//------------------------------// // 1. Lost // Story: Lost and Blind // by Blue Cultist //------------------------------// Lost and Blind --- Chapter 1: Lost --- Pinkie Pie took a deep breath. The spring countryside was alive with a sweetness that put an irresistible spring in her step as she walked along the quiet country road toward Ponyville. All around her were the sounds of birds freshly arrived from the warmer south, filling the air with song. Trundling behind her was the small cart that held all her worldly possessions, which wasn’t much. Most of it was party supplies she had ordered from magazines that found their way to the rock farm. What wasn't predominately party planning material were personal items--gifts from the family to remind her of home in an unfamiliar town.  Turning her head to look over her shoulder, Pinkie realized this may have been the furthest she had been from the boundaries of her home in all her life. The barren rock farm was no longer in view, with only the green grass and the road she had traveled visible to her.  The prospect of leaving was still a little scary, but Pinkie found it hard to worry when the countryside was so serene and tranquil. Pinkie could have taken the train, but the pony at the train station would have charged her more than she could afford to load her cart into the baggage car. She wasn't upset by this, if she had taken the train she would have missed all this nice scenery. On the upside, not taking the train meant she could use her money for more important things once she got to the Cakes’ shop. She giggled with excitement at the thought of learning to bake all the different kinds of cakes, pies, cookies, and everything else that brought a smile to a pony's face. Although she had copiously thanked the Cakes in her letters for allowing her to stay and work in their bakery, Pinkie was going to make it a point to thank them again in person for allowing her to explore her special talent. Of course this meant she’d be around sweets all day, and although she might not be able to eat cupcakes all day it would mean she could sneak one or two or five. She wondered if she could throw her own welcome party? Was that legal? She’d have to ask and find out. Turning her attention back to the road Pinkie reasoned she still had quite a way to travel before she arrived, but the ticket master at the train station had promised her that she could make it there before dinner time. The road had just led Pinkie to the top of a small hill, from which she could see to the colorful shapes of Ponyville’s tallest buildings in the far distance. If she hurried Pinkie bet she could be there by lunchtime. From those distant buildings, Pinkie’s eyes traced the winding road back to where she stood. Not far from the hill was a lake that rested near the road, fed by a stream that ran next to the road and eventually under a bridge near the lake. The stream seemed to flow from Ponyville, and Pinkie hoped there were closer bodies of water. She enjoyed swimming and ice skating in the winter. While the countryside was beautiful, the longer Pinkie looked at the downward slope of the hill, the more she began to get some of her creative ideas. Ideas that usually resulted in her sister Limestone yelling, and maybe being sent to bed without dinner. But her family was all the way back at home, and there was no pony for literal miles. It was a perfect time to have a little fun. Pinkie effortlessly turned the cart around so the wheels could roll freely, unhitched herself, hopped inside and began to rock the cart forward and backward. It wasn’t long before Pinkie felt gravity taking over as she and her cart began to roll down the hill. Despite the hill’s small size and the generally shallow incline, she managed to get enough speed to whip her mane back, and Pinkie stood up to feel the wonder of the wind in her face as the cart raced down. She let out a squeal of delight, only to realize her impromptu ride was virtually over. The cart was already losing speed as Pinkie had reached the bottom of the hill and was now rolling over flat terrain again. By some miracle she hadn’t rolled off the road, and was slowly coasting to a halt not far from the bridge she had spied from the top of the hill. Pinkie sighed, the ride had been over too quickly. She felt the temptation to push the cart back up the hill for a second try, but Pinkie shook her head. She had to keep moving. She’d remember to try this again some other time. After turning her cart back around, rehitching herself, she resumed her happy trot toward the Cake’s bakery. It hadn’t been her intention, but her little stunt had saved her a little walking and given her some much needed excitement. The bridge ahead was no comparison to her wild ride, but she resolved to stop and look over the side just the same. The only body of water back on the Pie farm was a small shallow drainage