//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: A Little Hoarse 
// Story: Lost Marbles 
// by Beta Breakout 
//------------------------------//

	I looked at the tattoos and was slightly scared, then I realized I sleep in shorts. Someone could've just slapped it on without the slap while I was asleep. Also, my friends have gotten tattoos before and were red all over from the process while this one didn't have any redness. I took a washcloth and ran it under the sink, then rubbed it against the ink. Then I rubbed harder, this time with soap. Then I got the tea tree oil. None of them worked, but now it was red. I guess I got what I hoped for at first.

Now I've got a few hundred questions, but I think I'll leave it at three:

One, how the heck did this get here? Last time I checked, I didn't have three circles, which I presume are marbles, on my thighs. I don't even like needles! Infact, I hate needles! And I don't think I've been incapacitated since when I woke up! This wasn't here when I was changing from my pajamas, that's for sure!

Second, I've been in this apartment all day, so who could've done it? Definitely wasn't me or my sister. She does extreme pranks, but not this extreme!

Third, why me? I've got nothing that would make me look like I love marbles or something. I played them when I was little, but that's all! There's nothing more to it than that!

Well, I guess time will tell. Speaking of time, Maddy should be home soon. I should ask her about these; we might not be best friends, but we still tell each other things that we've kept close to our hearts. After all, we are family.

And as if on queue, there she is! She seems kinda frustrated though; but then again, she always looks that way. Maybe I should tell her later and just let her vent to me for now. I sat on the table to wait for her to cool down a bit. Maybe she got an angry customer? A batch of bread sticks gone awry?

"I've got a limestone pun tattooed on me."

... Well then. Looks like I don't need to wait. "Hey sis, I'm in the same boat as you. I've got marbles on my thighs." At this, she turned to meet my eyes, looked down, then back at me.

"Huh." was all she had to say about that. "Any idea of how to get them off? I'm stumped after trying some really sneaky crap in the bathroom there."

I shrugged. "I dunno, I tried using a wet washcloth and soap; even tea tree oil couldn't do anything to it." With that, she just sat down with a sigh.

"At least we can hide it. Not like I'll be taking off my pants in front of others any time soon." she chuckled. "As for you..."

"NOPE." I cut her off. She just laughed. There's only one person I have a crush on and she isn't interested in me because of how terribly I keep a schedule.

"Well, I don't know your life!" she kidded. "But do you know when they got there?"

"I mean, it had to be from this morning after I got dressed to around ten minutes ago. I saw mine by then."

"I saw mine around 2:30 when I had to change after a drink mishap. Don't ask." Ya know, I didn't really care. Then she asked me not to ask and now I'm curious. I guess I'll ask later; more pressing things going on.

"So, any ideas of what to do about these?"

She scoffed at the question. "Just keep them covered. They're just painless tattoos, right? We can schedule an appointment with some tattoo parlor to see if we can get these off later. Hungry?" She ended up bringing some food and knowing her, it's in top condition.

"Sure, why not."



-=8=-



So after the late lunch, we just talked a bit more about the tattoos and described what they looked like to save any possible mental scarring, just in case. Hers' is a half of a lime over some rocks. I have to say whatever this is, it seems to be slightly stone related. She ended up going to her room and taking a nap while I was the one to clean up, of course. I can't judge though; she is the one who pays the bills and brings the food. I've gotta do something to even it out.

As I rinsed the containers and put them in the recycling, I realized that something else was different. I couldn't quite tell, but it felt obvious for some reason. At the same time, I couldn't care less about it. I just finished cleaning up and decided to take a nap of my own; after all, I didn't get the best night's sleep, did I? I plopped onto my bed and just laid there for a bit, pondering what this tattoo could mean. Maybe it was just some strange nuclear reaction gone wrong and hit us? I dunno; I just wanna sleep.





"Marble, you need to stay here and stay safe with Lime. Cloudy and I will take a look around. Keep this pager near by and you'll hear what you need to, is that clear?"

"Mm hm..." I put the device in my satchel.

"Good. I love you all..." He hugged me close, knowing this might be the last time I see him. I saw tears form in his eyes as he pulled away. Then he left with Mamma. I knew tears were falling from my eyes, but I knew I would have to be strong. First thing I needed to do was find Limestone. Maud was down in Ponyville when Discord attacked and we haven't gotten word about any casualties from nearby family, but I had a bad feeling in my stomach that she was gone.

I had to find Lime. She'd been mining for double her normal shift and should be heading back now. I went to the cave where we harvest most of our gems from and picked up a mining helmet. I hadn't been down this cavern in about a month, so I knew things would be different. I headed down the main path trying to find any sign of Lime, but there wasn't any. That just meant that I needed to go deeper. I headed down our rope elevator and looked for a light. It took around ten minutes of searching to find a light along with a radio buzzing, saying different names and a sound I thought I'd never hear in a thousand years.

