Segment after segment, the four friends made their way in the direction of the main throne room, with each member taking turns conversing among each other. The two who did the most talking were Celestia and Tracey, each of whom tried their best to maintain an air of civility to each other with compliments and insightful inquires as if they were ambassadors to foreign countries trying to properly build a trusting diplomatic relationship.
And while Tracey was by no rights a diplomat, she did feel as if her being here meant she was representing the entire human race. This feeling came to her despite and indeed because of her husband’s long standing partnership with the Equestrian monarchy. He may have been acting as the human mediator one interview at a time, but she knew him better than anyone else and wanted to make sure he stayed in line.
Not only did she already fail in doing just that, but she was now starting to learn that there was someone other than herself who knew quite a bit about Jon.
“It’s so good to see you again, Luna!” Jon reiterated as the four of them continued on their way. While his wife was content talking to the main princess of the castle, Jon took to conversing with her younger sister since she was his first royal interview. “You still doing that thing where you talk in the third person?”
“We-- I mean no... no I do not,” she said after quickly looking away to regain composure. “It is rather nice to see you back in the castle... especially after what happened last time.”
Usually such a reference would be enough to make Jon uncomfortable, but he was now in a place where he could look back on such things and brush them off.
“No kidding... but at least it gave me the chance to interview you,” he reminded. “Speaking of which, am I still stuck in your head?”
Usually hearing her husband say such a thing to another woman would be cause enough for Tracey to demand an explanation and, depending on the situation, feel a bit concerned. However since this was directed at Luna, a mythical being of magical proportions she was left more confused than anything else.
“Excuse me?” Tracey asked in the direction of Luna and Jon, hoping one of them would answer, but before they could the answer came from the pony behind her.
“I believe your husband is referring to when he interviewed my dear sister here in Canterlot,” Celestia answered, causing Tracey to whip around to meet her face to face. “During their segment together, Luna used a spell to absorb all of Jon’s memories.”
“Oh! Oh that’s right!” Tracey said, now having remembered. “So... you really have all of my husband’s memories in your head?”
“Correct,” Luna nodded with Tracey looking over to Jon then back at her with a weak smile.
“In that case I am so, so sorry,” Tracey responded.
“Heeeey!” Jon groaned.
“In any case, I believe it would be beneficial if you knew a little about our kingdom,” Luna offered as all four of them reached the final segment of hallway. “Here in Canterlot we have a few princesses who govern different aspects of Equestrian life. The main rulers of this kingdom are Celestia and I. There was another princess by the name of Cadence but she rules over another kingdom far to the North.”
Tracey found this as informative as it was interesting. Jon was determined to bring the seriousness of this conversation to a screeching halt.
“It’s true! You see, Trace, princesses here in Equestria are kind of like iPhones,” Jon had her consider. “There are different colored models, some bigger than others, and if you’re lucky you can get upgraded to--”
“Honey!” Tracey interrupted as she threw another punch his way; this time with Jon dodging as he knew it was coming from a mile away. “Don’t compare the members of royalty to cellphones!”
“What? That was funny... right?” Jon asked, trying to hold back a laugh by pursing his lips together. “Cooooome on... where’s that smile?”
Looking away, Tracey quickly took a breath and was tempted to laugh at the sight of Celestia herself giggling at Jon’s facetiousness she loved so much. When she returned to facing her husband she caught a glimpse of Luna with a confused look about her bordering on annoyed.
“I’m sorry for my husband’s behavior today,” Tracey said as politely as she could while rubbing the back of her head. “I hope he has not offended you in anyway.”
“It’s quite alright,” Luna responded while Jon sported a look of pure innocence. “By now I am quite use to your husband’s... brand of humor.”
“Well again I’m sorry, he’s been this way for as long as I’ve known him,” Tracey reiterated. “And if I’m to believe his mother he’s been this way since the day he was born.”
“One would think he would change his ways after getting married,” Luna suggested. “Wouldn’t he develop into a more serious adult once his commitment as a husband and father was established?”
