Guide Dogs

by Yosh-E-O

Chapter 1 - A New Calling

Yosh, the dragon-duck, sat in his room within Canterlot Castle. Although he could not see he did enjoy feeling Celestia’s sun warm his scales while the wind coolled his soft, white feathery cheeks.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK

“Come in,” Yosh hummed as he imagined what it must look like outside.

PSHEW-CLICK

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” inquired Princess Celestia as she entered into the dragon-duck’s chambers.

Yosh’s mind quickly went from seeing a peaceful field full of trees and birds to being in front of the daytime ruler of all Equestria.
“Princess Celestia!” he quacked as he stumbled to attention.

“Please,” the solar princess said with a gesture of her hoof. This gesture was not seen by Yosh, who had lost his sight over a year ago, but her kind inflection more than made up for it. “You are one of my chosen. We are equals.”

Yosh sighed and sat on his cushioned rear. All his life he had an issue with incontinence. It wasn’t something he was proud of but there was something comforting when he felt his diaper all clean push against him like a bedtime pillow.
“Right…,” he trailed while removing the sunglasses he wore to hide his useless frost-colored eyes.

Princess Celestia could pick up on her dragon’s sadness.
“Oh, Yosh,” she cooed while lifting him with her golden aura. “Of all my dragons you have always been my most emotional.”

As Celestia’s soothed the sniffling Yosh, she thought on all the dragons who had become a part of her efforts to unite Equestria with its surrounding lands. Spike was hatched by twilight Sparkle and Yosh was brought to life by Dawnbreak Horizon. Then there was Tacki who had been found by an earth Pony named Lucky Find and one named Toroth that had come from the Dragon Lands in an effort to save a Pegasus who had befallen a most frightening air accident that left her at the mercy of the dragons but was fortunate enough Toroth cared enough to help her escape harm.

“I’ve got a mission for you,” Celestia said as she released her ethereal hold on Yosh.

“For me?” wondered Yosh. Since losing all his vision he had very little work alongside Dawnbreak Horizon. He mostly spent his days visiting the local therapist, Doodle Noodle, or helping Princess Luna on ‘Dream patrol’. It was a very fascinating thing that being blind didn’t take away the ability for Yosh to see in the dream realm. So he’d accompany Luna on dream missions and serve as a guide to ponies in need of more than Luna’s help to get mental health assistance from Doodle Noodle.

“I think you’ll like this mission,” continued Celestia. “It’s to a new land known as ‘Canine Crossroads’.”

“Canine Crossroads?” wondered Yosh while reaching for his traveling stick. He had been working with Spike and Twilight and anyone who’d really take time to help him design something to help him find his way around in the darkness the waking world had as a result of being totally blind.

“Yes,” added the sun princess. “Apparently it is where the Diamond Dogs are originally from.”

Yosh remembered what Rarity and Spike had told him about ‘The Diamond Dogs’ and felt a bit scared.
“I’m not so sure…,” he trailed as he tried to keep his composure. “They seem pretty tough and I’m not so good at fighting.”

Celestia laughed as she gently nuzzled Yosh. The tactile feel of her fur calming him much as his diaper did.
“Canine Crossroads is a town full of dogs who have long tried to live a peaceful life of helping others through friendship,” she stated. “They also have an amazing opportunity to help all of Equestria if the right ‘Mayor’ came along.”

“’Mayor’?” wondered the dragon-duck.

“I know,” chuckled Celestia. “I found it funny, too. However it seems they are in real need of leadership that would give them all purpose. The delegate of Canine Crossing, Isabelle, asked if I could send a suitable, reliable, and caring representative to come serve as their mayor.”

“And…,” awed Yosh. “You want ‘me’?”

“Yes,” she stated confidently. “I feel you will be the one to bring Canine Crossing back to its glory while helping those residing there to find a special place in Equestria.”

“Sure!” cheered Yosh. His childish mind was filled with thoughts of being in a town filled with dogs looking up to him and wanting him to scratch behind their ears, rub their tummies, and do all sorts of tactile-fun things that made him feel happy.

KNOCK-KNOCK

“Sorry to interrupt,” said a very eager voice.

“Oh, twilight! Spike!” called Celestia. “Are you ready to work with Yosh to prep him for being the mayor of Canine Crossing?”

“Of course!” gleed the Princess of Friendship. “There will be so much to learn and see and document!”

“And my claws will get cramped to where I can’t lift a comic book for weeks,” moaned Spike.

“Spike!” quacked Yosh with delight. “You’re coming, too?”

“You know me,” he shrugged. Yosh could not see the non-verbal gesture but had come to know how his ‘brother’ growing up felt about certain things. “Ever eager to keep twilight from being ‘The Master of the Freak Out’.”

“Spike!” snapped the purple Alicorn. “I do not ‘freak out’.”

“Keep telling yourself that,”he said low enough for her to not hear. However, as Yosh had come to depend on his ears, he caught the reply and giggled.

“Alright,” said Celestia as she trotted out of the room. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer but I have more ‘smiling’ to do before the day is out.”

Spike looked towards Twilight and added, “You’d just be all creepy if you smiled all the time.”

“Spike!” Twilight barked.

“You see it, Yosh?” the purple dragon inquired. “You remember how she looks when she’s on one of those study binges trying to hide how she hasn’t slept or that she’s not stressing out?”

Yosh allowed his memory to see exactly what his emerald-eyed friend was talking about from when the two were being equally cared for by Princess Celestia along with dawnbreak and Twilight respectively.
“Yeah,” he giggled with a quack. “You just can’t smile like Celestia, Twilight.”

The Princess of Friendship groaned.

“Don’t worry, my student,” eased Celestia with a wing to Twilight’s head. “It took me years to learn how to make the ‘perfect smile’ every time.”

Twilight’s ears drooped.

“You’re not going to freak out over the smile thing, Twi?” worried Spike. “Don’t make it like you did with your old friends in Canterlot or that whole mess with Smarty Pants.”

“I still need to get smarty pants back from Big mac,” grumped twilight. “Didn’t you say you were going to ask him about that during your last ‘Guy’s Night’?”

“Well…,” trailed Spike.

“I really must go,” said the sun princess. “Carry yourselves well as the chariot to Canine Crossroads leave when I raise the sun tomorrow.”

All discussions came to an end as Spike, twilight, and Yosh switched to discussing their ‘forthcoming mission’. At least until another opportunity to poke some fun at each other became available.