Moving lights
The trade between wood and crystal wasn't always in favour of the second, Spike was thinking as he was sweeping the floor of the crystal palace. For one, dust on wood wasn't nearly as noticeable.
He was working in the corridor on the second floor. As he was passing right next to the window to the exterior, he noticed something moving fast on the rooftops of the town. He momentarily stopped to see what was going on: it appeared to be Pinkie Pie, in her spy outfit, like in the Crystal Empire. What was she up to? He shrugged, it wasn't like he had to always make sense of what the pink pony did. In fact, he thought, it wasn't like she had to make sense even occasionally.
He watched the Pinkie spy go, hoping to see something entertaining to lighten up his work. She was jumping around, from one roof to another, looking like she was following someone, occasionally speaking in a walkie talkie. Spike chuckled to himself: Pinkie wasn't exactly inconspicuous, what kind of dork could be followed by her and be oblivious about it? He couldn't see the streets from there to see who it was. That is, he couldn't see the streets without climbing on the window. He was tempted, but, the last time he tried, he had to listen to Twilight scolding him about personal security and all that. She wasn't around, but he wasn't very eager to risk it anyway. Or was he? He was getting really curious about the whole business. Who even cared what Twilight had said? It wasn't like she was his mom, geez...
He looked to his left, then to his right and then to his back. No sign of Twilight anywhere. He lifted his claws on the windowsill and, as soon as he did, he heard Twilight's voice.
"Spike! What did I tell you about climbing on windows? Here it's way higher than in the library, it's much more dangerous!"
Spike stopped dead in his tracks. If expressions could talk, his would have been saying, "Of course, why did I expect any different?". He then turned his head towards the source of the sound and saw that Twilight had just come up the stairs.
The purple alicorn looked at the little dragon, then asked, "Well? Why were you climbing up there again?"
Spike sighed and answered, "There is Pinkie on the roof, following somepony. I wanted to see who that was."
Twilight's expression went from inquisitive to confused in just an instant. "Wait, what?"
Marble had been walking around the town, not paying attention to her surroundings, for about half an hour or so. She had known that something was up with her and Big Macintosh, but she hadn't realised what it was and never even really questioned it. She knew why that was, now: she really didn't want to know the answer. Her... fondness for him was highly out of the norm, definitely not positive. She didn't even want to call it, even just in her own head, anything more than a fondness: every other word seemed out of place and potentially dangerous.
The wonderful afternoon she had spent together with him flashed in her head. She could see again every moment of peace and happiness, but it was now tainted by fear. It had been a bad idea to go to Ponyville. Marble started really thinking about just going back home as soon as possible, to go back to Sugarcube Corner, say goodbye to her sister and, from there, directly to the station.
While walking down the street, she noticed, on the other side, Big Mac. She froze in her place, not daring to move a muscle. Marble hoped he wouldn't notice her, but that hope didn't even last a few seconds, as he turned his gaze directly at her almost immediately. He looked surprised for a moment, just before walking towards her with a smile.
She didn't know what to do. She had some kind of feelings for him, she knew that much, but what did that even mean? Was she supposed to do something about it? Was she supposed to make some sort of commitment? What about her family? Her community?
Marble felt like in chains. She even managed to realise, in spite of all the turmoil in her head, that those chains were only partially caused by the thought of her community. In fact, the thing that really made her feel trapped was the fear of maybe having to commit to something she barely understood and could possibly be a mistake altogether.
The stallion was almost in front of her. He looked like he had noticed that something was wrong.
When he approached, he said, "Uuuhm... Hello... uh... miss. Ah had gone to the station to say goodbye to you this morning, but you weren't there..."
Marble remembered that she hadn't told him that she wasn't going to leave after all. She felt like an idiot.
She frowned and blushed. "Uh... sorry. I didn't kno... didn't know that you were coming..."
There was a brief awkward silence, in which neither knew what to say. She remembered that, just the day prior, everything had felt so natural with him, she hadn't had to struggle with any kind of doubts. Now she was almost literally paralysed by her doubts.
He made the first move. "Uh... If something is troublin' ya, ah might try to help, maybe..."
She still didn't know what to do or how to respond. Was he expecting something from her? What was going to happen if he knew the kind of thoughts that were troubling her? How would he react? Would he still enjoy her company?
She muttered, "I... uh... I... don't know... can't... I'm sorry..."
She felt even more like a stupid. She hated when she stuttered, it gave her the impression of coming off as an idiot, and now she wasn't even making any sense at all. What was he thinking of her?
He looked in her eyes and said, "Don't worry. Ah'm not gonna judge you, ah promise. Do ya prefer a quieter place?"
Marble nodded. He gestured to follow him. Once again, they were walking together in silence, though this time she could not just relax like the day before.
Marble and Big Mac were just outside a building with a sign reading "Cinema". She did not know what that was: in the community there was nothing of the sort.
He asked her, "How d'ya like to watch a movie to relax?"
She looked back at him, puzzled. What was this "movie" thing? Was that going to help her calm down and sort out her problems? She looked towards the pictures just outside the main entrance, but they didn't make a whole lot of sense to her. There was a title, like it was the cover of a book, but there was also the picture of a stallion holding a mare in mid air, possibly as a sign of affection. The title read "It's a Wonderful Gift", which was apparently by "Frank Pecora", as it was the name just under the title.
He asked, "Have ya ever been to the movies?"