Shockingly, the halls of the castle now echoed with the sound of not just Jon laughing out loud but Tracey as well, whose stifled snorting soon turned into a full on laughter while she leaned to the side to grab a hold of Jon for balance, leaving Luna just short enough to witness this bridging of humans above her head.
To some degree, the two pony princesses thought Tracey to be the more mature one in the relationship, but now they were starting to see she was more like her husband than they, or she, cared to admit.
With Tracey calming down well before Jon did, Luna now saw her leaning on one knee to place a hand on her royal shoulder.
“Honey... oh honey you’ve never been married,” Tracey accurately assumed with Jon still holding his sides. “Men... men never change.”
As if on autopilot, Jon was still walking forward with the group despite being unable to see very well with the tears in his eyes. When he finally managed to calm himself down and adjust his vision he almost missed the fact that he and his friends were now in a new room.
For Jon, this large rotunda spanning multiple levels with large staircases on either side and hallways that branched out to different sections of the castle wasn’t shocking to him anymore since he had been here before.
The golden statues, numerous pillars, and perfectly textured walls which seemed to go on forever were so common place to him now he barely even noticed them anymore. About the only thing that even remotely surprised him was that it was completely empty rather than bursting with ponies, which he chalked up to Celestia ordering the area clear for them.
The only ones present besides themselves were more royal guards which were the same in number as from the hallway but were so spread out they were hard to notice, especially with their refusal to break protocol and move, making them seem more like statues than ponies.
Tracey on the other hand was paralyzed with how radiant everything looked. She felt like she was a gladiator in a coliseum with her opponent ready to step out of any given corridor, but the sterile white walls, golden fixtures, and tapestry both on the floor and hanging from the ceiling told her she was in a royal room.
“Welcome to the heart of the castle,” Celestia said as she motioned everyone to venture further while she played tour guide. “Up ahead you’ll see a small staircase which leads to the throne room and, depending on which hall you take, one can easily find themselves in the castle’s main ballroom where we throw our galas and other royal festivities.”
Too surprised to speak, Tracey just followed her royal highness who was slowly making her way to the left rather than forward for a change, the group now passing through an archway and into a segment of the castle overlooking a lower level like a balcony. This new area, which curved into a quarter circle, lead to another archway which was the quickest way into the mess hall.
The room directly below them was a large gallery-like section which looked like any other open space in the castle just with more things to look at. It was littered with encased royal objects, suits of armor, and large paintings and benches for people to sit as if it was a museum. There was an elevated section in the center easily reachable by adjacent ladders and the outer perimeter surprisingly wasn’t comprised of more walls but rather large glass windows that showed the Canterlot Castle Garden which was larger than a football field.
“We however have a whole day of delightful activities ahead of us, so for now we will be heading to the royal banquet hall where we will feast on only the finest Equestrian dishes!” Celestia stated, which made Jon shudder in disgust at the idea of an all vegan meal. “Then we will briefly retire where we will be fitted with the proper wardrobe so that we may attend the after dinner entertainments. Tonight’s festivities will be at our theatrical hall where we will be treated to a lovely show by the world renowned orchestra team The--”
“Wait, orchestra?” Jon interrupted. “You’re telling me you booked... an entire orchestra?”
“Indeed we have!” Celestia assured him. “It’s the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra who were gracious enough to set up a private show on our behalf. We will listen to their award winning five-hour long 23rd symphony.”
“Oh wow,” Jon said in complete shock. “That sounds... lovely. Too bad though I was really uh... hoping to hear their 22nd symphony instead. That one’s my favorite.”
“Not a problem,” Celestia said. “We’ll have them play that one as well.”
“I... gee, thanks,” Jon said, flailing his arms in frustration just out of sight. He cursed himself for having made such a joke.
“Anything for a good friend!” she said, feeling proud that she was able to make Jon’s day. “Of course, that won’t actually take place till much later. We still have to go to the gallery.”
“Gallery?” both Jon and Tracey said with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
“My sister thought it would be a delight to show you two our rich culture,” Luna answered. “So afterwards we’ll meet up at our historical art wing where we’ll show you each piece we’ve collected over our thousands of years of existence. One by one of course.”
