//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Arrival 
// Story: The Sparkle of his Eye 
// by Silentpegasus 
//------------------------------//


The Sparkle of his Eye

Chapter 1: Arrival. 


It’s been thirteen years, thirteen long years since Ink Blot, a jet black unicorn stallion with a black mane and a white stripe in the center had lost his sight. He had managed to find an alternate way to see using his other four senses, his hearing, touch and sense of smell were extremely sharp. Those were his back up, his magic had become extremely useful in the past few years, he could see an echo of objects when he sent out a pulse of magic form his horn. He kept his eyes hidden behind a pair of white polarized sunglasses to hide the scars, from the ‘accident.’ He sat on the train that was inbound to the small town of Ponyville, he had moved there to get away from all of his problems in Manehattan. 

Ink kept to himself most of the time, he didn’t want to be bothered with the problems of other ponies lives. He could feel the wheels hitting the tracks and hear the pony sitting across from him flip the pages of her magazine. Ink sniffed the air, she smelled of tulips and butterscotch. he sent out a pulse from his horn that outlined the mare in a yellow aura. His magical pulse was invisible to every-pony except for him. The mare looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Can I help you with something?” she asked.

“No. Why?”

“You were looking at me, weren’t you?”

“No. Just staring off into space.” he said in a low tone.

“Well could you please not do that in my direction, it’s a little creepy.” she said in a flat tone.

“Sorry.” he said as he turned his head towards the window. He never told any-pony that he couldn’t see, partially because if he did then he’d be lying. He didn’t want to tell others, he didn’t want their pity, sympathy or special treatment. All he wanted to do was live his life like every-pony else. He felt the brakes engage the wheels and the train come to a stop, Ink got to this hooves and levitated his belongings onto his back. He sent out another pulse and began to walk towards the exit of the train car. He stepped onto the wooden platform of the train station and marched into town.

Okay...made it to Ponyville, all I need to do is keep a low profile. Now to get a layout of the town.

What do you think? 100 meters?

200, just to be thorough. His horn began to glow and the small town’s outline became clear to him, as the pulse moved through the town he noticed several outlines of ponies, each having a different color aura to them. Ink continued to make his way through the town his vision was suddenly clouded by a bright pink glow.

“Hi there!” she yelled. “Ooh, a new pony in town YAY!” she yelled in excitement. Ink’s ears quivered at the amount of volume she was using. 

“Hi.” he answered in a low tone.

“Welcome to Ponyville! I’m Pinkie Pie! You can all me Pinkie, all my friends do.” she then let out a gasp. “Do you wanna be friends?”  Ink looked at the mare in surprise.

So much for keeping a low profile.

“Um...sure.” he said nervously.

“YAY! See you later!” she said as the oink blob vanished from his ‘sight’.

What.....the.....buck?

Here five minutes and you’re already making friends.

Shut up. he thought to himself as he continued down the path way. He sent out another pulse and saw an object speeding towards him, he quickly ducked at the object flew over his head and landed in a nearby bush. He trotted over to the object and stamped his foot on the ground sending vibrations through the dirt outlining what appeared to be a pegasus mare.

“Ow...my head.” she said as she got to her hooves.

“What’s the matter with you? You could’ve killed me!” he yelled.

“Sorry, I was trying out a new trick and I-”

“Rainbow! How many times have ah told ya to watch where your going?” said a thick southern voice. Ink tapped his hoof again, the voice came from an earth pony mare. “Are you alright there?” she said as she looked at him.

“Yes. You’re friend here missed by by about five inches.” he said as he pointed to the pegasus who was getting to her hooves.

“I said I was sorry.” she said in an annoyed tone. 

“Still Rainbow, you almost turned.....what’s yer name?”

“Ink Blot.”

“Right, you almost turned Ink here into a pancake.” she said as he quietly began to walk away from the feuding mares. Ink had no intention of getting a migraine on his first day in the small town. He continued to make his way through the town when he felt something hard hit his side, causing him to fall over onto his side. He sent out another pulse, this time it was a unicorn mare that was holding what looked like a book.

“Sorry about that I, was so busy reading this book that I forgot to look where I was going.”

Okay, I’m the blind one here and these mares seem to run into more things in one day than I do in a year.

“It’s fine. Accident’s happen.” he said as he helped the mare to her hooves. Her outline had a deep purple glow.

“Thanks, my name is Twilight Sparkle.” she said as she put her hoof out.

“Ink Blot.” he said as he shook her outstretched hoof. 

“Nice to meet you Ink.” she said with a smile. He turned around to hear two familiar voices.

