//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Putt Putt Becomes a Pony // by Rainbow Sparkle //------------------------------// Putt Putt found himself suddenly floating in a void of darkness… he couldn’t even see his own body, though moving about revealed he was still a pony. He squirmed about, trying to find something to grab hold on… even trying to use his new magic to at least light up the world around him. But nothing seemed to do anything, so he was left to drift and float in the void… left to his own thoughts. “I must be having a dream… but this sure isn’t like any dream I remember having…” He was starting to feel a little weird as well… being here, in a pitch black inky void… with… well, no one else around… it was making him feel something strange that he hadn’t felt for a long while… But before it could settle in further, he heard… a voice. It was… distant. Distorted. He couldn’t hear what it was saying, but he could hear the voice. Spurred by this discovery of a sound in the void, he tried to ‘swim’ towards the source. He wasn’t sure if he was getting closer or not, because the voice still sounded distant and off… though now he realized there were two voices rather than one. And both sounded strangely familiar… “Hello? Anyone out there?” he called out, turning this way and that… and when he made a full circle, he found himself nose to nose with… “Pep!” He cried out happily, then his smile thinned a bit… before turning into a confused frown. He blinked, and looked again, and saw that what was in front of him wasn’t actually Pep… but a stuffed animal that looked like Pep. The plushie Pep let out a ‘bark’ that sounded more like someone else mimed the sound, prancing around Putt Putt a bit before sitting in front of him, its plush tongue hanging out as it panted and whimpered for some attention. Even though Putt Putt was a bit… well, weirded out by this, he offered a partial smile as he reached out with a hoof to pet it between the ears and along the back… though as he did, he could swear he felt… strings? He blinked again, and concentrated the magic around the plush. He soon saw the outline of long, thin wires that lead up into the inky void above. And this time, he was able to hear the distorted voice better. “Here comes… your other favorite!” He heard what sounded like someone… trying to make car noises as a purple car with big googly eyes glued to the front and a smile painted onto it pulled up next to the plush of Pep. It… it looked like… him… only, it was a toy… he could make out the hint of more strings leading from it up into the darkness above, and as he stared, transfixed and a little… well, confused and frightened, he felt his smile beginning to slip. “W-What’s going on… w-what is this?” He asked, watching as the toy purple car and the Plushie Pep seemed to spin around and chase and play with each other for a bit, the strange barks and a voice that wasn’t his came from the car. It was like watching a puppet show… only, the puppets were of yourself and one of your friends. A part of Putt Putt wanted to turn and run… but his mind recalled that feeling he’d started to feel before he encountered Plushie Pep. For some reason, he was having a hard time naming it… yet he was certain he knew what it was. Despite how creeped out he was by the toy and plushie before him, after about a minute of watching, he called out “H~Hey, c~can I play too?” As if that was a cue for something, the two slowly began to rise up into the darkness above… one of the voices spoke, and Putt Putt could pick up a tone of… sadness to it. “We… go now… back… rrow… please… ter… dbye…” Then the voice was gone, and it was just Putt Putt again left in the void of darkness, all… ... Alone. Suddenly, the word he was looking for returned as the feeling itself did, stronger than before. Putt Putt gulped and looked this way and that as his heart began to race. He tried to smile, but it wavered and quivered as he called out “Hello! Hello? A-Anyone… anybody… a-anypony? Someone… p-please say… something?” All he heard was the brief echo of his own voice… before even that faded. No one responded… nothing stepped forward… Nobody came. The feeling of loneliness intensified, and each second only made it worse. The smile faded quickly, and he tried to keep a sob back as his eyes began to water. He started running, calling out again, trying to find someone, anyone! Each time though, the darkness didn’t answer, and the silence began to overpower him. Soon, he came skidding to a stop, dropping to his haunches as he cried and sobbed, tears running down his face… “P-Please… someone… anyone… I… I don’t want to be alone…” His plea went unheard, and with a choke he laid his head down, covering his eyes as he cried, completely unaware and uncaring as the inky void began to close in around him, wrapping him in its empty embrace… -*- Fluttershy had been sleeping rather peacefully in her bed, the soft sound of a spring breeze blowing through the grass and trees outside helping her to quickly drift off, and was just about to begin her first dream of the night… When she heard Putt Putt scream out, followed by loud sobs. Instantly, Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open, and she was flying out of