“That sounds wonderful!” Tracey exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Jon said at the prospect of looking at a millennium's worth of pictures. “Wonderful.”
“After that I have scheduled us for a brief stay at the castle planetarium where we’ll gaze at the heavens while listening to a lecture on planetary motions by our expert in astronomy,” Celestia continued. “And then, when you’re feeling up to it, we’ll make our way to the Canterlot Royal Spa where we’ll be--”
“Wait a minute,” Jon interrupted almost frantically. “Did you say spa?!”
“Oh dear! I can’t believe I let that slip!” Celestia said embarrassedly. “This was supposed to be a surprise but yes I have scheduled us for a few hours of well-deserved pampering. I wasn’t going to at first but not too long ago I was told by Rarity how much you enjoyed it when you were in Ponyville. I even got their local spa twins to personally apply their regiment on you. Apparently you highly recommended them.”
He remembered that day quite clearly in fact. Well enough to know that the ride was happening all over again. Only this time on a celestial scale.
“But of course, that all comes later,” she continued. “For now we should eat. Which reminds me, are you familiar with Equestrian table etiquette? Because if you are not I can get somepony here to briefly--”
“Hey Celestia?!” Jon called out desperately, causing all three ladies to realize he had lagged behind. For a moment he looked around frantically before leaning over the ivory rails separating them from a long fall downward and pointing forward. “What’s uh... what’s that place over there?”
Looking far off into the distance, the rest of the group noticed what Jon was referring to. In the middle of the giant front garden was a large wall of foliage which stood out blazingly since it was in the center of the field and took up a great deal of room.
From where they stood the two humans had a good idea of what it might be but as the royal inhabitants of the castle Celestia and Luna knew exactly what it was he was referring to.
“Oh that... it’s nothing really, just a little amusement area for those visiting the gardens,” Celestia answered.
“It’s something we added not long ago and is a fan favorite for those who visit the castle for recreation,” Luna added, “which is why it’s located in front of the royal archive room.”
“Funny how something instantly sounds fancier when you add the prefix ‘royal’ in front of it,” Jon commented.
“Yes, well, as lovely as it is I’m afraid you’re not allowed to go there at this moment,” Luna advised, causing Jon to turn his gaze away from it and back onto them. “No pony is permitted in the gardens without supervision.”
“That is correct,” Celestia added, “and as it stands most of the castle staff and crew are on break today so that we can be your personal guides ourselves.”
“I... I see,” Jon said as something crossed his mind; an idea born out of desperation which was as risky as it was cliche, but at this point he was willing to try anything.
“Now then, if that’s all cleared up...” Celestia continued, pausing for a moment to hear out any more objections. “Allow me to escort the two of you to our next location.”
“Uh yeah, sure, we’re gonna have lunch now, right?” Jon asked as he took a step forward. “Oh boy, I can’t wait too... uuuugh.”
Holding onto his stomach, Jon lurched forward, falling on one knee and placing his hand against the railing to try and steady himself. The first to notice this familiar moaning was Tracey who immediately turned back around to see her husband doubled over in pain with a face like something was tearing his stomach apart from the inside out.
This sight alone was enough to get the devoted wife to break the castle’s spell over her and rush to his side.
“Honey!” she cried out. “A-are you okay?!”
“Goodness Jon, what’s the matter?!” Celestia added, following close behind.
“It’s alright, it’s alright.” Jon waved his hand for them to back off. “I’m fine, it’s just... I think all that laughter from before made my upset stomach worse.”
“Wait, what?!” Tracey asked, concerned at the thought of Jon hiding some kind of ailment from her all this time. “W-w-what are you talking about?!”
“I do believe Jon here is referring to when I teleported you two to our world,” Celestia suggested. “Some humans experience it differently and in the case of your husband his side effect is a mild case of stomach ailment.”
“Oh... y-yes, that makes sense,” Tracey said as she rubbed her still slightly throbbing head, now more relaxed at the prospect that Jon was only suffering from a stomach ache. But she was still concerned. “You going to be alright sweetie?”
