Pinkie Pie was with Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie, they were seeing Igneous Rock Pie, Limestone Pie, and Maud Pie, who were in jail for beating up Svengallop. Igneous Rock Pie was serving the longest sentence because he gave Svengallop the most severe beating of the three, and he was the one who put Svengallop in the hospital,
"Hast thou all been alright?" Cloudy Quartz asked,
"Aye, I shall be out in two weeks." Igneous Rock Pie replied,
"Limestone and I will be out next week." Maud Pie said,
"Has the farm been alright, Marble?" Limestone Pie asked,
"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie replied while nodding,
"How bout thou, Pinkamena Diane Pie, hast everything been alright in Ponyville?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,
"Yes, I got a gift from a special friend of mine, a painting from Ross." Pinkie Pie replied, surprising her family,
"Hey, time is up." an male earth pony royal guard said,
"Well, we have to get going now, see you all next week." Maud Pie said,
"Alright, love thou." Cloudy Quartz said,
"Love thou, too." Igneous Rock Pie replied,
"We'll be taking our leave now, stay safe, ma, Pinkie, and Marble." Limestone Pie said with a smile on her face,
"You too, Limestone." Pinkie Pie said,
"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding and smiling, and they go their separate ways.
Pinkie Pie arrives at Sugarcube Corner and goes to her room and looks at the painting Ross gave her, it was a forest landscape filled with trees, mountains, hills, a waterfall, water, rocks, and a cabin, she sees a picture with it as well, it had three ponies, Ross was on the right, he was a painter who lost his sight, to the left was Beethooven, a music composer who lost his hearing, and in the center was Callas, a singer who lost her voice, the three were foalhood friends, Pinkie Pie sighs happily while she lays down in her bed, and remembers Ross while she looks at the ceiling.
Pinkie Pie was walking around in a town one day, she was in a town very close to her home, a male earth pony bumps into her on her left, his black sunglasses fell off,
"I am very sorry, are you alright?" the pony asked,
"Yes, I'm fine, here are your sunglasses." Pinkie Pie replied as she tried to hand them to him, but Pinkie Pie was surprised, the pony's eyes were completely white, he had a peach coat, his mane was a light brown afro, he had a beard, moustache, and sideburns, they were all connected, his tail was the same color, but it was straight, and his cutie mark was a palette with paint on it and a paintbrush with Van Dyke Brown on the paintbrush.
Pinkie Pie was surprised to see his face,
"Are you... blind?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yes, I lost my sight due to illness." the pony replied, he says afterwards "I'm Ross, I'm a painter."
"I'll walk you home." Pinkie Pie said as she put the sunglasses back on his eyes,
"Thank you, people like you always make me happy, I was being guided by the sound of my animal friends." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and she guided Ross home.
Ross felt the ground with his hooves and heard the sound of the animals, he used them to tell Pinkie Pie where to go, she arrives at his home and saw many paintings of nature and landscapes, many of them had mountains and trees in them, Pinkie Pie was in awe,
"Wow, your paintings are beautiful." Pinkie Pie said,
"Thank you, it is my hobby, and was my career, I like making happy little paintings." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"I represent laughter, it is my life's duty to spread laughter and joy throughout the land." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross chuckled,
"I am glad people like you exist, you and I are both dedicated to making this world a happier place." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"What is your name?" Ross asked,
"Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Oh, so you're Pinkie Pie." Ross said while smiling,
"You know me?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I am one of Beethooven's best friends." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was very surprised, Beethooven was her most recent special friend, she thought about it and realized the two needed each other because one was deaf while the other was blind,
"Actually, Pinkie Pie, I do need your help right now." Ross said,
"Yes, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Since I have lost my sight, I cannot paint happy little trees and almighty mountains anymore, I want you to watch me paint and tell me how I'm doing." Ross replied,
"Sure, anything for somepony who wants to spread happiness and joy like me." Pinkie Pie said,
"Thank you, hope we can paint together one day." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, she decided to look around.
Pinkie Pie sees Ross' supplies and paints, she was very surprised,
"So, what do you use to make your paintings, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"The brushes I use are very large two and a half inch and one inch natural bristle brushes, a liner brush for signing, a firm palette knife, odorless paint thinner, and for some paintings, I put contact paper on the canvas. I paint using a wet-on-wet technique, depending on the painting, I will cover the painting in an even coating of either Magic White, Liquid White, Liquid Clear, or Black Gesso. I only use eight colors for painting, the paints are oil based and firm, they are Titanium White, Phthalo Green, Prussian Blue, Van Dyke Brown, Alizarin Crimson, Sap Green, Cad Yellow, and Permanent Red." Ross replied,
"Really? Because I'm seeing other colors besides those eight in your paintings." Pinkie Pie said,
"Those are the basics, sometimes, I use Phthalo Blue, Indian Yellow, and Cad Red in my paintings, and on some occasions, Yellow Ochre, and Midnight Black." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie looked around and a saw a painting with nothing but shades of grey on it,
"What's with the grey painting?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Oh, that one, early in my career, a fan of mine was upset and said he couldn't paint because he was colorblind, and can only see in grey tones, I made that painting to show him and everybody else that anyone can paint." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie could not help but smile, very happy about the reason why he created it,
"Say, Ross, why did you take up painting for?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I've painted ever since I was a foal, and then in my adult life, I joined the royal guard, I became a drill instructor, and I always had to yell, I didn't like it, so once when I got out, I made a vow to get a job where I will never have to yell, and I remembered my love for painting, that's why I became a painter." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"I do feel like doing a painting right now, I believe every day's a good day when you paint." Ross said,
"I think so, too, let's make a picture." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ross begins to paint.
