//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Putt Putt Becomes a Pony // by Rainbow Sparkle //------------------------------// Twilight swayed and stumbled back a bit as the spell ended, some magical whiplash causing her to cry out in a bit of pain from how quickly she had released it. Her horn ached, and she shook her head as she waited for her vision to clear. Before then though, she could hear the results of her probing so deeply into Putt Putt’s mind. Sobbing and sniffling echoed rather loudly about the library. “I-It’s okay… i-it’s okay Putt Putt…” She could hear Fluttershy saying aloud, and another good shake had Twilight’s vision back to normal. The butter yellow Pegasus had wrapped her hooves around the colt, who had his eyes screwed shut, tears pouring from them freely. There was a small spiderweb of cracks on the floor from where Putt Putt had been smacking his hoof to get her attention. “N-no… n-no…” was all he was saying at the moment as Twilight let her head drop low for a moment. She wanted to reach out to help comfort the foal, but she wasn’t sure that was a good idea right now. So instead, she took a moment to think about what she’d seen and discovered, gathering all the information she’d found and putting it together piece by piece. His memories of Cartown were now quite obviously constructs, but the sound of those voices, and the one she’d heard at that last moment… combined with the fixation on toys and puppet strings… left her feeling like that Putt Putt’s memories weren’t the simple work of a child’s imagination… but instead taken from stories he had been told. She wasn’t sure of the source for said stories… she could only assume from what she had heard and seen that it was from his parents… or guardians of some sort. But how had they come up with the concept of talking cars? That didn’t really matter… what mattered most she felt was the last pieces she had seen. They held the key to Putt Putt’s nightmares… and perhaps more. She knew she was doing a fair bit of guesswork with this, but what she now theorized was that something had happened to Putt Putt, something that landed him in a hospital. His mother or guardian had been there to watch over him, and from the tone of her voice, terrified of what might happen to her child. And she had told him, in brief moment where everything wasn’t darkness… how important smiling was, telling him that as long as he smiled, everything would be okay. It was the sort of thing one could easily see just about any parent telling their child, even if it wasn’t very accurate to the emotional well-being of a foal. That light however had faded, and all that followed it was vague outlines of toys performing scenes… leaving Twilight to hazard that Putt Putt had been in a deep sleep, perhaps a coma. And that when the parents or guardians came by to check up on him… they told him stories. Stories about a purple car going on wacky and fun adventures. Stories that had been his favorite if she recalled one of his dream-turn nightmares. Between each little act though, there had been moments of just darkness, emptiness, a void with nothing in it… and each following story had more steps before the next. She had no way of knowing how much time each step in there had represented, but eventually Putt Putt had been left alone. No more voices, no more stories… just… alone in the darkness. In such a state… creating a world to live in and not be lonely in was probably the least surprising way things could have gone. She wasn’t sure if she was actually close to the answer… but she was certain that if nothing else this was the source of Putt Putt’s nightmares. Now the only problem was… What to do next? -*- Putt Putt’s chest ached as he cried some more, unable to keep the tears from flowing. Emotions that felt so alien, and yet strangely so familiar were echoing in his heart and mind. The memories that Twilight had found were now playing in his mind, leaving him confused and hurting as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened in his mind. Even the comforting presence of Fluttershy next to him wasn’t helping any longer. “P-Putt Putt?” Twilight softly called out to him, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t want to talk… he wanted to grab Pep and crawl under something and hide and just cry some more. He felt a soft nuzzle from Fluttershy, and heard her call his name as well… but all he could hear right now was that voice… that voice trying to speak to him before darkness had taken him. After a moment, Fluttershy lets go of him, and he vaguely hears her and Twilight’s hoofsteps as they head to the kitchen. Putt Putt also hears Spike coming down and Twilight calling out to him, but he doesn’t register the words. He could feel Pep trying to nuzzle him and letting out a worried whimper, but his mind was elsewhere. What was that memory? Why does it make me feel like I’m tearing apart? Why do I feel so sad and alone? It took several pokes from Spike’s claws to pull him out of the looping questions he was asking himself, reminding him of the world around him. “Hey uh, do you want me to get you a tissue or something?” The young dragon asked as he gave him a confused, if sympathetic look. With that memory on his mind, even though thinking about it caused him pain, he