her room with a speed that Rainbow Dash would have been impressed by, even if it wasn’t really needed, given her room wasn’t that far from the guest room. She heard Pep’s insistent and worried barks even before she threw open the door, spotting Putt Putt in the bed. His eyes were screwed shut as tears practically poured forth. His hooves were digging into the pillow that he was clinging too, and amidst the sobs she could make out “Alone… can’t be alone… someone… anybody… don’t leave me here…” Fluttershy raced over to the bed, quickly climbing into it and taking hold of the colt. She pulled him into a tight hug as she called out to him, trying to pull him from the nightmare plaguing him. It took a moment… and she wasn’t sure if it was her calling his name or Pep deciding to bite onto his tail to give it a slight yank, but his eyes shot open, and he looked about the room wildly. When his eyes settled on Fluttershy, he tried to smile again… but this time, it quickly crumbled and fresh tears streamed forth as he buried his muzzle into the crook of her neck. “Sshh… it’s okay, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream… everything’s going to be okay…” Putt Putt eventually ran out of tears, and his sobs dwindled down to sniffles and the occasional hiccup. Fluttershy continued to hold and comfort him, gently running a soothing hoof up and down his back as she gave him nuzzles, with Pep soon joining in. She wasn’t sure how long it took, but Putt Putt finally seemed to calm down, pulling back and trying to put on a brave face… this smile seemed a little forced, but only a little as he let out another sniffle. He pat Pep a bit and scratched at his ears before giving Fluttershy a tight, almost desperate hug. “You gonna be okay?” She asked as she gave him her own smile. She watched as Putt Putt seemed to think about it for a moment before answering. “I… I don’t remember ever having any bad dreams… or… or crying. I… I felt so… alone… t-there was… no one around… just… darkness.” Fluttershy stroked his mane again, her heart going out to the colt, even as she found herself growing concerned again. She quickly pushed that concern aside for a moment though… she needed to be strong for Putt Putt. “Well, you’re not alone Putt Putt… I’m here, and so is Pep.” She heard the door creak, and turned her head to see some of her animal friends peeking in. Her own smile grew a bit as she gestured them over, then they joined the three on the bed. “And all of my animal friends are here too… so don’t let that dream bother you Putt Putt… you’re not alone.” Putt Putt nodded, his smile becoming a little less forced to Fluttershy as he giggled and reached out to pet some of the little critters, who moved closer to try to offer some additional comfort. After a bit though, Fluttershy started to gently usher the other critters towards the door. “Alright, we all need to get back to bed. We need a proper night’s sleep after all.” Once the critters had left the room, she walked back over to the bed, helping to tuck Putt Putt back in. “Are you going to be alright?” Putt Putt gave her a nod, and a proper smile as he wiped his eyes again. “I-I think so… thank you Fluttershy.” Pep gave a bark and quickly moved over to lay right beside Putt Putt, the colt giving his friend a hug and snuggling together under the covers. “G-Good night Fluttershy… s-sorry for waking you up.” Fluttershy gave him a soft, gentle smile and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. “It’s alright Putt Putt. You just do your best to sleep well, alright?” Getting a nod from him, he closed his eyes and quickly drifted off. Fluttershy’s own smile faded as she gave him a worried look. A sigh left her lips as she ran a hoof through his mane and then stepped out of the room. She’d need to write herself a note to speak with Twilight the morning about this… -*- The rest of that night, Putt Putt slept peacefully, if dreamlessly. Fluttershy tossed and turned a bit, her mind briefly occupied with worry about the colt she now cared for… but eventually, sleep claimed her, even if it was a restless one. -*- Morning was a bit rough going at first. While they had both gotten the sleep they needed, Fluttershy’s sleep had left her tossing and turning a fair bit, and she hadn’t managed to have any dreams, none she could remember anyways. As for Putt Putt, he had that big wide smile back, but his eyes showed that he was still a bit shaken by the nightmare, and only served to leave Fluttershy more bothered by his ever present grin. Breakfast was some peaches and cream oatmeal that Fluttershy nearly burned as she found herself keeping more of an eye on her young charge as he went around filling the bowls for the critter’s breakfast. After that, she decided to spend a bit of time with Putt Putt and some coloring books that Rarity had given her, having said something about them being surprisingly relaxing even though they were not as detailed as the ones she had. Even if that was the case, they seemed to help Putt Putt feel a bit better. Especially when Pep started playing with a few of the crayon’s. Angel Bunny seemed content just to watch them, even if he gave Putt Putt odd looks every so often. If Fluttershy were to hazard a guess, she suspected