//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 
// Story: Behind the Veil 
// by FeralFox 
//------------------------------//


”Behind the Veil”
Chapter 14
by FeralFox




Twilight began leading her charge in no particular direction in hopes of finding something convenient enough to stall him for another couple of hours. She silently cursed herself for allowing Pinkie Pie to spontaneously throw together a town-wide party in a matter of one day. And in her home, of all places! She just hoped that Spike was holding together through whatever storm of insanity the party pony was conjuring up. As she frantically scanned the area and wracked her brain for anything to distract Marckus, it seemed that time was slowing down in spite of her. They trekked through town, and even though it was nearing evening, it struck the man as strange how barren the place had suddenly become. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, a sky-blue pegasus dropped from the air and landed smack-dab in front of Twilight, giving both of them a little start. She was wearing some aviator's goggles and they were fogged up to the point of blindness. She lifted them to her forehead and scanned the streets before making an about-face and almost crashing face to face into Twilight.

“Whoa! Sorry Twi, I didn't see ya’ there.” She said with a grin. She adjusted the saddlebags that rested on her back. They seemed to be filled with some kind of papers. Flyers, maybe? Marckus couldn't be certain. She didn't seem to notice Marckus, even though he was mere feet away, and was pretty hard to miss.

“Hi Rainbow, what are you doing here?” She said between the teeth of an obviously fake grin. She bobbed her head in her companion's direction, staring intently at the cyan mare. The pegasus turned and looked up at him, her grin instantly replaced with a shocked expression. She started backing up slowly.

“Uuhh...I-I just remembered that I...uh...I left the rainbow fountain running!” As finished her bizarre statement she bolted off in a streak of multicolor splendor. A few of the papers from her bags fluttered to the ground, blasted out of place by the shear force of the take-off. Marckus eyed the little thing curiously and reached his hand out to grab it, but a strange heat radiated from it. Soon the paper was engulfed in an intense flame and was incinerated in an instant. He quickly withdrew his hand and turned to Twilight, who's horn was shimmering from exerting magical energy. She laughed awkwardly as the rest of the papers erupted in a similar fashion.

“Heh heh...Just cleaning up the litter?” She said. The man shrugged and disregarded the strange behavior from both of the mares. For all he knew, Ms. Dash may actually have some kind of “rainbow fountain” and she left it running. Maybe incineration was standard procedure when dealing with litter. 'Phew...That was a close one.' She thought to herself. 'Darn it! I was hoping that Dash would be available to take Marckus off my hooves for a while.' She glanced around the deserted streets looking for somepony to talk to, anypony that could stall them for however long. Marckus laced his fingers behind his head and bent back, a few snaps sounding, and stretched. With a groan, he stretched arms above his head and shook himself. 

“Hey, Twilight. It looks like everyone is in for the night.” He looked up from her and gazed out into the brilliant scarlet sunset, the sky closer to them turning a beautiful mix of mauves and lavenders. “It's getting pretty late, why don't we turn in too?” He asked. Twilight's eyes went wide and it seemed that her face drooped with unease. 

“Uh...are you sure you don't want to, uh...um...Do you want to stay out and go star-gazing?” She asked desperately. He looked up into the dusk sky at the waning gibbous moon, slowly being surrounding by admiring stars of all colors.

“On any other night, I'd love to lie out in a field and look at those gorgeous stars, but I'm pretty worn out. You've got to admit, you have been dragging me around town all day. Plus there was the labor at the orchard, and that crazy attack by those little fillies. If you wouldn't mind, I'd just like to lie down and rest for the evening.” Marckus reasoned. Twilight grimaced inwardly.

'Of course I mind!' She screamed in her head, but stayed silent. That would bring about too many questions. So far, she hasn't had to lie, and she wanted it to stay that way. “Alright, let's get going then.” She said with a faked upset tone. She hung her head slightly and let her ears droop a bit. After a few steps, she peeked out of the corner of her eye to see if it had any effect on the man, and to her dismay, it had failed. He was still looking up at the stars. Twilight decided that she could still buy Pinkie some time if she walked really slowly. Even for a pony, she was walking comparatively at a snail's pace. Marckus' normally massive strides were reduced to tiny shuffles. He began intentionally dragging his heels along the dirt road, kicking up small dust clouds with each drag. The day's last rays glanced off of the hanging clouds, setting the sky ablaze in brilliant oranges and scarlets before finally burning out, leaving behind cool blues and purples in it's place. 