I found my way down the mine shaft to find Lime next to her radio she keeps with her, but she was different. She's been crying. I listened to the radio, hearing the names of different ponies. One could only assume what happened to each of them. It took all of my might not to cry with her, but I knew there was a more important matter in our hooves.

"...Lime?" She didn't even stir. "Please, Lime. We... we need to-"

"Leave me here. I'll die with my farm." The d-word has been dropped. Tears started welling in my eyes.

"...No. I'm not leaving you here." My voice began to falter. "You know I can't..." Still no movement. I listened in on the radio again.

'-Clover... Lucky Star... Lyrica Lilac... Masquerade Ball... Maud Pie...' And this is where I break down. The tears started flowing down my face and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm sorry Pop, I tried to be strong. I sat next to Lime and just let it out. She had just stopped her tears as I came, but she was still clearly saddened.

She stood up and shut off the radio, then got in front of me. She lifted my chin and swept me hair out of my face to face her. "Marble, stop crying." She paused and let me calm down a little bit. "Do you know what that means?" I nodded and she sighed. "We need to get back up there and take care of ourselves. We need to be ready before he gets here. Got it?" I hesitated, but nodded yes. She wiped some tears off my face. "Good. Let's go."



-=8=-



We left the cave in a hurry to get home, but something was... off... The sky had turned to a strange tiled black and crimson, but it was still day. The clouds were purple and raining small lemons. And to top it off, the ground was striped bright pink and navy blue.

"He's here." was all that came from Lime's mouth. "He hasn't left us yet. He's somewhere nearby..." Chills went down my spine. "We're going to stop him, no matter the cost. He won't be getting far."

I was afraid to say it, but Pop's orders. "No." Lime looked back in frustration. "W... We need to stay safe. Pop said to make sure that we're safe. We need to go home."

"What we need to do isn't as important going to do." she scoffed. "Are you going to let that monster kill other ponies, or are you going to come with me to save others?" She could clearly see I was afraid, but didn't care. It was die trying to save others, or die playing the most intense game of hide-and-seek ever played. I don't know which to choose.

A tear popped out my eye. "I... I don't know." Follow what I felt is right, or follow for what I know is instant death? Pop or Limestone? I just... I just couldn't decide.

Lime turned away from me, anger filling her eyes.

"You're a wimp. You deserve a wimp's death: dying alone."

She walked off.

I stepped forward, my eyes welling up with tears once again. "Lime-"

"Go home Marble. You're dismissed from this conversation." She kept walking.

"Lime, please." I kept following her. "You... You know what'll happen." I felt anger seeping into my words. She was going on a suicide mission to no avail. Why? Why was she going to die to such a horrible being of nature? She knew what was going to happen if she continued on her path. Why was she doing this to herself? Am I, her sister, supposed to stand for this? I can't lose another sister. I couldn't hold it in. I exploded.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS LIME? YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'LL HAPPEN."

She turned back to me, tears in her eyes. "THAT'S WHY I'M DOING IT." She sighed and hung her head down. "At least I'll go down fighting for my lost sisters."

I backed down. But I had one last question. "Then why aren't you trying to protect your last one?"

It became silent between the two of us. Lime calmed down and began pondering that last thought. I could see her anger being filled with sadness.

"I'm..." she stuttered. "I'm sorry Marble. I..." She tried to speak, but she couldn't. She sat down. I walked to her side and sat next to her. We sat in silence, her head lying on my neck.

"It's just so hard. I've... I've known you all for so long." She sighed, taking her head off me. "I can't lose another sister."

I got up with her. "Me neither." We hugged it out. We might not get along all the time, but we have our moments of sisterly love.

'Marble? I hope you're listening' Our hug ceased as we heard a fuzzy voice from my satchel. 'We're in Ponyville now. It seems like a ghost town now. There's pretty much no color anywhere except the ground'

I pulled the pager out of my bag and listened. "Is that..?" Lime started.

"Mm hm." We listened closer.

'Most of the houses are in the air, just floating there. It's so strange'

"Be careful Pop..." I whispered. "We need you."

'Hey, Cloudy, look at this. Canterlot has it's shield down. I hate to say it, but I believe it's a ghost town too'

"Crap." Lime said under her breath. "That means we have pretty much no chance."

"Lime, let's head home. We can start making ideas once we're there. If we're gonna die, let's at least make a good fight." She smirked at that command.

"Who gave you the right to control me?" she teased. "Okay, let's- GAH!"

We both backed away as the pager went into a high pitch. The pitch was replaced with static, slowly fading away.

"POP!" she yelled. She dove for the device. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Lime... it's one way." She stared into it.

The static stayed at a low tone as a voice came onto it.

'Oh, I'm sorry little pony' Lime threw it onto the ground and backed away. 'It seems you've lost your parents'

The head started coming through the pager's display, as well as the rest of his body. "Would you like me to help you find them?"

Discord is here.

"RUN!" she yelled as we both ran home. We turned the corner and he was back, leaning on the door.

"Well that was quite rude. Don't introduce me or anything, I don't mind." he said with a great smile.

