Inside the cabin, Jacob got to work. He took the unconscious mare straight to his shower. The walk-in included a sliding door, large enough to wiggle the mare and himself inside. Jacob gently laid the pony down onto her good side, head facing toward the shower wall while the rest hung over the drain in the center.
Jacob stepped out to remove his coat and boots. He then hung his rifle back on the mantle. Jacob’s socks came off after he rolled up his pant legs. Walking back into the bathroom, he paused, riffling through his thoughts. What should be done first?
“Water. Got that. Peroxide?” He worked through his problem audibly, digging through some of his sink’s drawers to find the bottle of peroxide. The man winced at the mere thought of what it will feel like when he applied it to the wound.
Once found, Jacob turned around and opened a panel that revealed his stacks of towels. He grabbed as many fresh towels as he could along with some gauze pads from the closet. I don’t think this will be enough for all the wounds but it should be more than enough for the largest one, he thought. Noticing the fact he lacked enough medical tape, he opted for what sat right next to it, duct tape.
Carrying everything he could within his arms, Jacob carefully stepped back over towards the shower. Managing to set his supplies off in a corner, he got to work. Pulling down the removable shower head, he turned on the water and adjusted the temperature knob to a comfortable level. As the water began to flow, Jacob adjusted his posture for the sake of comfort. Now resting on his good knee, he used his lame leg to straddle Twilight’s body. It acted as a sort of brace which kept her still.
With the shower head in his hand, Jacob immediately began to wash away the blood, dirt, and gunk that might have found its way into the mare’s wounds. Staring deeply into the slashes, he visually inspected each wound with his other hand. Manipulate her flesh where he needed to, Jacob used the running water to flush out everything he could. The larger lacerations were his main concern. After rinsing it out for about a minute, the injury continued to bleed.
While it wasn’t as profusely as before, it was still enough to make Jacob worry. Grabbing a clean towel, he folded it around her leg and covered up the wound. Leaning forward, he applied pressure to it through the towel, hoping the blood would quickly clot
Periodically he would check underneath the towel, rinsing the wound again and repeating the same motion until the bleeding ultimately stopped. He made sure not to irritate the wound. Jacob was afraid of doing anything that could turn the spring of blood back on.
“Okay. Okay!” He began to tell himself, “I got this. The bleeding has stopped as far as I can tell. Now, what was I supposed to do next?”
Jacob slowly glanced over at the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. An internal shudder found its way up his spine. “Right. If I didn’t feel sorry for her now, I will soon.”
Screwing off the cap, he applied the peroxide to the minor wounds. Doing so, Jacob saw signs of irritation as Twilight scrunched her brows. So far so good! Nearing the larger gash at her flank, the man paused. Is that a tattoo? Birth mark? Branding?
A horned pegasus with a butt mark, he huffed. This keeps getting better and better.
Shaking his head, Jacob began to clean the larger laceration on her flank. The man’s eyes narrowed as he watched the liquid bubbles form over the wound. Suddenly, the body beneath him jerked, almost sending his face into the shower wall. Lucky, Jacob caught himself with an outstretched hand. Meanwhile, the pony beneath him had abruptly woken!
Twilight’s eyes snapped open at the searing, agonizing pain she felt on her flanks. “SWEET MOTHER OF CELESTIA!! OWWWW!!” she screamed in perfect English.
While her voice strained from pain, Jacob understood every word especially the expletive that left Twilight’s lips. “GET THE BUCK OFF ME!!”
Jacob stiffened. He could and would not believe the words that came from behind him. The pony spoke, and he knows ponies, let alone horses, cannot speak intelligently. Except Wilbur. You know, that one...nevermind.
She also, swore? At least he thought it was a swear. Buck? He said to himself. Is that the same thing as, Fuck? Is it a contextual word? Okay so now I have a TALKING, horned pegasus with a butt mark in my shower?
Keeping her pinned down with the weight of his knee, Jacob looked back at her with wide eyes. “Did you just speak!?” If she doesn't answer, then I swear I’m going absolutely crazy.
“Yes!” Twilight snapped. “Why wouldn’t I be able to speak? Now kindly remove yourself!” the mare insisted, uncaring about who or what was straddling her. She still had no idea what he was doing to her flank beside causing her pain.