Ross painted while Pinkie Pie watched and guided his front right hoof,
"We're going to start by covering the canvas in a nice, thin, even coating of Magic White." Ross said, and he painted horizontally and vertically with the two and a half inch brush, he felt the canvas with his front left hoof,
"There." Ross said, he says "Let's put in a nice little sky, we're going to go into some Prussian Blue, and we're going to do some little criss-cross strokes." and he paints while Pinkie Pie guides his hoof, she was excited to see what happens,
"The painting's covered, Ross." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay, now we blend it together, just do some nice, gentle, horizontal strokes." Ross said, and he does, the sky was blended in, much to Pinkie Pie's surprise,
"Okay, let's go ahead and clean the brush." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie puts it in the odorless paint thinner, they wash it, and Ross then hits it several times on a black part under the easel, and then hits horizontally on one of the easel's legs, Ross chuckles,
"And beat the devil out of it." Ross said while chuckling, he says "You know, Pinkie Pie, beating the brush is my favorite part of painting a picture." Pinkie Pie laughed,
"Okay, tell you what, let's make some fluffy little clouds, we're going to use the one inch brush next, and go into some Titanium White, and move it around in circles." Ross said, and he does while Pinkie Pie watches with excitement,
"How many clouds are you doing, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Let's do five." Ross replied, and they do,
"Okay, Ross, there's five clouds in the painting." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay, now very gently, move circular at the bottom of the clouds to blend it, and then fluff it by moving the brush upwards at the top of the clouds." Ross said, and he does, making the clouds blend into the painting and looked realistic, much to Pinkie Pie's impressment,
"Wow!" Pinkie Pie said,
"You know, Pinkie Pie, back when I was a traditional painter, clouds would drive me crazy, and it would take me weeks to make one painting, so I developed my own methods." Ross said,
"Alright, let's start by making an almighty mountain in the background." Ross said, and he takes the palette knife and goes into Van Dyke Brown,
"We start out with a basic mountain shape, and we cut it in, make sure your canvas is very strong, we are literally cutting the paint into the picture." Ross said, and he makes a basic mountain shape in the background,
"Ross, why are you making the mountain dark for?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"It is to give the illusion of distance, when you paint, you always paint the background first, and you work your way front, as you get closer to the foreground, your painting has to get brighter and more detailed, it also makes highlighting it much easier, and make sure you follow the angle of the mountain." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was already interested in painting,
"Okay, now if you want to put mist in the painting, move your brush downwards at the bottom of the mountain to spread it out, the mist is your best friend when creating distance." Ross said, and he does, Pinkie Pie was impressed again,
"What's next, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly, which made Ross chuckle,
"Take the palette knife and get a roll of Titanium White on it, make sure it's a little." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie guides his hoof, she saw very little paint on the palette knife,
"How much is on the knife, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,
"A little bit." Pinkie Pie replied,
"That's good, let go up here and put some snow on the mountain, make sure the palette knife is just barely touching the canvas, so once when you go down, the paint will break and give the illusion of snow on the mountain, this is a very common mistake for beginners." Ross said, and he makes the snow appear on the right side of the mountains, the paint broke itself in some parts,
"Alright, let's put some shadow in this picture, so let's take the Titanium White, and mix it with a little Prussian Blue." Ross said, and he does, making a light blue color, he moves the knife on the other side of the mountain, making it dark in several areas, much to Pinkie Pie's surprise,
"Okay, let's take the two and a half inch brush, let's grab it and make an almighty hill, we're going into the Sap Green, and make a basic shape, and then afterwards, spread the paint down to create mist." Ross said, and he paints a hill shape to the left,
"Maybe there's some trees living back here, we create those by doing upward strokes on the top of the hill." Ross said, and he makes small trees with no details on them,
"Okay, let's put another hill in front of it, let's go back into the Sap Green, and put some paint thinner on it, that's a golden rule when you paint like this, thin on thick, not the other way around, or you will become a mud mixer." Ross said, and he paints another hill with trees on it,
"Remember, Pinkie Pie, as you get closer to the front, make sure your picture gets lighter, another thing is while it's easy to make a color darker, it's a son of a gun to make it lighter." Ross said,
"Got it." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ross continues painting while Pinkie Pie guides his hoof, they finish the hill,
"Okay, let's add another hill, I'm going to go into the Cad Yellow, and mix it with the Sap Green, I want the color to be near the yellow." Ross said, and he mixes while Pinkie Pie helps him,
"Ooh, that's a really nice color." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckles, and he paints the next hill,
"There, let's wash the brush." Ross said, and he washes and beats it, and then chuckles,
"Let's say there's a tree living here, we're going to take the almighty palette knife and go into the Van Dyke Brown, and very gently, put a mighty tree here." Ross said, and he makes a big tree appear on it, much to Pinkie Pie's impressment,
"Okay, let's go ahead and clean the knife, and go into the Titanium White with paint thinner, and put some highlights on it." Ross said, and he puts the white paint on the palette knife after putting paint thinner on it, and Ross paints the right side of the tree white,
"There, let's put some leaves on it, let's go back to the one inch brush and into the Sap Green." Ross said, and he puts leaves on the trees by just pressing the brush on the easel,
"See how it just comes out just like that, Pinkie? It's in the brush, you just have to force it out, you just have to give it a little touch and a little push." Ross said,
"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Okay, let's wash the little brush again." Ross said, and he washes and beats it while chuckling,
"Alright, let's put some highlights on this almighty tree, we're going go back into the yellow-green and put it on the leaves." Ross said, and he does,
"Be careful here, Pinkie Pie, make sure you don't kill off all of your shadows, you can't have light without shadow." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie guided his hoof to put highlights on the tree,
"Now we will clean the brush." Ross said, and he cleans and beats it,
"And just beat the devil out of it." Ross said while chuckling,
