mostly for political positioning, to make you seem stronger in the eyes of foreigners, but it worked. After nearly two years of you both being ‘together’ you finally married.” Marjoram blinked. His mind was sickened at the thought. Twilight was what, almost ten years younger. “The time difference never seemed to bother the two of you much. If there hadn’t been complications, you would have had another daughter.” Marjoram sat down on a nearby bench, looking at the wall opposite to him for the first time. A tapestry covered the wall, elegantly stitched. It showed himself, Twilight, and who appeared to be a young Midnight. It was clearly a royal commission, but it was truly gorgeous. “Let me guess, a mare by the name Rarity made that.” “How did you know?” “She is one of Twilight’s friends in my universe. She’s...well she’s a dressmaker. She does some excellent restoration work sometimes, but mostly she works on new ‘haute couture’ designs.” “Rarity works for me now to create my gowns, and your suits actually. You’re not often seen by the public nowadays, but it’s good to remind ponies sometimes.” “Remind them what?” “That you’re very ill, and cannot be held accountable for your actions.” “But I was sane when I killed Celestia-” “She’s not dead.” “The dreams...I thought I had.” “You banished her to the moon alongside Princess Luna. They write when they can.” “You mean...Nightmare Moon?-” “Not an issue. With the advancements you made to magic, the Crystal Empire has helped restore Harmony to large portions of Equestria and the outlying lands.” “Didn’t I take Harmony away in the first place?” “Yes, but you were delusional and physically and mentally ill. Nearly all national governments are fine with you being here with me, protected by my guards while on my land. Celestia and Luna have given you provisionary access to Canterlot Palace, but you’ve been so worked up by the other timeline you that you haven’t given it a try.” “The other me should do that. The fresh air might help.” “Pollution reduction is my number one priority. With pegasi help, we’ve begun to make progress on what your officials did. I’m just glad this period is nearly over.” “I can only imagine,” Marjoram breathed, “Am I-is he happier now? With things being fixed.” “He misses Mother all the time. Though he does seem happier. He was almost ecstatic when Celestia and Luna wrote that everything had gone to plan.” “That’s good. The nightmares I’ve had,” remembering the feeling of Celestia’s blood on his hooves made him shiver, “were not good.” “I have many memories of you, and they conflict with what everypony tells me. You were always kind, adventurous, and wise. In history you will likely be painted as an insane, cruel pony.” “He was that, once.” “Are you the same pony you were fifteen years ago? Should you be judged with how you acted then?” “Depending on what I did: yes. If I did what he did I would want to know I was being punished.” “Your own mind does that well enough. And your body,” Midnight swallowed, sitting beside Marjoram, “You don’t have long, the doctors tell me.” “No?” “Not with you ‘blacking out’ all the time like you are. If you were healthier mentally, perhaps you could work on your physical health…” “Start with that first, then. Do what you have to. Get my guards to talk to me, hire ponies to be my ‘friends’ if you have to at first. Bring me out of it by any means necessary.” “You don’t think I’ve tried?” “Clearly not hard enough. Make me want to live! Contact Celestia, bring me back to Canterlot. Ask Celestia if Sea Shores is still alive, and if she is ask her to write. Try to find my brother if you can. Living so I can buck some sense into him isn’t the best way, but spite is better than wasting away.” “I-I suppose so. I haven’t even thought to ask Celestia for help.” “Then do it. Bring me back.” “Alright...thank you. I’m worried for you.” “I’m sure he’s worried about you, too. Even if I can’t show it very well.” Midnight nodded, “I suppose so. Wait, your magic is changing.. What’s going on?” Marjoram opened his mouth, trying to reassure her, but his heart froze. His lungs seized, and it felt like he’d been submerged in freezing cold water. His eyes closed reflexively, and he could hear his blood whooshing past his ears. Then, suddenly he could breathe. Marjoram’s eyes flew open, as his lungs fought to breathe. His eyes were streaming, and he couldn’t see anything beyond streaks of colour and light. Thankfully, everything felt right. Colours weren’t off, the sounds of birds outside seemed real, and his head felt firmly planted in reality. Marjoram allowed his legs to fold under him, and he breathed as quietly as he could for a few minutes. He blinked away the tears, and found his cheeks were matted with them. A quick spell fixed the problem. Was he shocked at seeing Twilight? Breathing a sigh of relief, Marjoram climbed to his feet, and looked around. He was still in his room, but things had changed. He stood in the center of what looked like a hurricane of books and papers. Half-calculated theories were written on papers strewn over the desk. A collection of books were placed reverently on the bed, and two large volumes were open on the desk, under the calculations. Written in the other Marjoram’s writing, was a few notes in the margins. The chapter was about transmutation, that was clear, but what was the point? In red ink, a spell had been circled. Marjoram brought his head to the hard surface of his desk with a soft thump. “How could I have been so stupid?!” Flesh to stone, and stone to flesh spells should have been the first thing to come to mind. They were ancient, well written about, and now highly illegal, but they worked. Back before Equestria; before Luna and Celestia had even dreamed of being alicorns, there had been all sorts of magic being created and tested. Many things were now illegal, or forgotten. Or both, but some things still survived as precautionary tales. “Earth and blood? That’s it? That can’t be...Can I create a failsafe?” Marjoram pulled out his potioneering set. It was something he dabbled in, potions were more Twilight’s thing, but he’d learned enough to do what he