“No can do.” Jacob paused, still in disbelief. “I need to clean up these wounds now or you’re going to have problems later. Especially on your leg, unless you desire to walk with a limp for the rest of your life.” he assumed. Jacob had no medical experience. Still, he couldn’t believe he communicated with a pony. Jacob swore he’ll wake up at any second, any moment for the matter! To him, reality was laughing in his face right now.
Twilight responded with a deflated grunt, accepting what she heard. The biped creature was right as far as her medical knowledge goes, or lack thereof. Twilight then remembered the trauma she had experienced. “Alright. I get it… Just get it over with,” she sighed, preparing herself for what was to come.
In order to occupy his mind, Jacob returned his attention back to the wound. As he applied the peroxide, the pony hissed and grunted. Her jaw clenched tight as she gritted her teeth. Twilight’s eyes were squeezed shut as the edges moistened. She had felt pain before, but nothing this severe. She felt powerless. She was powerless.
“We got one more spot to clean.” Jacob explained, “Now, I’m going to get off, but you have to stay still or you’ll risk bleeding again.” He scoffed, “In my opinion, though, you bled too much.” With a wave of his hand, he pointed toward the open shower door. There was a trail of blood left behind from where she was carried. That will be fun to clean, Jacob said to himself.
The mare nodded her head, understanding Jacob’s instructions. A timid voice followed, “O-Okay.”
Jacob shifted his weight off the mare, kneeling down near her hind legs. “I’m going to elevate the leg now. That wolf got a good chunk of you here and while I’m not a vet...doctor?” he quickly corrected himself. Twilight shot a brief glare at him. Jacob coughed, “Anyway, it doesn’t look good, but we need to get it cleaned up.” Hoping to distract her, somewhat, the human inquired, “Who and what are you?”
As the biped began to bunch up some of the clean towels underneath her leg, propping it up, Twilight began, “I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. An alicorn, a combination of earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn…” The mare trailed off, raising a brow toward Jacob.
He, while maneuvering the mare’s hind leg onto the towels, found himself lurching forward. Royalty!? He was on the verge of losing his mind, but he persevered. Her leg was aloft for a time. The man exhaled a long, slow breath before finally releasing her.
“A pleasure. Name’s Jacob, or Jake for short if you like… and before you ask, I am a human,” he clarified. “Homo Sapien if you want to get scientific." Twilight's eyes somehow got larger and were twinkling with curiosity. "Now, this is probably going to sting like nothing you or I have ever felt so I am going to hold your leg down so you don’t accidentally move it. Ready?”
The mare’s ears perked up as the biped offered its name and species. Hyooman? Twilight thought to herself. Suddenly, her mind blanked. Pain surged through her body. Oh sweet Celestia, the pain! She hissed in protest. Her leg instinctively jerked as Jacob doused her leg wound, Twilight assumed, with antiseptic.
“So you’re not a minotaur?” the Princess asked curiously, blinking away the water around her eyes.
Jacob was amused, “Do I look like a bipedal cow?”
“No!” the alicorn apologized. “They are the only species I could compare you to that I’ve seen myself. They have hands, fingers, opposable thumbs. Walks on two legs-”
“Wait!” A thought came to Twilight’s head, interrupting herself. “How do you know what a minotaur is?”
“Well, like what you are, they are mythical creatures. Legends.” The human explained in the most simplistic terms since he was no expert on the subject.
“I...see. Ouch!” came a seethed hiss from Twilight. Jacob had tightly wrapped the wound on her leg with the gauze pad. He was sure the wound was as clean as it was going to get with what he had at his disposal.
“Sorry!” Jacob gasped. “I’m almost done. I’m going to have to call a vet though...” The mare scowled at him. “Hey! Don’t give me that look. Whether you are real or I am having a mental break down, it’s the least of my concern right now. We need a professional to look you over and since you’re as close to a pony…”
“I am a pony!” Twilight insisted.
“...that I am familiar with, you will have a better chance of a full recovery with a vet.” He resumed dressing of her injuries. Taking the other large gauze pad and placing it over the laceration at her flank, he carefully applied duct tape in its place. He was mindful of the wounds that surrounded it. Those received the simple cover of dry, clean towels since he had nothing else besides band-aids.
