Chapter 3
Twilight walked back into the Mayor’s office, watching as Pinkie Pie finished her turn and ruffled Putt Putt’s mane. “Your pretty good at this Putt Putt!~ Almost as good as Dashie! Keep it up and you might be able to beat me too!”
“Thanks! Though I don’t really care about winning, just having fun!” Putt Putt exclaimed, earning a wide, beaming smile and nod from Pinkie. She turned her head though and said,
“I think Twilight has some things she has to ask you Putt, so I’m gonna go see if Fluttershy needs any help!”
“Alright, that’s fine. Can you give her a hug for me? I’d give her one, but if she’s busy with something I don’t want to be a bother.”
Pinkie giggled and exchanged a look with Twilight. Twilight got the distinct feeling Pinkie wanted to say something, but not with the colt present. So Twilight just gave her friend a nod, who proceeded to skip and bounce into the committee room with Fluttershy.
“Alright Putt Putt…” Twilight began, grabbing a scroll and quill from the Mayor’s desk. “It might be a bit before we can figure out how to help you get back to… Cartown. In the meantime, there are some questions I have to ask if that’s alright?”
She did her best to hide the discomfort at lying to the colt, but if they were going to get some answers, they needed to move away from what she was certain was the work of an overactive imagination… or something more.
Thankfully, Putt Putt didn’t seem to mind… or at least, she couldn’t tell if he did. The… smile of his never seemed to leave his face, not for long anyways.
“That’s alright. I’m in no hurry. Besides, I’m having a great time meeting new friends and seeing a whole new world!”
“That’s the spirit.” Twilight said, then wrote out the first question as she said “Now, since you’ve said you were a car before you woke up in the Everfree, these questions are really just a formality. Ready?” At Putt Putt’s nod, she began.
“How old are you?”
Putt Putt’s answer came quickly, though it surprised her a bit. Nine years old… yet he was a bit small for a colt his age. Jotting that down, she asked questions about where he lived, getting… the same answers revolving around Cartown. She went ahead and jotted those down though, before asking the big one.
“And what about your parents?”
That… made Putt Putt blink, his smile turning into a thin line for a moment. He looked… confused. That confusion only seemed to grow as he finally sat back on his haunches and said in a soft voice, “I… I don’t think I have any.”
Twilight turned her full attention to him at this point. Finally, as sad and terrible as it is to say that… this… this might give me some answers, she thought to herself as she asked “What do you mean? Everyone has parents right? You told Fluttershy you helped a… Baby Beep I believe? Get back to his Mama after getting lost in a theater.”
Putt Putt’s smile returned at that, but only for a moment. “Yeah! I did help Baby Beep… his Mama gave me the balloon I needed for the Cartown Parade!” His expression fell again as he said “But… I don’t remember having a Mama… or a Dad.”
Twilight watched as he looked down to the ground, trying to concentrate. Deciding to see if she could help a bit, she offered “Any family at all?”
She almost instantly regretted it, because the look of concentration started to take on one of pain… Putt Putt was starting to shake a bit as he shook his head… before being nuzzled by Pep. It took a moment, and a happy bark, but Putt Putt’s smile quickly returned… though it most assuredly did not make her feel any better. If anything, the smile was even MORE unnerving now…
“Nope, just Pep! I lived all by myself before then!”
“And how long ago did you get Pep?”
Putt Putt again took on a bit of a confused look, then said “Nine years ago!”
Twilight raised both eyebrows up at that. That… made no sense. “But that would mean you were… less than a year old when you got Pep.”
Putt Putt blinked at that, again getting a bit of a confused look. But this time it faded quickly. “Yeah, but I wasn’t a baby, I was a Car! I was a bit bigger than I am now… and have been that size all nine years!”
Recalling how Fluttershy had explained what a Car was, or at least what Putt Putt had been able to share, she asked “So you were made nine years ago… and lived by yourself. Do you remember anything about who made you?”
Again, a look of confusion, and again… a brief moment of mumbling to himself and confusion turning to pain. But the return of the smile was much faster as he said “It’s okay, I can figure it all out once I get back to Cartown!”
“Right…” Twilight said, making a note of how he responded to those questions… she was going to have some work to do back in the library. “Alright… that’s all the questions I had to ask… the only other thing we have to do is get you a check up and make sure your alright, then Fluttershy will be taking you back to her place while we try to figure out how we can help you out.”
Putt Putt nodded, the smile feeling a bit more normal to her now, even if there seemed to still be an unnerving edge to it.
“That sounds fine! I’ve never been to see a doctor before!”
Twilight’s quill snapped at that, but she just giggled and fetched another one as she tried to keep her mounting worry from showing.
Thankfully, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie chose that moment to return, with the former offering Putt Putt a smile as she came over and gave him a nuzzle.
“Everything’s taken care of for me to be your Guardian for a bit, i-if that’s okay with you.”
