Whose bright idea again was it to tie this ribbon over his eyes? Gaston snorted softly as the answer came promptly to him. It had been his idea. He cursed himself for naively following that mare's suggestion. How stupid could he have been to let her sweet talk him into purchasing the ribbon in the first place and then having her human companion blindfold him with it? He essentially was roaming around the countryside as blind as a bat. Gaston shook his head again with the same futile result as before. The fabric just would not budge. Thinking back on that mare though brought a bit of a goofy smile to his face. She had been a looker that was for sure. Underneath her innocent appearance though had lain a total witch. After he had his vision "stolen" the human had wasted no time in attempting to search him for valuables as the mare stood to the side and laughed at his gullible trust that he'd placed in the duo.
Gaston ground his teeth together as another expletive was torn from his lips. His right hoof came off the ground throbbing. Just how many times had he walked into something that he could not see? It was now the fifth time he'd rammed his hoof into a large rock. It was becoming apparent that he could not continue on like this. However he needed to find someone that could give him back his sight. He needed it back. How could he admire the lovely mares of this land if he could not see them? This was the real dilemma behind Gaston's situation. He wanted his vision back in order to continue searching for that beautiful mare that he could call his all his own. Was this chauvinistic of him? Perhaps ... but Gaston didn't care.
As he pushed onwards Gaston tried to ignore the flaring surges of pain as he continued to walk into things or place his hooves down on top of the sharp rocks that littered the ground. He'd strolled off in anger after the ruse that had been played on him. It stung almost as bad as the betrayal from back home. Why was it that everyone wanted to deceive him? He was a likable enough fellow when he wasn't acting the way everyone saw him ... a rogue stallion trying to steal the ladies' attention. Gaston couldn't help himself though. He looked suave and debonair... how could he not act the part. Ladies admired a bold approach, right? Wrong it seemed.
A few minutes of walking unscathed from any encounters with ill placed rocks had Gaston believing that he was in the clear. A stream burbled gently to his left and the sound of the running water resonated in his mind. He was incredibly thirsty. Gaston swung his head towards the sound and not hearing anything else the stallion assumed that the path to the water was free of debris. He picked up his pace into a canter and promptly let out a cry of shock as tiny pinpricks of pain lanced his side. Gaston thrashed about as more tiny pinpricks of pain registered. Stop moving around. Idiot. Stop and think.
Gaston froze. His couldn't rely on his sight to tell him what he had blundered into. His sense of touch was overwhelmed by roughness that continued to poke tiny holes into his sides. Gaston inhaled deeply and immediately broke into a series of deep coughs. The scent was too powerful. How could he had not noticed the smell earlier? He had walked into a tangle of rosebushes. He had always admired roses from afar. Their scent up close had a cloying effect that overwhelmed his sense of smell. Gaston sneezed violently and felt the pricking sensation continue. The sound of the stream lay forgotten as the stallion attempted to pick his way out of this newest obstacle. The thorns from the bushes scratched at his sides as he blundered about wildly. Had anyone been about they might have been able to assist Gaston in what direction to proceed in. Or they could have just laughed at the sight of a large stallion stuck in a massive patch of flowering roses. Whatever the case, there was no voice to guide Gaston out of his latest predicament.
