//------------------------------// // Laughter // Story: Statue Garden // by NodoubtbuodoN //------------------------------// The greater our knowledge increases, the more our ignorance unfolds. ~John F. Kennedy ~\\***\***/***//~ "We are gathered here today to once again honour the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos." Twilight and her five friends stood before Princess Celestia. They tried their best to look humble, but couldn't help smiling. At the princess's decree, the crowd of ponies assembled in the royal chamber echoed their cheers at the six heroes. Spike was at Celestia's side, joining into the clapping and general revelry of the ceremony. It was late in the afternoon of what felt like a particularly long day to Twilight Sparkle, and she was glad that it was ending in a manner that she could comprehend. Nearly the entire day beforehand had been a maelstrom of her friendships unravelling at their seams. Them, and all of harmony. The insidious influence of Discord had nearly robbed not just Twilight, but all of Equestria of purpose. She and her friends had ultimately ensured that he'd failed. A more satisfying resolution could not have been asked for. Celestia pulled back a curtain to reveal to the six ponies a new addition to the chamber decor: a stained glass window that Twilight had previously recalled being just simple rose glass was now adorned with her and her five best friends striking down Discord. The mishmashed monster bore a look of horror upon his face as he was returned to his stone prison. Twilight could feel a frown tug at her lips. What the window showed had happened only a short few hours ago. But the art felt like a relic, a manuscript of sorts for a legend long past, or even a downright ponytale. It may as well have been there forever, and Twilight felt oddly disconnected from its events. Twilight shook her head clear. The crowd's cheers helped to rid her of lingering anxiety. Filled with confidence once again, her grin lost all traces of reservation. This was a celebration, for them no less. Why not be a little proud? Her friends all seemed to oblige in the feeling as well, exchanging glances of acknowledgement. Twilight briefly turned back to Spike, and the two shared an awkward wave. Twilight rolled her eyes at herself. The new Rainbow Dash. Twilight giggled as she thought about the jokes soon to be had, and gave a small cough when she felt her throat clogging. Salt and water rimmed her eyes, and Twilight felt a pair of legs belonging to a certain pink pony wrap around her neck. A second blue pair joined, and then a third, fourth, and fifth. A stubby sixth pair was the spilling point for Twilight, and she openly sobbed in the embraces' collective warmth. They're all here, Twilight thought. All of them. My friends. ~\\***\***/***//~ Twilight couldn't help but feel that the ceremony ended abruptly. A celebration about the return of harmony, a celebrated part of everyday pony life, felt like something that could and should last forever. But Twilight knew as well as anypony else that such a thing could not continue unabated. Equestria didn't simply stop spinning, after all. Her friendship letters could suffice instead. After all, they'd saved her and her friends from Discord's grey. However, Spike had requested a less harsh-on-the-stomach method of transporting the letters next time. Celestia had blushed in embarrassment at the mention of this, offering Spike a sheepish apology for his agonized tract. Spike hurried to catch up with the group, now making their way towards the train station back to Ponyville. Pinkie Pie was snoring and being carted along by Rarity, who remained rather aloof towards Applejack. Twilight swore she heard mutterings from AJ about it being Rarity’s turn to chauffeur Pinkie Pie around, but the group was otherwise silent. It was evening, Celestia having just begun lowering the sun below the horizon to make way for the night. The Canterlot cityscape was starting to light up as its citizens began to settle comfortably into their respective abodes. Most of them were done their day’s work, but were not yet ready to turn in for the night. Among the brightest of the beacons was the train station at the end of Canterlot's main street. The guiding light beckoned for the group's homecoming, and they began to make their way out the palace gates towards it, Twilight bringing up the rear. "Twilight?" Twilight halted in place and looked to see Celestia walking towards her. She turned back around for a moment to wave off her friends, who had also stopped walking. Twilight gave them a smile that said that they should just go on ahead. She would catch up. If Twilight's memory served her correctly, the next train was at least a few minutes away from departure anyway. Her friends took her hint, and walked on Spike now in tow. Their privacy secured, Twilight turned to face Celestia again. "Yes, Princess?" she asked. Celestia smiled back down at her. "I need to ask a simple favour of you, Twilight," she said. Twilight opened her mouth, but Celestia continued before she could ask any questions. "It involves what happened today. It's important, but by no means urgent." Twilight's brow furrowed in confusion. If Celestia's request concerned what