"Alright, remember, this is your world, you're the creator, so you can add whatever you want, and you have to make almighty decisions sometimes." Ross said, Pinkie Pie chuckled,
"Let's put some bushes here with the one inch brush, on the right side of the painting." Ross said, and he paints them with the yellow-green color,
"There, and if you want to add depth to your painting, take the palette knife, and cut into the canvas some sticks and twigs." Ross said, and he does, Pinkie Pie was in awe,
"Okay, let's go back to the left and put another happy little tree." Ross said, and he took the two and a half inch brush and painted another tree by using Van Dyke Brown, he cleaned and beat the brush again,
"Alright, remember where your light source is, it will determine where your highlights are." Ross said, and he paints Titanium White on the right side of the tree with the palette knife, Ross chuckles,
"What's so funny, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Don't want this side to get jealous of that side." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"Okay, let's clean the brush." Ross said, and he cleaned and beat the brush,
"Okay, let's put some water in this picture, we're going to go into the Prussian Blue and do some horizontal strokes, remember to leave a white spot so it looks like the sun is reflecting in it." Ross said, and he makes the water,
"Okay, let's put some reflections of the trees and bushes in the water, we use the same shapes and colors and reverse it, and then very gently, move the brush straight down all over the water, and then do very gentle horizontal strokes, be careful when you do this part, it is very easy to mess up." Ross said, and he makes the water have reflections in it, Pinkie Pie was extremely impressed,
"Wow! That's amazing!" Pinkie Pie said,
"Now, we'll take the liner brush, go into some Titanium White, and put some ripples in the water, now this is calm water, so the ripples will be straight." Ross said, and he put a few in the pictures,
"There." Ross said as he wiped the paint off of the liner brush,
"Alright, let's add some rocks into the water, we're going to go into the Van Dyke Brown, put some paint thinner on it, and we're going to use the almighty palette knife." Ross said, and he paints the rocks into the water,
"Don't forget to put the highlights on it, we're going to clean the knife, and go into some Titanium White, don't forget the paint thinner, that's the golden rule, thin over thick." Ross said, and he puts the highlights on top of the rocks,
"There, let's clean the knife, and let's say there's someone living here, so we're going to use the almighty palette knife again, and cut a basic shape of a cabin into the painting." Ross said, and he does on the left side of the painting,
"Okay, now, go back into the Van Dyke Brown, and paint over the cut with the knife." Ross said, and he makes the cabin shape,
"Okay, maybe this cabin is a bit old, so let's add some aged boards on it, we're going to the Alizarin Crimson, and mix it with the Van Dyke Brown, we only need very little." Ross said, and he mixes it,
"It's mixed, Ross." Pinkie Pie said, and Ross adds boards onto the cabin, he also put the mixed color on the top part of the roof,
"There, let's now clean the knife, and add some windows and a door to this." Ross said, and he added two square windows and a rectangular door by just moving the palette knife to his left,
"Remember, this is your world, you can use any color you want." Ross said,
"Door and windows are done, Ross." Pinkie Pie said,
"There, and I think we've got ourselves a finished painting, so we're going to sign it, we're going to take the liner brush, and go into some Permanent Red, and roll it around until it's a nice, sharp tip, I just use red personally, but you can use any color you like." Ross said, and he rolls it around in the Permanent Red while Pinkie Pie holds his hoof to guide it,
"Ooh, looks like a pencil tip." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckles,
"Okay, I want to sign my painting at the lower-left side, Pinkie Pie." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie guides his hoof and he signs it,
"There, and we have a finished painting, and if you have your own supplies, Pinkie Pie, you can paint your own pictures, but until then, happy painting, Celestia bless." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and Ross stood up.
Ross walked around while holding his front right hoof out since he could not see, Pinkie Pie grabbed it to guide him,
"I wanna paint!" Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckled,
"That's great to hear, I believe every single one of us wanted to paint a picture at sometime in our lives." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, she looks and sees many pictures of Ross, he saw Ross had auburn eyes, and wore glasses early in his career, and had a gold medallion around his neck, and his afro changed sizes over the years, she also saw a picture of him with a mare,
"Who is the mare?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"That is my wife, I lost her a few years ago, I received hundreds and hundreds of gift cards from my fans, expressing their sympathy and support, I have thanked them all from the bottom of my heart, for sharing my grief, and making my wife a special pony in their lives, too." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"I can't wait, I wanna paint now!" Pinkie Pie said while jumping up and down,
"I still got a few things to teach you, Pinkie Pie, let's get the filbert brush." Ross replied, and she did. Ross got out another canvas and he covered it in a thin, even coating of Magic White, and felt the canvas with his left front hoof,
"Okay, Pinkie Pie, take the filbert brush, and we're going to go into some Sap Green, and we're going to make some happy little trees." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie held the brush in her front right hoof,
"Alright, start by having a small tip at the top, and then work your way down, painting wider and wider as you go down." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie tries, but she makes the top of the tree round rather than pointed, Pinkie Pie groaned in disappointment,
"What's the matter, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,
"I just made a mistake." Pinkie Pie replied in a sad tone, Ross smiles and tries to touch her left shoulder, but he ended up touching the back of her mane,
"Pinkie Pie, we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled widely at the response,
"You need to learn to use that happy accident to your advantage, and create a fantastic little painting, when you do, you will experience the joy of painting." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie tried to make another tree with the filbert brush again, she messed up at the top again, Pinkie Pie began to growl,
"Whoa, Pinkie Pie, take the brush and clean it, and just beat the devil out of it." Ross said, and she dips the brush into the odorless paint thinner, wipes the bristles, and hits it several times to dry the brush, Pinkie Pie felt calmer already,
"See, Pinkie Pie, it's a better way to take out your frustrations, much better than breaking things or kicking the dog around." Ross said, the last part made Pinkie Pie uncomfortable.
