Behind the Veil

by FeralFox

Chapter 9

As the wind howled past his ears, the sound was deafening. He opened his eyes and they instantly began to water, blurring his vision. He was hurtling towards the ground at blinding speed. He but his hand in front of his face to break the wind as he opened his eyes once more. Below him was none other than the Town of Ponyville, but it was missing one important thing, the somewhat forgiving great hardwood tree that broke his previous descent into this world. In its place there was only a single grave plot. The headstone was hundreds of feet away, and yet he could read its inscription clearly. “1983-2011 Marckus DeLibra”. His eyes went wide with astonishment as he gazed below the proclamation of his death to see that the plot had been freshly dug out, and inside the grave there laid an open casket. His speed increased as he soon found himself just above his apparent tomb. He let out a scream as he fell into the endless black void contained within the casket, as the lid slammed shut with a loud “bang”.

“AAAGGGHHH!!!” Marckus sat up on the couch in a cold sweat and was greedily taking air into his lungs with each breath, as though they were his last. He looked about himself to find that he was still in the living area of Twilight's Library. Judging by the amount of light coming in through a nearby window, he assumed that it was sometime in the early morning, perhaps just dawn. He also noticed that something had been flung from his forehead and landed in his lap - a bag of ice. He heard the sound of rapid clicking on the floor, it was the resident of the Library herself, Twilight, galloping into the small room.

“Marckus, are you okay?! I heard shouting.” His hostess had clearly been woken up by the commotion as her mane was a mess and she still had sleep in her eyes. She looked with concern for the answer.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just had some bad dreams is all.” He gave a tired sigh and began to stretch out his limbs. He put his arms above his head and stretched to his maximum length, lifting himself off the sofa and arching his back so that only his thighs and shoulders touched the “arm” rests of the small furnishing. He relaxed and sat up, swinging his legs off the side and rolled his shoulders and neck.

“How are you feeling? Any better than last night?” The consumption of the toxic tonic lasted until the sun had completely set, and further still into the night. Although with each dose of the vile substance the side-effects became less intense, it never became a pleasant experience. “You passed out after the last dose, so I put a bag of ice on your forehead and let you rest.” He checked the status of his previously injured limbs by lightly squeezing and moving each part. He clenched his left hand and rolled his wrist to see if it had any negative effect, and to his surprise, he only found a slight, dull pain in the muscle, and almost nothing from his bones. He then gently pressed his hand against his ribs and again, nothing. He pushed himself off the couch and stood on one leg, slowly putting pressure on the other until all of his weight had shifted to his left leg. Nothing. He turned to Twilight with a smile so bright it almost lit the room up.

“It worked! I can't believe it, but it worked! I feel great!” He instantly removed the brace from his leg and began to shift from foot to foot, making they worked properly. He removed his arm from its sling and cautiously swept it in every direction, lightly stretching the newly healed ligaments. He knocked on the cast on his arm checking its integrity before he walked to a nearby door frame where he proceeded to slam the cast against the solid wood threshold, splitting the cast along the outside of his arm. He peeled the hard plaster of and instantly began to scratch an itch that had long been plaguing him.

“Well, you seem awful happy.” The lavender mare observed.

“How could I not be?!” He dropped to his belly and began doing pushups with a new found energy that was quite the contrast of his previous state. “Man, I just want to run, and jump, and...and...run!” Marckus said frantically, his face showing a previously hidden exuberance.

“Alright, alright, I'll tell you what, why don't we go visit the others and give them the good news? We can go to Fluttershy's first for breakfast, maybe stop off at Zecora's so that you can thank her for the potion.” She rubbed her waking eyes with her foreleg as she magically brushed out her mane. When she finished she offered the jubilant man the brush, to which he politely declined and settled for combing his hair out of its bed riddled state with his fingers. She began down the stairs when Marckus flew passed her, taking the first five steps at once before bounding over the remaining eight or so. She calmly walked the remaining steps and met him by the door, jogging in place. “Wow, you like you can't wait to get out of here.”

“Honestly, I can't stand being in one place for too long. I just didn't want to offend you. Besides, it's not like I had much of a choice, so complaining about it wouldn't have helped.” He eagerly awaited his escort to open the door and make her way through. Once the way was cleared he crouched through much quicker thanks to his newly mended second leg. Upon exiting the residence, he performed several cartwheels and front-handsprings. His heavy boots landed with a “whump” as he finished his short routine.