“There he is.” the pegasus said. “Hey where’d you go?”

“I continued walking.”

“Ya could have at least told us that instead of pulling a disappearing act.” the southerner said.

“You two seemed to be having a conversation and I didn’t want to interrupt.” he said in a sarcastic voice.

“You two know him?” Twilight said as she raised an eyebrow.

“We just bumped into him.” Rainbow said.

“Well...almost crashed into is more accurate.” he said as he looked at the mare. Rainbow stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Rainbow, how many times have we-” she started.

“Yeah yeah, AJ already gave me the rant.” Ink was quickly becoming annoyed with the mares. “So why did you run off on us anyway?”

“Ugh, look I’m trying to find where Vinyl Scratch lives. Do any of you know where that is?” he said with a grumble.

“You know Vinyl?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah we’re old friends, she’s letting me crash at her place until the rest of my stuff get’s here.”

“I know where she is. I was heading in that direction anyway.” she said with a smile.

“Okay then, lead the way.” 

“I’ll see you girls later.” she said as she waved goodbye to the mares.The dark stallion followed the purple outline through the street’s of Ponyville. “So Ink, what do you do?”

“I’m an artist.”

“Really? That’s interesting, what kind of art do you do?”

“All kinds; sculpting, painting, drawing that sort of stuff. What about you?”

“I run the library.” she said with a smile.

Oh great. Just what I need, a book.

“That must get boring.”

“No, I really enjoy learning. What about you?”

“I’m not much of a reader.” he said in a low tone. Twilight stopped in front of a large house.

“Well here you go. I’d go up to chat but I’ve got some errands to run.”

“Thanks Twilight.”

“No problem and feel free to stop by the library any time.” she said with a smile. The mare continued along her way leaving Ink at the front door of the house. He could hear a steady rhythm of dubsteb could be heard from inside. The unicorn trotted up to the door and gave it a loud knock. Ten seconds later it opened to reveal a white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and a pair of purple shades propped above her horn.

“INK!” she yelled as she wrapped him in a hug. “Bout time you got here!” she teased.

“Sorry I was met with a few.....distractions.” he said as he stepped inside.

“Was one of them a pony named Pinkie?” he nodded. “Figured.”

“Plus I almost got smashed by some crazy pegasus mare.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Yep.”

“Have any difficulty finding the place?”

“No, a mare named Twilight showed me the way.”

“Oh yeah Twilight is so nice. Does she know about-”

“No, no one does except for you and I would like to keep it that way if you don’t mind.”

“Okay...I understand. How are your eyes anyway?”

“Same as ever.”

“And that spell is working?”

“Better than ever, I can now see farther than 300 meters if I concentrate.” he said with  smile.

“Not to bad for a blind pony.” she teased.

“That hurts.” he said in a playful tone. “So hows the music  business going? I’ve bought a few of your albums.”

“Awwe, thanks. It’s going great. How’s your art coming along?”

“It’s getting there. Thanks again for letting me stay here while my house is finished up.”

“No problem. What are you putting in anyway?” she asked as she sat down on the couch.

“Sound proof room.”

“.......Oh, for a studio right?”

“Bingo, you know me so well.” he said with a smile. “So you’re roommate doesn’t mind me crashing on the couch?”

“Nah, she’s actually away in Canterlot at a gig.”

“She’s in the music business too?”

“Yeah, she plays the cello for the Canterlot symphony.”

“That’s cool, I’m not much for classical stuff though.” he said as he sat down next to the mare. “I’ll be out of here in three days at the least.”

“Stay as long as you want, it’s no trouble.” she said with a smile.

“Thanks Vi, you’re the best.”

“I know. How about I give you a tour around town?”

“Sure why not.” he said as he got to his hooves.

“Awesome!” she said as they walked out the door and back onto the busy street. They began to reminisce about the old days. “Remember Professor Note?”

“Oh man, that stallion was hilarious!” he said as he let out a laugh. He felt small shiver run down his spine. “Yes Rainbow?” he said as he looked up towards a cloud. The cyan mare’s head popped out of the cloud in surprise, she flew to the ground in front of the two unicorns.

“How did you know it was me?”

“I have a sense that tells me when a crash test dummy is nearby.” he said with a smirk. Rainbow glared at him in surprise.

“Watch it pal!” she said as she raised a hoof.

“Oh we’re pals now?” he said with a smile.

“Whatever, any pony that’s able to dodge me while I’m at full speed has got my respect.” the cyan outline said with a smile. “I still don’t see how you were able to dodge me.”

“I saw you coming and I reacted.”

