Love is not Blind! Not even close

by Sense of Humor

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Rarity had elected to spend the next day searching the town for any friendship problems. She started nearest to Sugarcube corner, then worked her way up the streets nearest to that area, before finally fanning out further from there. She stopped by most shops and stores all over Ponyville, casually spying on the occasional mare or stallion to search for her assigned problem. It was hours before she ended up stopping in the middle of town square, panting for breath.

"This is utterly impossible! Inconceivable! Improbable! Implausible! Unsubstantial! Incomprehensible! Simply unimaginable in every sense of the word! " Rarity nearly fainted at her lack of progress and weary hooves. "I've ran through almost all of Ponyville to no end in sight! Where, oh where, am I to find the hapless pony or ponies that are in desperate need of my assistance?! Where I ask you?!"

She leaned towards a random mare, crazed eyes boring into theirs. "WHERE?!"

After watching her scramble away in a fit of screaming, Rarity pouted and kicked a pebble in despair. "How am I supposed to solve a friendship problem if I can't even FIND the accursed--huh?"

She looked back to find a most peculiar sight; her cutie mark was glowing even brighter than it had before--but it didn't pulsate in the manner that it did when a friendship problem was solved. It was just brighter than before, making her eyelids wince a little. Did that mean her subject was close by? Rarity inched towards a nearby shop and grinned as she saw her mark glow with fierce intensity. Her travels inside the store led her down aisles upon aisles of unique hats, stationed next to each other in proud rows. Well, where was this mystery pony? There wasn't a sign of anypony other than her in--

Rarity squealed loudly as she felt a hoof poke awkwardly into her flank, cheeks turning as red as Big Mac. Just before she could launch her hind hooves into the face of the unlucky creep who had the gall to touch her gloriously sized hindquarters, an all too familiar voice stopped her.

"Squeak? " The voice asked, as if deeply perturbed. "Odd. Pillows don't go squeak. And what are pillows doing in a hat store?"

It took every ounce of her not to buck the blind stallion anyway, and instead settle her hind legs back on the ground. With an irritated huff at her cheerful cutie mark, Rarity turned and faced him. "That was my butt, you jerk."

At first, the stallion seemed surprised that a voice responded to him from the sudden pile of pillows in his way. Then that same snarky expression appeared on his face. "I thought I smelled bad perfume. I take it you're here to buy a hat?"

"I have no use for a hat at this time," Rarity plainly stated. "My hair could use the sunlight--helps it to stay velvety and rich,"

"Right," He agreed sarcastically and suspiciously all at once. "You're bald, aren't you?"

"...I am NOT bald."

"Says the mare who thinks her perfume wouldn't slaughter a bee colony within twenty yards of us."

The mare sneered, fur standing on end from the rising anger. "It is not that bad, you...ugh," She rolled her eyes and decided that explaining would get her new results. "Listen, you pompous scoundrel, I would not be here if it weren't for my cutie mark bringing me to you."

The stallion reached up towards his left, his hoof running over several hats in deep thought. "That makes sense, now that I'm thinking about it."

She blinked at him, surprised and curious all at the same time. "It...It does?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Your cutie mark is in the shape of an annoying pony following another, right?"

He wouldn't see it coming, Rarity. I could just give him a nice hard kick and leave just like that. Nopony can see us here--it'll be like it never happened.

Somehow, she managed to keep her eager hind legs from doing anything. "I'm a member of the Elements of Harmony, if you've heard of us. I'm the Element of Generosity."

"Are you going to give me a generous distance?"

"We have a large magical table of sorts, adequately named the Cutie Map on account of it sending us wherever or marks appear on it. And my cutie mark is currently glowing the brightest it's ever glowed, and I'm right in front of you so..." She sighed as she watched him pick up a hat and carefully run a hoof across the dark blue fabric. "Do you even care?"

The stallion sniffed the hat once and angled his head towards her. "What color is this hat?"

"Pink." It was a lie, but it would at least make her feel slightly better. Besides, she wasn't the Element of Honesty.

"Liar. It's anything but pink." He spoke before she could retort about his claim. " I've had years to learn the physical difference in color for paintings and fabrics. More often than not, a darker color will feel the slightest bit rough--like the grains are collected on top of each other to blot out light hues. A color like pink would be practically seamless in texture. "

Rarity sheepishly shrank. "I suppose that's reasonable."

He carried his intended hat in his magical grip and used his cane to feel his way around her. "If this Cutie Map led you all the way to me just so you can screw up my life choices, then I'm starting to regret moving here."

The unicorn sighed as he walked past her, silently following him all the way to the front counter. She idly pondered her glowing cutie mark, and then the problem she had to solve. Perhaps it was to get him to warm up to Ponyville and others--to change from a life of sarcasm to being open to friendly talks? Whatever the reason, his heart or his sight, Rarity would solve this problem--or at least try tonight.

The cashier's voice snapped her out of her thoughtful trance. "Alright, buddy! That'll be ten bits!"

The stallion flinched, his grip loosening on the hat. "Ten bits? I must have been in the wrong spot--was there a spot in the store with sale values?"

"Nope. Ten is our lowest price, been that way for as far back as we can count."

Rarity examined the hat's tag from behind the stallion and gasped in insulted surprise. Her eyes narrowed at the cashier behind the corner, matching her bristling fur nicely. "You, sir, you should be quite ashamed of yourself! Making a stallion pay ten bits for a measly hat, when it's only 3 bits."

The stallion looked back at her with an annoyed expression, but for once he didn't say anything annoying or biting. The cashier nervously poked his hooves together. "Uh,that tag...It's,uh...Outdated! Yeah!"