Pinkie Pie tries again and messed up again, Pinkie Pie groaned,
"I can't do it!" Pinkie Pie said,
"Now, now, Pinkie Pie, believe that you can do it, cause you can do it, all you have to do is practice." Ross replied calmly, Pinkie Pie tries again and was improving already,
"I got it!" Pinkie Pie said happily, and she moves the brush more to make the tree triangular shape,
"Finished!" Pinkie Pie said very happily, Ross smiled,
"Remember, Pinkie Pie, if you want to paint, no tracing, you start out by believing here." Ross replied while having his front right hoof on his head, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"I'm starting to get tired, I'm going to get some sleep." Ross said, and he tried to walk around, but Pinkie Pie guided him to his bed, she closed the door and she slept on the floor, surrounded by Ross' many paintings.
Pinkie Pie was sleeping in the middle of the night and a heavy storm came, loud thunder was heard and Pinkie Pie screamed as she jumped off of the floor, Ross opened his bedroom's door,
"You okay, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,
"No, the thunder woke me up, now I can't sleep." Pinkie Pie replied, they hear rain falling and Pinkie Pie groaned,
"Now I really can't sleep." Pinkie Pie said, Ross smiled,
"To me, rain is Celestia cleaning the world, it cleanses whatever filth is on the ground." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and chuckled,
"If you want to, Pinkie Pie, you can continue painting." Ross said,
"But I can't paint very well." Pinkie Pie replied,
"You can almost paint with anything, not just paint, and remember, Pinkie Pie, it's your world, you're the creator, find freedom on the canvas." Ross said,
"I'll try again tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Okay, I've got animals to feed tomorrow morning, we have to do that first." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and the two tried to sleep.
Pinkie Pie and Ross stayed up all night and Ross went out with different types of food, Pinkie Pie guided him and he set food out for the squirrels and birds to eat, Pinkie Pie realized that Ross lived in the middle of the woods, away from society,
"Pinkie Pie, are you ready to try painting again?" Ross asked,
"Yes, I am." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two enter. Pinkie Pie had another easel and paint,
"Now, Pinkie Pie, remember, no tracing or copying, you start with a vision in your heart, and you put it on the canvas." Ross said,
"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and she thinks about what to paint. Pinkie Pie had a vision and she immediately began painting, Ross can hear her moving extremely fast, he heard the painting, the palate knife, Pinkie Pie cleaning the brush, and so on. Pinkie Pie finished and was happy,
"Finished!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and happily,
"Pinkie Pie, remember, I'm blind, I can't see your painting." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie groaned sadly, she painted a picture of nature replaced with candy, the mountains were made out of white whipped cream, the clouds were pink bubble gum, the sky was red powder candy, the trees were candy corns, the cabin was a chocolate bar, the rocks were rock candy, and the water was red fruit punch.
Ross walks around a bit and tries to find his painting supplies,
"Uh, Ross, you're almost out of paint." Pinkie Pie said,
"I need you to go up to the store and buy me some more paint. Now, Pinkie Pie, remember this, this is very important, the paint has to be very firm, so when you check the paint, make sure you squeeze it, and the paint has to stand three quarters of an inch out of the tube on its own, if it's oily and runs down the side, we cannot use it." Ross replied,
"Oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie said,
"Wait, Pinkie Pie, how much Magic White do I have?" Ross asked, Pinkie Pie checked,
"Not much." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Okay, I need some of that too, and remember, it's an oil based paint, make sure not to get it confused with gesso, gesso is a water based paint." Ross said,
"Okay, I'm on my way now." Pinkie Pie said, and she left with her saddlebag.
Pinkie Pie walks into town and goes to the store, the ponies wave at her and she waved back happily. Pinkie Pie walked into the store and looks around,
"What were the eight colors Ross used again? Titanium White, Sap Green, Cad Yellow, Prussian Blue... eh, I'll remember the rest when I see the colors." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she found the paint tubes, she remembered what Ross said and squeezed the tubes with her front hooves, some of the paint was runny and got on her front hooves. Pinkie Pie tried to wipe the paint off but it only got on her hooves even more, Pinkie Pie looked around and saw no paper towels, she looks at her saddlebag and groaned sadly. Pinkie Pie took her saddlebag off and wiped her hooves on it to get the paint off. Pinkie Pie frowned when she looked at her paint covered saddlebag, but she put it back on and looked for more paint.