had happened that day, how could it not be a matter of urgency? When Twilight and her friends had first been called to Canterlot that morning, they had found the princess anxiously pacing the front hall. "I need you to bring Discord back to his place at the palace garden," Celestia clarified. Twilight started as she realised what Celestia was referring to. Discord had been left just lying in the grass within Ponyville. That sounded pretty urgent to her. Celestia seemed to predict this reaction, however, and she smoothed over Twilight's restlessness with an amused giggle. "I can assure you, Twilight, you have nothing to worry about. You and your friends have ensured that Discord is going to be trapped in his prison for a long time to come. And if he ever does break free again..." Celestia trailed off, clearly troubled at the prospect, but Twilight couldn't help but sense even more behind the princess's hesitation. "Well, it won't be today, or any day soon." Celestia smiled weakly at Twilight, a few nearly invisible creases beneath her eyes suddenly plain-to-see. They made Twilight strangely agitated, but she waved it away and found her voice. "But... that's it?" Twilight asked. "Just put Discord back?" Celestia's smile lost its melancholy. "Yes, that's it." She turned to her left. She and Twilight were standing just outside the castle's threshold, and this vantage point provided them with a partial view of the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. Just above the outermost hedge wall of the display ground, the last rays of day shone. The sunset had nearly concluded. The faint glowing trail seemed almost a beacon, as though Discord's petrified self were about to fall straight out of the sky, and back onto his pedestal. "You'll have to forgive me if it sounds like a chore I'm asking of you, but if there's one pony whom I trust to handle this transportation, it's you. Besides, what better way to put your mind at ease?" Twilight again grew confused, but only for a brief moment. She then beamed, and it wasn't lost on Celestia. Celestia continued, though she was certain Twilight had figured out what she was about to say on her own. "Discord gave you much more trouble today than anypony should have to put up with, I know," Celestia offered sympathetically. "If you handle this yourself, you'll know for certain Discord is back where he belongs. No more wondering." Twilight strode forward to nuzzle Celestia, and felt the gesture be reciprocated. On these occasions where Celestia displayed clear concern for her, beyond just as far as her responsibilities as a mentor went, Twilight could not hold back her own affection in turn. Of course Celestia was right, and Twilight realised she not only could do this; she wanted to. This whole thing needed a last bit of closure no ceremony could provide. "You can count on me, Princess." Twilight grinned. "Discord will be back in the morning before the first patrols even set hoof in the garden." Celestia slowly released Twilight from her embrace and stared back warmly. "I know I can, Twilight." She stared over the horizon of Canterlot to the south. The sun had now fully descended, and the sprawl of the city below now offered more light than the sky its buildings reached towards. Her vision followed the bold line the city's main causeway drew. "Go join your friends now. Before they get a head start on you back to Ponyville." Twilight realised that the train was due to arrive in a few minutes, and she began to canter towards the station. She hated to run off like this, but circumstances were leaving her no choice in the matter. "Goodbye, Princess!" she called back over her shoulder as she passed through the gateway in the castle's outer wall. Twilight began to move at a full gallop, and Celestia stared after her, the two holding their eye contact for as long as possible. When Twilight did finally turn back around to face where she was running, she had to skid to a halt to avoid crashing straight into another pony's backside. Twilight recognized the orange earth pony, a brown Stetson upon her head. "Whoa now, Twilight!" Applejack said. "We ain't hoofin' it back home. You can slow down now." Twilight blushed and took in the group's surroundings. Despite its title, Canterlot's main street was rather short in length, so much so that one always tended to have the castle clear in view on the horizon, and not just due to its size. Canterlot's real scope began to become apparent as its side streets were travelled; the city would start to break off into various boutiques, cafes, and suburban complexes. The arrangement gave the city a wide berth to the east and west of the mountain face it sat upon. The six ponies and one dragon kept to their straight path, mostly deserted save for a few ponies working the night shift, and climbed their way up the few short steps to the train platform. "So, spill it, Twilight," Rainbow Dash spoke up. The abrasive pegasus had been holding the lead for the group's procession, but now idled in midair as they waited for the train's arrival. "What did the princess want?" "Oh, nothing really. She just wanted me to take Discord back to the palace garden tomorrow." Before Twilight had even finished talking, she knew that her friends