//-------------------------------------------------------// Blind -by GjallarFox- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Fly in Blind //-------------------------------------------------------// Fly in Blind Blind I was blind. I didn't see. No endless black, nor infinite white. Just nothingness. I could feel my eyes open and blink, but it was useless to try to blink my eyes awake. I read avidly, but that was because I had learned a certain spell from the Princess. I could only use it for half an hour before I exhausted my magic reserves, and even then I'd still be color blind. I used it on the rare occasion where there was a book I wanted to read that wasn't in Bridle. But even though I had that spell, I was still completely blind, so I learned to use my other senses to make up for it. When I met my friends, I took extreme care to memorize their distinctive voices, their identifying scents, but most of all, I learned what their hoofsteps felt like. I listened through the ground to each impact, judging the amount of weight behind each step, and how the ground carried that shockwave to me. I listened to and smelled my friends, but most importantly, I felt them. -- "Come on, Twilight," my small draconic companion insisted. "Just try." I glared at him with my sightless eyes before casting a doubtful expression in the general direction I felt another pony approach from. I mentally steeled myself, unsure of whether said pony was even a pony at all. Maybe he or she was a mule, or a donkey, or even a zebra. For all I knew I could be staring at a griffon that would kill and eat me as soon as he or she would greet me. "Uh... Hello?" The mare in question replied with a sudden extended gasp, the likes of which I had never thought possible. Her hooves left the ground, making me believe that she was a pegasus mare. But I soon crossed that theory off my metaphorical drawing board, as she galloped off, rather than flew. I cast a useless glance in the direction the pounding of her hooves was coming from, before turning back to Spike with another glare. "Well, that was interesting alright." A dejected sigh from my scaly companion was the perfect reward. We continued on down the road, with Spike navigating the unfamiliar territory by way of a map. I carefully weaved through the crowds of ponies, all of whom were moving their hooves in some fashion. Had they not been, I'd have rammed square into several ponies because I couldn't feel them through the ground. But I mostly just listened to Spike as he guided me towards our first destination. "...Sweet Apple Acres!" the mention of the place snapped me from my meditative thoughts. Within seconds, my ears were assaulted by a loud 'Yehaw!' and the feeling of thundering hooves rolling past. I tracked the feminine pony's heavy hoofsteps and shuddered when she skidded to a halt and slamming her rear hooves into a tree. The shockwave made its way through the ground and up my hooves, throwing a wild shiver up my spine. Either this was an incredibly strong mare, or a filly-voiced stallion. I sighed as I felt a hundred tiny thumps hit a hard surface between their origin point and the ground, making a muffled clatter in the earth. I near groaned, "Let's get this over with..." I donned my mask of courteousness, making myself at least appear as though I cared. I silently cleared my throat, and began formally, "Good afternoon! My name is Twilight Sparkle." Not a second after I finished, my front left hoof was plucked from the ground and shaken like an old fashioned well pump. "Well howdy do, miss Twilight!" the mare, I was sure the pony was a mare, answered, "Pleasure makin' yer acquaintance." She did not stop shaking my hoof. I felt my shoulders begin to heat up from the friction of the bones in the socket. "I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sher do like makin' new friends." I could feel her sickeningly friendly and impossibly genuine smile. I don't know how I felt it, but I did, and it very much upset me. But I kept my mask on as best I could, trying not to anger anypony that I'd have to hear around town again. I added a layer of professionalism to my mask, just to be safe. "Friends? Actually, I–" I tried to say, though my voice undulated from her still shaking my hoof. She let go, though my hoof continued shaking on its own because of that abnormally long and strong hoofshake. "So," she huffed. "What can I do ya for?" Spike took a moment to stop my hoof. I glared daggers at him as he snickered. "Well. I am, in fact, here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And, you're in charge of the food?" "We sher as sugar are! Wooja care ta sample some?" "As long as it doesn't take too long..." I was once again deafened by an incredibly loud sound. The familiar clanging of a triangle resounded through the area, followed closely thereafter by Applejack hollering, "Soup's on, ev'rypony!" A massive rumbling of hooves rapidly approached. Too many ponies to count were sprinting from various places around the orchard towards Applejack's call, and they seemed to be converging on me. By the time I knew what was going on, I was swept up by the crowd of unfamiliar ponies. "Now," the now semi-irksomely friendly pony called Applejack started, her voice coming from seemingly nowhere. "Why don't I introduce you to the Apple family?" - As we left Sweet Apple Acres, I felt at least twice as heavy as I had been when I arrived. But not only that, I felt even less hopeful that I'd get done with the preparations in time to research more on Nightmare Moon. I didn't like that Applejack pony. She had been far too friendly for me, and had wasted a large chunk of my precious time. I only hoped not everypony in this unfamiliar town was as cheeky and upbeat as her. "Food's all taken care of. Next is weather," Spike said, checking a box on the list. "Uuugghh... I ate too much pie..." "Hmm... There's supposed to be a pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds..." By the tone of his voice, there were clouds in the sky, and no pegasi clearing them. "Well," I huffed, "she's not doing a very good job, is she?" Something big and fast slammed into my side at incredible velocity, cracking a rib or two, possibly breaking one. All of the air in my lungs was forced from them, leaving me without breath enough to mutter any signal of pain. I landed in a puddle of mud that I had not known was there, with somepony on top of me. I wanted to scream at whoever it was, but I had a feeling that doing so would be a bad idea, so I held my tongue. She chuckled at me, apparently finding the crash humorous. "Eheheheh, um... 