“God…” Carl groaned. “Why does this Shutterfly have to live so far away?”
“It’s not that far, Carl.” Twilight answered. “It’s just a little outside town.”
“'Oh, it’s just outside town, oh, it’s just on the other side of town'. All I’ve done the past few hours is walk all over this god forsaken town!”
After encountering a strange purple smoke at Sugarcube Corner, that set fire to Pinkie’s oven, Twilight concluded that the evil force Princess Celestia had been alluding to was finally on the move. With that in mind, she ordered Pinkie to gather their friends and meet them and Fluttershy’s Cottage.
Once they arrived, Twilight politely knocked on the door to see if Fluttershy was home. They waited a moment, but they didn't hear so much as a peep from inside. Twilight called out to her, but there was still no response, just dead silence.
“Darn…” Twilight sighed. “I guess she’s still working in her sanctuary.”
Carl stepped up and brazenly banged on the door. “Hey, Fluttershy! Get your ass out here!”
“Will you stop that!? If she were in, she wouldn’t answer to someone slamming on her door like a mad ape!”
"Hey! We humans evolved for apes, go take your prejudice elsewhere!"
"Oh, please. As if you care about prejudice."
“Well, she’s obviously not here. I say we go home.” Carl attempted to walk away, but was quickly dragged back by Twilight’s magic.
The two suddenly caught sight of a shadow flying overhead. It was the same rainbow pony Carl had met earlier.
“What’s up, Twilight?” She greeted. “Still hanging around Carl, I see.”
“Unfortunately…” Twilight was glad be with an actual friend, again. “Are the others coming?”
“I saw them earlier, they should be here any minute. Oh, and Carl. Thanks for your help with the Lightning Ball, you were a real life saver, back there.”
Carl chuckled. “Well, at least someone around here is thankful.”
Twilight didn’t even have to look at Carl, she could feel the arrogance radiating from him.
It wasn’t long before Pinkie Pie arrived with the last of Twilight’s friends. Two ponies accompanied her. An orange pony with a cowgirl hat and a white pony with a lavish purple mane.
The five ponies gathered around each other to exchange greetings and to discuss Twilight’s plans for why they needed to be brought together so urgently.
“Okay…” Applejack rubbed her head, as she tried to make sense of the situation. “So, you’re telling me, some evil force is threatening Equestria... and so, the Princess summoned some guy from another world to help fight it... but you don’t understand why or how?”
“Yep.” Twilight responded.
“And this pony doesn't have any special powers what so ever?”
“Yep.”
“So, it’s the usual then?” Rarity clarified.
“Carl, is anything but ‘usual’.”
The two were a little concerned by Twilight’s attitude. She looked bitter and stressed. They looked over to Carl who was just patiently sitting on the ground, just outside Fluttershy’s house, away from the rest of the group. He didn’t even make an effort to introduce himself, so Rarity and Applejack took it upon themselves to begin the introductions instead.
“Well, howdy there. The name’s Applejack.”
Carl gave no response.
Rarity cleared her throat. “My name is Rarity. Pleased to meet you.” Being polite, she reached out for a hoofshake, but Carl still didn’t understand what the gesture meant and ignored it.
“Not very talkative, are ya?” Applejack laughed uncomfortably. “That’s alright, my brother’s the same.”
“Why are sitting in the dirt, darling? You’ll get all filthy.”
“My feet hurt.” Carl answered.
“Feet? You mean hooves. Your hooves hurt.” Rarity corrected.
Carl sighed. “Fine. My hooves hurt…”
“Uh, did something happen to your hooves?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah!” Carl pointed directly in front of him. “That bitch, over there!”
Naturally, Carl singled out Twilight. Applejack and Rarity stifled a laugh, almost impressed by Carl’s boldness. Twilight, however, was not pleased with being insulted right in front of her friends.
“Oh, your poor hooves hurt do they?” Twilight retorted, cynically. “In that case, we’re heading into the Everfree Forest, right now!”
“What!? But I don’t want to get up! I just got comfy!”
“Applejack, could you kick him for me?”
“To get him up?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“Come on, partner.” Applejack poked at Carl until he was irritated enough to spring onto his hooves.
“Alright! I’m up!”
“Oh my…” Rarity was taken aback by Carl’s appearance, now that she was able to get a proper look at him standing. “You’re rather big aren’t you?”
“Excuse me?” Carl asked, misinterpreting her praise.
“Eh, he’s not as big as my brother.” Applejack added.
“What!? Did I miss something!?”
