Scotch Muffin

by TheFoxern

7: Tacky

She was wishing she had paid more attention to fairy tales. This place seemed to be built upon them. As if this is where they had all come from. Who was the famous pony author that wrote so many fairy tales? Perhaps they had come here and then come back? It was logical, but perhaps this place was built on them, rather than the other way around. What if ponies imaginations built this place? She would need to ask the Wizard. They seemed like the kind of pony who knew what was going on. “Arthur?” The little pony slowed and looked back at her. “What is the Wizard like?”

“What do you you mean?” He had to slow down even more, which Cookie was quite grateful for.

“Well...” She thought for a bit, choosing the proper wording. “Like, how do they act?”

“They are kind kind,” he said, still looking confused. “The Wizard has always been very helpful to everyone here and been a good leader leader. If not for the Empress, things would be be perfect.”

“Why does the Wizard not stop the Empress if he's so powerful?” Scotch had the odd feeling that she should feel bad for saying something like that. “I mean...”

“No no. I understand what you are saying-”

“I don't,” Cookie added.

There was a short pause, before Arthur continued. “The Wizard has tried. The Empress is not stronger, but nor is she weaker.”

“So they are even...” Something had caused Cookie to stop and he was looking off to the side, and so Scotch followed his gaze.

“No. They are different different. And- Ah...the half way point.” There was a door, much like the one Scotch and Cookie had come through.

“Its it a magical door?” Cookie said, walking towards it. For a moment Scotch was worried about the flowers, but they seemed to avoid the door.

“I do not know know. I have never asked before before,” Arthur looked behind them, and then ahead.

“Cookie...I don't think you should...” she said, watching as he moved slowly towards the door.

“But it's a door. Those are meant to be opened.” And with that, he pushed it open.

The rug was quite tacky. The coat rack was tacky. The coffee table was tacky. The mismatched chairs around it were tacky. And the walls were just covered in- ...in fact, the entire room and everything in it was tacky. It was the only word that Scotch could manage to fittingly describe the room: tacky. “Jeez...this place is-”

“Neat!” Cookie was already moving inside, which almost cause Scotch to fall over.

“Ok. Not the word I would use to describe it...” She looked around the room again. “Not at all the word, in fact.”

Cookie was munching on something. “Thesh ur gud.”

“Cookie! Those aren't yours! No, don't spit them out! Just, stop eating them.” She frowned at him. He was eating something out of a bowl.

“Oh don't worry. Have as much as you'd like. It's not like I eat them. They're just for guests.” Oh dear Celestia. How does someone have a tacky sounding voice? And the one speaking was a...Flamingo?

“Oh, yay!” Cookie continued to munch down on whatever was in the bowl. Scotch was no longer concerned about it. She was more concerned with the Flamingo, with large glasses, a pink feather boa, and a very, very frilly hat. She was, in essence...the tackiest looking thing Scotch had ever seen.

“I'm sorry deary, I'm afraid they're a bit stale.” She blended into the room oddly well when she didn't move, or talk. “No one comes to visit me anymore. Oh but where are my manners.” She gave them a rather friendly, if not a bit beaky, smile. “My name is Tacky.”

“Of course it is...” Scotch muttered, and then realized she had said it out loud. And she was also staring. She cleared her throat. “Sorry. My name is Scotch Muffin.”

The smile never left her face. “Never had one.”

There was a brief silence. “And this is Cookie,” she gestured towards him.

“Oh I do love cookies,” said the flamingo as she moved to her tacky couch. “Not been able to make any as of late, can't get the ingredients...those ruffians are always going up and down my road. Trampling my flowers. So rude.”

“Those are...your flowers?” Scotch watched as Arthur struggled to get up onto the table, realizing that it was actually quite difficult for him to fly.

“Oh yes. Lovely aren't they? Oh the Sanguis Cruentus is such an odd little flower. It feeds off insects, but if someone is unfortunate enough to become entangled...well...I'm afraid it isn't pretty.”

“Yes it seems that that one of them got a hold of a Red Guard,” Arthur had finally managed to get onto the table. “Good afternoon, Tacky.”

“Oh, Arthur! So good to see you! Would you some tea?” She was already getting up.

Scotch could not help but stare at the way she moved, tripping over things and knocking over things, which she quickly fussed about to put back where they went. “Yes, please please,” he said to her retreating form. “You'll have to forgive her her. She's always been like this.”

“Sthe hath gud snakths,” Cookie said, munching away on whatever was in the bowl. Scotch, now that she looked, could not make out what exactly it was he was eating. It looked like brightly colored gravel.

“Yes well...that may be...but, she's alright, right?” She could not help but feel concerned. The way she looked, the way she lived, and the way she acted...

“Oh yes, she's fine fine. Honestly she doesn't act too much different than she used used to. Just a bit clumsier clumsier,” Arthur pulled one of the little stones from the bowl and Scotch could see now that it was a little piece of colored candy. “It's quite interesting honestly. I think she's the best off of all all of us.”

She came back with a large tray. “I do hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of getting us all tea.”

“Thank you, very much.” Scotch jumped off the back of Cookie and moved to the table.

Tacky gasped and everyone looked at her. “Ah. I'm sorry. I was not aware you were two. I need another cup.” She set the tray down and left the room again.

Scotch looked at the mismatched tea set before she realized what Tacky had actually said. “What?” she looked at Arthur, who shrugged. “So she thought...Cookie and I were one thing?”

“There are stranger stranger things,” Arthur said as he picked up a tiny teacup and got himself some tea. It was an interesting thing to watch, as he opened the top of the teapot and dipped his teacup inside it before he sat down on an overturned teacup.

She returned with another teacup, which of course didn't match any of the ones currently on the table, and set it down in front of Scotch. “Do you like sugar, deary?” She poured three cups of tea and hesitated when she got to Arthur, staring at him. “My cups are not seats.”

“I'm not going to hurt hurt it, Tacky,” he said as he sipped the tea. Scotch wondered how something made of porcelain could drink anything. Then her mind went onto the far more pressing concern; how anypony could drink tea straight like that.

“I'd like three sugars, please,” Scotch said, which pulled Tacky's attention back to her.

“Of course dear,” she said with a smile.

It was...the oddest teaparty that Scotch had ever attended. Not that she had ever had any teaparties, but she assumed that they were never like this. But it was...nice, as well. Things that are friends and friendly. And the tea was pretty good, though Cookie's was probably more sugar than tea by the time he had it to the point where, as he put it: “is drinkablable.”

Then the idle conversation and explanation as to where Scotch and Cookie had come from, Tacky asked, “And where are you headed?”

“As we said,” Arthur had said it twice now. “We are going to the Obsidian City.”

“Well isn't that nice.” There was a brief pause filled with silence and tea sipping, before she spoke again, “Why are you heading there?”

“To see the Wizard,” Arthur said, for the third time.

Scotch couldn't decide whether Tacky was simply playing, or if it just wasn't sinking in in the right way. “We have a lot of questions we'd like to ask him.”

“Well the Wizard knows an awful lot about everything,” Tacky said, still smiling.

Then Cookie asked what it seems she had been waiting for, “Would you like to come with us?”

She grinned, as much as a flamingo could grin without teeth. “My dear, I would love to.”

Comments

[Luna Secret Stallion]

LOL!

[TheFoxern]

3722053 Eh? x3 Lol what?

[Luna Secret Stallion]

3722059 This whole story I love it!

[TheFoxern]

3722201 Hahah. Well, I'm really glad, cus I really enjoy writing it.