wanted. Cleansed water, a bit of dragonscale for energy boosting and potence, some of Twilight’s mane, a feather from the cockatrice, and more than enough of Marjoram’s blended magic to run Ponyville’s power needs for almost a year, produced a purple potion. Adding some basil, rosemary, elderberry, and garlic for protection, because Marjoram was paranoid the spell would have an adverse effect somehow. Angelica, juniper, and yarrow to purify any bad magical energy that could be coming from the cockatrice. Marjoram paused, stirring. What else? Marjoram levitated Twilight’s Compendium of Herbs and Their Magical Uses, and skimmed through it. He could add more, but he didn’t want to undo any work he had already done. Letting the potion simmer, Marjoram creeped upstairs to see if anypony had awoken yet. No. Nopony had. Marjoram’s heart lay heavy in his chest, but he didn’t know what else he could do. Telling anypony else of the highly illegal spell would likely bring more trouble than it was worth, and he didn’t want to just use the potion. With as much power as he’d put into it, there was likely to be even more keeping Twilight in stone. The spell would prime the area. He would create a circle, cleanse it, perform the spell, then pour the potion over Twilight without breaking the spell. Simple, relatively easy. But terrifying. It was a combination of ancient and new magics that could potentially cause problems. Marjoram breathed deeply, sitting down. Adrenaline was pumping through his body, making him jumpy and excited. Out of the corner of his eye, Marjoram spotted the second book. Again, circled in red pen was a spell. It was necromancy, the traditional bring-ponies-back-from-the-dead type too, what? Marjoram recognized the spell, remembering how it had nearly collapsed the east wing of the library when it had backfired. It doesn’t work, he should remember that- Another note in the margin, and another circle in the paragraph describing the spell. The word circled was intent. Realization dawned, and Marjoram shut his eyes from the tears welling from them. His second-biggest intention had been to bring Carnation back fully. His first intention was that he didn’t want to hurt her at all, if she was where whatever lay after. Clearly, his desire to leave her unharmed had caused the backfire- Marjoram shut his eyes, tears once again streaming down his cheeks. The note was clearly visible in his mind’s eye: You get only one chance. Don’t mess it up. Taking a shaky breath, Marjoram made up his mind. He shut the necromancy book, and hid it under his pillow. Bottling the potion, he got himself ready to bring Twilight back. (LINE BREAK) At this rate, Twilight will probably have to cart me to Ponyville herself. Marjoram mused to himself. Straining against the harness, Marjoram dug his hooves into the ground. He managed to pull Twilight’s statue a few more centimeters before he had to pause. Looking up at the early morning sky, Marjoram could see Celestia’s sun begin to peak over the Canterlot Mountains. Breathing harshly, Marjoram struggled against the cart again, succeeding in getting the momentum he needed. The going was slow, but Marjoram stopped just outside Ponyville. Not near the Everfree, not after the Timberwolves, but far enough from the town he wouldn’t be disturbed. Unhooking himself from the cart, Marjoram collapsed onto the cool grass for a few minutes before getting to work. Marjoram gently lifted Twilight out of the cart, and put her on the grass. Using his magic, he poured bucketfuls of Ponyville’s black, rich earth over the ground. With a silver dagger, Marjoram pricked the inside of a leg, letting several drops hit the earth. “Lapis in carnem; solve reguli maledictionem. Amici mei ad me.” The words were ancient, clumsy. No rhyme or rhythm, just a plea for a friend to be brought back. The words weren’t technically part of the spell, but Marjoram figured the old words couldn’t hurt. Thinking hard, Marjoram thought of two things: Twilight unharmed, and Twilight back to normal. Intent could mean everything. Marjoram could feel the spell beginning, and he quickly poured the potion over Twilight’s form. Stepping away from the crude circle, Marjoram watched in baited breath as his blood mixed with a portion of the dirt. Light seeped from that spot, spreading around the whole circle. Then Twilight’s body glowed the same iridescent way. The potion glittered, then melted into the sky above. Slowly, Marjoram could see purple coming back into Twilight’s body. Holding his breath, Marjoram watched as Twilight’s body relaxed into a natural pose, not one held by stone. The light faded, and the circle melted into the very ground. Leaving Twilight, seemingly whole and healthy, laying on the ground. “Twilight?” A small noise, barely audible, made Marjoram’s heart rise. Stepping closer, Marjoram could see Twilight looked as she’d had before, though her tail was ragged and clearly lacking the bit of tail they’d taken. “Twilight? Are you okay?” Another noise, and Twilight moved jerkily, trying to get her hooves under her and lift her head at the same time. “Easy, Twilight, easy,” Marjoram stepped forward, only to have his legs fold out from under him. Laying on the cold grass, hysterical laughter bubbled up from nowhere. Marjoram laughed until his breath hitched, making him cough. Between the laughter and the coughing, his sides ached profusely. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and his breath was crackling harshly. “You...okay?” Twilight croaked. A muffled giggle escaped, “I’m...divine now.” “Why?” “You’re back.” “Back?” Marjoram rolled over so he was facing Twilight, who was still laying on the grass, “I’ll explain...later.” Twilight nodded, “Are we..safe?” “For now, I think we are.” Marjoram stared into the early morning sky, and sighed contentedly. He’d pay the price for overworking himself, but Twilight was alright. The spell the other him had circled in the book reminded Marjoram that he could soon speak to Carnation if he wished. Tears replaced the laughter, and soon Marjoram was crying into the dewy grass, Twilight doing her best to try to help in her post-statue stupor.