Sight

by Hot Dog Jones

I Can Still Cry

I’ve been called a lot of things in my life. Some good, some bad. Well, actually, most bad.. See, I’m different than most ponies. Not exactly in a bad way, either. I was simply judged on it. Judged on a simple fact, one that’s plagued me my whole life.

I am blind.

That’s the only thing wrong with me. I can speak, I can touch, I can hear, I can think- I just can’t see. I could’ve been a normal pony. I was just a normal pony- Yellow coat, tinted glasses covering my eyes, dark brown hair and tail, and a guitar cutie mark on my flank. I was normal like everypony else. Except… well, you get the picture.

If I were able to see, well.. Things would have been different. Everything would’ve been different, in fact.. Let me explain. My story isn’t long, don’t worry, but I’d still like you to hear it. I’d like somepony to understand.

So let me go back to when I was about sixteen. I was going through tenth grade of magic school, and my skills were honing for the better. But that didn’t help many things when I was working with other ponies..

***

The bell finally rung, and my History of Magic class had come to an end. Thank Celestia. I was about to fall asleep. I started to pack up my things, knowing I had placed my books around one o’ clock and my pencil on top of it at twelve. I sighed and put them in my saddlebag. It could get tedious, having to always know where everything was- Or rather, knowing where nothing was.

I trotted through the classroom and into the hall. Walking around surprisingly wasn’t as hard as keeping track of belongings. I could memorize my surroundings quickly after I had been in them a few times. There were only some times I had trouble, like when something got in the way.. Or when somepony got in the way.

“Hey, no-sight!” I heard a familiar voice yell.

I sighed and started unloading my locker. “What do you want, Tough Stuff? I thought you had already hit your bullying quota this week.” It was the school bully, Tough Stuff. He was a few grades higher than me and always picked on the younger kids in the academy. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a glare- It’s not like it mattered that much anyway if I couldn’t see him.

“Hey, did I say you could talk to me, pipsqueak?” he grunted. I ignored him, grabbing my instrument and starting to move to my next class. “Hey! Did you lose your hearing, too?” he yelled at me as I walked away. I neglected him still, making him even angrier. Suddenly, in his wrath, he ran up to me and pushed me over, making me fall against a group of lockers. My books flew everywhere, and I could hear the guitar on my back clang.

Tough Stuff laughed, looking over his handiwork. “Next time, don’t ignore me, eh, blindy?” I could hear his cold laugh echoing down the hall as he walked away. I gritted my teeth and got up. My cane had gotten lost in the fall, so I pawed around for it hopelessly.

After finally finding it, I was barely able to locate my books. After I did, I ran straight to my next class, knowing I was going to be late. Coincidentally, this was the one class I didn’t want to be late to. After History of Magic was the extracurricular portion of the day, starting with my favorite class- Guitar.

I had loved to play guitar ever since I had learned my first chords. It wasn’t a very common instrument in ponies, mostly because it was so hard to play, and so unusual to play. Earth ponies and pegasi found it very difficult to play because they could only use one hoof to create small tunes. However, it was something really intended for unicorns. Unicorns could use their magic to push down the strings, along with their hooves; so unicorns could play both chords and single notes.

That’s one thing that made me like being a unicorn. I could play this beautiful instrument, and on top of that, I could learn any magic I wanted just by reaching into a spellbook. Broadly speaking, I could do anything.

But there was no time to drift off now. I had to get to class. I stopped at the door to my room, read the braille plate just to be sure it was mine, and stepped inside. “Daylight, there you are! You’re twenty-five minutes late, where have you been?!” my teacher, Melody yelled.

“I’m so sorry, I just had a mishap in the hall, and my books flew all over, and it took me forever to find them because of my eyes, and.. Well, here I am.”

Melody shook her head and pulled out a notepad from her desk. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to write you up. Eyesight or not, I still have to take down your name if your over fifteen minutes tardy.”

“Can’t you make an exception? Please?” I pleaded. She wasn’t taking any of it though.