'Scuse me? Eheheheheh." The mare, I could tell she was a mare by the feel of her belly on my back, took flight again, unscathed. I felt powerful wingbeats on my back as I lay face down in the mud, cringing in pain. I very much wanted to scream at her now. "Let me help you." The sudden absence of her wingbeats sent a shiver down my spine as I stared uselessly upwards. I knew I couldn't see this pony, but I disliked her absence more than her presence. I was soon re-greeted by the now-familiar wingbeats, along with a sudden shift in the air-density directly above me. I looked up, dreading what I thought was going on. Cold. Icy, wet rain soaked into my muddied coat like a shower. Frigid tendrils of cold reached into me and gripped my bones. My mane flopped down and stuck to my neck. I glared at the pegasus mare with my sightless gaze, hoping that my expression seemed irked enough to make her at least try to salvage her first impression. "Oohoops, heheh... I guess I overdid it. Um... Uh... How 'bout this!" Dread filled me as her wingbeats above me disappeared once again. I felt the air around me begin to swirl at high velocity, pulling the water from my coat. "My very own, patented, Rainblow Dry!" The wind stopped. "No, no. Don't thank me. You're quite welcome." I felt my mane expand in what must have been the single most ridiculous poof anyone had ever seen. I glared daggers at the laughing mare that had now assaulted, drenched, and humiliated me, praying that a bolt of lightning would smite one of us dead. At that point, either would work. "Let me guess," I began, adopting my formal tone. "You're Rainbow Dash." She shot to her hooves instantaneously, throwing my guffawing draconic companion a few meters away. "The one and only!" she bragged. I could feel the weight of her ego already. "Why? Ya' heard of me?" Perfect, thought I, I get to burst her bubble. "I heard you're supposed to be keeping the sky clear," I hinted sarcastically. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the princess sent me to check on the weather." "Yeah, yeah, that'll be a snap!" she countered lazily from somewhere above me. She was difficult to pinpoint, as there were no wingbeats to hear or feel. She was probably laying on a cloud that shouldn't exist. "I'll do it in a jiffy! Just as soon as I finish practicing!" "Practicing? For what?" "The Wonderbolts!" she gushed enthusiastically. "They're gonna perform at the celebration tomorrow! And I'm gonna show 'em my stuff!" "The Wonderbolts?" "Yup." "The most talented fliers in all of Equestria?" I continued, laying my trap. "That's them!" "Pfffft. They'd never accept a pegasus who can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day!" "Hey!" she growled, voice cracking. "I could clear the sky in ten seconds flat!" I smirked. She fell right into my trap. You've activated my trap card, I mentally joked. "Prove it." Soft dull poofs filled the air, from various directions almost consecutively. I could feel the soft explosions of clouds being kicked out of existence, one after another, and the harsh gusts of wind as the pegasus pony jet straight past us. I tracked her movements with my ears, keeping tabs on each puff of dissipating cloud. As I counted, the puffs slowed down ever so slightly, finishing on the precise count of ten with the soft clop of her hooves on the cobblestone bridge a few meters away. I felt my jaw drop. "Wha'd I tell ya? Ten seconds flat," she boasted, her ego growing just a little more. "I'd never leave Ponyville hangin'!" I could not respond. I was far too busy wondering how the hay she did it. "You should see the look on your face!" she taunted, shooting me unknowingly with an invisible arrow. "Ha! You're a laugh, Twilight Sparkle! I can't wait to hang out some more!" I felt myself deadpan. I'd met another pony that wanted to be friends. I did not like that. Not one bit. - "Decorations!" Spike listed off. "Um... No offense, Twilight..." "No," I huffed, dislodging him from my back. "I understand. It's something that requires sight. I get it." I sighed in relief, having gotten out of meeting another pony that would probably just try to make friends with me the instant I told them my name. "Where should I go?" "Last item is music," he informed. "There should be a bird orchestra in the park. You should go check it out." "Music, huh? Right up my alley." - Birdsong filled my ears. Glorious birdsong fanfare, perfect in synchronization and pitch, save for one bird. My heightened hearing made it bluntly apparent that it was significantly off rhythm and pitch. However, I heard a very soft voice whisper something to the bird, and soon, everything was fine and dandy. I sat in the bushes, simply listening to the amazing music that the pony I could hear but not see conducted from them. Either the pony was standing dead still, or was a pegasus with extremely soft wingbeats. I stepped out of the bush. I don't know why I was so cautious with my steps, nor why I walked so slowly. I just listened to the music and followed it. It was only when I got within a few feet of the pony that I started feeling wingbeats on the ground. I took two more steps forward and wound up directly beneath the pony that I could barely feel the presence of. Whoever this pegasus was, she was note-worthy. I felt her wingbeats slow as she lowered herself to the ground, slowly inching towards me. I silently gasped and sidestepped just in time for her to touch the ground so lightly that it felt like the twinkle of a star would appear as described by the princess when she read to me. I felt myself staring at her with wonder and awe. I silently cursed my lack of sight. I accidentally let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding just a little bit too loudly. She gasped suddenly at my presence, and immediately backpedaled a little bit before falling back on her haunches. I felt her begin shivering a little bit. "Oh! I'm so sorry for sneaking up on you," I quickly apologized. The last thing I wanted was to scare anypony. She stopped shivering, but I couldn't discern any other movements. I decided to introduce myself, "I'm Twilight Sparkle. And you are?" She hesitated a bit before softly answering, "I'm Fluttershy..." She almost trailed off too softly for me to hear. I thanked my luck for my heightened hearing. "I was sent from Canterlot to check on the music preparations for the celebration tomorrow," I informed softly, sitting down. "I wasn't expecting something so beautiful!" She scraped a hoof along the ground bashfully, the rough scraping of tiny rock bits rubbing against each other and her hoof resonating enough for me to know her precise location relative to me. I shifted my gaze slightly away from her. She muttered a very low 'thank you' that I was