“Oh, definitely. Big Mac towers over most stallions.”
“Wow, okay. I don't need this...”
Carl bailed on their conversation as fast as he could and caught up with the others, ahead. The less he heard about how ‘big’ this, Big Mac was, the better.
“What was that all about?” Applejack wondered.
“Perhaps he’s just self-conscious about his size.” Rarity answered.
“But, that’s silly. He’s plenty big for anypony.”
“Indeed, he's rather tall, too.”
The ponies stopped just outside the entrance to the Everfree Forest as Twilight prepared to address them. Although she was mostly doing this for Carl's sake.
“Listen up everypony! That includes you, Carl!”
“I’m all ears, Twinkle Shine.”
“As you may or may not know, the Everfree Forest can be a very dangerous place, filled with deadly creatures and plant life. As such, I want to make sure that we all understand how important it is that we all stick together. No wandering on your own, no splitting up the group. We go in, get Fluttershy and we leave. No distractions. Understood?”
“Yeah!” Her friends answered.
“Understood, Carl?”
“Alright, but if I get poisoned, or eaten, or contract some kind of horse aids, I’m putting the blame on you.”
“So long as you follow my orders, you'll only have yourself to blame if you get hurt.”
The group marched into the forest, sticking close together, making sure they didn’t get lost, especially Carl, who was huddled into the middle. They were surrounded by trees, and foliage, covered in moss, as well as other assortments of weeds and vines. It felt more like a jungle than a forest.
They tried to stay on a clear path as all the nasty creatures and plants resided in the deeper parts of the forest. There was still a lot about the Everfree they didn’t know about, but Carl’s sarcastic assumptions over poisoning and being eaten weren’t too far off the mark. The jury was still out on the horse aids.
“Oh, god…” Carl winced. “What the hell is that smell?” There was a foul, musky, odour flowing from the Everfree.
The girls had grown used to the stench, having visited the forest multiple times, but Carl couldn’t stand it. He tried to pinch his nostrils shut, but lacking fingers, he couldn’t do it with one hoof. He tried with two, but he soon lost balance and toppled onto his back.
Pinkie looked over the fallen Carl. “What are you doing, ya goof?”
“This place smells like shit.”
“Well, duh. We’re passing by the swamp.”
“How are you not convulsing from the smell?”
“I cover my face with my mane, like this.” Pinkie pulled her mane around to her face, like a scarf. “See? It smells like frosting, wanna whiff?”
“Will you get your hair out of my face?” Carl pushed himself up and away from Pinkie. “Nearly suffocated me with that thing.”
“Okay…” Feeling dejected, Pinkie tried to steer the conversation somewhere else. “Oh, Carl. Look at the sky!”
“Why?”
“Look! The clouds are moving on their own.”
“Isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?”
“No, in the Everfree Forest, the clouds and the plants, they move and grow all on their own. That's a thing that happens in you world, right? I bet it reminds you of home... right?”
“I don’t really care.”
“Oh, right. I guess that would be kinda silly of me to point out…” Pinkie slipped to the back of the group, before Carl got mad.
Rainbow Dash suddenly took her place. “You know, she was only trying to cheer you up.”
“No one asked her to.”
“I know. That’s kinda the point.”
“Well, could you tell her to stop?”
“I don’t think Pinkie Pie knows how to stop.”
“Guess, next time, I'll have to make her stop.”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash looked Carl right in the eye. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Carl took the hint, he never intended to lay a hoof on Pinkie, but now he really needed to watch himself. All Pinkie managed to accomplish now, was make Carl feel even more awkward than he already was. The ponies behind him were even comforting her.
Long term relationship issues weren’t really a concern of his, but the idea of being stuck in the middle of a dangerous forest with people he wasn’t sure he could trust, irked Carl, almost as much as the nauseating smell. He kept his wits about him and waited for an opportunity to ditch the group and return to Ponyville.
His prayers were answered when a Manticore suddenly leapt out in front of Twilight and the others with a bellowing roar. This was Carl’s chance.
“Agh! A monster!” He screamed, before leaping through the trees. Of course, Carl never even considered what might have been on the other side of the foliage. He took a leap of faith and dove straight into a shallow, filth ridden pond.
Carl was swallowed by the polluted muck and after a brief pause, emerged from the rancid swamp water as he childishly flailed in a blind panic ”AHH! FUCK! SHIT! FUCKING.... SHIT!“
Once he was finished screaming in terror, he soon realised how shallow the water actually was and passively paddled to the edge of the pond, grumbling in agony, shaken by his mundane, near-death, experience.