Pinkie Pie continues going through the art section and squeezed every tube of paint she found, she found the thick oil paints she was looking for,
"Oh, that's what the other four were, Van Dyke Brown, Phthalo Green, Alizarin Crimson, and Permanent Red." Pinkie Pie said to herself when she saw the paint bottles, she squeezes the bottle and they all stood about three quarters of an inch above the tube, Pinkie Pie stopped squeezing to let the paint go in, she put the painting tubes in her saddlebag and continued shopping,
"Okay, I need to find some Magic White." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she looks around. She keeps looking and sees a can of Magic White, but to Pinkie Pie's surprise, it had Ross' face on it, and he was smiling, she decided to take it and saw she had enough money to buy more things, so she decides to buy some candy and party materials. She goes to the cashier, who was a male earth pony,
"Oh, are you a fan of Ross, too?" the cashier asked happily,
"Yes, he taught me how to paint." Pinkie Pie replied, the cashier smiled,
"I sure wish there were more ponies like him around, he taught us to look at the world differently, he started painting because he wanted to share his vision with us." the cashier said, Pinkie Pie was surprised,
"Shame he didn't like his mane, though." the cashier said,
"Wait, he doesn't like his manestyle?" Pinkie Pie asked, the cashier shook his head,
"Not at all." the cashier replied, Pinkie Pie was shocked, but she focused and bought and paid for the painting and party supplies,
"Have a good day." the cashier said,
"Thank you, you too." Pinkie Pie replied and she hopped back to Ross' home.
Pinkie Pie opens the door and enters,
"Ross, I'm back!" Pinkie Pie said,
"Tell me, Pinkie Pie, what do you think of my new painting?" Ross asked, and he showed it to her, and much to Pinkie Pie's shock, it was nothing but a big blotch of multiple colors,
"It's... a mess." Pinkie Pie replied nervously,
"I see, I haven't improved at all." Ross said a bit sadly,
"What's wrong, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"In my free time, I've been painting on my own to see if I can still paint pictures, I wanted to spread love and joy through my paintings, but now that I've gotten an illness that has taken away my sights, I can't paint pictures to make people happy anymore." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit sad,
"Well, I have dedicated my life to spreading laughter and joy, too, but I'm not a painter, I'm a party planner, and I've got my party cannon with me." Pinkie Pie said,
"Pinkie Pie, please don't fire it, my hearing is enhanced due to my lack of sight, a party cannon will greatly hurt my ears." Ross replied,
"Well, I do have candy to offer, too." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckled,
"Thank you, I'd like to try some." Ross replied, and the two share the candy together,
"You're a great pony, Pinkie Pie, anypony to have you as a friend is lucky." Ross said,
"I'm friends with everypony I meet." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross chuckled,
"Do you have a job?" Ross asked,
"I just said it, I'm a party planner, birthday parties are my specialty." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross smiled,
"Remember, Pinkie Pie, not everything that is joyous and happy is loud, there's joy and happiness in quietness, too." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"Tell you what, I'd like to practice walking around, I want to see if I can go from place to place without bumping into anything." Ross said,
"Okay, and I'm here to help till the end." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, you have already brightened my day." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled, and the two head out.
Ross tried walking around without Pinkie Pie's help so he could get around without anypony or anyone guiding him,
"Ross, I was wondering, why haven't you got a dog?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Because I have many animal friends, if I spend all my time with a dog, the others will get jealous." Ross replied, and he walks around slowly, he was able to determine some of the places around his home because the ground felt different in a few parts, and Ross remembered it. Pinkie Pie watches Ross worriedly while he practices walking around by himself, he also listened to other noises to determine where he was at,
"Phew, I'm tired, but it's just like painting and you throwing parties, Pinkie Pie, I believe I can do it, cause I can do it, all I have to do is practice." Ross said,
"Speaking of practice, I wanna paint more all of a sudden." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross chuckled,
"Sure, let's teach you a bit." Ross replied, and they go in the house.
Pinkie Pie sat again and was ready to paint, the paintbrush she uses does something she did not want to do, Pinkie Pie got a little irritated and tried to change the brush around, Ross heard Pinkie Pie getting rough with the painting,
"Relax, Pinkie Pie, let it flow, don't fight it, just go with the brush, and a lot of amazing things will happen." Ross said,
"But I don't like how it's looking." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Keep on painting, Pinkie Pie, think like water, and like a mist on the mountain, just let the brush do the work, all you have to do is give it a little touch and a little push, it's in the brush, you have to force it out, and the good thing with this form of painting is that you can add layer after layer after layer." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie presses the brush harder, more colors came out of the brush,
"Hey, you're right, it's working!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and happily,
"See, Pinkie Pie, you can do it, cause you can." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and painted a bit more,
"Ross, I'm out of ideas." Pinkie Pie said,
"What was your original vision in your heart?" Ross asked,
"I didn't have one this time." Pinkie Pie replied,
"See, Pinkie Pie? You have to have a vision in your heart first, and then paint, also, to make things better, make love to the canvas." Ross said, Pinkie Pie was confused,
"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Like how you are gentle and kind to those you love, you have to be the same to the canvas, caress it very gently." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie realized what he was saying,
"Oh, so that's what you mean." Pinkie Pie said, Ross nodded while smiling, and Pinkie Pie just painted to her heart's content,
"Ross, I've made a tree!" Pinkie Pie said,
"That's great, Pinkie Pie, but put another happy little tree next to him, everybody needs a friend." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie could not agree more, and painted another tree to the right of her first tree, Pinkie Pie became happy and painted several evergreen trees on the canvas, she gave the trees Alizarin Crimson barks, Sap Green leaves, and mixed the Permanent Red with a little Cad Yellow to make a light orange color, puts paint thinner in it, and highlighted the trees.
