//------------------------------// // Prim and Proper // Story: A Blind Bard // by way2dawn //------------------------------// Fluttershy has been moving around a while. She was probably trying to readjust herself while trying not to disturb me. The time was perfect. I rolled over, toward the pegasus and flopped my other arm over her body. A small squeak and the stillness of her body had confirmed my suspicions, Fluttershy was trying to get up and move away from me for some reason or another. "Mister?" Fluttershy tried to 'wake' me up. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so I opened my eyes , gave what I hoped was a goofy smile and let her go. She just lied there, probably unsure of where to go from this point. Neither did I, but my stomach sure did, it growled at me to go get some food, and that meant more apples. Trying to find and eventually succeeding ay getting my bag of apples, I held a few apples out to Fluttershy. She took 2 out of the 3 that I had offered, and we ate our food in relative silence. Soon after finishing, nurse Redheart strolled into my room, her hoof steps confusing me for a moment, because of the spring in her step (probably from the sleep she got last night), before she reintroduced herself. "Mr. human. Thanks for waking up." Fluttershy hopped off my bed and Redheart took my sheet off of me. After round 2 of 'poke ' n prod', Redheart deemed me well enough to be discharged in Fluttershy's care. After a few moments, and the scratching of more paper, I was told that everything was set, and that I should get up and out of bed. Swinging my feet off the bed, and putting my feet down, I stood up. This time, the pain in my foot was at least tolerable enough to walk to a new location. Fluttershy was on my left, and using her head as a guide, we slowly made our was outdoors. Walking outdoors, was a small difference than taking two rights and a straight, flat, path of the infirmary. Ponyville's streets were made if cobblestone, and not just once but a few times, I had to stop and regain my composure. And balance. “Fluttershy? quick question. Do I smell?” I hesitantly asked the mare that was allowing me to use her as a crutch. I needed a cane, or a walking stick. Fluttershy turned her head, and gave me a small nudge.I kneeled down so that she could get a better view and smell of me. “I’m sorry, but, you kind of DO smell. -sorry- also, your clothes are in tatters. We are visiting my friends after all, so I guess its time to see Rarity” Fluttershy seemed to say more to herself than me. “Rarity, huh, well let’s go!” I posed in the classic “go that way” stance, only to have Fluttershy tug and nudge me until I was pointed another direction. This was going to be tough without eyesight. We walked for a few minutes before being redirected up a few steps and presumably into a shop. The sound of the floor beneath my feet was more of a woody sound, rather thab cobblestone. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique. Where everything is chique cheque and magnific. My name is Rarity, how may I help you. Oh! Fluttershy! How are you? Who is this... creature?" This voice seemed to be nearby. "Oh, Rarity, this man here needs some new clothes. Could you help him out?" Fluttershy was pleading on my behalf. Rarity didn't seem to know that I wasn't a pony. Let's see how she reacts to me. "Hello miss Rarity. It is an honour to be in your shop. Carousel Boutique, was it? Do you make stallion's as well?" I called out to Rarity. a new set of hooves made it's way toward me. Eventually the hooves stopped and Rarity's voice started again. Rarity seemed to be a pony. "Hello Fluttershy. How are you? Now, where is this stallion I was just talking to? And why is one of your animals here in my shop? Did you want me to make a suit for your little pet?" Ha! This ought t' be good. "Hello, Rarity. No I am not a pet." I simply stated before kneeling down, balancing on the balls of my feet and reaching out to pat Rarity on the head (I hope). I was soon poked in the hand with something. "OW. What was that?" I yelled, shaking my hand in pain trying to remove the. tingling sensation I felt. "That was my horn dear, can't you see that?" the little horned pony replied nonchalantly. "No, I CAN'T see, Rarity. I'm blind." I replied for what seemed like one of the first times of many. I needed to get an announcement out or somethin'. Does this town have a mayor? "Well, now that I know that tidbit of information, this makes a lot more sense. One thing of which is your fashion sense (or lack thereof)..." the pony fashionista mused to herself. She had to be a seamstress to own a dress shop. "Um. If there are Earth Ponies, and Pegasi, and