“Uuuuuuugh…” He cried. “It went in my mouth…...!” Coughing and spitting as he climbed onto shore, tears welling in his eyes. “It tastes like horse poo… I think I swallowed some of it…”
Twilight just shook her head in shame, having heard Carl’s embarrassing cries, echoing from the forest. “I’m sorry, Henry.” She apologised to the Manticore. “He’s with us. We’re here to see Fluttershy.”
The Manticore pulled out his reading glasses and reviewed his notepad. It contained a checklist with pictures of ponies that Fluttershy trusted, to prevent anyone dangerous from entering the sanctuary. All of Twilight and her friends were on the list, although Pinkie was labelled with a caution mark.
The Manticore granted them access, but first they needed to retrieve Carl before he shamed himself any further. However, Carl was not about to abandon his plan, nearly drowning in swamp water was, but a minor setback. Against his better judgement, he ran into the woods, hoping to lose them.
Carl kept running straight forward, jumping over rocks and weaving around trees, he was sure if he just kept going, he’d make it out, lose Twilight and her friends, and find an exit to the forest. In his haste, however, Carl arrived at a small cliff-side. By the time he realised he was at a dead end, his momentum had already carried him too far.
Rooting his hooves firmly in the ground as a last ditch effort to stop himself, Carl skidded over the edge and down the cliff-side. His hooves burned, as they scraped through the earth and slid towards the ground, while loose branches growing out the side of the cliff repeatedly whipped him in the face, eventually culminating in him reaching the bottom of the cliff, losing his balance and falling flat on his face.
Carl slowly lifted his head from the dirt. “Well, that hurt like hell…”
He picked himself up to find he was in a meadow with incredibly tall grass, that towered over him. He felt as if he had somehow stumbled into a completely different jungle. With nowhere else for him to go, but forward, he forced his way through the grass, praying for a way out on the other side.
After weaving his way through, for a few minutes, he finally escaped from the maze of grass and finally found some open space to breathe.
“What the hell?” Carl took a glance around and had somehow accidentally stumbled upon an extraordinary sight. A rocky hill in the center of a circular area, made of hard stone, just sitting there, hidden away in this empty field of grass. However, Carl's real concern was with the five large boulders that encircled the area.
Giant black monoliths, the very same ones detailed in Starlight’s book, surrounded him, with a sixth one perched on top of the hill.
“Hey, I recognise these things…” Carl thought aloud. “But, I thought they were supposed to be difficult to find. Have they really been sitting here this whole time!? Have they always been here? Did nobody even fucking bother to check, or were they too scared?”
Carl couldn’t believe these ancient artefacts were just lying around in the middle of a meadow with no traps or guardians to protect them, but then again, they weren’t magical weapons created for a specific purpose, like most people would expect, they were just big rocks.
He climbed to the top of the hill, hoping to get a good view over the tall grass and to search for an exit to the forest, but his entire viewpoint was filled with nothing but grass, with trees encompassing the horizon. He traveled a lot further than he thought he did, but he still had a ways to go if he wanted to leave.
“I’m starting to think this wasn’t a very good idea…” Carl sighed and sat down for a moment. He felt like he’d done nothing but walk since arriving in Equestria, but now he had some peace and quiet, giving him time to think to himself and rest his legs. All he could hear was the gentle breeze rustling through the tall grass.
This peace was soon shattered by the thunderous sound of crackling electricity that burst behind Carl. He quickly jumped on his hooves to find the source of the noise. Just above him was a cloaked pony, covered in purple sparks of magic, their face hidden by their hood.
“Damn... I should have known someone would show up to ruin my peace and quiet.” The pony slowly descended to the ground. Even without magic, Carl could feel the intensity of their unstable power, as if they were ready to blow at any moment.
Despite the cloaked pony’s daunting presence, Carl stood his ground, he was far too stubborn to let a few sparks intimidate him. The pony moved towards Carl, but he refused to budge an inch, instead the two simply stared at one another, without uttering a single word.
“You’re the one… aren’t you…?” The pony spoke softly.
“Am I?” Carl retorted, attempting to bait out information.
“Yes… Celestia’s chosen…”
“I think you have me confused with someone else.”
The cloaked pony stepped back for a moment, shocked by what they were hearing, but it wasn't out of fear or doubt, but from pure amusement. They tried to contain themselves, but slowly, they began to laugh. Building from a small snicker and gradually growing into strident howling.