Marckus had finally contained his elation and they had began down the road towards Fluttershy's cottage. With his leg now intact, his strides almost reached the length of Twilight, who was walking beside the gargantuan man, carefully observing how he strolled without impediment. They reached the small tree-home much faster than previously. Twilight trotted up to the ornate wood door and gave a few knocks. After receiving no response for a moment, she knocked again. Once again, they were met with silence. Twilight turned back to look at Marckus when she noticed the canary pegasus they were seeking slowly fluttering towards them with a bag of feed in her mouth. She met them and set the bag down carefully, not spilling its contents. She looked at Twilight with an apologetic look on her face, half hidden by her long, droopy, pink mane.

“Oh, hello Twilight, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. I was just out feeding some of the animals.”

“We weren't waiting long, it's no bother.” She waived a dismissive hoof at the apology.

“H-Hello to you too, Marckus. It looks like you're all better.” She looked him up and down, noticing his limbs free of their medical accessories. His smile grew again as he leaned forward and snatched the floating mare out of mid-air into a gentle hug.

“I am! I feel great!” He was spinning around with the shy pegasus still in hold when he noticed she had become stiff with shock. He instantly lost his smile and in its place was a look of worry and guilt. He released his hug and gingerly placed the petrified pony down on the ground and backed away. “Oh geez, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you.” He was a good ten feet away when startled mare relaxed. “I was just excited is all, I'm sorry.” The frazzled pegasus shook off the shock and looked at the distant man.

“Oh, that's fine. I mean, how could you not be happy? You look much better than before. C-Can I help you with something?” She was about to pick up the large sack of feed when Marckus protested.

“Allow me, if I may.” She smiled at him and gave a nod before he picked up the bag of food with relative ease. He smiled to himself at the return of his strength, and in essence, his usefulness. Fluttershy led them into her home and instructed Marckus to drop the bag off in small store filled with a plethora of other animal feeds and such. He returned to the other two mares waiting in the living room. “Well, we came here to bring you the good news of my recovery.” He smiled at the animal caretaker before he turned his gaze to his boots and began scratching the back of his neck. “And...I was also wondering if....I might be able to get some more eggs...” His sentence trailed off as he hesitantly asked the sensitive mare to help him meet his carnivorous needs. He looked up to see that Fluttershy did not take on the somber expression she had the first time she was posed that question, but instead she had a soft smile and her eyes seemed to speak to him. They said “It's okay”. She nodded and trotted out to the chicken coop, basket in tow. After a short while she returned with quite a few more eggs than last time.

“The chickens have been really productive lately, so I don't mind giving up a few more eggs.” She flew up to his height and gave him the basket. She landed gracefully on the floor and regarded Twilight. “I was just about to eat breakfast myself. You're more than welcome to join me...i-if you want to.” She shied away and hid behind her mane as if by instinct.

“That sounds lovely, thank you.” She turned to her guest. “What about you, Marckus? Do you want to stay?” Again, he found his hand upon his neck, an unconscious reaction to an awkward situation.

“That is a very generous offer, but I don't want to spoil your meal by...well...” He lifted up the basket in his hand and shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, I couldn't eat them raw, and I'm not sure you'll appreciate my getting egg all over your cookware.”

“Oh, that's not a problem at all. Anything you use can be washed, and I'm fine with seeing things like that. I only worry about Twilight,” She turned to the unicorn in question, “I don't know if you'll lose your appetite. I know that you aren't used to seeing that sort of thing.” Her gaze drifted down to meet the part of the floor she was currently scuffing with her hoof. Twilight looked at her friends with soft and genuine smile.

“Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine, trust me.” Fluttershy nodded in response to both of them. Their yellow companion led them into her small kitchenette. There wasn't much to it, just a sink, counters, cabinets and drawers, a small wood-burning stove with a range on top, and dining place with a table and a few chairs. Every thing had a very spring-like feeling to it, being in shades of yellow, green, or brown, or a natural wood finish. The atmosphere of the entire cottage brought feelings of calmness, or serenity. Although no matter how serene it felt, Marckus had always felt awkward and out of place being in someone else' home. That feeling had grown exponentially considering he was in the home of a sensitive pony half his size, whom he thought he owed big time. As they stood in the tiny room, Marckus was ridged, not moving even the slightest, settling for standing quietly to the side where he deemed was out of the way. Fluttershy went about retrieving a meal for her friend and herself, a small salad consisting mostly of lettuce and other roughage with some daffodils and daisies mixed throughout. She set the bowls down before her guest on the small table.

