//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Behind the Veil // by FeralFox //------------------------------// ”Behind the Veil” Chapter 7 by FeralFox As he hobbled down the small corridor, he frantically told himself that if she had been looking through that keyhole, it was purely for scientific study. Some such nonsense as not letting the subject know it's being observed. Once he entered the living area, Spike and Fluttershy had stopped talking and were standing by the staircase that led down to the library section of, well, the Library. Twilight had also joined them as they waited patiently for the crippled man. Once he reached them, they started down the steps, Marckus once again taking them three at a time due to their tiny size. They made their way out of the library, but to his discomfort, walked towards the center of town. It was midday and the sun showered them in its endless brilliance, leaving small shadows around their feet. The town was much busier than before, all the shops open, the vendors tending to their kiosks, and streets bustling with potential customers. As was to be expected, they let out a multitude of gasps and shouts, but only a few doors were shut. Most of the ponies stood and watched cautiously. The tension in the air was palpable. The four silently made their way to a circular building near the center of town, while most of the citizens quickly began going about their business in order to leave. “Here we are” began the purple unicorn, “the Carousel Boutique! Home of our friend - Rarity.” She walked up to the door and gave a knock that sounded similar to “shave and a haircut, two bits” Twilight stepped back from the doorway, flanked on either side by Marckus and Spike. Fluttershy was timidly waiting behind them. The sound of hoofsteps could be heard from behind the elegant door, quickly approaching. It slowly opened to reveal another unicorn, with an alabaster coat and a beautifully quaffed mane of dazzling amethyst. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique,” she began, her eyes closed, her cheeks pulled into a polite smile, “where everything is shique, unique, and magnefique...” Her sentence trailed off as she opened her eyes to meet not only Twilight, but the waistline of a rather intimidating man, towering over her. Her brilliant blue eyes growing wide in expected terror. Marckus braced himself for what was sure to be a bout of screams, but instead, only hoarse rasps of attempted communication came from the startled mare. She began to wobble to and fro, until she collapsed on her side with a dull “thud”. Inside the Boutique, Marckus could see what exactly was sold here. It appeared to be a haberdashery of some sorts. Pony mannequins lined the walls, dressed in very flashy gowns and suits. Many of them were drowning in feathers and sequins. Most of them seemed too formal to be worn to an event in such a quaint little village, but he didn't know their customs, so he couldn't tell. Spike was running about screaming for someone to do something, and had attempted what he assumed would have been cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but Twilight had quickly stepped in and banished him to the far wall opposite Marckus. He also stood at a wall, only to give the victimized pony “safety room”. He didn't want her to faint again, or hit him with something. These folks were getting harder and harder to predict. Fluttershy and Twilight surrounded the unconscious unicorn and waited for her to come about. She stirred slightly, slowly rising to her feet. “Eh...wha-what happened?” She spoke quietly, trying to gather her thoughts. Twilight quickly moved in front of Rarity, hiding Marckus from view. “I remember opening my door and seeing you, Spike, and...” Suddenly her eyes went wide and she tensed up, “That beast! Where is it?!” She yelled out, frantically glancing around the room, looking for the creature in question. “Calm down! Rarity! CALM DOWN!” Twilight screamed, collecting the attention of the frazzled mare. “Don't worry, you are in no danger.” Rarity began to calm down. “The beast you saw is actually a being from a different world, and he isn't here to cause any trouble.” The white unicorn once again became concerned as she slowly peered around Twilight's shoulder to see the ‘beast’ politely standing at the other end of the room, waving and smiling lightly. Her eyes widened again and she recoiled away. “Twilight, look out! It's behind you, and it has a club!” She began backing away quickly, only to bump into the wall close behind her. She seemed to be trying to scramble up the wall, in search for higher ground. Twilight grabbed her with her forelegs and spun her around to face him. She struggled and tried to scream, but the lavender pony had bound her hooves to the floor and muzzled her snout with the same faint aura that came from her horn. “HMMM HRMRRRRMMRFFFRR!!!!” She stopped struggling and settled for shaking in her ethereal bonds. “Calm down! He's not going to hurt you! Why don't you take a moment to tell me what you see about him. Maybe then you'll realize that you're in no danger.” The glow surrounding the shuddering unicorn faded away. “I see a blood-thirsty monster with a club waiting to—mrrff.” Her sentence was cut short by the return of the translucent muzzle. Twilight walked in front of her and looked her dead in the eyes. “I want you to calm down, and tell me what your brain sees, not just what your eyes see.” She hesitantly stepped aside. The gag had vanished once more. “I...see some thing...with a brace on its leg...” She stopped shaking, “leaning on a crutch...” Her expression softened, “a bandaged head...and a smile on its face.” Her gaze dropped down to the floor, her face betraying an apology. “Oh dear, I seem to have been terribly mistaken. Twilight, I am so sorry.” She looked up with a sorrowful expression playing out across her seemingly flawless features. “I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.” Twilight said with a tone of comfort and understanding. She motioned with her head towards Marckus, still silently watching from across the room, as the shackles around the other unicorn's hooves dissipating into thin air. She slowly approached Marckus, still cautious of his every move. He remained completely still, allowing her to stop in front of him and look up into his eyes, his face soft and