Putt Putt beamed at this, wrapping his hooves around Fluttershy for a hug. When he let go he said “It’s more than okay Fluttershy, it’s fantastic!”
Pinkie Pie and Twilight daawed a bit at the sight. “Well then, his next stop is Ponyville Hospital for a check up, then you two can head home and I can get started on some research at the library.”
“Alright, we’ll head there right away!” Fluttershy said, taking one of Putt Putt’s hooves in her own for a moment. “Stick close okay?”
Giving a vigorous nod worthy of Pinkie Pie, he replied with a “Yes ma’am!” before trotting on off after her. Only when he was gone did Twilight let out the breath she’d been holding.
“I think my worst fears about him are coming true Pinkie.”
“Perhaps. I’m at least glad we got to see a real smile on him.” This made Twilight quirk an eye up, and Pinkie gave her a somber grin “I’m the premier party pony Twilight, and the one that loves to make everypony and everyone smile. I can tell when someone is forcing a smile.”
Pinkie let out her own sigh, gazing at where Putt Putt and her had played checkers. “Most of his smiles have been forced… at least, somewhat. A few times he was genuinely smiling… but something made him smile way more than he needed to. It just made a lot of them be… well…”
“Unnerving?” Twilight offered.
“I was going to say creepy, but your word is better, and smarter too. Just like the smart pony who said it!” Pinkie replied, giving Twilight’s mane a ruffle which earned a bemused look from Twilight.
“Well, I just hope I can help out the little guy… especially after learning he doesn’t have… or doesn’t remember any parents.” She shook her head sadly at that as she made a copy of the answers for Mayor Mare, rolling the original up and keeping it near her head.
Pinkie gave a sad nod at that, saying “I saw the answers… but I’m not worried Twilight. You’re the smartest pony around, and he’s got Fluttershy taking care of him. And he’s got me to throw him a super funariffic Welcome to Ponyville party!”
That cheered Twilight up a bit… Pinkie Pie’s parties were always fantastic and always put smiles on everypony’s face. If anything could put a real smile on the colt’s face, it was one of her parties.
“Then I won’t hold you up. Looks like we both have a busy day ahead of us!”
“Yepparooni!” Pinkie declared, bouncing on out with an excited smile plastered across her face. Shaking her head in amusement, Twilight followed on after her. Once outside, she turned the other way and made for her library, a new quill and scroll already working on a list of books to dive into.
-*-
The visit to the hospital was… different for Putt Putt. No, it wasn’t really the examination… that had been kind of fun and new… he’d even giggled when they tested his reflexes. Nor had it been the weird tingliness from when that Unicorn doctor had used magic to check him more thoroughly after Fluttershy had a short talk with him.
No… it was a strange feeling of… familiarity. As if… as if he had been inside a hospital before. But that was just silly… Cars didn’t go to hospitals, they went to repair shops! So then… why did being in a hospital feel familiar?
Thankfully, he was given a clean bill of health, as was Pep though that was after Fluttershy checked him over instead as the doctors there didn’t take care of animals. Which confused Putt Putt for a moment before he just shrugged and followed Fluttershy out as the three of them made their way back to her cottage.
There, he played with Pep and gave him some lunch while eating a very tasty set of corn cakes with pureed mushrooms and buttered beets stuffed inside. He’d never had anything like that before, but it was delicious!
After that, Fluttershy showed Putt Putt to the guest room, which she said would be for him while he stayed here. He thanked her for it and then explored it curiously. It wasn’t much- a bed, a vanity atop some drawers, and a small bathroom attached to it with a shower. There was a chest, but opening it revealed that it was empty.
“It’s for your toys… if you end up being around long enough to get some.” Fluttershy said, wondering about his stories once again.
“Wowie zowie! Thank you Fluttershy!” he then pouted a bit, nearly catching Fluttershy off guard as he said “I wish I had my Smokey the Fire Engine lunchbox with me… I could put that in there.”
Fluttershy moved to place a hoof on his back, wanting to comfort him, but his big, wide, unnerving smile quickly returned. “That’s okay though! Maybe when I figure out a way back home, I can come and visit and leave things here!”
Fluttershy quickly but a smile of her own on as she said “That sounds wonderful Putt Putt.” She didn’t have it in her right now to tell him he might not be able to find a way home…
After all, on the way to her cottage Owlicious had stopped by to relay the answers to Twilight’s questions… and like Twilight, she was starting to think there was something more worrying about this colt’s head…
Putt Putt however was too busy telling Pep all the things from his garage he could keep in the chest, only stopping when Fluttershy let out a little cough. “Yes Fluttershy?”
“I have some chores around the house and yard to take care of… I have a few coloring books you could draw in if you like, or I could get some dog toys for Pep and you to play with.”
This time, Putt Putt’s smile didn’t leave her with that same weird feeling from before. “Those all sound like great ideas! I’d be happy to help out with the chores too if you want!”
Likewise, the smile on Fluttershy’s face now was much more sincere. “That’s very sweet of you Putt Putt, and you can in a bit. But you should take some time to play with Pep some first. I can tell he’s full of nervous energy right now.”