The mysterious pony gave Carl a run for his money when it came to loud, obnoxious laughter, but something felt different. There was something sinister and disturbing about this particular laugh.
“Oh my…” The pony apologised, immediately dropping their soft spoken demeanour in favour of something more brisk and confident. “You’re far more entertaining in person, a class act.”
“Did I say something funny?”
“Oh come on, Carl! Someone? It’s somepony, you dolt! Honestly, have you learned nothing from your stay in Equestria? And here I seriously thought you were just pretending to be stupid.”
“Alright, smart guy. So, just who the hell are you?”
“Me? Who am I? Oh, dear… I don’t think you’ll be very interested to hear the answer. After all, I know how much you detest being lectured. Some other time, perhaps?”
“You’re the reason I’m here, aren’t you?”
“Well, aren't you a clever clogs, care to elaborate?”
“Calling me Celestia’s chosen? That’s an obvious giveaway, considering Twilight and her friends are the only ones who know about that. Also, I recognise that purple lightning, from the Lightning Ball incident!”
“Oh, darn! You caught me! Please, don’t throw the book at me! Not that you’d be able to read it, of course.”
“You gave up rather quickly. Whatever, the sooner I kick your ass, the sooner I can go home.”
“Oh, please, no. I can't fight, anything but that! My power hasn’t fully stabilised yet. I’m not sure I’ll be able to defend myself!”
"Tough shit."
Carl could tell underneath all the sarcastic pleas for mercy was something deadly sinister, but he was far too impatient to wait for them to make the first move. He needed to act now, they wouldn’t be able to enact any of their plans if he knocked them out first.
He charged at the cloaked pony and pounded away with his front hooves. Crackles of electricity fizzled with each punch, but it felt like he was hitting against some kind of invisible barrier. Carl threw one more punch to try and force his way through, but it wasn’t enough. “I figured you’d have some bullshit up your sleeve.”
The cloaked pony laughed as they exerted a burst of energy from their body, blowing Carl away. Carl, skidded across the ground as the pony’s horn lit up underneath their hood with more crackled lightning.
Carl became surrounded by a purple, electrified aura. “Dammit, I'm stuck!” He yelled, struggling as hard as he could. “What is with you unicorns and freezing me with magic!? It’s starting to piss me off!”
“What’s that? You don’t like being frozen in one place? Here, let me help you with that.” The cloaked pony slowly lifted Carl high into the air. After reaching about thirty meters, the pony forced him back down, slamming him into the ground.
However, they felt as if they wouldn't be able to get their message across if they only did it once, so the pony smacked Carl around a few more times for good measure, laughing as they jerked him around like a puppet.
“This is hysterical!” The cloaked pony laughed. “This is the warrior Celestia wasted all her time and effort summoning!? How pathetic! Other than that foul mouth, there’s nothing special about you at all! You’re just another worthless Earth pony! Oh, it saddens me to see that Celestia has finally succumb to her old age, how tragic...”
“Will you shut the hell up!” Carl was left a crumpled, beaten mess, but he wasn’t down for the count just yet. He forced himself up, despite his injuries and faced his opponent. “If I have to listen to that laugh of yours one more time, I promise I’ll beat the shit out of you!”
“Interesting… you can still stand. Then again, Earth ponies are notoriously resilient, so I guess you have that going for you at least. Perhaps, Celestia required your services as a meat shield.”
All Carl could muster was his usual glare. His entire body ached and he didn’t have the energy to throw his weight around, he was helpless. At this point, the only thing keeping Carl standing was his own stubbornness.
“What’s wrong? Getting tired?” The cloaked pony taunted. “Here, let me give you a lift…” Carl was levitated into the air, once again, this time it was purely for the cloaked pony’s own sadistic enjoyment as he pulled at Carl’s strings.
The pony’s childish antics were nothing short of insulting. “What the fuck are you doing!? Do I look like some kind of toy to you!?”
“I hope not. I don't think you'd sell very well.”
“You piece of shit… look if you’re going to kill me, can you just do it already?”
“Kill you?” The pony burst into laughter, once again. “Why would I do that!? Watching you drive the Princess of Friendship crazy is far too entertaining for me to end it all now. Besides, it’s not like you’re much of a threat to me. Keeping you around will help lull Celestia into a false sense of security, make her think she's got the upper hand, unaware that she's already dug her own grave. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when all her schemes completely fall apart around her.”
He dropped Carl back to the ground and strolled over to him for a chat. One last talk as he helped him back onto his feet. “Now, Carl. Be a good boy and just keep doing what you’re doing, okay? Either that or keel over and die, either-or works for me.”