"Outdated?" The stallion raised an eyebrow in his direction. "I thought you said the price was ten bits for as far back as you can count. How would you have a 3 bit price tag if it's always been 10 bits?"

The cashier glared at Rarity with an irritated huff. "Well maybe it actually says ten bits! You gonna believe this mare over me--a guy who actually works here?"

"I have absolutely no reason to lie about the price of the hat! You, on the other hoof," Rarity immediately shot back at him and defensively stepped in front of the stallion. "Would lie to a blind pony just to earn yourself a few extra bits!"

"Now that's just not true, ya little--! Eh?" He watched as the blind stallion briskly walked between them and managed his way out of the entrance. The cashier instantly rolled his eyes and gave her an accusing look. "Ya just had to talk, didn't ya?"

"Hmmph!"

With that snort of contempt, Rarity trotted her way out of the hat store and looked around for the stallion. She spotted him traveling left from the store, carefully maneuvering around ponies with his cane. She sped up alongside him with an apologetic expression. "I simply must apologize for that completely dishonest cashier! I assure you that there are only a hooful of ponies like that around here."

The stallion snorted to himself, but it dissolved into an irritated sigh. "Uh huh. Sure. And I'll probably be running into every last one of them, because it'd be easy to get money out of a defenseless blind stallion." He might have mumbled something like: "This place is no better than the others." but he was speaking too low to be sure.

Rarity wasn't sure if she quite liked him or not, but she definitely felt sympathetic. As the Element of Generosity, it was her duty to be...well, generous in any way. The most generous thing she could offer now would be a little kindness.

"Why don't I make you a hat?" She blurted out, then blushed. "That is to say--It would be my pleasure to make you one, free of charge! Call it a welcoming gift."

He stopped walking and focused his unseeing gaze in her general direction. "Make me a hat? What are you, a fashion designer?"

She smiled. "As a matter of fact, I am! I am also a shopkeeper and Seamstress! Perhaps you've heard of Rarity for you, down in Manehatten?"

"Nope."

"Well, it exists. I also have a Carousel Boutique here in town, so we can do head measurements there and I can have a hat ready for you tomorrow."

The stallion formed a straight line with his lips, saying nothing and doing nothing that reassured her. Just when she was sure he was going to disagree, he shrugged. "Why not? You'll probably follow me around anyway, what with this glowing cutie mark and all."

Pleased with his reluctant cooperation, Rarity began to walk again and the stallion followed her presence. They were close by, so getting the measurements done would be all too easy. The mare glanced at him from a sidelong angle, still smiling. "So...are you still not going to tell me?"

"I've been telling you your perfume is bad since we met."

She rolled her eyes with a loud scoff. "No! Your name! Can I get your name?"

The stallion sighed. "...Chrome Texture."

Rarity turned towards him halfway, eyes blinking in consideration. It was certainly a guy's name.

Comments

[Nodqfan]

Chrome Texture is just the best I can't get enough of him, Rarity certainly has her work cut out for her, great work.

[Sense of Humor]

9114311
XD Thanks!

[Quill_Fiction]

I really like the chrome texture guy but is he actually blind? I mean like visually impaired? I might have not got that whilst I was reading, sorry. If so that trick Rarity billed on him is just plain horrible! If I was princess Celestia I would go to that bitch, take her horn away and make HER blind! Let's see how she likes it
BTW: Love you story keep up the good work!

[Sense of Humor]

9114445
Huh. I thought I had stated it a little earlier. I'll have to do better about that.

And Thanks!

[i_am_the_jam]

I always wondered what would the Cutie Map do if whoever was called for an assignment deliberately ignored the call.

[The Blessed One]

Looks like I got on board just in time to have more to read. The character development here has been very good thus far. Overall the story is a very relaxing read compared to most, which is a refreshing change of pace.

Consider me alone for the ride, wherever this goes. Color me excited, not that Chrome would be able to see that.

[Sense of Humor]

9114720
Maybe it would glow for the rest of their lives?

[Sense of Humor]

9114901
Aw shucks, and here I am thinking my character development wasn't going good for this. Thanks for the comment! I'm excited to see where I go with this, no pun intended.

[i_am_the_jam]

9115387
Or stop glowing once the problem resolved itself...or the pony with the problem died. Perhaps then the map would not call on that person again.

[Sense of Humor]

9115597
Yeah, more likely to be that.

Now that I'm thinking about it, perhaps it calls on those they know won't refuse the call.

[Blank Paper]

This is utterly impossible! Inconceivable! Improbable! Implausible! Unsubstantial! Incomprehensible! Simply unimaginable in every sense of the word! " Rarity nearly fainted at her lack of progress and weary hooves. "I've ran through almost all of Ponyville to no end in sight! Where, oh where, am I to find the hapless pony or ponies that are in desperate need of my assistance?! Where I ask you?!"

She leaned towards a random mare, crazed eyes boring into theirs. "WHERE?!"

Ha, got a laugh out of me.

The stallion sighed. "...Chrome Texture."

Rarity turned towards him halfway, eyes blinking in consideration. It was certainly a guy's name.

That it is. And this chapter was certainly amazing. The interactions are intriguing.

[Vedues]

Really enjoying things so far, though I caught a missed word:

"You, sir, you should be quite ashamed of yourself! Making a stallion pay ten bits for a measly hat, when it's only bits."

I'm assuming it should be "it's only three bits."

[Sense of Humor]

9117004
Rats, thanks for that.