She shook her head. He smiled, as if to say "you're going to love it".
They got in line, apparently to buy tickets. Marble still had no idea what was going on, but she was getting somewhat excited, hoping that, whatever it was they were going to do, it would help her through her troubles.
The crowd was getting out of the theatre; Marble and Big Mac were among the last to exit. She was astounded: never in her life she would have dreamed of something like that. Everything had left a vivid impression in her, from the lights on the screen creating the illusion of movement, to the characters, the music, the story and the emotions. She was almost overwhelmed by all that. She had also been moved almost to tears by the happy ending of the story. She had loved it. Her head was buzzing for all the new information and the powerful emotions she had felt.
When the projection had started, she had almost been startled by the moving pictures, but she had quickly caught up with what was happening: it was kinda like a play, the kind you could see in a theatre, just it looked a lot more vivid and more immediate. And, as soon as she understood that, she became so absorbed by the story that she could barely notice her surroundings or remember her very own fears.
The story itself was very shocking for her, as the main character, all throughout the movie, expressed his wish to go and see the rest of Equestria and nopony seemed to care... well, not in the sense that she had thought. Nopony wanted to stop him. He ended up not going anywhere, but not because other ponies didn't want him to: what he did, he did to help out the others in need. He had also been able to choose who to love without the aid of the pairing stone and, again, nopony cared about it.
She had loved the scene in which he had been confronted by the image of what the town and the ponies he cared about would have been like without him. In that moment, he discovered that he had made his little world a better place. Marble asked herself if the life of anyone in her own had been positively affected by her presence. She had never even considered that thought.
The incredible world from which such beauty came couldn't be farther away from the little and colourless world she had grown up in. This kind of freedom was absolutely unreconcilable with the mentality of the community, especially with Sandstone. Even caught in the moment, Marble was a little afraid of those thoughts, knowing full well the kind of danger they could pose for her. Her fears, however, were now submerged by the power of the new emotions she had just experienced.
Big Mac hadn't spoke one word since the moment the movie had begun, not even to ask her what she was thinking about it. She had been vaguely aware of the fact that, every now and then, he had been looking at her, instead of the movie, but she had been too caught up in the novelty to really pay attention to that.
Getting out of the theatre, Marble felt like bouncing around with enthusiasm, like Pinkie usually did. Of course, she didn't do it, mostly for fear of embarrassing herself, but she felt in her own body the kind of energy that likely powered her sister's movements 24/7. That kind of energy was, instead, manifesting itself in the happiest smile Marble had ever had in all her life up until then.
With the same smile, the grey mare was the first to speak. "That was beautiful. Thank you, Big Mac."
It was very unlike her to speak unprovoked, which didn't go unnoticed by the red stallion.
He smiled back and answered, "You're welcome. Ah hoped you'd like it."
They walked in silence again for a while, but then Big Macintosh said, "Ah have to go back to the farm. Mah family was waitin' for me a couple of hours ago."
Marble looked at him. On one side, she didn't want him to go away, because she was enjoying the time she was spending with him again. On the other, however, her fears and doubts hadn't vanished, in the meantime: they had just taken the backseat for a while.
She nodded and said, "That's alright. Thank you again, for everything."
He smiled and answered, "Hope to see ya again soon."
He waved and went on his way. She thought "I hope to see you again soon as well".
Marble was alone again, which was fortunate, since she needed some time to think about what had just happened in those last few hours.
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Sorry if I published this a little later than I usually do: yesterday I was sick and today I spent most of my afternoon and evening with my girlfriend, so I had little time to write and/or proofread. I hope I didn't make any big mistakes because of that...
Very cute chapter. Please keep 'me coming.
That was so sweet that Mac and Marble spent some time together at the movies.
I love that movie.
6611791 me too :3
It's actually one of my all time favourites
Well, looks like I have another book and another movie to add to my list of things to get to...
I've watched part of the ending of It's a Wonderful Life when I was much younger, but never actually have seen the whole movie. I just talked with my mom and grandparents, and arranged for us to watch the movie this year for Christmas.
The only way I even remember the movie is because of the bells ringing being a sign of an angel getting their wings!
This sentence needs work.
Between the last two ponies to exit? I am not sure this word really fits there.
How does this weird custom work?
Much better like I have said. Just some missed words here and there that seem to be lost in translation.
6613082
That is going to be explained in due time. Besides, it is taken straight from the show, if you recall that one moment in which Granny Smith asks the Pie parents hiw did they meet and, as an answer, they reference this weird cutom.
6613213
I haven't watched Season 4 or 5 yet.
6613322 well, that explains it. At least, now it is clear that I didn't pull that out of my backside...
It's one thing to live in a secluded, rural backwater that doesn't have a movie theatre.
It's another thing to live in such a secluded, rural backwater that you reached adulthood without knowing ABOUT movies, such that you refer to them as "moving pictures". Apparently the Pies weren't allowed to experience art growing up. Probably gave them all kinds of dangerous feelings and such.
Every chapter Marble's hometown looks more and more like some kind of Amish-Communist conclave.
6615566 well, I did take inspiration from the Amish as well as political fascism and cult leaders to write the community. Also, while it is true that it seems strange not knowing about cinema to us, I got the idea that cinema, in Equestria, is in an earlier stage of development than us and less ubiquitous in their culture. We got only a handful of refereces about there being cinema altogether, after all.
6616497
Hee hee. Rock cult.