Before long, the sun had completely set, and the pair walked the remainder of the way in a peaceful darkness. Marckus was absolutely stunned at how bright the night was, the moon and its entourage of stars giving any still awake a helpful guiding light. Where he lived prior to his fall into this world, the nights were blackened by a fairly persistent overcast, airborne contaminates giving perfect surfaces for forming clouds. Even on a clear night, he was never able to gaze at the stars because of the local light pollution. Living in the Empire State isn't the best decision if one wished to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature. After walking for much longer than needed, they finally arrived at the Library. Twilight took her time opening the door, as though it would fall off its hinges at any moment. The pair entered the place of study to find that all of the lights had been turned off.

“Hey, isn't there someone else that lives here...Spike?” The man asked.

“Yes, he lives here too. Why do you ask?” Twilight responded.

“Well, shouldn't he have the lights on if he's here?” He reasoned. The lavender mare was about to worry about the suspicious lack of illumination, but she had the perfect excuse.

“He's a baby dragon, so he heads to bed by the break of dusk.” She said with a confident smile. “I have Owluicious to help me around the Library at night.” She told him. He looked around and scratched his head in search of the other denizen of the place.

“Who's Owluic- UUAAH!!” He screamed as the nocturnal assistant to the unicorn flew through the room and began screeching and scratching at him with its razor sharp talons. Twilight's eyes went wide as she saw her pet try to tear her new friend to shreds. He crossed his arms over his head and kept his head down to protect his face from the sharp fury of the bird of prey.

“Owluicious, no! He's friendly! Owluicious STOP!” She shouted at the bird. She quickly engulfed the owl in a field of telekinesis and dragged it away from the man.

“What the fuck?!” He shouted in shock, not expecting to be attacked in the safety of the Library. In that moment his own eyes went wide with worry and he clamped his hand over his mouth. He was silently praying that Twilight wasn't paying enough attention to realize what he just said. When she had calmed her pet, she turned back to him with interest in her eyes. 

“'Fuck'? What's 'fuck'?” She asked with genuine curiosity. In his mind, he screamed “Oops!” He took his hand away from his mouth slowly as he thought of what to say. He was truly at an internal impasse. Being a very eloquent and well-read man, he could appreciate the word's nigh infinite uses past the vulgarity, but it was vulgar and extremely informal nonetheless. Knowing that Twilight was studious herself, he would be sure that she'd also find such a multi-purposed word fascinating, but he would never live it down if he corrupted her with such a term.

“Uum...nothing. Nevermind. Forget it.... Just...just don't go repeating it again, please?” He pleaded. The last thing he wanted to do was to pollute this innocent pony's mind with cursing. She seemed rather knowledgeable, and she probably knew her fair share of slang, so he just hoped that his own world's curses were as foreign as he was. Twilight looked at him with a mild concern.

“Uh, okay then.” She said, slightly confused as to why he wouldn't share the meaning of a new word with her.

“So that's Owluicious?” Marckus asked, pointing a finger at the perched bird.

“Yep! He's nocturnal, so he can help me at night when Spike goes to bed. Speaking of, we might as well go upstairs. No sense in staying down here.” She said as she noticed the lack of preparation noises coming from above. They ascended the stairs, with Owluicious flying up ahead of them and landing on a floor lamp. Marckus walked over to the couch he had started taking a liking to and was about to flop down for the night when Twilight spoke up.

“Hey Marckus, don't sit down yet, please.” She said. He stood up from his half-crouch and straightened with a whispered sigh. “Sorry, but I may need your help with something in the Atrium upstairs.” She said as she trotted up the second flight of stairs. He stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently for further direction. He rocked back and forth on his heels and looked over at the owl on the lamp.

“So, uh...do you talk?” He asked the bold-eyed bird.

“Who?” Owluicious responded. Marckus took a hand out of his pocket and pointed to the owl.

“You...wait, I'm not falling for that. I know your tricks.” He said somewhat frustrated.