friendly. “I am sorry for being so rude, it was completely uncalled for. My name is Rarity, and what might yours be?” She asked, her soft, eloquent accent returning in full force. He picked up on this and assumed she was some sort of upper-class kind of pony. “My name is Marckus, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He gave a courteous bow while keeping his smile firmly in place. “Oh my, such a gentle...” “Man. Gentleman.” He helped her with her lack of pronouns. “Yes, quite so. And I acted so tastelessly towards you, I do apologize.” She dropped her gaze once again to the floor and was pawing at the floor. “Don't worry about it. It seems that that is the popular response anyways. I'm just glad you cared to take a closer look.” His smile had shifted motionlessly from being polite to forgiving and heartwarming. “I will admit, at first glance, your towering figure was quite horrifying,” She took a few steps back and looked him over once more. “But now, you look so, regal.” A thought was beginning to fester inside the snow-white mare's mind “Regal? I beg your pardon, but I'm not entirely sure I understand you. I'm leaning on a crutch with my arm in a cast and sling. I'm having difficulty finding anything regal about my stature.” He wore a questioning look as he attempted to make sense of the compliment. “Oh, of course, darling! With your long limbs and broad shoulders, oh my yes! The way your clothes decorate your entire body, not just your back or head, just simply a world of possibilities!” The obviously intrigued fashionista's endlessly creative mind already working out designs to fit the unique new shape standing before her. “Oh, you simply must let me make you a suit! I insist!” He staggered at the request. He enjoyed dressing up in one of is few suits, because he felt classy and sophisticated, also, he just like looking dapper. Only on very few occasions was formal attire called for, and they were usually just weddings or funerals. “I'm not sure I would be able to pay for a new suit. In fact, I know I can't, I have no money.” He said, trying not to rain on this excited pony's parade. “No money required, darling. It would be my treat, of course.” She was still smiling as her horn lit up with an aura similar to that of Twilight's very own, but of a slightly different hue. Several measuring tapes and rolls of fabric were being levitated into place around the artistically inclined unicorn. A thought suddenly entered the imminently trapped man's mind. “Do all unicorns have telekinetic powers?” All motion stopped as the two unicorns had looked at one another, pondering the question. “What do you mean, 'telekinetic'?” Rarity inquired “The ability to manipulate matter with your mind.” He said as though he had been reading a definition out of a book. “Both you and Twilight can do it.” “While we do use our minds, we don't technically have telekinesis.” explained the more well-read of the two unicorns. “We use the magic that all unicorns are gifted with to lift objects. It is one of the most basic spells a unicorn learns. While most of a unicorn's magic is dependent on what their particular talent is, levitation comes naturally to all.” “Magic, eh? Just like in the myths and fairy-tales in my world.” The concept of her species being part of another world had instantaneously lit a fire in Twilight's eyes as she had teleported a quill, ink, parchment, and a large cushion into the room, as though she had been waiting for him to speak of his world once more. “I suppose there's no going back now.” He said as he scratched the back of his neck. “Well, why don't you get your measurements while I weave my yarn of myth and legend.” He said, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Now it was Rarity's turn to get excited as the measure tapes and fabrics began floating around, swirling around him in an elegant dance of creation. He cleared his throat and began. “Well, unicorns are most closely related to early Fourteenth century, during the medieval era. They were told to be brilliant white horses with long spiraling horns protruding from their foreheads. They represented the purest and most innocent of beings as they brought harm to no creature and lived wild in the forests. It was said that a unicorn's horn could make poisoned water potable, and even cure sickness.” The tapes wrapped around his various parts as Rarity went about her task, but she had become too enthralled in his story to give it her full attention. Even Fluttershy and Spike had joined them from standing at the opposite wall. “It was also said that the unicorns possessed magical abilities, but none had witnessed any acts of magical prowess. They believed that if one were to obtain the horn, or even the blood of the unicorn, that they themselves would be gifted with magical talent, such as performing alchemy. Alchemy is the act of transforming one thing into another without need of a middle-ground, such as turning iron or stone into gold.” Line after line had been feverishly scratched into the floating parchment and all of the probing and prodding tapes and rulers had all but stopped collecting data. “All of this is just superstition and legend, because to this day, at least in my world, not a single unicorn had been proven to have existed. That just about concludes my lecture on unicorns, at least for now. My back and legs are killing me from standing around all day.” He rolled his shoulders and stretched out his back slightly to emphasize the stress on his badly damaged body. Rarity quickly walked behind him, jumped up to her hind legs, and with a gentle touch, pressed on his non-slung shoulder. “No wonder, deary, your muscles are so tense and cramped, it's a wonder you've been standing this whole time. You simply must let me take you out to the spa! We could bring Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike. Ooh, what a marvelous idea! Besides, after letting me measure you, and gracing us with such a riveting tale, you deserve it! You could think of it as an apology for calling you such harsh names earlier.” She began to float her multitude of tools and such back to their respective places as Twilight had finished sending her own supplies back to who-knows-where. I deserve it? Marckus thought to himself. All I did was tell a story and she's inviting me to a day at the spa? He had always wondered what the