Marble Magic

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter Four: Cat's Eye

Marble Magic

Chapter Four: Cat’s Eye

Written by TheCrimsonDM

This had to have been the worst plan that Trixie ever came up with. Even worse it wasn’t her plan, it was Lyra’s! Twigs scratched against her legs as she crouched inside the bush watching Pinkie Pie while she and Rarity sat at a table enjoying a meal. Pinkie Pie had a giant ice cream sundae sitting in front of her.. Luckily Trixie had just finished her lunch date with her friends so the scent of delicious food didn’t tempt her, too much. The mares were only ten feet away from her and not exactly trying to keep quiet as they spoke.

“Honestly, darling, I can’t fathom why she won’t simply open with us,” Rarity said as she stirred the straw in her drink with her magic. “Would it really be so awful for us to fawn over her marefriend?”

Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I don’t know either. Fluttershy doesn’t think she’s keeping her relationship with Tree Hugger a secret now does she?”

“Even if she did, the question is why?” Rarity asked.

“Maybe she’s just shy?”

“Of course she is shy, but she could at least tell me. I mean, she used to gossip about Rainbow Dash all the time, telling me how much she wished she could only tell her how she really felt. Now that she’s interested in this other mare, I had hoped she would talk to me about it.”

Pinkie Pie took a bite of her ice cream Sunday. “Do you think she just doesn’t want to talk about it?”

“Perhaps, but it’s not fair. I need to hear details, lusty sweat filled details about two writhing bodies on the floor…”

“Ha! You just want to hear smut, no wonder she doesn’t talk to you about it. I bet that Fluttershy would die if she ever heard us talking about her like that,” Pinkie Pie said. Her silly grin seamed infectious as Rarity smiled back.

“Well if I can’t get juicy details from her I just need to find a new pony,” Rarity said. “Do you have any current crushes?”

“Last week I thought I was in love with Twilight.”

“Oh that sounds delicious, what happened?”

“Nothing, it was just gas.”

Rarity blinked, and so did Trixie. Rarity cleared her throat. “H-how does a pony confuse the two?”

Pinkie Pie only smiled, took another bite of her Sunday and then pushed away from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

“You better have a love story for me when you get back,” Rarity said.

Pinkie gave her a wink and walked in the opposite direction of Trixie and into the restaurant. Nearly a minute went by as Trixie wondered just how best to approach this idea. She needed to get into Pinkie’s inner circle, but how? Her mind stopped once she realized that Rarity had taken to picking her nose.

“Is she…” Trixie whispered to herself.

“Yep, she’s picking her nose,” Pinkie Pie said from next to Trixie.

“That’s… disgusting and not at all relevant to Trixie’s mission.”

“What’s your mission?”

“To befriend Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie Pie frowned. “That sounds hard.”

“Well she hate’s Trixie and understandably so, so yes it is… it…” Trixie looked over at the pink mare sitting next to her. “Uh… wanna be friends?”

Pinkie Pie grinned from ear to ear. With one mighty leap out of the bush into the air Pinkie Pie shouted at the top of her lungs, “YES!” Rarity shrieked and fell out of her chair. Once Pinkie Pie landed she stood up, the top of her head poking out from under the bush.

“P-Pinkie! You were spying on me!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Nope,” Pinkie Pie said. She wrapped a leg around Trixie’s neck and dragged her upright. “Trixie was spying on me.”

“But… why?” Rarity asked.

“She wants to be my friend, and I said yes,” Pinkie Pie said. Her expression grew serious. “On one condition.”

Trixie gulped. So much for this being easy.

“No more of this ‘I’m better than you are’ thing. You sound really arrogant and stuff when you do it.”

Trixie pushed away. “I sound arrogant? How about Rainbow Dash, the best flyer in all of Equestria?”

“Well you see, we already have on arrogant mare in our group. Two would just be overkill.”

“Trixie is not changing her personality just because it suits you and your demented ideals,” Trixie defended.

“It’s not demented. If you want to join our group you have to fill a role.”

“Trixie is not going to fill a role, she simply wanted to be your friend.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Pinkie Pie said. “I mean it’s obvious that you’re just trying to get something from me, so if you aren’t willing to play my game, I don’t see why I should play yours.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. “You… you think I am simply trying to use you?”

“Well duh!”

Trixie growled, and her horn lit up. A purple aura surrounded what was left of Pinkie’s Sundae. The half melted treat floated over to them. Without warning Trixie turned it upside down and dumped the contents into Pinkie’s mane.

