//------------------------------// // Busting Boasters // Story: Marjoram // by Nekiyha //------------------------------// Marjoram watched as the blue mare dressed in extravagant, purple magician's clothes pulled a wagon passed the library, briefly wondering if she was a traveling showpony. Even now, with nothing beyond the bright displays on her wagon to draw in others, ponies were beginning to stop her and ask questions. Marjoram pulled himself away from the window, and wandered into the main room of the library, where Twilight was practicing her new magic tricks. An easel with the tricks names was set up beside Spike, and all of them but the last had a checkmark beside it. “C'mon, Twilight! You can do it!” Spike encouraged, holding the marker in his claws. Twilight widened her stance, and concentrated. Marjoram watched as Spike's muzzle and Twilight's horn lit up with purple magic, and a mustache appeared on Spike's face. Spike let out a triumphant cheer, checking off the last trick on the list before moving to the nearby mirror, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. “Good work. Growing magic, that makes twenty-five new tricks.” Marjoram stated, garnering a sheepish, if triumphant smile from Twilight. “It's nothing,” Twilight blushed. “It's not nothing!” Spike exclaimed, stroking the mustache, “It's awesome! I think this one is my favourite. I'll really impress Rarity with this.” “Sorry, Romeo,” Marjoram replied dryly, his horn lighting up, “it's got to go.” “But- awww,” Spike felt the place where the thick mustache had been seconds earlier, pouting a little. Twilight giggled at the display, “Can you teach me how to dispell other ponies complex spells soon? I'm pretty sure I have the simple spells down, but-” “I will after you show me what you can do,” Marjoram replied, “And I'll ask Rarity to provide a few spells for you to undo. You're more acclimatized to my magic than you think.” An odd look briefly passed over Twilight's features, but Marjoram thought nothing of it, assuming it was her usual anxiety about tests and the like. “Can we go to lunch now?” Spike asked, setting the marker down, “It's been a while since breakfast.” “Of course,” Twilight offered a big smile, “Wanna come, Marjoram? I hear the Cakes tried out a new croissant recipe.” Marjoram rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway. It had been a few weeks since they had begun the new regime of potions, but he was already noticing a few improvements in his overall health, including a slight increase in appetite, “Sure.” Twilight smile turned into a true, happy one. While Twilight fetched her coin purse, Spike looked at the trick list, then at Marjoram, “I thought unicorns could only learn a few magic tricks that centered around their special talent.” “Yes. Rarity, for instance, specializes in magic focused around fashion. However, for Twilight and I, our special talents are magic, so we excel at it at all levels.” Spike nodded, “That makes sense.” “No problem. Don't let me forget, I think Twilight mentioned showing you some of Starswirl the Bearded spells soon. I might need your help in finding some of his spellbooks.” Spike brightened, “Of course! I'm always happy to help!” “I know,” Marjoram sighed, then moved to the door, “C'mon, might as well wait near the door. Twilight might be hungry enough after all that magic to skin whomever stands in her way.” “She wouldn't, would she?” “No. That's just an exaggeration.” Twilight trotted down the stairs, coin purse held aloft by her magic, “Are we ready?!” “Yes!” Both Marjoram and Spike replied in unison. Twilight giggled, and opened the door, allowing her friends to exit before her. She shut the door behind them, and the walk to Sugarcube Corner commenced. On the way to Sugarcube Corner, however, they ran into Snips and Snails, two schoolponies who were often getting themselves into trouble because they didn't think much before acting. They were nice boys, however, and had come to the library together on several occasions, both for school and for pleasure. They were running towards the direction of Town Square, and had knocked Spike to the ground. “Sorry about that, Spike!” Snails drawled. “Yeah!” Snips exclaimed. “What's the rush?” Spike asked, rubbing his back. “Didn't you hear? There's a new unicorn in town! She's supposed to be the most magical mare in Equestria, and she's putting on a show in the Town Square.” Twilight and Marjoram shared a look, and Spike guffawed, “Twilight here is the most magical mare!” Twilight blushed, “Oh, Spike!” “C'mon! The show is starting!” Snails said excitedly before taking off again, Snips following. “Should we?” Twilight asked. “Probably,” Marjoram replied, “We'll get lunch after.” Spike shrugged, “Okay.” The trio trotted to the Town Square, leaving Marjoram breathless and panting by the time they got to the front of the crowd where Twilight's friends were. The wagon Marjoram had seen the blue mare carting by had been unfolded into a stage, where there was gaudy decorations, and places for magic to shoot out whenever the person who set them gave a light magical signal. Marjoram sighed. She cannot be serious. From behind the blue curtain, a grandiose (clearly forcefully so), announced, “Come one, come all, to see the awesome powers of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Oh sweet Creators, she's even rolling her 'r's. Marjoram felt the urge to smash his head off the nearest hard object, but shook himself from it when the performance began. A puff of grey, sparkling smoke prefaced the arrival of Trixie, who was the mare Marjoram had seen pulling the cart. Now that he could see her properly, Marjoram almost let out a groan; her clothing, while gaudy, was cheap, and her Cutie Mark practically announced that her special talent lay in flashy, performance magic. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ponykind has ever seen!” As if to emphasize how not impressive she was, some of the devices Marjoram had seen earlier went off, fireworks going off above the stage, raining sparkles down on the crowd of assembled ponies. Ponies 'oohed' and 'ahhed', and Marjoram seriously hoped they were either payed ponies to do such things, or ponies who were just playing along for the benefit of the children. “My, my, my,” Rarity looked less than pleased with the first magics herself, “What boasting.” “Come on! Nopony is as magical as Twi-” Spike's eyes widened as he looked at Rarity. His cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and he muttered something else before hiding behind Marjoram. “There's nothing wrong with being talented, right?” Twilight asked. “Of course not!” Applejack responded, “but there's no use in flaunting them like that mare.” “Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic, does not mean that they are better than everypony else.” “Especially when there's me around,” Rainbow butt in. At the glares from the others, she offered a sheepish laugh, “I-uh- mean. Yeah! Magic, shmagic!” Trixie stopped her performance, her nostrils flaring in anger, “Well, it seems we have naysayers! What pony would be brave enough to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie!? The most powerful mare in Equestria?!” Marjoram snorted, “Yeah right.” “Especially since we know Twilight is the most powerfu-” Twilight dragged Spike away, muttering something about not wanting to be boastful like Trixie. Marjoram made a mental note to explain the differences for her, then turned his attention back to the stage. Rainbow flew up to the stage, so she could look Trixie in the eye, “So, 'Great and Powerful' Trixie, what makes you so much better than everypony else!?” Trixie let out a little laugh, “Only the Great and Powerful Trixie has defeated an Ursa Major!” To emphasize her words, one of the devices shot out a blue, completely inaccurate, rendering of an Ursa Major, “When the ponies in Puffingtom had no one to turn to, the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in and used her magic to vanquish the beast, and sent it back to its lair in the Everfree Forest!” Snips and Snails jumped in front of the stage, “That proves it! The Great and Powerful Trixie really is the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria!” “How do you know?!” Spike protested, “you weren't even there! Besides, Twi-” Twilight magically turned Spike's mouth into a zipper, and zipped it closed, earning identical glares from both Spike and Marjoram. Trixie laughed, “Then Trixie is the most powerful in all of Ponyville! If you don't believe in the might of the Great and Powerful Trixie, I hearby challenge you to prove me wrong! Anything you can do, I can do better! Any takers? Or is Trixie destined to be the best equine that has ever lived!?” At that proclamation, more fireworks ensued. “I can't stand this anymore!” Applejack hollered. She fetched a nearby rope, and hopped onto the stage, “Can yer fancy magic do this?!” Using her tail, Applejack showed off her amazing roping skills, fetching an apple, and eating it in one bite. The cheer from the audience was deafening, and Marjoram couldn't help but feel a little smug, “Top that!” Applejack dared. Trixie scoffed, levitating her hat off with light pink magic. Snake charmer's music began to play, and the discarded rope acted like a snake would. One end kept Applejack's focus, while the other fetched another apple. One end tied Applejack up, and the other forced the apple into her mouth. Trixie smiled as Applejack did her best to get off the stage, “Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie proves herself to the masses. Unless there's anypony else who wishes to challenge me?” “There's no need to strut your stuff like that! At least not with me around!” With that, Rainbow took to the air, doing quite a bit of precision flying, before landing on the stage. A bunch of water droplets hit her, and a rainbow appeared over her head, “They don't call me 'Rainbow', or 'Dash' for nothing!” Again, the applause was deafening. Trixie smiled, and the music changed to that of an upbeat polka. The rainbow wrapped itself around Rainbow Dash, and became a tornado, flinging Rainbow to the ground. Marjoram grit his teeth. This is going to far, even if that was rather amusing- “We need another unicorn to challenge her!” Spike stated, “Someone with some magic of her own,” Spike nudged Twilight's side. “I will not!” Rarity said suddenly, “Rainbow and Applejack may behave like ruffians, but