sure I wouldn't have heard had I had my sight. "It's very nice to meet you, Fluttershy," I giggled, unsure of why she was so nervous. "And again, your music was incredible! I can't wait to hear what you do for the festival!" There was a moment of awkward silence. "You're blind, aren't you?" she blurted from nowhere. I flinched a little, surprised by the suddenness of the question. "You're the first to notice," I sighed after a moment. "What gave it away?" "Well," she started, "your eyes pointed just a tiny bit too far to your left, and Mister Oreal just flew right past you and you didn't notice." "Well observed, Twinklehooves," I commended, throwing a smile in her general direction. "...Twinklehooves?" she mumbled, most likely looking at me funny. "Your hoofsteps, especially your landing from flight," I said, "was so light I almost didn't feel them and I was inches from you." "Oh..." "I'm sorry I have to leave in such a rush," I informed softly, "but I have to get to the library to study." I stood up and shook the dust from my haunches. "I'm a bit new in town... Maybe you could show me around?" "U-um... Sure." I awkwardly scraped the ground with a hoof. "Could you... maybe... Show me to the library...?" She giggled warmly, and stood up. She walked towards me and flicked my nose with her tail. "Just follow me," she bubbled. - I stepped into the library proper. Everything seemed still about the place. I smelled semi-stale air, mixed with the scent of fresh cupcakes follo– Cupcakes? "SURPRISE!" the cacophony of a few dozen voices in sloppy unison hit my ears. I near jumped out of my skin in shock. My voice caught in my throat before I could scream. How so many ponies had stood still enough for me to not notice them baffled me. I felt my eye twitch. "Surprise!" a particularly loud mare hollered over the starting party. "I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you!" I felt her bounce in place with overwhelming excitement. I silently wondered what kind of medicines she was or was not taking. "Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh?" She bounced over me like a rubber ball that could control its own movements. "Huh? Huh?" "Very surprised!" I breathed heavily, my heart still pounding in my chest. I deadpanned for effect, "Libraries are supposed to be quiet." "That's just silly!" she exclaimed, her joy starting to kill my good mood from meeting the one pony that didn't instantly try to befriend me. "What kind of welcome-party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh! Booooring! Ya see-" I started walking away, trying desperately to not bump into ponies, which was much harder because of the multiple interferences from other ponies' voices and hoofsteps. "I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all, 'Hello' and I was all 'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHNNHHHHH!!!' remember?" I started tuning out her rapid babble, my expression shifting to one of severe annoyance. I sighed heavily, wishing that someone would distract her for me and save my hide. But I had no such good luck. On the contrary; I ran straight into the drink table that I had no idea was there. The table fell forward, the glassware on top flying off and shattering on the hardwood floor. I fell back on my rump fairly hard, but not too hard. I felt the blazing stares of everypony nearby as they looked upon the commotion. "Y'all alright, sugarcube?" the familiar southern accent of Applejack asked, her roughed up hoof placing itself on my shoulder. I promptly threw it off in frustration. "I'm fine. I don't need help," I hissed, fuming a little bit. "How'd you not see that there?" the raspy, unstable voice of Rainbow Dash interrogated. I instantly shot a death glare her way. "Alright! Alright! Jeez! It's not like I'm callin' ya blind!" My death glare intensified and I felt the strange but tempting urge to pull the pegasus down and tear out her feathers. "I am blind, featherbrain," I growled sharply. I picked myself up and ignored the stares of unfamiliar ponies. I walked around the fallen table and broken glass and the puddle of various party drinks, fuming mad. I felt ponies move when they saw me coming, and I thought them wise. "W-wait, darling!" a new, very feminine, voice called out as I finally reached the stairs that led to the living quarters. "We're all just trying to be frien–" "Friends?" I snapped, earning the full attention of every single pony in the library. "Yeah. I'm not here to make friends! I'm here on business, and to investigate the prophecy of Nightmare Moon's return! I don't have time for friends! I don't need friends! I don't want friends! I want to be LEFT ALONE!" I fumed, feeling cold icy hatred boil its way up into my words. "All of you overly-friendly ponies are driving me insane! Inviting me to a family reunion luncheon?!" I glared Applejack's way. "Assaulting me!" I seethed with rage and shifted my death glare towards Rainbow Dash. "Throwing parties in a library!" The knives I shot through my glare seemed to pop the bouncing pony, making her weight suddenly much more tangible in the floor. "AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUHHHHHH!!!!!!!" I turned and started up the stairs, ignoring the confused whispers of unfamiliar ponies. "I... I think we should leave her alone..." Fluttershy murmured in my defense. My scowl softened some as I realized that she was on my side. I continued up the stairs, a tear of depressed frustration leaking from my sightless eyes. Author's Note I deviated from canon at Fluttershy's introduction for plotline reasons. Hope y'all will understand. :3 If you couldn't tell, I don't like deviating from canon too much. Special thanks to my wonderful ferret prereaders Timaeus (https://www.fimfiction.net/user/Timaeus) and Laarsgaard (https://www.fimfiction.net/user/Laarsgaard). <3 DarqFox 7-14-13 @ 1208hrs PCT Edited syntax error. //-------------------------------------------------------// Show a Blind Mare Around //-------------------------------------------------------// Show a Blind Mare Around Show a Blind Mare Around I woke up at precisely dawn, though I never saw the 'rosy fingers' that books had described. It was more of an instinctual habit now, having been woken at dawn when Celestia woke to raise the sun. I'd always hear her slip on her gilded slippers and walk noisily across the well-polished marble flooring to her balcony that overlooked the wonderfully fragrant Royal Gardens. When her hoofsteps didn't echo in the large space of her chambers, I'd wake up and join her, though I could never appreciate the sight of dawn. But I always enjoyed the feeling of warmth the sun gave me. Always pleasant, like a warm fire