felt his muzzle spreading as he smiled and shook his head. Gotta smile, everything will be ok if I smile he thought to himself as he said “Nah, but thanks for asking. I’ll be fine.” Spike didn’t look like he believed him in the slightest, but he just gave him a wider smile which made Spike shrug and walk away saying “Your call buddy.” Putt Putt nodded, now ignoring the dampness on his face. He just needed to smile… it’d… it’d all be okay if he just smiled. If he kept smiling, these strange feelings would go away and then soon enough he’d be back home in Cartown. Again, a voice in his head reminded him it had been several days since he arrived. All his past adventures had taken a few hours at most. Even his time on the moon had only lasted about two hours. Just smile… smiling is important… everything will be okay if I keep smiling Putt Putt thought to himself, even as his he felt himself wanting to start crying all over again just from thinking that. He gave himself a distraction by petting Pep and ‘clicking’ on some things around the library, laughing a bit as he saw a quill briefly poof into a bird that shouted “Bird!” before returning to its original form. It was a few minutes later when Twilight and Fluttershy came back out, both looking a bit grim. He just smiled even more. “Putt Putt…” Fluttershy began, hesitantly looking towards Twilight before continuing. “Twilight has some ideas on what’s been causing your nightmares… b-but I uhm… t-their not going to be easy to tell you. B-But I think you deserve to know.” His smile was starting to strain his muzzle a bit, but he nodded to them both. Twilight gulped as she stepped forward, standing in front of Putt Putt. She tried several times to say something before biting her lip and looking away. Putt Putt patiently waited, stomping the growing unease in his stomach and trying to run over the other emotions in his head. “Putt Putt… I… I hate to tell you this… but from what I saw in your memories… and your dreams…” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “The truth is… I think something happened to you some time ago… something that left you alone… but even though you were alone, you had the stories someone had told you about. Stories about an adventurous car going on wacky adventures…” His cheeks were starting to hurt, and he could feel his eyes dampening. The corners of his smile were beginning to twitch. “I couldn’t figure out anything further… but all you remember about Cartown, about going to the moon and traveling through time… all those… they aren’t memories… they… they didn’t really happen. They're stories your mind was playing for you so you wouldn’t be alone after whatever happened to you.” Putt Putt shook his head, the smile looking distinctly pained as he now almost looked through Twilight. “Don’t be silly Miss Twilight, after all, I have Pep with me! Pep is real after all!” Pep tilted his head up and simply whimpered as he watched and listened, looking between the colt and the mare. “I know… and I didn’t get far enough into your memories to answer the question of where Pep came from… and well, with how you reacted… But even with Pep being real, there are plenty of reasons why he could be here with you… but what I found in your memories is undeniable fact.” She closed her eyes and shook her head before locking her gaze with his. “Putt Putt… Cartown isn’t real… no one from there is coming here to take you back… and we can’t send you there. It’s just… a story that someone close to you told you. Make believe.” For a long moment, Putt Putt just sat there, staring and smiling at her with a strained expression on his face. He didn’t realize it himself, but one of his ears and eyes twitched a bit as he digested this. For a brief moment, his mind tried to accept it… after all… he’d… he’d seen everything Twilight saw… he’d seen memories he had no recollection of… But then he shook his head violently, eyes starting to drip as fresh tears came forth. His smile broke a bit as he said “No… no, you’re lying! Cartown is real… I-I’m a Car… I have lots of friends back home that care about me…” “Putt Putt…” Twilight began, trying to reach out for him, an obvious attempt to comfort the colt, but Putt Putt was having none of it as he smacked the hoof back. Without being fully aware of it, Putt Putt used his magic to put his saddlebags back on, grabbing Pep and unceremoniously dropping him on his back. “You said you’d help me get home! You lied about that… and you’re lying about this! I… I’m going home now! I’m going back to where I fell, and going back to Cartown! I’m going back to where I belong!” And before either could do anything to stop him, Putt Putt turned and bolted out the door, galloping out as fast as he could as he made for Fluttershy’s cottage and the Everfree forest. He raced past dozens of surprised and confused ponies, Pep barking in confusion as he clung to his saddlebags. His eyes stung from the feeling of the tears in his eyes and the wind rushing past him as he went as fast as his legs could carry him. The smile was gone… tears and an angry frown was all he had on his face as he left the town behind him and drew ever closer to Fluttershy’s cottage. A nice and warm and cozy place that a complete stranger had let him stay… No, he couldn’t think about that! He