were going to have their own respective realisations at remembering the draconequus, and how he was still currently lying within Ponyville's town limits. This knowledge still didn't prepare her for Dash's reaction. "What?!" Dash cried, slapping a hoof over her face as she continued to hover. Her wings were in a tizzy, beating the air faster from her sudden anxiety. "How could we have forgotten?! Don't worry! I'm on it!" Before Twilight could offer a word of protest, Dash sped off straight for Ponyville. Her breakneck pace was just short of reaching sonic rainboom levels. "Let 'er go, Twilight." Applejack waved off the incident. "She'll calm down eventually. But really, that was the whole deal with the princess?" "Yeah, that's it." Twilight shrugged, feeling surprisingly indifferent about the prospect of transporting an imprisoned deity of chaos tomorrow. She would have thought at least some of her anxiety about Discord would linger on her mind's borders. But it was like Celestia had said: it was little more than a chore, albeit one Twilight wouldn't mind doing. Twilight frowned. Celestia had even seemed to expect Discord to have been left behind in Ponyville. Had the princess been planning this for her all along? "Um... do you want us to come with you?" Fluttershy offered quietly. To everypony else present it looked as though she were bracing herself. It was obvious that she did not want to participate in what she had just suggested, but had made the offer nevertheless out of both the kindness of her heart, and the support she desperately wanted to prove to them after the turmoil of the day. Fluttershy could not be happier that her mind was clouded of a clear perception of her cruel actions from earlier; the whole incident seemed like a bad dream. Such knowledge could devastate a pony as fragile as her beyond repair. "No, it's alright, everypony," Twilight said, pointedly looking at Fluttershy as she did so. The offer Fluttershy had made implored refusal; it made Twilight feel oddly guilty. As she tried to comprehend this reaction it dissipated entirely, dispelled by Fluttershy's clear look of relief. Nopony blamed her. Truth be told, they all looked to Twilight like they were a bit relieved. Besides, if Celestia had planned this explicitly for her, than it was all the better for her friends to not trouble themselves. It only took one pony to move a statue, after all. But now it was Applejack's turn to feel guilty, her face unable to twist a deceptive cover. "Ah can't say I don't feel a mite unsettled, Twi'. Leaving y'all to do this yerself. Are y'all sure 'bout this now?" "It's fine AJ," Twilight repeated herself. "Rest your head on this whole thing a bit. All this is, is a one-pony special delivery." Twilight chuckled at her attempted mock title, but Applejack's face seemed to beg an explanation, which would defeat the joke's purpose entirely. Twilight did, at least, hear some unmistakable giggles from the other earth pony in the group. She had thought Pinkie Pie asleep, having tuckered herself out during the ceremony, but there sat the pink pony giggling in her cart. Twilight hoped Pinkie's merriment was as infectious now as it was on other occasions. It seemed as though the group needed it presently. Applejack merely shook her head. Ah don't get it. ~\\***\***/***//~ The train ride home was fleeting, and conversation between the ponies was limited. Words were abandoned in favour of quiet and the welcome return of mundane, everyday Equestria functionality. Never before had any of the ponies been so glad to be bored. Applejack in particular was soaking in the quiet of the trip. She leaned back in her plush seat, her hat pulled low over her brow, an always on-hoof strand of hay sticking out of her mouth. She had very nearly fallen asleep, her lips beginning to glisten with gathered saliva. Before the final roots of slumber took hold, a sudden lurch followed by the screech of train wheels jolted her awake. A commotion outside the train made her suddenly aware of where she was. She and her friends were home. She sighed, and sat up to make her way to the door. As she stepped out into the midnight air, she saw Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy standing in a row. All three were idling on the platform, and all of them were facing the same direction. Fluttershy looked apprehensive, whereas Twilight and Rarity both carried similar looks of weary irritation. Applejack wondered where Pinkie was, the wagon that had been carrying her now empty, but decided first to step forth to join the group's sight-seeing, and perhaps see if her own exasperated sigh had been warranted. Sure enough, she soon saw the source of the racket pitiful in its display, even if it lacked a sizable audience. The less crowd this spectacle had, the better. The full moon of the approaching midnight hid its light behind a few clouds, as if ashamed to draw attention to what was currently transpiring. Rainbow Dash had both her front hooves hooked around Discord's left horn, and was tugging with all her might. Discord's frozen visage of horror could have been misconstrued as pain to a bystander, and despite Applejack's loathing for the draconequus, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern that Dash was about to break something of his. Heck, maybe Discord had once had two teeth in his mouth? Standing atop the newly minted statue of chaos stood three familiar fillies, all of them in various states of amusement. Scootaloo in particular was ecstatic, and was trying to prove her use to her speedster idol. "The other one! Try the other one!" Scootaloo cried at Dash, gesturing to Discord's right antler. "It's got more hoofholds." “Ya’ already said that hours ago, Scoots,” Apple Bloom interjected. Scootaloo ignored her, and pointed again to direct Rainbow Dash. Dash mumbled a thanks at the “squirt” and zipped over to try the suggestion. But either there was no traction gained from the new grip, or exhaustion was simply catching up with her. Discord remained locked in place, and Dash seemed about ready to join him in lying upon the suddenly inviting grass. Scootaloo didn't seem to care. Her cutie mark crusades had more than prepared her for disappointments, and Dash’s presence alone seemed to be keeping her entertained. She did, however, let slip a yawn, her stubby wings stretching out before drooping at her sides. The other crusaders seemed to be running out of steam for the spectacle as well. Apple Bloom had been dictating something to Sweetie Belle, who had been writing down scribbles on a page of note paper. But now they appeared to be wrapping up. The unicorn filly had been able to levitate a pencil to write with, but her weak levels of magic had rendered it necessary to have the notepad itself balanced on Discord's belly. Rarity would have been proud if she weren't so livid. "Sweetie Belle!" she screeched. "You get back indoors this instant! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to protest, but Rarity was having none of it, giving a glare that would give both Fluttershy and Applejack a run for their money in terms of intimidation. “You know, I missed you, sis’,” Sweetie Belle whispered meekly. Rarity’s expression softened and she nuzzled her. Applejack heard Rarity whisper back in loving assurance. Just as quickly, though, Rarity pointed a hoof across the lane, and Sweetie Belle took the hint to start walking. They crossed the bridge over the narrow stream in the middle of town, and were soon back inside the Carousel Boutique. Applejack strode down the platform towards her sister. Apple Bloom saw the older earth pony and rolled her eyes in the I know, I know way only children could pull off. She turned to offer a quick goodbye to Scootaloo. Applejack began to prod Apple Bloom forward. The filly made sure to grab the notebook that Sweetie Belle had left behind off the top of Discord's stony body before she conceded to the directing. Applejack couldn't help but peer over Apple Bloom's shoulder to spy what exactly her friend had written, but saw only squiggled outlines, gibberish which vaguely resembled words, and what she assumed were equals signs. She squinted in confusion. "Applejack? What are ya’ll looking at?" Apple Bloom's voice suddenly piped up. “Is it what me and Sweetie were writin’ about? ‘Cause all it is is a buncha stuff about Discord. He’s mighty funny lookin’, and we—” “I’m askin’ the questions here, missy! What are y'all doing out so late?” Apple Bloom shrank beneath her sister’s fury. "Big Mac let me stay. You weren't home yet, and he figured we was safe if we stayed near Rainbow Dash." "Did he now?" Applejack's eyes narrowed, first in scrutiny of any lie Apple Bloom presented, and then for her brother, Big Macintosh. He was going to be bearing the brunt of some nasty words when they got back to the farm. And if Granny Smith found out what he'd allowed (and Applejack would make sure that she did), Applejack's fury was going to be the least of the stallion's problems. “You could have just waited at the farm with the rest of the family, y’know.” “I wanted to see you first, was all. When you first got offa’ the train,” Apple Bloom mumbled. “Makes it feel all special-like.” The two were outside Ponyville’s limits now, the wooden gate of the Apple family farm drawing near. Applejack grinned, but hid it before Apple Bloom could see. She was only half done with her. "And?" Apple Bloom cocked her eyebrow in return. She then looked away and sighed. “And... I’m sorry, okay? I jus’ got a little distracted.” She looked briefly over her shoulder, and Applejack followed her far gaze. It was hard to tell, but it looked as though Rainbow had once again resumed her tugging at Discord. The last little filly, Scootaloo, was apparently gone, though, and Applejack swore she could hear Twilight trying to calm Dash down. At the rate they appeared to be going, the entire town was going to be woken up. Applejack shook her head once again while Apple Bloom giggled. “Can’t say I’d want to keep somepony like that in our garden. The princess keeps some strange company.” Applejack smiled and ruffled her little sister's mane. It was hard to stay mad at the filly. The two of them arrived at the threshold of Sweet Apple Acres. "Go on now, Apple Bloom. Off to bed. I'll catch up," Applejack ordered. Apple Bloom quickly galloped through and back to the house. Applejack knew she wouldn't have to worry about any further disobedience on Apple Bloom’s part. Big Mac would no doubt be keeping