and a blanket on Hearth's Warming, or a fresh-baked cookie. Waking at dawn had always been the key to keeping my sanity without my sight. It had been so long since I'd seen anything that I'd forgotten colors. One could tell me that the sky was blue, and I'd never remember the difference if someone else told me it was yellow. I shuffled to my hooves and got out of my bed. I walked over to the wall and hugged it, taking note of the smooth wood's texture. I walked carefully along the edge of my new room, counting the steps around, and tracking where my bed was with my head. When I got to the stairwell, I turned to face my bed, assuming I did the geometry correctly, and I stepped away from the wall. I reached my bed in eight steps. I walked back to the stairwell, hugging the outer wall of it. I counted each step, and calculated how far around in a circle I went as I descended the spiral staircase. It took me twenty-two stairs and two-hundred seventy degrees around to reach the library proper. The warm scent of fresh pancakes hit my nostrils, as did the sudden hissing of hay-bacon sizzling to life in a frying pan hit my ears. Somepony had just started cooking. I followed the left wall, as was my habit when exploring new buildings, going roughly ninety degrees around before I hit an opening in the wall from which the glorious scent of pancakes and bacon wafted. As much as I wanted to believe it was just Spike cooking, I knew he didn't know how to fry hay-bacon properly. I gingerly poked my head around the corner, hoping to get a better earful or nose-full of the intruding pony. An incredibly feminine voice hummed softly as the bacon fried and the pancakes cooked. It was almost familiar. "Rarity, right?" I asked around the corner. "Right you are, darling," the voice replied casually, as though it were perfectly normal for her to be there. I started to hear the sound of a knife on a cutting board, and a slight rumble of a dense fruit rolling after being split in two. There were more ponies in my library. "Alright. What gives? Who all is here?" I near growled, mildly exasperated that I couldn't even enjoy a private morning exploring my new home. "And more importantly, why are you here?" "Well, there's me cooking bacon and pancakes," Rarity answered, "Applejack slicing apples, Rainbow and Fluttershy setting up plates and silverware, and Pinkie cleaning the mess from the party the other day out in the common." I deadpanned. Great, I mentally cursed. Those ponies. Just who I wanted in my library at the crack of dawn. But the more I thought about my first encounters with each of them, the more horrible I felt for my harsh reaction, especially towards Fluttershy, who was among the group. I remembered Rainbow's innocent comment, and shuddered at myself. They had only been treating me exactly how I wanted them to: as though I weren't blind. They're probably here to apologize even though I'm the one who was wrong... "We're reeeeeeeeally sorry about the party," Pinkie's voice called from behind me somewhere in the middle of the common. "I had no idea you didn't want a party. Everypony I meet likes parties..." "Yeah, and I'm sorry about my mouth going off without my head," Rainbow's unstable voice added. "I had no idea you really were blind." "Actually... I should be the one apologizing..." I sighed. "My outburst... No... My explosion the other day was unacceptable. I had no grounds to say such things, and certainly not to you all. You were just treating me the same as anypony else. I'm sorry for lashing out like that. You didn't know." "I should have guessed..." Rainbow growled at herself. "It should have been obvious... The way you tracked me in the air... Only shifting your gaze from cloud to cloud..." "Rainbow," I interrupted. "It's fine. I didn't expect you to know. I try very hard to hide it." "U-um... Might I ask... Why do you not want ponies to know you're blind...?" Fluttershy interjected softly. "I mean... You don't have to answer..." "I don't like being treated differently," I answered. "Some ponies in Canterlot treated me differently when I lost my sight. They all pitied me. I hated it." "Makes enuff sense ta me," Applejack drawled. "I wouldn't want pity if I lost a leg." "Either way, you still haven't told me why you're all in my kitchen cooking breakfast," I grumbled, forcing the tangent full circle. "We wanted to apologize for making your first day in Ponyville as uncool as we did," Rainbow offered her point. "Especially me... I did crash into you..." "Apology accepted," I concluded. "It's totally fine." The sound of bacon sizzling soon stopped, and many flops of fresh cooked pancakes hitting ceramic plates filled the air. Everything smelled glorious. My mouth watered in anticipation, and my stomach growled in agreement. I felt the ponies in my kitchen stare at me before giggling profusely. I joined them out of embarrassment. Within minutes, we were all seated at the table, engaged in idle chatter about our daily lives, our likes and dislikes, and various stories of past escapades we'd done. I learned that Applejack had at one point run away from home to find herself in Manehatten, but soon returned because she didn't like the society there. I learned that Rainbow had signed up for the Best Young Fliers competition the day she met me. I learned that Rarity was a local fashion designer that had a few clients in Canterlot, but was hoping to eventually be based there. But I never heard much about Fluttershy. I'd heard that she and Dash had been in the same Flight School class, but not much else. It was curious to say the least. "So what are all of your cutie marks?" I asked casually, hoping no one brought up my blindness. There were only a few things I'd ask about ponies having anything to do with appearance. "Mine's a trinity of diamonds," Rarity answered just as casually. "Three apples," AJ replied simply, crunching on another apple. "The rainbow lightning bolt," Dash informed smoothly. "Three balloons!" Pinkie chirped, near bouncing out of her chair. "Three butterflies," Fluttershy answered softly. An awkward silence descended upon the room, cracking only when forks hit plates. I 'looked' around, trying and failing to judge the expressions on the faces of my... friends. As much as I didn't want friends, I had to admit these ponies were trying very hard to be my friend, and I kinda liked it. "Hey Twilight?" Rainbow broke the silence. "Mind if I ask ya something...?" "I'll allow this once," I sighed, already knowing where this was going. "Shoot." "Um... When... When did you... y'know... lose your sight?" she stammered a bit, anxious of my previous explosion. I felt one of her legs shaking under the table. When