“Thank you, Fluttershy, although, you didn't have to do this for me.”

“Oh, no, I love having friends over. It's really no trouble at all.” She took her own seat at the table when she looked at the man who seemed to be trying to blend into the scenery. “Is something the matter, Marckus? Did I do something to upset you? Oh, I'm sorry” She turned her head down and began a staring contest with the grain of the wooden table.

“Oh, you didn't upset me, it's just...I don't feel right using someone else' things...” His deep bass voice almost hidden in a very hushed tone. He refused to move from his spot, standing as statuesque as an English Royal Guard. Fluttershy rose from her place at the table and looked him in the eyes. He looked back and saw nothing but the deep sapphire oceans of endless compassion. He relaxed from her gaze.

“Don't worry, Marckus, you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable doing. Would you like me to help you somehow?” Her usual bashful stutter was lost to a soothing tone that did not falter in the slightest. She smiled ever-so-slightly in a way that was not condescending, or pitiful, but instead was soft and warm. He was immediately reminded of his mother. He began fighting back tears in the company of the two ponies. He reached into the special key-pocket hidden inside the right pocket of his Carpenter's pants and retrieved a small token on a chain. Engraved on the small coin was the word “Mom” in elegant cursive, and on it's reverse was engraved “Love” in a similar print. He dangled the small item in front of himself as he looked it over like he had a thousand times before. His hand started to tremble slightly. Fluttershy noticed this behavior and backed away slightly. “A-are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” He slowly shook his head as he stared at the tiny trinket. He took the pendant in one hand and kept the chain suspended with the other as he crossed his left leg over his right and, without losing balance, lowered himself onto the floor to sit. Now at eye level, Fluttershy could read the emotion kept hidden deep within his smokey hazel eyes. She sat back on her haunches just in front of him and gently placed a comforting hoof on his knee. Twilight left her spot at the table and sat down beside him on his right. He took a shuddering breath as he readied himself to tell a story he'd much rather left untold, but at this point there was no way he couldn't. Both mares remained silent as they awaited his tale.

“My mother....you-you reminded me of her, the way you're so kind and understanding.” He never took his sight off of the keepsake. “She was the most kindhearted woman you'd ever meet. She was always there for those in need, even when she wouldn't get a single thing in return. I remember when she'd look at me with those of eyes, never once did she judge me when I came to her with a problem.” He sniffled and took another uneasy breath. “But when I was still a boy, she had a terrible accident and injured her spine, effectively crippling her. And even though she was almost always in agonizing pain, she was still there for me, no matter what. Things started to look up for once in years, she was finding it easier to cope with the pain, but then things took a turn for the worst. She was diagnosed with cancer when I was about sixteen. By that time I had began working part time as a carpenter beside my father to help pay for the medical bills. She fought bravely for a few years, but the medicine for her back left her immune system in shambles. She passed away shortly after my nineteenth birthday.” His words became shaky, as did the rest of him. “In her will, she asked that her old rings be melted down and made into pendants. One for me and one for my father. Although, he fell into depression shortly after and his health ran into a steep decline. He passed away a few years later. He chose to be cremated with his pendant.” He turned the coin over so the side that read “Love” faced him. He let it lie in the palm of his hand so that his company could also read it. “My mother always taught me that love is the most powerful thing in the world. She always told me that love should be without bounds, and without condition. And that's what she did.” He clutched the pendant tight in his hand. A weary smile slowly broke across his face as he felt the pressure well up behind his eyes. He turned his watery gaze towards the canary pegasus. She smiled back at him and got to her hooves. Twilight got up and stood beside her with the hint of a tear in her own eye. He took the pendant and hung it around his neck and looked at it once more, letting out a sigh. He brought the coin up to his mouth before silently sending a prayer to his mother, who he new, even in death, even in another world, she was still watching over him. He tucked the pendant into his shirt and lifted his left leg, planting his foot down and bracing himself on said leg with his left arm and pushed himself off the floor. He wiped the tears still in his eyes that threatened to stain his cheeks with his thumbs and steadied his nerves.

