Author's Note

Twilight does an entry on gargoyles with a... unwitting accomplice. Afterwards she gets quite the surprise from the current reigning Princess. It's hard work ruling the country on your own. One tends to get... testy.

WARNING: Cozy Glow is a statue during this. She is no longer a living, breathing, pony. Her rights as a living, breathing anything are gone. She is just a statue. Statues have no say in their lives. Thus, Cozy becomes Gargoyle Food.

Sometimes Stoney Stomachs

Twilight stared at Princess Luna for a long time. Longer than most ponies would usually be comfortable with.

“While Celestia is… indisposed…” Luna paused to cast a long stare at Discord. “I will be assisting you with your update of the Bestiary. You say your next entry is gargoyles. Then I have the perfect volunteer.” A clack of her hoof on the throne and the doors to the garden swung open.

Two guards wheeled in part of the newest decoration to adorn the labyrinth. The statue had been separated months ago. As a precaution, in case they are ever freed. The statue that was Cozy Glow stared the five ponies in the face. “You also have come at a perfect time,” The princess of the night said as the room slowly darkened. “Gargoyles only become active at night.”

As she spoke, several statues around the throne room sprang to life. Some looked like stone apes with small bat wings and tiny goat horns on their heads. Others looked like stone ponies. One stood out. The one that stood above the throne. It was much larger than the others around the room. Its head was that of a dragon. It had a body similar to the ape like ones. Adorning the end of its arms were dragon like claws. Its feet were cloven hooves and a narrow tail ending in a spade unwrapped from around them.

The gargoyle dropped from its pedestal and stared at the ponies in front of it. It looked at the five of them for a long time before round on Discord and roaring. The sound was like boulders crashing down a mountain, only muted. “He is a guest.” Luna said and the roar silenced. “We have a task for you.”

The gargoyle turned and looked at Luna before bowing. “Swallow that one. Whole. Do not chew it,” The lunar princess said, and the massive gargoyle followed the point of her hoof to the small statue of Cozy Glow. It turned back to look at her, confused. It had never gotten to eat a pony statue before. “You may keep it.” The gargoyle blinked, staring at Luna for a moment before leaping on the statue of Cozy Glow. The guards jumped aside as the gargoyle lunged.

Twilight and her friends watched as the massive hulking creature of stone lifted the statue of the young filly and dropped it into its stone maw. The sound of it swallowing was like wet stone sliding against wet stone. Its throat bulged, seeming to crack in places before resealing as the bulge that formed Cozy Glow disappeared past its collarbones. The stomach bulged out, cracking badly before the cracks resealed.

Twilight stared. It was over too quickly. She hadn’t even really seen anything. “Princess… that was… to fast. Even if I’d been taking notes, I couldn’t really see anything,” Twilight said and Luna tapped her chin. “Make it swallow me too. Slowly.”

“I will not. Thou art a friend, Twilight Sparkle. I shalt compromise. It may swallow one of thine drones, slowly, and thou shalt take notes,” Luna said. Twilight stared at Luna for a moment before nodding. Pinkie had been prepared. When Twilight turned to her case, Pinkie held out a drone. Twilight smiled as Luna silently conversed with the massive gargoyle. They were smart. Or at least had some form of intelligence. The massive creature eventually nodded and walked over to Twilight, holding out one massive hand for the drone.

Twilight placed the drone in its hand and watched as the stone creature examined the drone. When it found the camera, it placed the drone in its mouth with the camera facing backwards. It then stood there, as if waiting. Twilight paused for a moment, watching for any drool. When none came, she went to the case and powered on the drone. “Ok. You can swallow it now. Slowly.” The gargoyle blinked once and tipped its head back. The drone slid, slowly, into the gargoyle’s throat.

Twilight could see everything. Every flex and pulse of the, what was supposed to be, stone throat. It was like watching any of the other documentary videos in gray scale. The bulge of the gargoyle’s throat as it swallowed the drone moved slowly. It was perfect.

Twilight took notes on every little detail. The smoothness of the throat’s interior as well as the cracks of the exterior that immediately resealed as the bulge passed. The dry, lolling tongue of the gargoyle. Even Pinkie actively putting her hoof in the gargoyle’s throat to test the dry-ness. It was during that moment that the gargoyle looked to Princess Luna as if asking if this pony was a meal as well. Luna shook her head and the gargoyle stood still while Pinkie examined the inside of its mouth.