As the cloaked pony was about to leave, Carl called back to him. “Hey, I got a question.”
The pony turned around, expecting Carl to shout more obscenities, but was instead blindsided by a sudden hoof implanted into his face. Carl threw the last of his strength into one final punch. A special parting gift to remember him by, that sent the pony toppling over and rolling across the ground.
“Not so tough now, are you? Shithead!” Carl was real proud of that comeback.
“Y-you hurt me?” The cloaked pony sloppily got up and they weren’t laughing any more. “SOME PONY SCUM ACTUALLY HURT ME!?”
“Um… shit… welp, I'm content with dying here.”
The cloaked pony exploded with magical energy as enraged lightning bolts fired in all directions. Carl was sure he was as good as dead, but the pony’s energy quickly calmed down, as they began showing signs of discomfort.
“This cursed vessel!” They yelled. “It’s rejecting me!? Now, of all times!?”
“Uh… did I win?”
“I don’t know how you hurt me, but I swear, when we meet again, I’ll erase you!”
The pony lost control of their power, whatever was happening, Carl wanted to make sure he gave his new friend a proper send off, before leaving. “Hey, Cloaky!”
“What!?”
“Fuck you!”
A purple mist burst forth from the cloaked pony, and disappeared into the clouds above. Carl still wasn’t exactly sure who or what he just fought, but somehow, he barely managed to survive his first encounter with Celestia’s enemy.
The cloaked pony fell to the ground and Carl dragged his sore body over to check who or what was underneath the cloak. He lifted the hood to find a blue pony, with a pale cerulean mane.
He gasped. “Wait… I don’t know who this is.” Carl immediately dropped the pony and attempted to leave, but the shock from the fall woke them up.
She sprung up, paranoid and jittery, with no clue as to where she was. “Get out of Trixie’s head, you creep!” She quickly realised she was back in control of her own body again and that whatever was possessing her was long gone.
The pony quickly caught sight of Carl and caught up to him, she had questions that needed answering. “Hey! Who are you!? Where am I… and why do you smell like a backed up toilet?”
Carl turned around to reveal his beaten body.
“Wow.” The pony gasped. “What happened to you?”
“I had a rough day.” He answered, as his breathing became heavier.
“You had a rough day? Try being possessed by some weird smoke monster.”
“I’m sorry… who are you…?”
“Me? Well, since you asked.” The pony leapt back and shot magical fireworks into the sky as she proclaimed. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“For fuck’s sake…” Carl didn’t have the energy to do anything but mutter under his breath. “Look, could you not do that? My head hurts…”
Trixie pouted. “Some ponies just don’t appreciate my spectacular showmanship. Just who are you, anyway? Trixie doesn’t recognise you at all.”
“Carl...”
“Huh, not a particularly exciting name.”
“I’m not a particularly exciting guy…”
“Well, Carl. Do you know where we are? Not that I don’t or anything, I... just want to hear it from you.”
“The Everfree Forest.”
“Wait, really? Trixie’s never seen this part of the forest before, are you sure?”
“Yes….”
“Well, no problem, then. I know just the spell that will help.” Trixie’s horn lit up as a string of blue magic extended before her, slithering it’s way through the grass and towards the horizon. “This trail of magic should be able to guide us back to the entrance.”
“Cool…” Carl suddenly collapsed to the ground.
“Oh, geez. Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?”
“I don’t know, you look pretty good bowing before my greatness.”
Carl simply leered at her.
“Oh, I’m just kidding. I’ll help you up.”
The bottom of Carl’s body was lit up by a blue aura as he was lifted gently into the air.
“Wow, you’re heavy. I’m not used to using levitation spells on other ponies, but you should be able to swim through the air without having to exert yourself too much.”
“I thought you said you were ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’.”
“T-Trixie is just having an off day, that’s all.”
“Whatever… I guess this’ll do…”
The ponies headed through the grass and into the forest, following the magic trail the whole way. Trixie tried to ask Carl about who he was and how he ended up in the Everfree, but he refused to talk, claiming he was too tired, which was partially true. Trixie’s spell was at least helping him recover from his fatigue.
After exiting the forest, Trixie guided Carl to Fluttershy’s Cottage.
“Wait, why are you taking me, here?” He asked.
“Because Trixie has places to be. I’m sure Fluttershy will help treat your wounds, she’s good at that stuff.”
“They’re not that bad…”
“Yeah, well, I'm not taking the blame if you were to suddenly croak.”
