Celestia smiled at the statue, it was beautiful, flawless, and best of all, carved from a single piece of stone, no degradation what so ever. The form was that of something trying to hide itself in a failed manner. The head was bent down to the side and the left leg covering the eyes. It was a wonderful looking statue.
"It's definitely gotta be a gift from my stone mason."
Celestia continued on, taking a few steps at a time between pauses to look at the four newer statues which were just like the one in the royal garden.
"Hmm. Looks like somebody worked overtime! Jack!, I need you!", she continued walking, passing the statues and closing the door behind her.
"Jack! Oh, Jack, my loyal butler, where have you gone?", she called again.
There was no answer.
"Strange. He always comes to my side within the tap of a hoof. Wonder where he could be..."
Celestia shrugged and exited the long hallway of stone pillars, taking flight and landing on the large pedestal up top behind the podium. The crowd before her cheered loudly and she waved her hooves about in an orderly fashion, giving them a gestured thanks. She put her hooves back on the ground and cleared her throat, shutting her eyes and holding a hoof up. The crowd quieted, giving the area a good silence. Celestia took a deep breath and spoke.
"Fellow citizens of Ponyville, Canterlot, all of Equestria, I have to thank you all for cooperating with my laws to make this a perfectly safe land. And I give my welcome to you all for putting up the centuries it took to do so. It was not an easy task, but it was worth it, over a thousand years well spent."
The crowd cheered again.
One of the guards tapped on the Princess's shoulder and she turned.
"We are missing three of the royal guard, no sign of them has been shown, or even heard of, or seen. This is the same for over fifteen of the residents of the castle. Luna has been transported to a new location already, would you like to join her after the ceremony?"
"Why, yes. You don't seem amused at all. And it concerns me."
"I am not to invoke fear in your mind. The most we know is there is no trace of them left."
"That sounds severe. I think I'd like to stay here, if it's ok with you. I do need protection if people are disappearing anyway."
"Yes princess."
The four guards assumed position around the princess in a square, each facing a different direction, making an "X."
The ceremony last a few more minutes without an activity before Celestia spoke again.
"Citizens, citizens. Now that I have your attention. We will feast here in the grand square, a feast to celebrate this land-wide peace!"
The crowd cheered.
"After shall be games, Activities, and festives of fun for everyone!"
The crowd did not lower it's tone.
"Now, let the feast happen, I have other business to attend to."
As if on cue, several chefs appeared from the castle, bringing out platters of food which would feed enough of the crowd twice over.
As the crowd quieted down slightly into conversation between each other, Celestia entered her Castle once more. She passed through the same hall, back to the door to her room. It was open, as should be, but no one inside.
"Twilight? Hmm. I could've swore I asked her to come here.", she smiled.
"Here I am!", Twilight bounded in.
"Ah, Twilight Sparkle! I was beginning to think that you had forgotten!"
"I didn't, but I'm...scared."
"Why do you say that?"
"I thought I saw a statue move earlier."
"Well, did you see it actually move by itself, or someone move it?"
"Thats the thing, I didn't see it, or anyone moving. I just...I dunno."
"Well, you should stop being so worried, you're probably just imagining things."
"Well, As long as you and I are here, do you have any thing going on for a few minutes?"
"Yes, what do you need, Twilight?"
"I found this book that something about a mythical creature, but it only has a name, no description, nothing else, just a name. The book itself is even incomplete, the writer never finished. I don't see how it even got published."
"Well, mind showing me what you are talking about?"
"Oh, I don't have the book, which is kind of...embarrassing, but I remember the name. They are called Weeping Pegasi."
"Well, the name says it, they are crying pegasi!"
"Huh...I can't believe that...How did I even mess that up?"
"Twilight, don't believe everything your read."
"I know, but this wasn't in the fiction section. I'll move it to the fiction section when I go back tomorrow."
"Ok. Now, run along. Oh, have you seen the statues my stone mason made me?"
"Were they in the hallway to the front door?"
"Why, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Those are the ones that scared me."
"But how could they move? They are stone."
"Thats what I'm saying. I guess it really is in my head."
"Well if it makes you feel better, they are on the sides of my door right now.", Celestia smiled.
A few seconds of silence went by.
"Wait a minute.", Celestia started, her smiled disappearing, "They are outside my door."
"Uhm, Celestia, I'm a lot more scared than before, now."
"Well, it's probably just someone playing a joke on you. Probably even me too. But it happens at some events. Though, how do they move them so fast is obvious, they are probably a few unicorn tricksters."
"Thanks Princess.I guess it was a prank all along."
"Your welcome. So did you get that magic tome I asked for?"
"Yeah, it had the spell you needed and everything!"
Twilight walked over to the table, taking a book out of her saddle bag.
"The only requirements are that you must pull a blooded feather from a wing of an alicorn. It's kind of...malicious. Are you trying to hurt someone Princess?"
"Oh, heavens no! This is a healing spell. It can be used to heal the cut wing, or to revive someone from a coma. Or, multiple people, if you have a phoenix feather as well."
How do you know that?"
"Bcause I've studied phoenix magics. It's an extender of magical properties in radius and the amount of uses. Being how it can be used on one person, it will be extended to an entire city a feather!"
"Princess, we're talking about feathers."
"Hmm...You're right! It does sound silly! Now, run along, I have a meeting with a few of the mayors of Equestria."
Twilight nodded and grabbed her saddle bag, trotting shortly out of the room. As she passed the statues, she slowed down, and shivered slight, then hastily made her way out, running outside to meet her friends.
Celestia walked to her door, "A weeping pegasus. Just like these statues."
She looked at each. They were turned slightly towards the door Twilight went out of just ahead, unlike how they were when Celestia saw them at her door just a minute before.
"You are some very interesting statues."
She picked them up using her magic, but it quickly failed and they dropped.
"Hmm? Well, thats odd. Guards!", she called.
Immediately six guards showed up, all standing at attention.
"Take these statues to the garden please."
"Yes Ma'am!", they all sounded off.
Within seconds, they figured out not to move them by magic, and picked them up, bringing them outside.
Celestia smiled.
"Very interesting. Unicorn magic doesn't work on them. So who moved them?"
She walked from her room, following the path that lead to the conference hall. But as she rounded the corner, she stopped and looked up at the statue placed above the large castle doors. It was a pegasus on it's hind legs, rearing up like it was about to charge.
"Guards!", she iddn't take her eyes off of it.
Two guards were at attention now.
"Take that one out too, it'll take some time, but it looks out of place. I want to know who keeps moving them as well. Can't be by unicorn magic, so be on a lookout for pegasi and earth ponies more than unicorns, not too many can pick up a statue as easily enough to move them very quickly."
The guards nodded and proceeded to take down the statue as Celestia began her short walk to the conference room.