pond that kept the land from flooding when it rained. It wasn’t anything meant to be anything more than a soggy hole in the ground. In stark contrast the water beneath the bridge flowed clear and slow, allowing the pink mare to glimpse some minnows darting in tight formation. This stream fed the lake just beside the bridge, the sight of which elicited a sigh of contentment from Pinkie as she took in the natural splendor. On the bank near the bridge near a patch of reeds she saw a family of ducks waddling toward the water. A fat bullfrog sat in a patch of moss while a turtle sunned itself on a log not far away. The wind blew across the surface, causing just enough of a disturbance to catch the sun and make the surface sparkle with flecks of captured gold. It was quite the sight. What was less picturesque was the strange creature she saw wandering along the bank. Pinkie tilted her head as she looked at it, having never seen anything like it before. The more she looked at it, the more curious she became. From this distance she couldn’t tell if the creature was completely hairless or simply had a very thin coat. Whether thin or hairless, Pinkie reasoned it didn’t get a lot of sun from how pale its skin looked. A short mane of messy brown hair sat atop its head, but that was the biggest patch of fur she could see on it. It seemed to be a master of walking on its hind-legs, something Pinkie had a hard time with after the sixth step. She wondered if it could give her some pointers. Around it's barrel and hind legs was a set of funny looking cloth pants in a colorful pattern Pinkie wasn’t familiar with. Concern for it rose up when she saw it stumbling forward, seeming to measure its steps with slow, careful movements. The cuff of its pant legs were stained with mud, and it kept rubbing its eyes for some reason. Was it crying? If so, why was it up on its hind legs like that? If it was crying, how could she best brighten this funny looking creature’s day? She rolled her eyes. "The answer is muffins of course." Everypony loved muffins and she had a dozen of the little treasures packed in her cart. She could stand to part with one. Pinkie was so lost in her thoughts as she gawked at this strange creature that she didn’t realize it was edging closer and closer to the lake. “Hey, you’re gonna-” was as far as Pinkie got. Her shouts seemed to startle the hairless creature, causing it to lose its balance and tumble into the water with a splash. Pinkie gasped; quickly worming herself free of her harness she galloped as fast as she could to the panicked creature as it thrashed in the shallow water. By the time Pinkie had managed to race to the edge of the lake the thing had managed to sit up in the mud, covered in stringy water weeds and sandy mud. It coughed and sputtered, using those strange wormy things on its not-hooves to slick the water off its bare cheeks. It suddenly jolted up in the mud, reaching into its soaked pants to pull out a small fish that had somehow found its way inside in its panicked thrashing. With a sigh, it dejectedly tossed the fish into the water. Pinkie giggled, thinking this would be a good reason to not wear clothes like that while swimming. The two-legged thing seemed annoyed, judging from how it was frowning on its flat muzzle. Now that Pinkie was closer, she wondered how it could smell at all with that small nose. Its eyes were even stranger. They were small, but they were looking red with irritation like it had just woke up but worse than Pinkie had ever seen. “Hello? Is someone there?” it asked with a stallion’s voice. Pinkie was a little surprised it could talk, but was pleased to have met somepony new. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, do you like muffins?” Pinkie asked, excited to be talking to something so incredibly new to her. The creature tried to stand on his hind legs again, only to stumble back down into the mud. It sputtered as it tasted pond water, and again brought its not-hooves to its face. “Um, can you help me out, it’s so dark I can’t see anything.” He asked, seemingly embarrassed to ask. Pinkie tilted her head, then looked at the sky. Yes, the sun was right where it should be. After another look at his face Pinkie reasoned that maybe he couldn’t see very well with those small eyes of his. Were his eyes supposed to look cloudy like that? At the very least she should help him out of the water, game or no game. “Sure, just a sec.” Said Pinkie. He hadn’t exactly fallen in very far, but Pinkie still needed to stretch her neck a bit and stand on the very edge of the lake to reach him. Whatever he was, he let out a yelp and jolted up when Pinkie gripped his shoulder with her mouth and pulled. His panicked thrashing didn’t stop Pinkie from dragging him out of the water and onto the bank. She couldn’t do anything about all the mud, but at least he wasn’t sitting in the lake