Trixie turned tail and marched off. “Trixie will not befriend such a prejudice and mean mare. You have just lost a chance at having the best friend of your life. HMPH!”

She left them in the dust of her wake. Nopony would treat Trixie with such disregard and get away with it. Be it small town earth pony or big time princess, Trixie demanded to be treated with at least some amount of respect. And why shouldn’t she, she was the Great and Powerful Trixie after all.

***

Marble sat on the balcony while sipping at a cup of hot cocoa. Her sister was sitting next to her and Rarity along with Applejack on the other side. Things were quiet up here as they watched all the ponies below going about their daily business. Thoughts of how she cuddled Trixie last night were still fresh in her mind, and she couldn’t wait to do so again later tonight. If only she could speed up the clock.

“I can’t believe that Trixie dumped an ice cream Sundae in my hair!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Her mane was still damp and smelled of lavender shampoo, with a hint of ice cream. “That was just mean.”

“You did insult her,” Rarity said. “If you had said something like that to me, I might have cried.”

“Yeah, well she deserves it. I mean has she done anything other than try to ruin my fun? I still remember how she put down my family’s rock farm.” Pinkie crossed her forelegs over her chest and huffed.

“Now now, I’ve been to that farm it would be dreadful for a unicorn to live there. I’m sorry, Pinkie Pie, I’m sure you have fond memories of it but it is not a place for unicorns,” Rarity said.

Marble took another sip of her hot cocoa. Trixie didn’t like it at first, but she grew to enjoy the farm after a while. It just wasn’t as fun as a stage though, so she left us… she left me… but I found her again. I can fix whatever happened between us now.

“Y’all ever consider the idea that maybe Trixie is just stuck up? Even if she has her nice moments she isn’t a pony Ah would want to be friends with,” Applejack drawled.

Rarity frowned at her. “She is sophisticated, not stuck up. After our little event in Manehattan I would have thought you would know that, and not to mention how Starlight and her are friends.”

“Yeah, Ah don’t exactly see that as a good thing. Ah’d have t’ get t’ know her better, and she doesn’t exactly talk t’ me.”

“Well that’s because you keep giving her dirty looks, honestly how do you think it would feel if I gave you nothing but dirty looks all day even when you were trying to help me?”

“We got in trouble because of her.”

“And she got us out of it.”

Applejack ignored Rarity and reached out with a hoof. She tapped Marble on the shoulder lightly and suddenly Marble’s world was drowned out in a flash of insight so deep and painful that the balcony vanished. She was in a world where her parents were dead, and that her little sister would never get to have a real mommy. She was the closest thing to it, and no matter what she did, she needed to keep her safe. Anypony that threatened that safety was an instant enemy, not of just her but of her entire clan. Trixie had placed her little sister in danger a few times, and would never be anything more than a hazard to watch out for at best, and a dangerous enemy at worst.

The balcony returned and Marble jumped away from Applejack and into her sister’s side. She fell back and onto the floor before sprawling up and scampering away. Slowly her mind was able to piece together the feelings she just had, the world she was just exposed too. She had bonded with Applejack and now understood her in a way that she never wanted too. Why would she want to know how it felt to lose her parents, to be in charge of a raising a filly, and of seeing her Trixie viewed as a monster?

Despite how hard she tried, she couldn’t hide the tears running down her face.

“What did Ah do?” Applejack asked in a soft voice. “Ah, Ah’m sorry did Ah hurt you?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head. “Marble Sense; she’s an empath and can get glimpses into a pony’s mind and feelings when she makes physical contact. Usually the bad stuff though, like sadness and pain. What were you thinking about when you touched her?”

Applejack shook her head. “Just about how Ah got t’ protect mah kin. Ya know, because it’s just the four of us.”

A sad smile grew over Pinkie’s lips. “So you were thinking about your parents?”

“…ayep.”

“Well, now you got somepony who understands how that feels just as much as you do,” Pinkie Pie said. She turned back and faced Marble. “Are you okay?”

Marble shook her head. “Mm-mmm.”

Pinkie looked at the spilt cup of hot cocoa. “Would you like some more?”

“Mmhmm.”

Pinkie Pie rose to her hooves and shook herself. “Just don’t touch her again please. Right now she’s got to figure out how to deal with the feeling of losing her parents… it might be old pain for you Applejack, but it’s fresh for her.” Then Pinkie Pie spun around and went inside.

“Ah’m sorry,” Applejack apologized. “Ah didn’t know.”