“How thoughtful…”
Trixie knocked on the door and it was soon opened by a pale yellow pegasus with a pink mane. She immediately slammed the door shut upon viewing Trixie. “Please don’t hurt me!” She cried.
“What? Fluttershy it’s Trixie!”
The door opened slightly as Fluttershy peeked through the crack. “Oh, it is Trixie.” She awkwardly re-opened the door. “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t recognise you in that black cloak.”
“What’s with that cloak anyway?” Carl asked.
“Huh, why am I wearing this? Oh, that’s right, I was experimenting with new costumes for my show.”
“Do you plan on keeping it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Maybe… it certainly looks spooky, doesn’t it?”
“D-definitely.” Fluttershy wasn’t really a fan of spooky cloaks, she instead turned her attention to the weird pony accompanying her. “Oh and who’s- Oh my gosh!”
“What?” Carl was perplexed by her sudden gasp.
“What in Equestria happened to you? You’re a mess and... you smell like swamp water?”
“Oh, some shit happened, don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, no, no, no. We must get you inside immediately. Those wounds need to be treated.”
Fluttershy flew up and pushed Carl inside the house.
“Are you coming, Trixie?”
“Neigh, for Trixie has repaid her debt for helping her regain her senses. Besides, I can’t stand the swamp smell. I’ll let you take care of him.”
Trixie left as Fluttershy forced Carl into her home. It felt much cosier than Twilight’s giant, empty castle, like an old cottage from a fairy tale. Carl was carefully placed back on solid ground as Fluttershy quickly retrieved her first aid kit.
Without even asking, she got to work on treating Carl’s wounds. First checking his body for any cuts, bruises or broken bones. It was at this moment that Carl realised that he was completely naked. It felt so natural that he never even questioned it before, but having Fluttershy examine every inch of his body made him feel uncomfortable.
“Uh, you don’t have to do this, you know?” Carl mentioned.
“What? Of course I do. I can’t have somepony show up to my house like this and not help them.”
“I’m pretty sure a hospital can handle it.”
“Maybe, but I know a lot more about the Everfree Forest than most doctors.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Are you kidding!? Do you know what kind of horrible diseases and infections you can get in there? I need to make sure you don’t get sick or worse, start turning into a tree!”
“I guess that’s better than horse aids…”
Fluttershy finished her examination, her relieved smile seemed to indicate there was nothing to worry about. “You seem pretty bruised, but there’s nothing serious. I’ll just disinfect the cut on your front leg, wrap it up and you’ll be as good as new in no time.”
“A cut?” Carl looked down at his left leg, it was bleeding out. For some reason, it shocked him, it didn't feel real. This world seemed so colourful, cheerful and childish, like nothing bad could ever happen, but there, sliced across his leg was a reminder of his own mortality, that even in a world populated by cute ponies where friendship is magic, the threat of death was still very real.
“Are you okay? You’ve been staring at your wound for a while.” Fluttershy asked.
It felt rather silly in hindsight, getting worked up by a simple cut, but Carl decided that maybe he should try to be a little less reckless in the future. “It’s nothing…”
“If you say so. What’s your name, anyway?”
“Carl.”
“Oh, you must be the pony Twilight was talking about.”
“Twilight? Oh, yeah, I ditched her….. wait… she ditched me!?”
“She told me all about you, although she seemed kind of irritated, then she went home to her castle.”
“What a bitch!”
“Well, she did say you were, um, ‘difficult’… anyway, let’s clean that cut now.”
Fluttershy poured what looked like rubbing alcohol onto a cloth and reached down.
“Now this might sting a little…”
The second the cloth made contact with his cut, Carl screamed. “FUCK!”
“That’s okay, this won’t take long…”
It stung like crazy, but somehow Fluttershy kept her cool despite Carl’s loud shrieking and dainty hopping.
“There we go…” After cleaning the wound, she wrapped it in bandages. “See, that wasn’t so bad. Now, keep those on for a few days, and that cut will heal in no time.”
She gave Carl a warm smile, which confused him. He wasn’t used to people being genuinely nice to him. “Um, thanks… Guess I’ll go, now…”
“Wait!” She called.
“Yeah?”
“You should stay a little longer and... maybe take a shower?”
“W-what? Why?” He asked, as his face started burning up.
“To clean yourself up, of course. Or do you like smelling like a swamp?” She giggled.
“Huh?” Carl gave his pits a good whiff. “Oh, shit… I really do smell like a backed up toilet...”