her indoors himself, lest he get in any more trouble. Applejack's guilt, not to mention paranoia, was getting to her again. She began to hurry back to the street where Discord was. If she couldn't help with moving him tomorrow she could at least help with the whole Rainbow Dash ordeal, couldn't she? However, as she neared the town square, she saw that Discord wasn't there. Only a deep indent in the grass, the blades of it completely flattened. Her momentary panic was given no time to flourish. On her right side, headed away from the scene, was Twilight, Dash flying close behind. But now the pegasus's wings sputtered like a spent engine, struggling to keep her airborne. The remainder of her energy seemed to be focused on voicing her continued concerns about Discord. Twilight had the draconequus encased in an aura of her magic as she carried him towards her home, Ponyville's library. The tree home's oak branches reached tall towards the navy blue night, and its windows illuminated light outside in sheets of yellowish-white. Twilight stood next to the front door and manipulated Discord through the threshold on his side. Afterwards, she promptly slammed the door shut to deter Rainbow Dash. "This isn't negotiable, Dash." Twilight's words floated towards Applejack's ears. She sounded haggard in her refusal. "He's going back tomorrow, and we're all going to bed. He'll be back first thing in the morning, I can assure you." Applejack didn't hear an angry retort from Dash. It seemed as though she was just catching the end of this argument. Dash's exhaustion, the door in her path, and the ultimate futility of her task lingered over her. It all furthered compelled her to give up. "Fine," she conceded. "But... and hear me out!" She sputtered her last words quickly. Twilight had apparently been expecting the argument to continue, mouth opening just a fraction. "Do you really need to keep Discord in your house? Who knows what he could do?" “He’s a statue, Dash,” Applejack deadpanned. “What the hay is a buncha’ rock gonna do?” Rainbow Dash turned on her. “So what? That didn’t stop him from coming back the first time, did it?” “I thought we were done with this, Rainbow,” Twilight huffed. Dash sighed again. “Look, Twilight. What matters is that Discord is still here. Where he’s not welcome!” She shouted in the direction of the door frame, apparently hoping for the draconequus to somehow hear her. “He belongs back with the princess right now!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “You’re soundin’ like ma’ sister. Talk of strange company and the like.” She was beginning to see why Twilight insisted on keeping Discord indoors. Indoors meant away from nonsense like what Dash was cooking up. Twilight merely laughed. "Celestia said herself he was harmless like this, and don't you think we would have seen some activity by now if she was wrong? I trust her. You oughta' try it too." Twilight yawned, not willing to argue one more word in her current state. She reopened the library door and trotted past its illuminated frame before Rainbow Dash could think up another point to argue. "Good night, girls," she said, closing the door. Applejack grinned. She enjoyed the clear sensibility Twilight could display when she needed to, and what she'd said about Discord, straight from Princess Celestia herself, did make sense. She'd argued Dash down quicker than Applejack could ever hope to. Dash now began to float higher, slumped from both her verbal defeat and her sapped energy. Applejack couldn't resist. "Y'all don't come back now, ya' hear?" she called up. Her taunt was barely acknowledged, and this was actually a greater assurance to her than full-on focus would be. Dash almost looked like her lazy self again, and Applejack once again savoured the typicality the day was ending on. She'd been missing it. ~\\***\***/***//~ Okay, maybe that wasn't the best place to put him. Twilight was busy trying to calm down a hyperventilating Spike. The baby dragon had nearly fallen down the stairs from shock. He sat on the top step regarding Discord with a mixture of curiosity and continued exasperation. Discord was leaning against a shelf in the centre of the library. Last night, Twilight had moved aside the library's central table, to make room for a place to leave him. If it had been any other statue placed in the room's centre, somepony could have easily mistaken it for a decorative art piece of the library's. Twilight remarked to herself that replacing the bust of the pony head with a petrified draconequus would not only be ill-advised, but stylistic overkill. It wasn't entirely Twilight's fault Discord was where he was, however. He was merely in the lobby because he wouldn't fit anywhere else. The library's main room was the only place with a tall enough ceiling. "Why there of all places, Twilight?" Spike panted. "Couldn't he have gone somewhere else?" Twilight's eyes would have lidded in annoyance had she not suddenly gotten mischievous. "You'd have preferred him in our room while we slept?" she posed, earning a wide-eyed, vigorous head-shake from Spike in return. Twilight was joking, of course. Discord could never have fit through her bedroom door. She had been lucky he had fit through the library's front entrance in