The screaming had stopped. Sure, they had to tranquilize him to do it, but their ears were finally spared the constant wail.
The doctor sighed with relief and returned to his side, the needle put away. Examining the prince quietly a moment, he nodded softly. "Where is the next patient?"
Fluttershy blinked softly. "Doctor?"
"Mmm? Oh, hello Fluttershy." Doctor Horse looked up at the hovering form of Fluttershy with a little smile. "You shouldn't be here if you're not hurt and I don't have a chart for you."
Fluttershy pointed with her free hoof, her other forehoof caught in the prince's sleeping grasp. "You were helping him."
"Mmm?" He looked down at the grey pony he had already ejected from his memory. "Hmm... They don't look very pressing. I really should get going. Have a nice day, Fluttershy."
He left with a quiet swinging of the door behind him.
Fluttershy gaped at the space that once held a doctor. "Okay... Okay... don't panic..." She drew her held hoof away from his limp grip and instead worked both hooves under him, lifting him into the air and holding him close. "I'm with you."
She took off down the hallway as quickly as she could, which wasn't as fast as she'd like with the new weight, but she was still moving. None of the other ponies seemed to care that she was carrying an injured ponies with angry red welts out of the hospital.
She was entirely unchallenged as she burst free into the outside world. She turned in place in a slow fluttering before deciding on Twilight's, moving towards the castle. "Hang in there..."
When she knocked on the door desperately, it was spike that answered it, opening the door a few precious inches. "Yeah? Oh, hey Fluttershy." He wriggled a few fingers at her.
"Hello, um..." Spike seemed to be casually ignoring the injured ponies in her aching arms. "Is Twilight home?"
"Library 6." Spike hiked a thumb into the castle. "Want to come in?" He began to open the door without a reply. "She's with Pinkie, talking about something, or maybe planning a party? It is Pinkie."
"Thank you!" She rushed past him into the castle, looking around wildly before she sagged a bit. "Where is library 6?"
Spike pointed to the stairs. "Third floor, door's open and there are two ponies, shouldn't be hard to spot."
"Yes, right, thank you." She dipped her head towards him then started fluttering away, huffing and puffing with the strain of carrying the prince so far. "We're almost there..."
"Hey, uh, Flutter? You're looking really tired. If you're tired of carrying whoever there, maybe I could help?" Spike was following her, showing concern for her, but none for the forgotten prince.
"It's alright." She could only imagine where the prince would end up if Spike took charge and then forgot he was there. "I really need to finish this." She lifted up the first flight of stairs slowly. "I can do this..."
"Yeah..." Spike ran out ahead of her, vanishing up the next flight of stairs.
Twilight's eyes were wide. "This is a terrible plant..."
"That bad?" sighed out Pinkie. "It looked kinda goofy when I saw it."
"No matter how goofy it appeared to be, this plant is extremely hazardous!" She tapped at the open book in front of her. "Ponies report it to be like being melted with acid while being electrocuted. What was Fluttershy planning to do with this?" She shook her head firmly. "I wouldn't want to have anything to do with it."
Pinkie looked like she was possibly being melted with acid, gooping all over the seat she was in. "I didn't mean to," she muttered. "He's going to hate me for forever, and then some..."
The door leading out suddenly busted open. Spike stood in the doorway, pointing back where he had come from. "Fluttershy's looking super exhausted carrying a pony up here."
Twilight sat up, blinking. "Who is she carrying?"
Spike shrugged lightly. "Eh, some pony? She's really worn out, not sure if she'll make it."
Pinkie sprang back up, whole and intact. "Oh no!" She zipped right past Spike, leaving him spinning in place. Twilight grabbed him in her magic, slowing his wild spin.
"Huh..." Spike shook his dizzy head clear. "Pinkie sure is eager today."
"I expect it's much the opposite, Spike. I'm going to be busy. Could you get us some tea, please?"
"Alrighty." He emphatically thrusted a thumb into the air before fleeing in the same direction as Pinkie. He went right past Pinkie and Fluttershy and whatever pony they were changing who was carrying. It didn't matter.
Pinkie accepted the limp form of the prince. "They forgot he was there, on the table?!"
Fluttershy flopped to the ground, huffing for breath. "They... just left him... Please, bring him to Twilight..."
Pinkie's mane saluted for her, her hooves quite occupied. "You got it!" She pivoted right in place and marched back where she came from. "It's the least I could do. I'm so sorry!"
To her surprise, when she came back, the room had a new powerful smell. "Twilight? What are you... doing in here?"
Twilight gestured over the large beaker in front of her. "A mild solution of hydrochloric acid. Did you bring him?"
Pinkie cocked a brow as she set the prince down gently on the seat she had occupied not long before. "He's right here, and you forgot."
"Is that him? Oh, yes. I didn't forget what I'm doing." She slapped a hoof on her book. "This is how you treat it. Ever see a pony get waxed before, Pinkie?"
Pinkie winced back a step. "Oh, um... I've heard of it, but no thanks!"
"Waxing?" asked Fluttershy, catching up. "Oh my, what is that smell?"
"Twilight's got a bunch of acid!" Pinkie waved a hoof wildly at the prepared acid. "I don't get it either."