spa was like, but never had the time nor the extra money to investigate into such matters. He simply slapped the word “pleasant” into where his mind would have put a detailed description of the experience and left it at that. “Uhmm...it's not expensive...is it?” He wouldn't ever let anyone treat him to something too expensive, because he always felt that he didn’t deserve it. “Not at all, dear. The girls down at the spa simply love my continued patronage and are always happy to give a discount to friends of mine. Fluttershy and I go down almost every week.” The mention of her name made the canary Pegasus shrink away however slightly. “Y-yes, they are so very nice down there. And I always feel refreshed and relaxed after the day with Rarity.” She spoke in her usual hushed tone, hiding behind her pink mane as it drooped lazily over her face. “Very well, I'll go with you, but only if you're one hundred percent sure that it won't be too costly to you.” Marckus spoke with a very firm, unwavering tone, getting his point across one way or another. “Oh, now no wonder you are so tense, you stress over such trivial matters. I'm sure, completely, that it's fine. Now, let’s get a move on before you turn into one big knot.” She motioned with her head for the others to exit through the front door before leading the debilitated man out herself. They made their way down the busy streets of Ponyville, towards the Spa, and Celestia's golden orb floated majestically high above all, signifying that it was still sometime in the middle of the day. Marckus was once again berated by the screams and shouts of the denizens of the humble community. “I really hope this doesn't become a daily occurrence.” The saddening man said, making it clear of his uncomfortableness. “I'm sure that it won't be. These are kindhearted folk, I'm sure they'll come around...eventually.” Twilight said with just enough hesitation to upset Marckus even more. They had reached the Spa in relative silence and walked in. “Welcome, Meez Rarity! Are you having...the....uzua--” The light blue mare with a pink mane who stood behind the counter froze mid-sentence, stricken with fear at the sight of the large man before her. “Hello, Aloe, I'll take five full treatments today. Oh, and don't mind Marckus, he may seem intimidating, but he's as kind as Fluttershy. Completely harmless, I assure you.” He gave a warm smile and a small wave to the flabbergasted earth pony still in abject-terror. She slowly calmed down and invited them into a large room with a huge hot tub, several mud baths, massage tables, and the entrance to a sauna. The ponies were each given exquisitely soft bath robes and slippers to increase the comfort of this temple of relaxation. All of the walls were painted a very soft, earthy-neutral color, with small windows located near the top of the walls, not really meant to look through, but more to let the gentle warming rays of the sun through - just enough to dimly light the room, but not enough to make it too bright. The Spa workers had put together several massage tables in order for the tall man to lie down comfortably. Considering they didn't seem to have a robe his size in stock, he settled for relieving himself of his two outer shirts, his boots and socks, and his belt. He still wore his white cotton undershirt, politely tucked into his jeans, said pants, and his boxers, still nicely out of view, underneath his pants. He lied down on the tables only to be asked if he wanted to remove the rest of his clothing, in order to receive a more deep-tissue massage. He complied and removed his undershirt and the bandages that encased his abdomen and returned to laying down. After he explained his recent injuries, he turned to see what exactly was keeping his masseur from performing the service that his tired muscles so desperately craved. Not only was his masseur staring, but so were most of the others in the room. His naked chest was so foreign to them all as all of the creatures that lived here had thick coats of fur that normally hid all of the muscles and bones currently on display in front of them all. He merely shrugged and lied back down, and waited for his massage. He was at first hesitant to the thought of hard, stiff hooves grinding against his flesh and bone, but to his surprise, the masseur was very skilled. The massage started off soft, just loosening up his stiff joints and just trying to make him relax. Soon it turned very rough, the masseur was kneading into his inflamed tissue quite hard in order to push the blood out of the knots and relieve the stress. He did this for an amount of time lost to Marckus as he was wracked with ecstasy as his battered body began melting into the table, leaving a blissful shell of his self. As the earth pony manipulated his joints ever-so-slightly, and rubbed every achy muscle just right, he finally felt no pain. He let slip groans of pleasure as the light-brown pony with a black mane, stripped with electric blue, began to massage his feet, stimulating his nerve endings and sending sensations throughout his entire body. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had been asked to try some of the other services that the Spa had to offer. All that he was sure of is that he didn't want this to stop. After a few hours of heaven, the others had finished with doing whatever exactly it was that they were doing and had coerced him off of the table and back into his former attire. He thanked the masseur and the nice mare at the front desk at least a thousand times as they left. The walk back was also much easier on his body. All of his joints rolling freely in their place, his muscles felt like jelly and melted butter. Eventually, they reached a cross-road and had said their thank-you's and good-bye's to Rarity, whom was so generous as to treat them to such a wonderful day, even after being scared half to death. Then to Fluttershy, who seemed a great deal more comfortable around him. Maybe it was because she saw just how vulnerable even a large man such as himself could become. He couldn't be sure. The remaining three entered the Library and made their way up the stairs where Marckus took his place on the couch and Twilight and Spike retired to the lavender mare's bedroom. He couldn't think of a better way to spend a day. In his mind he replaced the word “pleasant” simply with the word “more”.