Marble found herself shaking, and it took several long and slow breaths just to stop. She didn’t have a reply for Applejack, she could barely think with how wrecked her heart felt. Sure she knew her parents were alive and just fine, but that didn’t mean she could easily forget what it felt like for Applejack to lose them. It was going to take hours to recover from this.

“So you can’t touch anypony at all without this happening?” Rarity asked.

“Mmhmm… mmm…” Marble carefully looked around until she found her saddlebags and pulled out a notebook and a pen. She wrote down a message and showed it to them.

“If I am very familiar with the pony, I can expect what I’ll feel and it isn’t as bad.

But if I don’t know what to expect it hurts really badly. So I don’t touch anypony beside my sister.”

Marble choose not to add, and Trixie. Trixie being the only other mare that she’d grown used to physical contact with; though that was due to unwelcomed circumstance not perseverance. Marble would never want to get that close to anypony else again. Not even if it killed her.

“So you can’t cuddle? Or kiss? Or even make love?” Rarity asked, her voice full of sorrow. “You poor dear, what will you do if you never find a special somepony?”

I already have one that I want. Marble wouldn’t dare say that to them, but it was true.

“Is that why after Big Mac bumped into you after Hearth’s Warming last year you ran away crying?” Applejack asked

Marble nodded. “Mmhmm.”

“Ah’m sorry t’ hear that. if there’s anything we can do fer ya, just let us know.”

“Wait, will clothing help? It will stop direct contact with a pony right?” Rarity asked.

“Mm-mmm,” Marble said. Clothing never helped, no matter how thick.

“That’s too cruel,” Rarity said. “I’ll think of something, perhaps Twilight will have an idea?”

Marble gave them a gentle smile. The pain she felt in her heart was already beginning to ease and she looked down at all the ponies walking around town. Each and every one of them was a ticking time bomb to her, one single touch could set her off and destroy her. However temporary, it was still a nightmarish prospect. Still, she would brave a thousand bad memories if it meant she could share one lifetime with the only mare she trusted to keep her safe. The only mare she trusted enough to be with. If only she could be with Trixie.

***

It wasn’t until several hours later that Trixie found herself finally relaxed and the event with Pinkie Pie completely forgotten… well almost. She found herself distracted and that was good enough for her. Guile rode on her back as she strode out of town dressed in traditional mage equipment. Hat, cloak, and even a purple stave with a gold star at the end went to make her look rather fashionable.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Trixie asked.

“Dead things,” Guile replied.

“Guile…”

“Undead things specifically. I sensed the presence of a dark artifact just north of town, and dark artifacts are usually surrounded by two things. Death, and strife. Since the town looks calm, I can only assume that we should be looking for death.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Really now, undead? That’s preposterous. Not only is the practice of necromancy illegal it’s impossible to boot.”

“Now who said that?”

“Every paper on the subject ever released from the Hall of Magic has stated the simple fact that it does not work. The reason for it being illegal is because it’s disgusting and horrible. Desecrating the dead like that, simply morbid.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that if you did not want ponies practicing necromancy you would need but tell them that it was impossible. That you would only have to show them some fancy papers and reports and suddenly the whole of the population would believe you?” Guile said.

Trixie thought about it, and she didn’t like it. He had a point, a darn good one. She reminded herself though that he was a familiar, one of the true fea, and a creature of playfulness. It was entirely possible that he was getting a kick out of making Trixie worried over the impossible.

“Even if it were possible, Trixie would look like a fool if she reported that to her boss.”

He purred. “And that would change what exactly?”

“Shut up.”

They were only a few miles north of Ponyville, and still heading that way. If they kept this up for a day or so they would reach Unicorn Range, and get to admire all the beauty of the multi colored rolling hills. Of course that would be a trip best served for some other time, Trixie had business to attend to at the moment.

The luscious green grass and spring flowers all looked gorgeous and delicious. The light forest surrounding them held little secrets as far as the eyes could see. All in all it was a beautiful day. Something felt a bit off though. Trixie stopped and took a closer look around.

Grass, flowers, trees, and all sorts of plants surrounded them. Nothing else stood out as being odd. Of course if there were only a few bunnies or squirrels out it would complete the picture of perfect nature… but there weren’t. There wasn’t a single bird, butterfly or bee. No wildlife to speak of at all.

A cold chill ran down the length of Trixie’s neck, but it didn’t stop there, she also felt the cold in her horn. A chilling sensation so deep and intimate that it bypassed all physical meaning and touched her very soul. There was dark magic ahoof.

