//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: The Eyes Are Blind // by Fe94Knight //------------------------------// Chapter twenty “Come on daddy! Catch me,” The young colt of only a year old calls out to his father. While his small bat wings have still much to develop from what they are now, they never the less are more than a match for his father in being able to carry the foal out of the parents path as he stumbles about to catch his son. Sky Streak falls face first in to the ground of their quaint home’s living room, after tripping over his own feet. “And I probably never will,” The father mutters under his breath wholeheartedly while picking himself up from the fall, and continuing on the pursuit. “Alright Midnight… you asked for it.” The husband lights up his own horn, and takes aim towards the little pony. Shooting off a small jolt of electric arc his way, and zapping the ground underneath Midnight. While the laughter from the foal is more than music to Sky’s ears, the small streak of terror to follow the fun only stresses the mom’s ears while she brings a frightened Midnight off the top of her muzzle to address the two. “Honestly dear do you have to do that?” Golden Shadow shoots her husband a playful glare from over her own shoulder, “After all you know how he gets when you try to zap him.” “About as riled up as you do?” Dodging a single book that is tossed his way by the misses. Sky does a back flip, and nearly falls right in to the open hooves of a friend as he makes his way in to the home. “Easy there now Sky,” Fall Cloud hoists his friend back up to his own hooves, “I know we’re close friends. But I don’t think yur wife would appreciate ‘hat sort of display.” “Much obliged Fall-” Sky gets out, before the ear splitting voice of a foal fills the small space between them and cuts him off. “Uncle Fall!” The small blur flies past the two, and in to the traditionally winged pony’s side, easily bringing Fall to the floor without any difficulty. “Ugh… nice ta see ya too tike,” Cloud scratches the back of Midnight’s heads while the bloodied colt looks down with his slit eyes, and nuzzles the only pony he has really considered family. Well outside of the obvious parents that is. “Did we get anything in the mail today, Uncle?” “Eeyup…” The feathered pony answers back while bringing up the satchel he wears, and uses his teeth to take out a few letters, “For yur Ma, and Pa at least… sorry sport.” “Easy there now Midnight…” A larger pair of leathery wings lifts the foal up, and off of Fall. Now landing him in to the legs of his mother while she cradles her only child, “Mr. Cloud probably wants to chat with daddy for a bit,” Golden turns her attention back to the Pegasus in question here, “Sorry about that Fall. You know how he can get when around other ponies.” “Don’t fret over it miss. Though there is a matter I would like to discuss with your husband ‘ere.” “Talk his ear off by all means,” She lets out a light chuckle before turning her attention back to her son. “Why don’t we get a few drinks, and a snack? That way we can all have a nice lunch… sound fun?” “Sure mom!” The small wings propel Midnight’s form in to the kitchen ahead of his mother while the latter only can keep a smile on her face as she follows in. The two older colts in the living room now can talk privately for the moment. Taking a load off from the day in and day out life of living far from most establishments. Fall has thankfully taken up the task of picking up the couple’s mail from town so as to limit their exposure in the town itself other than for the necessities. Even though they have insisted many times that it would be alright so long as either Sky, or Golden went in early enough before anyone else. The latter only going to those merchants that they know they can trust. Fall maintained that he help them in that simple matter while even refusing any sort of compensation they tried to offer. Plus on top of this, it does allow the colt to overhear the latest gossip of the small town. “Well a few checks is always good,” Sky looks over the slip of paper with a rather hefty sum on it that’s a result from years of service to the crown. A similar one next to him with his wives name on it, “I’ll cash these in later on this week, just before closing time.” “Smart move I reckon.” “That it is. Just like we’ve always done,” Sky nods to him while setting the envelopes off to the side, “Though you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?” “Aye…” Fall coaxes himself back up from the comfy couch up to his fore hooves to get a little closer to his friend’s ear, so the foal in the next room doesn’t hear him, “A few ponies out in town have said words ‘bout what’s goin’ on out in this neck of the woods… nothin to serious.” Instantly Sky’s eyes shoot open at the prospect of others trying to snoop around here. Possibly seeing him, his wife… their son. The results could be devastating had they taken any hostile intent towards them, and worst still he, and his wife wouldn’t even know till the mob showed up on their door step bearing pitch forks, torches, and three nooses to go with it, “Has anypony been looking out here? Names? Rumors? Ideas?” “Calm down there now,” Fall eases his friend’s ever growing worry in his voice, “As I told ya ‘words have been said’. That’s all now ya hear? Heck I’ve even thrown my two cents in to a few conversations to try, and get more information out of those that I heard.” “And? What have you gotten?” “Not a durned thing. It’s all just rumors… Lights being on at night, and seeing shadows going through the house. The ponies living here planting a garden, but never going out in the day to harvest,” Fall stretches out the distance between them a bit, and leans back in to his seat, “Which I know that last bit is way too tall of a tail, because I have seen ya have a conversation or two with those that pass by.” “That I have,” Streak smiles a bit from some of the ponies that have walked by while he was outside, and have stopped to chat, “Though to my knowledge, they only know of me that lives here.” “That they do…” Fall starts to chuckle at some of his misdealing’s, “Many that have talked about this in town suspect why they only see you out, and about. Some suspect that there is another pony here with you. Though in the regard to that, the information