the first place. Besides, Discord might not have been able to do anything, but Twilight still didn't fancy him being in the same room with her and Spike. The paranoia would have overwhelmed the both of them beyond a wink of sleep. Discord's frozen, terrified eyes stared back at Twilight and she caught herself shivering. Didn’t stop him from coming back the first time, did it? "You sure you're up to this, Twi'?" Spike asked, catching her brief unease. Twilight's tenseness evaporated against sudden familiarity. If Spike only knew how much he had sounded like Applejack just then. "I'm fine, Spike,” said Twilight. “Just have things in order again by the time I get back." The central table's contents—books, quills, and figurehead—had all been sent to the side of the library to make room for Discord. Twilight also thought she could spy the beginnings of a layer of dust upon the entire lower level as well. Nothing Spike couldn't handle before she got back from her couple hours trip. Twilight bid her farewells to Spike and Owlowiscious—though the latter was only awake due to the former's earlier outburst—and set off down Ponyville's main street, Discord in magical tow. Dawn was only just breaking over the horizon, and the roads held the appearance of abandonment that came with the time. For the sake of avoiding a panic, Twilight was grateful. Twilight reached the train station and boarded the morning engine straight to Canterlot, she and her unwilling companion the only passengers. If his lips were not immovable, Discord might have chuckled at the image of him and Twilight sitting side-by-side in a train car; enemies embarking on a casual sight-see. As it stood, Twilight had to fulfil the task for him, and she chortled at the knowledge her only company was a statue. ~\\***\***/***//~ Twilight's true issues with a panicked populace came about whilst she walked Canterlot's main street. It now possessed a level of activity which would be unprecedented in comparison to last night. Indeed, all the activity seemed to be centralized upon her, or rather her cargo. Twilight actually stopped traffic at certain intervals, the horse-drawn carriages screeching to a halt at the surreality of what they were witnessing. So much for a simple chore, Twilight inwardly sighed. In the end, several of Canterlot's city patrol, mostly pegasi, had to break up multiple streets full of commotion. When Twilight stopped and questioned one of them, she supposed she wasn't surprised to learn that the royal guard had been informed of the task Celestia had assigned to her. The princess, in turn, expected them to give her a clear path to the grounds. The guards dispersed back to their respective posts upon Twilight reaching the castle—the crowds having since given up on their own curious observations—and she walked the marble halls, listening to her hoofsteps. It seemed the castle could always be like this, regardless of the time of day. The marvel of pony architecture was just so large it seemed that it could always offer at least one pocket of isolation; even thoughts seemed to echo back. The open space of the royal garden was a welcome sight, both for its fresh, open air, and its assurance of a fulfilled promise. The sky overhead carried not one cloud, and the sun was climbing slowly against the blue, still an hour or so from noon. Sculptures spread out before Twilight. A few of the pristine white constructs idled near the outermost wall of the hedge maze. The statue of Victory held its orange flag aloft in solemn triumph. The lack of any sensible breeze today kept the square of fabric still and limp, partially wrapped around the pole's length. Twilight rounded the foliage corner and there it was: Discord's pedestal. Celestia had remarked earlier to Twilight that when Discord had burst loose, the stone that had previously encased him had literally broken off of his body like some demented egg shell. But the surrounding space around the pedestal was clear of a single pebble; either somepony had cleared the rubble away, or it had simply disappeared, seemingly evaporated. If only it could have taken the draconequus with it. Twilight trotted her way up to the base of the pillar. Its top was several feet above her, and she magically floated Discord up above her head. Gently, she set one of his feet upon the flat top, and then nudged the rest of him carefully into place. She weakened her hold slightly, testing Discord's balance on the pillar, and when she was certain he would stay in place, she let go entirely. She remembered a binding spell that she’d learned to close up air leaks in the library, and cast it on Discord’s feet so he would stay secured. No longer exerting her magic, Twilight took a deep physical and mental breath, and smiled up at her job well done. It may have been one day since Discord's imprisonment, but he was nevertheless back where he belonged. Better late than never. Now that Twilight was back to thinking about yesterday, she still found it rather silly of her friends, and especially herself, to forget about Discord entirely. They had flat-out left him at the mercy of some rather irate Ponyvillians whilst they celebrated his downfall. But so much had happened that day that she decided to cut her friends and