I met her, she was bold and cocky. I found it strange that she was so nervous, but I understood why she would be. I did explode at her for an innocent comment. I felt everyone hold their breath as they waited for my response. I mourned, drooping a little as the unpleasant memories of how I lost my sight filled my head, "I lost it when I earned my cutie mark..." Applejack, who happened to be sitting directly next to me, placed one of her rough and scratchy hooves on my shoulder. I didn't bother shaking it off this time. I felt everyone's heads lower in sympathy. Even though I didn't want the sympathy, it was only fair that I should tell them a few things about how I came to be blind. "I'm... sorry for asking..." Dash whispered. -- It was incredibly pleasant outside that morning. The sun's familiar warmth caressed my skin and coat, bringing me right back up from the depths of my bad memories. I felt the subtle seismic waves of hoofsteps and their familiar sounds on the compacted dirt streets of Ponyville. I smiled to myself, feeling the presence of Fluttershy next to me. As usual, her hoofsteps were extremely light and soft, making her almost impossible to keep track of. I liked that about her. "So, what kind of places do you want to find?" she asked in her gentle voice. "Well, I definitely want to know where the local coffee and teashops are," I mentioned. "Oh! I know the perfect teashop!" she half-squealed. I silently wondered what I'd done to excite her. But I had no time to do more than wonder, as she started moving. "Lead the way, Twinklehooves." I followed closely beside her, keeping track of her soft steps. "It's this nice little hole-in-the-wall place, but the only teashop you'll need to know." She nudged me a little with her wing before starting to turn towards me. I turned with her, now knowing her signal for a turn. I listened to the chatter of the town as I passed them by, some noticing me and lifting a hoof off the ground to wave as they called a friendly 'hello'. I simply smiled, listening to the town, learning its many voices. I heard a foal wail loudly halfway up the street on the right side. I heard a marketplace just a block or two over, bustling with merchants calling out their produce as the best around and customers haggling prices with them. Fluttershy stopped and tapped me with her wing again, turning sharply to the right. I followed, smelling the various blends of tea already. I smiled, having memorized the route to this teashop. She opened the door and held it as I walked in. I quietly thanked her before turning my attention back to the wall of scent inside the warm teashop. I heard a few ponies in a corner talking, probably a couple. I heard the familiar scratch of a quill on paper from another table. I heard the dull whistle of water boiling in a kettle behind a closed double-hinged door. I liked this place already. "Oh! Fluttershy! What brings you here so early!" an unfamiliar female voice called from where I assumed the counter was. "Oh, hey Rosemary. I'm showing my friend around town," Fluttershy replied brightly. "She's new to Ponyville. Thought I'd show her The Teapot." "Well, miss..." the mare identified as Rosemary hesitated. "Twilight," I answered. "Well, miss Twilight, I'm sure you'd love this place as we do," she continued. "Oh yes! Poetry night is tonight at six, if you'd like to join us." The poetry caught me off guard. A teashop with an organized poetry night was rare in Canterlot. Most ponies there were far too stuck up or business-oriented to care about liberal arts like literature. There were a few artists of various kinds like cellist Octavia Philharmonica and writer Redd Quill, but not many. I thought for one moment of coming back for the poetry, and instantly accepted, "Absolutely." I heard Fluttershy hum happily, "I'll be sharing this time!" I felt a smile creep onto my face when I heard her say that. I had a perfect opportunity to learn about Fluttershy. "Would you like to share anything, miss Twilight?" Rosemary asked me. "I'm afraid I don't have anything," I faltered. "Maybe next week." "Sounds good to me. Shall I get you your usual, Fluttershy?" Rosemary inquired. "Make it two," my pegasus guide replied warmly. I mentally prodded myself, Why did I get so excited at the idea of hearing Fluttershy's poetry? Certainly I wouldn't have gotten that excited if it were Rainbow Dash or Applejack. We sat down at a table, Fluttershy having made an order of whatever her 'usual' was for both of us. Now somewhat alone, I allowed my mind to wander off onto various tangents. She must be a regular here. It would make sense; a quiet, withdrawn mare coming out to an out-of-the-way teashop that probably receives as much business per week as the average Sunbucks does in one day. Maybe just for the comfortable atmosphere, maybe to see somepony special. Who knows. "So what other kinds of places do you want to know the locations of?" she inquired, rousing me from my thoughts. "Oh... Well, I heard the market on the way here, and I think I smelled a bakery," I listed off, trying to remember if there were any other important landmarks I needed to know. "Perhaps the park and your homes." "Okay," I felt her smile warmly. "That bakery you smelled was Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie lives there." A weighted tray was placed on our table, the steaming vapor of scalding hot water notifying me that it was meant for making tea. A pleasant scent made its way to me, making me feel a bit more relaxed. I'd tried a number of different tea blends, but had never even smelled this one in particular. Perhaps it was a Ponyville signature. I eagerly located the teabag responsible for the aroma and dunked it into the steaming water. "What kind of tea is this?" I asked, taking another whiff as the tea steeped. "I haven't smelled this blend before." "Try it first," she deflected. I took a sip of the tea and was greeted with a strong burst of lavender warmly embracing my mouth. Subtle pinches and pops of cinnamon and the slightest hints of lemon set in soon after the initial wave of flavor. I took another sip of the blend, enjoying its perfect balance of flavors, feeling myself melt a little bit. My shoulders loosened, lowering the drink by an inch. My back loosened and hunched slightly, bringing my face back down towards the tea. "What is this?" I wondered aloud. "What is this beautiful concoction?" "It's the Everfree Lavender blend," she giggled, taking another sip of her own tea. "My own personal blend." My expression of wonder shifted to one of disbelief, "You make this blend yourself?" She offered a soft hum of affirmation, taking another sip of the delightful beverage. -- She