3: I Can See Clearly Now
“Oh, it's pink, my favorite!”
Rarity snapped to consciousness. Panic and disorientation filled her head as she tried to open her eyes. It took her a moment to remember that not seeing was now normal for her. Waking up to Pinkie Pie's voice, however, was not. “Pinkie?” she said, her voice a bit scratchy from sleeping on the floor. “What—how—?” A number of questions jostled for position in Rarity's mind. What are you doing here? The door was locked, how did you get in? Why do I smell chimney soot? But she quickly sorted out her highest priority. “What is pink, darling?”
Her friend giggled. “Well, I'm pink, or I was just a minute ago. And that hairbrush over there is pink. And this dress is pink. Oh my gosh, is this the dress you're using for your big photo-shooty thingy?”
Rarity's chest tightened. “No, no you must be mistaken. The dress I made was blue, with yellow trim. I am sure of it.”
“I don't see a dress like that anywhere.” Pinkie gasped. “Oh no! Maybe I've gone color-blind!”
Panic churned in Rarity's stomach. “Let's, uhm, test that theory, shall we?” The seamstress' mind racing, she hobbled over to her collection of fabric. The ones her sister had said she organized. She pointed to the red end of the spectrum. “What color is this?”
“Alabaster,” Pinkie said. “And the one next to it is amarillo. Then azure, then baby blue, beige, burgundy...”
Rarity's heart sank to her hooves. She had assumed Sweetie Belle had arranged the fabric according to spectrum. If it was alphabetical instead... “Pinkie,” she said tersely, “I need you to tell me precisely what color the dress on that ponyquin right there is.”
Pinkie went silent for a second as she studied the dress. “I would call it a brightish-pinkish shade of pink. And the trim is light green. Maybe more of a chartreuse. Chartreuse-ish green? Lightish greentreuse? Ooh, raisins!” Sloppy munching noises came from the previous day's discarded tea set.
Rarity's face twitched. She tried to think of some scenario in which chartreuse and pink would not be a teeth-grindingly obnoxious combination. Perhaps if everypony in Equestria were to suddenly go blind... Oh, but Applejack would never part with that many unripe apples.
“Mm, good idea boiling them like that. It makes the raisins nice and squishy!” Pinkie licked her lips loudly. “Anyway, Twilight sent me to make sure you make it to your photo-shoot-a-majig on time. She said—” She pulled out an eerily accurate impression of Twilight's voice, “'If Rarity just follows your voice, there's no way she can get lost!' I don't know what she meant by that, I mean, how can you get lost between here and the park, but then, she says funny stuff like that all the time. 'Where did you even get that cannon? Jelly beans have nothing to do with Stephen Hawk Wing's astrophysical theorems! This shouldn't be scientifically posibiiiiiillle!' That must be why you love her so much!” Rarity felt her friend nudge her toward the door. “C'mon! You don't wanna be late, do you?”
“B-but—” Rarity stammered. But the dress is hideous! But I haven't brushed my mane! But there is no way under Celestia's blue sky that this isn't going to end in utter disaster! “But I don't have my sunglasses!” she finally managed to say.
A pair of sturdy frames settled on the bridge of her muzzle. “Easy fix,” Pinkie said. “Now let's go!”
* * *
It was only a short walk to the park from Carousel Boutique. The shop was at the edge of the park, after all, and Rarity could probably have seen the setup crew from her home if she were able to see at all. As it was, Twilight's choice in guides had been a wise one, as Rarity had no trouble at all following the sound of Pinkie's motormouth.
“...because I won, so I was the bestest at telling spooky stories, and so then Applejack said, 'Twahlight, git mah rope,' and Twilight said, 'And the shovel,' and then they dragged me out of the barn by my tail, and oh, hey look! We're here!” Rarity stopped as she felt Pinkie’s tail brush against her nose.
“Ah, Rarity! It's good to see you made it!” A cultured accent tickled Rarity's ears.
She let her mouth gape. “Fancy Pants? What are you doing here?”
Fancy Pants gave a polite laugh. “When my dear Fleur told me where she would be modeling and for whom, why, I couldn't resist the excuse to drop in on the most influential unicorn in the industry!”
The flattery slid right past Rarity as she grappled with the first part of what he had said. “F-Fleur?” she stuttered. “Fleur de Lis is modeling my dress?” Now that she thought of it, it made sense. There were only so many ponies with the measurements Rarity had been given for her dress.
