Behind the Veil

by FeralFox

Chapter 4

Twilight's statement had been the pickaxe to shatter his expression of stone as a look of shock had plastered itself upon his face. Of all the possible things to say at that point, that had been the least expected.

“He can't stay with you! Are ya crazy?!” Shouted Applejack, blatantly objective to such an outlandish proposal. The others were about to further the argument when Twilight spoke up.

“And why not? The library is large enough to accommodate him, and if he tries anything I can just use my magic.” She said, confidence in her voice. “And besides, I've got a mountain of questions I want to ask him, so having him nearby would do quite nicely.” A look of defeat upon the tangerine pony's face had signified that she had won the argument, somewhat flawlessly.

“Fine, but that don't mean ah ain't gonna worry any less.” She said, shooting daggers at the man, still shocked at what had just been suggested. “Ah'm keepin' my eye on you.” He tucked his head between his shoulders and lifted a hand in a gesture of innocence.

“Well, what do you think?” Asked the lavender unicorn, turning to the man in question. “You do still have a choice in the matter.” He shifted uncomfortably on the make-shift crutch.

“I can't say that I've ever been shown such hospitality before,” Relief playing out across his features. “considering my options, it would only be rude to decline. Thank you very much!”

“Then it's settled! We should head out before it gets too dark, that is, if you're okay to walk.” Twilight said, unintentionally staring at the man's braced leg.

“I'll manage. I'd just like to thank that kind nurse before we leave.” He said, trying to keep his manners in mind. The group of ponies had started out of the door in front of him, as he didn't know the way. He soon followed out the small doorway, having to duck awkwardly to clear it only to have his head brush the low ceiling of the hallway as he stood back up.

“That shouldn't be a problem. She'll most likely be at the nurses station near the front lobby. You can thank her when we pass by.” Twilight said, walking beside him, silently observing the way he walked. As they continued down the hall, Marckus was met with many different looks from the staff and patients alike. Many of them were terrified at the sight of the towering man, but were calmed at the reassuring faces of the five that lead him. Few of them, mostly the nurses, had grimaced as they saw the all too familiar signs of someone in pain, his arm in a cast, leg in a brace, bandaged head, and hobbling along on a crutch. They had finally reached the Nurses' Station after a gauntlet of onlookers and a familiar white pony came out to greet them.

“Hello there, I'm glad to see you up and about, but please tell me you just want some fresh air, or you're just stretching out your legs.” The nurse said almost pleadingly.

“Unfortunately not, Nurse RedHeart, he was quite adamant in his decision to leave. There was no persuading him.” Twilight said flatly.

“Yes, no longer require your services and I wish to thank you for all that you have done for me.” Marckus said, a light smile on his face and a pleasant tone in his voice. “You have been all too kind. But unfortunately, I don't think my insurance covers other-worldly injuries.” He said with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I'm not really sure how I'm going to pay for the medical expenses.”

“Don't fret, my dear. I'm not sure I can charge for working on other-worldly patients.” She said with a smile and a wink. Marckus was taken aback by this. This kind of treatment was completely new to him. Where he was from, all that anyone cared about was getting as much as they could, giving little in return. He himself was quite different than these people, as he would give generously, with no thought in being repaid, time and time again. Although he had never expected to be treated in a similar way.

“I-I just don't know what to say....I...you're.....thank you.” He managed as he could feel his eyes begin to swell at the sheer selflessness he had been shown, even though he was a complete stranger. “I will repay you.” He said, retaking control over his emotions. “I promise.” With that he gave a light bow and proceeded out the door into the sleepy streets of the town with the rest of the group. It was getting late as the Sun's edge had met with the mountains face, casting long angled shadows of all that bathed in its glorious light. The group of ponies had formed a circle around Marckus, as though to protect him from the citizens that passed by, or more appropriately, protect them from him. Similarly to the halls of the hospital, he endured a long trek through an ocean of gasps, and shrieks. A mother had shielded her foal from seeing him with a foreleg over its eyes before escorting it away with a look of terror on her face. These ponies were not as forgiving as those in the hospital. Even though those who surrounded him gave the same reassuring glances as before, they still backed away, some even shutting down stalls, or closing shutters of windows. Such a feeling of collective rejection weighed heavy on his heart, but he new that if they were anything as kind-natured as the five that lead him, they would come around eventually. As they walked on, they left the busier streets in favor of an old trail that lead to an all too familiar hardwood tree. As they gathered outside the door to the cozy little building, Applejack turned to him and stared him dead in the eyes.