"We have to weaken and loosen the quills that the Red Stickler placed in its victim." She took out long strips of sticky stuff with her magic. "We will pull it right out of him, along with his fur. He'll be bare skinned in spots, but no longer in agonizing pain. A fair trade, I think."
Fluttershy winced, but moved to the prince's side to gently stroke his side. "Please, be careful. This is... at least partially my fault... Why did I think it would be alright to let him try such a dangerous harvest?"
"I'm still curious what you do with a stickler that's productive." She approached with the acid and the strips. "Let's get to work." She splashed the acid mixture right on Fluttershy's face, leaving her blinking in shock.
"Twilight! I'm not the one that needs that!" To her surprise, it didn't immediately begin dissolving her. As diluted as it was, it tingled oddly, but wasn't immediately painful. She grabbed the beaker in a wing. "I think it would be better if I handled this... thank you."
Twilight rolled her ears back. "I... hmm, the effects of this 'curse' are quite dangerous in times like this."
Pinkie tilted her head slowly. "Wait... Fluttershy! You're remembering him! You did it!"
Fluttershy pinned her ears against her head. "How can I forget him, like this? I... did this. I have to fix it..." She began to gently dab the diluted acid across his face, working it in while trying so very hard to not break or disturb the needles that were causing the pain. "Hang in there..."
Twilight swiveled an ear towards Pinkie, but her eyes were on Fluttershy. "Fascinating..." She resumed taking notes, catching herself up. "Do you find it easier to think about him, even when he's being quiet?"
Fluttershy brought over one of the strips, almost getting her wings and hooves stuck to it with a little squeak. With some effort she pressed it firmly against his face, sealing the goopy wax to his skin. "I'm glad you're asleep right now." She did not envy anypony the sensation of so much fur being ripped free at once. "On the count of three... One... Two..."
The strip wrenched free without her pulling, glowing with Twilight's magic as it pulled away far more quickly than Fluttershy likely would have managed. Attached to it was a mess of fur and needles, leaving half of his face looking oddly naked and exposed. Fluttershy lifted an ear as she leaned in close. "Oh dear..."
She coiled on herself and pulled out the same tweezers the prince had tried to use before. "The needles, there are still some here." She settled over him and began plucking at each tiny little needle, working each slowly and carefully free of his abused flesh.
Pinkie clopped her hooves with each one tossed aside. "You can do it! You're the best, Fluttershy!"
"I don't think this is the right time for cheering...." Twilight kept up her notes, her tongue extending a little. "Who is she, right..." She had to remind herself what was going on, but she could do that easily enough. "It's not normally so quick while the matter is still at hoof, as it were."
Fluttershy spat out her tweezers and leaned in close, looking over his poor face slowly. "I... don't... see anymore... Twilight? Can you check for me?"
"I can try, but I feel I can't assure anything."
"Tea's here!" Spike came in with a tray of teacups, three for the three mares. None for the prince. "Things calm down up here?"
Twilight lifted her cup with her magic. "Ah, good timing, Spike. I could use a little drink."
Fluttershy put a foreleg over her face. "Pinkie, do you have a magnifying glass?"
Pinkie had one in a jiff and was soon inspecting the prince, not forgetting what she was doing as she peered and stared. "Ah ha! Pass those tweezers." Fluttershy quickly hoofed them over and pinkie's mane took it, snipping and pulling. "Just a few tiny ones, but I'm guessing we don't want even one."
"Right, yes." Fluttershy let out a sigh of breath, looking relieved. "Thank you."
The prince groaned and all eyes turned to him.
"Oh, right! I can help!" squeaked Twilight, remembering what she had forgotten a few moments ago.
"Mmm?" The prince began to slowly sit up. "My face is on fire..." Despite describing such a horrible thing, he wasn't screaming, and he moved a hoof to touch the affected area with slow purposefulness instead of blind panic. "What happened?"
Pinkie hugged him suddenly. "I'm so sorry! I surprised you and bam, face full of a bad plant that poked you and then so much... screaming."
"It was awful," agreed Fluttershy. "She helped us treat you though." Pinkie mouthed a quiet thank you. "You're missing some fur, but I think you'll be alright. How do you feel?"
The prince slowly stood up, shaking a little. "I feel like I forgot a week... Is it still the same day? We were in the Everfree... getting stuff... Then... that hurt. That hurt so much..." He crashed back to his haunches. "But there was a pony there, a friend. I kept hoping she would help me..."
Fluttershy's cheeks warmed. "I did what I could. You're better now. Your face may... probably sting for some time, but..."
"It's better..." He let out a slow breath. "So much better... Thank you."
Twilight reached out a wing to poke at the prince. "Pardon me, but I must know, do you consider Fluttershy a friend?"
He blinked at that emptily a moment. "Huh? Yeah..."
"And now she remembers you." She gestured at Fluttershy with a confident smile. "You let her in. This is under your control."
"This is... my fault?" The prince sagged against a hoof. "I'm just being a stupid moron and causing trouble?"
"No! No... You're only being, uh... stupid... if you don't see the good news." Fluttershy smiled timidly, unable to quite meet the prince's eyes. "We've found a hole in your shell. If you trust me, I'd like to bring you out of it, as quickly as you're ready, and not a moment faster than that."
Spike lifted his shoulders. "I only brought three cups. Be right back."