Jumping Blind

Chapter 4: Hymns, Cookies, And An Awkward Meeting

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I woke up to the sound of tapping. As if there was someone rapping at my chamber door. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in a darkened library. The memories came flooding back to my sleep-deprived brain, Spike stuck in the city of eternal night, getting him home, finding ourselves in this library and finally, passing out from overusing my abilities. The sound repeated itself and I scanned the room, trying to find the source.

My eyes slipped into night vision, what passed for retinas in my eyes changing their composition to meet the environment. I will never need those goggles again. I noted the six sleeping forms of the ponies from the night before sprawled randomly on the floor, each covered in blankets and resting on a pillow. I couldn’t see Spike anywhere. The noise repeated again, my new ears twitching and turning towards the disturbance. I followed them, and finally figured out the source. The front door. Someone was knocking at the front door. I facepalmed… hooved and let out a small yelp as the hard surface impacted my face. Yep, I’m still an idiot.

I gingerly rose to my hooves, every muscle and joint screaming in protest the entire way, before carefully picking my way over through the minefield of girls. I cleared the group and opened the door to find a tiny yellow pony. She appeared to be female, judging by her curved muzzle and the bow in her red hair… mane. She peered up at me in confusion.

“Erm… Excuse me mister, is mah sister in there?” Her voice had a heavy southern drawl, similar to Applejack’s. I guess that’d be her sister then.

I silently moved to the side and gestured for her to come in. She complied and immediately rushed over to her sister, laying down against the larger mare and nuzzling her gently. I smiled at the adorable scene. This is one of the few times I was happy that my heart had been augmented and replaced, I would probably have had a heart attack from the sheer amount of cute. The tiny pony, apparently a fairly young one, let out a happy sigh. “Thanks mister, ah’ve been lookin’ for her for hours.” She dragged the last word out childishly to accentuate her point. “She didn’t say she’d be stayin’ here tonight. I was worried somthin’ got her.”

I simply nodded and painfully made my way through the girls again to get back to my spot. She squirmed around for a few minutes before stopping and letting out an exasperated breath. My voice broke the silence, the low baritone carrying over to her. “Can’t sleep?”

She crawled over her sister to get to my side before moving back against her and replying, “Yeah, Big Mac or AJ sing a song to make me go to sleep but they didn’t tonight.”

“Hmm…” I mulled over what she said for a few moments, my hoof stroking my chin. “Do you want to hear a song? I sang it to my sister when she was little.”

She looked at me quizzically before nodding slowly. “Sure mister.”

        I smiled at her. “Ok, but don’t make fun of my singing voice, I know I’m not very good.”

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come

'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far

And grace will lead me home

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

In a believer's ear

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds

And drives away his fear

Must Jesus bear the cross alone

And all the world go free?

No, there's a cross for ev'ryone

And there's a cross for me”

The final few notes echoed in the library’s silence. I looked over to see the little pony slipping in and out of consciousness. Her high pitched voice taking on a dreamy quality. “Mister? What’s that song?”

I smiled again, old memories replaying in my head. “It’s a very old song from where I’m from. It was very important to my family, my grandparents loved it and it was my dad’s favorite hymn. Both of my parents were religious." My smile faded and my eyes burned as my thoughts drifted further, my voice quieted. “I played it on a few different instruments at my grandparents’ funerals.”

She nodded absently, not quite catching the last part. “Where’s yer family? Why aren’t yall with them?”

The burning sensation increased but my voice remained steady. “A long time ago I was taken from them.”

Her eyes opened again, sadness evident in the large orbs. “That’s so sad. Do you think you’ll ever find them?”

I bowed my head and shook it sadly, tears escaping and dripping to the floor. My reply came broken between silent sobs, “No, I'll never see any of them again.”

        She got up and moved close to me, leaning gently against my side. “Ah’m sorry mister. That’s terrible. Ah don’t know what ah’d do without my family.” She sadly sunk to the floor.

        I laid a wing over her comfortingly, still wrestling with my emotions. After I recovered enough to be able to speak, “Cherish them while they’re still here. One day they might not be.” She laid her head down. “Get some sleep little one, tomorrow's going to be busy."

The library returned to silence, broken only by the sounds of sleepy breathing and the occasional soft snore. I looked down at the filly, she had slipped into unconsciousness in seconds. I chuckled to myself and started to settle in for what remained of the night with a smile, when a soft voice broke the silence again.

“Why do you laugh?”

I looked up again to find Pinkie sitting and staring at me seriously. Her hair was less crazed, hanging down rather than spring out into the air, but the insane curls remained. How did I not notice her before? She was completely out a minute ago, right?

“You’ve seen horrors that no one should have to. You’ve willingly been through even worse. You’ve had things done to you that by all means would have broken anypony else. But you’re still here. And laughing. Why?” She had gotten up and paced towards me, accenting the final question by shoving her face into mine. The serious expression didn’t seem right on her usually joyous face, but it stayed obviously waiting for an answer.

I got up, using my wings to lift the sleeping filly onto my back before covering her with them, then moved slowly to the kitchen. Pinkie followed closely. I searched the cupboards until I found a glass, then filled it at the sink and drank in slowly. Pinkie watched me closely the entire time. I set the cup down and faced her. “How do you know that?”

She rolled her eyes before meeting mine, sympathy emanated from the baby blues. “Your scars. And your eyes.”