“Who?” The owl replied.

“Yeah, that's what I thought.” Marckus said. A moment passed and he regarded the predatory bird once more.

“Nehehe...Hey, Owluicious, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” The man said sarcastically. 

“Two.” Quoth the…owl. Marckus raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“Come again?” He said asked.

“Who?” Owluicious said almost mockingly.

“Feh...” The man said, waving a hand dismissively at the owl. After another moment of waiting, he heard Twilight call from the floor above.

“Marckus! Can you come up here?” She called. He rolled his shoulders and neck, and tried to shake himself back awake for whatever Twilight needed him for. Most likely just moving furniture or large equipment that was too big for her magic. He didn't know if there was a limit to her magic, but he was just guessing. He started up the stairs to find that the door was shut. He shrugged and reached for the door. He opened the door to reveal a room that was pitch-black.

In the matter of a moment, Marckus did the last thing he ever wanted to do. In a second, the dark was completely replaced by blinding light, the tranquil silence of the night taken over by a cacophony of loud, piercing noises. His vision dominated by a blur of bright color. His actions were instantaneously directed by reflex. In a single motion, he brought his right arm up and covered his face, wrenching his eyes shut, while his left hand balled into a fist and lunged out, striking whatever his body perceived was attacking him.

“GAAH!!!!” He screamed as the moment passed in an instant. He noticed that his hand had hit something, and he looked up from his arm to see his surroundings for what they really were. The noises that sounded was what seemed like the entire town screaming “SURPRISE!”, blasting confetti and rattling noise-makers. The flash of light was, of course, the lights being turned on all at once. The color that had obstructed his vision was the pink fur of a one Pinkie Pie's face. As he looked he saw that she must have been standing on the stool at his feet so that she was at an equal height, but was now lying sprawled out on the ground a couple of feet in front of him. The crowd gasped collectively and backed up in fear. Then, it burst into shouts and screams. Fluttershy and Rarity charged over to check on Pinkie, who's eyes were spiraling, and a thick line of crimson blood was running from her nose. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, on the other hand went straight for the stunned man. 

“Ah knew it! Ah knew y'all were no good!” The workpony screamed at him. He shook his head and put his hands out defensively.

“I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-”

“Let's beat the tar outta him to make it even!” Rainbow Dash snarled in her friend's defense.

“No, wait! You don't understand!” He pleaded. Twilight jumped between them and tried to defuse the situation. The ponies began to bombard them with a volley of threats and the likes. Just as the whole crowd was either about to jump the shocked man, or escape through the nearest window, a voice rang out through all the chaos.

“HOLD ON A MINUTE!!!” Shouted the unknown source. The crowd came to an unsettling hush. A line was cleared through the crowd to the voice. It was Pinkie Pie. She was leaning against Fluttershy, her nose still slightly dripping blood. 

“Pinkie Pie! I'm so sorry! Please, I didn't mean to, it was just-” Marckus' sentence was cut short by a raised hoof.

“Don't worry Marckus,” She said in her normal cheery manner, “I'm fine! Besides, isn't this supposed to be a party?! Where's the music? I wanna get my groove on!” She shouted.

“Are you sure that's such a good idea dear? That was quite a blow you suffered.” Rarity asked, concerned. The majority of the crowd shooting daggers at Marckus in response.

“I feel fiiiine, Rarity, trust me!” The pink pony said, twirling on her hoof with the slightest of ease. The crowd eyed Marckus in a mixture of fear and dislike. Noticing the general vibe of the entirety of the town, Pinkie skipped happily over to the man. “Hey, don't be like that, it's not his fault ol' Pinkie Pie gave him a scare.” She said, laughing and giving him a joking jab to the side from atop her stool. “Really guys, he's a super nice...um whatever-he-is!” She told the crowd with an amount of confidence that only she could have. Marckus didn't want to correct her in hopes that she would win over the crowd. With skepticism blatant in the crowd's glares, whoever was manning the music booth turned up the tunes. 

“Yeah! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!” Pinkie said as she began to sway, dip, and swirl to the upbeat music. “Wooh! Come on everypony! Let's get jiggy with it!” She cried to the crowd. It seemed that her enthusiasm was contagious, because not after long did most of the crowd join in and actually begin to party. Pinkie dissolved into the writhing mass of dancing party-goers as the music was kicked up to full blast.

