Grandpa Sugar's story time: Follow the Blind
*flipping of pages* Ah, welcome young'uns to a new story told by me. How nice of you to come listen to an old stallion's stories. Now come, sit down and have a drink. I have cider for those who want some. Now let's see, what kind of story will I tell you all today?
Ah yes, the story of Luminis Pessumire. Who knew that a pony with his disability would travel equestria in search of something special? For you see, poor young Luminis was born without pupils. Yet that didn't stop him from travelling all across Equestria, no sir it did not. Young Luminis started his travels in his hometown of Canterlot. He had heard about something special that might be able to help him get rid of his disability.
Yet on his travels, Luminis discovered that he not only had the talent for something, he also found a way to make peace with his disability. But that all will become clear when I tell the story. Ah, the coffee is done, let me just grab a cup and we'll get into the story right away. I'll light the fireplace so all of you can sit down in front of it to listen to this story.
Now, where to begin. Ah yes, a prologue would suffice.
It was a cold night in Canterlot, but a beautiful one. The stars shone brightly and the moon reflected enough light to illuminate all of Canterlot and beyond. The city was full of ponies who were out enjoying the night, mostly couples. Ponies went to danceclubs, or what you can call danceclubs in this day and age. I swear that the music was much better in my time, but I'm getting off track here.
Among all these ponies, there was one single pony who did the same thing he did every night. Luminis his name was, Luminis Pessumire. Literally meaning 'Eyes Destroyed'. For you see, poor little Luminis was blind since birth. But not just a blind pony, no sit, Luminis had no pupils of his own. This stopped light from entering his eyes. His eyes functioned perfectly, there was just no hole in them to let light through.
Luminis walked across the streets of Canterlot, making sure to avoid bumping into anypony else. Luminis had lived in Canterlot for a long time and knew the city by heart now. Every lamppost, every house, every wall and yes, even every pony in Canterlot was burned into his memory. This made it easy for him to travel between points within the confines of Canterlot. His hearing was as powerful as it always has been, to make up for his lack of sight.
He made his way towards the fountain with small steps, making sure to avoid anypony else. This didn't always work though, since a little filly bumped straight into him. The filly apologized and went on to play with her friends. Luminis could only smile, how wonderful it was to know that foals could have so much fun in a city full of adults.
He reached his destination quickly enough, sitting down at the foot of the fountain and taking a few sips from the perfectly clear water. He directed his gaze upwards next, towards the moon. Or, slightly to the left of the moon. "Oh dear moon" Luminis said, feeling a little melancholy "Maybe one day I can see you for real" he finished, blinking once to keep his eyes moisturized. He sighed, taking another sip of water from the fountain. Luminis couldn't get the idea of the moon out of his head for long though, because he knew what it looked like.
Now you might ask 'how could he know what the moon looked like?! He's blind!' and with any other blind pony you'd be right. However, about three years ago, Luminis ran into a unicorn with some very special abilities. This pony had the ability to share memories with other ponies through the use of her magic. Three years ago, that pony met up with Luminis.
Golden I think her name was... Yes, Golden Cascade. A studious pony with only two friends. One of whom was Luminis. They met at the same fountain Luminis was sitting at right now. Golden Cascade needed only to take a look at his eyes to know what was wrong. Feeling bad for Luminis, Golden Cascade asked if she was allowed to use her magic to give Luminis a gift. Luminis agreed to this, for he did like receiving gifts.
But the gift he received wasn't a gift, it was a curse in disguise. Golden Cascade shared with him the current sight of the moon in all it's magnificent glory. But why is it a curse you ask? Because Luminis now had a memory of what the moon looked like. He would never be able to see it with his own eyes, but he did know what it looked like now. It would've been better not to have that memory, for now Luminis knew what he was missing out on. This always made him sad, but not for long. Especially this night.
Because he heard the tell-tale clip clop of Golden Cascade's hooves on the stone. Luminis looked down from the left side of the moon and smiled towards the general direction of the pony in question. When she arrived at the fountain she kissed Luminis on the cheek, a standard greeting between the two. "Hey there Lumi" she said with as much excitement as a foal in a candystore. Luminis only smiled in return, not saying a word.
"I always find this a nice spot Lumi" she said, looking up at the moon "Can you believe it's been three years already since we met at this fountain?" she asked. Luminis shook his head and answered
"No, I didn't realize. But time flies" Golden Cascade fidgeted with her hooves a moment
"Uhm, Lumi? I think I have something you might want to hear about" she said, Luminis nodded for her to continue. "Well, there are rumors going around Equestria about something special. A kind of stone that can heal anything" she said, waiting for a response from Luminis.
"Anything? What do you mean by that?" Golden Cascade hesitated a moment, but did tell him anyway
"I mean it can heal anything Luminis, absolutely ANYTHING!" Luminis still didn't follow where Golden Cascade was headed with this. But then, it hit Luminis and he gasped.
"My blindness" he whispered, hope shining into those empty eyes of his.
Golden Cascade nodded furiously, which had no effect on Luminis whatsoever. So she repeated the gesture with an enthusiastic "YES!" to follow it. Luminis couldn't believe what his ears were hearing. But it was true, Golden Cascade wouldn't lie about something like this.
"Well?" Golden Cascade asked. Luminis thought about it for a moment. What to do? Stay in Canterlot and enjoy life as much as he could? Or go on an adventure to find this so-called healing stone? The answer, was simple.
"Pack your bags Cascade, we're going on a road trip"