“You must have really good eyesight.” Ink narrowed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

“Yeah something like that.” Vinyl had a nervous look on her face. “So do you need something?”

“Just wanted to chat.” she said as she began to walk with the two unicorns.

“Okay about what?”

“Well how do you know Vinyl?”

“We go way back. We went to the same school in Manehattan when we were foals.” she said with a smile.

“Manehattan huh? So why did you come here?”

“I never really liked the big city, I always felt more at home in small towns. They’re a lot less noisy.” he said with a smile.

“So what do you do?”

“I’m an artist.”

“Really? So you paint?”

“I paint, sculpt, draw, almost anything.” Rainbow looked at him in surprise.

“Hey you should draw me, I am one of a kind after all.” she said with a cocky tone. Ink shook his head and let out a small laugh.

“Maybe, once my house is finished and I set up my studio.” he said with a smile.

“Awesome! Just make sure you don’t screw it up.” she said in a playful tone. Ink rolled his eyes at the comment.

“Eh, I’ve seen better.” he teased. He looked over to a bush and raised an eyebrow. “Need something Pinkie?” the others looked over to the bush to see a bright pink mare pop her head out of the bush.

“Awe, how did you know it was me?”

“I could hear you giggling to yourself.” he said as he pointed to his ears.

“You must be really good at hide and seek!”

“I guess so.” he shrugged. “How much did you hear?”

“Oh I heard everything. So you’re really an artist?”

“Yes.”

“Can you show us something?” Pinkie asked with a smile.

“Well..I-”

“Awe come on Inky, Please?” Vinyl said as she made a pouting face.

“Ugh! Vinyl how many times have I told you not to call me that!” he said in an annoyed tone.

“Around 275 times, but who’s counting?” 

“Fine.” he breathed out. Ink summoned a sketch pad and began to draw. “Hold still.” the pencil began to move rapidly. He turned the piece of paper over to reveal a black and white portrait of the three mares standing there. Their jaws dropped at the spectacle.

“WOW That is so awesome!” Rainbow yelled.

“Nice to see you haven’t lost your touch.” Vinyl said with a nod.

“That’s super duper cool!” Pinkie said with a smile.

“Thanks, but I’m still rusty.” he said as he made duplicates of the pictures and handed them to the mares. “I’ll hold onto the original but you guys can have the copies.” the mares smiled in delight as he made the original vanish. 

“Sweet! I gotta go bye!” Pinkie said as she took the picture and trotted away.

“Thanks Ink. I’ll see ya later.” Rainbow said as she zoomed away from the unicorns.

“Are they always like that?”

“Oh yeah, you’ll get used to them. On with the tour!” she said as she led them to another shop. As they stepped inside Ink immediately cringed back and began to cough. “What’s wrong?”

“Celestia almighty! What is that smell?” he said as he held his snout.

“What? It’s perfume.” Vinyl said as she sniffed the air.

“Well who ever own this joint should tone it down a little.” he said as he stepped back into the shop. He heard hoof steps coming towards them.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique how can I-....Oh Vinyl! Darling it’s been ages.”

“Hey Rarity how’s it going?”

“Good, what brings you here?”

“Just showing my friend around Ponyville.” she said as she put an arm over the stallions neck. Ink tapped the floor and got another outline. He nodded at the mare who returned the gesture.

“Nice to meet you sir, I am Rarity.” something clicked in the back of Ink’s mind

“Rarity?....I’ve heard that name before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah one of my client’s mentioned that name.....Do you know a Fancy Pants?” Rarities eyes boggled.

“You know Fancy?”

“Yeah. I’m Ink Blot by the way.” he said with a smile.

“Nice to meet you. What did you mean by he was a client of yours?”

“Oh I did his and his wife’s self portrait.”

“You’re a painter! How delightful.” she said with a smile.

“Just an artist in general.” he said in a bashful tone. Rarity looked at the clock and let out a small squeal. 

“I’d love to stay and chat but I simply must get this order filled.” she said with a worried tone in her voice.

“That’s fine. Goodbye.” Vinyl said as the two unicorns trotted out of the shop. “Looks like it’s getting late, wanna grab a bite at Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Sure.” he said as they made their way through Ponyville. They arrived at the bakery and Ink stopped. Vinyl looked back at him in surprise.

“What’s up?”

“Why are there around twenty ponies in there?”

“Ugh! Buzz-killer. It’s a party for you, Pinkie throws one for all the new ponies that come here.”

“Is it going to be loud?”

“Yeah.” Ink summoned a pair of headphones and placed them over his ears. “You still use those things?”

“I’m already blind Vi. I don’t want to be deaf.” he said as they walked inside. The light’s turned on and the ponies jumped to their hooves.