Pinkie Pie finished and looked at Ross' other paintings, he had cacti, houses, a water wheel, wooden boards, fences, northern lights, campfires, deserts, and many more, Pinkie Pie wanted to learn how to paint all of them, but she knew she did not have the time to learn all of them, because her family might be worried about her not being home yet, so she went to Ross,
"Ross, I have to head home, my family's probably worried about me." Pinkie Pie said,
"Are you coming back?" Ross asked,
"Of course I am, I'm just going to let my family know I'm okay." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Alright, till next time, Pinkie Pie." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie hopped home.
Pinkie Pie arrives at the rock farm and saw Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie working,
"Where have you been, sis?" Limestone Pie asked,
"Helping a blind pony." Pinkie Pie replied, Limestone Pie became surprised and lost her usual grumpy self,
"Is the pony alright?" Maud Pie asked in a calm and stoic tone,
"Yes, he's a friend of Beethooven." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Oh, you mean that deaf pony you met a few months ago." Limestone Pie said, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling, Limestone Pie chuckled,
"Look at that, a blind pony and a deaf pony." Limestone Pie said while smiling,
"I have to go back, I promised I'd help him get around without any aid." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay then. Marble, are you alright to help me and Limestone do Pinkie's work?" Maud Pie asked,
"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,
"Thank you, all three of you, I'll come back when I'm done helping him." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay, Pinkie Pie, but make it quick." Limestone Pie replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed away.
Pinkie Pie arrived back at Ross' home and he was walking around slowly, he kept bumping into things,
"Ross, I'm back." Pinkie Pie said,
"Welcome back, I've been busy trying to get around while you were away, I've gotten better already." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"Ross, there's something I've wanted to ask for sometime." Pinkie Pie said,
"Yes?" Ross asked,
"Is it true that you dislike your afro?" Pinkie Pie asked, Ross was speechless for a second,
"Yes, I had my mane permed so I could save money by not going to the barber shop, I grew to dislike the afro later, but at that time, it was my signature look, so I kept it to make my fans happy and so they can recognize me." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was surprised,
"Do you want to see how much I've improved getting around?" Ross asked,
"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ross moves around, his enhanced hearing and touch made it easier for him to determine where he was at, he walks around his home and was able to determine where he laid the food for the animals was at. Pinkie Pie was thinking of a song in her head for Ross while he continued walking around.
Ross finished walking for the day and Pinkie Pie was impressed,
"I wanna learn how to paint more!" Pinkie Pie said,
"That's wonderful, let's go then." Ross replied, and they enter his home.
Pinkie Pie tries painting and Ross was able to determine where Pinkie Pie was painting on the easel because he can hear it,
"Remember, Pinkie Pie, there are no limits, you have total power over the painting because it is your world, and I believe that you can do it, cause you can." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and painted, it was not usual for Pinkie Pie to spread laughter and joy through quietness, but she still liked it,
"Ross, if you can, I'd like to know more about you." Pinkie Pie said,
"Another reason why I decided to share my paintings is because a lot of ponies believed that they had to be blessed by Da Pony or Manechelangelo, I wanted to prove to them and show them that is not true, I also believe if you sing along, and have a good time, that it will bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart." Ross replied,
"What is your favorite thing to paint?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"A happy little cloud and a happy little tree are fun to paint, but my favorite thing to paint are almighty mountains, sometimes, I have to literally physically restrain myself from painting an almighty mountain." Ross replied while chuckling, Pinkie Pie was laughing a little as well,
"What is your favorite color to use?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Van Dyke Brown, it is a nice, warm color." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie agreed with what he said, even though her favorite color was pink,
"How about you, Pinkie Pie, how do you spread joy around?" Ross asked,
"PARTY!!" Pinkie Pie said loudly with streamers and confetti appearing, Ross covered his ears,
"Pinkie Pie, I have enhanced hearing, I can't take loud sounds like how I used to." Ross said, Pinkie Pie chuckled with embarrassment,
"Sorry." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckled, Pinkie Pie continued painting, she was using Cad Yellow, Permanent Red, and Titanium White as her main colors,
"Make sure you deft it, Pinkie Pie." Ross said, Pinkie Pie was painting slowly and watching her paintings come out,
"I was wondering, Ross, what it's like being blind?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"My vision is pitch black, but on the contrary, I can see my visions of my paintings in my eyes, I am greatly enjoying it, it's a shame I can't make fantastic little paintings anymore." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was sad as well, Ross was the best painter she has ever seen. Pinkie Pie finished and she painted a forest landscape with only bright colors, she looked at Ross' other paintings for inspiration,
"Uh, Ross, why do you have bright colors in your winter pictures, too for?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"It is to add some warmth to the painting, winter paintings can be very depressing." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie did feel happy looking at the bright colors in the winter paintings,
"Pinkie Pie, do you know braille?" Ross asked,
"I've heard of it." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Well, since I'm blind, I need to learn it." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie took a chart out of her mane. Ross feels it with his front hooves while Pinkie Pie held it out for him,
"Do you want a cane too, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"No, it's fine, I can still walk without it." Ross replied, and he continues feeling the dots to learn braille, it was very easy for him, Pinkie Pie was curious and wanted to learn too, so Pinkie Pie felt the dots with her eyes closed and the two tried to guess what the letter and number were, Pinkie Pie and Ross laughed and had fun as they played.