Rarity here is a Pony with a horn on her head, what is she?" I asked both of the mares in my presence. "I am a unicorn darling. we use magic that... well, I'm sure that Twilight can explain this better than I can. Lets get your measurements though. Those clothes are HORRID." Rarity then proceeded to somehow wrap a piece of something around me. Probably a tailor's' tape. "Now then, you are filthy. We can't have you leaving my shop in that condition, it would ruin my reputation." Something enveloped me and lifted me into the air. It felt as if I was being held in place, probably if I could see this would be a lot worse. Soon, Rarity deposited me onto the ground in hopefully a bathroom. Fluttershy was called to me to help me wash. I undid my clothes, which included (from what I remembered) a maroon long sleeved button down shirt, a pair of denim jeans, a white t-shirt, a set of brown boots, and black socks, and a pair of boxers. I then received a towel after asking for one. Tying it around myself made me feel a bit better. I then addressed the owner of the shop.(and probably her home as well) "Hey, Rare, if you are making me some clothes, can you start with four or five sets of these?" I held up my boxers. the unicorn asked why I needed clothes underneath clothes. "Simple or long version?" I queried. The set of mares opted for simple. "My species have no sheath to hide anything. We use clothes for modesty and for practical use." I quickly replied. I already had this answer prepared. I was expecting it at one point when I realized that the dominant species is Pony, and if my experiences from home was any indication, horses(and ponies) didn't wear clothes. Then again, I WAS in a land of pegasi and unicorns. Again, all I got was silence. "Well then." the boxers were removed from my grasp. "I'll get to work right away. Any preferred color?" I pointed to my useless eyes. "Right... Anyways, see you soon. Feel free to use anything you want." I thanked her and she walked away, probably to get to work. Fluttershy helped me get into a nearby bathtub, confirming my suspicions that we were in a bathroom. As Fluttershy helped me wash up, a thought crossed my mind. "Hey Flutts, don't you have a job or something? pets? a home to look after? It's not that I don't like you, its just that you've been with me all day today and probably most of yesterday, I don't want to cause you a problem." This got a response out of the Pegasus. "Yes, although Angel Bunny will be mad when I get home, he'll understand. I'm Ponyville's resident veterinarian. Now, hold your breath." I almost didn't catch that last part. Afterward, I dried off and Fluttershy left to go get Rarity. I sat on the edge of the tub and tied the towel around my waist. Eventually, Rarity came to the bathroom with a new pair of boxers and my other clothes, freshly laundered. Thanking the generous mare, and asking her to temporarily leave, I changed and admitted her back into the bathroom. when she returned, Rarity brushed my mid length brown hair after the thorough drying I had given it earlier. She then gave me a bit of a warning. "Darling, your clothes are almost done, but my sister is here, just a warning, but she is a bit... excitable. Let me go downstairs first and explain why you are here." Rarity apologized to me. I appreciated the kind gesture. As Rarity led me to the main room and sat me down on a couch, something trotted up to me and barraged me with questions. Most were along the line of 'what/who are you' but all I could do was chuckle. Rarity cane to my defense. "Sweetie Belle, stop that and apologize!" the new voice identified as Sweetie, apologized and I waved it off as nothing. Remembering that I needed some glasses to hide my eyes, I asked Rarity if I could borrow Sweetie for a small shopping trip, and Rarity seemed almost ecstatic, basically putting Sweetie in my arms and pushing me out the door. Standing outside Carousel boutique, holding Sweetie Belle must have been a sight. Holding the filly unicorn, (her horn had poked me in the arm) she barraged me with questions before I asked her where a glasses store was. Before Sweetie responded, she asked to be let down and she ran back inside. A few moments later, Sweetie returned, and something was clanking along with her steps. I asked her what that sound was. I held out my hand, Sweetie put a bag in my hand. after figuring out the bag, I reached inside the bag, and felt a good amounts of coins. Must be the local currency. Looking down to the filly, I asked how much an apple cost. I was told that 2 bits bought an apple. Huh, similar to a dollar. Pocketing the coins, I put down my hands again and scooped up the filly. She weighed about