Putt Putt nodded, then with a giggle tapped a hoof lightly on Pep’s head as he said “Tag! Your it Pep!”
Pep let out an excited bark as he gave chase, with Fluttershy quickly dashing for the door to keep from being ran into… and admittedly, half worried the two would carry the game to the rest of the cottage. The guest room however was plenty big for the two, and so she let out a soft giggle as she said,
“I will be right back with some dog toys.”
Putt Putt only gave a nod, to busy laughing and grinning and now giving chase to Pep after Pep had managed to tag his nose. The pair kept this up for about five minutes before Putt Putt had to stop… feeling a bit tuckered out already.
Thankfully, Fluttershy arrived with a few dog toys, including a bright red and yellow ball which Pep was happy to play catch with as Putt Putt used his magic to grab and throw the ball at the opposite wall. He giggled as he watched Pep chase after it as it rebounded, especially when it went under the bed.
Pep eventually grew bored by this though, and since he was tired given the three or four yawns he let out, Putt Putt simply picked him up and gently set him on the bed before heading downstairs. He found Fluttershy tending to some mice, one of whom had an arm in a sling.
“Anything I can help with now?” Putt Putt asked as he gave the mice a smile. Most of them returned it but two of them seemed to shiver before racing off, making Putt Putt tilt his head a bit in confusion.
Fluttershy seemed a bit confused too, but quickly said “S-Some of the critters are a bit shy… they’ll get used to you.” This seemed to… cheer Putt Putt up a bit, and she asked “So you sure you want to help out?”
At Putt Putt’s eager nodding, Fluttershy smiled and lead him about the house and then the yard outside, telling him about the chores she had left. Some of them involved a bit more time and work, so she told Putt Putt she’d take care of those… but he was free to handle the simpler ones as long as he made sure to ask for help if he needed it…
… which, as it would turn out, he did need some help. The birds especially seemed to like flying away from him when he came over guide them to their basin for bathtime. He was only able to get the last few to cooperate by shouting “Honk!” at them, much to Fluttershy’s confusion.
The rest of the afternoon was spent helping Fluttershy prepare the meals for the critters and for themselves. Pep joined them at the table again after smelling the food and racing down. After dinner, it was bath time, and again he found himself needing a bit of instruction on what to do- the Car Wash in Cartown had all been automatic.
As Fluttershy was helping to dry him off, she smiled and asked “Would you like a bedtime story?”
For some reason… that made Putt Putt’s smile disappear… a distant, almost far away look took hold of him as his mind processed those words. Once again, just as at the hospital… there was something… familiar to such a query.
“Putt Putt? Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked, a look of worry returning to her face, even as he shook his head and smiled.
“I’m just fine, but thank you for asking Fluttershy! And yes, I’d love a bedtime story!”
Fluttershy wasn’t entirely convinced… especially when his smile grew wider again… but she just nodded and lead him to his bedroom, tucking him in first before going off to fetch a book. Pep climbed on up into the bed with him, Putt Putt giving him a few pets with his hooves and scratches with his magic while they waited.
It was only about a minute later when Fluttershy returned. “This book is called, The Little Chicken That Could!” She turned the main light off, then flicked on the lamp on the end table next to the bed. She smiled as she saw Putt Putt and Pep getting comfy and looking to her expectantly.
“There once was a little white chicken, who believed if he tried hard enough, that he could fly in the sky like his other bird friends.” Fluttershy began, smiling as she saw they were both giving her their full attention.
She spent the next few minutes reading through the little chicken’s many attempts to fly, ending the story with his successful, final attempt that let him fly in the sky with his friends. As she closed the book and looked back up, she saw that both Putt Putt and Pep were fast asleep, peaceful smiles on both their muzzles.
Letting out a soft giggle, Fluttershy reached up and gave them both a peck. “Good night Pep… good night Putt Putt. Sweet dreams.”
With that, she set the book on the stand, turned out the light, and left the room, closing the door as gently as she could.
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PushingUpRoses is really nice LPer.
It's quite a joy to know that other people remember stuff like Skunny: Save Our Pizzas.
New chapter within a day???
Anywho, I’m liking that I’m seeing Lore into the story which is pretty interesting idea of what the CarWorld Origins. I think humans are responsible but the games don’t really show that so in a way it’s a cool mystery.
Hopefully our little car will get home soon.
When reading it again I think the reason why these silly ponies aren’t helping is that they don’t believe his story. Which after Discord, Nightmare Moon, and having a Princess move a Sun, they don’t believe in other worlds or dimensions.
Really they ain’t going to try to look for Cartoon it seems
9318324, 9319097
As stated, I was bored at home on a night I called off on :P
As for anything else... well, I don't want to spoil anything, but I can suggest one makes a note of the tags for the story, and pay close attention to this chapter and the next one.
PuttShy ship... I like it
Oh brother.