“So you feel it too,” Guile said coolly. He licked at his paws. “Best be on your guard, or else you’ll end up like the curious cat.”

“Trixie will not be felled so easily,” Trixie said in mock confidence. The truth was that dark magic scared her. Ever since her exposure to the amulet she was left with a connection to dark energy so deep that it almost felt good to be around it. She knew better, and it always left her feeling sick to be exposed to it again afterwards, but there was a part of her that craved its dark alluring touch. The sensual flavor of corruption made her body feel things that she couldn’t even begin to describe. Why she was chosen for the task of locating, securing and locking away magical items must have had something to do with this, but that did not mean she liked it.

Carefully Trixie continued forward, the sensation in her horn grew only colder. When her horn began to grow warm again she stopped, changed direction to where it felt coldest and continued on her way. Like a metal detector for dark magic, Trixie’s horn homed in on the source of the magic.

After leaving the road she continued some ways into the woods until she reached a small clearing. The grass was gray and crunched underhoof, the flowers wilted and the silence that filled the clearing was so utterly complete that it felt like she was wearing ear plugs. Even the wind didn’t blow here.

In the center of the clearing Trixie saw something she had never quite witnessed before. A glass orb of deep purple with green stripes, nearly black stood atop a lone stave stuck into the ground as if left as a warning. Thorns stood out along the shaft of the stave and grew in both size and number nearest the orb. A presence so black and vile ebbed off of the thing that Trixie felt ill.

“Oh, my,” Guile purred as he stood up. “What beauty is this that I behold?”

“It’s disturbing, should we destroy it?” Trixie asked.

“Destroy? Trixie, how dare you even suggest such a despicable act. It should be collected, cataloged and put into a safe place where nopony should ever see it… but me of course.”

“Guile, this thing is downright evil, it’s” She paused to think about it. “Probably the most evil thing I’ve ever felt. Even the Alicorn Amulet didn’t feel like this.”

“You are right of course, that amulet of yours was but a kitten’s play thing compared to this wonderful relic,” he hopped off of her back and began sprinting toward the stave.

Trixie chased after him. “What are you doing?”

“Getting what’s so clearly mine!”

“GUILE!” Trixie screamed.

The cat leapt into the air and landed on top of the orb in perfect balance. He laid down curling into a ball, and Trixie knew she was going to have to throw him off of it. Intense pressure weighed down upon Trixie and she fell to her stomach. It was like an impossible weight had been dropped upon her as she stared up at the orb with fear.

The orb became bright, lavender in color and black flames spilled forth from around it. Guile looked down at the orb and if it was possible he frowned. “Oh dear, I see now that I may have been in error?”

His eyes glowed green and his fur changed to a lavender hue, the fur coming out of his ears turned green as well. He blinked once and a bright pink aura surrounded him, and a black aura surrounded the stave. Slowly the stave lifted into the air and Trixie was left helpless to watch as Guile looked down at her with unfamiliar eyes.

He spoke, but his voice came out feminine, “I am finally free of that eternal prison. Last time I join Dizzy on a quest to save the world.” He looked down at Trixie. “You there, were you the one to bring one of my lineage to this stave? Tell me how many hundreds of years has it been since Baast and her companions were out destroying the dog empire?”

Trixie blinked. “Baast? The hero? As in Guile’s ancestor?” It hit her that this was no longer Guile, some sort of presence had taken over him. “What did you do to my friend?”

“He’s gone, locked away inside his own mind. It is time for me to come back,” he stood up and stretched, looked between his legs and frowned. “Oh… that’s gross. I suppose I should have expected that much though. Simple fix really.” His eyes took on a pink luminance and Trixie watched in amazement as Guile was turned from boy to girl.

The cat smiled. “Oh yes, now that will do. Tell me young horned pony; what do you think of my return?”

“I want my friend back, sure he was a dick but he was still my friend.”

“Well he had a dick,” she said playfully. “Tell the world young pony, tell them that Baast has returned, and will soon continue doing exactly what needs to be done. Mrow it’s time to go.”

Trixie watched as a pink aura surrounded the cat, stave, and air around it. The world grew tense for a second and then it popped. Just like that, Baast and the stave were gone. The pressure instantly vanished and Trixie lay there feeling confused, lost and terrified. Not only did she just lose track of the evil artifact, she just lost her familiar.

Her employer was going to be pissed.

Comments

[bahatumay]

I really like this idea of Marble as an empath.