Angel Bunny was either worried for the colt, suspicious of him, or both. An hour of coloring later, with both of them feeling better, Fluttershy stood up, grabbing her book and the crayons she’d been using. “Come along Putt Putt, we’re going into town to see Twilight. I need to ask her a few questions.” “Hot Ziggity! Just give me a moment to put these all away and get Pep, and I’ll be ready to go.” Using his magic, he gathered the rest of the art supplies and the books, gently setting them back in the cabinet Fluttershy had taken them from. Fluttershy waited patiently as Putt Putt picked Pep up and got him comfy on his back, then together they trotted off into town. Putt Putt kept his magic to himself this time, his thoughts moving to Cartown and wondering if everyone was worried about him or not, or whether Mr. Firebird was working on a way to come and bring him back home. Thinking about that got Putt Putt’s smile to widen a bit as he thought Of course he’s working on something. Mr. Firebird is really smart and a good friend. If my new friends here can’t help, I’m sure he can! He ignored the errant thought that all his prior adventures had only taken a few hours at most before they came to an end, simply telling himself it wouldn’t be long before he was going back to Cartown. This time, Putt Putt saw a bit more of Ponyville, taking interest in a building that looked like a gingerbread house with cupcakes on it. Fluttershy said that was Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie worked and lived. If he was good, and if he wanted to, she told him that she’d take him there once they were done at the library. Putt Putt really liked that idea, even if he was quickly distracted by the sight of another odd looking house, one that made him think of carousels. He quickly learned that was where another of Fluttershy’s friends, Rarity Belle, lived and ran a fashion store. Putt Putt didn’t know much about fashion, but he did idly wonder if she’d be able to use magic to change his coat color, just for fun. Maybe he could ask her later? However, his eyes went wide and his smile grew when he saw the library. “Wowie Zowie, is that it?” Fluttershy smiled and held a hoof up to try to hold back a soft giggle. Putt Putt was already reading out the sign and bouncing in place, causing Pep to shake and shift all about. “Careful there Putt Putt, or you’ll make Pep fall off.” Fluttershy chided, earning a blush from Putt Putt as he calmed down and turned to give Pep an apologetic look. Pep growled a bit but quickly laid back down, though this time he tried to get a better hold with his paws. Leading the way, Putt Putt followed her on up to the door, his excitement getting to him again as he waited for the door to open. A library inside a tree? That was awesome! A few knocks later, and the door opened, revealing a small purple and green Dragon who was about the same height as Putt Putt. “Oh hey Fluttershy, ya here for Twilight? She’s downstairs in her lab if you need her.” The dragon said, shooting a curious glance towards Putt Putt. “Y-Yes, I need to talk with her about something.” Fluttershy said, then added “And Spike, this is Putt Putt, the colt I’m looking after.” “Hi Spike!” Putt Putt exclaimed, offering a hoof. Spike gave it a bump, which seemed to briefly confuse Putt Putt, but he shrugged it off as he said “Your a lot smaller than the last dragon I’ve seen before.” Fluttershy squeaked at this, while Spike quirked an eyebrow up. “So I’m not the first dragon you’ve seen huh? Run into the one that’s in the Everfree?” Putt Putt shook his eyes. “Oh no, I met this dragon on my time travel adventure. He was in the Medieval times and was helping Sir Poundalot in his forge. He was a nice dragon, but didn’t say anything, just waved.” Spike was giving Putt Putt a rather incredulous look at that, while Putt Putt seemed to just stare at him with that big… huge… grin of his. Spike soon shot Fluttershy a look, before shrugging and saying, “Oookaaay then… well, come on in, no reason to block the front door.” Spike gestured them both in, with Putt Putt’s smile growing as he saw all the books. “Hot Ziggity! So many books! I don’t even know where to start!” Having said this though, he soon made his mind up as he raced over to one of the closest bookshelves. He could read the titles of most of the books, but there were a few which seemed to have some kinds of runes and symbols instead. Taking hold of a few with his magic, he smiled and found a spot at one of the smaller desks meant for young foals, quickly diving into the first in his little pile. This seemed to be a cooking book for beginners. “Please keep an eye on him, won’t you?” Fluttershy asked Spike, who nodded his head and pat her side. “Relax, he’s in a library with his nose deep in a book. You go talk to Twilight… and if you can, try to see if you can get her to think about a nap, she’s only had two hours of sleep.” “Oh no… I-I’ll see what I can do.” Fluttershy says as Spike grabbed his broom and went back to sweeping. “Seriously, what’s the worst that could happen?” If he had taken the chance to glance out one of the window’s, he might have caught sight of three young fillies racing towards the library, and reconsidered his own words.