“Yeah, yeah I’ll... be fine.” Jon gulped after a quick gagging reflex caused him to cover his mouth with his hand and place the other across his stomach.
Slowly he shuffled to a nearby marble bench where he sat down and leaned his head back to make it easier for him to breath.
“Do you require us to get a medic?” Luna asked. “You seem to be in great pain.”
“No no, I’ll be fine,” Jon insisted to her by standing up only to quickly sit back down. “I just need a minute for the room to stop spinning... you guys go on ahead and I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”
“You sure?” Tracey asked.
“Positive babe... don’t let me keep you from having a good time,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you three soon.”
After a quick session of exchanged looks the three decided to concede to his request just as Jon planned.
“Very well then... we will continue without you for now,” Celestia said as she turned to make her way to the next room with her sister close behind and Tracey still lingering. “If you need help feel free to ask... in the meantime we’ll be in the third room on the left.”
Still Tracey did not move but rather looked like she was about to join her husband on the bench.
“I’ll be fine!” Jon reiterated as he shooed her with his hand. “Go on ahead, I’ll be there soon!”
“Well... okay.” Tracey finally gave up by leaning in for a kiss and rushing off to catch up with the two sisters as she called out to him. “Don’t take too long!”
With a wave, Jon waited in his seat till all three turned a corner and were completely out of sight. After waiting a few seconds longer to make sure they were really gone, Jon leaned to the side just in case someone else could see him. He was now completely alone. Then and only then did Jon jump up from his seat effortlessly and brush off the dust from his clothes, chuckling to himself.
He may not have been as young as he used to be but his acting talent was still sharp enough to fool even his wife. He still got it.
“Too easy.” Jon sighed as all traces of his ailment seemingly vanished. “But now comes the hard part.”
Usually such deception was used to get out of meeting the in-laws or having to attend another parent-teacher conference, and this was no different.
Vegan food? Dressing up? Fancy orchestral music? As Jon thought about these things he could only grimace. He got up to lean over the balcony, and for a moment he even felt nauseous. “This… is really not how I wanted the day to go,” he said quietly to himself.
But as unpleasant as all this sounded there was no way he was going to ruin it for Tracey. The look on her face said it all, she was loving every minute of it. However that didn’t mean that Jon was quite ready to meet his fate of proper etiquette and fine dining. Such things were unbecoming for someone from New Jersey after all. For the time being at least he just wanted to relax a bit before continuing with Celestia’s plan, and as he gazed outward his eyes fell upon the perfect place to do so uninterrupted.
“Well... since I have a few moments.” Jon sighed as he quietly made his way back into the main room from before and towards the flight of stairs within. “I’m at least getting some fresh air first.”
Jon felt a bit guilty about what he was about to do, since Luna had said the gardens were closed off from the public, though he didn’t see what harm a little stroll could do. Besides, the fact that it was off-limits meant he would go uninterrupted.
Stretching his arms above his head, the tired comedian made his way to the stairs and unlike the last time he headed downwards to the gallery just below. From there the entrance to the gardens was but a few feet away which Jon made a beeline for, but not before making sure no one saw him.
However unbeknownst to him there was someone nearby. Someone who not only witnessed his quick revival but was close behind, watching his every move. Someone who considered himself very lucky that Jon not only decided to break away from his royal chaperones but to venture forth into a location where there were no witnesses.
Jon might have been a trickster but he was no match for the force hovering unseen from on high, watching him and, like a trap door spider, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Usually the gardens of Canterlot Castle were the most visited spot for tourists to explore whenever the castle was open to the public, which was most days. As such, it normally had more guards stationed who, unlike their brothers in certain parts of the castle, were allowed to walk around.
Had this been any other day, sneaking into the gardens would have required Jon to duck and hide behind cover, strategically dashing from chest high wall to enormous sculpture in a stealthy display of concealment that would have been murder on his elderly back.
Thankfully Celestia spoke the truth as there was nary a soul to be found in the lush forest-like environment that was the Canterlot Castle Garden. Aside from the occasional singing canary or scavenging squirrel there wasn’t a creature around to disturb Jon, leaving him free to explore wherever he wanted.
