//------------------------------// // 5: Cracked // Story: Scotch Muffin // by TheFoxern //------------------------------// They stared blankly at the little ceramic pony. “Did...did you just say something?” Scotch asked softly, taking a hesitant step towards it. “I did,” he said, giving her a smile. Or was he already smiling? The way he shimmered made it difficult to tell, light played tricks with her eyes as she sat down. “I'm sorry about your hat...” Cookie said as he brushed the shards into more of a pile. The ceramic pony waved it's hoof dismissively. It was a sight to behold something such as that move. It's movements were extraordinarily smooth, and yet it seemed jitter into new positions. As though it were in fact always moving and actually took effort to stop. “It was just a a hat. Now, if you'd have stepped on on me, I would be a tad tad upset.” It...laughed? It could be considered laughter, but it sounded odd and more like a trill. “So...uhm...my name is Scotch...and this is Cookie,” she gestured towards him, as he approached the ceramic pony. “My name name is Arthur,” he said and made the motion as though to tip his hat, despite not wearing one. “Ah...my my apologies...” He waved his hoof once again and the shimmering suddenly stopped. Suddenly he was a white ivory that shone as if polished, with matching mane and tail. But his eyes shone gold. “Bit of defensive magic...wasn't sure who who you were.” He stood up slowly, now his movements seemed a bit more normal, though it was odd for something obviously made of pottery to move. Now that Scotch could see him properly, she noticed the cracks and chips. He limped slightly as he moved towards them and she noticed it was because he was missing the bottom of his left hoof. Though he stood upright for some reason, the beautiful wings showing quite tattered. “Are you alright?” “I'll be fine fine,” he said and shook his head, his mane did not flow; it was solid. Yet his tail swayed oddly, as if doing it's best to try to be real. “Just a a tad beat up.” “You're repeating yourself,” Cookie said, leaning close, looking Arthur up and down. “Ah, yes. Sorry sorry. I'm afraid that that I can't seem to stop doing doing that.” Arthur stared up at Cookie, he was truly quite small. “Not sure sure why it happens...can't remember when when it started...only noticed it a few months ago ago.” Scotch decided it was safe enough to get closer and approached slowly. “Where exactly are we, Arthur?” “Why this is is the town of Rettop,” he said, his expression quite confused. “Though I do not know know where you seem to have come from...I have not seen seen someone such as him.” His eyes never left Cookie. She looked back for a moment. “I don't think we're in Equestria anymore, Cookie...” Arthur's brow wrinkled. “What's an Equestria?” “That's where we're from,” she said, gesturing back down the road they had come. “We went through a door at the edge of a cliff.” “You mean The Door? But there's there's never been anything on the other side...” He had to take a few steps to look past them back down the road. “Interesting...” He suddenly stood straight, and clapped his hooves together, which made a clink. “You need need to go and see the Wizard.” Scotch and Cookie both looked at each other. “Wizard?” they said. “Yes yes. The Wizard knows everything,” Arthur said as he clinked ahead, down the road a bit. “Just gatta follow the road to Obsidian City... C'mon, I'll I'll lead you there.” Scotch trotted up next to him before slowing down to his pace. “You sure it's alright for you to just up and leave? Wont anypony be worried where you went?” “Nah,” Arthur said, looking at an empty house as they passed. “Everyone else got got smashed...the Empress doesn't like many of of the inhabitants here...she only likes her her Red Guard... Which kinda look like you, Scotch... But they're way way bigger.” “Red Guard?” Scotch's brow wrinkled slightly. “Wizard...Empress...this place is full of odd things...” “Perhaps. But to to me, you are odd...you have those horn horn things, like the Wizard,” he said, gesturing up to her horn. “Does the empress have one as well?” Scotch glanced at Cookie, who was watching Arthur with fascination. “I I don't know. I've never seen seen the Empress. I'm not sure anyone but the the Red Guard have. Except maybe the Wizard.” “The Wizard knows everything arou-” “Why were you all shiny earlier?” Cookie said, staring down at the porcelain pony. Arthur blinked, staring up at him. “Oh. That was just my my Glamor.” She raised an eyebrow, staring down at Arthur as well. “Glamor? So you can perform magic?” “A little,” he said, waving a hoof vaguely, the air shimmered slightly in it's wake. “It was a gift, from from the Wizard.” Scotch blinked, staring at him. “The...Wizard can do such magic? Can give somepony magic?” “Oh yes yes. The Wizard is very powerful,” he was grinning at Scotch. “How far is it to the Obsidian City?” Scotch looked off into the distance, but all she could see were more trees. “Quite far far. But as long as we follow the speckled road it'll lead lead us right there.” For being so small, Arthur was keeping a good pace and actually making Scotch have to walk fast. However Cookie had longer legs and it seemed that it was his pace that Arthur was walking. The houses had stopped and all that was left were many trees and the road ahead. Scotch felt like her head was scrambled. Nothing felt right and she worried that things would only get weirder the farther they went. “Don't worry,” she looked to see Cookie beside her. “This is an adventure.” He smiled at her. There it was again, that spark in Cookie that made anypony feel like they knew there was no way he was wrong. Everything was going to be alright, because Cookie said it would be. She nodded slightly and took a deep breath. “Right. An adventure.” Arthur was a little ways ahead of them, leading the way. She supposed there could be worse ponies to be on an adventure with. What magical places would they visit? Where would they go? What would, or wouldn't they do? “He is odd,” he said, looking at Arthur. “What do you mean?” Her mind was forced to come back to where they were, away from thoughts of travel. “I...” Cookie's brow wrinkled, as he tried to think of the proper way to say it. “He is made of stone, or something, right?” She nodded slightly, looking at Cookie. “Yes, I believe so...” He had this expression of somepony who was trying desperately to voice his thoughts on a matter he had no knowledge of. “How? How does he move? When he stands still he looks solid...he is an object, yet he is alive. Is there such magic to make something like him?” It took a moment for her to collect her thoughts, but eventually she nodded. “Yes, I'm sure that there's magic that can...though I don't know anypony who could do something that powerful...but this...Wizard that he keeps talking about sounds...really powerful...” “Do you think he'll know where I came from?” Cookie stared ahead, with a look of determination on his face. “I...I don't know. Maybe? I mean...” She frowned slightly and sighed. “If he's anything like Arthur describes...I'm sure he will.” Though despite what Arthur said, she had her doubts. Cookie gave her a large grin. “I hope so. I'd like to know.” He stared ahead for a moment and then a frown crept onto his face. “But...what if I don't?” “I'm sure you will eventually,” she said, looking at him again. “No I mean...what if I don't want to know what kind of pony I was...like...what if I wasn't a good pony...” There was a moment of silence. “I don't think that could be possible, Cookie.” She smiled at him. The smile came back after a moment and he nodded. “Yeah...just because I was somepony, doesn't mean I have to be that pony again.” “We are almost at the end end of the forest,” Arthur said, suddenly in front of them. Or, closer in front of them than he had been before. “Oh? What's at the edge of the forest?” Scotch looked ahead, though she could see only trees, it looked like it opened up ahead. “The Far Fields. People say that that it goes on forever...but I've never been farther than the Obsidian City...which which we should be able to see from the edge.”