“Alright.” Jacob got back up onto his legs. “It’s not a pretty sight but it will have to do until we get you looked at properly. Now, don’t move. I know you’re uncomfortable but just deal with it for now. Okay? I need to go make a call. I’ll be right back.”
Before Twilight could open her muzzle to ask what he meant by ‘make a call,’ the human fled from the shower.
Ten minutes of confusion settled upon the mare as Twilight wondered about who the other human Jacob was talking to. Considering he never got a verbal affirmation back, what Twilight could only hear made her curious. Also amusing to listen to, Twilight somewhat enjoyed the one-sided conversation.
Returning to the shower, Jacob offered Twilight a warm, reassured smile. “The vet is on his way though it will take about an hour for him to arrive. Weather willing,” he explained. Jacob glanced down at his feet and saw the dried up blood left on the carpet. “You’re one messy mare.”
Twilight’s gaze followed the human’s. She snorted in mild amusement, “I had little say in the matter. Thank you, by the way, for helping me. I...I assume it was you that killed the dog?”
“Wolf,” Jacob corrected.
“Wolf, then. That was nothing like the wolves we have. They’re made out of wood and are a bit larger.”
“Wood?” Jake asked, blinking rapidly for a moment before holding up a hand to halt her further explanation. “No, wait. Let’s get you moved first. The vet said what I did so far was good enough. He’ll be bringing further supplies to make sure those wounds don’t get infected. Also, he will make sure your leg isn’t beyond repair, but he did say I could move you somewhere more comfortable if you’re up for it.”
The mare nodded, the shower’s wet floor wasn’t an enjoyable place to be. “Please,” Twilight begged.
Jacob gave her his acknowledgment and stepped back inside the shower. The mare tried to rise. He quickly knelt and placed a hand on her withers. “No, no. I’m carrying you. Just try to hold as still as you can.”
Twilight obliged and mentally prepared herself. Being carried on the back of another is one thing, and slightly embarrassing, but how will this human do the same? Her answer came quickly.
The human worked his palms underneath the mare, placing one at the bone of her shoulder and the other around her good hip. Jacob lifted her slowly into the air for a moment. Once Twilight was firmly supported within his grasp, the human began to remove her from the shower.
It might not have been that far off the ground, but the mare held her breath as she was lifted far higher than she expected. While she winced at a slight pinch of pain, it wasn’t anything that Twilight couldn’t handle. Taking her mind off it, she took this opportunity to look at her rescuer’s distinct features.
He had a bit of fur on his face it seemed, but most of his hairless skin seemed smooth. His arms had some hair on them too. Hands were bare from what she saw earlier. His clothing prevented her from seeing anything more underneath. Twilight figured she would have plenty of time to observe this new species of primate. An obviously evolved primate.
She did her best to scan her moving surroundings, much of which was a blur, until they entered a bedroom just around the corner. The human had spread out a large beach towel over the sheets of his bed, hoping to spare the gentle fabric underneath. It was where Jacob laid the mare down, having done a wonderful job of keeping her level and towels upon her undisturbed.
“There we go. Much more comfortable than the shower, yeah?” mused the human as he took a step back.
“Very!” Twilight nodded in complete agreement.
Jacob stepped aside and snatched a pillow, offering it to the mare. As she raised her head, he worked the pillow underneath. Jacob suggested, “Take a nap.” No sooner did those words leave his mouth did she protest. The human cut her off, “Once the vet gets you officially patched up, we can do the whole information exchange thing.” He assumed, by now, she wasn’t going to disappear once his supposed mental breakdown ceases. Still, he wasn’t sure what to feel about all of this or how to explain everything to the veterinarian once he gets here.
Twilight conceded, for now. She did feel tired and it appeared the human had her best interests in mind. Plus, she actually was tired. “Alright,” she sighed before a smirk touched her lips. “You’re about as pushy as my assistant,” she remarked. Her head then sank into the soft pillow. Oh yes, this feels nice!
Jacob made his way out of the room and turned off the light. What was left of the day still gave him enough illumination throughout the house. Regardless, it was the dreary sort of light one can fall quickly asleep to. Twilight did just so. Soft breaths of sleep finally came to her. Short-lived as the nap may be, she deserved it.