“We're leavin' fer now, but don't think that means ya can do as ya please.” She said, her voice strong and fierce. “If you think, just fer an apple pickin' second that I ain't watchin, think again.”

“Applejack, that's enough!” Demanded Twilight, upset at her friend's outburst. The hat-clad pony snorted and began to walk off, only shoot daggers at him once more before continuing on her way home. “I'm sorry about that, she's just worried about me, that's all. Once she sees that you're not a threat, she'll calm down. She's truly a good-hearted pony,” the unicorn argued for her on her friends behalf, only to see that there was no argument at all.

“It's okay. It's to be expected. I completely understand why she should behave like this.” He said as he put a hand up to stop her from going on. “I only hope your other friends don't see me in the same light.” he said turning to the others.

“You're okay with me, for now, at least. Don't do anything shifty and it'll stay that way” explained the cyan mare, lifting off the ground and slowly hovering away before turning around and rocketing away at immeasurable speeds.

“I'm always happy to meet someone new, and you seem REALLY nice! I should throw you a party! I'll invite the whole town!” Pinkie Pie began, already hopping in place. She barely came to his shoulders at the height of her bounds. “That way they can stop being so afraid of you! Ooh! I can't wait! There'll be cake and candy and streamers and balloons and.....” She rambled on as her bouncy gait took her down the street they had previously walked. The shuddering canary pegasus slowly walked away, hoping not to face the intimidating man.

“Oh Fluttershy!” Called Twilight, in a sing-song manner. The trembling mare jumped slightly and began to turn around, instinctively hiding behind her pink mane. “Aren't you going to say good-bye?”

“Oh, I-I'm sorry. Good-bye.” She whispered, before turning away and flying away with haste.

“I swear, sometimes it amazes me that she doesn't have a heart attack every time she looks in the mirror.” The lavender pony joked. The two shared a chuckle as she opened the door into the library. “Welcome to the Ponyville Public Library, a.k.a., my home!” She walked through the threshold and invited him in. Again, he was faced with the task of bending and hopping awkwardly through the low passageway. As she began to turn on the gas lamps that adorned the walls, he took in his new scenery. There were shelves that reached to the ceiling stuffed with literature of all kinds. The signs read that there was enough genres here to satisfy any reader. Fiction, Biography, Histories of all sorts, even a section dedicated to “old mares' tales” which he decided were the equivalent to old wives' tales. The smell of old parchment and ink entered his nose as he breathed in the warm dusk air. “The house area is over here.” She called out from a staircase in the corner of the large room. His face drooped from one of splendor to one of exhaustion as he looked upon his next task. He approached the wooden stairs and took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “Oh, I almost completely forgot about your leg, did you want me to car--” She said before took off up the stairs, taking them two at a time due to their small size. In no time at all he had cleared them all and was waiting at the top, his breathing only slightly elevated.

“Stairs? No problem!” He said with a large grin across his face even though his leg felt like it was filled with magma, seeming to light his nerves on fire. Twilight stood still for a moment, not sure of what exactly happened, before walking up the stairs to meet him and showing him to the living area where he would be residing.

“This is where you'll be staying” She said waving her front leg in a sweeping motion, identifying the area. “You can sleep on the couch if you'd like, I'll be back with some pillows and blankets.” She turned to walk away until he spoke.