had to think about HOME! Cartown! Where he really belonged! The world he knew, the world he was familiar with! This wasn’t where he was meant to be, he wasn’t what he was supposed to be! He needed to get back! He needed to see Mr. Firebird, Outback Al, Smokey the Fire Engine and all the others… Putt Putt needed to be able to smile again without feeling weird and confused! He needed… he needed to forget about the strange dreams and that memory he’d never been able to recall… With all these thoughts and feelings tossing about like a sea in a storm, Putt Putt charged into the dark and foreboding Everfree Forest. -*- Fluttershy was prancing in place, consumed with worry as she asked “Oh what do we do what do we do what do we do?” As Twilight sighed and rubbed a hoof against her head. This was… one of the things she had worried about, but she had been kind of hoping that he wouldn’t be so quick about running away. “Fluttershy, calm down… he won’t be able to get too far… we know where he’s going anyways.” Fluttershy rushed over, grabbing and squishing Twilight’s cheeks as she said “But we don’t know where in the Everfree he’s going! He could get lost or hurt or-” Twilight pushed Fluttershy back and said “No, he won’t because we’re going in after him.” Twilight said, earning a hurried nod from Fluttershy. “But we’re not doing it by ourselves. We’ll need our friends.” “Spike!” Twilight called out, and her number one assistant appeared in a jiffy. “What’s up Twi?” “I need you to go get Rarity and Pinkie Pie and tell them to meet me us at Fluttershy’s house. Fluttershy, you go get Rainbow Dash. I’ll round up AJ and when we’re all together we’ll head on into the forest to track down Putt Putt.” Spike gave a snappy salute and raced out as Fluttershy nodded and flew out the door after him. Twilight sighed again, then closed her eyes in concentration as she thought about Sweet Apple Acres. “I hope we’re fast enough to get to him before something else does…” She murmured to herself before she disappeared in a flash of purple light. -*- It was safe to say that Putt Putt was rather lost. In fact, it’d be even more accurate to say that Putt Putt had no clue where he was going. That didn’t stop him as he continued to run, nearly blind from the tears blurring his vision, the sounds of Pep barking in his ears, the crinkle and crack from his hooves smashing branches and leaves further into the underbrush and that of the occasional strange animal or bird disturbed by his panic as they protested being rudely awakened or nearly trampled. He tripped and stumbled a fair few times, losing the saddlebags he was wearing and getting some cuts and scratches across his form. Putt Putt didn’t care. He had to find where he had landed, where he’d woken up as a pony. Mr. Firebird had surely opened a portal back up and it had to have been waiting for him all this time. Maybe Mr. Firebird was too big to go through, and was simply waiting for Putt Putt’s return. Another fall, another tumble. A yelp that wasn’t his own, but he was too far down in his fear as he continued to run. He didn’t recognize this path, he didn’t see anything that looked like the path he’d followed on his way out. Where is it? I-It has to be here! It has to be somewhere here! He wouldn’t leave me in another dimension, he’s my friend, he’s- Putt Putt’s thoughts were derailed as he crashed face-first into a tree… and further scattered as he stumbled back and tripped over a root, Putt Putt went for a tumble down a small little slope and then splashed into a pond. Hooves flailed, water rushed in and was coughed back out as he breached the surface, instincts he hadn’t realized he had pushing him back to the land as he nearly hyperventilated, his rapid breathing punctuated occasionally by coughs. He was soon on dry land again, wet and dripping and cold now in the dark, damp, confusing forest. His heart thudding in his ears as he panted and worked to calm his beating heart. It took a moment for him to suddenly realize that he was, in fact- alone. “Pep?” Putt Putt exclaimed, his head twisting this way and that way, but finding no sign of him. “Pep! Where are you!?” Only the creepy sounds of the forest filled the air, and he felt his heart breaking as he suddenly registered the yelp he had heard from one of his tumbles. He wanted to go and race back, wanted to try to find him… but now the rush of adrenaline from fear, despair, anger and everything else he’d been feeling… It came crashing down on him, and what’s more his legs now ached from the long stretch of nearly none-stop running, broken up really only by the times he stumbled and spilled out on the forest floor. He had bruises and cuts, and it felt like he was getting a lump on one of his back legs. It was no surprise that soon enough he was crying, eyes shut tight as the tears poured forth. Sometimes he’d hear a small plip plop as some them slid down his face to drop in the water. “W-Why… w-why am I feeling like this? Why do I hurt… why can’t I go back? Why…” Putt Putt wanted things to go back to the way they were… where he was happy, where he had his friends, and he went on wonderful adventures and helping others. Joining a parade, traveling to the moon and saving the zoo… exploring the past and future, winning Cartown’s big race and learning