was an amazing guide. She showed me around town, helping me find points of interest like particularly good cafés and restaurants, bakeries, and the occasional strange landmark like the Quill and Sofa shop. She was able to work around my blindness, signaling turns with light nudges from her wing rather than calling them out loud. She had no idea how much I appreciated that aspect of her guidance. She was always gentle and considerate to my desire to keep my blindness on a need-to-know basis. She didn't talk too much, as I'm sure Pinkie would have should she have been my guide, but she did make interesting conversation. Apparently, she lived in a cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, just outside the Everfree Forest. She told humorous stories of the animals she cared for, including one of beating a grizzly bear in a wrestling match. For the first time in a long time, I felt myself smiling, all because of her. I quickly began thinking of her as the best friend I'd ever had. We returned to the library at roughly four o'clock, having spent the entire day combing the streets of Ponyville, learning of the various places. I smiled, feeling the already familiar coolness of the library. I stepped forward just a little ways before I remembered to hug the wall. I was still learning the layout of the place, as I was for Ponyville. I estimated I'd need another week of guidance around town before I could feel comfortable and confident going out on my own. I felt Fluttershy nudge me with her wing once again, as though telling me that she'd guide me safely through the unknown center of the room. I tentatively stepped away from the wall, sticking close to my gentle pegasus friend. Slowly and carefully, she guided me through the common, tapping things with her hoof when we got close so I could hear where the solid objects were. When we made it the whole way through to the staircase, I'd found that the main common of the library had a small wooden coffee table carved out of the tree the library used to be, two armchairs and a loveseat. "Thank you for showing me around today, Fluttershy," I said. "Oh, you're very welcome. Any time," she chirped softly. A grandfather clock chimed four, its loud bells echoing in the resonant wood. I yawned, "I'm pretty comfortable with the location of that teashop, but I'll need a bit more time to remember everything else." "Oh. I'd be happy to help you around until you're comfortable with Ponyville," she offered quickly. "I'd like that," I murmured. "Anyway, I'm going to take a quick nap. I'll see you at six for the poetry night?" "Sounds good," she replied happily. She gave me a quick hug before cantering off, her hoofsteps just as light as though she were walking normally. My mind soon flooded with thoughts, most of which began breaking down the hug and its possible meanings. To me it was a bit out of place. She was my friend, and friends hug each other sometimes, but I'd only known her for a bit over thirty-six hours at that point. I doubted that hugging a friend that soon after meeting them was not a common occurrence. But then again, I kinda liked it. It was, as I had expected, soft and gentle, though very quick. Not only that, but it was the first time I'd felt her fur and mane. Both were softer than the finest silk I'd felt in the palace. I didn't think much of it, but I had a subtle desire to feel it again. I reached my bed lost in thought, though physically exhausted. I kept replaying the short exchange and the hug that came of it, trying to figure out what made her hug me. Within seconds of plopping down on my bed, I took the surgical breakdown of that one moment to my dreams. Author's Note There will be no more direct episodes written as blind Twi. This story is not meant to follow the exact story of the show as blind Twilight. This is its own story. I only did that for the first chapter to explain how Twilight met her friends. So yeah. I skipped the whole Nightmare Moon conflict. Honestly, it's none too relevant to the story, but its aftermath is. It isn't important that the mane 6 went into the Everfree and learned a little bit about each other until afterwards when they actually start developing their friendships. So now you have a little bit more story on how/why Twilight is blind. Now, to all of you impatient numbies that kept saying shit like "You didn't explain enough!" or "It wasn't realistic! How'd she keep track of RD flying and miss a bird!" or even "Twi was a total jerk-face!" I say calm the hell down. I've only posted two chapters now. I'm taking things slow so I don't accidentally skip over things in a rush. I promise everything will be explained in due time. <3 DarqFox //-------------------------------------------------------// A Glimpse Through Blind Eyes/Poetry Night Confessions //-------------------------------------------------------// A Glimpse Through Blind Eyes/Poetry Night Confessions A Glimpse Through Blind Eyes I awoke at dawn, as I always did, the ray of sunshine poking my face with just enough warmth to rouse me. I opened my eyes to the same lack of sight I'd gotten used to. It was the same every morning. The same wretched condition for which there was no cure. The same handicap that defined my limits. The same eternal nightmare that enclosed me within its jaws, incarcerating me in the space I called Hell. It didn't upset me nearly as much as it used to, but it still disheartened me. I felt my light smile fall away, a more somber expression taking its place. I stood up, stretching out my legs before taking my thirty steps down to the common, and another twenty into the kitchen, where I was met with silence and the scent of freshly baked breakfast. A slight hint of cinnamon tickled my nose, drawing water from the wells in my mouth. I couldn't help but verbalize my approval of the scent. But then another smell hit my nose, no, two scents. One was mildly unpleasant, like fresh exercise-induced sweat, while the other bore the sweetness of various tea blends. I greeted the ponies that I'd grown to associate the scents with, "Good morning, Fluttershy. Good morning, Rainbow Dash." "Morning!" Rainbow chirped. Fluttershy offered a much softer greeting. Rainbow continued, "Thought I'd make it up to you for the whole first day incident... I swear I'll show you the best time around Ponyville you could have!" Her enthusiasm felt more vivid than the dreams I'd had just yesterday. But I remembered making plans to spend the day with Fluttershy again. "My idea of a good time is a rainy day by a fire with a book," I retorted, turning to face the more athletic pegasus. I trotted over to the table, sitting in my usual spot on the northern side. The warm