I act with dignity and grace.” “Afraid you'll get a hair out of place, in the rats nest you call a mane?” Trixie taunted. “Oh. It. Is. On,” Rarity growled. She trotted to the stage, “Being a unicorn is more than you'll ever imagine,” Rarity began, taking Trixie's curtain down with her own magic, “We need to have style, we need to have grace.” The fabric flew around Rarity, briefly concealing her from the audience. When the fabric disappeared, Rarity could be seen, with her hair in an elegant updo, wearing a blue and golden outfit, clearly crafted with magic and the curtain. Marjoram couldn't help but be mildly impressed. Not bad. Trixie shot a bolt at Rarity, and the crowd gasped in horror. Spike was speechless. Even Marjoram winced. “QUICK! I need a mirror!” Rarity called, “What did she do!? I know she did something to my mane!” “It's green,” Spike stated simply. “No!” Rarity's one elegant purple mane, was now a seaweed green shaped into rats nest atop her head. Marjoram strode forward, using his own magic to repair the damage, “This has gone on long enough!” Twilight let out a little squeak, trying to mutter something about not showing off. Marjoram ignored it. Rarity thankfully left the stage, stroking her mane. “You would challenge me?” Trixie taunted, “You look like a stiff breeze could blow you over! You will be no match for me!” Marjoram smirked, “I'd seriously doubt that,” he stated dryly, “I'm the first student of two that Celestia has taken in the last hundred years. I've been studying with her since I was a young colt, and so you want to know something?” Trixie's face had fallen. She looked nervous now. “That wasn't an Ursa Major you apparently defeated. The image you showed was an Ursa Minor!” Trixie sputtered, “How would you know!?” “Because I've studied them!” Marjoram focused his magic, and thought hard about what an Ursa Major looked like. A shimmering, golden, see-through replica of an Ursa Major appeared. Trixie sat down hard on the stage, having to do so to see the beast in its entirety. Holding the image, Marjoram thought of an Ursa Minor, and it appeared beside its parent, showing off the major size differences between the two. Marjoram had excelled at such magic when he was young, using such replicas to tell stories to Carnation, Kafir, and later Spike and Twilight. He'd also used them in his lessons, to show battle formations, developments of cities, and other such illustrations. Just for scale, Marjoram thought of the dragon he'd seen fleeing the mountain cave after Twilight and her friends had convinced it to leave. It was bigger than the Minor, but quite a bit smaller than the Major. Letting the magic fade, Marjoram offered a smirk, “So, I sincerely doubt any of your claims have any truth to them!” Trixie opened her mouth, then shut it a few times. She let out a squeak, then magically shoved Marjoram from the stage, sending him tumbling to the ground. With a burst of speed, and some magic, Trixie packed up her wagon, and began carting it out of town at full speed. Marjoram lay on the cobblestones, unable to breathe. Twilight rushed to help him, and he was soon back on his hooves, breathing shallowly. “Should we go after her?” Applejack asked. Marjoram shook his head, “No...let her think about...what happened.” “Why?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “I've probably just damaged her reputation irreparably. She'll figure it out,” Marjoram sighed, then turned to Twilight, “You could have easily shut her up, Twilight, why didn't you?” Twilight froze in place, her face turning red from the sudden attention from her friends, “I-uh. Well, I didn't want to show off like Trixie.” “Sugarcube, there's a difference between showing off needlessly and protecting your friends. There's even differences in how you show off. I've seen you practicing, and showing off what you've learned, but you don't mean to make anypony feel bad about what they can't do. Trixie was meaner than a rattler snake.” “Yeah, Twi,” Rainbow stated, “It would have been more than fine if you tried to show her your stuff!” Marjoram offered a small smile, “I grew up with siblings. You learn the differences pretty quickly.” Applejack chuckled, “That you do. Are you alright?” Marjoram's head, centering at his horn, flared in pain. Marjoram's limbs suddenly felt like jelly, and he sat down hard, wheezing for breath, and squeezing his eyes shut. Twilight gasped. A flash of magic, and she teleported away. A moment later, she was back, stumbling a little as she teleported a few inches off the ground. She uncorked a vial of potion, and shoved it in Marjoram's mouth. Marjoram drank it down without protest, and withing moments his limbs were already feeling normal, and the migraine had died down. “What in the hell was that?” Rainbow asked. “Don't know yet,” Twilight replied quickly, “I'm still trying to figure it out.” Marjoram levered himself to his feet, “We promised Spike we'd go get lunch.” At the mention of food, Spike's stomach growled loudly. He blushed and giggled nervously. Twilight banished the potion vial, “Yeah. C'mon. Would you girls like to join us?” Marjoram felt a twinge of annoyance at the invitation, but bit his lip. So much for a nice quiet lunch.