Pinkie Pie stays at Ross' home for the night and decided it was her last day,
"Ross, today is my last day, I have to attend my family farm." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay, in that case, let's have some fun, in my career, I did a crazy day in each series, let's make that day today." Ross replied, and the two paint together, all Pinkie Pie painted was a bunch of trees, mountains, logs, clouds, a sky, a cabin, and water with reflections and ripples in it, she used colors and made the painting look like a picture filled with a lot of candy, streamers and confetti as rain, and she signed her painting by mixing Titanium White and Permanent Red, she put Pinkamena Diane Pie on the lower-right corner of the painting.
Ross painted next and Pinkie Pie was about to guide him,
"Pinkie Pie, I'd like to try on my own, if I can, I can paint a picture by feeling the canvas and seeing with my heart, and I have memorized where the paint on my palette is at." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and let him paint on his own.
Ross started by covering the entire canvas in a thin, even coat of Magic White with the two and a half inch brush, he painted a sky with a two and a half inch brush and the color Prussian Blue, he cleaned the brush next and then mixed Prussian Blue and Alizarin Crimson together to make purple, he paints the clouds and blends the bottom with circular strokes, he then went upwards to the top of the clouds to fluff them up, he washed and cleaned the brush next.
Ross went into the Van Dyke Brown with the palette knife and cut a mountain into the picture, he cleaned the palette knife and put Titanium White on it and puts snow on the right side of the mountains, Ross cleaned the knife and then mixed the Titanium White with Prussian Blue, he put the color on the left side of the mountains and then cleaned the knife.
Ross picked up the two and a half inch brush and went into Sap Green, and painted a hill, he moved the brush downwards to make the paint thinner, he then did upward strokes to add trees in the background, much to Pinkie Pie's awe. Ross adds paint thinner and paints another hill in front of the first one and adds small trees on it. Ross adds a third hill in front after thinning the Cad Yellow and paints it, he did downward strokes on each hill to add mist.
Ross mixes Van Dyke Brown with Alizarin Crimson, he puts a small roll of it on the palette knife and he adds a big tree on the painting, he then put another tree beside it to the right, he put two more on the other side of the painting. Ross cleans the palette knife and thins the Titanium White and highlights the trees, the trees on the left were highlighted on the right sides while the trees on the right were highlighted on the left sides. Ross cleans the palette knife and takes the one inch brush and goes into Phthalo Green and he puts leaves on the four trees, he then cleans the brush and goes back into the Cad Yellow and puts highlights on the trees.
Ross takes the two and a half inch brush and mixes the Prussian Blue with Titanium White and then thins it, Ross paints water in the foreground and puts a waterfall in the background and center of the painting. Ross uses the one inch brush and goes into the Sap Green and adds bushes, he cleans the brush and goes into the Cad Yellow after thinning it and highlights the bushes, but Ross also mixed the Permanent Red with Cad Yellow with the palette knife after cleaning the brush again and highlighted a few bushes with the orange color he made, he cleaned the brush again and the palette knife and then took the palette knife and cut the canvas to make it look like the bushes had twigs in it. Ross takes the one inch brush and uses the same colors of the bushes and reverses it, he reflects the bushes in the water after moving the brush down with each stroke and doing horizontal strokes.
Ross cleans the brush and takes the palate knife again and puts Van Dyke Brown on it after thinning it, he cuts rocks into the water, and then cleans the knife and puts Titanium White on it after thinning it, he puts highlights on top of the eight rocks he made, and then puts ripples into the water and the waterfall in the background with the liner brush and cleans it. Ross cleans the knife and cuts a basic cabin shape into the canvas on the left side, he thins the Van Dyke Brown and puts it on the cabin. Ross cleans the knife and mixes the Van Dyke Brown and Alizarin Crimson and puts the reddish brown color on the knife after thinning it and adds boards to the cabin. Ross cleans the knife and cuts two square shaped windows into the front of the cabin, and a rectangular shaped door into it.
Ross takes the liner brush, he thins the Permanent Red and then rolls the liner brush in it until it was a sharp tip and he signed his name in the lower-left corner of the painting.
Pinkie Pie was in complete surprise at the painting, she looks at the clock, and to her shock, it only took Ross twenty five minutes to make the painting, she was also shocked that Ross painted the entire thing on his own, seeing only with his heart, and hearing with his ears,
"Wow!" Pinkie Pie said loudly,
"See, Pinkie Pie, you can do anything you wanna do, and when you find freedom on the canvas, you can create many fantastic little paintings." Ross said,
"How many paintings did you make, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Hundreds, I did a total of thirty one different series' in my career, each one consisted of thirteen paintings, but I didn't always paint, somepony else painted other times, such as my son, and other friends of mine who were painters as well." Ross replied,
"That reminds me, I created a song while you were painting." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckles,
"Let's hear it." Ross replied, and Pinkie Pie took a record player out of her mane and plays the song,
I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart
I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart
Let's build a happy little cloud (little cloud)
Let's build some happy little trees (little trees)
There are no limits here (limits here, limits here)
You start out by believing here
You can paint with almost anything
All you have to do is practice
There are no limits here (limits here, limits here)
You start out by believing here
This is your world
You're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it (that you can do it)
Cause you can do it (Cause you can do it)
Give it a little touch
Give it a little push
Make love to the canvas (Make love to the canvas)
Give it a little touch (touch)
Give it a little push (push)
Caress it very gently (very gently, very gently)
Grab it, deft it, fluff it
We can go on and on and on (and on)
Back and forth, back and forth
Layer after layer after layer
Let's build a happy little cloud (little cloud)
Let's build some happy little trees (little trees)
There are no limits here (limits here, limits here)
You start out by believing here
This is your world
You're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it (that you can do it)
Cause you can do it (Cause you can do it)
Relax, let it flow (Relax, let it flow)
Think like water (Think like water, Think like water)
Relax, let it flow (Relax)
You can go on and on and on (and on)
We don't make mistakes (mistakes)
We just have happy accidents (happy accidents)
You can do anything that you wanna do
Total power
Sing along, have a good time
Doo-doo-doo
Do-da-doo-doo-doo
Do-da-do, do-do-do-do-do,
Do-da-doo-doo-doo
Do-da-doo-doo-doo
Do-da-doo-doo-doo
This is your world
You're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it (that you can do it)
Cause you can do it (Cause you can do it, you can do it, you can do it)
I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart
I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart
Ross smiled at the song and chuckled,
"It's a nice song, Pinkie Pie, thank you for sharing it, well, it's getting late, we have to sleep." Ross said, and he and Pinkie Pie sleep.