She handed me the small note and said, “I can’t do anything, Day.. Sorry, but you have to report to detention after school today. You know how strict Canterlot school regulations are. Room 302, 3 o’ clock.” I sighed and went to my seat. Today was going to be a long one.

***

I walked into the room, my guitar and saddlebags strung on my back. “Hello?” I called, checking if anypony was there.

“Come on in, Daylight. Melody said you’d be here. It’ll just be a short detention today, so go ahead and take your seat.”

“Is that..” I laughed to myself before continuing. “Twilight Sparkle, is that you? What are you doing in a detention class?”

It was Twilight Sparkle, the braniac that shared my Math and Figures class. She was a total whiz in magic, and was never a troublemaker. I had even heard people saying she studied right under the princess when she wasn’t in school. I know it was a rumor, but for Twilight, it could’ve been true.

“I’m the one who’ll be watching you for the next half hour. Opportunities for scholarships and whatnot. Now please take your seat.”

I chuckled and slid into one of the small desks. Those teachers would trust Twilight with anything. Seriously, I was being watched by a filly younger than me. Waiting silently, I couldn’t hear any noise but the shuffling of pages in Twilight’s book. I paused and said, “Hey, do you mind if I practice? I mean, I am in here for being late to guitar.”

“Sure, sure,” Twilight said, apparently not taking her attention off her book, “Just try not to interrupt my studies.”

I smiled at her star student attitude. This filly could totally work under the princess. I plopped down my case and searched for the buckles, undoing them one by one. Soon the case opened and I grabbed my guitar from it, putting it across my chest and positioning my hooves.

I decided I should play something simple, as not to disturb Twilight, but something beautiful and meaningful. I made my selection internally and began to play. It was a sad, somber song, but had a soothing melody. I began to sing softly.

I heard the rustling of pages stop, and then the clop of hooves. Twilight walked over to me, then stood. “Wow.. That was beautiful..” she said in awe. She paused briefly. “How did you do that?”

“I just use my magic to push down the strings. It’s not that hard, as long as you know what to play,” I explained, still grazing my hoof over the vinyl wires.

“But, but.. That was so fluent, and so perfect.. How long have you been playing?”

I thought back into my past, something I particularly didn’t like doing. “I got my first guitar when I was about ten, for my birthday. It was an extremely cheap one, and my father couldn’t afford to pay a teacher, so I had to learn on my own. But I didn’t mind,” I added, taking the guitar off my chest.

“Wow.. So seven years, then.”

I nodded. Wow was right. It didn’t seem like seven years, or at least to me. I had just been going through magic school, playing guitar, not having a care for anything else. I usually didn’t talk to other ponies. Everypony either made fun of my condition or avoided me because I was different. I never made friends- my only friend was my guitar. All because I was different.

“Uh.. Are you okay?”

I woke from my thoughts, noticing a tear going down my cheek. I quickly wiped it and nodded. It was a common misconception- Even though I was blind, I could still cry. And I cried a lot. “I’m alright.. Just.. thinking about my past.”

Twilight lost her normal cheery tone. “Oh.. What happened?”

“I-it’s nothing.. Don’t worry about it.”

Neither of us spoke for a while, an awkward sadness hanging in the air. Finally, she broke the silence by saying, “Listen.. If you ever want someone to talk to.. I work in the library every day, usually around six. Just head up to the front desk, and we can go get a coffee together or something. Alright?”

“You don’t have to pity me, you know,” I shot at her.

“No, no, it’s not out of pity! Just.. Please? None of the other students talk to you, but you.. Well, you seem really cool. Maybe you can teach me a bit of guitar or something. But please, just.. Don’t let yourself be alone.” With that final statement, she went back to her desk, and the page shuffling resumed.

I thought about what she had said. Don’t let yourself be alone. I knew that’s exactly what I had done. I had always sat in a corner with my guitar, never talking to anypony. I knew they would all just ridicule me. I lived in a constant fear of teasing and hate. I never thought to just.. let it go like that.

Another bell rung. “Oh, look at that,” Twilight said, “You’re free to go now, Day.”