a valuable lesson, even rescuing the circus and preparing a birthday party for Pep! But then… but then what was those strange memories before all that… those memories that made him think of the horrible nightmares he had been having… and… and that voice… that voice that had sounded so familiar, had made him feel happy to hear… but then sad when he couldn’t hear it or see its source… And it made him feel things he’d never really felt before… at least, that he could recall. He’d felt worried, sure, when Pep was sucked into the time portal… but he’d not been afraid. He’d known that if he just kept smiling and kept on driving, he’d save the day. Thinking of it like that… and the images of those toys acting and playing in his head… it… it suddenly did feel like his adventurers had been nothing but stories. Just like the story that Fluttershy had told him. But that couldn’t be right… could it? His memories of Cartown… of his friends… they weren’t just made up, were they? Was Twilight telling the truth? Was his life just a lie, a story? Some big long dream he couldn’t escape? He opened his eyes, staring into the reflection the water gave him. He saw the face of a young unicorn colt coat matted near his eyes from where his tears had trailed down, dirt and leaves stuck in a few places. There was a small cut on his ear as well, but it didn’t seem to be hurt much. “Who… who am I?” Putt Putt asked the reflection, the forest… the world really. “Am I a talking car that goes on adventures? Or… Or am I… well, what I am now I guess. A lost little pony in a dark forest, all alone… no friends…” Putt Putt reached a hoof out, hesitant to tap the water and break the reflection for a moment. He than taps it, watching as indeed the reflection bounces and shift… but soon settles back into the same face he’d been looking at. He brought his hoof back up to his face, feeling his muzzle, and wincing a bit as he felt a bruised spot. Putt Putt lets out a whimper as he looks back at the water, then closes his eyes as he tries to keep back another flood of tears. His mind was torn. Cartown… his garage there… it all felt so real to him. But even as he sat there, trying to remember more about his home, he found it… hard to do so. He had to put all of his focus onto a memory, and then he had to focus even harder to see anything clearly. And if he just relaxed his mind and tried to see everything in the memories… it all became fuzzy… details vanished and blobbed together. In some places things just… weren’t there anymore, as if they’d never been there in the first place. “Maybe… maybe it was a dream…” Putt Putt mumbled softly, it feeling like the world was crumbling beneath him, and in his mind at least, it sort of was. The memories of Cartown were starting to fall apart, the foundation they’d been built atop yanked out from under them. If he wasn’t Putt Putt the car… then who was he? He couldn’t remember anything further beyond the memory of the voice and the lights… and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. It only felt like remembering would bring more pain, as whoever or whatever he really had been… he wasn’t that person now. He sat there, quietly sobbing for a little while as he grappled with the choice before him. He could try to cling to what he’d known, and be left with the vain hope that somehow someday, he’d be proven right and be able to ‘return’ to Cartown all the while tortured with nightmares of being left all alone. Or… or he could what? Just what could he do? The answer to that came in the form of a loud, joy filled bark, followed by the exclamation of “There you are!” Putt Putt lifted his head, wiping his eyes as he looked back up the slope he’d rolled down, to see the relieved face of Fluttershy and the ecstatic face of Pep, who promptly raced back down to him, leaping at him and nearly sending him rolling back into the water. Fluttershy raced down to him as well, hovering over him and gasping as she saw his sorry state. “O-Oh my goodness! Y-You're hurt!” She also spotted the tears that had stained his face and the fresh ones now beginning to come back as he sniffled and hugged Pep tight to his chest. As Fluttershy landed and pulled him into an embrace as well, nuzzling him and telling him how worried they’d all been, how sorry she and Twilight was, and how happy she was to have found him… he felt something he realized he hadn’t fully felt in a long, long time. He felt… loved. And it was then that Putt Putt realized, there was another choice he could make. A choice that would shatter the rest of the world he’d known and leave him adrift in world he knew nothing about. When you put the choices side by side, there was no comparison. Even if it would leave him with nearly no past, no idea who he had been… One choice lead to pain and emptiness and keeping those who cared a hoof-length away from him. The other was full of uncertainty, but it had ponies like Fluttershy who cared… it had ponies like Twilight who wanted to help, even when doing so might be hard. It had ponies like Pinkie Pie that wanted to give make him happy… As he met Fluttershy’s gaze and gave her a real smile, his eyes watered again, and he buried his face into her shoulder as he wrapped his own hooves around her neck and held tight. Putt Putt had made his choice.