Marckus took a minute to gaze in astonishment at the shindig a complete stranger had set up in his honor. There were streamers and banners strewn about the rafters and walls, entire tables set up with concessions, and towards the back of the gigantic room sat the music booth, its massive dual towers of pure amplifying power reaching for the proportionally gargantuan room. Between them sat the Disk Jockey's spin table. On the front was a label that read “DJ Pwn-3”. He chuckled to himself at the somewhat ironic use of his world's “1337-5P34l<” or “Leet Speak” as it were. He had been familiar with it during his time in the internet and gaming community before his work and other obligations had rendered his free time near extinct. The unicorn at the booth was sporting some interesting shades. Her mane was an electric blue, and her coat was white. He made a mental note to mingle his way over to the booth and ask her some questions, but for now, he took in the rest of his surroundings. 

In the center of the room, hanging of the main cross member, there was a massive banner that read “Welcome to Equestria Marckus!” written in bright, bold-face print. He was still finding it a tad bit odd that someone would throw such a massive party just for him, only knowing him for a short time. Back home, he didn't even get parties on his birthday. Just a card here and there from friend who had began sadly drifting away from him for quite a while. They would usually send the obligatory Christmas or birthday card, but other than that, they rarely contacted one another. Just as his thoughts began drifting away from him, two very upset mares approached him.

“So, you think you can just clobber our friend in the snout and get away scott-free, huh?” The cyan pegasus asked rhetorically. The scowl that played across her face matched only by the anger in that of her orange friend.

“Ya think that just cuz we're smaller then y'all makes it okay fer ya to just prance around beatin' the snot outta mah friends?” Applejack asked with a threatening tone. The pair stalked closer to the man. “Well, Mister Tough Guy, just know that you'll be gettin' yers soon enough.” She said with a sense of foreboding.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash snickered mischievously, “when you least expect it, you'll get what's comin' to you.” Marckus tried to put the thoughts from his mind, seeing that he was in such a crowded place, but it seemed that the crowd would also like to see him get his just desserts. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Heh, come on ladies, it was an accident. Even Pinkie Pie said so.” He said partially pleading. The two mares exchanged a devious look and left, defusing back into the crowd. Suddenly, he felt utter disbelief. He had just been confronted by two pastel colored, talking ponies, and was actually worried. He had never been confrontational, always a gentleman, but that didn't mean that he couldn't handle himself in a tough situation. He cleared the thoughts from his mind and eased himself, allowing the music to reach further to him. He felt the deep, pounding pulses of the bass thumping in his chest. He bobbed his head to the intense techno that boomed from the DJ's booth. It was good to finally listen to music again. After a few minutes, the party was finally in full swing, and the adrenalin surge from the unfortunate incident gave Marckus a second wind, he was wide awake.

He strode across the giant room to the concession table. It was quite a spread! It seemed that the catering was also being taken care of by the zealous pink pony, the table was jam-packed with treats and goodies of all sorts. Cookies, donuts, brownies, cupcakes, and even a gigantic four-tier cake decorated with balloons and streamers made of frosting. It all looked delectable, but he chose to take part of the punch and leave the sugary delights for later. He poured himself some punch into one of the tiny cups provided and was about to take a sip until something nudged his leg. He set the drink down on the table and turned to see that it was Pinkie Pie trying to get his attention.

“What's up?” He asked the MC of the town-wide bash. She looked at him and giggled.

“He-he! You!” She said in her famous happy tone. Marckus chuckled at the crude joke.

“I can't thank you enough for this party. I mean, this is amazing! And you've only known me for a few days...I can only imagine what you do for one of your friends.” He said in astonishment and thanks.

“It's no biggie! I throw a party for everypony that comes to Ponyville! But this was your first time in Equestria, so I thought ‘This party has to be big enough to welcome someone to the whole world!'” She recanted with a beaming smile. Just then, the song ended and was quickly followed by another that was equally up-beat and intense. “OOH! This is my jam!” She shouted eagerly before zipping back into the oceanic crowd. They were all moving and grooving to the music happily.