anymore. “Um, thanks.” He said, sounding very confused as he rubbed the area where Pinkie had gripped him, “Miss, could you see what that thing that grabbed me was?” Pinkie tilted her head. Was this a joke? If it was it didn’t seem like a very funny one, but she’d play along. This whatever-he-was seemed like he could use all the cheering up he could get after falling in the lake. “That was me, silly.” Pinkie giggled as she glanced back at her cart. She wished she had the foresight to bring towels so her new friend could dry off. Before she would turn her attention back to her tall, gangly friend, she felt something touch her mane. Her eyes crossed as she looked up to see its wiggly little not-hoof atop her head, gently patting her poofy mane before moving down to touch her face, her cheeks, her muzzle. Pinkie figured this was the greeting of his people, and stepped forward and put her hoof to his cheek. He pulled back a little at the contact, but quickly moved his not-hooves to feel the frog of her outstretched hoof. “I… I’m sorry I don’t understand.” He said, sounding very confused, “Am I touching a... horse?” Pinkie didn’t laugh, not because of the very serious implication but because she was beginning to suspect this wasn’t a joke. “N-No, I’m a pony.” She said meekly, concern rising for this stallion. “What are you? I’ve never seen anything like you.” “Pony? But...” He seemed to stumble with his words as he felt her hoof again, almost like he was trying to confirm she was real, “No, one thing at a time… What did you mean ‘see me?’ It’s so dark out I can’t see anything.” Pinkie could feel a tremble in the way he was gripping her hoof. She didn’t like it. “No, it’s not.” She said gently, now absolutely sure there was something wrong, “It’s bright and sunny out.” Her new friend let go of her hoof and  wordlessly shook his head, a tangle of algae unceremoniously slipping out of his hair and onto the ground. “But… I can’t see anything,” He said, that tremble that Pinkie had felt could now be heard in his voice, “I don’t understand. I… I just went to bed and suddenly I’m laying in the dirt. How did I get here?” The smile Pinkie had been wearing since she had left home crumbled. She had been expecting to see a lot of beautiful countryside and maybe meet a few new friends before she arrived at the Cake’s bakery. Yet here was the first creature she met, miserable and lost. Something that desperately needed a friend. “I dunno, I was just passing by on my way to Ponyville when I saw you fall in.” Pinkie said plainly. He seemed to scoff at the name of the town for a reason Pinkie didn’t understand. He tried to stand on his hind legs again but seemed to falter and settled back down into the grass. Once again he rubbed his face, and let out a painful groan. “My eyes hurt...” He said, “Can you tell if something’s wrong?” Pinkie was no doctor, but as she leaned in to take a closer look at his face she knew something was wrong. She might have never seen anything like him in her life, but she was sure eyes weren’t supposed to be red like his. A foalhood memory of touching the hot stove and the resultant red burn that formed came to mind, like he had somehow done the same to his eyes. There was also a distinct lack of something in his small eyes, something she couldn’t quite articulate, like something important was missing. “Yeah, I think you hurt them somehow.” She said gently, “Does anything else hurt?” He wiggled his not-hooves and rolled his withers, then shook his head, “Nothing as bad as my eyes. What does it look like?” “Um, you didn’t by chance touch your face to a hot stove, did you?” Pinkie said, her ears pinning back as she knew he wouldn’t like this answer. He lightly shook his head as his withers slumped, he rubbed his eyes again in vain to make them work. He didn’t say anything more as he repeatedly blinked his eyes, trying desperately to see anything. The water had run off his face, but Pinkie could see tears beginning to form as her new friend began to panic again. She knew the look on his face, even if it didn’t look even remotely like hers. It was the face she made in her deepest, darkest moments, when she felt like the world was an empty joyless world that would never get better. Unlike her, her unnamed friend didn’t have Maud to pull her away from those dark thoughts. So Pinkie did the only thing she could do; be his Maud. She stepped forward and without warning wrapped her forelegs around him in a hug, gently nuzzling his cheek without any care to the mud. He was surprised at first, but slowly he wrapped his own forelegs around her, stroking her back with one hand that Pinkie thought was oddly soothing in a strange way. He laid his head on her withers and shook with a silent tremble as he held back his sobs. For the first time in her life, Pinkie didn’t think muffins were going to make everything all better. --- To be continued... ---