"Discord," Lime started. "what do you you want?" She wasn't even scared; just angry. I, on the other hand, turned white as a ghost.

"Oh, a puppy..." A puppy appeared out of thin air. "A glass of water, maybe..." He drank from the bottom of a cup. "A thousand bits..." He got covered in coins. "Oh yes..." He appeared behind us. "And a couple ponies' souls."

We turned back to face him, but he was already on top of the house. "But I'll make this fun for you two, but only if you'd like your death to happen in a few more minutes instead of now." He casually sat on the gutter of our house. "I'll give you a minute to get what you'd like to combat me with in your house. Once that minute is up, your impending doom approaches." He literally extended his hand towards us. "Do we have a deal?"

Lime slammed her hand into Discord's claw with no hesitation. "Deal."

"Alrighty then. Let's get started, shall we?" The things he summoned earlier disappeared before we were teleported to the living room. "Oh, and I can't let this be too easy for you, now can I?" We felt the floorboards creak and tilt under us. The house was flipped up-side down and we were forced onto our ceiling. "Ah, that's much better, now isn't it?" he cackled. "You've got sixty seconds. GO!"

Thanks a lot Discord. We ran through the house getting throwable items into our satchels and our biggest things we could use for melee. "We need to get upstairs!" We ran to our staircase, remembering it's not there due to the house being flipped. Lime got a rope out of her bag and staked it into the ground, then slid down it to get to the upstairs rooms.

"Twenty seconds left, little ones!" Discord laughed.

"Check Pop's room for anything!" I yelled as I went down the rope. I ran to my room to get some rocks I hadn't finished sculpting for memory if we somehow won this.

"Ten seconds! Nine, eight..." he counted down.

Lime ran out of Pop's room with his side-rifle he'd used during his childhood. "Got the ammo and everything." she said with a smirk. I was so scared. I just got a few knives and she's got a rifle! We aren't going down without a fight!

"Three, two, one..." He paused as the house shifted back into it's original position. Discord appeared behind us. "Times up..." He pushed us out a window at the same time as a slide was summoned. But a little too far to the left. We fell to the ground, our satchels flying off of us, including Lime's gun as they vanished.

"HEY" she yelled as she got up. "That isn't fair!"

"Well you shouldn't bring a gun to an immortal fight, now should you?" he teased. "Anyways, you won't need it where you're going." He looked down, pointing. "Tartarus" We ran at that word, hiding as well as we could.

"Lime, what do we do?" I was shaking all over. She just stayed in silence as he cackled.

"You do know that I know that you know where I could be right now. But I think I'll just do this instead." He levitated our shed and threw it at the extra room we built not too long ago. Lime couldn't stand to see our home being demolished. She ran out and yelled at him. I couldn't hear what she said, but I knew she meant it. Discord just snatched her off the ground and whispered to her. He then started chanting something as she began fading away.

"MARBLE RUN!"

And so I did. My legs were wobbly, but I could still run. I ran as fast as I could in no definite direction only to be stopped by a magical force.

"Oh, look at the little pony, running as always. I mean, what could you do? Your sisters are gone and you've got nothing left of your farm." He just cackled as he floated me in the air. I did my best to hide from him, but with what? "Aww, how sad. It seems you're hopeless now."

Then I felt nothing as he chanted. I remember it word for word...







I woke up at a start, once again, one time too many. I shook the dream out of my head as I looked for a clock.

Six-o-freaking-clock. Holy crap I need to get up. I rushed out of bed running to the living room to check if Maddy was out here. Sure enough, she was and she was looking at me like I'd taken one of her fries. "You doin' okay Marble?"

"Haha, not at all. I had a nightmare about..." I paused that thought. "Wait, what'd you say?"

"I asked if you were okay. Your hair looks weird, by the way."

"What?" I asked as I pulled a bit on my hair. It definitely wasn't a wig, that's for sure. My hair had grown to my shoulders and had started turning a weird grey with a few stripes. "Holy crap, what the heck." I looked back at her and saw something pretty interesting too. "Hey, your's is doing the same thing!" Her hair had gotten a bit more purple, but with her originally waist length hair, it had gotten a bit shorter too; so why is mine growing?

"Yes, I know. I saw after my nap. You think I'm dumb like you?" she retorted. I was about to speak, but she interrupted me. "Alright, so nightmare huh? I had one too. Tell me about yours." Okay, back on track.

"Okay, so it might sound crazy, but I was a cartoony, grey horse named Marble..." Then I realized... "... which you just called me! You snooping on my dreams or something?"

Her face went into what I call 'cool-person shock' where she tries not to look surprised, but is. "Umm, yeah... I did, huh?"

This was interesting.

"I had a similar dream about being a purple one-"

"-WHO WAS IN MY DREAM."

"Hey, you too dude. I had a sister named Marble in it who was grey. Coincidence?"

We both yelled "I think NOT!" We got a good laugh in there.

"Alright," she said. "So tell me more about your dream."