I:
Sunlight is the greatest shade of all. Under the light, you see something for what it is, and scrutinize it accordingly. But in the shadows, in total blindness, you are forced to go deeper than that, exploring beyond the restraints of the mind that this world has created for you. A unicorn filly named Crescent was born in a small town just off the foot of the mountain that suspends Canterlot. As the daughter of a business Unicorn colt and his Pegasus teacher of a wife, she grew up comfortably, but she was not happy. She had all the bits she could ask her father for, she had friends that loved her unconditionally. But still, she was not happy. She was not happy because she could not see the look on her mother’s face when they hugged. She could not read the books all of her friends talked about. Sure, they read to her, but it was not the same as doing it herself. Crescent was born blind.
At first, her blindness did not bother her. In the first year of her life she did not know that seeing was even a thing. It didn’t take long for her mother and father to realize that she was vision impaired. After trying to teach her to read, and noticing that she never looked into their eyes, they took Crescent to a doctor. The doctor confirmed that the tiny filly was completely blind. Devastated, Crescent’s mother and father did all they could to help her understand the situation. Surprisingly, as well as to their relief, Crescent never showed much interest or even care that she couldn’t see.
This apathy lasted a few years, until Crescent was ten years old. By that time, she understood her blindness and was using strategies to help her live and cope with it. Now, at age nineteen, her education is over and it is time she learned to live on her own. A local stallion of the same age by the name of Skyward was always attempting to court with Crescent. Skyward had been a family friend for years, and on many occasions offered to take care of Crescent when the time came. Many discussions took place between her parents, and they decided that Crescent must be the one to choose what to do with her life. After they presented the idea to their daughter, Crescent sobbed and stormed out of the house. She knew her village like her own hoof, and she knew the best hiding spots from countless games of hide-and-seek with her fillyhood friends. Of course, all she ever did was the hiding. A small patch of forest, not far from the town itself, is where she ran to. She sat under a familiar tree and wept. It was dark, everypony was asleep, and she could hear Skyward and her parents calling for her in the distance.
She heard the calls getting louder and louder and knew she would be found soon. Crescent debated internally on whether or not she should run deeper into the woods, or allow her parents to find her. She could feel her warm tears running down her cold face. For years she had waited on the day that she could finally be on her own, but in the back of her mind she knew she could never be fully independent. Until recent years, she had always relied on her friends and family. Now that reality was staring into her amaurotic eyes, she wished she could see.
Never once in her life did she utter the words. Not once in her nineteen years did she speak the phrase “I want to see”, until today. Surrounded by Luna’s loving moonlight and cloaked in the shade cast forth by the large tree, she opened her mouth to say it.
“I want to see.”
Then, a voice she recognized,
“We all want things we cannot have, Cres.”
It was Skyward. He had told Crescent’s parents to wait at the house if she were to return as he continued his search. Immediate memories of finding Crescent in various locations when they played in their youth brought him to look in each of those places. Eventually, he gazed into the grove of apple trees that, after some distance, turned into a thick forest. He quietly approached her so she wouldn’t run. He waited a few meters back from her to think about what he would say, but he didn’t have to. She said what she did, and his response was instantiations.
“I never wondered why. I never questioned it…” Crescent sobbed.
Skyward was convinced she wouldn’t run again, so he sat beside her and wiped the tears from her face.
“You’ll figure it out, Cres. You’ve always been a strong pony; it’ll all work out in the end.”
Crescent stood up and aimed her head in the direction of his voice.
“I just need some time to think… Alone.”
She began walking off. She heard Skyward rise and begin to follow her. After a few steps, she turned around and shouted,
“If you love me, you’ll leave me alone for awhile!”
Skyward just stood in the cold in shock. Crescent trotted away swiftly as tears fell from her face. Skyward hung his head and started walking back to Crescent’s home. As he walked into the door, Crescent’s parents rushed up to him. He explained that she ran again, and claimed she needed time alone. They were not happy with not having their daughter back at home, but they understood Skyward’s position. After all, Crescent was a big pony now and is allowed to do as she pleases.
Crescent marched through the woods, running into the occasional limb or branch. The crying had stopped, but her thoughts were more overpowering than ever. Was she a fool for wanting to be independent like every other pony? Was she too harsh on Skyward? He had never done her wrong, yet she raised her voice at him like he had. He only wanted to help.
In her lament, she had lost track of where she was. She must have been out far longer than she had expected, for she could feel the warmth of Celestia’s grand star on her back. She stopped and listened for voices, but heard none. She decided to turn back, and begin walking in the other direction.
With every rough tree her thigh scraped against, and every bird she heard chirp, and each sweet apple she tasted along the way back home, reminded her of the inevitable. She would have to come home and face her parents and Skyward. But more than that, she would have to make a decision that would affect her life. Crescent thought long and hard about what to do and she finally came to a conclusion. She planned to leave her hometown to live in Ponyville.