“What song isn't your jam?” He thought out loud, but was most likely unheard over the thunderous music. He turned back around and retrieved his glass. He put the glass to his lips and downed the liquid. Suddenly, his tongue and throat began to burn and his eyes began to water. He coughed and gagged as the sensation intensified. “Hot! Mi- * cough * milk!” He cried. Soon, Rainbow Dash swooped in from overhead wielding a metal bucket.

“Aww, wussa matter? Too hot for ya? Here, this aughtta cool you off!” She said as she threw the water housed in the bucket right in his face. She dropped the bucket and fell to the floor, cracking up into hysterics. He also heard laughter coming from behind him. Applejack emerged from underneath the table, cleverly hidden by the tablecloth, also busting a gut. Soon, the crowd noticed his moistened state and joined in with bouts of laughter themselves. He had been set up! Marckus coughed and choked some more, his eyes dilating in terror. He gripped his throat with his right hand as he fell to his knees, holding on to the side of the table with his left. The laughter died out when they saw his declining status. Rainbow Dash got up from the floor and chuckled nervously a few times.

“Heh heh...Just look at him ham it up.” She said with a hint of worry in her voice. Marckus continued to wheeze and choke, his breaths becoming shallower as time passed.

“I'm...allergic! Can't...breathe!” He said with a harsh rasp. Rainbow lost her smile completely and rushed over to his side.

“Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Wha- Can I help you?” She asked with genuine concern. He said something too quietly for her to hear. “What? What did you say?” He turned his head and looked at her with a dastardly smile playing across his face. He reached across the table with his left hand and gripped the punch bowl, bringing it above his head and down on top of the technicolor mare's, soaking her in the drink.

“Gotcha!” He said with a hearty laugh. The crowd gasped collectively. Dash's look of worry melted away to reveal an expression of total fury. She growled and glared intensely at the man. She took a few deep, infuriated breaths. She stood at him until her scowl began to twitch and waver. In a moment, she burst out laughing and removed the punch bowl from her head, placing it back on the table.

“That was pretty good, I'll give you that.” She said as she patted him on the back. Applejack joined her at her side. “Sorry about the prank, we just had a theory is all.” She said.

“What, if humans are immune to hot sauce?” He asked with a chuckle.

“No, nuthin' like that.” Applejack began. “Ah know Pinkie Pie, and Ah know she knows ponies. Now, y'all ain't much of a pony, but she can read folks all the same. If she says that yu're a good guy, then Ah got's ta’ listen, but Ah had to know fer sure. Me 'n Dash played this little trick on ya’ to see how you'd react, and it looks like you done proved me wrong again.” She explained. He shrugged and nodded.

“Eh, fair enough. No hard feelings...well from me, anyway. You're not mad, though, are you Miss Dash?” He asked.

“I will be if you keep calling me 'Miss', but other than that, nope, I'd say that we're even.” She said with a smile. Out of nowhere, Pinkie jumped up between the three of them and locked their heads into a big hug.

“Yay! We're all friends!!” She shouted gleefully. With that, she sprung from them and leaped back into the massive crowd. The music picked up again and all the ponies resumed dancing. Applejack and Rainbow Dash eased into the party with a new image of Marckus in their minds, taking any worry away. Marckus got too his feet and hurriedly reached for some chocolate fudge brownies, quickly scarfing them down. He breathed a sigh of relief as the dairy in the treats soothed his still burning mouth and throat. 

The party raged on for quite a while, lasting far into the night. It seemed inconceivable, but Pinkie Pie had managed to keep the entire town entertained for the whole night. Any ponies who left were only gone long enough to make sure that their little ones were settled in for the night before returning. The music continued to boom throughout the amphitheater sized room, showing no sign of slowing down. Marckus drifted through the crowd, mingling with some of the ponies. It seemed that after the show that was put on, they also adopted a similar feeling towards him. Many of them were still stunned at first from his unusual looks and large stature, but they came around soon enough. He spoke to Golden Harvest, a local carrot farmer, and Lyra and Bon-Bon, a musician and a sweet's store owner respectively, they seemed to be exceptionally close, but Marckus threw any assumptions out of his mind. 