smell of cinnamon filled my nose, drenching my mouth in preparation for an incredibly tasty breakfast. "Um... Forgive me for asking, but... How do you read?" Rainbow asked hesitantly. I could tell she was still nervous asking questions about my blindness. I inwardly winced, reassessing just how much damage I could have done with my previous explosion. Gingerly, I answered, "Bridle. I'll explain in a moment." As if on cue, my stomach made its presence known to the world with a seismic rumble that even the untrained hoof could feel through the ground. Breakfast was eaten in silence, the only sounds being the faint clink of silver-plated copper forks on ceramic plates, and the closely following sounds of chewing. Rainbow's hoof shook but didn't tap, and Fluttershy's wings twitched and readjusted. Afterwards, we walked out into the common and sat down on the small couch. "Spike! Bring down a dual-print and a Bridle copy of Daring Do!" I hollered towards the stairs. I heard his footsteps above me begin moving. When he finally came down, I thanked him for his help and sent him back to whatever it was he was doing before. I flipped the books open to the first page, where the story began. On the right, Bridle only. On the left, their letters were printed over the embossed dots that I read with. I ran my hoof over the familiar palpable dots, smiling lightly. Rainbow piped up, "Why's the one on the right blank?" "Touch the pages. Run your hoof along them like your eyes scroll across words," I said, doing so on the copy that they could read. I heard the light sound of both of them running their hooves over the pages. I listened closely to each tick of their hooves running over the dots I knew as letters. "Those dots are my letters. You're reading Bridle." "Huh? What's that?" Rainbow asked, probably without thinking. "Bridle is a written language for the blind that uses palpable dots impressed in the page rather than ink letters printed onto the page. Take a grid three tall by two wide, and that's the setup for the alphabet. The letter at the very bottom left corner of the page you're on is a 'D', which in Bridle is top row and middle-right," I ranted in response. I could feel the curiosity begin to permeate the room. The page turned, but I knew they couldn't read it. "This is insane," Rainbow whispered to herself. "A blind bookworm." Silence filled the room, becoming the solvent in a solution of two parts quiet and one part awe. I drank it in, enjoying the deafening silence. Every second of it was like a warm and comfortable nap in the Royal Gardens. All I felt was their presence. All I heard was the light ticks of their reading. To me, that was bliss. That was my comfort to my blindness. "Um... Twilight...?" Fluttershy whispered softly after a while. "Yes, Fluttershy?" I asked. "Could you... um... Teach me Bridle?" I pulled back a little bit in surprise. Never had I met anyone my age who knew or wanted to learn Bridle, much less learn from me. But here I was, sitting in a room with the sweetest mare I'd ever met, being asked if I'd teach her. My heart raced with my mind as I tried to find a response to her request. But just as I was about to answer, Rainbow piped up as well, "Count me in too." I felt my eyes widen as I stared at them. Disbelief quickly flooded my mind, followed by doubt in my ability to teach, immediately proceeded by anxiety and fear of my own track record of impatience. Internally, audio of situations of me losing my temper played like broken vinyl records. Hundreds of mental gramophones blasted my voice roaring in, and I say this with absolute hatred for the expression, blind rage, followed by Fluttershy crying. "I don't know... I'm not the most patient po–" "Pleeeeaase?" Fluttershy begged softly, no doubt putting on some endearing expression to guilt me into it. I hesitated, "Fine. I'll teach you." "Yay!" my gentle pegasus friend squealed. She bounced off the couch, fluttering softly in the air. I could feel the smile suffocating me with its girth. Even Rainbow was out-shined by Fluttershy's joy. But something felt a bit strange about Rainbow's excitement. Perhaps it was that I felt her hooves twiddling in her lap, or maybe it was that her head swiveled to track Fluttershy. I thought I heard their hooves brush once or twice when they read. I'm reading into this too much, I told myself. -- An hour passed, and Fluttershy had to leave to go take care of her animals, which I had yet to meet. Meanwhile, Rainbow decided to stay and read, which honestly confused me. But as soon as I gave her the dual-print copy of Daring Do, she took to it like flight. I listened to her entranced, steady breath and her hooves over each dot of Bridle. "When you read... Um... How do you see what the words show?" she asked from seemingly nowhere. It caught me off guard, but I recovered quickly, "If it has something to do with color, I ignore it, and find other details I know something by. Like if a book describes the dawn, I ignore the 'rosy fingers' part and recognize the warmth of the morning sun." "Makes sense. But what about things that can't be observed any other way? Like if you came across a description of a rainbow?" "Then I completely ignore it." An awkward silence enveloped the room. I could feel the tension in the room pressing firmly against me like a taut blanket. She twiddled her hooves in her lap, seemingly unsure of what to say. "Twi'..." she murmured, quieter than Fluttershy. "You any good at just... listening?" I turned to glare at her. I made a sarcastically huge smile and waved my hoof before my sightless eyes as an answer. "R-right... What I mean is... I kinda need to get something off my chest, but everyone else will try to give advice or something... Rarity loves to gossip too much, Pinkie is... Pinkie, and AJ's point of view would not be helpful." I waited in silence, making a quick motion for her to continue. "I've known Flutters for years... Hell, we sat next to each other for our entire flight-school. She's my best friend. But..." she continued, pausing with a sigh. "I'm not sure if her being my best friend is enough for me... I think I've fallen in love with her..." I stayed silent as she asked, containing the surprise I felt. "And the worst part is, I have no idea what to do with these feelings." To be honest, I was actually quite touched that Rainbow would confide such a personal secret in me. It made me feel warm, and though I did feel a slight twinge of guilt, I knew that I was not at fault. We both loved the same mare. That didn't make us enemies, but it did make our friendship slightly more awkward. "Look... I know that me telling you this isn't fair at all. I've seen how you two are around