//------------------------------// // Chapter IV - Results // Story: True Inspiration // by ClayInTheCarpet //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie bounced happily through town, greeting other ponies on her way. Today, she had decided to make an unscheduled stop at Far Cry’s place, since she had to be in that area of town to make a cake delivery, anyway. She was also rather excited by the possibility that he may have already earned his cutie mark in her absence over the last two days – and if he had, then she knew what it called for: a PARTY! This thought put an extra bounce in her …usual bounce…as she quickly made her way to Far Cry’s apartment. Eventually, she was standing at his front door. Raising her hoof, she intended to knock three times, as she had always done, historically. ***KNOCK, KNOCK.. Before she could even reach the third knock, the door swung open – this time startling Pinkie Pie in much the same way she had usually startled Far Cry. A pair of hooves rushed outside the door, grabbed her, and pulled her inside. “YOU’RE JUST IN TIME!” Far Cry barked, enthusiastically. Pinkie stood in the living room, still trying to comprehend what had just occurred. “Uh, just in time for what?” As she asked the question, her eyes drifted to her right-hand side and she noticed something new in the room with them that she had never seen before. Instantly, she squeaked out a quick “EEK!!” and hid behind Far Cry, as if he was her only shield from getting mangled by this new inanimate object. “Hahaha!” Far Cry laughed enthusiastically, “Yeah, that’s pretty much the reaction I had at first, too.” “What is it?!” Pinkie Pie asked, still a bit bewildered. “I don’t really know. I had a nightmare last night, and this…thing…was in it. When I woke up, I knew I just HAD to sculpt it while I still clearly recalled what it looked like. I stayed up all night long finishing it.” Pinkie Pie turned to Far Cry and noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and he had bags underneath them…but he was smiling. He was smiling a smile of utter self-satisfaction. Whatever that dream was, it had obviously been a big inspiration for him. Trying to act a bit less fearful for the sake of her friend, she maneuvered around Far Cry and inched closer to the sculpture. Though strange and frightening, this weird monster had been rendered quite well into clay – realistic pointy ears, bald head, short muzzle, and a mouthful of extremely pointy teeth. Its skin looked old…and was very wrinkled. She couldn’t shake the creepiness of the whole thing. It truly was unsettling to look at. “Wow…That must have been some nightmare! I don’t EVER wanna see anything like THIS in MY dreams! I’m fine with just dreaming about frosting!....Creamy, …creamy frosting…” While explaining this fact, Pinkie Pie had begun drooling uncontrollably. Luckily for Far Cry, she shook her head and quickly snapped herself out of it. “Oh, but it looks GREAT!” “Thanks, Pinkie! I just wish…” Far Cry paused, “…I wish this would have been the one to give me my cutie mark.” Pinkie looked up at him with sincere concern, and then back down at the sculpture. She began to examine it very closely from every angle, darting back and forth around the stool on which it sat. This continued for about a minute until she suddenly stopped and her eyes widened. “HEY! I don’t really know for sure because it’s not my dream, but…is this supposed to be here?” Far Cry walked over and looked down at the area Pinkie was pointing at. It was a small patch on the side of the neck that had not been detailed yet. “Hrm…No, actually. I must’ve missed it on my last detail pass.” Floating over a tool from his workspace in the other room, he proceeded carving in the missing details to the best of his ability. After a couple moments, he looked up from the sculpture and sat the tool down with his magic. “There! All done.” Suddenly, the two ponies were startled by a flash of light in the room. Far Cry stood still as a statue, unable to move…Could this be…Would this be…Is it possible?...No, it couldn’t be… “OHMYGOSH, YOUGOTYOURCUTIEMARK!!!” The statement rang out through the room as the last remnants of light faded from Far Cry’s view. Tears began to well up in his wide eyes as he slowly turned back to view his flank. Just like Pinkie had said not even 5 seconds before, he had finally earned his cutie mark: an oddly-shaped, deep purple creature head that resembled a profile shot of his newest sculpture…and underneath it, a representation of the sculpting tool he had used to finish carving the last few lines on its neck. He stared in disbelief as the tears freely dripped from his face. Pinkie was practically bouncing off the walls, yelling “YAY!” over and over, as loud as she could. Suddenly, a realization dawned on Far Cry: It was her. She did it. Without Pinkie being her Pinkie self, he might have never earned that cutie mark at all… It made so much sense that it almost hurt his brain. A mighty grin began to grip at and pull the muscles of his face. He could no longer control it. This was simply INCREDIBLE!! Far Cry began bouncing around the room with Pinkie Pie in a show of pure, unadulterated joy – and in this moment, regardless of anything else in his life, he was truly happy.