“Oui,” said a soft, Prench-accented voice. “I often do ze modeling for Mizz Finish's photography.” A floral perfume filled the air that Rarity had only smelled once before in Canterlot.
“Miss Fleur, I-I am honored! I had no idea you would—”
“Look out, Rarity!” Pinkie shouted and tackled her to the ground. As she fell, she heard a heavy piece of equipment come crashing to the ground where she had been standing. Rarity coughed as her friend rolled off of her. “Didn't you see my tail twitching?”
“Mon Celeste! Mizz Rarity, are you all right?”
Rarity wheezed, “Never better.” Somepony's hoof—she wasn't quite sure whose—helped her back up.
She heard Photo Finish's unmistakable dialect berating one of the workers. “You nearly crushed de talent! Und that thing iz expensive! Clean it up and be more careful!”
Applejack's farm pony drawl sounded from behind Rarity. “Rarity, we need ta talk.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Applejack? I didn't expect to see you here, darling. This sort of thing isn't usually your cup of tea.”
Pinkie Pie trotted off, striking up a conversation with one of the workers. “Did I ever tell you about the time my friend Twilight became vice-mayor?”
“This ain't about yer photo-shoot,” said Applejack. There was a hint of irritation in her voice.
“I say,” Fancy Pants said, “Is this the dress? It's certainly a departure from your usual style.”
Rarity tried to snatch the dress away, but her hoof only found air. “Oh, that thing? We don't need to go with that. I could run back to my boutique and grab something more appropriate.” Like a khaki sweater-vest. Or a paper bag with eyeholes.
“Rarity!” Photo Finish's harsh voice turned in Rarity's direction. “Iz your friend Flootershy coming today?”
“I don't think she is,” Rarity called. “The poor dear's been a bit camera-shy since she retired.” She turned her head in the last direction she had heard Applejack's drawl. “Applejack, I'm a little busy at the moment as you can see, can it wait, dear?”
“Gol'durnit, Rarity, this is important! Now, I don't like ta go nosin' into other ponies' personal lives, but—”
“...and so I told everypony, 'Omigosh, Twilight just had the bestest idea ever!' and we all went and cleaned up the litter...”
“...whatever you an' Twi are goin' through, I just don't think it's fair of ya to drag poor Fluttershy into it.”
“Zis dress... It is very pink, non?”
“...but then Miss Mayor fired her the next month because she accidentally filled Town Hall with custard.”
“Now, if'n ya fancy Twilight, well then I'm happy for ya, I am. An' if yer sweet on Fluttershy, I can hardly grudge ya fer that, either. But I don't reckon it's very upstanding fer ya ta lead 'em both on like this.”
“Everypony to your places! It iz time to make... de magics!”
Rarity's jaw worked. “Stop. Hold on, back up. Applejack, darling, what did you just say?”
“I said ya can't be datin' both Twilight an' Fluttershy at the same time!”
“You think I'm—” Rarity's face burned with a deep flush as everything finally clicked together. The strange conversation at the bakery, Spike's unexplained moodiness, Fluttershy's reluctance to help. “I am not... dating my friends!”
“Oh? What are y'all callin' it these days? 'Making a dress' was the last one I heard.”
“I am blind! That's why I've been having Twilight and Fluttershy over to help me! Without being able to see I—” Rarity made a strangled yelp as her brain finally caught up to her mouth and jerked it shut. The park went silent
Fancy Pants cleared his throat. “Rarity, did you just say you were blind?”
The 'most influential unicorn in the industry' shifted on her hooves. “I...” Lie, Rarity, she thought to herself. Lie your gorgeous face right off! “That is to say...” Say, 'As a matter of fact, I snog Twilight and Fluttershy every night!' Lie till your tongue turns blue! Lie like a cashmere rug! “Uh...” For Celestia's sake, lie like your career depends on it!
Rarity hung her head. “It's true. I had an accident at the spa this Wednesday, and I have been unable to see a thing since.” The fashion diva grimaced, waiting to hear the sound of her livelihood crumbling apart. She wondered if they would set a torch to her boutique immediately, or if they would be polite enough to let her pack a bag of things first.
Fancy Pants spoke in an astonished tone. “So, you mean to say you made this dress entirely without seeing what you were doing?”