“There, there, you must feel much better now that you got that off your chest.” Fluttershy's tone was as warm and comforting as her smile.

“I do feel better. Thank you for listening. I hope I didn't spoil your meal.” He scratched the back of his head.

“Oh, don't worry about me, I'm fine. What about you, Twilight?” She turned to the lavender unicorn who was already taking her place at the table, making the question somewhat rhetorical. The yellow care-giver took her seat at the table before turning once again to Marckus. “Are you alright to make yourself breakfast?” He nodded slowly as he looked around the small area. He walked over to the small wood-burning stove and opened the grate, revealing the few cindered logs that were previously used for fuel. He took a few new logs from a nearby pile of firewood and threw them into the cage. He took his Swiss Army Knife out of his pocket and began carving a groove out of one of the logs. Once he was satisfied, he took a small rectangular block of metal out of his pocket that was attached to a ring of keys by a short chain. Twilight looked over as he placed the extended knife onto the metal block.

“What's that?” She asked, mouth full of food, ever thirsty for knowledge. He turned from his task and held up his knife.

“Steel.” He pointed to the shinier inner metal on the thin side of the rectangular block with the tip of the blade. “Flint. Flint and steel make a spark.” He pointed to the duller outer metal that covered the rest of the block. “Magnesium. Flint and steel make a spark, but magnesium burns really hot.” He turned back to the stove and pressed the knife onto the edge of the block with the exposed flint side, hovering just above the notch in the wood he just carved. He stroked the block with his blade and a bright spark flashed from the tip, landing on the log and fizzling out, leaving a scorch mark on the wood. He scrapped it again, and it yielded more burning sparks, this time they caught fire, lighting the stove ablaze. He closed the grate and stood up. “And voila, fire!” Fluttershy and Twilight both clicked their hooves together in applause to his performance. He retrieved the basket of eggs and set it on the counter. “Do you have a spare bowl that I could use?” The resident pegasus gestured to a cabinet above the sink, not fond of speaking with her mouth full as opposed to the other pony in the room. Marckus opened the cupboard and grabbed a decent sized bowl. He set the bowl down on the counter and began to crack eggs, two at a time, with one in each hand. As much as she disliked seeing the eggs being cracked, Twilight couldn't help but watch the deft movements of the man's hands, cracking and splitting each egg in half without crushing it entirely.

“You're very good at that.” She remarked. “Can a lot of humans do that?” He continued to go about his work, but looked over his shoulder to speak.

“Well, learning to crack eggs like this comes with practice. My father used to cook breakfast all the time when I was young. I loved to help and just got better over time. But using both hands is a talent that's pretty rare to humans. Usually most people are either right handed, or left handed, considering which hand they use dominantly to perform most tasks. People like me, on the other hand, are called 'ambidextrous'. That means that I don't have a dominant side, and can do most things as well left handed as right. But I do have a preference to my left side, just because my old man was a lefty.” With that, he turned back to his meal in progress, discarding the spent eggshells into the sink and extending the corkscrew on his handy gadget. He whipped the eggs in the bowl into a light soupy mixture before he took a frying pan off the rack that hung over the cooking range and placed on the now-hot stove. He rinsed off the corkscrew before retracting it, and once again bringing out the blade. He poured the eggs into the frying pan and pushed them around with the broad side of the knife, using is as a make-shift spatula. The eggs sizzled in the pan, slowly turning from a soup to a fluffy squishy texture. He dumped the eggs back into their original bowl and rinsed off the pan, rubbing off any leftover egg residue with his free hand. After depositing the eggshells into a nearby waste bin, and the pan in the sink, he began to eat his meal. A few minutes passed in comfortable silence as the unlikely trio ate their food, and one by one, they finished. The three walked to the door and exited the comfy home.

“That was really nice, thanks Fluttershy.” Twilight thanked her friend for the treat to her morning meal.

“Yes, thank you so much, for everything.” Marckus smiled a very heartfelt smile when he regarded his protein provider. Although, to him, she was already more than that. To him, she might be called a friend.

“It was nothing, really. I enjoyed having you over. I hope we can do this again sometime...i-if you want to, that is.” She instinctively hid behind her droopy mane. The purple pony and her companion said their goodbyes and thank yous and went on their way towards the EverFree Forest, where the creator of Marckus' miracle elixir lived.