each other, and it's so cute that it makes me gag. I'm not saying I'm going to like my decision, but I feel like it's the better one. If you like her, she's yours," she sighed. With venom, she added, "But I swear on my dream of becoming a Wonderbolt that if you hurt her, I will not hesitate to hurt you. Don't make me regret letting you take the first shot." -- Thursday rolled around without further incident, everything having returned to normal after my talk with Dash. The sunlight was still warm, the sky still blue according to everypony else, and the grass was still soft. Ponies kept going about their lives as time marched on. I had adjusted and learned the streets of Ponyville much sooner than I had thought myself capable of, needing only a few distinct landmarks to navigate by. The noisy market just west of the center of town, The Teapot two hundred meters east of Sugarcube Corner, Sugar Cube Corner three-hundred meters north-by-northwest of my home, Carousel Boutique five-hundred meters south of my home, and Ponyville Park one-hundred meters east of Carousel Boutique. But there were other thoughts in my mind as I prepared myself for the evening at The Teapot. Second thoughts and doubts riddled my mind like a minefield with strong gusts of icy fear and self-depreciation blowing me every-which-way in my own head. Rainbow's venomous words still echoed in my head, even though she had backed down for me just the moment before. A soft knock on the door interrupted my mental tangent lines. I felt the light shockwaves in my hooves from my room, where I was pacing back and forth like the nervous wreck I was. I could have sworn I leapt out of surprise, having lost track of the tick-tocks of my wall clock. It surprised me that it was already time to head over to the teashop. As soon as I shook myself from my surprise and nerves, I turned and walked downstairs to meet Fluttershy. The gentle wooden clopping of my hooves on the wooden floor of the library calmed me some, keeping me semi-attatched to reality, where my fears weren't. "Ready?" she asked warmly, no doubt smiling brightly. I concentrated on the poems I had for the occasion, smiling as I remembered both. "Yeah," I replied, "I'm ready." As soon as the familiar warmth of her proximity hit me, we departed, taking to the streets with friendly chatter. On the way she told me about how Angel had been taking an interest in a girl-bunny that had been hanging around her cottage, and that she didn't have any poems to share this week around. I smiled, reassuring her that it was fine. Moments of relative silence gave me ample opportunities to just enjoy her presence, which I could feel less than an inch from me. As we crunched on against the dirt roads of Ponyville, I felt my heart racing in anticipation. I could feel every hoofstep of hers, which were strangely lighter than usual. We arrived in good time, stepping into the familiar atmosphere of The Teapot, where several poets had already taken seats and ordered drinks. Some softly whispered their poems to themselves to calm their nerves, while others sipped at their drinks. I felt the angelic pegasus mare beside me nod to the barista for tea. We sat down at a table on the left side of the room facing the stage. As the calm before the storm, all I had left to do was wait. But that was the hardest part. Beneath my coat I was covered in goosebumps. The lavender tea that the pegasus mare had ordered did nothing to calm me, but I sipped away at it as though maybe that sip would finally calm me some. My hooves twitched and my legs shook with last-second doubts. Basic hormonal responses to my distress built up like mountains, though there was no resolution to it, like a song that ended on a minor chord that left its audience silently humming the resolving chord that wasn't there. Each passing moment was like another pin stabbed into my flesh, tiny enough to not draw blood, but just enough to hurt like hell. Each breath of air came in frigid cold, frosting over my lungs, and left blazing hot, near scalding my throat. I hardly noticed how warm my face felt. It was only when I started to taste the iron in my blood that I noticed. Though I wasn't bleeding, I could taste every drop of blood in my face. From what I'd read in books, I'd have been red as a tomato. By the time I was called, I was a nervous wreck beneath my calm demeanor. I stood up, my legs feeling like melting lead beneath me, being both heavy and unstable. I walked almost shakily onstage. "I wrote this a few nights ago, after reliving a none-too-proud moment of my life. With that, I present Blind." I took a deep breath of cool air. "I am blind Unable to see But that hasn't stopped The world from showing me There is beauty in sound Such breathtaking wind I may not see at all But I know when you grin I can smell the world All the greens and blues And I can feel All of you I live in the dark A shadow over me and yet I know the world Without having to see." After the applause died down, I continued, "However, this is the one I truly wish to share. The pony it's about and for is here in among you, and she knows who she is. So here's Touch." "Feel my heart in your hooves. Feel it beat in steady rhythm. Learn its secrets by touch. As such, you'll learn more than you can with your eyes. Your sight lies to you, and make things appear to be that aren't. So come near and feel my heart. Touch it again, as you have before, but this time open the door you left closed. Explore the possibilities. Learn my heart by touch." The crowd of unseen ponies broke into thunderous applause, creating enough movement in the ground for me to 'see' everypony's exact location. I could feel a couple in the corner, the mare wiping a tear from her eye. But it wasn't what I could feel that almost made me break down. It was what I didn't. Fluttershy. I couldn't feel her presence anywhere in the room, no matter how hard I tried. The lack of the pony I had written my heart onto the page for was devastating. My heart sank like an iron brick, a depressing chill rushing up my spine. But then warmth followed. Familiar warmth from all directions enveloped me in a feathery soft embrace. My smile returned, realizing that she'd flown up to the stage, and was now hugging me very warmly. I wrapped my hooves around her, holding her as closely as I could, desiring only to never let go. And just when I thought I couldn't have been happier, I felt her unbelievably soft lips press against my cheek. Author's Note Long overdue. Sorry for the horrendous wait. :fluttercry: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/fluttercry.png P-please d-don't be mad... First poem was by Laarsgaard. Second was by me.