She even pushed her hoof into its throat, climbing up onto it so her entire hoof could be in the throat. Twilight took notes of that too. The gargoyle was stone solid everywhere, except for the throat. The bulge of Pinkie’s hoof as she pushed the camera drone into the waiting stomach. There was no expected shlork of Pinkie’s hoof coming out. Just a dull click as her hoof connected with a tooth. It didn’t chip, even a little.

The drone entered the gargoyle’s stomach and focused on Cozy Glow’s face. At least what was left of it. The stomach acids inside the gargoyle had made quick work of the statue, melting it down into what looked like wet cement. Twilight remembered from an old entry about gargoyles in the Canterlot archives. They didn’t produce fecal matter. Gargoyles didn’t have to relieve themselves. Anything they devoured, no matter the sediment density, would simply pool into more stone inside the gargoyle.

After thousands of years, the gargoyle would completely solidify, becoming nothing more than a statue. This gargoyle was thousands of years old. Simply judging from the size of it. It would take thousands more years for it to solidify. The statue that was Cozy Glow was missing a large portion of its body and half of its head. The head had broken off at some point before the drone arrived.

Twilight watched as the acids melted down the rest of the statue formerly known as Cozy Glow. She began to wonder if her drone would survive a full trip. Her answer came when the camera started to become fuzzy. Quickly, she teleported the memory file out of the drone and into another one. If a gargoyle’s stomach acids could break down steel just as easily as stone, even a protection spell wouldn’t stand a chance.

It dawned on Twilight that there was a large reason Canterlot Castle had stood so long, even before Celestia had taken over as Princess. A very large reason. The gargoyle stared at her for a time before Luna ordered it to return to its position. “You all may stay here for the night. My guards will show you to your rooms. Twilight Sparkle, accompany me please.” Luna ordered. Twilight’s friends all bid her goodnight as they followed the guards out of the antechamber. Twilight fell into step with Luna as the Princess left the building and entered the garden.

“Tell me truly Twilight. Did my sister volunteer to allow herself to be devoured by Discord?” Luna asked once they were alone. Even the guards had let them enter the garden alone. They would watch the entrances.

“She did. And not long after, Fluttershy was… eaten… by his… uhm…” Twilight blushed, unable to actually say it.

“I see. And everything is still alright? He is not plotting anything nefarious or attempting to conquer Equestria?” Luna asked. Twilight paused for a moment. She wasn’t entirely sure. He’d promised he wasn’t and that he was just having some chaotic fun. Naughty chaotic fun.

“It is. He promised that he would release Fluttershy in a week.”

“And my sister?”

“He wasn’t specific… but he said decades.” Luna groaned as she covered her face with her wings. The two stood in silence for a while before Luna’s wings returned to her sides.

“Very well. Inform Discord that I expect him to assist me with ruling Equestria. In the same way that Celestia would. The exact same way. No chaos, no changing things to benefit him. He will assist me in the exact same manner that Celestia would. Raising and lowering the sun, attending morning court, dealing with delegates and nobles, attending banquets and meals. Nothing Chaotic. Be very specific. Should he disagree… I am certain we can release both Celestia and Fluttershy before we return him to a stone prison for eternity,” Luna said and Twilight blinked. She’d never seen Luna this serious before.

“Alright… I’ll do that,” Twilight said, and Luna nodded.

“Before that… however…” The pause in Luna’s voice made Twilight stop. She turned around to ask if the princess was ok only for her vision to be surrounded by dark navy blue that gave way to pink. “I wish to have some fun… you may put this in your documentary.” Luna’s voice was muffled but near. Twilight knew exactly where she was. Rather than struggling or fighting, she simply relaxed. Luna wouldn’t hurt her.

Some muscle clenches and squeezes, a bit of wriggling and squirming. Eventually Luna got every bit of Twilight she could into her slit and tucked away inside her womb. Twilight would be safe there for the night. If a guard asked… well, Luna liked picking new guards to replace old ones that “retired”. Turning and walking out of the gardens, she almost hoped that at least three guards would question why she was so large.

She reached her bedchamber with only one companion. He would suffice for the night.