Rarity nodded. “I had help, but they only did what I told them. I am the one responsible for that... travesty.” She pointed her hoof in the direction she guessed the dress was in. “Oh, I am a fraud! I am a hack! A phony! I am—”
“You are extraordinarily gifted,” interrupted Fancy Pants. “This dress is incredible by any standard. To think you were able to make it without seeing... I am extremely impressed!”
Disbelief washed over Rarity's features. “You are?”
A gleeful noise came from Fleur de Lis' direction. “It iz like I am wearing a watermelon! C'est bien!”
Applejack pawed at the grass in confusion. “So hang on. Yer sayin' ya ain't got a thing with Twi or Fluttershy?”
Photo Finish snapped impatiently. “Are we going to stand around making googly eyes at each other all day, or are we going to have a photo shoot? Fleur, get in front of de camera! You! What's your name? I don't care, get out of de shot!”
An agreeable murmur broke out among the ponies present at the photo-shoot as everything resumed motion. The click and whir of the camera provided punctuation to Photo Finish's shouted commands. Makeup artists and hairstylists constantly bustled among stagehands and technicians. A succession of ponies, most of whose voices she did not recognize, shook Rarity's hoof in congratulations.
Like the previous sessions with Photo Finish, this one was over surprisingly quickly. Rarity heard the graceful hoofsteps of Fleur de Lis approach her as the stage was broken down. “Mizz Rarity, zis dress is simply ze most wonderful thing I have ever worn! It breathes so well, what fabric did you make it out of?”
The seamstress shook her head. “The fabric isn’t anything special, just plain cotton.” I think, she neglected to add. With the mix-up in her fabrics, the dress might have been made of tinfoil for all she knew. “The airflow comes from the gathered seams in the back.”
“How practical!” Fleur exclaimed. “Oh, perhaps it is rude of me to ask, but would it be possible for me to keep ze dress?”
“Now Fleur,” Fancy Pants gently scolded, “Miss Rarity needs that dress for her summer line.”
Rarity raised her hoof to her chin. “How about this. My eyes will be all better in a week, and I will want to see for myself what I have made. If you and Fancy Pants come visit me for tea next Friday, I would consider it more than worth the price of the dress.”
Fleur made a delighted squeal and threw her forelegs over Rarity’s shoulders. Fancy Pants cleared his throat. “I believe that sounds like a fantastic idea. Now, come along, Fleur. We don’t want to miss our train. Adieu, Rarity.”
“Rarity!” A set of hooves thundered across the park, accompanied by Twilight's voice.
Rarity turned her head as Twilight's hoofsteps drew near. “What's wrong, dear? You're panting, did you run the whole way here?”
“Rarity,” Twilight said breathlessly, “I just figured out what had Spike so upset! He thought you and I had started dating!”
* * *
Dear Princess Celestia,
Spending a week blind has taught me some unexpected things. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, I learned that housecats make for terrible guide animals. This is a lesson that I could have learned with fewer bruises if I had thought to simply ask Fluttershy about it.
In fact, there are a great many things that could have gone better for me if I had just trusted my friends to help me from the beginning. I had thought that stubborn pride was only Applejack's vice, but it seems I am not entirely immune to it myself. When you are in trouble, your friends can and will help you, but only if you open up to them.
When you lie and mislead them, on the other hoof, it leads to misunderstandings and problems that could have been easily avoided. On a strangely related note, I understand that dark sunglasses have come into popularity up in Canterlot. For that I must offer my deepest and most profuse apologies.
I have also learned that ponies are capable of overcoming obstacles that seem impossible. With just a little help from some good friends, a pony can put together a dress without ever laying eyes on it, or walk from one end of a town to the other without seeing the cobblestones beneath her hooves, or even just read at night without waking up a nearby friend.
After a week of not seeing, I am glad to finally have my vision back again. There are so many things that it would be a shame not to see again. Sunrises. My friends' faces. My own fabulous coiffure (if you will excuse a bit of vanity). However, if my loss of vision had been permanent, I would still be okay, because I know I have five of the best friends a pony could ever ask for here to help.