I looked down quickly. I had ditched my trench coat back in the library and in the light of the kitchen I could see that she was right, my scars were showing. The scales on my chest and stomach showed healed cracks and cuts, including a circle just under my ribcage from the run in with Jack, that were several shades lighter than the rest of the scales. The old Y-shaped scar and several other cuts from my original incident were the lightest. “Honestly? Laughing makes those around me feel better. No reason that my pain should affect anyone but me.”

She tried to catch my eyes again, but I kept looking away. “I’m the element of laughter, I know what you mean. Most of the elements are fairly straight-forward, but laughter can be anything. It can uplift, but it can also be twisted to worsen another’s pain. All I can get from you is the first kind though.” She looked around before glancing at the plate of cookies still on the table. Her hair sprang up with a cartoonish twang. “Would you like a cookie? I made them for you because youlookedlikeyouwouldlikecookies.” She started speaking so quickly and animatedly that it took me a few moments to decipher what her words had blended into.

“Um… Sure? I don’t actually need to eat or drink anymore though.” Her gasp in response to that information would put Kirby to shame. I picked up a cookie anyway and nibbled on it. It was delicious. I ravenously devoured the rest of it, it never stood a chance. “I haven’t had anything like that in years.” I looked back up from the remains of the treat to find Pinkie with a smile that had no business fitting on her face. Something about that smile made me very nervous.

My fears were confirmed when she sprung at me, pinning my on my back. Pinkie started shoveling cookies into my mouth with no regard for my respiratory system as I tried to get out from under her. The entire time she kept me pinned to the floor, screaming something about how nopony should ever have to wait that long for baked goods. I managed to get the resting filly to the side, still bundled in my wing, before my back impacted the wooden floor. Said filly slept through the entire debacle.

Luckily I was saved from a cookie related asphyxiation by a light blue aura that surrounded Pinkie before lifting her up and leaving her dangling a few feet in the air. She squirmed and fought it, still trying to force feed me the entire time. I gathered myself again, wheezing and coughing, and rose to my hooves, only to be greeted with an unhappy looking Rarity and Applejack. I backed up slowly, crumbs and bits of cookie falling off of me, until I was pressed against the wall. This could end very badly.

“What are you two doing in here? I was having a marvelous dream before being so rudely interrupted. Oh, Prince Blueblood…” Rarity petered off, looking wistful.

Applejack just stared at Rarity before shaking her head and glaring at Pinkie and I. “What in tarnation were yall up to in here?”

A small voice came out of my left wing along with a squirming filly. “It wasn’t his fault sis. Pinkie was just bein' herself.” I gently unfurled my wing and set down the young pony.

I examined her, making sure she hadn’t been hurt in the collision, before brushing a few loose feathers and scales off of her from her makeshift bed. “Really? You slept through me getting tackled and choked, but woke up to you sister’s slightly raised voice?”

She looked up at me and nodded like it was completely normal. “Yep.”

I sighed and turned to Applejack, Rarity was still in dreamland. “This one woke me up earlier looking for her sister, which from the accent I’m guessing is you. Miss Pie started asking questions, so I picked up the little one and came in here for a glass of water when Miss Pie gave me a cookie. Finally Miss Pie attacked me and started shoving cookies down my throat which is when you came in.” I turned to look at the still struggling Pinkie. “Did I miss anything?”

She stopped and thought about it. “Nope. I think that covers everything. But just call me Pinkie.” She immediately went back to struggling and trying to assault me with baked goods.

I just stared at her, “She’s weird, even by my standards.”

“She’s not weird, just… random.” A scratchy, tomboyish voice came from the library. Pinkie just giggled.

I let out a long breath. “Can we go back to bed now? I’m still exhausted.”

They all nodded and we made our way back to the library. We all had just settled down when someone started hammering on the front door.

“Again?!” I groaned from my corner.

Twilight was the first up and opened the door, still half asleep. She jumped slightly, visibly startled by what she saw. “H-h-hello P-p-princess Celestia” She stuttered out.

A tall, alabaster winged unicorn stepped through the door. “Hello my student. I felt a disturbance from here.” She looked over the girls with a smile. Until her gaze fell on me.

On the upside, I recognized her. On the downside, she didn't recognize me. I knew her as a Goddess of Good, specifically of the sun and day. I walked slowly up to her and bowed as low as I could before her. “Greetings madam. Can I get you something?” Always be polite to a being that can turn you inside out.

She took a different approach. I was lifted off of my hooves and brought before her. I froze and remained perfectly still as she carefully examined me. She flipped me upside down and examined the scales covering my chest and stomach. “You aren’t one of my little ponies. What are you?”

I looked up at her. “I honestly have no idea what my species is. Don't you know?”

She turned me back right side up and set me on my hooves. “You appear to be something new. Now let’s see where you came from little one.” A tingling feeling at the back of my head  began just as her horn lit up.

Processing.

Processing..

Processing…

NOPE. I jumped back, the sudden movement breaking her magic. Memory viewing spell, very useful, but not when the subject has been through what I have. No one should see what I have, not even gods. She stared blankly at me.

I glanced around awkwardly. The girls were staring between me and their Princess with expressions of confusion. Even Fluttershy was out from behind her friends with an expression of curiosity. “Sooo…. Did you just..?”

Celestia nodded her head “Yes.”

“Was it..?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“Just the beginning.”

I winced, that was the worst part. “How much of that did you see?”

She looked at me with pity in her eyes. “The first week.”

I shuddered at the memory and lowered my head. “That’s not even the worst part.”

Her expression changed to one of pure horror. “What happened to you?”

I looked up and met her eyes, my body trembling with barely contained rage.

“Torrentican.”