as much as a small dog, somewhere around the weight of a labrador puppy at a few weeks old. When I was eventually led the store, and walked inside, the owner, Clear Lens, immediately realised my need for blackened lenses. I paid 30 bits for the glasses up front, and told Lens that he could send the finished product to Rarity. She would be able to find me easily enough. Lens agreed to send the glasses my way after a small chat on how the glasses should look. Sweetie was getting a bit fidgety, so after finishing negotiations, we left the store, receipt in hand, and mony pouch a bit lighter. Satisfied that my lenses would be finished soon, our stomachs were growling, so we went carefully to the market, and made our way to applejack's stall. " Well, lookie here, the stallion's up and about! Feelin' alright, sug'?" Applejack greeted us warmly as we approached the stall. "And it's all thanks to you, AJ." I complimented the hat wearing mare. "Now then, It's just abou' noon, what do you want? More Pippins?" I nodded to the seller, handing over 6 bits for 3 apples. 2 Pippins and a red gala for Sweetie. I gave my thanks to AJ and with Sweetie tucked under one arm, we made our way to a bench where we ate in relative silence. "Mister?" Sweetie tentatively asked "Can you do me a favor?" "Depends on the favor." was my response "Could you come to school with me?" I was honestly intrigued with the prospect, so I agreed to go to school with Sweetie. Yelling in her excitement with something akin to ‘yay’, Sweetie Belle dashed off toward the school building, leaving me behind. I had no Idea how to get around town quite yet nor did I think I ever would, so, I just sat there and sang a song to pass the time,and hoped that Sweetie would remember me. There once was a man His name was Magellan A Portuguese skipper The girls found him cute He sailed with five ships To find the East Indies Then come back to Spain With a bounty of loot Whoopie ti-yi-yo Oh happy Magellan Starting your journey With hardly a care Whoopie ti-yi-yo Strong, brave Magellan You’ll find the East Indies You just don’t know where They crossed the Atlantic And spotted a country Magellan said, “It’s the East Indies at last!” But then someone shouted, “Hey, that’s Argentina!” Magellan got cranky And chopped down the mast Whoopie ti-yi-yo Settle down, Magellan Put down that axe There’s no time to despair Whoopie ti-yi-yo Keep trying, Magellan You’ll find the East Indies You just don’t know where A great storm arose In the mighty Pacific The five little ships Were diminished to three At last land was sighted Magellan was happy But then someone shouted, “Hey, that’s Chile!” Whoopie ti-yi-yo Cheer up, Magellan Check out your map And don’t tear out your hair Whoopie ti-yi-yo Keep trying, Magellan You’ll find the East Indies You just don’t know where It took them five months But they crossed the Pacific They spotted a land That was dotted with palms Magellan proclaimed, “Yes! That’s the East Indies!” But then someone shouted, “Hey, I think that’s Guam!” Ay-yi-yi-yi Oops, Magellan Your fun little journey’s Become a nightmare Whoopie ti-yi-yo Keep trying, Magellan You’ll find the East Indies You just don’t know where They sailed due west To the Philippine Islands Magellan was pleased As the natives drew near But then someone shouted, “I think they’re attacking!” Magellan said, “What?” And got hit by a spear Whoopie ti-yi-yo Farewell, Magellan You almost made it It’s really not fair Whoopie ti-yi-yo Oh, ghost of Magellan The East Indies islands Were right over there! A set of trotting hooves approached me and I immediately set upon them in an exasperated voice. "Sweetie Belle, where were you? You know I can't get around too well." there was silence, so I continued my rant. "Where is the school? YOU were going to lead me there." this seemed to get Sweetie to speak. "Sorry, I'm not Sweetie Belle, can't you see the school building? Its right in front of you." The voice, definitely not Sweetie, continued. "What? Are you-" the new voice began "Blind, yes, I am blind. My eyes are useless." I finished for the voice. "I'm sorry, do you want help getting to the school? " the voice offered. "Sorry about getting upset at you, I'm just upset with Sweetie." I tried to explain. "She wanted me to come to her classes today, probably for a ‘show and tell’" at this the pony chuckled. "Well, lets go get Sweetie, shall we? My name is Cheerilee, by the way. Class can't start without me." this caught my attention. Cheerilee must be Sweetie's teacher. Cheerilee, an Earth Pony, let me use her as a post to walk toward the school. I realized we were almost there by the sounds of fillies' and colts' voices nearby. Once