He eventually made his way over to the DJ booth and finally chatted with her. It turned out that her real name was Vinyl Scratch, very suiting in his opinion. They talked the subject of music for a while, finding shared points and opinions on most of the matter. A few minutes into their conversation, a mare by the name of Octavia showed up. It seemed that she was a cellist in a classical orchestra and, on occasion, a four part band that performed for some of the more up-class balls and galas. They discussed different views on classical music, along with various other genres, until Octavia and Vinyl began to bicker and fight like an old married couple. Marckus shrugged and resumed enjoying his party. 

At what seemed a couple of hours past midnight, Pinkie took hold of the crowd's attention once again.

“Hey everypony, now that the little fillies and colts are safely tucked away, let's really get this party started!” She shouted. The crowd cheered immensely as the party pony strutted through the crowd to the table carrying a platter of some kind of white cubes on her head and a keg on her back. He placed them both down on the table and the crowd started filtering over, taking some of the newly supplied refreshments. Marckus walked over to the gigantic keg that seemed far too heavy for such a little pony to heft, but he didn't really know their strength. Especially Pinkie's. For all he knew, she could break down an entire wall with ease, but he would rather not find that out the hard way. He took a cup and poured some of the liquid from the tap, giving it a sniff and a sip.

“Um...Pinkie Pie?” He said quizzically, turning to the pink mare.

“Mmmyyyeeeeees?” She responded enthusiastically.

“Is this...apple cider?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup-yup-yupparoo!” She said. He thought for a moment. Then, he reached for a cube, prodding it with his tongue, getting just a bit to taste. What he tasted only made him more confused.

“Is this salt?” He asked in complete ignorance. Pinkie giggled loudly.

“Hehehe, of course it is, silly! You're not gonna narc on me, are you Marckus-Parkus-Lemon-Larkus?” She asked playfully.

“Um, what would I have to narc on you about?” He asked as he scratched his head. As he took a sip of his beverage, Twilight emerged from the crowd with a frown on her face. She looked up at Marckus after she glared at the pink Master of Ceremonies.

“Marckus, salt and cider can have disorienting effects on ponies, and frankly, I'm very disappointed in Pinkie Pie for bringing them to this party.” She said as she returned to scowl at Pinkie.

“Oh, lighten up, Twilight. Why don't you have a lick and loosen up for a change?” Pinkie suggested.

“Absolutely not! I shall not be partaking of those mind-altering substances, thank you!” She said disapprovingly.

“Wait, so salt and cider...is like alcohol? I know that dehydration can bring on delirium, but cider? That's just like apple juice. I mean, sure, it's fermented and the tiniest bit alcoholic...” As he thought out loud, the realization began to fall on him. “Well, you are really small, so what little alcohol there is would have a decent effect on you.” As he finished putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Twilight nodded in approval.

“You see, Pinkie? Without those horrible things to pollute everypony's minds, they could all be thinking as clearly as Marckus is. I'm sure that you don't take part in such a repulsive tradition in your world, do you?” She asked, thinking she knew the answer.

“Well, I'd be lying if I said I've been completely without alcohol.” He said cautiously. Twilight gaped and looked at him, surprised. “Well, I only have a little during my birthday, and for New Year's, but it's only red wine. It tastes good and it's really good for the heart, but I never have enough to get really drunk, just a light buzz.” He said reassuringly. “But other than that, I can't stand alcohol. Everything else tastes like shi-” He caught himself as he almost let slip more of his informal vocabulary. “erm, tastes real bad.” He said. At this, Twilight turned back to Pinkie, shoving a hoof in the man's direction.

“See? Only a tiny bit AND it's healthy for him! But this...” She shook her head as she scolded the party mare for her irresponsibility. She opened her mouth to continue, but Marckus' hand on her shoulder caught her.

“Twilight, it is a party. You don't have to join them, but at least let them hang loose for the night. If they want to get a bit tipsy, so be it, right? I mean, so long as no one gets hurt and they all make it home safely, what's the harm? Especially considering both you and I will be sober, so if something does happen, which nothing should, we're here to take care of it, alright?” He reasoned. Pinkie beamed even brighter as he defended her. Twilight considered it for a while.