“SURPRISE!” they yelled. Ink saw many different colored outlines smiling at him. A bright pink one suddenly popped up in front of him.

“Well how does it look?”

“Looks great.” he said with a weak smile.

“YAY!” she said before she disappeared again. Ink made his way over to a familiar cyan and purple outline. The ponies began to talk while Ink listened, he then felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Twilight staring at him.

“You know it’s kind of rude to be listening to music while we’re talking to you.”

“I’m not listening to music.”

“Then why are you wearing these.” Twilight asked as she took them off his ears.

“NO DON’T-” the wave of sound beat against his ears. He instantly put his hooves over his hears trying to muffle the sound. He dropped his head on the table in pain.

“INK! You okay?” Rainbow asked.

“Just...give those back!”Twilight handed the headphones to him and he quickly slipped them on. He let out a sigh as the sounds began to fade. “Don’t do that!”

“What was that about?” Rainbow asked.

“I have really sensitive hearing, these help ‘lower the volume’ so to speak.” he said as he pointed to the headphones. “I only use them when I’m in a loud place.”

“Oh...I’m so sorry I didn’t know.” Twilight said with a sad look on her face.

“It’s fine.” he said as his ‘vision’ returned.

“So...Rainbow tells me your an artist.” she said as she tried to change the subject.

“Yeah.”

“That’s neat, what kind of art?”

“Drawings, sculpting, painting stuff like that.”

“Cool. Can we see something?” 

“Um...sure hang on a second.” his horn glowed and a small bag appeared. He pulled out a small wad of white clay and he began to shape it with his magic. A small model of a pony was forged in a matter of seconds. “Ta da.”

“Amazing.” Twilight said as she looked at the figurine.

“Eh...I’ve seen better.” Rainbow said with a smug grin.

“Rainbow I only accept constructive criticism.”

“I’m just saying you could do something bigger.” she said as she floated above him.

“Oh..Bigger, I can do that.” he suddenly pulled out a much bigger wad of clay and formed it into a ball. “Think fast!” he said as he threw the wad at the pegasus, Ink’s horn ignited and the clay turned into a small cage that stuck the pegasus to the wall.

“What the heck!?” she said.

“I call this piece ‘Capturing the Rainbow’ has a nice ring to it.” he said with a smug grin. Twilight let out a small giggle at the joke.

“Let me out!” she said as she tried to hit the clay bars. Ink’s horn began to glow and the clay began to retreat from the pegasus. Ink placed it back inside the bag and teleported it out of the building.

“Still have any comments?”

“Sorry.”she said in a defeated tone and went to go get a drink. 

“How did you do that?” Twilight asked.

“Just a trick I made up.” Rainbow stuck her tongue out at him behind his back. “Sticking your tongue out at some-pony is very rude Dash.” the ponies looked at him in surprise.

“How did you see that?” Rainbow asked as she walked over to them.

“I developed a spell that allows me to see 360 degrees.”

“How does that work?” Twilight asked.

“I send out a pulse of magic from my horn that bounces off hard surfaces, when it comes back I get a mental image.”

“So you have eyes in the back of your head?” Applejack asked.

“Pretty much yeah.” 

“Why do you need a spell like that?” Twilight asked. Ink bit his lower lip.

“Well, I grew up in Manehattan so I always had to be careful. It was a way to see if any-pony was following me or who would try to mug me.” he said in a flat tone. “I’d better get going, I’ll see you guys around.” he said as he got to his hooves and walked towards the exit, Vinyl soon caught up to him and the two left together.

“He seems nice.” Pinkie said with a smile.

“I don’t know....he’s hiding something.” Rainbow said as she narrowed her eyes.

“Calm down Rainbow. He seems really interesting, I’d love to learn that spell he uses.” Twilight chimed in.

“I still think that he’s hiding something and I’m gonna find out what it is!” she said as she raised her hoof.

“Whatever Rainbow.” Applejack said as she rolled her eyes.

Back at Vinyls house the two unicorns made their way inside, Vinyl threw on the light switch and made her way upstairs.

“I’m just gonna take a quick shower.” 

“Okay, third door on the left.” she said as she trotted into her room. Ink made his way into the shower and turned on the hot water. He removed his glasses and sat inside, allowing the warm water to wash over him. He ‘looked’ down at the floor and some blood splattered on the floor, his tears were dark red. The stallion turned off the water and threw his glasses on. Ink made his way down stairs and positioned himself on the couch. He summoned his ear phones and turned them up to the ‘mute’ option. He laid down and began to sleep.