herself a bit of slack. So much had been done, and so much had been said. By her, her friends, Celestia, and even Discord. Had been said. A sudden frown crossed Twilight's lips, and her irises tilted into the upper corners of her eyes, a nervous tendency of heavy thought. Discord's insidious speech blackened her mind. She could almost picture him floating through the stained glass of the palace windows again, mocking her mentor as he went. "...but you wouldn't know that, would you? Because I don't turn ponies into stone!" Twilight leaned away from the refurbished pedestal, and took an involuntary step back. Her eyes once again found themselves locked onto Discord's open scream, and his wide maw seemed to beckon his words again. "Because I don't turn ponies..." Twilight took another step back, trembling now. Her ears were pinned flat against her head. "...into stone!" Twilight's neck snapped to face her right side. Her eyes widened to match Discord's as she beheld the other statues in the garden. All of them were in various states of action. Victory's rather passive, at-attention stance clashed heavily against Friendship's rough-and-tumble assortment of three fillies. But these two, and all the other statues, all had one thing in common: they seemed alive. Suddenly, very alive. All of their intricacies now seemed far too complex for any sculptor to achieve. Twilight looked at them like she was analyzing a painting that had recently been pointed out as a phony. A fake. But these statues weren't fake. These were too real. Twilight retraced her steps on the garden path. Her nerves began to sting beneath her skin, and she looked to all her sides for anypony in the garden who may have been watching her. Nopony was in sight, but she still felt the scrutiny of not one, but many sets of eyes. Twilight closed her own as she trotted. It did no good. She was blind, but her ostensible observers weren’t. Twilight bumped into something hard and opened her eyes. She had reached another base and she looked up. There sat the statue of Grace, an earth pony mare, wrapped in a regal, fur-lined cloak. In her right hoof she held a golden and ebony sceptre, and sat with a content, Twilight dared to say graceful, smile. Twilight found the mare’s eyes, and the prickling scrutiny became tenfold. She quickly trotted away and back up to Discord. For all of the good it did her. As she stared up at the draconequus again, he gave her only the same feeling of gooseflesh. Watching... watching me? All of them? Twilight’s heart hammered and her eyes inadvertently started to tear up from her apprehension. Then, just as quickly, all these feelings dropped away. Their ridiculous foundation couldn't keep its base for long, and Twilight found herself speaking her ridiculous troubles from a second ago out loud. A giggle even managed to edge its way through into her speech. "Don't be silly, Twilight. Celestia wouldn't!" Giggling further, Twilight peered just behind Discord to see another pony statue. It was the closest one nearby, and Twilight trotted up to its base. If she was recalling correctly, this particular statue represented Knowledge; a long, grey scroll was rolled up and cradled in an earth pony mare's front hooves as she stood on her hind legs. Twilight cocked her brow and grinned. "Just use that cockatrice remedy spell you learned. You'll see!" she sighed, and lit up her horn. She personally hated doing something which reminded her of her own experiences in stone, but if it helped put her mind at ease about this garden it was a necessary evil. Twilight's eyes were closed as she surrounded Knowledge with magic, and the last inklings of her previous anxiety were beginning to fade. She lifted her head to the statue's top, and slowly opened her eyes. Twilight instantly seized up, and brought the full force of her perception to the top of the statue's head. She stared at its ears. Unless she was going mad... yes, she must be. That was the only way, wasn't it? No, not mad. She was just mistaken. The hedge maze was directly behind the pony statue, and she must be mistaking a stray branch for something else. Something else green. Something like a pony's twitching, green ear tips. That must be it, right? A tuft of a white cloud floated across the sky between the statue's not-twitching green ears. Twilight had propped herself up on the statue's base to cast her spell, and she slipped as she started shaking again. The unthinkable happened: the little tuft of cloud followed her right out of the clear blue sky, and hung against a green hedge and grey stone backdrop. Twilight righted herself again, but now she was shaking more than ever. The little, fluffy cloud was growing bigger, but now Twilight couldn't deny that it was not a cloud at all. She was looking at a tuft of mane. It hung drooping from the day's lack of wind, and drooped lower still as more stone receded from the statue. Twilight could actually follow it now. A slow peel back to reveal more flesh. The ears were undeniably green now, and were completely free, fluttering madly, agitated. They synced to Twilight's horror like an orchestral conductor. More white fell against green, but it wasn't hair this time. The white was joined by rose and even a touch of black as the