“No need, thank you though. It's warm enough to where I won't be needing a blanket, and I can just use my coat as a pillow. Speaking of, where is it exactly?” He inquired, seeking the return of his beloved old Carhartt. Twilight trotted out of the room and returned shortly with the item in question in magical tow. She levitated it over to him. Upon inspection of the heavy piece of clothing, he found that the front of the right sleeve and shoulder had been covered in dried blood. He gingerly rubbed his head and winced at the memory. “Anyway, you said that you had questions for me?” he asked as he made his way to the sofa, large enough to hold three ponies sitting, comfortably. He stuffed his coat into the corner of the couch, between the “armrest” and the cushions to be used as a pillow. Twilight was about to speak until he began to actually get from standing to laying on the relatively small piece of furniture. He leaned his crutch against the wall just next to the part of the couch where he intended to lay his head and hopped wobblingly in front of the sofa. He bent down and placed his right hand onto the center cushion and, with remarkable dexterity, jumped sideways so that his right leg landed on the other “armrest” with his body perpendicular to the floor. He then proceeded to slowly lower himself down before rolling onto his back, finally in a position comfortable enough to relax. His muscles still ached from walking all the way down here, not to mention he still had an uncounted number of bruises along his being from the crash. He turned to the purple unicorn expecting an onslaught of questions only to see her jaw almost touching the floor in awe at the athletic feat he had just performed. After seeing this expression his only reply was “Couches? No Problem!” After finally snapping back into reality with a shake of her head, she began the interrogation.

“Okay, wow...um....okay.” She began, her methods textbook examples of those used against hardened criminals. “Uhh....right, you said that your world had unicorns and pegasi as a part of its mythology, could you tell me more about that?” Finally finding a coherent sentence in the jumbled soup of words that spilled out of her mouth. Marckus shifted slightly in the sofa as he readied himself, meanwhile, Twilight had levitated a quill, ink, and plenty of parchment to take notes on and a large pillow to lie down on.

“Well, let's start with pegasi, shall we?” The quill quickly jotting something down as the lavender mare leaned closer, her eyes aglow. “The Pegasus, or Pegasos in its native language, is part of a mythology associated with the cultures of Ancient Greece, a relatively small country located in a temperate climate zone on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, but I'll get more into geography another time.” The feather pen continuing to scribble down what seemed to be his every word. “He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing when his mother was decapitated by Perseus. Greco-Roman poets write about his ascent to heaven after his birth and his obeisance to Zeus, king of the gods, who instructed him to bring lightning and thunder from Olympus. Friend of the Muses, Pegasus is the creator of Hippocrene, the fountain on Mt. Helicon. He was captured by the Greek hero Bellerophon near the fountain Peirene with the help of Athena and Poseidon. Pegasus allows the hero to ride him to defeat a monster, the Chimera, before realizing many other exploits. His rider, however, falls off his back trying to reach Mount Olympus. Zeus transformed him into the constellation Pegasus and placed him in the sky.”

As he finished his tale, he turned to face Twilight only to see her face bright with silent enthusiasm at all of these unknown names and places. The quill feverishly jotting down every last detail. She did so love the unknown, if only for the fact that what is unknown can be studied, and eventually become known. The smile on her face big enough to rival Pinkie's. He shuddered inwardly at the comparison, as something seemed amiss with that one. He couldn't put his finger on it but she definitely seemed out of the ordinary. Or maybe she wasn't, he couldn't tell. “That about sums it up.” He said, the unicorns mouth, still agape. “Shall I move onto unicorns, or do you want to take a break for the night”

“Uhh...abnu....wha...” was all she could manage as she looked over the new log of information floating next to her.

“I think it'd be best if we continued tomorrow.” He answered for her, subconsciously rubbing his eyes, trying to make his fiery torrent of a migraine ease. She complied by rolling up the scroll and placing it, the pen, and the ink well on a nearby table. “Oh, and again, I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here. I'll make sure to repay the favor somehow.” He said as the purple mare stood from the plush cushion and began to walk away.

“Don't worry about it, it's the least I could do.” She replied with a heart warming smile. She proceeded to walk to what he could only assume was her bedroom. '...the least I could do.' The thought played out in his mind. These ponies were so ready to give, wanting nothing in return. A moral he had been taught and followed his entire life, and yet, it was so foreign to him. He smiled to himself at the concept of selfless beings and turned on his good side, careful not to strain anything. He fluffed up the heavy-duty coat he was using as a pillow as much as he could before resting his head on it, slowly allowing the sand man to escort him to his own special world. In his slumber, he finally found peace. For once in what seemed to be a great while, he dreamed.