inside, I was guided to Cheerilee's desk, which I was allowed to use as a temporary seat. Cheerilee stepped outside to let the other foals have a few extra minutes of recess and called Sweetie inside. "Mister! How' you get here? I thought you were... oh." Sweetie had just realized her mistake. All I could do was smile and turn towards Cheerilee. "Miss Cheerilee, I hear that today is show and tell, and I am on display today. May I bother you to borrow a seat and sit in on class today? Sweetie here is my only guide home." I quickly explained and asked in the same comment. Cheerilee was quick to agree, and after a few minutes, the other foals were brought inside to continue lessons. First, though, show and tell. As everypony came up and described their object, and how the colt or filly came about said objects. So,I waited for Sweetie’s name to be called. When it was called, she trotted up to the front of the classroom and had me join her. Scooping the filly into my arms, I placed her in my right arm in a hold similarly to how someone would hold a dog with one arm, wrapping your arm around the animal and holding them on your hip,so that it was comfortable holding her and I could gesture if I need to with my left. “This is a strange stallion that Rarity had in her shop. I don’t know much about him, but I do know that he’s blind! How neat is that!” I closed my sightless orbs, now slightly self conscious. Asking permission if it was alright to sit on Cheerilee’s desk again, I let Sweetie down to go back to her seat, and cleared my throat before starting my introduction. “Hello class, I’m a human, how’re you? I’m wonderful! Now, I don’t know how I got here, so I’m going to let you ask me some questions. Now, Miss Cheerilee, I can't exactly see their delighted little faces that want to ask me questions, so if you could, call on ‘em for me, would ya’?” Cheerilee gave her consent and began the Q&A. “Oh!” I exclamed. “when you answer, tell me your names, please.” “My name’s Twist.Why are you here?” a filly asked. “Sorry, don’t know! But so far, Ponyville is better than my home, in any case.” I gave in reply to Twist “Are you the thing tha’ Big Mac had to get th’ cart out o’ the shed fer? And ahm Applebloom.” another, slightly younger sounding filly asked “Yep, and I have to say, he is one nice stallion. Thank your sister Applejack for the apples again.” “If you MUST know, I am Silver Spoon. Anyways,were you the thing that Lily and Rose were yelling about?” asked an uppity voice, that seemed to ooze self importance “Probably. Sorry” “Why is the rum always gone?” an older pony asked. This one was a mare. in a different direction than the class asked. Cheerile sighed, before speaking. “Sorry about this, Berry Punch wandered over here while drunk... again.” She left the classroom with a sigh, leaving me in charge. I called Sweetie up to me and upon picking her up, I told her to be fair and call on anypony who had their hooves in the air. I didn't notice this before, but pony’s tails and manes were very soft. “What’s your Cutie Mark?” a young filly named Diamond Tiara asked. “What’s a cutie mark?” the class gasped, buy before i could get assaulted with question, Cheerilee saved my skin with a quick explanation “A Cutie Mark, also known to some as a ‘Stud stamp’ is when a filly or colt discovers that certain something that makes them special!” All I could do was smile. “Nice, what’s yours?” I queried the schoolteacher. She told me that it was a trio of smiley-faced flowers. “Huh, I DO know what my ‘special talent’ is, though. Do you perchance have a piano? or any instrument?” Sadly I received a negatory on both accounts. “Ah well, is there one nearby?” I got a ‘mhm’ from the teacher, which made me ecstatic, music is awesome. “I have an idea, perhaps we can discuss it later?” As I got a confirmation, a bell rang somewhere, and the ponies started to shuffle out. Not wanting to be forgotten, I raised my voice to get Sweetie’s attention. “SWEETIE BELL! C'MHERE! DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT ME!” my voice seemed to shake the entire room. The room was quiet and nopony was moving. “Sir? If you said you weren't from around here, how do you know the Canterlot Royal Voice?” I was asked with a shaking hoof to the shoulder. “Huh? Canterlot Royal Voice? Whuzzat?” I tilted my head in confusion “Nevermind, we can talk about that another time. Sweetie seems to want to go home, and I have papers to grade. Nice to meet you, sir. Hope to see you in town.” I was being asked to leave politely, so after being guided outside, and picking up Sweetie, we made our way back to town. Sweetie seemed to want to go somewhere. Wonder where she wants to go...