Your faithful subject,
Rarity
This was what Rarity believed she had written. However, as she lifted the blindfold from her eyes, she saw nothing but inky smears and illegible scratchings on the parchment in front of her. She shook her head and got out a new parchment. She dipped her quill in the inkwell and took another try, this time without the blindfold.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I have learned that a pony is capable of doing a great many extraordinary things without seeing. Writing letters is not one of them...
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Cool.
This is one of the few comedy stories I’ve read on here recently that had me actually laughing out loud in parts.
Excellent, well-written story. EqD worthy, I believe!
...not bad. not bad at all.
I think I'll give you a thumbs up.
1300050
Are you joking?!
That was the best part!
Fantastic. A new personal favorite.
1300566
Oops, my bad. I thought that comma was a period.
1299360
I knew I wanted to do a terrible sunglasses--yeaah! joke from the moment I started this.
1299380 She didn't fail to notice her blindness. She was just in denial until she was alone enough to freak out about it.
1300050 I dunno. Even without any fillyfooling, the premise itself would be difficult to pull off in a visual medium. They would either have to make the entire episode all dark and blurry, which would make everyone's head hurt, or have it be from outside of Rarity's perspective, which would completely change the whole idea of the story.
1300323 RariTwi is fun to shiptease, I find. I enjoy writing banter between them. This isn't the first fic of mine that has relied heavily on this fact.
1300518 Glad to hear it!
YES.
JUST YES.
Well Job done! What a shame, this excelent story is so unknown.
Great character acting and a really nice own mlp epsiode (ok, rated teen episode. i'm ok with that. 
).
It is a real pleasure to read this story!
5 senses are for ponies that aren't as fabulous as Rarity. Creating visual masterpieces through a format that requires a great deal of very precise physical activity may require vision for OTHER ponies, but for Rarity all it takes is a pattern and some kind of crazy deal with the Random Number Gods to exchange a ton of tiny misfortunes for one large success practically falling in her lap.
Now if you'll excuse me, someone asked for my help "making a dress." Not sure how they managed to pronounce the quotation marks, or why, but I'm sure it's urgent.
2040509 Make sure to wear a thimble, darling!
The lack of mentioning your friends can be morons is tactful XD also I feel like there needs to be some AJ apologising for feeling guilty that it's her apples that made rarity blind but cute nevertheless.
1299360
Well now I have to read this.
This was wonderful. I loved the humor infused with the obstacle of a lack of sight, the complete misunderstanding with her friends, and how everyone seemed to like the watermelon dress over the blue and yellow one. Nice fic! You get a fave from me!
2226179 This was what I was going for. That I failed to convey it to a lot of readers is my failing, not theirs.
I'm glad you liked the story! Writing for a blind character was a real challenge, and some aspects of the story may have suffered a little from the constraint, but it was fun to write, regardless, and I hope to write around another sensory handicap sometime.
Excellent! I think I like Rarity because she is the polar opposite of me, or at least my complement number in the imaginary plane. I think it's hard to write her so that her flaws don't make her annoying, but rather adorable. You pulled that off well. I'd love to see you really ship off Twirity!
2506535 I sure do like to ship-tease the pairing, don't I?
Once I get around to writing it, the sequel to my story Stubborn as Ponies is going to focus on a genuine Raritwi/Twirity/Gosh-as-much-as-I-love-this-ship-there-really-isn't-a-good-way-to-portmanteau-it. But I do have a few stories queued up before it, so it may be a little while.
I enjoy writing Rarity a lot, she's a very fun character with a lot of depth. I'm glad you like my portrayal of her.
Okay, Rarity is now blind, and this is "Comedy"? Interesting...hopefully she'll eventually get her sight back.
2507327
Er, Rarilight?
(Personally, "Rari-" sounds so much better than "-ity" I shoul know, since I'm a hardcore Rarijack shipper.)
2850416 But.. But.. Twitty is a perfect name for this pairing!
That was an entertaining story, and I am so glad that I have eyesight
Bravo. Who knew one could so much mileage out of a blind Rarity?
Haha
Great story
But you know Braille doesn't work that way right? :)
Oh and blind people don't necessarily have better senses. We just pay attention more.
That being said, you don't read comedy stories for accuracy. Rambling over. Fun and enjoyable story in a style true to the show.
8401561
First of all I’m glad I’m not the only one that uses the text to speech function on this site. And second I completely agree with your rambling and and add that it is much Much less of an obstacle when you’re surrounded by good friends, gross I have a hair in my mouth