stone retreated from the eyes of the statue. Twilight insisted, in fact begged, herself to keep calling Knowledge that. A statue. It was failing, though, and her empty assurances began to be overwhelmed by a new form of denial, far more simplistic and complex all at once: No. Knowledge's eyes were completely free. They darted rapidly as the ears continued to twinge. No. The eyes and ears persisted. Knowledge's mouth was still frozen into a modest smile, and the gross contrast made the face look like a collage; a whole made out of pieces. No, No, No! The stone reached the corners of the lips. They began to try and move, but with the middle section of the mouth still petrified, the effort was, for now, fruitless. For the first time, Twilight noticed that Knowledge's eyes had gone still, locked directly onto her own. She wanted to squeeze either set shut, but seemed just as frozen as the being before her. The mid-section of the statue's lips was finally free, but as much as Twilight wished it, she could hardly call her, Knowledge, a statue anymore. "WHAT HAVE I DONE!?" A dark teal mare's head adorned with a frosting-white mane screamed at Twilight. The voice was strained with age. Not of Knowledge herself, she being rather young looking, but as though the air itself were old; a breath forever held. It mingled with the high tone to create a veritable shriek out of Knowledge’s query. Twilight could have never answered her. "EQUESTRIA, HELP ME!" Knowledge implored using all the oxygen she could muster. Her petrified lungs could obviously offer no support in this regard, and her breathlessness strained her voice further into tearful whimpers. Twilight finally stirred a semblance of movement in herself and called forth her spell again. "S-Stop it!" she stuttered out, finally looking away from the sight of the half-alive pony. Twilight had a fool's hope that her command and her eyes-shut ignorance could dispel the scenario entirely, her desperation primed with enough power to make it so. At her beckoning the stone began to creep again. Twilight's horror had interrupted her remedy spell, and the stone's recession had halted at the base of Knowledge's neck. Now the rock began to reclaim its lost territory. Knowledge stopped thrashing her neck around as it became frozen again at a slight right-side tilt. Twilight risked cracking one eyelid open to watch, and immediately regretted it. The eyes beheld her one more time in a look she would never forget, the face of a total victim, before Knowledge's head turned away entirely. It looked to be trying to pull itself loose as Twilight's spell reversed itself. "NOOOO—" Knowledge mimicked Twilight's previous denial until her mouth halted in place once again. Her gritted, granite teeth were visible through her unnaturally frozen lips, giving her a grimace. The morbid caricature was completed as her eyes snapped open and lost their rose-hued irises against the sweeping sea of grey. The white shore of her mane was swept up in the same tide, and her ears halted in their alert, pricked-up state. Knowledge was silent once more, but the effort of a scream covered her face. Twilight's frame struggled to keep her upright, and she sucked in huge lungfuls of air. Her physical resolve was failing in the face of what had just happened, and the morning's constant magical exertion was catching up to her as well. The lack of remaining strength sent her tumbling backwards into the garden's gravel path. She hardly felt the impact. Her eyes were tiny as she stared straight ahead, sitting on her rump. Twilight's mouth hung slack as if she were about to say something, but the only syllables that passed her lips were those of continued, desperate breaths. They struggled not just for air, but for comprehension. Twilight's entire being thirsted for some other interpretation against the sudden revelation she had experienced, but none could be conjured. As much as she tried not to, she could see the revealed truth like it was in monochrome. After nearly a full minute of shocked breaths passed, another sound escaped Twilight's mouth. Again she seemed about to speak, her lips seizing animation once more, though anypony watching would say there would be nopony around to speak to. But there was somepony around. There were many someponies around, and the one who had put them here... She trusted this mare. Modelled herself after her. She dared to say she even loved her. There had to be some other way to explain all this away. But unfortunately, there was more than just the word of a draconequus as evidence now. Discord sat comfortably, despite his unfortunate posture, upon his pillar. Twilight had pondered as much as anypony else if he was still inside somewhere. A forcible witness to all around him. Now she had her answer; the former subject of talk and joke now a startling truth. Discord could see her, hear her, and ponder her, along with all his other unwilling company. And what Discord heard was what he supposed he himself might be doing if he wasn't petrified. He left the task up to Twilight below him. From the sounds passing over Twilight's now grinning lips, rising from near silent to a crescendo, she was fulfilling it in spades. Amidst her petrified company, Twilight was laughing.