“Now this is more like it!” Jon said out loud without fear of being caught. For a brief moment he had wondered why he had wanted to do this, but now that he was here he was promptly reminded.
He took a deep breath. Jon loved the fresh air and verdant scenery almost as much as the smell of foreign plants invading his nostrils. He was a city boy at heart true, but even so he enjoyed the occasional trip to the countryside which truthfully only ever happened when he visited this world.
The soothing atmosphere of being surrounded by flower beds, looming trees, wild animals, and pony-made lakes was all the more enjoyable for the fact that if he wanted he could turn right around and in a few minutes be back in the royal castle where he would be pampered to his heart’s content. Well… not so much considering what Celestia had planned for him, but the principle remained.
Like camping he was alright with nature so long as he knew he had all the amenities of civilization as a back up. But this wasn’t why he was here. Sure the flourishing surroundings were a nice change of pace, if a bit overwhelming at times, but they weren’t the reason he played a trick on two gods and his wife-- the latter of which he feared more than anything else if caught.
He was still very much aware that despite this moment of peace the rest of the day was to be exhaustingly filled with looking at fine art, discussions of current events with the sisters, and whatever else royal types enjoy doing. He shuddered at the thought. If he was back in his early twenties this would be the perfect time to sneak a quick smoke, but for the time being he settled for a relaxing stroll along the garden paths.
The further Jon walked towards the heart of the enclosure the more he saw the large section of hedge that caught his attention from so far away, which looked like a large portion of wall got covered in vines and shrubs, making it all but impossible to ignore. He had his theories as to what it was which is why he eventually decided to head towards it rather than stopping to smell any of the literal roses scattered about.
All main paths lead to this monument which upon nearing he realized wasn’t as massive as he thought, and after crossing a small bridge (which was built not so much for the sake of convenience but rather as a decorative piece) Jon was now standing in front of it.
It wasn’t terribly tall, rising only a few inches above his head, but it stretched out for several dozen feet in either direction before taking a sharp turn, giving Jon the impression that it was a giant square. There was no need on his part however to go around it since there was an entrance as well as a sign only a few feet away from him, an entrance which revealed several narrow hallways of similar leafy walls and a sign which read “Canterlot Castle Hedge Maze.”
Turns out Jon was right the entire time.
“A hedge maze,” Jon confirmed out loud as he peaked his head into the entrance, revealing a seemingly endless inner working of corridors in no way differentiated from the last. “Yep, I knew it.”
Jon had to admit he had been curious about why this area was off-limits, but now it all made sense. The reason no one was allowed back here seemed like an arbitrary rule at the time but after giving it some thought he came to the conclusion that perhaps it would be best if tourists were allowed back here only with officials nearby.
It also helped make sense as to why the castle was littered with royal guards. Aside from the fact that their jobs involved defending the royal family their being stationed everywhere would also be beneficial to anyone who got lost in those giant, often confusing hallways. The same could be said for the gardens with an actual maze.
Surely the threat of getting lost in a labyrinth would be cause for concern. This made an incredible amount of sense for Jon, so with his curiosity satisfied he turned around and decided to face the music and make his way back to the castle before it was discovered that he was missing.
But like with a conspiracy theorist or someone who is scared of eating at public restaurants, Jon slowly began to feel like there was something going on behind the scenes that he wasn’t seeing. It was then that another idea crossed his mind-- or, rather, it was then an idea was implanted in his mind.
“What’s inside this maze?” Jon thought to himself as he turned around just a few inches away from the bridge and made his way back to the entrance. “What’s really going on here?”
Perhaps one’s safety wasn’t the only reason for his not being allowed to venture here unescorted. Maybe the reason Celestia didn’t want Jon to know of this structures’ existence was because she was hiding something from him.
This idea was ludicrous even for Jon to consider, but without her being here he realized that he couldn't get the answer straight from the horses’ mouth, so to speak. And as it stood Jon knew what a maze was for, that being to hide something, usually in the very center. Like before, curiosity got the better of him.