“Okay, I guess.” Twilight said, defeated. She glared at Pinkie again. “You're lucky Marckus is here to win me over with proper logic and reasoning!” Pinkie jumped into the air, clapping her hooves together happily.

“Hooray for proper larsoning and regic!” She said zealously. Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes at Pinkie's obvious lack of the two characteristics. Pinkie bounced over to the DJ's booth and took hold of the microphone, tapping it a few times to get everyone's attention. “Hey party ponies!!” She shouted to the crowd. They all quieted down, and Vinyl Scratch lowered the volume of the music so that Pinkie could use her normal voice, which consisted mostly of shouts and screams, to address the masses. “Let's here it for our guest of honor, Marckus!” She said, pointing a hoof over to the man still sipping at his cup of cider. The crowd erupted in a massive cheer, all turning to him and stamping their hooves against the floor, creating a resounding applause. A multitude of ponies approached him and welcomed him, some of the pegasi flying to him and patting him on the shoulders or back.

“Thanks, everyone, so much. You guys really know how to make a fella feel welcome in another world.” Marckus said sincerely. To this, the crowd gave another thunderous applause. “Okay, enough sentiments, let's get back to the party!” He called, to which the crowd answered with more applause. The music was cranked to eleven and the festivities were once again underway.

The party was soon kicked into over-drive by the new refreshments available and everypony was having a blast. As time went on all too quickly, the party ponies began to feel the effects of the cider and salt cubes. Speech became slurred and dancing became clumsy and wobbly. It was, unfortunately, around time to start seeing ponies off on their way home. The concessions were all but gone, and the party was finally winding down. It was at least four hours past midnight when the first groups of ponies began to leave. Marckus noticed them start out the exit and managed to thank them for coming and wish them a good night. He stood there the remainder of the night, drinking his cider and thanking everypony as they went. 

Soon enough, the party had ended, and the DJ was packing up her equipment with the help of her friend, Octavia. Besides them, all that remained was Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. They all helped clean up the mess, but Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow were all hammered. Marckus gathered them together at a table and sat them down before returning to helping. With their combined efforts, the gargantuan atrium was clear of party trash and debris.

Once everything was cleared and cleaned, Marckus brought all six of the mares together one more time.

“I can't thank y'all enough all that you've done for me.” He said with his expression brimming with gratitude. “Fluttershy, helping me through an emotional crisis and for providing me with food. Twilight, for helping me heal, and allowing me to live under your roof. Applejack, for giving me a chance to prove my worth, and for helping to cater to this party. Rainbow Dash, for sending word out to everyone in town to come to a party for a guy you've barely met. Rarity, for that fantastic trip to the spa, and for mending my clothes. And finally, thank you Pinkie Pie, for putting together this monumental event just for the sake of welcoming me into your lives.” He leaned down and took them all in his arms and initiated a group hug. “Again, thank you all, so much, for everything.” They all happily and/or drunkenly returned the embrace with contented sighs.

In unison, they all answered “Your welcome, Marckus. Welcome to Equestria!”

They went downstairs and saw the seven remaining mares out the door. Twilight turned up to Marckus with a sleepy smile and motioned for them to return to the second floor and retire for the night. The tired man approached his little sofa and stopped in mid-flop, looking over at the lavender mare. With a snicker, she shook her head, signaling that it was okay for him to plop down and rest. And he did just that. As he was lying on the sofa, he reached out and unlaced his boots, sending each of them to the floor with a loud thump. He turned behind him and fluffed up his Carhartt before lying down with an exhausted moan. He laced his fingers behind his head and shut his eyes.

“Good night, Twilight.” He called to her.

“Good night, Marckus. And welcome to Equestria.” She responded before trotting off to her room for the night. He drifted slowly away to sleep with a truly contented smile on his lips.






To be continued...


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[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Attention readers, now that the story has finally reached a high point, it's bound to slow down from here. While I do have some ideas, they're only feasible once the story has progressed some more, so it'll take a while to implement them. So, I'm holding a contest. The first few people to give two damns about what I say, and would like to request something, PM me and I'll discuss more then. But don't worry, I'll drudge on through the dull parts as quickly as I can manage to keep the story at a decent pacing, but a lot is going to be filler.