Being a blind filly had many disadvantages. Difficulty navigating in enclosed spaces. Bumping into ponies on the street. Rearranged furniture presenting a major obstacle. But being run over by a wagon was certainly a new one for Acuity.

“It’s kind of heavy,” she said, grunting as she tried to crawl out from under the heavy wooden frame, but to no avail.

“My poor baby girl!” sobbed her father.

“You monster! How could you? Running over my little Acuity.” Malice dripped from her mother’s voice, as it often did whenever anything threatened Acuity. Or made he mildly uncomfortable. Or, according to her old friends in Manehattan, looked at her.

Not that Acuity would know.

“I’m sorry! I thought she would see me coming!” an unfamiliar, high-pitched voice squeaked.

“She’s blind!”

“I’m fine, mom,” Acuity said, panting as she twisted around, fumbling for some leverage on the heavy wagon, but to no avial.

“See? She’s okay! Now, if you’ll just let me move the wagon off of her, I can get your party started!” Acuity heard the shuffling of hooves, followed by a snort.

“How can you even think of a party at a time like this?” Sugar Glaze asked in a tone of voice that Acuity recognized as trying to start a fight.

The other pony gasped. “How can I not think of a party at a time like this? You’re new in town, and I ran someone over with my welcome wagon. That’s the perfect time for a ‘Welcome to Ponyville and I’m sorry I ran you over with my wagon’ party!”

“There’s no such thing!” Sugar Glaze shouted.

“Is so! I’d just need to add a few words to my banner…” Another pair of hoofsteps, close together.

Acuity sighed. “Dad? Can you help me?” she asked in the direction of her father’s voice.

“Oh, my poor baby. Stay strong,” her father said, stroking her mane.

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“I could help!” the unfamiliar pony said, followed by a grunt.

“You’ve helped quite enough!” Sugar Glaze snarled.

“But if you’d just let me—”

“Oh Acuity!” sobbed Pilot Light. “How could this happen?”

“Ooh, I know!” the unknown pony shouted. “You see, you were crossing the street, when I realized, hey, you were new in town. So I—”

“No one cares, so just back off!”

Acuity could hear her father rising and moving towards the sound of her mother’s voice. “Now, dear. Just because she hurt our little Acuity doesn’t mean… doesn’t mean…” More sobbing came from the stallion.

Acuity’s ears drooped.

“Hey! Why do you have a wagon on your back?” a squeaky voice asked.

“I think Pinkie Pie ran her over,” a second, harsher voice said.

“Again?” a third voice chimed in, thick with the sound of the fields.

Acuity swiveled her head towards the sound of the voices. “Hello?”

“Er, uh, hi. You alright there?” the third voice asked, and Acuity could hear a few sets of light hoofsteps coming closer.

“I have a wagon on me.”

“We noticed,” the second voice said.

“You want some help?” the squeaky voice asked.

“Yes, please,” Acuity said, nodding her head.

“Alright, Crusaders! On the count of three!”

“One!”

“Two!”

Acuity felt the weight lifting from her back and quickly scooted forward, her hooves scrabbling against the road as she slid out from under the wagon, only to promptly collide with one of her rescuers.

“Ow! Hey! Watch where you’re going!” the harsh-voiced filly shouted.

Acuity winced, sitting back on her haunches. “I can’t. I’m blind.”

“Oh.”

Her rescuers fell silent, making the sounds of her parents arguing with the other pony all the more loud in Acuity’s ears.

“I guess I should probably go say something,” Acuity said, standing back up.

“Hey! Wait!”

Acuity paused mid-step at the sound of the filly trotting up behind her. “What is it?”

“You don’t have your cutie mark yet!”

Acuity nodded her head. “Not that I can tell.”

“You want to join us?” one of the other fillies asked.

“What?” Acuity swiveled her head towards the sound of the voice.

“Well, we don’t have our cutie marks yet either. I thought we could all go crusading for them together.”

Acuity tilted her head. “You don’t mind that I’m blind?”

“Of course not! T’ain’t like we ain’t used to less able ponies anyway.”

“Hey!”

“So, how ‘bout it?”

Acuity swiveled her ears back towards the sound of the bickering adults for a moment, then nodded her head.

“Sure.”