Without his better half present to talk some sense into him, Jon decided to follow his sometimes not so trustworthy instincts and seize the moment by dashing head first into the garden’s hedge maze. Jon was determined not to leave until the maze revealed its secrets to him, secrets which he wasn’t even sure existed nor had he cared about till just a few moments ago, but he maintained his resolve nonetheless with the promise to himself that he’d find out what it was, get out, and meet up with the group before anyone found out.
Walking straight ahead till he hit the wall, Jon turned to his left and decided to continue before shortly making a right. He wanted to make sure that every step he took brought him closer to the center where he was sure he would find his answer.
“You can do this Jon,” he assured himself as he rounded another corner of samey looking grass walls. “Just pick a path and follow it.”
In the days to come, Jon would look back on this decision with slight regret as well as humor. For all he knew this extravagant maze of leaves and branches was just what it looked like, a whimsical little attraction with no underhanded implication behind it, but he was nevertheless willing to see what was going on if only to satisfy any lingering doubts.
He almost felt like the decision to enter wasn’t entirely his own, but at the same time he ventured forward with the knowledge that no matter what happened he would easily get back out. While some ponies had the ability to teleport or fly their way out if they so chose, Jon had his own advantage.
Being from New York he knew his way around and in time became a keen expert in the art of giving direction and memorizing street layout. Even to this day people forget that he grew up in New Jersey and only lived in The Big Apple later in life, forcing him to get acquainted with its confusing terrain.
What this meant in terms of his present predicament was that he memorized each path he took so if the time came where he needed to retrace his steps and head for the exit or if he reached a dead end and had to pick a new route he knew exactly how to get back.
Another added bonus that came naturally to him was the fact that he was human and as such was three times taller than any given pony. This meant that all it took was a quick hop and he could see clear over the hedge and gauge just how far away he was from either the center or the exit. Whenever he did this he realized just how large the maze was but more often than not he did this to see where he was so if by some uncharacteristic turn of events he did find himself lost he was always one quick jump in the air away from once again getting his bearings.
And if none of these advantages helped him he could just brute force his way through the problem. After spending what seemed like ten minutes walking path after path, Jon got the bright idea of sticking his hand completely through a wall to see if it was pure foliage, reinforcing the notion that if all else fails he could always solve his problem by pretending to be The Juggernaut.
With so many different forms of escape holstered and ready to use at any time, Jon felt confident in trying to unravel the mystery of the maze with equal odds of it either being something truly spectacular or nothing at all. But still he pressed on to the middle which on numerous occasions he thought he had found.
The way this labyrinth was constructed wasn’t all paths and dead ends but rather some routes led him to areas which served as resting points for weary travelers. Some sectioned off locations included an area full of picnic tables, a large area with a lavish water fountain and wishing coins in its pond, and a few that just had benches for a quick break.
Not only that but the paths themselves were also occupied by wondrous royal objects, usually in the form of some kind of statue or stone archway which were meant to add some spice to the constant scene of green but in practice made Jon’s adventure easier as he viewed them as helpful landmarks.
It got to the point that if Jon saw a path leading to one of these closed off areas he would ignore it and carry on since he knew they were nothing more than fancy dead-ends. Such was the case when at one point Jon was walking down a particularly long stretch of maze when he saw that there were two turning points coming up: one heading left and the furthest one heading right. As he continued walking with heavy breathe he slowed down slightly to catch a glimpse of the first corner which lead to a tiny pocket of land which only held one small bench.
Quickly he ignored it and reached the end which took a sharp right. Again this proved to be a dead-end, only this one being a more traditional impasse with nothing to show for it other than no more paths available, forcing Jon to backtrack to the last point where he would have to choose which alternative route to take.
With a sigh of annoyance, Jon turned around to face the long path he now had to go back down. Along the way he looked to his right at the small bench in the closed off section out of habit before continuing on his way. He was about to let out another sigh of contempt when something caused him to stop in his tracks.
“Wait,” Jon said aloud. “W... what the hell?”
Turning around, Jon looked back at the entrance to the room which contained a single stone bench. It didn’t register at first since he was in a hurry but at that moment he realized something. There was someone else in there.
