No one could have expected what would happen that day. None of the peaceful denizens of Ponyville could have anticipated what a momentous occurrence would happen that day. There was no tingle in the air, no sense of anticipation, it was for all appearances a normal day. The 6 friends who were enjoying a nice picnic, including the one who had mysterious body twitches to tell the future, certainly didn't think anything would happen.
The 6 picnicking friends heard a voice from below the hill they were eating on. "Hello?" At first they ignored thinking it was some colt passing by, but it spoke again, "Hello, is anyone here? I don't know where I am! Something happened and I've gotten lost!" The voice was starting to get distressed. The 6 ponies who were all very caring, and would never think of letting someone in distress go without help quickly rushed down the hill, ready to aid whatever poor colt had gotten lost. They didn't find a colt at the bottom of the hill.
"One moment! We'll be down to help you in just a second!" shouted Twilight Sparkle. She and her 5 friends stood up and hurried over to the edge of the hill to make their way down to whoever was lost, but they all stopped in their tracks as they saw what was at the bottom of the hill. It was skinny, skinnier than most ponies had any right to be. It had only a small amount of course looking fur covering it's torso and back legs. It's main was brown and obscured the creature's head as it looked down at the grass beneath it. It had claws like a Diamond Dog, but they were smaller, and fleshier, uncovered by fur.
"W-what is it?" asked Rainbow Dash, unsettled by the creature's odd appearance.
"It's an animal in need and that's all that matters" said Fluttershy, who separated from the group of friends and continued down the hill. The rest of the group looked at each other, and then continued down the hill after Fluttershy. At the very least the creature didn't appear dangerous, it certainly wouldn't be hurting anything with it's weird claws.
"Hello? Is someone there? Please, I need help!" the creature shouted again.
"Hello! Yes, I'm here, don't worry, I'll help you," called out Fluttershy who was still ahead of the group, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
The creature used it's claws to prop itself onto it's knees, it's head still staring at the ground as it spoke, "Thank you! I've gotten separated from my caretaker! I don't know what happened, one minute I was with her and the next she disappeared!"
"Oh you poor thing, don't worry I'll help you find your caretaker, do you have a name?" Fluttershy had just about reached the creature.
"Yes, my name is Jacob. Thank you very much for helping me Miss, what's your name?" the creature was now unsteadily resting on it's haunches, using it's claws to support itself, but for whatever reason it still had it's lowered which made it's mane cover it's face.
"Jacob? What an odd name, I wonder if it's foreign," thought Fluttershy, "My name is Fluttershy, Jacob. Can you walk? You seem a little unsteady," she called out to him.
"Fluttershy? I really hope this isn't some prank," thought Jacob, "Oh, yes I can walk Miss Fluttershy, it's just that I don't know where I am and I don't have my walking stick."
The rest of the group had now caught up to Fluttershy and had gathered around her, "What does not knowing where you are have to do with your walking?" asked Fluttershy.
"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to mention," as Jacob he lifted his head and carefully parted his hair to reveal a pair of milky white eyes with no pupil, "That I'm blind."
There was a collective gasp from the group of ponies, they had never seen anything like Jacob's eyes before, the local mail mare Derpy Hooves' eyes often looked at different things simultaneously, but she at least still had pupils! Jacob's eyes were just dull white spheres.
Jacob didn't flinch at the gasps. He was used to the typical responses when people saw his eyes. He didn't react to them anymore, but it didn't mean in any way that he liked or was okay with the gasps.
Applejack was the first to recover and said, "I'm real sorry for ya, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see."
"Don't feel bad, I don't know what I would do if I could see! I've been blind since I was born," responded Jacob. He was used to the pity that usually accompanied the gasps as well, "Um, do any of you see a wooden cane with a rubber tip at the end nearby? It's my walking stick, I have a lot of trouble getting around without it."
The assembled ponies started looked around for something matching Jacob's description. While looking around Rainbow Dash spoke to Pinkie Pie in a whisper, "What do you think about Jacob? He's so weird looking, and those eyes make me shiver."
Pinkie Pie let down the rock she was looking under and glanced back at Jacob who was now sitting, his hands flat on the ground feeing the grass, "I think he's a new friend that just needs a little help!" Pinkie Pie responded in her typical cheerfulness, "Besides, I think he looks cute! Kinda like Spike, or a puppy!"
Rainbow Dash sighed, she didn't really know why she had been expecting any other kind of response from Pinkie, and as much as Rainbow Dash distrusted Jacob, Pinkie generally had good intuition about ponies so she guessed she would too.
Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle were checking around a section of nearby bushes for the lost cane while Twilight Sparkle talked to Fluttershy, "What species is he? I haven't seen, read, or heard about anything remotely like it! This is so exciting! We've discovered a whole new species! It mentioned a caretaker as well! Are there more 'Jacobs' out there? Are is it a pet for some pony? I can't wait to write to the Princess about this."
Fluttershy looked away from the bushes to give Twilight a disapproving look, "Twilight this isn't just some experiment and Jacob isn't an 'it' Jacob is a He… I think. Regardless, try not to treat him like some sort of experiment. Jacob is obviously smart, and is trusting us to help him."
Twilight Sparkle sobered up and said, "You're right, sorry I was being so insensitive about this Fluttershy, I just got really excited about finding a new species."
"I understand Twilight, just try not to let it happen again, okay?" Fluttershy said with a smile. She understood how Twilight could get when facing something new, and although she didn't blame her for it, she couldn't have her treating Jacob like a lab rat.
Twilight Sparkle returned the smile and said, "Okay Fluttershy, I won't let it happen again!"
Rarity and Applejack were also having a conversation about Jacob as they searched for his walking stick, "He's just so odd looking! Almost like a diamond dog, almost like a really skinny minotaur, almost like Spike! And his lack of fur is so different!" Applejack was only half listening to Rarity talk, but something she said caught her attention.
"What do ya mean 'lack of fur'? He's got that weird looking fur around his legs and chest," Applejack asked.
Rarity laughed a little and said, "Fur? Apllejack those are clothes! He's obviously wearing them so that he doesn't freeze, because he doesn't have any fur!"
Applejack blushed slightly and said, "I-I knew that, I was just, uh, testing you, yeah that's what I was doing." Rarity just grinned smugly and continued looking.
After a few minutes of looking, the ponies gathered up back at Jacob and none of them had found Jacob's cane. After giving the news to Jacob, he looked a little sad at the news, but he said, "Oh, oh well that's ok… Um, could one of you tell me where I am?"
"You're just outside Ponyville, the bestestest Ville in all of Equestria!" replied Pinkie Pie in her normal chipper voice.
Jacob frowned at this, "Ok, stop messing with me. Whatever joke your pulling this isn't funny."
The ensemble of ponies didn't really know how to react to that, "W-what do you mean?" asked Fluttershy in a voice just a little softer than her normal one.
Jacob stood up, he was visibly upset, "You know what I mean! Names like 'Fluttershy' 'Ponyville' and 'Equestria'! Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm stupid! Stop messing with me! Where the hell am I? This isn't funny!" Jacob was almost shouting now.
The Ponies responses to this outburst were varied, but Rainbow Dash was the first to make her's known. She flew right up to him and said, "Listen bub, we've done nothing but try to help you and now you're yelling at us for answering your questions? What the hell is wrong with YOU?"
Jacob turned his head towards Rainbow Dash and made sure that his eyes were open. He didn't know if he was looking directly at her, but he knew that people didn't like the look of his eyes, and he wanted these jokers to be as uncomfortable as possible, "Helpful? All you've done is give me stupid fake names! You're probably the ones who made Anna disappear and take my walking stick as well, huh? WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE CALL THAT HELPFUL?" Jacob was shouting now, his breathing unsteady.
Rainbow Dash was offset by the sight of his eyes, and didn't really know what the heck this stupid creature was going on about, but there was definitely one thing she could contradict him on. Gathering her breath she shouted, "WE AREN'T PEOPLE! WE'RE PONIES!"
Jacob wasn't expecting the 'girl' to shout back at him, and certainly wasn't expecting the response. He took a step back, but tripped and fell down flat on his rear. "…Ponies?" was that he said, his voice soft once again.
Rainbow Dash wasn't expecting his response either and just said, "Yeah," going back to a normal tone of voice as well.
Jacob was as surprised by this serious answer as he had ever been and he still wasn't thinking clearly from his momentary episode, the one response he could think of was, "Prove it."
Rainbow Dash didn't really know what to do in response to that. She dropped down from the air and asked how, "How?"
Jacob thought for a moment. He couldn't believe he was still playing along with this, but decided that this would be the easiest way to end this little game and said, "Come over here and let me touch you, if I feel fur and a tail then I'll believe you."
Still kind of stunned from the sudden change in tone and events, Rainbow Dash said, "Fine," and walked over to Jacob, once she was less than a foot away from she said, "Okay, I'm next to you, prepare to feel the awesomest fur in all of Equestria," even in a situation like this Rainbow Dash couldn't stop herself from boasting.