that I myself have thrown in should send them chasin’ after their tails.” Sky holds up a single hoof to halt his friend’s words, “I don’t even want to know, but if you say that it’s nothing to worry about than I won’t. I trust you Fall.” “Good because you should by now, Sky,” the good hearted stallion chuckles. The pitter patter of little hooves beckons the two to look in the door way as Midnight carries in a small try of sliced up cheese, and crackers while his mother follows shortly behind him with a large pitcher of cider, and several glasses on her own tray, “It isn’t much…” Golden, and her son rest them down on the table between Sky, and Fall, “…But hopefully it will hold you over till supper.” “Oh thank ya kindly ma’am,” Fall bows his head a bit at her before taking a light sip of cider. “Oh Fall you know you don’t have to call me ma’am,” Golden’s bashful expression fills her cheeks up with blood as she leans back in to her husband’s chest. As their son sits idly at the edge of the table, and munches away at a few slices of cheese, “After all you have helped our little family enough to earn that right. Golden will do just fine.” “I know I don’t… but it aint proper if I don’t show some air of respect…” He corrects setting his glass back down gingerly for a moment, “Especially in yur own home.” “With manners like that, how is it you have remained single all this time we’ve known you?” Sky asks him out of the blue, more or less. The topic has come up on more than one occasion, and usually always leads to Fall just eating his own words with poor excuses, or reasons. Now it’s just a topic to rise up a laugh for the couple at their friend’s demise while they press the issue of a suitor, “I mean I know that Midnight here would love to have other play ponies around.” “And if you raised them the way you were, than I’m sure they would not take any interest in our son’s unique appearance,” Golden tacks in at the end of her husband’s statement, “I mean some nice mare must have your heart somewhere?” “Eh… haven’t met the right type yet,” Fall shrugs his shoulders to try, and hold off the subject even more than he has in the past, “Besides it’s not anything I see happening any time soon.” “You say that now,” Sky brings up some of his own experience, “Then you wake up one fine morning, and there is a mare on your chest, and a foal coming through the door calling for daddy.” Though any sort of answer Fall might be able to give them is lost in translation as Midnight picks up in the middle, and only goes off of what he tries to understand from the adults conversation. “Uncle Fall is getting a foal too?!” “Not any time soon,” Cloud lifts the beaning foal up in to his hooves, and proceeds to tickle attack the sensitive coat. The sharp screams coming from their son normally would only assume to any parent’s ear that a child is in immediate danger, or possibly already injured. But to see their dear friend attacking the son under gentle hooves that they know couldn’t even harm a fly does them nothing more than to look at one another, and smile while they start to share in a chuckle with one another all to their own, “I am not havin’ any foals now ya hear!” He playfully yells at the little colt. “Y-y-ye-e-s-s-s Uncle F-fall!” Midnight squirms within his grasp. Though trying to beat a Pegasus in a tickle fight is a battle that is already lost. Seeing as they possess one thing that can entice even the most stubborn ponies in to keeling over with laughter… feathers. To which Fall uses to his utmost advantage at the moment, and runs them up, and down the back up the foal as he struggles to get away. “Agh!!! Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it!!!” Midnight’s little lungs take in as much breath as they can with every word, and his ribs expand even further to the point that it seems his ribs have unhinged from the rest of his body. Until Midnight has finally reached his breaking point, and lets out one final pair of words. “STOP IT!” he wails. The normally cheerful nature of the foal is broken upon the resonating nature of the voice as it rasps its way out of his throat. A magically enraptured shockwave leaves from his mouth, and hits the target of weakness at the moment square in the chest. Not only taking the wind out of Fall’s chest, but the tell tail energy glow from the enchantment telling the others there what it was, while in the same go forcing Midnight right out of his attackers hooves. The blast hurtles the foal across to the other end of the couch. While the magical hit from such a small foal is nothing, in reality it still packed quite a punch. Leaving the Pegasus sitting there for a few moments not only to catch his breath, but try, and put together what just happened. “Ahh… What?” He manages to get out in the small amount of air he had taken in, but his mind still draws a blank. “Was… was that?” Sky goes over to his son’s side, who now finds himself flipping back to right side up after his little skip across the cushions under his own power, “Midnight?” “But… he has no horn?” Golden looks over Fall for a moment to see if there was any damage to him that would warrant some patch work, before seeing to her child. Only the beaming face of her son is displayed for a moment, as Midnight has yet to realize something is very wrong with what happened. “What is it mommy? Why are you all looking at me like that?” He remains oblivious to what just happened. Not aware of the gravity of the situation at the moment as Sky scoops him up in to his fore hooves, and cradles his son while they take a seat back down on the couch to carry on like nothing’s happened. “Don’t worry about it son,” He strokes Midnight’s onyx, smooth mane with a gentle hoof running through it, “Just surprised that’s all. Nothing you need to worry about.” “Well then… now it all makes sense,” Golden mutters under her breath only enough to let the other adults hear, and keep her son out of it. “What might that be lass?” Fall asks after getting a full breath of air in his system. “For the longest time, I wondered what our son got from his father’s side of the family,” she pauses a moment after answering their friend to turn to her husband, and address him with exactly what she means, “I guess now we have our answer… somehow, it seems he’s acquired your horn… without having your horn.”