“Did... what was that?” Jon thought as he tip-toed his way towards the room, being extremely careful not to make a sound. Since he was in a rush he only caught a glimpse of the area but he was sure he saw something that wasn’t there before.
With his back to the wall, Jon didn’t exactly know how to proceed from here, so he did what every teenage girl in a horror movie did when presented with this very same scenario.
“Hello?” Jon called out in the direction of the cleared out area. “Is anybody there?”
When he didn’t get a response he slowly reached into his pocket and produced his phone- not to call for help, but to demonstrate the might that was human technology. With a steady hand he reached out and took a picture and quickly recoiled his hand as if he was scared whatever was in there was going to grab him.
Quickly he looked at his phone’s screen to see what it captured which was mostly ground due to him not having a good view of where he was aiming, but what he did see was the bottom half of what was inside waiting for him which still didn’t make any sense.
“What the...” Jon said under his breath. He no longer felt in danger but he was still confused. Jon steadily made his way into the area half expecting it to be empty and yet there it was. “Now how did you get here?”
Standing right behind the bench, carved out of some kind of solid stone, was a statue, a statue depicting a beast almost twice the size of the walls but hunched over like it was attacking anyone who sat down in front of it. This in itself wasn’t enough to phase Jon since it was just some carving, but what got him scratching his head was the fact that he didn’t remember seeing this when he passed the room the first time around.
Now standing directly in front of it, Jon was certain that he would have noticed this thing; the statue depicting a monster the likes of which he had never laid eyes on before. This beast had a long, noodle body which was broken up into segments belonging to different animals.
It had one wing of a bat and the other of a bird, while upon its head was the antler of a deer along with the horn of a goat, one arm was the claw of a falcon and the other the paw of a lion, the left hoof of a goat complemented with the right leg of a lizard, and its tail was of a dragon while its body was covered in fur.
“Yeesh!” Jon commented as he gave it the once over. “You ain't winning no beauty pageants anytime soon.”
The more he looked at it the more he thought it looked somewhat familiar. Ignoring its seemingly random appearance, Jon sat down on the bench so he could get a good look at the inscription on the plaque that was located at the base of the statue’s plinth.
“‘Here lies the petrified body of Discord God of Chaos,’” Jon read. “‘Trapped in a stone prison by the Elements of Harmony for all eternity.’”
Suddenly it all came flying back. Although he never learned in full detail about this famous Equestrian villain he did know bits and pieces, at least enough to know the general details.
“Oooooh so that’s who you are!” Jon announced as he reached over to knock on its stony surface. “I guess this is what happens when you mess with Twilight and her friends.”
With a laugh at the monster’s expense, Jon turned in his seat and laid back using the imprisoned monster as his lumbar support. He knew vaguely how dangerous this creature was but now that it had been rendered lifeless he felt a lot easier about the situation, though he still pondered as to how it got here.
“Hmm... maybe I didn’t notice it?” Jon wondered to himself as his legs begged him to remain seated. Whipping out his phone, Jon checked the time to see how late it was. “I don’t know, I’m just... I’m tired.”
With a yawn, Jon tried to get up, but the second he did the sun touched the tip of his head, reminding him of how much cooler it was under the statue’s shadow. It was then that he decided to forget about whether or not this statue was here prior on the basis that it probably was and he was in too much a hurry to notice the first time around.
After all, statues can’t move.
“Yeah that’s probably it,” Jon agreed with himself as his eyelids began to feel heavy and he failed to hold back another yawn. “I’ll just uh... I’ll leave as soon as uh... I’ll just take a quick five minute break then it’s off to... wherever it is I’m going.”
Soon the sound of birds chirping and woodland creatures scurrying about wasn’t the only thing that could be heard from the maze, added to it was the ogreish sound of Jon’s snoring as he drifted away into a carefree sleep. A sleep so deep he didn't even notice the statue slowly wrapping its fingers around his head. Had Jon been more caught up with his Equestrian history he would have known that the thing behind him was no statue.
It was too late; his dreams were about to be breached.