I packed up my guitar, redoing all the buckles and swinging it across my back. I stepped to the door, but looked back at Twilight with a smile. “Thanks, Twi,” I said softly before stepping outside.

I walked home through the ambient sounds of Canterlot. Surprisingly, Canterlot had a lot of interesting sounds to offer. Street musicians in quartets or trios playing classical music, the sound of water rushing from a regal fountain, or the chiming of the town clock tower. It was a nice place to be, even for someone like me.

My home, however, was not a nice place to be. It was an old, small shack on the outskirts of the city. Here, there were no street musicians, regal fountains, and you couldn’t even hear the clock tower. It was just.. sad.

I unlocked the door, happy to be home after another long day of Canterlot Magic School. “Sis? You home?” I called throughout the house, my hooves causing the floorboards to creak. “Siiiiiis? You in here?” I stepped into the hallway of the small shack, catching no sound of my sister.

Of everything in Equestria, I cared for my sister, Turntable, the most. She was a light blue mare, same color as my mother, I was told. I never knew what light blue was, but just the sound was beautiful. I could tell my sister was beautiful too. Not just on the outside, though- She had a caring heart, and a voice that could lead a chorus of angels. She took care of me after Dad died, and soon it would be my turn to take care of her.

I could never let anything happen to her.

I put my hoof to my wrist, feeling my Braille watch. 4:22.. She should be home. Odd. I felt my way into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a can of Parasprite before heading up to my room.

I can only judge my room by what it feels like, and it always felt like a complete mess. It wasn’t like anypony really had to care, though. Celestia knows I didn’t. Anyway, I plopped down on my bed and turned on my phonograph. Ah, yes, of course, now I remember- I had been listening to a recorded book that was becoming a favorite of mine. “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.” I sat quietly and simply listened..

***

I felt my watch again after concluding the next chapter. 5:15. Big sis should be home by now, shouldn’t she? I turned off the phonograph and stepped into the hall, listening for any noise of my sister stirring through the house.

“Sis? Siiiiis?” I call through the empty shack.

As if on cue, I hear the front door open. “Daylight? I-I need you to come here. Quickly,” I heard her timid voice say.

I ran down the rickety stairs as fast as I could. “Turn, is something wrong?” I called to her.

“No, everything’s perfect,” she said in a bittersweet tone, “Just get down here.”

I finally reached the source of the calling. “What, what is it, Turn?”

“Day.. Mom’s home.”

“Daylight, it’s so good to see you,” the visitor pony said.

I fainted.

***

“Daylight? Daylight, honey, wake up!” she called to me. I sat up and rubbed my head, responding to the soft voice. “Here, sweetie, take your cane,” she said, handing me the wooden stub I carried with me every day.

I wouldn’t accept it. I couldn’t accept help from her. I knocked the cane out of her hoof, giving her the meanest look I could. “Why are you back? I thought you had caused enough trouble,” my voice snapped at her.

She stepped back in retaliation. “D-day, honey, aren’t you happy I’m here? I came back for-“

I got up and said, “You have no idea what went on when you left. We were fine with you, then you had to up and leave, didn’t you?!”

“Daylight, it’s not like that! I left you with your father, and I knew-“

“Dad is dead!” I yelled at her, stamping the ground in anger. I could feel tears starting to drip down my cheeks as I yelled at the woman who birthed me. “We had to live on our own. I had to beg with the guitar you gave me! Turntable couldn’t sing for a living, she had to work several jobs just to support us! And now you come back, acting like nothing ever happened?!” The tears were really coming now, and I could feel my voice weaken.

“It’s not like that, Day! She had a reason!” Turntable yelled, trying to calm me.

“Yeah? Well, I don’t want to hear it. Don’t you realize how this woman has affected our lives? If she wouldn’t have left, I..” I broke down into sobs. My mother came over and tried to comfort me. I pushed her away. “Don’t touch me,” I said, a threatening tone in my voice.

I grabbed my cane from the creaky floor. I stepped through the living room until I got to the door. “I need to think.” That was all I could mutter before running outside, slamming the door behind me.

I felt my Braille watch once again. 5:30.

I sighed. I knew where I had to go.