Morning comes and Pinkie Pie was about to leave, they fed the animals, the birds and squirrels have decided to help Ross get around in order to return the favor of him always feeding them. Pinkie Pie began to cry a bit and tears came out of her eyes, distraught that she had to say goodbye to Ross,
"There, there, Pinkie Pie, you're still young, you have your whole life ahead of you." Ross said,
"But I'm sad I have to say goodbye to you." Pinkie Pie replied,
"You gotta have a little sadness once in a while, so you'll know when the good times come." Ross said, Pinkie Pie continued to cry a bit, and the two hug one another, Pinkie Pie cried while Ross smiled,
"You were my best friend, I'm going to miss you." Pinkie Pie said tearfully,
"I'm going to miss you, too, and remember, happy painting, and Celestia bless." Ross replied, they let go and Pinkie Pie walked home in tears while Ross, the birds, and the squirrels watched her, Ross had a tear roll down his right eye while he smiled and Pinkie Pie left.
Pinkie Pie stared at Sugarcube Corner's ceiling while in tears, she wanted to see Ross again, he was one of the best friends she has ever made. Knocking is heard at the door and Pinkie Pie ignored it,
"Pinkie Pie, are you home?" a voice asked, Pinkie Pie realized it was Ross, she dashed to the door and opened it, she saw Ross, who looked the same as before, but his afro, beard, and tail were now white,
"Ross, I can't believe it's you." Pinkie Pie said tearfully, she looked down and cried a bit, she says "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Pinkie Pie." Ross replied, and the two hug one another,
"Oh, Ross, dearie." Rarity said as she ran to him,
"You are...?" Ross asked,
"I'm Rarity, I was a big fan of your work, I used to use your paintings as inspiration for some of my outfits in my early years as a fashion designer." Rarity replied, Ross chuckled,
"You know her, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,
"Yes, she's a friend of mine." Pinkie Pie said,
"I've made a new friend here, I'd like for you to meet her." Ross said, and he showed Pinkie Pie and Rarity his new friend was Fluttershy,
"Ross is very good with animals, especially squirrels and birds, he and I are taking care of the animals together now." Fluttershy said,
"Are you still painting, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yes, I heard you were a teacher now, Pinkie Pie, I thought that I could meet your class, and show them another way to spread joy." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie agreed and the two stay at Sugarcube Corner.
The next day comes and Pinkie Pie was teaching at the School of Friendship, Ross came along with the birds and squirrels guiding him, and him seeing where to go with his heart, and using noises to find out where he was at,
"Good morning, everycreature, I have a special friend of mine today, please welcome, the one and only: Ross!" Pinkie Pie said, the class claps while Ross walks in,
"Hi, I'm Ross, and for the next thirteen weeks, I will be coming to this school. As you can see, I'm blind, but I can see with the guide of my friends here and my heart. Pinkie Pie and I met many years ago, and just like her, I spread joy and happiness across the land as well, but since Pinkie Pie is your teacher, she has taught you how to have fun in loudness, my job is to teach you all that you can have fun, and find joy and happiness in the quiet aspects of life, too. I will not just be in this class, I will be teaching in Rarity's class and Fluttershy's class, too, I will be giving visual aspects in Rarity's class, and teach you how to take care of some of the animals in Fluttershy's class. I will now go over the supplies we use to paint." Ross said, and he goes over and began teaching immediately, the class was very impressed by how fast he made a painting, especially Silverstream, she was the most excited to learn.
Ross keeps teaching and word spread about his painting skills, and many creatures came to the school to learn, almost all of them were impressed. Pinkie Pie was surprised by how many people attended, but what shocked Pinkie Pie was even Princess Celestia has come to learn. Class finishes and Princess Celestia goes to Pinkie Pie,
"It's wonderful you have made such a friend, Pinkie Pie, I originally thought about making Ross a bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony, but I didn't know which one to give him." Princess Celestia said,
"You knew him too, Princess Celestia?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Of course, Ross has been spreading joy and happiness throughout Equestria for many years with his paintings, it has been just as, if not more, powerful than friendship." Princess Celestia replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"You want to paint too, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,
"Do I ever?!" Pinkie Pie replied, the others laugh and Pinkie Pie painted while Ross watched and smiled, class goes on and Ross keeps teaching until his thirteen weeks were up, and he left to go teach at another school.
Pinkie Pie and Ross stayed in touch and wrote letters to one another, and later, Beethooven and Callas started writing letters and the four remained friends, forging a bond that cannot be broken.