Jacob leaned forward and while using one hand to keep himself balanced, he slowly reached toward Rainbow Dash. Jacob's arm was a little off from where Rainbow Dash was, so she moved into it. Jacob flinched slightly when he actually felt fur, but he put his hand down onto Rainbow Dash's back and started moving his back and forth very slowly, feeling the softness of her fur. Jacob then moved his hand farther down towards Rainbow Dash's rear and felt her tail. It was courser than her fur and was most definitely a tail.
Rainbow Dash was having to suppress a shudder as Jacob moved his hand along her body. It didn't feel bad, it just felt really weird, especially with his weird claw things. When he started to touch her tail, she had to resist the urge to jump away, she wasn't use to ANYTHING touching her rear and tail except towels and brushes.
Jacob went back to rubbing her back, but felt something on the side, a small nub. Moving his hand over the nub, Jacob asked, "What's this?"
Rainbow Dash was having a lot of trouble staying still, but she was doing her best, when Jacob asked her his question, it was all she could do to not gasp before talking, "It's the beginning of wing, and you are NOT allowed to start touching my wings."
Jacob removed his hand from Rainbow Dash's body, but immediately said, "Your face, let me feel your face," Jacob spoke almost frustratedly. Before Rainbow Dash had a chance to respond Jacob had put his onto her back again, and started moving it up towards Rainbow Dash's head. He ignored her mane and slid his hand around the side of her face. As Jacob repositioned himself so that he could use his other hand he said, "Close your eyes, I don't want to poke one of them out on accident. Rainbow Dash did as told. Jacob moved his hands all around Rainbow Dash's face, not an inch of her face was left untouched. Rainbow Dash felt Jacob's hands go over her eyes a few times, but he was very gentle. In general, Jacob was gentle. He was very careful not to be too rough. Jacob was just about ready to give in and believe that he had encountered talking ponies, but he had one last test. he moved his hands to the side of Rainbow Dash's mouth and said, "Speak, just say something, anything."
"Anything," was Rainbow Dash's response.
Jacob took his hands off of Rainbow Dash's face and let himself fall back onto his rear. In a defeated, quiet voice Jacob said, "I believe you. It feels really stupid to be saying that I believe that I've met a bunch of talking ponies, but… but it's true. There's no way for anyone to fake what I just touched which means that I actually touched a talking pony."
Rainbow Dash, who had taken a few steps back the instant Jacob's hands were off her said, "Why did you touch me anyway?" she was satisfied that he believed what her, but she wanted to know why it was necessary for him to feel her up.
"That's how I see I obviously don't know what anything looks like off hand, but I can use my hands to feel things and create a sort of mental map as to what I'm touching looks like."
"Oh," was the only thing Rainbow Dash could think to say.
There was silence for a moment after that. Eventually Jacob said, "You said I was near a place called Ponyville in some place called Equestria?"
Fluttershy was the first to answer, "Yes, I'm guessing you haven't heard those names before," Jacob nodded. "Oh you poor thing, here's what we'll do, we'll go over to my house and talk there, if you're hungry we have some sandwiches back at our picnic."
Jacob was in shock. He was in some weird land where the places seemed to be bad horse puns and the inhabitants were talking ponies. All he could was nod once again. Jacob stood up and said, "I'll need someone to lead me there, I don't have my walking stick so I won't be able to tell what's in front of me, I'm gonna trust whoever leads me to make sure I don't hit anything."
The immediate happy response was, "Oo! I'll do it! Pick me, pick me!" from Pinkie Pie.
Jacob turned his head towards the energetic sound and asked, "And what's your name?"
"My names Pinkie Pie! But you can call me Pinkie! That's what all my friends call me and I'm friends with everypony! I hope we can be friends too! I'll be your bestesty best friend ever!" Pinkie Pie was quite literally bouncing up and down as she spoke.
Jacob didn't really know how to respond to the small speech Pinkie Pie had just said, and didn't really know why she was so chipper or so eager to be his friend, so he said, "Yeah, sure, we can be friends, just promise you won't let me hit anything on the way to Fluttershy's house, okay?"
Pinkie Pie gave him a salute (which she would later realize he had no way of knowing she had done so) and said, "You got it! You'll have the most crash-free non-hitting-into-things walk of your life!"
Jacob chuckled at Pinkie's silly answer and said, "Okay then, lets get going,"
Although Jacob had no way of knowing, Pinkie was smiling super wide. Not only had she made a new friend, she had made Jacob laugh! She didn't know exactly why he was so sad (although she had some ideas), but she knew that the best cure to feeling down was to laugh, and she was gonna get him to laugh so much, he wouldn't even be able to remember what being sad felt like!